"Hey Homura, can I borrow your notes? I don't get the homework at all." Ryuji groaned, shifting in his seat to face me.
The other students whispered and pointed at us, the class troublemakers. Mr. Hiruta had ended class early and gave us a fresh load of biology homework to turn in by tomorrow.
"Should've paid attention in class then instead of texting, you slacker."
"You were texting too."
"Correction. I was texting and paying attention. You were entirely consumed with PT business."
"PT?" Ryuji's face scrunched up in confusion. A lightbulb went off in that little brain of his. "Oh! You mean Phan-"
Ryuji's sentence was cut off by me shoving paper into his mouth. He spat the paper out and sent me a dirty look for laughing at him.
"Not funny, Homura!"
I shushed him by handing the irate boy the notes he asked for.
"Sorry about that, but you can't go blurting things like that out loud, Ryuji. That's a surefire way of getting us caught."
"You could've just said so…paper taste gross, you know?" He grumbled and turned back around.
The two of us worked on our homework together till the end of class.
Ryuji needed a lot of help and re-explaining things without getting annoyed was a trial. Akira would've been better suited for this.
The bell rang, signaling the conclusion of the school day. The next stop for us was the rooftop for a Phantom Thieves' meeting.
The delinquent and I were just about to head up to the third floor when we were stopped by a group of female upper classmen.
It was those girls that cornered me in the locker room!
"So you're shacking up with the school delinquent? How typical." The leader of the bullies stepped forward with a sneer.
The girls behind her tittered.
I stared blankly at them, channeling my inner Akira and remaining aloof about the situation.
"Oh? Got noting to say, Ms. Harlot?"
"Are you for real? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Ryuji growled.
The girls squeaked in response to his aggression.
"I'm Izumo Goto, part of the student council and it's my job to keep the students in line." The leader haughtily introduced herself, flipping her hair. "So watch how you talk to me, Sakamoto. I could easily issue you a detention for crass behavior."
"Ryuji's response was caused by your own awful behavior." I pointed out, vexed by the chorus of giggling girls.
I didn't get how bullies liked having idiots around. I felt like I was losing brain cells just from listening to them!
"And who's going to report me?" Goto made a show of looking around at the other students that were watching, but doing nothing to intervene.
She smirked at us.
"No one, because I'm in charge." Goto got up close to me. "So listen up you whor-"
"What's going on here?" Akira's voice cut in.
Akira and Takamaki appeared, staring the group of girls down. The group of bullies tensed. Goto eyed my brother with equal distaste.
"Let's go, girls. No need to associate ourselves with the school outcasts." She flicked her hand and the girls obediently followed their leader.
"What was that about? Student Council members don't really bother with students unless there's trouble." Takamaki expected an answer from one of us.
A lie was on the tip of my tongue, but Ryuji went with the truth.
"Those chicks were being real bitches. Just walked up to us and started talking crap. I was tempted to smack the smirk off her face!"
"Ryuji!" Takamaki chastised.
"What? They called Homura a harlot and accused us of shacking up!"
I disregarded Takamaki's shocked gasp and looked at Akira, worried what his reaction would be.
I heavily downplayed things like this to him so as to not worry him. Stuff like this had happened at our old school and I had developed a way of handling stupid girls like them.
He got that cold look on his face and his eyebrows furrowed.
"It was nothing!" I shouted over Takamaki and Ryuji's heated words about the girls.
"But Homura, we can't just brush this aside. Girls are way worse than boys when it comes to bullying. Trust me, I know…" Takamaki's expression became glazed as she recalled a bad memory.
"Our meeting is more important." I maintained an air of nonchalance.
Ryuji and Takamaki stole a glance at Akira for the final say. He fixed his glasses. The light hitting them hid his eyes.
"Let's head up to the roof." Akira instructed.
The two blondes wanted to protest, but decided to let it go and headed upstairs. I attempted to follow their lead, but Akira took ahold of my arm. The glare had faded and his eyes radiated worry, the very thing I was trying to spare him off.
"You will tell me if it gets out of hand, won't you?"
I grinned, satified that he wasn't treating me like glass and letting me handle the matter like a mature teenager.
Not that I was mature in any way, but I could stand on my own from time to time.
"I will, bro. I'm surprised you're not going all overprotective-big-brother."
Akira shrugged. "I have faith in you, you're a big girl…and if I stick my nose into your business, you'd probably kick my butt."
"You're probably right."
He let go of my arm and we headed up to the roof now that the air was cleared.
My brother took his bag off and let Morgana out. The cat hopped onto a desk near Takamaki. I took a seat behind Morgana's spot and Akira propped himself up on the wall.
"Looks like we're all here. Okay, let's get this rollin'." Ryuji announced, sitting up in his chair.
"It's still too early for us to head to the Palace." Morgana shot him down.
It still blew my mind that a cat could talk in reality.
"But why? Don't we just gotta steal that Treasure thing?"
"Don't underestimate the dangers of that place. We need to prepare."
