Chapter Eleven

Thursday morning, Yume jogs to the second-hand store. Which means she has to go through the park.

Interestingly, there is a group of kids playing soccer this time. It's definitely another activity class. A few instructors look like dead-on-their-feet older students. Still, they are polite enough and actually show the kids drills when they aren't drinking from their extra-large coffees. Yume feels some sympathy for them. Seven thirty in the morning on a Thursday? She wouldn't have been up if she didn't feel the need to get organized as soon as possible.

'Get organized'. Like she's an RPG character preparing for a dungeon.

Yume shakes her head and picks up her pace. It's too early for these kinds of thoughts.

"Come on, Akechi!" one of the instructors shouts. "Those shoes'll have to do for now! Get over here!"

Yume half-heartedly looks over. A few of the kids and instructors glance as she jogs by, but they don't pay her any mind. Out of vague curiosity, she follows the loud instructor's gaze. Her eyes see the back of a kid struggling to tie his runners and-

-water and oil-

-she trips.

The cool feeling down her spine doesn't dissipate right away. Yume tumbles, and then springs back up into a jog with only minor stings on her hands and knees. A couple kids whisper about her fall, but Yume doesn't pay them any mind. She stubbornly does not look at the kid tying his shoes. Only when she's out of the park does the feeling fade.

Yume is left with a few questions. What was that feeling is her main one.

It was neither an intense liking nor disliking. Her heart picked up a notch, and her body stalled. There was recognition, but not her usual sense of knowing. It was like what makes her an inhabitant of this world looked at the boy and felt a connection that wasn't a connection. They each have something that won't mix properly, and it was acknowledged in her very essence. Water and oil.

Yume walks the last block to the store, trying to still her shaking hands. It was scary. Something deep inside her felt not him, and that was that. Water and oil. Now it's left to her to seek him out, avoid him, or wait for luck. And, while she isn't going back through the park today, she is most definitely coming back next Thursday.

Life may not be an RPG, but she's not going to miss a 'Possible Main Character Here' sign as obvious as that; no matter how terrifying an experience it was. Or maybe its life cutting her a break and giving her a real friend.

It could be nothing at all.

Or maybe, Yume thinks darkly, the bell above the door dinging when she steps in, I'm not really in the Persona world and this is actually a start to a horror movie.

"Hello," says the sales clerk, very surprised to see someone this early in the morning. Or, more likely, very surprised to see a tiny girl all alone this early in the morning. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yume gives her a wide smile and nods. "Hai!" She pulls out a list and lets the clerk take it. "Can you help me find these?"

"Certainly," the clerk replies with an easy smile. "Follow me; we get you a few backpacks to store the items."

Yume leaves the store with all items found and payed for with the forgotten credit card; the one with the babysitter money. After assuring the clerk that she will be fine carrying the items back by herself, Yume walks the long way home. It's a bit awkward carrying three backpacks – not including the bag-inception going on inside one pack – and keeping them from dragging, but she manages.

Yume relaxes when she's a block past the park. She didn't mean to tense. She won't avoid the park, but the lingering thoughts of the feeling –water and oil – coming again have her twisting the backpack straps nervously.

The day passes normally. Little Yume, who waits and waits and waits, is almost disappointed. No other shoe drops. She doesn't even see Madam Himura. Nothing strange happens.

"It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?" Yume asks Makoto while they wait at the corner. Haru looks over, interested.

Makoto nods and hums, smiling at the sidewalk.

"How old will you be?" Haru asks.

"Six," Makoto answers, sneaking a look at the other girls. "My father is going to pick me up right after dance ends."

"Aw," Yume pouts. "That's nice of him, but when should I give you your gift?"

Makoto startles. "What?"

"Your gift," Yume says, thinking of the item she bought at the store earlier. "I was going to give it to you when we were waiting tomorrow, but when would you like it?"

"You didn't have to get me anything," Makoto mumbles, eyes still wide.

"Yes I did," Yume grabs the other girl's hands. "We're friends. I got you a present." She then drops Makoto's hands and grabs Haru's arm. "When is your birthday?"

Haru blinks twice, mind obviously whirling. She distractedly says, "December the fifth."

