AN: Before this chapter begins, I'd like to take a moment and give my thoughts and prayers to the people of Hawaii, who are currently facing a natural disaster at the time of me writing this chapter. I've visited their state before and been captured by its beauty, so I only wish for the best for the families that were displaced due to this current crisis.
With that being said, please enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 38: Vacay to Aloha Town
September 7
"I'm so sleepy…" Ann yawned as the Phantom Thieves (minus Yusuke) sat around in the airport. It was late at night, and the gang were waiting for the plane to start boarding to Hawaii.
"It'll take over six hours to get there, so why not sleep on the plane?" Makoto questioned.
"I'll do that…" Ann said.
"It's almost time to check in," Octavia noted.
"At least this plane will take off on time," Collin sighed in relief. "My flight when I first came to Japan had so many delays…"
"I feel like a lot of flights headed to America tend to run late or get canceled…" Ann added.
"Is it just me or is Ryuji not here yet?" Loona pointed out. She looked around for the blonde, only to roll her eyes as he came running in.
"I wasn't expecting to make a made dash like this…" Ryuji panted, hunching over from exhaustion.
"Coming late even on a day like this?" Ann shook her head.
Makoto eyed Ryuji's overstuffed backpack. "That's all you're bringing?"
"It's only four nights, right? Ain't it enough?" Ryuji asked.
"Maybe for you…" Octavia muttered.
"You're underpacked…" Ren said.
"Really? You guys are just freaking out over this," Ryuji said.
"Well, I guess it's better than brining too many useless things," Loona shrugged.
It was then that Mishima walked up to the group. "Hey, guys, they want us to gather near the boarding gate soon."
"Why don't we take a group shot before we take off?" Ann suggested.
"Oh, sounds good!" Ryuji nodded. "Ren, you be our cameraman, okay?"
"Lemme join in too!" Ann cheered as the group gathered around their leader. "You too, Loona."
"All right," the hellhound rolled her eyes, but still gave a smile as the gang got together.
"Here goes," Ren said, holding his phone up.
"Huh? Where am I supposed to look?" Makoto asked right before the photo was snapped.
"Lemme see, lemme see!" Ryuji said, peering over Ren's shoulder. The picture was soon overtaken by a text from Futaba, however.
Futaba: Ryuji, you've got crap in your eyes…
"What?" Ryuji said, before rubbing at his eyes. "Holy shit, she's right…"
"How could you tell, Futaba?" Ann asked.
Futaba: You surprised? I snuck an app on Ren's phone. I can see all I want through his camera! You're looking now, right Ren? Mwehehe. You can't underestimate the great Alibaba.
"Talk about a nasty trick…" Ryuji shook his head.
"I am so glad she's not an enemy of ours," Makoto said.
"You better not be creeping on Ren at night, Futaba!" Loona teased with a laugh.
[***]
September 8
"Yes! We're here! Hawaiiiiii!" Ryuji cheered as soon as they got off the bus at the hotel.
"I think everyone in this state knows we're here now from the way you've been yelling about it the whole way here," Collin said, rubbing at his ear.
"And when you were surprised our tour guide could speak Japanese. Pure cringe," Octavia added.
"…I am so embarrassed," Ann put a hand to her face.
Ryuji sniffed the air. "Is this the smell of Hawaii?" Ryuji asked. "Actually, I've been wondering since the airport, but what is this smell?"
"Supposedly the lingering scent of carpet cleaner. It's coconut scented," Octavia chimed in. "Plus, I'd say the scent of plumeria for the leis are amplifying the tropical atmosphere here."
"Are you trying to beat Mishima as the king of random facts?" Ryuji questioned.
"Hey…" Mishima said in protest.
"First of all, I like to know about the places I'm visiting beforehand," Octavia said. "And secondly, my dad has a passion for gardening, so identifying plants and the smells from them is something I picked up on."
"Can you tell us a cheap but good place to eat?" Ryuji asked.
"Do that after we've figured out room assignments. We can't go out until we get our keys!" Ann said.
"I wanna room with this guy," Ryuji said, pointing a thumb at Ren.
"You belong to a different class, Sakamoto-kun," Kawakami said, walking up with Makoto and Loona.
"I can't?" Ryuji questioned.
"It complicates roll call," Makoto said.
"Everyone butts you out, after all," Ann said. "I bet there aren't many people who'd be okay rooming with you."