"Ain't that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?"
Morgana sighed. "That's exactly what I mean when I say don't underestimate it. You'll die if you mess up in there. So again, we need to prepare before we head in."
"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" Takamaki kicked her feet in the air.
"I'm glad you asked, Lady Ann." The cat purred. "First, we'll need to find better equipment for all of you."
Ryuji cheered up. "You talkin' about weapons? I know a kick-ass place!"
"Is it the same place you got the model from?" I gently swatted Morgana's tail away from my face. It hissed at the contact, but calmed down when I started scratching along its back.
"Yup. The place has some cool stuff. The owner's a tight-wad though."
"In that case, Ryuji can handle the equipment." Morgana declared. "The only other thing would be stocking up on medicine. Fatigue is unavoidable in a Palace."
"Medicine, huh? The doctor we met could provide us with medicine." Akira uncrossed his arms and aimed his question at me. "Do you remember her name?"
I shook my head. "I think it started with a 'T' or something…all I remember is how edgy she dressed for a doctor and how you were drooling. Sojiro totally called you out for that!"
"So Akira really is a typical teenager? He seems so reserved…oh, but he was staring at me when we met…" Takamaki hummed in thought.
Akira's face went red and he anxiously played with his hair. "A-Anyway…"
Morgana came to his rescue.
"Don't worry about it. I know where the place is. I hope you look forward to it, Lady Ann!" She smiled politely at the cat, not getting why it was so fascinated with her. Morgana puffed out its chest. "Now then, the twins and I have some business in Yongen, so let's head off for today."
"Uh, what business? I've got things to do." I questioned.
Morgana's head whipped around.
"Just come with me! I won't be able to get close enough by myself."
A staring match ensued between Morgana and I. The match ended with me caving to the cat's adorableness.
"I guess everyone's got their assignments. Let me know when we're all meeting up again…I'm gonna go see Shiho before I head home." Takamaki slid off the desk and waved bye to the group as she left.
"I'm heading out too, gotta catch up on homework. My mom'll kill me if I flunk any of my classes this early." Ryuji groaned as he stretched out his upper body.
"Don't lose my notes, Ryuji. Or get anything weird on them." I reminded him.
"W-What do you take me for?! I'm not gonna use the notes for anything perverted! I got magazines for that!" Ryuji sputtered, cheeks red with humiliation.
"I wasn't insinuating anything perverted. Only that you shouldn't get food stains on my notes." I smirked wickedly. "But now we know what you do in your free time."
Ryuji got even redder and Akira muffled his snickers into his hand.
The blonde jabbed his finger in my direction and yelled at my brother. "Dude, control your sister!"
Akira stopped laughing and adopted an air of mock seriousness.
"Okay, Ryuji." he acknowledged, reaching over to pinch my cheek. "Behave, Homura. It's not nice to tease people about their activities."
"Uncle, uncle!" My protests were garbled due to Akira tugging on my cheek until Ryuji gave the okay that I'd been punished enough.
"You two are flipping nuts. I can't decide which twin is worse." Ryuji left, groaning about his taste in friends.
Morgana urged us to hurry up too. My brother and I left the school and took the train back to Yongen. The sky had turned a dusty orange by the time we arrived in front of a clinic.
Sojiro would be expecting us home soon.
The cat poked its head out of Akira's bag. "This is the clinic that the chief mentioned. How can we get her to give us some medicine?"
"We'll…make something up…" Akira mumbled hesitantly.
The concept of lying didn't sit well with him.
"I can do the talking if you want. Plus, I've got legitimate needs for the doctor to see to." I offered, removing my gloves to display my bandaged fingers. Some of the scabs had healed, but my delicate hands still were in an ugly state.
"Your ease and delight with lying is concerning, sis."
I whistled innocently while playing with my hair. "I'm a performer, my specialty is lying. I enchant audiences with my elaborate characters."
"I guess relying on Homura is the only choice we have. We'll just have to go for it." Morgana snuggled back into the bag.
"Let's do this then." Akira held the door open for me.
The inside of the clinic was rather small and sparse. The place looked like it didn't receive many visitors.
"Hello."
I faced the older woman sitting behind the counter. While she was dressed more professional this time, the doctor still sported a punkish style with her outfit choice.
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before…" The doctor analyzed my face.
"You met my brother and I at Leblanc." I provided.
Akira uttered a well-mannered hello to the woman.
"Ah…the drooling boy and the cackling girl." I laughed at her observation while Akira blushed and muttered under his breath about bad first impressions. "Well, whatever…so what are you here for today?"
"I've got some abrasions on my hand from extracurriculars and my brother's been having nightmares." I fibbed easily.
Half-truths were the best route to go when trying to misinform someone. My hands did get injured during an after school venture and the visits to the Velvet Room could be considered nightmares.
The doctor either didn't buy my story or she didn't want to be bothered with two teenagers because she just apathetically stared through us, probably cursing her choice of profession.
"My nightmares have been frequent and I've been too lethargic to pay attention in class." Akira added to win over the woman.