"Hey!" Yume cheers, smiling widely and drawing their full attention to her. "My birthday's in December too!"

Before either girl asks, Haru's limousine rolls up. The driver gets out; opening the door and gives more cordial greeting to the girls then yesterday. Haru smiles a little giving her goodbyes with a thoughtful look aimed towards Makoto.

The brown haired girl convinces Yume not to run and grab food this time. They chat more about Makoto leaving dance, and how the older girl is excited to learn Aikido. Apparently her sister wasn't good at the activity and chose kick-boxing, and Makoto wants to make her father proud and learn what he grew up learning.

Yume doesn't ask about the mother, if there ever was one.

Around dinner time, Yume pauses at the door of Leblanc. Through the glass she can see Sojiro and Maki sitting at a table together. It takes her a moment, and then she pushes the door open.

"Hey, Yume," Sojiro says, eyes immediately cutting to the girl. "Come over here. Enomoto is taking his sweet time getting over here!"

"No need to shout!" the owner of the café shouts back. "Just a few more minutes!"

Sojiro rolls his eyes and then helps Yume up onto the bench. "I already ordered for you, kid, so I'm paying."

Yume flashes him a bright smile. "Thank you!"

"How have you been, Yume?" Ms. Eguchi asks.

Yume tries not to be so stiff when she turns to the woman – Maki cares, she was with her family, it's okay, don't be a brat – and smiles. "I'm good, thank you! How is your son?"

The tired woman snorts, giving the girl a wiry smile. "It's his wife that did all the work. But they're good. I now have a cute little granddaughter to spoil."

She cares, you're okay, hold it together, don'tstartcrying-

Sojiro stretches his arm over the back of the bench, over Yume's head. The girl subconsciously shuffles towards him, still with the smile aimed at the woman. "Yay! Will I get to meet her?"

"Probably not for a long while," Ms. Eguchi says with a tired sigh. She turns to Sojiro. "Nervous parents and Midori was a bit premature. I don't think I'll get to babysit her for another month at the very least."

Yume falls silent, listening to the older woman gush about the new little girl in her family. She can feel Sojiro glancing at her from time to time, and smiles up at him once or twice to assure him. She and him eat quietly, both nodding in all the right places. Yume coos softly when it's required.

Feel happy for her, Yume tries to demand herself. Miracle of life and all that. This is what it's come to; I'm jealous of an infant. It isn't right. I wasn't an only child last life. I shouldn't be like this.

"We've got to head out now, Maki," Sojiro says, nudging Yume out of the booth. The little girl yawns, and then blinks in surprised when he snags her hand. "Make sure you get some sleep tonight, you look tired."

"Thanks," Ms. Eguchi says with as much sarcasm as she can. "Have a goodnight, Yume."

"Bye Ms. Eguchi!" Yume chirps, her fingers gripping harder to Sojiro's.

"So, Yume," Sojiro says gruffly, "were you alone all last night?"

Yes. "Iie!" Yume shakes her head. "But I was asleep."

Sojiro looks like he wants to ask, but his phone goes. He checks it, and then sighs. "Kid, you call either Wakaba or I if you're ever left alone at night. That's not a request."

"Ee!" Yume nods. Not going to happen, but thank you Sojiro. She hugs his leg when they stop in front of her building. "Thank you for dinner!"

Sojiro sighs and ruffles her hair, making her squawk. He chuckles and walks off, waving over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow, kid."

Yume doesn't move until he's gone from sight. She returns to her apartment and starts going through her new supplies. When she goes to sort it on the low table, she finds the tickets and flyer for her dance recital. After a few moments, Yume picks them up and puts them with her tomorrow's dinner clothes. There's an emotion too similar to hope building in her chest when she does.

She goes to bed quickly after that, blaming her fatigue on stress.

It has nothing to do with procrastination.

It's just been a very emotional day.

A/N: Thanks for reading! So… any thoughts?

Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! More Sojiro! He cares, it just took him awhile to figure out how to show it. She'll get there, eventually. Yume's got the equipment, but now she's got to equip it… Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Minor Edit: Dec 16, 2017