"Shuddup, we both stick out like a sore thumb, you know," Ryuji shout back.
"Ann, how about we room together? Better than getting dragged around by some random girls in our class, right?" Octavia offered.
Ann recalled those girls from class pestering her the other day and gave a nod. "Yeah, all right. Let's be roommates, Via!"
"See you guys later," Octavia said as she walked off with Ann to get their room key.
"I should go find my class as well," Collin said. "Good luck!"
After getting settled with their rooming decisions, the Phantom Thieves all met back up on the beach in their swimwear. "So this is Waikiki!" Ann said in awe.
"There sure are a ton of people here," Loona noted. "And… a lot of tall buildings, like hotels."
"It's a little too clean here. It feels like an artificial resort," Octavia said.
"Still, look how clear the ocean is. The palm trees definitely give off a tropical vibe too," Makoto said.
"I thought Ann was pretty impressive, but compared to the foreign ladies… eh," Ryuji mused.
"Then stop looking!" Ann shouted.
Ryuji turned to Ren for support. "You think so too, don't you? Like, these ladies are massive, unlike the girls in Japan!"
"I'm not interested," Ren said.
"I'm gonna rip out hat tongue of yours!" Ryuji threatened.
"Moving on, t-take a look over there!" Collin exclaimed, trying to defuse the situation. "Isn't that Diamond head?"
"You could see if from the bus on the way here too," Octavia nodded. "According to my research, it was named that because explorers mistook the nearby volcanic rocks as diamonds."
"Do you have any food recommendations up in the brain of yours too?" Loona asked, ruffling Octavia's hair.
"I wanted to eat pancakes," Ann voiced.
"I wonder if there are any online recommendations of scenic spots," Makoto said.
"We should check for cheap and popular restaurants then," Ryuji added.
"…Guys, aren't you just all on your phones and chatting?" Collin said.
"Huh, it's not that different from when we're in Japan," Loona mused. "Hell, with our phones we can still see the news in Japan with our phones…"
"This ain't what I was expecting…" Ryuji sighed.
"We should do something that's more Hawaii-like," Ann said.
"What's… Hawaii-like?" Ryuji asked.
"Hula dancing?" Ann shrugged.
"I ain't down for that," Loona shook her head.
[***]
With the sun going down the gang retreated to their rooms, with Octavia lounging on her bed as Ann used the bathroom to clean off. The princess hummed to herself as she casually went about drawing a summoning circle in a notebook she'd brought, tapping the circle and bringing it to life as a familiar not-cat hopped through into her lap.
"Finally! I was wondering when you would bring me over here," Morgana exclaimed. "That charm you gave me worked like a… well, charm!"
"Nice to see you too, Morgana," Octavia said, rubbing behind his ears as he settled on the end of the bed.
"They gave you an entire room to yourself? Talk about lucky," Morgana said as he looked around the room.
"Actually Ann is rooming with me," Octavia corrected.
"Lady Ann is here!?" Morgana exclaimed.
"Is that Morgana out there?" Ann called from the bathroom. "He better not come in here while I shower!"
Morgana blushed. "I-I would never look at a lady in such a state of undress! That's so ungentlemanly!"
"You're going to be okay with staying in here with me and Ann, right?" Octavia asked. "People would ask questions if Ren's roommate saw him with a cat."
"Yeah I will," Morgana replied.
"Okay, I'm done!" Ann called, coming out wrapping in just a towel. She looked around the room confused. "Oh, where'd Morgana go?"
"I'm down here, Lady Ann!" Morgana called, his voice coming from under the bed.
"Why is he down there?" Ann asked.
"So you can't accuse him of being a perv," Octavia answered.
"…I'm not that bad, am I?" Ann asked.
"Eh," Octavia shrugged. "You tend to flip-flop on if you want to get the boys' attention or not. Like, I get not wanting to be leered at due to your experience with Kamoshida, but sometimes it looks like you're just leading the guys on."
"That's fair, I guess…" Ann sighed. "You don't have to hide under there, Morgana. I trust you not to look as I change."
"N-No way! I'm not falling for that trick!" Morgana said. "I will not ruin your chastity, Lady Ann!"
'For a guy that wants Ann's affection, you really put your chivalry over your crush, don't you Morgana?' Octavia thought. 'Makes him more endearing, at least.'