"Fine. Please head to the exam room." She got up and motioned to us through the door. The doctor stood in front of the exam room, holding her clipboard to her chest. "Do you two want separate exams or can we kill two birds with one stone?"
Akira and I communicated nonverbally and came to a decision.
"A joint exam is fine." We answered together.
The doctor tilted her head, amusement briefly flickered across her face. "Very well. Please make yourselves comfortable."
I took a seat on the bed while Akira sat in the chair in front of the doctor.
The languid woman examined me first, asking a few questions about the origins of the scabs. I explained that they were from kendo class.
Akira had to cover his snort with an obnoxious cough.
Doctor Languid told me ointment would fix the abrasions and pain relievers would dull the pain. She moved on to Akira next and quickly diagnosed his problem to be stress and the solution to it would be pain relievers as well.
"I need to restock the pain relievers actually…" Doctor Languid frowned and wrote something on her clipboard. "Let's go with sleeping pills for Akira. Sleep is the best medicine anyway…and ointment for Homura." She finished writing and dragged her eyes to Akira. "Which kind of pill do you want, a sweet-tasting one or a bitter one?"
"I'd really like the painkillers if possible."
"How about a stinky one?" The doctor completely bulldozed over Akira's request.
"I, at least need the painkillers, doctor. Can't you prescribe them for me? I can wait until you're fully restocked."
Doctor Languid set her clipboard down and leaned forward on her knees.
"Alright, why don't we stop beating around the bush…" The makeup around her eyes heightened the intensity of her glare. Akira faced the brute of it since his argument was the weakest. "You're not sick at all, are you? I'm not as dumb as I look, you know? Did you put your sister up to this?"
Akira shrunk back from the harsh interrogation.
Wow, this was a first! Akira was the one getting the third-degree and not me.
"No M'am!" He denied, sweating profusely and tugging at his collar.
"Are you a pill-popper? Thought you'd double up on pills by stealing your sister's supply?"
"No!"
"He's not a junkie. We're just regular teenagers." I threw in, aiding my brother and stopping the doctor's off-the-mark inquires.
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'm guessing you're both here because you heard the rumors about me, huh?"
"Are the rumors true?" Akira tried the honest route since his fibbing wasn't fooling the doctor.
"Who's to say? But as a result, all I get are patients with ulterior motives now." Doctor Languid picked her clipboard back up. "I guess high school kids have it tough nowadays too, huh?"
"We do, so could have pity on us, Miss?" I implored, imitating innocent as best as I could.
She clicked her pen for a few seconds, studying my brother and I. "Fine. I'll prescribe some medication. But only medication that will help recover health for Akira...the painkillers will have to wait."
My brother relaxed. Our goal had been more or less accomplished.
"I guess it's fine. You both seem pretty earnest and don't look like trouble magnets…this is my private practice. All the medicine I dispense is original. I have a license to make my own formulas. You've likely seen them being sold at various hospitals. It's you kids' responsibility to take care of yourselves. So if that's alright, stop by any time."
"That'll really help, thank you, doctor." Akira bowed his head respectfully.
"Great. It's nice that you're so quick on the uptake…saves me the hassle." Doctor Languid leaned forward again. "You're a pretty weird kid, you know? I wonder what you're going to use the medicine for…"
"Nothing illegal, M'am."
Not true, bro. I was pretty sure our activities in the Metaverse could be considered illegal.
"Well, as long as you don't cause me any trouble, it's not my problem…take a look at my inventory while I treat your sister." She grabbed a few things off her desk and rolled in front of me.
Akira browsed the inventory list while the doctor dabbed my hand with disinfectant.
"You need to take it easy in your class or at least find another practice sword to use."
"Neither of those are likely to happen. I was assigned the sword and can't swap it out. And my team would be a man down if I took it easy." I replied, choking back a groan as the disinfectant stung like a bitch.
"Then you're going to be in pain until your hands build up resistance. With how soft your skin is, I'd guess you're not used to tough work, in which case, the scabbing will continue for a couple more weeks…I recommend you apply ointment and rewrap your hands every night."
I nodded in understanding. The ointment she applied dulled the stinging.
"Thanks, doctor."
"It's Takemi. You kids should remember it if you're going to be stopping by for supplies." Dr. Takemi rolled back to her desk after wrapping my hands in fresh gauze. She checked on what Akira had chosen. "Okay, please head to the front to settle the bill."
We went to the front and Akira used the funds from the Metaverse to pay for the medicine and my treatment.
We both groaned heartbreakingly from how empty Akira's wallet became.
I stuffed the medicine into my bag with a heavy heart. With how fast the money was going, the two of us would seriously need jobs to cover all these extra expenses.
"Take care, kids." Dr. Takemi left the counter, retreating back into her office.
Morgana materialized from the bag. "That could have gone better…you both need some more work on improvisation."
I pouted at the critique and Akira fiddled with his hair.
