Author's note:
A little later and a little shorter than I would have hoped, but it is here nonetheless.
Chapter is mostly fluff, but hopefully it is enjoyable fluff.
Once again, next chapter will probably take awhile. I hope I get it out before christmas. Even if it is on the shorter side again.
-asdf
Chapter 13: Work is more fun with friends!
Tuesday May 31st, 20XX Afterschool
"Holy shit this thing is strong!" Skull moaned.
"This is why I was against just rushing into this fight!" Senpai complained.
The light-hearted banter made Violet want to smile. However, from her support position in the fight, things we not going well. The statue-like monster guarding Madarame's last will seed was frightfully strong. Worse than its insane damage output, was what it could do to them. It did something strange where the people it hit began acting confused. No, that wasn't right, Violet corrected, it was like they were brainwashed.
Panther healing the enemy, Skull attacking Joker. Only quick thinking by Joker had prevented the battle from spiraling completely out of control. Now, it had reached a tentative stalemate. Senpai forcing everyone to guard attacks so that they would not be subjected to anymore conditions. However, that meant they were doing almost no damage to it anymore. Their healing capacities strained to the limit.
"Something's got to change…" Senpai muttered, echoing Violet's thoughts. Despite the bind, he still had an air of nonchalance about him.
Watching him fight, Violet struggled not to swoon. This happened to her often in the metaverse. While she liked senpai in the real world as well, in the metaverse her feelings were increased several notches. Violet blamed it on that devilish smile he was wont to throw around. It did things to a girl's heart.
"Hmm… What haven't we tried yet… Wind, let's go with that!" After mumbling for awhile, Senpai did… something. Violet still wasn't sure, and he was always vague about his powers when they asked. Still, Violet almost felt that she could see into the depths of infinity when he changed which persona he would summon.
As he did, a wave of wind energy washed over the statue. Unlike their previous, futile attempts to deal damage, the statue groaned in an eerie approximation of pain before slumping. The stone literally bending as it crashed to the ground from where it had hovered.
"Huh, that worked. Let's go!"
Smirking slightly, Violet was confident the fight would end swiftly from now on. With a weakness discovered, shadows were super exploitable. The increased stamina that the move chipped away, in conjunction with how it left them vulnerable to further attacks completely changed the fight. It was also why they had to be so careful to cover for each other. It wasn't unreasonable that a group of three or so weak shadows could fully deplete someone's stamina by striking their weak point again and again.
Violet was still confused on exactly how different personas had different strengths and weakness, but she went along with it anyway. After all, why did humans have different talents and things they sucked at? Violet assumed it was the same for shadows.
"Finally!" Skull exclaimed. The damage their rush of attacks had done was significant. In spite of that, the statue stood, err, hovered, back up again. Its once former majesty had been shredded by the assault.
Personas and shadows in general didn't show outward signs of injury. As they got weaker, however, their aura or essence got weaker. That was what Violet could sense right now. The guardian of the final will seed would not last long.
"Gruuurgh!" Letting out a strange whirring sound, the shadow guardian attempted the brainwashing move from before.
Its aim was off, perhaps still reeling from the damage it had taken prior. First Skull, then Panther and Fox dodged the attack. That only left… "Senpai!"
"Hmm?"
Violet stared in panic as the move struck him. Whether he wasn't paying attention or was frozen in place, she didn't know. Watching fearfully, her worst fears were soon confirmed.
Joker unleashed a wicked smile before jumping toward Panther.
"Hey, watch it! Don't…! Ah!" Panther succumbed to Joker's quick hail of slashes. The combination dealing excessive damage and dropping her. Biting her lip, Violet hated to see Senpai like this. She wished there was a way for her to help.
Having done that, Joker turned to the statue and bestowed it with a ray of healing light. The energy repairing some of the damage they had dealt. As it was, the battle was teetering on a knife's edge. They needed Joker's wind magic to finish off the monster.
"Mona, is there nothing we can do?" Violet lamented to the cat that was watching with her.
"Uhh, well, only four can fight at a time, there isn't room for more."
"But can't we at least cast magic, or heal people?" Violet plead.
"Uhh… You know… You have a point." Mona agreed. While it did make sense to split up their fighting potential so that people could rest, in a fight where they needed everyone, they shouldn't limit themselves to only four.
"Well, that settles that," Violet decided unilaterally. "You knock that thing back down again, I'll fix Senpai's state."
"S-Sure… Show your might, Zorro!"
Leaving Mona to cast his wind magic on the enemy, Violet darted for Senpai. After attacking panther and healing the statue, Senpai had stopped moving for a few moments. Using this brief opportunity, Violet apologized mentally to him.
Diving forward, Violet tackled him to the ground. The form would have made a professional rugby player proud. Even before they hit the ground, Violet was reaching for Joker's bag. The seemingly endless pockets that he kept strange medicines and drinks in.
He maintained an awkward silence when pressed about the true magnitude of their depths. Reaching into it, Violet tried to quickly to pull out the different contents. If she was right, then near the top there should be…
"Got it!"
Sighing, Violet received a bottle of balm that Senpai had used before to cure Skull. The bottle fit perfectly in her hand, as if thinking about it had summoned it. Opening the bottle, she quickly rubbed a portion on Senpai's face, not really caring about how careful she was being. Things in the metaverse were more about intention than specifics.
"Watch out!"
"Huh?" Tilting her head, Violet could no do more from her position on top of Senpai than widen her eyes before the statue's attack smacked her.
"Gah!" A small spike of pain coursed through her at contact, despite her persona's power absorbing most of the contact. Instinctively grabbing unto Senpai's body, Violet felt him come with her as she was propelled backwards.
"Uff!" Landing on her back, Violet's world spun as she felt her body get compressed form both sides. Like something had landed on… "S-Senpai!?"
"Urgh… Thanks for healing me Violet… I made a mess of this fight…"
That's not the important part!