[***]
September 9
"Man, it's nothing but Japanese people around here," Ryuji noted as they met up in the hotel lobby the next morning. "I thought we were gonna be getting alohas coming from all directions and stuff!"
"It costs money to enjoy that atmosphere, you know. There's not much we can do as students," Ann said.
"And no, I'm not paying for a deluxe experience here, either," Octavia added.
"I guess it's the same no matter where we go…" Makoto mused.
"What's with the low energy, Makoto?" Morgana asked.
"I just had to listen to the taxi driver complain for thirty minutes straight," Makoto explained. "I'm used to dealing with students' troubles, but I never expected to do it overseas as well…"
"That must have sucked," Loona shook her head. "We should be doing some more exciting stuff! I mean, we're in fucking Hawaii for Satan's sake!"
"Isn't the school supposed to plan stuff? I wanna go diving!" Ryuji complained.
"It seems there wasn't enough time to come up with any kind of coordinated travel plan," Makoto said. "That lack of coordination is what led to them using students as chaperones as well."
"Ren, you're rooming with Mishima, right?" Morgana asked. "What's that like? Anything interesting?"
"All Phan-Site, all the time," Ren replied.
"Even in Hawaii?" Collin shook his head. "But speaking of the Phan-Site, I've heard even some of the people here in Hawaii talking about the Phantom Thieves…"
"Are they really mentioning us?" Makoto asked in surprise.
"I think so. Heh, we've already made out international debut by taking down DHORKS!" Collin mused.
"Man, just talking about that makes me want to go back to Japan so bad!" Ryuji said.
"You really have no chill," Octavia sighed.
"Come on, let's try and forget about those things for now," Makoto said.
"But people're waiting for us to fix society! We don't got time to be relaxing over here!" Ryuji exclaimed. He turned and looked to the person on his right, who just so happened to be Yusuke. "Ain't that right, Yusu- Wait, what the hell!?"
"Overseas travel provides a great opportunity for insight. I'd prefer we stay here a bit longer," Yusuke said.
"What are you doing here!?" Ann asked in shock, the others voicing surprise as well.
"Wasn't your school supposed to be going to LA?" Octavia recalled.
"Apparently they couldn't land a plane due to a terrible storm brewing on the west coast," Yusuke explained. "There were no signs of it letting up, so our destination was changed to Hawaii."
"Do you just bring rain wherever you go!?" Ryuji questioned.
"Is he the reason the fireworks festival got rained out as well?" Loona wondered.
"Don't go bringing any storms here, you got that?" Ann warned.
"I'll do my best," Yusuke promised.
"By the way, there's nothing planned after this. What are you all going to do?" Makoto asked.
"Uh… Oh yeah, I still gotta buy souvenirs. My mom asked me to grab some stuff for her," Ryuji remembered.
"I totally forgot about that! We need to pick up things for Futaba too," Loona said.
"I was hoping to do some shopping myself," Yusuke nodded.
"Then it's settled," Morgana said. "I wanna try some fancy fish while we're out as well!"
"Our group is the exact same, even outside of Japan…" Octavia chuckled.
Heading into the city to do some shopping, Ann stopped as she recognized one of the restaurants on the strip. "Huh, I didn't realize Big Bang Burger was in Hawaii too," Ann said.
"It's really popular in Japan too, I've noticed. Maybe they wanted to branch out to an international market," Collin guessed.
"Now that you mention it, I read a news article recently about the success of Okumura Foods," Makoto recalled.
"Ah yes, the company that owns Big Bang Burger," Yusuke nodded.
"Okumura…? Like Haru Okumura, head of the gardening club?" Collin said.
"Huh, must be a coincidence," Ryuji shrugged. "I remember the name being at the top of the Phan-Site rankings, though."
"Is that true?" Makoto asked.
"Yep, that name is at the top, all right," Loona nodded, looking at the poll on her phone.
"Okumura Foods…" Ren mused.
"Yeah, I didn't put the pieces together before, but I guess we know 'em pretty well," Ryuji said.
Collin noticed that Makoto had a concerned look on her face. "Is something wrong, Makoto?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a rumor I heard about Okumura Foods… Supposedly… all of their overseas competition has mysteriously pulled out," Makoto said. She shook her head. "Never mind. I'm simply overthinking things. Sis' habits seem to be rubbing off on me."
"Hey, why don't we take a pic together so we can remember this trip? I need a new phone background anyways, so…" Loona suggested.