A gruff looking man bursted into the clinic and stormed into the exam area. Akira curiously looked at the door.
Nope. We were not getting involved!
I pulled on his arm to leave, but the man's shout stopped us in our tracks.
"Enough of this! You're the only one who could have developed that type of medicine!"
Akira moved closer to the door, eavesdropping on the conversation. Not that he needed to, Dr. Takemi and the man's voice carried into the room.
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about…" She refuted dispassionately.
"Don't play dumb with me. Rumor has it, it's a drug so potent it can give a person unlimited power."
"Really? That's news to me."
"Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations. Are you attempting to create a super-stimulant? A drug like that will only become a social issue."
"You're really persistent, you know that? I'm just a quack…" Dr. Takemi sounded exasperated in the face of the man's indignation.
"The police may not be taking action, but I imagine the media will soon pick up on it. You intend to ruin my reputation again, huh?! You're disgrace to the medical community!"
This guy was a piece of shit. How could he be so disrespectful to her?!
"What's with that look? That was your mistake, was it not? I won't be responsible for your criminal actions. Dispose of that 'medicine' immediately and resign. The name 'Tae Takemi' will never-" The man stopped mid-rant due to the door clicking closed from Akira leaning on it too much.
We both jumped back from the barrier.
"Hey, is somebody there?!" The man yelled.
My brother and I rushed out the clinic.
"Geez, they almost caught us." Morgana hissed from over Akira's shoulder. "Sounded like they were talking about something dangerous…could that woman be hiding some extra strong medicine?"
"We could use that in the Palace. How do we go about getting it?" Akira shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Use that Kurusu charm of yours and convince the woman to sell it to you." I teased him.
"Why are you leaving this up to me? You said it yourself, you're the better liar. Dr. Takemi didn't buy my story at all. She was fine with yours, though." He challenged, disconcerted with being treated like the bad twin for once.
For a moment I felt a tiny glimmer of satisfaction from the role reversal.
"Because you're better with people. I'd probably mess up and say something off-putting. You're the safer bet, bro." I soothed him, bottling that petty glimmer of emotion and burying it deep down.
"You're not that weird little girl anymore. There's nothing strange about your behavior." Akira reassured me, realizing that my actions were off.
This was why I said he's better with people.
I'm not that empty little girl anymore.
Nobody complained about my abnormal behavior anymore. People don't avoid me like the plague…
I was Homura Kurusu, an aspiring actress! I was a normal teenager girl.
"Don't involve people who have nothing to do with Palace business. Keep the Phantom Thieves a secret okay, okay?" Morgana warned.
The warning was dully noted by us.
The sound of phones going off made me reach into my bag and pull the buzzing object out. A Phantom Thieves' group text had been sent.
Ryuji Sakamoto: You know there's a shop in Shibuya that sells model guns. I'd be happy to take you if you want, Akira.
Homura Kurusu: What about me, Ryuji? Where's my invitation? Or were you trying to steal my brother?
Ryuji Sakamoto: Honestly, I don't think you need to be around any guns, even if they're just models. You might try shooting me with a bb for fun.
Homura Kurusu: I wasn't, but that's a great idea! :) Akira, hit him a few times for me when you get to the shop!
Big Brother: Sounds good. Testing the guns out on Ryuji first is a good idea.
Ryuji Sakamoto: Dude, you're my bro in arms, but if you shoot me with a bb, fists are gonna fly. Don't let your crazy sister corrupt you.
Ryuji Sakamoto: Let's figure out where to meet.
Homura Kurusu: Careful who you call crazy. And Akira is my brother, not yours!
Ryuji Sakamoto: Whatever.
Ryuji Sakamoto: You know how to get to Shibuya Station, Akira?
Big Brother: Yes.
Ann Takamaki: Hey, I can't make it. Can I trust you guys to check the place out for me?
Ryuji Sakamoto: You can't come?
Ann Takamaki: Not tomorrow. I made plans to go see Shiho in the hospital.
Ryuji Sakamoto: Ah, gotcha. Don't worry, we got this.
Ryuji Sakamoto: Well, seeya in Shibuya, Akira! I'll be in front of the station!
I stuffed the phone back in my bag.
"We might be able to get our hands on some decent stuff if this store really has model guns." Morgana purred happily. "We can leave that for tomorrow. Let's go home, I'm starved!"
Take your time
"What do you think? Should I get the pink flowers or the yellow ones? Or should I buy her a bear or something. I really want to get her something since I didn't last time…" Takamaki fluttered around the floral shop, debating on a bouquet for Suzui.
The girl had texted me and asked if I'd meet her at the underground mall.
I still wasn't all that sure about Takamaki and was hesitant to hang out with her, but since Akira and Ryuji were checking out the gun shop and Goro was busy working, I had nothing better to do.
"I think this yellow sunflower would brighten up Suzui's room and they signify deep loyalty. Pink flowers are more for romance." I caressed the yellow petals of the potted plant.
Takamaki came to my side to admire the flower.