Protesting mentally, Violet struggled to get her mind to work. Senpai's face was almost in contact with hers. Their breaths mingling as his body pressed down on hers. "It really was no problem…"
That's not what I need to say!
"It was," Senpai insisted. "I've made the mistake of hoarding the healings supplies to myself. We need to find some way to spread them out. Me getting inflicted by a condition should not doom the rest of you."
"C-Can we discuss this later…?"
"Good point," Senpai agreed, frowning slightly. "The fight is still on."
"Y-Yes, the fight…" Violet whimpered.
"Right, let me just…" Trailing off, Senpai appeared to have recognized the position they were in. "Err…"
Under normal circumstances, Violet would have been thrilled to see the usually unflappable Joker look so askance. Right now though, she was dying of embarrassment.
"I'll just push off and…"
"Eek!" Feeling the strange sensation of Senpai's hand touching her in an unusual location, Violet panicked. Hand flinching upwards, she caught him solidly under the chin with her blow.
"Grugh!" The strange gurgling noise accompanied Joker's body as it carved an arc through the air before landing on his back.
"O-Oops…" Apologizing belatedly, Violet missed as the others took down the guardian of the final will seed. With Mona's magical blasts thrown in that exploited its weak point, it fell quickly to the party's attacks.
"Huh? What happened to Joker?" Skull asked.
"I saw Violet attack him…" Fox chimed in.
"Right, and then the statue attacked her," Panther finished as the three of them pieced everything together.
"You're all hopeless," Mona sighed, having been the only one with the vantage point to have seen everything. Realizing that, Violet wilted under his knowing gaze.
"A-Anyway!" Joker spoke loudly drawing attention to himself as he jumped to his feet. "Well done everyone. This fight clearly showed that we need more work integrating all our members into these fights. Let's grab the will stone and get of here."
Sharing an embarrassed look with Senpai, Violet stroked her hair awkwardly. Something had changed in her during the interaction. But… Maybe that wasn't a bad thing.
Wednesday, June 1st, 20XX Afterschool
"Why do I have to deal with this?" Whining to herself, Makoto rubbed her temple with her free hand. Her other was occupied holding a clipboard with a notice on it. Every year, Shujin academy changed out its flowers in the front of the school and attempted to look presentable.
For the last two years, a singular student called Okumara Haru had been doing it. While she had once again volunteered to do the gardening work for the school… It had been the principal's responsibility to approve the finances and procure the flowers.
The principal was gone, and the vice principal had shoved it unto Makoto's lap, just like organizing the clean-up rally had been. It made her wonder what the man actually did with his time.
"Well, there is no reason to say no…" Makoto decided unilaterally. It frightened her to have so much power. Between the cost of the flowers, delivery, fertilizer, and a dozen other numbers, the school routinely spend an annual sum of close to 300,000 yen. An astronomical sum for a student to be in charge of.
Makoto considered herself an honourable person, but even she was shocked at how easy it would be for her to make minor changes and come away with a sizable chunk of money.
Dismissing those thoughts, Makoto turned to her fellow student council members to begin distributing orders. It would be easier with their help to… "They're gone."
Feeling a headache coming on, Makoto rubbed at her temple again. "Why is it always me?"
"Why is what always you, Nijima-Senpai?"
"Huh? Oh, Yoshizawa-san, it is good to see you again. Also, once again, I must thank you and your sister for aiding with the park clean-up."
"Oh, it's no big deal!" She replied with an easy smile. Glancing up and down the hallway right outside the student council room, Makoto was unsurprised to see numerous hangers-on staring at Kasumi. After her interview with the detective Akechi, Kasumi had changed from ostracized honour's student to the school's most popular.
While Makoto was thinking, Kasumi spoke again. "So, what's going on? Did you need help?"
"Uhh, well…" Glancing away in embarrassment, Makoto admitted her situation. "I've had a bunch of extra tasks fall into my hands and the other members appear to have ditched me."
"That's terrible!" Kasumi agreed with a frown. "Well, I said I'd help when you need me, so what are we doing?"
"Hmm…" Trialing off, Makoto had to think about it for a bit. While she certainly appreciated the offer, there was only so much one person could do on their own. If only she had another person that was willing to help her out!
There is one!
Pulling out her phone, Makoto sent off a quick text message, hoping beyond hope that the surprisingly busy delinquent hadn't made other plans yet.
"Umm, hello? Earth to Makoto?"
Ignoring Kasumi for now, Makoto stared anxiously until she received a single word reply.
Sure.
"I found someone for you to work with." Makoto addressed Kasumi.
"Uhh, great. Who is it? What are we doing? And why does it sound like you won't be there?"
"You know him, collecting flowers from around the city, and I'll be dealing with the administrative side to ensure that things are ready when you get there."
"I know him?" Kasumi muttered, her eyes narrowing. "You can't possibly mean…"
As she looked away and down the hallway, Makoto struggled not to giggle. For from the midst of Kasumi's onlookers, a single figure pressed forward. His curly black hair was in its usual mess. Somehow, his posture was both perfectly acceptable, and yet rebellious. Makoto didn't know how he managed it.
"Y-Yo!"
How informal can you get!?
"Thank you for accepting my request, Amamiya-kun."
"Haha, no problem Nijima-senpai."
At least he can take a hint.
"So, what are you doing here, Kasumi?" Ren asked just as casually. "Or is Ms. Student council president roping you into something as well."
"Something like that," Kasumi smirked, her eyes gleaming.
It took Ren only a few moments to put it together. As he did, he stiffened a little unnaturally. "Working together again? It will be my honour."
"You bet it will!" Kasumi teased him. "Although I must say I'm a little surprised. When did the two of you get close enough to casually text each other?"
"He offered to help out with student council business when I need him," Makoto spoke quickly, before Kasumi could make anymore incorrect inferences. "I needed someone else, so I messaged."
"Right, right," Kasumi smirked, "which is why he was the first person you thought of and why he appeared so quickly."