"Oh, good idea!" Morgana nodded.
"Just line up over there," Ren said, pulling out his phone.
"Are you sure you don't want to be in it?" Octavia asked.
"It's fine," Ren replied.
"Thanks, Ren," Octavia said.
"I only ask that you ensure the composition is well-balanced," Yusuke said as they gang lined up, with Morgana opting to stay out of the photo as to not blow his cover.
"Can you not worry about that stuff for one second?" Loona sighed.
"Go for it, Ren!" Morgana ordered.
"Smile!" Ren said as he took the photo.
"We still have some time to spare, right? Where to next?" Ann asked.
"There's a convenience store down by the beach. How about there?" Ryuji suggested.
"That sounds lovely. I would quite like a short rest," Yusuke agreed.
"All right. Let's head over there," Makoto nodded.
The Phantom Thieves were soon back down by the beach, enjoying the atmosphere of Hawaii. "Don't you think the food around here's kinda salty?" Ryuji asked.
"You might be right…" Collin nodded.
"Oh shoot! I forgot my sunscreen…" Ann bemoaned.
"Here, you can borrow some of mine," Octavia said, tossing a bottle over to Ann from her bag. "I'm pretty pale, so I keep up the application so I don't burn up."
"No way! Is that Loona I see over there!?" a voice exclaimed. The gang all turned to see two "humans" walking up to them, though due to the fact that they recognized Loona it was safe to assume they were actually demons in disguise. The one that spoke was a young woman that shared strikingly similar features to Loona, though her skin was more tanned, and her hair was colored a fiery blue with reddish-pink roots. Next to her was a large dark-skinned man with a scar over his left eye, though his body language and expression gave off a laid-back and chill demeanor.
"Tex? Bee!?" Loona gasped in recognition. "What the Hell are you two doing here?"
"The same could be asked for you," Vortex said with a laugh. "Where have you been, girl? Your dad's been telling me for months that you got sent on some secret mission, but I was starting to think you were ghosting us after what happened at Bee's place."
"Yeah, sorry about that…" Loona apologized. "I really have been doing work for IMP, but it's a bit off the books if you know what I mean."
"Still, you could've at least called us, but I totes get it if you were having too much fun with your new friends," Bee said, looking at the Phantom Thieves. "I can feel your aura, girl, and it's way healthier than it ever was when we first met. These guys are giving off all the positive vibes."
"Friends of yours, Loona?" Octavia asked.
"Oh, right, I gotta introduce you all to each other," Loona realized. "Bee, Tex, these are my new friends: Octavia, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Collin, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto. Everyone, this is Vortex and Bee."
"Sup!" Vortex gave a friendly wave.
"So, you're the Bee and Tex Loona's mentioned," Ren said, offering a handshake to the two. Vortex gladly accepted the gesture, while Bee shuttered a bit as the two touched hands.
"Woah, this guy's got some crazy aura going on with him," Bee said. "I can taste this swirling cocktail of power in you, and your bonds with these guys? Off the charts!" She then looked over at Octavia and gave a curious hum. "You know… That girl over there… she wouldn't happen to be Prince Stolas' kid, would she?"
"And if she is?" Loona said, crossing her arms and taking a defensive stance in front of the princess.
"Woah, let's not start a misunderstanding here," Bee held up her hands in surrender. "Let me guess: this guy-" She points to Ren. "-Is probably super important to some prophecy or whatever, and so Stolas sent his kid up here to help the guy out, faking her death as a cover story, with you being sent along by a bodyguard since your dad is banging her dad, right?"
"…I mean, yes, actually," Octavia replied.
"What was that about your dads banging?" Ryuji questioned.
"Don't ask!" Loona and Octavia said at the same time.
"Bee, you gotta promise not to tell anyone about Octavia being alive," Loona begged.
"Don't worry, girl, I'll keep your secret," Bee assured her. "Besides, it's not like they'll believe me anyway since I got kicked out of the Ring Lords, but rest assured my lips are sealed."
"Wait, you're Beelzebub!?" Collin gasped in shock.
"What's it you ya- Oh, you're an angel, aren't you? I can tell by your aura," Bee said, suddenly going over to Collin and poking at him, much to his and Loona's discomfort. "Yeah, that checks out all right. Your friend- Ren, was it? -is clearly important enough that both sides want to have a part in it. I'll keep you being chummy with an angel close to the chest too, Loona."