"It is pretty festive and I do like the meaning associated with it. Shiho's my best friend and I'll stand by her forever!" Takamaki beamed at me. "You sure are knowledgeable about flowers, Homura. That's kinda cute."
"Ah, I don't know that much. Only the tidbits my Mom tried to teach me." I kept my irritation to a minimal.
My memories of flower lessons were bittersweet.
Mom didn't like how much I gravitated more towards males in my childhood.
Whenever she felt like I was spending too much time with Goro, Akira, or Dad, she'd pull me away and force me to participate in an activity she deemed feminine…it didn't help that I sucked at most everything she tried to teach me.
Cooking was a bust. Tea ceremonies were a nightmare. Sewing or knitting was hazardous in my presence. Floral arrangement was the one thing I wasn't horrible at. Mom drilled those lessons into my head in hopes that I wouldn't be a complete failure as a woman.
"Your friend is right, you do have a knack for flowers. Most customers I get don't know the first thing about any of the flowers I sell." The owner of the shop smiled kindly at us.
"Haha, I guess I fall into that category too, huh?" Takamaki giggled nervously.
"There's nothing wrong with that. That's why I'm here after all. So, are you going to purchase the sunflower?"
"Yes, please."
"Then I'll go ring it up." The owner picked the plant up and took it to the register.
She gave Takamaki a discount thanks to my knowledge of the sunflower's meaning. The blonde was all smiles as we left the store.
"I lucked out with that purchase, having you come was a great idea!"
"Glad I could be of assistance. Are you going to see Suzui now?" I checked the time on my phone.
It was still pretty early. The boys wouldn't be done with their objective yet.
"Yeah, I am…" Takamaki's eyebrows furrowed and she cradled the plant closer to her stomach. "Do you um, do you wanna come with me?"
I froze.
If I said no, I'd look like a total asshole. But I honestly had no reason to go.
What happened to Suzui was absolutely terrible and I felt bad for her, but that was the extent of it. As horrible as it sounded, I didn't really know Shiho Suzui and that caused me to be detached about her as person…a visit from me wouldn't be the same as a visit from Takamaki.
And what if her parents were there? I wouldn't know what to say.
"It's cool if you don't. I know hospitals can make some people uncomfortable and you don't really know Shiho…I just wanted some extra company I guess… Sitting in the room alone and listening to Shiho's heart monitor is depressing." The dejected look on her face tugged my insides.
An image of Akira shaking his in disappointment flashed in my mind. He wouldn't have hesitated like I was.
"I'll go with you…I don't know how much help I'll be though."
Takamaki brightened considerably. "Awesome! We better hurry then. I don't want this plant dying before we reach Shiho."
"It doesn't work that way, Takamaki. It takes days in the shade and no water for a plant like that to wither."
She suddenly came to halt in front of me and probed me with her teal eyes. "Call me Ann. We're friends now so there's no need for formality."
I blinked, surprised.
"We're friends?" I genuinely questioned.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we be?! We faced death-defying odds together and came out on top." Takamaki stepped back as if she'd been slapped, hysteria slipping into her voice. "Unless you don't want to be friends?! You seemed to get along with Ryuji fine, so I just assumed it'd be the same for me. Was I wrong?!"
I frowned. This was one of those instances where my people skills failed spectacularly.
"W-Well, it was easier for me to befriend Ryuji. He's a boy and pretty straightforward. You on the other hand, confused me with your attitude. No offense, but Akira told me you were pretty standoffish to him in class and then your open hostility didn't improve my opinion." I took a breath and avoided eye contact with Takamaki. "I didn't think we'd just immediately become besties…"
She flinched.
"When you put it like that it makes sense…man, I was a bitch…and I know better because of how students treat me." Takamaki held her hand out for me to shake. "But, I swear I'm not like that all the time. Can we start over and try to be friends? We're the only girls on the team, it's important we look out for each other."
"Okay Ann, you're my first female friend." I shook her hand. "Don't ruin this for me! It only takes one bad experience for me to write things off for good."
Ann gasped. "What do you mean I'm the first?! That's a joke right?! You must mean I'm the first female friend you've had at Shujin, right?!"
Her loud questions attracted the attention of the other shoppers and they stared at us. I pushed Ann out of the mall and away from the prying eyes.
I hated being stared at! The stage was the only place I felt comfortable with focused attention.
"Hey, you gotta answer my question!"
"Good grief, you're as loud as Ryuji." I complained, smoothing out my skirt and taking a seat on the bench to wait for the train.
"Don't compare me to him!" Ann snorted very pig-like and flopped down beside me. "So…"
"I wasn't lying, you're my first friend that isn't a boy. I've never gotten along with girls for some reason and the girls that did try to talk to me only did it to get to Akira."
"Is it hard for you to get along with girls because you're a tomboy? You dress feminine enough, but your mannerisms and speech are on the manly side."
I scowled. "You hit the nail on the head. My mom tried to hammer it out of me, but it never quite worked."