"Ugh," Makoto blushed slightly. "To be honest… I don't umm… Have any friends."
"Any other friends," Kasumi corrected her. "You have us."
"I-I see. W-Well, anyway, thank you both for helping me. I'll message you where to go by the time you hit the station!" With that Makoto fled inside the student council room. She felt… warm. A strange mix of embarrassed and happy. Friends. Makoto had been so focused on her studies that she had never considered even trying to make one. Her entire interaction with the student body was collecting information and distributing decisions.
However, even if Kasumi was willing to throw the word around, Makoto wondered how far it extended. Would she accept an invitation to… what was the word? Hang out?
"Just… focus on your job." Sitting down, Makoto got to work on ordering flowers and other things for the school.
Wednesday, June 1st, 20XX Afterschool
"Urgh…"
How dare you!
Ren could hear that thought clearly from the other students. He didn't know how to address them other than as Kasumi's posse. Their glares made him want to yell at them. That if they had had the guts to step up and volunteer to help, then they would be the one's walking beside her now.
"Sorry about this, Senpai…"
"For what?" Ren replied, feigning ignorance.
Kasumi merely raised an eyebrow, calling his bluff.
Waiting until they exited the school, Ren did a double check to make sure they had put the hordes behind them. "It isn't your fault. Besides, maybe despite the hate, if people see me with you, it will improve my reputation a little."
"Hmm, maybe," Kasumi nodded along. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what goes along with this whole 'popular' gig."
Ren chuckled at that. "I'm afraid I have no experience to draw on either."
"I find that hard believe. You constantly seem to be surrounded by women."
"S-Surrounded by women!?" Ren protested weakly.
"Uh huh!" Kasumi nodded with an exaggerated motion. At the same time, she increased her pace a bit, leaving Ren to scramble after her. "If it isn't my sister, then it's Takamaki-san, and now the student council president!"
"I wouldn't say that's constant… Also, how do you know about… err, I mean, what have you heard about Ann and I?"
"Ohh, Ann, is it?" Kasumi prodded, with a mischievous smile. "Sumire of course. Says you like to gawk at her."
"G-Gawk!? I don't…" Compared to Ryuji at least. Somehow, Ren knew that saying that wouldn't do much to turn this conversation in his favour. The only thing going his way was that Kasumi didn't know about Dr. Takemi. She would never let the questioning go in that case.
"Hmm, that was a pretty guilty expression. Is there something you aren't telling me?"
Why is she so sharp!?
Ren had been certain that his face was neutral the whole time. Her powers of perception were a little terrifying. Ren was constantly amazed by Sumire's ability to come up with solutions to issues they faced in the metaverse. Was it possible that she was right though? That Kasumi was smarter than her?
"N-No, there's nothing…"
"Sure," Kasumi chuckled turning back to the front. For about a minute, they walked in silence. Chatter of students slow to leave and the early summer sun beating upon them was as much excitement as the walk contained. Just outside the station entrance, Kasumi suddenly halted. Stopping behind her, Ren waited for the words that were surely coming.
"I know she isn't telling me everything but… Thank you for taking care of Sumi. She's has a hard year, and you helped a lot."
Ren swallowed, allowing some surprise to show on his face since Kasumi wasn't watching him. "I've done little for her. Sumire has finally started to figure out how strong she is."
"That's good… But seriously." Ren was taken aback by the warmth in Kasumi's wide brown eyes as she turned around to stare at him. "Thank you. It means a lot."
"…" As one second and then another slipped by, Ren was finding it increasingly harder to tear his vision away from her warm gaze. Intelligent eyes that seemed to hold nothing back. This was one aspect the principal hadn't been privy too. His cognitive Kasumi had none of the kindness the real-world one possessed.
"A-Anyway!" The girl spoke, whipping her phone out to stare at it. "Oh look, Makoto messaged me. Must have been too embarrassed to send it to you. Looks like… There is a store in Shibuya that sells fertilizer. Let's go!"
"You got it…" Still a tad stunned Ren followed along with a half smile on his face.
"Oh my, aren't the two of you just the cutest! Trying to start a garden in your place, are you?"
Can she not see the school uniforms!?
Berating the kindly storekeeper mentally, Ren kept his awkward half smile on his face as he scratched his head. Staying silent, he left the reply to Kasumi.
"Oh, maybe we should! Except… Neither of us have a lot of time for gardening."
What is she talking about!?
Feeling exceedingly left out of the loop, Ren understood more and more how Sumire developed her inferiority complex. Kasumi was… on a different level. Her words were thoughtful, but could sometimes jump ahead, skipping entire conversations. Trying to reel her in would be like containing a wildfire.
Ren was doing his best but could do little more than stand around as Kasumi allowed the shopkeeper to keep considering them a couple. Or more than that even? Living together apparently.
"Oh, you sweet little thing! It doesn't take a long time. If you have a potted plant for example, you can give it a little fertilizer every other week. Its vitality will shoot up!"
"Give a potted plant fertilizer, huh…" Muttering to himself, it took Ren a second to realize why the words made him feel so guilty. That was right, he had a plant in the attic he had been neglecting.
"Did you say something?" The lady asked with a gentle smile.
"Uhh, yeah. How much for an extra bag?"
"Oh, just take it!" The woman smiled. "You've bought so many already, I couldn't possibly charge you for this one."
"Oh, thank you."
Exiting the store with Kasumi, Ren was laden down with the aforementioned bags. His arms quaked under the realization that he would have to carry them all back to the school.
"Hmm, I'm not sure what that was about, but we don't actually live together. So why the extra fertilizer?"
Rolling his eyes at Kasumi's comments, Ren tried to shrug his shoulders nonchalantly, even as the weight pulled them back down. "I wanted to see how it would work on my plant."
"Y-Your plant? I'm impressed Senpai! I definitely wouldn't have guessed you like taking care of plants. Or wait…" Freezing, Kasumi's eyes tightened in suspicion. "Is this a parole thing? You know, 'taking care of a living thing will help you respect the sanctity of life' and all that?"