Ann smiled sympathetically. "People here are pretty big on girls being docile, little dolls. It was culture shock for me at first. In Finland they're a bit more progressive."
"Finland, eh? Do you miss it?"
"Sometimes. I've lived in Japan most my life, but there are times when I'll miss simple things from there."
"Like what?"
Ann closed her eyes, getting lost in nostalgia.
"I grew up in this house that was surrounded by the forest, so...I miss the smell of the trees, the bright colors of the fruits that occasionally managed to grow, the amazing desserts Mom and Dad used to bake from scratch…" She opened her eyes and laughed, picking at her eyes. "I sound silly, don't mind me."
Her home sounded dream-like.
I envied that she had such vivd and warm memories from her childhood. My childhood was grey and boring for a long time.
I remembered everyone avoiding the girl that didn't seem to understand anything…Akira was the only one that really tried to get through to me…
I'd be a lot more eccentric if he hadn't set me straight.
"The train's here, hurry before we miss out on good seats!" Ann leaped from her seat.
We got on the crowded train and rode it to the stop for the hospital. It didn't take long for us to get to the building and reach Suzui's room.
Ann took a deep breath before she reached for the door handle and pulled. The room was white and quiet with only the beeping of machines disturbing the silence. Suzui was still unconscious and hooked up to a variety of machines.
Ann teared up at the sight while I honed in on the other occupant in the room.
"What're you doing here?" I said venomously, keeping my voice down.
Mishima recoiled and slouched in his seat. He appeared as terrible as ever with the multiple wounds and red eyes he was sporting. "I-I came to s-see Suzui…I didn't expect to see you, Kurusu."
"I could say the same. I'd have thought you too spineless to show your face anywhere near Suzui."
Mishima slouched further, my words striking him to the core.
"Homura, leave Yuuki alone. He comes here almost as much as me…I know you're mad at him but could you try to cut him some slack?" Ann intervened, setting the plant down on the table, where a stuffed bear was innocently sitting.
Mishima must have purchased that.
An irrational spike of anger hit me and I thought about the odd bear, Teddie, that Goro had given me. Why was I considered so unusual compared to everyone else?!
"Why should I be nice to this snake after what he did?" I redirected my anger back to the volleyball player.
"Because Kamoshida is ultimately the one to blame. Getting mad at Yuuki isn't going to do anything."
I huffed, ignoring Ann's point.
Mishima had plenty of opportunities to come clean to either Akira or myself and he didn't. No, he kept quiet about it, thinking he'd get away with it.
The snake!
If the coward had been upfront about it, then I wouldn't be as pissed as I was!
"C-Can I talk to you outside, Kurusu?" Mishima vacated the chair nearest to Suzui's bed and Ann took his spot, taking ahold of her friend's hand.
The sorrow in her expression and the stillness of Suzui made the room feel small and stifling.
I flicked my head in acceptance to the boy's request. We stepped out the room, giving Ann her privacy to speak to Suzui.
"Well, what do you want?" I asked bluntly, staring the fidgeting boy down.
"I-I wanted to properly apologize…for leaking the records."
I scoffed disdainfully. "Did you apologize to my brother already?"
"I did…" He looked confused by my increasing resentment.
"And he forgave you because he's such a nice person, didn't he?" Mishima nodded weakly, not following where I was going with this. "And you thought I'd forgive you too, huh? Pretend like nothing happened? Water under the bridge?" My voice lowered into a dangerous snarl. "You thought wrong…I won't forgive you and I won't forget about this."
"Kurusu…" The boy lowered his head, defeated. "I'm going to go…Please tell Ann goodbye for me."
He trudged away.
Akira was the nice twin, not me. I was the freaking queen of grudges and Yuuki Mishima was on my shit list for eternity!
Take your time
"But daaaaamn…" Ryuji hooted, hiding a lecherous grin behind his hand.
Morgana was having a similar reaction to Ann's thief outfit. Akira at least played it cool and minimized his ogling.
I rolled my eyes, feeling like chopped liver while standing next to the beautiful and sexy Ann.
"Hm? What's up?" She moved her hair back, exposing more of the opening at her chest and drawing the males in more.
"The boys are being pigs." I stated icily.
Ryuji snapped to attention after I specifically looked at him.
"I-I was just thinkin' we should chose a code name for you too." He stammered out.
"A code name?"
"I'm Skull, Akira's Joker, Homura's Jester, and the thing's Mona." Ryuji explained for Ann.
"Perhaps we should stop referring to Mona as an 'it' or a 'thing'. He doesn't seem to like it." Akira motioned to the bristling cat that was ready to pounce on Ryuji.
"Listen to our leader! He knows what he's talking about." Morgana hissed.
So, I'm guessing the cat wanted to be acknowledged as a boy? It didn't correct Akira when he used the male pronoun…but why does the cat have a girl's name if it's a boy?
"Judging by your costume it has to be something animal-like…" Morgana circled Ann.
"She's got that tail and stuff, so…" Ryuji tossed the ball to Akira. "What do you think?"
"Catgirl or Kitty Woman?"
"Oh, come on. Say what you're really thinking, bro." I dramatically gestured to Ann, raising my voice to mimic an announcer. "Her name shall be Sexy Cat!"
Ann shrieked and stomped her foot furiously. "Wait! Is that what you're going to call me from now on?! I am SO not down with Sexy Cat, Kitty Woman, or Catgirl! They're all SUPER gross!"
"What do you wanna be called, then?" Ryuji conceded, kicking at the ground restlessly.
"Um, something better than just a cat…maybe…'Panther'?" Ann became chipper, snapping her fingers. "That sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?"
"Huh? How is that?"
Ann stumbled with her explanation. "Cause it sounds more…ferocious?"
"She's a cougar!" Morgana dreamily remarked.
I laughed outright at the double meaning of the comment. "That's perfect, Mona! Good one."
"Stop laughing, Homura!" Ann screeched and then redirected her fury to Morgana. "And don't call me that!"
The cat closed in on itself.
"More importantly, Kamoshida's treasure, people!"
The group moved forward.
On our way to the infiltration point, a barred, blue door appeared along with a familiar pint-sized warden. Akira and I were the only ones to notice the door. We approached it wearily.
"My master would like a word with you." Justine's golden eyes concentrated on my brother.
"Am I suddenly not important anymore?" I hovered over the little girl.
She didn't react to my intimidation.
It was immature of me, but I wanted to feel in control and formidable in the presence of one of the twins. Too bad it wasn't Caroline here. I would have given her a first class noogie.
"Your presence is not required. When the master wishes to see you then you will be welcomed back."
"And what if I don't want my brother going into that place alone? Caroline is a little too trigger-happy with that electric baton!"
"Your opinion doesn't matter and if you prove to be troublesome and impede my master's wishes, then I will not hesitate to use force." Justine's indifference turned to aggression and her body tensed.
A rush of uncontrollable fear hit me. So much power was coming off the little midget as she brandished her own baton.
What was happening?! Why was the twerp radiating such danger?!
"Let's calm down, there's no need for violence. I'll go see what Igor wants." Akira interjected.
Justine relaxed and the feeling in my limbs returned.
"This way, Inmate." She waved her hand and the barred door opened, revealing empty blue space.
I was sketchy about the doorway. Akira reassured me he'd be fine on his own and entered the unknown. Justine followed him and the door shut with a bang.
I jumped from the loud noise.
The others didn't address the disturbance since Ann and Ryuji had gotten into another dumb argument and Morgana was trying to quiet them. I paced and mindlessly listened to the two idiots, waiting for Akira to return.
Barely a few minutes passed, but it felt like it took hours for him to reappear.
"What did the old man want?!" I swiftly grilled my brother for answers.
He looked pale and queasy from whatever happened.
"Igor showed me a method of creating powerful Personas…my wildcard ability has some strange perks…" Akira covered his mouth like he was choking back bile.
"You seem traumatized…what did they do?"
"I-It was gruesome. Justine and Caroline executed…I-I'll tell you later…" He breathed deeply and then adjusted his mask. "I did gain another ability from Igor. It's called the Third-Eye and it lets me see things that are hidden from the regular eye."
His eyes flickered from grey to gold.
"Woah!"
"Something wrong? Why are you two standing around? We're ready to go now." Morgana called, waving its paw.
They never noticed Akira's disappearance or return. That was a poor show of observational skills for a group of Phantom Thieves.
"Sorry for the holdup. Let's move!" Akira pulled out his phone and tapped the app.
Instead of us starting from the beginning, the app could be used to travel between safe rooms, saving us time and energy.
With a click, we were transported to the last safe room we'd discovered. From there we continued the infiltration, defeating Shadows, picking locked chests, and exploring deeper into the Palace.
Solving the puzzles throughout the place was made easier with Akira new ability to discern special objects, see footprints, and spot fingerprints. The Third-Eye even helped the rest of us find treasures that could be pawned off in the real world.
The real prize was the map we acquired. Traversing the Palace became faster with the layout in our grasp.
"Ugh…the hell is this room? There's tons of pictures of Suzui in here!" Ryuji ran further into the shrine-like room. "Wait…it's all pics of her?"
He choked on his words.
Some of the pictures were tame and some of them were graphically lewd. This was proof of Kamoshida's transgression with Suzui. Ryuji backed away from the wall and took off his mask to rub his face, muttering how he felt sick.
"Are you going to be okay?" Akira asked the silent Ann.
She approached the wall and meticulously tore off every picture.
"Panther?!" He exclaimed.
Ann had gathered all the pictures into a pile and used one of the candles to set them ablaze.
"Not good, not good! Almost everything in here is flammable!" Morgana bounced anxiously. "Don't just stand there, put the fire out!"
Ryuji and Akira went into a frenzy, exerting themselves to stomp out the fire before it grew. I pulled Ann out the room when she didn't move away from the fire.
"We'll make him pay for this, Panther." I told her.