Snorting at her impersonation of a judge, Ren shook his head. "It came with my place, figured I may as well give it a shot."
Kasumi sighed. "It's always the boring answer with you, isn't it?"
If only you knew.
Ignoring his thoughts, Ren nodded once, causing Kasumi more exasperation. "Also, you don't attach a great deal of respect to the title Senpai, do you?"
Kasumi chuckled, that playful smile once again darting across her lips. "I do… For my other Senpai's. But you're Sumi's friend. Which makes you more of a well… A younger brother I guess."
"A-A what!?" Ren, for the first time in a long time, found his mask completely shattered. His jaw physically dropped as he stared at Kasumi's innocent expression. Her finger pressed to her lips with her head cocked to the side.
"Hehe, so you can make expressions if you try hard enough!" Kasumi giggled. "Keep them up, Senpai! Body language is a large part of communication, you know?"
"B-body language!?"
"Yeah, you know, like when you wink, and give the girls your flirtatious smile and they blush in response? That's body language."
"I-I have never done that before." Ignoring Kasumi's giggling, Ren focused on the pain in his arms. It helped repress the urge of doing exactly what she had said. Which is something he had never done before!
Well, maybe a couple times in the metaverse, but those weren't flirtatious smiles! They were… fearless, at best. However, Ren had to admit that he barely remembered all the shenanigans he got up to in the metaverse. Just yesterday, Sumire had healed him from a strange effect when he'd… Blinking, Ren was glad that Kasumi couldn't see his face right now. Or she would have seen straight through him.
After a moment, Ren risked a glance at her. The girl was hopping alongside him, looking quite happy. In fact, it was by far the happiest Ren had ever seen her. He wondered if that was the reason she was acting far differently from every other time Ren had talked to her. Which wasn't that many, but still enough for this to be odd.
"You should save this kind of staring for Sumire," Kasumi scolded.
"Hmm…" Holding back his question for now, Ren changed topics. "You seem to like the idea of your sister and I being a couple. Why?"
"Why?" Kasumi muttered, and for the first time that day, shifted slightly in embarrassment. "Almost sound like Akechi when you ask questions like that…"
"Did you say something?"
"N-Nothing!" Kasumi insisted. "As for your question… I guess I understand your confusion. Most people would want to protect their younger sisters. But at this point… After how badly I failed her… I just want her to be happy. Since you seem to do that…"
"You'll overlook the fact that I'm a delinquent?" Ren finished wryly. Ren used the words as a veneer to hide how much the words had touched him. Kasumi held a deep pain under that gentle, yet teasing smile.
"Don't worry, Makoto and I will work on fixing that." Kasumi assured him, appearing to buy his answer.
"And how worried should that make me?" Ren queried, finding the conversation extremely engaging. Which was useful, as he stopped to scan his card at the train station. Since, as his mind wandered briefly, the bags in his arms reminded him of his load. An unconscious groan slipping from his teeth.
"Ah, sorry about that," Kasumi apologized quickly, stepping in to take some. I was going for a high-and-mighty act, but I ended up being a bit of a bitch, huh?"
"Don't call yourself that," Ren frowned. But he did allow her to take some. The lessening of the load was very welcome. "If it got to be too much, I'd have asked for help."
"Sure," Kasumi accepted. "Anyway, back to how worried you should be… Well, not too worried right now. We'll need to come up with a schedule for you. X number of students need to see you freeing a kitten from a tree. Then you'll help Makoto organize something for student council. We'll keep you busy."
Ren forced himself to shiver and don a horrified expression. "You think I'd survive that? No, tis too cruel a fate."
"Don't be such a baby!" Kasumi smiled broadly again, rubbing her shoulder into Ren's side.
Keeping his face stoic, Ren raised an eyebrow, as if berating an annoying younger sibling. "You underestimate how difficult it would be for me to endure orders from the two of you for that long."
"Oh, psh. We aren't that bad. Makoto really is a sweet girl that tries so hard. Doesn't get much help either…"
"I had much the same opinion," Ren admitted. Conversation paused briefly as the pair of them boarded the train heading back to the school. This one was slightly emptier and enabled them both to find seats. Soon though, the larger rush hour would hit them and force them into cramped conditions.
Placing his bags on the ground, Ren closed his legs around them to give Kasumi room. To Ren's surprise, Kasumi paused for a moment before placing her bags in the seat beside him and sitting on the other side of that. As if establishing both a physical and emotional barrier between them.
Into the intimidating wall, Ren found the once easy conversation halted. Kasumi as well sent him a few awkward glances but said nothing about her reasoning. The silence remained until Ren stumbled upon a question he had meant to ask but had forgotten about.
"Say, Kasumi, Is there a reason you're happier today than usual?"
"Haha, it was pretty obvious wasn't it?" Ren didn't bother saying anything to convey his agreement. "I guess, it feels good to know that tournaments will be picking up soon. Also, I did a full routine yesterday at practice and it went well! My coach said that my technique has reached a new level!"
"Impressive…" Ren muttered. "Sumire's never told me, how did the two of you get into rhythmic gymnastics?"
"Oh, really? In fact, it was a stroke of luck, I mean, most things are. Like, you don't wake up planning to fall in love with something, right? Anyway, ahh, a message? Excuse me Senpai."
"Of course…" Ren tried to hide his displeasure at being cast aside so easily. She hadn't even bothered finishing her sentence before pulling her phone out. "Is it important?"
Ren was shocked by how much of his discontent showed in his voice. He sounded like a pouty child. Still, Kasumi appeared to take no notice, shaking her head quickly. "N-No, nothing! I-I'm so sorry Senpai."
"…You were saying something about it being a stroke of luck?"
"R-Right!"
Listening with half an ear, Ren felt the wall between them far more keenly now. Kasumi's consistent guilty looks and newfound lack of energy sapped all life from the scant conversation that flowed between them.
Wednesday, June 1st, 20XX Evening
Thunk.
Thunk.
Thunk.
With the accuracy of a dancer, Kasumi slammed her head into the shower wall at timed intervals. It created a strange melody as it mixed with the pouring water. Together they forged a lullaby of betrayal.
Unable to escape it, Kasumi let the feeling wash over her. After all, she deserved it. She knew that Akechi had agreed to help her on the condition that she would collect information for him. But did it have to be him!?
It made a certain amount of cruel sense. Many of the other students were extremely… ordinary. Kasumi was sure each one was special in their own way but… Senpai really did stand out. Kasumi had no idea why Akechi was interested in him, or even how they knew each other. In fact, Akechi hadn't even known Ren's name. Merely said that there was a recent transfer student that was caught up in the Kamoshida affair that he wanted info on.
Maybe that's it!
Kasumi bolted upright, her head falling silent. Her mind had jumped to worse case possibilities. That maybe Akechi suspected Ren had done something to Kamoshida or had links to these so-called phantom thieves. It was probably far more innocuous.
Relieved, Kasumi let out a sigh. It also helped explain his final instruction: Ensure the transfer student chooses the television station for their social trip.
It had been the one task Kasumi had made no progress on today. It was also the one thing she couldn't make heads-or-tails of. She had so many questions. How did Akechi know about the trip? Why did he care about it? What if Senpai had already chosen a different one?
It was that final question that really led to Kasumi keeping her mouth shut. Somehow, she didn't think Akechi would take kindly to failure. She wanted to trust the detective, especially after all they'd been through, but she still had her doubts.
"Kas, are you almost done?"
Shaking out of her reverie, Kasumi looked towards the door where her sister's voice had rung out from. She had gotten home late and completely exhausted. Hiraguchi had put her through the ringer for missing so many days.
"Yeah, just finishing up. Feel free to come in and get started whenever you want."
"Eh, r-really? A-Are you sure?"
Kasumi chuckled at her sister's modesty. "We used to shower all the time. It really is no issue."
Standing up, Kasumi shut off the water and grabbed a towel. She had stayed here for far longer than she should have. The skin on her hands was wrinkled badly. Letting out a self-deprecating smile at her stupidity, Kasumi took a glance at the door as a nervous Sumire entered.
"P-Pardon the intrusion!"
Sumi really is too cute.
Watching as her nervous sister began making motions at taking her clothes off, Kasumi's desire to tease her rose. As seconds ticked by, Sumire's face slowly heated up until her skin was as red as her hair. Deciding the time was right, Kasumi tied the towel around her to free her hands and sauntered over casually.
"Did you need help undressing?"
"U-Undressing!?"
The squeal hurt Kasumi's ears as it reached a note humans were not supposed to be able to produce.
"Yes, you appear to be struggling." Kasumi continued. Walking around Sumire, Kasumi laid her hands casually on her shoulders, Sumire flinching under the contact. "Hiraguchi must have pushed you too hard. Let me get you out of these so that I can give you a proper massage."
"M-Massage!? It has been awhile since I've gone but…" Sumire's body froze. With creaking her motions her head turned to look at Kasumi. Her red eyes burned with an angry heat. "Stop teasing me!"
"Hehe, sorry, sorry," Kasumi apologized, quickly backing up. Taking a smaller towel to wrap her hair in, Kasumi let the main towel drop and began throwing her pajamas on. Hopping into a pair of comfy pants and a loose shirt, Kasumi was dressed in moments.
Pausing at the door, Kasumi couldn't help but slip in one more verbal jab. "Bet you would have yes if I was Senpai."
"H-Huh!? N-No, I absolutely would not have! Come back, you don't understand…!"
Giggling to herself, Kasumi listened as her sister's frantic words faded into the distance. A part of Kasumi was glad her sister still reacted like that. It meant she was being responsible at least. A teenage pregnancy could permanently end her career, especially in a sport like rhythmic gymnastics.
"You shouldn't tease your sister so much," Kasumi's father's tired voice rang out. He was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. He had barely closed his laptop lately, so Kasumi was happy to see him taking a bit of a break.
Kasumi shrugged as she entered the kitchen as well. Taking out a glass, Kasumi poured herself some water from the fridge. The precooled liquid feeling magical after the long hot shower. "We're sisters. Also…"
"Also?" Shinichi prodded, raising his glasses obscured eyes to stare at her over the newspaper.
"Err…" Kasumi froze awkwardly beneath her father's gaze. She had always struggled to hide things from him. The word had slipped out of Kasumi and left her with nowhere to go. "You know, it's just how sister's bond."
"…If you say so," Her father relented, lowering his gaze to the newspaper once more. "Be careful it doesn't turn into bullying alright? Just because you are having fun, doesn't mean she is."
As the conversation got unexpectedly serious, Kasumi shivered slightly. Downing the rest of her water it one big gulp, she started for her bedroom. "I'll do my best dad."
"You always do Kasumi. It's a little frightening sometimes."
"Hmm, I'll take that as a compliment!" Leaving those words behind, Kasumi swaggered back to her room. As confidently as one could in woolly, bright blue pajamas. Getting into her room, Kasumi undid the towel in her hair and hung it on the inside of her door on a hanger there. Returning to her desk, she began brushing her long brown tresses.
Kasumi smiled fondly as she remembered the days doing this side-by-side with Sumire. At the time, Kasumi had always held a secret jealousy inside, upset that only Sumire had been blessed with such an exquisite colour. Her rare red hair shimmered beautifully when it was wet.
Now, Kasumi didn't mind as much. She'd made peace with the fact that Sumire would always be the one with the better looks. But that didn't mean she would be the better gymnast.
Already imagining their next showdown, Kasumi fell into her nighttime routine with familiarity. Her mind left free to dream of the greater things that were coming. For a night, she could forget her assignment for Akechi.