"Yeah…definitely." She smiled feebly. "I feel even more motivated to do this now…"
"That's good. Just keep imagining how good it'll feel when Kamoshida has his desires stolen…he'll be no more than a groveling dog!"
Ann giggled. "Who knew you were the devious type? I like it."
"Hey, we finally managed to put the fire out…I would've killed for one of us to have an ice Persona." Ryuji moaned, patting down his outfit. Soot fell off his clothes.
"We found a medal and another map, too." Akira coughed into his hands, expelling smoke from his lungs.
"Judging from the size and shape, I think it's the key for the round indentation." Morgana scrubbed his feet. Compared to the boys he wasn't covered in soot and smelled like smoke. "And our map's complete now!"
Akira withdrew the map from one of his endless pockets. We gathered around him to examine the completed image. Ann pointed to the top portion of the map.
"That's a weird-shaped building…could it be a tower or something?"
Morgana hopped onto the boys' shoulders to view the area Ann identified. "Considering our current position…I'd say we're about halfway there."
"All right! Let's hurry over there!" Ryuji stressed.
"No. Now that we know how much we have left, we can calculate the best way to pace ourselves. Let's keep exploring, but take breaks when we need to."
Unanimously, we agreed to explore a little bit further.
Our energy levels quickly became low and most the supplies had been used to heal injuries or restore our spiritual energy. Most of our worst injuries were self-inflicted from dumb mistakes made by incompetent teenagers using weapons they didn't know the first thing about.
Ann alone was guilty of causing the most damage. Her whip more often than not, missed the target and ended up pelting one of us. The friendly fire from the guns was the other reason we were in such bad shape.
The armor purchased from Iwai's shop could only repel so much.
My gosh, we needed to hit the gym and train!
The group called it quits after we reached the next safe room. Something ominous about the chapel told us we were better off retreating and tackling the place on another day.
Ripples populated around us and we were returned to the school roof. The exhaustion hit us and everybody fell to the floor.
"I'm dead, I'm so dead." I groaned miserably, laying my head on Akira's shoulder and resting most my weight against him.
He laid his head on top of mine and cradled his stomach.
"Add me to that list, everything hurts…" My brother's breathing came out labored.
"W-Why are we so banged up? I don't remember it being this bad last time." Ryuji laid on his back and abruptly sprung back up, crying out about his back hurting.
"W-What's wrong?!" Ann squeaked, crawling over to him and inspected his back at Ryuji's insistence. When she poked his back he howled.
"Goddammit, that hurts! What's wrong with my back?!"
"W-What're you doing?! Stop that!" Ann tried to stop him from pulling his shirt up and exposing his back to her, but she gasped once his skin was on display. "Oh my god, Ryuji!"
"What, what?! Is it really bad?!" He rolled his neck, attempting to view his back.
"It's bad…" Akira started.
"Really, freaking bad." I finished.
Large, red welts decorated Ryuji's back. The marks obviously came from Ann's whip. She realized that and started apologizing to the delinquent.
"Why didn't your spells heal this?!" Ryuji pointed at Morgana, who was licking his wounds.
"Zorro can't heal everything, moron! Serious injuries are outside my capabilities to heal. Maybe that'll change when I get stronger though…" Morgana meowed mournfully. "This should be a lesson to everyone. Zorro's healing isn't perfect. If you want to avoid being banged up like this, then all of you need to start training. Right now we're slacking as Phantom Thieves!"
He pawed at the ground angrily.
A wave of depression overcame the group.
Morgana was absolutely right. We all sucked.
"How are we supposed to train though? It's not like there's a dojo that teaches someone how to use a whip! Where would I even go to get a whip to practice with?!"
My eyebrows wriggled suggestively. "There is a place that sells whips, Ann. You just have to be brave enough to enter."
Her face blazed scarlet. "Stop, stop, stop! I definitely won't be going where you're suggesting!"
"W-Why do you even know that stuff? Akira, what kinda supervising you doing?! You're sister's a total deviant!" Ryuji blurted out.
My brother took offense to that and stonily corrected him. "I'm her brother, not her keeper. What she does in her free time is her business."
"Yeah, you tell him, bro. I love it when you get sassy!" I cackled vindictively at Ryuji.
"Hey guys, let's chill. We're all pretty testy right now and I know just what'll solve that. Why don't we all get some chow? My stomach is eating itself." Ann rubbed her belly and right on cue, three other stomachs growled. "Ryuji, I'll pay for you this time to make up for your back."
"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" Ryuji pumped his fist in the air.
"I'm too sore to move." I whined. "Akira, carry me!"
He scoffed. "No way, my ribs are hurting. And you're wearing a skirt, if I carried you on my back everyone would see your underwear."
"Then I'll change into my gym pants. Carry me!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"No!"
Our bickering went back and forth until Ryuji and Ann threatened to leave without us if we didn't quit. Our mouths snapped shut, but we still shot annoyed looks at each other all the way to Big Bang Burger.