Thursday June 2nd, 20XX After school
"H-How did this happen?" Bemoaning this strange turn of fate, Ren found himself once again facing a smiling student council president. The smile was not the awkwardness of acquaintances, nor was it a smile of adoration or happiness. This expression contained a perverse joy at having taking advantage of someone.
"Shujin academy thanks you for your help!" Waving a hand, Makoto left Ren alone with only his thoughts for company.
"She really is something else…"
And a cat in his bag. A talking cat, unfortunately. "Giving up on Ann for her?" Ren teased.
"Ha, you wish! Lady Ann is far superior. However… I also get the feeling she's a little safer."
Ren nodded his agreement. "The student council president can be a bit scary at times. I can't believe she got me wrapped up in delivering things again! I mean, isn't there anyone else who can help!?"
"There is one person," A voice agreed from behind him. "Although, I must wonder if you were talking aloud just for dramatic effect or not. Could it be you sensed me coming?"
Shit!
Plastering an awkward smile on his face, Ren turned around to face his comrade from yesterday's adventures. "Y-Yo, Kasumi. Funny to see you here."
"Not really," the girl shut him down ruthlessly. "You can't be trusted with deliveries on your own, so I need to come supervise you."
"Urgh." Wincing under the verbal assault, Ren did feel a little more excited at the prospect. Kasumi was like a wildfire. Never acting the way you expected. It meant the day's activities helping the school would be anything but boring. "Come on, let's go."
"So brusque." Kasumi sniffed haughtily. The twinkle in her eye let Ren know she wasn't offended. "I hope you treat my sister better."
"Of course," Ren snapped back, "she doesn't take every opportunity to tease me."
"Hehe, sorry about that. Anyway, I was wondering… Is that Sumire?"
Following her gaze, Ren confirmed that Kasumi was correct. Her red-haired sister was peering around the corner. The fan of red hair highlighting her presence. Raising a hand, Ren waved her over as they slowly approached.
Like a statue coming to life, Sumire moved with jerky motions. Her face as well looked frozen in a strange position. Like she was in the middle of transitioning from a smile to a glare.
"Hey Sis, what's up? Weren't you going to see Hiraguchi again?"
"No…" Sumire replied after a delay, her voice strangely devoid of emotion. "We worked pretty hard yesterday, so I'm supposed to focus on stretching today."
"Oh, alright!" Kasumi replied. The cheerful tone sounded extremely forced to Ren. The sisters were staring at each other not blinking. Well, it was mostly Sumire. Kasumi shifted, trying to avoid her gaze.
Unable to take the weird tension any longer, Ren spoke up. "Did you want to accompany us Sumire? We need to go pick things up for the student council."
"Is that what is happening?" Sumire asked with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever. I need to go stretch. Excuse me."
Kasumi sighed heavily as Sumire strode away, her back ramrod straight. "She's still on about that, is she? I'm not helping things either… But seriously!?"
"It's not your fault," Ren tried to assure Kasumi. "I'll talk to her later and explain the situation. I'm sure she was just surprised."
"Yeah sure," Kasumi snorted. "Like she's actually going to go stretch. Mark my words, we're going to run into her following us."
"Well, better make sure we are on our best behaviour then."
"Noooo!" Kasumi howled at the ceiling. "All that makes me want to do is tease her more!"
"Consider this your punishment," Ren smirked.
"Fine."
Walking with a dejected Kasumi, Ren struggled not to stare at her pouting face. Just like Sumire's it was unbearably cute. Despite his admonition, Ren was the one that wanted to reach out and poke her cheek like he would do to Sumire.
Ren quickly found a topic to take his mind off the thoughts. "What was it you were trying to ask earlier?"
"What I was…?"
"Clearly wasn't very important if you can't even remember." Ren said.
This finally got him a glare. "Shut up. I'm trying to remember. I'm busy trying to be a good person and think about my mistakes."
"Hmm, that is easier to do when you are a good person."
The joke seemed to hit a little to close to home as Kasumi winced. As he considered it a bit more, perhaps he was being a little harsh. If Kasumi was anything like Sumire, then she was probably more sensitive than she let on.
"…Maybe you're right."
"Hey, Kasumi, I was just kidding. You are a good person and a great sister. Sumire knows that."
"…" After another moment, Kasumi turned and flashed Ren a smile. All of the discontent from before had vanished. She looked exactly as happy as she had yesterday. "Why thank you! However, don't think your compliments will have me eating out of your hand!"
"Err, that's not what I was…"
"Oh yeah!" Kasumi cut him off. "I remembered! What are you choosing to do for your social studies trip next Thursday?"
Where did that come from!?
Blown away, Ren wished for not the first time that he was better at conversations. Someone more charismatic could have gotten to the heart of the matter here. Ren, however, had no choice but to go along with it. Sighing, he allowed Kasumi to sweep him along to wherever she was going.
Thursday June 2nd, 20XX Afterschool
"What am I doing…" Muttering to herself, Sumire followed Kasumi and Senpai from a distance. They hadn't once looked back which she was grateful for. Her hair made it hard to hide in a sea of black that was Tokyo.
The people were both monotone and yet uniquely vibrant. A strange oxymoron that Sumire didn't quite understand. If she focused on a single person, she could find something that made them unique, yet when she zoomed out and looked at the gigger picture, they faded into waves in the ocean. Repetitions of the same event and appearance.
The meaningless thoughts were a brief reprieve from looking at them. Sumire didn't feel betrayed, Senpai had asked her to join them. Yet… She wanted to see. For all her sister declared that she had no interest in him, Sumire didn't see it. They weren't touching, but she hadn't shut up. The conversation ebbed and flowed; its topic indiscernible as it faded out before reaching Sumire's ears.
From what Sumire remembered, Kasumi wasn't overly talkative. Most people didn't enjoy her conversations as she'd say whatever was on her mind with little filter. That quickly led to uncomfortable silences and Kasumi giving up on talking to them.
Sumire was unsure of what to make of the fact that such a thing hadn't happened yet. Ren usually didn't say too much. Or didn't used to anyway. As they spent more and more time in the metaverse, it seemed to Sumire that his more talkative Joker persona had been bleeding back into the real world.
Puzzling on these thoughts, Sumire almost kept walking as the pair entered a building. "A… flower shop?" Flowers for the school. Sumire realized she had indeed seen a student doing some planting outside yesterday. They may be retrieving more so that they'd be able to finish the front lawns.
"Why did I follow them?" Sumire wondered for not the first time. Entering a side street, Sumire sat at the bench and stared at the sky. "Maybe… I hope they'll get together."
Sumire blushed as the words that she should never have thought were released into the sky. They made a chilling amount of sense, however. If Kasumi and Senpai were together, then she'd still get to see Senpai. At the same time, she would no longer have to worry about where they stood with each other. It was a coward's answer to her situation.
"Kasumi hasn't even given me a clear answer on that detective…" Taking a glance back to where the store was, Sumire wondered how she could go about getting one. Kasumi had been in a strangely upbeat mood yesterday. If Sumire had been willing to endure her teasing long enough to get a massage…
"Nope! Not happening!"
Discarding the plan, Sumire stood up quickly. She had to find something to distract her. These lines of thinking would lead her down avenues she had no intention of walking. "Just focus on getting stronger. On improving." Reminding herself of her goal, Sumire felt a little better as she exited the side street and leaned against the corner. From here, she could watch people walk past but remain out of the way.
With her fingers, Sumire twiddled with the ends of her long hair. It was almost to her stomach. Too long had passed since she had cut it. Hiraguchi had reminded her about it yesterday when Sumire had hit herself in the face with her ponytail. Long wasn't a problem. Really long was.
Looking forward at the next few days, Sumire tentatively scheduled herself an appointment for Sunday. The Phantom thieves were meeting briefly tomorrow to finalize their plan. Then Saturday was the actual heist. That left Sunday as her sole day to get her hair cut. "Maybe I should invite Kasumi…"
Last Sunday hadn't gone very well. But then again, Sumire was a bit overwhelmed at the fact that her sister was the one responsible in getting the Principal arrested.
After having spent a few days moping around feeling sorry for herself, Sumire was in a… curious mindset. She could still feel the potential to regress back into that darkness pulling at her. Currently however, the words she had said to Maruki still burned in her heart. She wanted to reach her goals, her way. That was why she hadn't accepted Senpai's invitation to join him and Kasumi. Yes, that it. Not to scope out how well the two of them got along, definitely not.
Shaking her head, Sumire tried to prevent her head from slipping back down that dangerous route. Doing so would undermine her determine. However, it did lead her thoughts to the main conundrum that Sumire still hadn't been able to solve. Despite having ample time to think about it, Sumire still wasn't sure if she should if given the chance, go out with senpai.
On one hand, Sumire thought she loved him. But what if it was just how she could depend on him that she loved? Would going out with him increase her dependence on him? Would it prevent her from moving forward? All of these questions completely ignoring the elephant in the room: did Senpai like her like that in the first place?
"Onwards! Back to the school!"
"Urgh…"
The groan was pitiful, but oh so familiar. Peering around the corner, Sumire found Senpai and Kasumi exiting the shop. Pushing herself upright, Sumire prepared to follow after them. At the station she would leave them alone and head to the park to do her stretches. That hadn't been a lie, she really did need to keep her flexibility up.
"Oh Senpai!" Kasumi lamented, her face a rictus of fake sorrow. "How cruel it is that you must be burdened so! If only there was someone else, anyone else, who was headed the same way as us!"
Very subtle.
Sighing at her sister's exaggerated monologue, Sumire walked out and faced them. "I can help." Looking at her sister's twinkling eyes, Sumire blushed deeply. Partly from realizing they had known she was following the whole time. Another portion from how people swirled around them, looking on as if there was a play happening.
"Mine own sister!?" Kasumi gasped, unrelenting on her acting. "What a strange place to come to stretch. Please, don't stop because of us."
"Shut up," Sumire moaned, hating the chuckles from the passers-by. "Give me those and let's go."
Taking some of the bags forcibly from Senpai's hands, Sumire appreciated that he was in fact extremely overloaded. His expression was haggard, and they hadn't even started the journey back. As she took them, her fingers slid against his momentarily. The brief contact sending a jolt down Sumire's spine, her fierce blush refreshing itself.
"You know," Kasumi commented, "you'll have to be a little bit more subtle if you want to get PDA past me."
"S-Shut up!" Sumire whined. Glaring at Kasumi, Sumire aimed a kick at her shins. As she expected, Kasumi danced out of the way without even hitting anyone.
"Fine, fine," Kasumi agreed. "Seriously though, are you doing a stretching session? Because I could use one."
"Yeah, I was going to go to the park after this." Sumire nodded. Even as she agreed, she kept a wary eye on her sister.
"Oh fun! Can I come?"
"Yeah, of course." Relaxing slightly, Sumire was glad that Kasumi appeared to have gotten her teasing out of the way. It could be a bit much at times.
"This is going to sound strange…" Senpai spoke.
Sumire felt bad. She had almost forgotten he was here with how worried she was about Kasumi.
"But can I come as well?"
"H-Huh? Are you possibly interested in gymnastics Senpai!?" Sumire asked hopefully. She didn't want to say it was a dream come true… But if she knew Senpai was in the stands watching her, Sumire knew there was no way she'd fail.
Kasumi on the other hand just sighed. "I'll warn you, staring at our asses will get boring after about five minutes. The gym sweats aren't particularly flattering either."
"Huh?" The mirrored noise came from both Sumire and Senpai. Taking a glance over at him, Sumire watched with wide eyes as his cheeks began to heat unnaturally.
Kasumi was right!
"N-No that isn't it!" Senpai stuttered as he tried to speak. Sumire wasn't sure if she had ever seen him this unnerved before. "I want to improve my flexibility is all! And maybe learn some maneuvers!"
"Rrrright." Kasumi drawled, rolling her eyes. "And when would ever use either of those?"
"Err, you know, when I do my delinquent stuff. Like robbing people."
"Oohhh!" Senpai was hoping it would help in the metaverse. Sumire had to admit that she was one of their better fighters already despite being less experienced. Part of that was because she had an easier time dodging attacks and responding. "P-Please feel free to tag along then, Senpai!"
"Thank you for understanding."
"…I feel like I missed an entire conversation," Kasumi sighed. "Whatever, if you two want to get all sweaty and stare at each other, go ahead."
Glancing at Senpai out of the corner of her eye, the two of them shared a connection for a moment before Sumire quickly broke it. Why did Kasumi have to go and make this weird?
Thursday June 2nd, 20XX Evening
"Urgh…" Letting out another unseemly groan, Ren waited for the torture to end. He never thought stretching could hurt so bad. He had been thoroughly disabused of that notion by the Yoshizawa sisters. With Sumire taking off her glasses and tying her hair back, they truly did look similar. The same bright smile, the same petit nose. Yet each one possessed their own individual quirks that set them apart.
"Now bend!" Sumire coached. "B-But, ah, don't look."
Damn you Kasumi!
Cursing the girl silently, Ren's agony went far deeper than the stretching. It was in the prior teasing, and implications. Even as Sumire bent into the next stretch, Ren found it hard to watch and mimic. His eyes naturally drifting to her backside in response to Kasumi's taunts. Forcing him to forcibly rip them away. Only then to find Kasumi watching him with that knowing smile of hers.
Ren was trying not to stare, he really was. If Kasumi had never brought up, it wouldn't have been a problem. But now, it was torture. The temptation of looking. Of knowing how Kasumi will judge him.
In an attempt to avoid the possibility, Ren had positioned himself besides the girls. It had been a good idea, until Kasumi managed to rotate them again. Now, once again, Ren was at the back. It made him wonder if Kasumi wanted him to stare. Part of Ren wanted to try it. Stare until they called him out.
For now, however, his indecision warred with his aching body. Transitioning from right to left, Ren began to further punish his body. Pushing his hands toward his foot, Ren struggled to touch his toes. At the same time, both sisters held an identical pose, arms wrapped behind their leg, upper body completely aligned with their leg. It was a disgusting level of flexibility that far exceeded Ren's limits.
"Should we go through some simple forms?" Sumire suggested.
"Huh? Why?" Kasumi asked, tilting her head. "I thought you were just stretching."
"W-Well, I don't want Senpai to get bored!"
Translation: Sumire thought that the jumps would be more helpful for Ren in the metaverse than continual stretching. He was glad for it. Anything to end the painful monotony of the last ten minutes or so.
"Hmm, fine." Kasumi relented. "Proceed, teacher Sumire."
"M-Me!? I-I thought you would be doing it!"
"Why? This is your session, I just tagged along."
"Urgh." Sumire winced. Ren agreed silently with Kasumi's words though. Sumire should be able to do something like this. "W-Well then… J-Just watch me and copy what I do."
"Got it." Ren did his best to maintain a serious composure. It would undermine Sumire's confidence if he laughed. Which made it all the harder to not do so. Still, Ren managed to keep a straight face as Sumire, fairly awkwardly, attempted to teach him some basic steps. She kept using the word 'bearing' as she went about it. She went about walking on the balls of her feet. But it wasn't like she was tiptoeing. She had just changed how she walked. In doing so, see glided along the uneven grassy hills with grace.
"So just… Do that, huh?" Ren muttered, a little disheartened.
"It's all about bearing!" Sumire insisted.
"Uh huh, and a lot of calf muscle." Kasumi added on unhelpfully.
True to his word, Ren spend time duplicating Sumire's movements. Or rather, trying to. He felt like a fool as Kasumi and Sumire danced around him. Both of them moving as if not impeded by the rules of the world. Ren on the other hand, was feeling gravity in a way he hadn't before. It dragged on him, making him conscious of every move. Of how his center of gravity was constantly mispositioned.
"This… is hard."
Kasumi snickered at him. "I'm surprised. You seem genuinely interested in learning."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ren retorted, still struggling to mimic the movements properly.
"I think most boys would call it girly," Kasumi said, crossing her arms as she stared at him. "Yet you put everything you have into it. Interesting…"
Ren stumbled slightly under her scrutinizing gaze. It had an implacable intensity about it. As if she was ripping away the layers of lies he'd built up.
"W-Well Senpai probably just wants to understand the sport for when he comes to watch us!" Sumire broke in.
""What?"" Rena and Kasumi overlapped. Staring down the red-haired instructor, Sumire blushed.
"I-I mean… I hoped he would come…"
"Are you sure you want Senpai there to watch me kick your butt?" Kasumi teased.
"W-What are you talking about!? You just don't want him there to see you lose!"
"Ha, tough words from someone who can't even get their leg to 190 degrees!"
"I still have some time," Sumire muttered, having clearly lost the exchange.
"Calm down, both of you. I'll try and come to your competitions. After all, we're friends, right?"
Both of the girls froze as Ren looked back and forth between them. Suddenly, showing off their similarities, they blushed and began shifting restlessly. Ren cast his mind back over his words, had he said something wrong? Why did both of them look like that ate something that disagreed with them?
"I-I mean, I guess if it really interests you… You can come." Kasumi replied first.
"R-Really? It would be great to have you there, Senpai!"
"Then I promise to make it to at least one of your competitions," Ren swore. "Since it seems to mean a lot to you both."
"Ugh, why do you have to say these things?"
"Waaah! Why is my heart beating so fast!?"
"Ha…" Laughing weakly, Ren could only scratch his head in confusion. He didn't really understand what was going on. But if they were happy, that was good enough for him.