"Thanks…" Loona sighed in relief. "But what was that about you getting kicked out of being a Ring Lord?"
"Right, you haven't been in Hell to know what's going on," Vortex realized. "Basically, a bunch of strange things have been happening to all the Ring Lords as of late. First it was just Asmodeus, but then a bunch of the other Ring Lords started acting out as well. Bee got pretty sick back in June, to the point that she ended up losing a lot of her powers."
"I can't even enlarge food anymore," Bee muttered, pulling out a piece of candy from her beach bag. She snapped her fingers, and while the candy did glow with a golden aura, nothing else happened to it. "It sucks, and Lucifer's basically got me on probation until they figure out what's going on with us Deadly Sins. I hear that Paimon even convinced Lucifer to put one of the Goetia in charge of Gluttony while I'm gone. Ugh, I spent so much time fixing my Ring ever since I started this reincarnation, but now some jackass bird is going to come in and fuck it all up…"
"Reincarnation?" Yusuke spoke up. "Sorry for my limited knowledge of demonology, but from what Octavia has told me, I didn't believe reincarnation was possible for demons."
"Well, reincarnation maybe isn't the best word for it," Bee responded. "You see, the Deadly Sins have been around for forever, but sometimes we just want to shake things up and reinvent our identities. I got tired of Gluttony being a total dump one day and decided to find other ways to fuel people's indulgences by becoming a party hostess. Heck, I even decided to become Bee-lzebub because I wanted to relate to my people more as a hellhound instead of being some gross fly monster."
"And you've been all the better for it as well," Vortex said, giving his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. "We decided to get away from Hell for a bit and come up here to the human world for some vacation."
"Well, I hope you guys enjoy it," Loona said.
"We will! Oh, we should catch up tonight for dinner. My treat," Bee offered.
"I might just take you up on that," Loona said. The two soon left after that.
"I can't believe you're actually friends with a Ring Lord," Octavia shook her head.
"They seemed nice at least," Ann noted.
After the gang had said their goodbyes to Bee and Vortex, Collin noticed someone familiar sitting on a bench. "Oh, hello Haru-chan!" Collin waved.
"Ah, hello, Collin-kun," Haru waved back. "Free time is almost up. Shouldn't you be heading back soon?"
"We will in time, Haru," Makoto said. "Everyone, this is Haru, a third year in the same class as Loona and I."
"Nice to meet you all," Haru said. "By the way, your blond friend seemed very excited on the airplane coming here."
"Hey, you're that girl we saw watering the plants!" Ryuji recognized.
"She's another of the third years that had to chaperone this trip," Loona said.
"I accepted the task to take my mind off of things, but I wasn't sure how to spend my free time…"
"You could always hang out with us, Haru-chan," Collin offered.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to interrupt you having time with your friends, Collin-kun," Haru said with an apologetic smile. "I think I'll be going now. See you at gardening club."
"I've never really spoken with Haru that much before…" Makoto noted as Haru left. "But our free time is over now. Let's head back to the hotel."
[***]
As night came over Hawaii, Ren and Loona snuck out of the hotel thanks to the half-Goetia's shadow powers. "Thanks for coming with me for this, Ren," Loona said. "I don't think I'm quite ready for one-on-one time with Bee and Tex yet."
"I'll be supporting you all the way," Ren replied.
The two soon arrived at the designated spot secluded from the public eye, where Bee and Vortex were already waiting with food set out. "There you are!" Bee said. "Oh, and you brought Ren as well. Is he secretly your boyfriend, Loona?"
"No!" Loona said, blushing a bit. "He's just been the one that's been helping me get my shit together up here. He's kinda like the leader of our little group of misfits."
"It's always good to have supportive friends, girl," Vortex said with a smile. "I gotta say, though, it's nice to actually have time to hang out without something crazy going down for once."
"Totally. I mean, I love throwing parties but at the same time I gotta get some R&R in there as well," Bee sighed. The Queen of Gluttony relaxed as she let her human disguise drop, revealing to Loona that Bee's demon form had changed as well. Her insectoid features were all but gone, with her honey-like hair, tail, and stomach being a dull black that hung limply like actually hair. She overall looked more like a hellhound than before. "Yeah, I know, I'm a train wreck right now. Thank whoever caused my powers to go out of whack for that."
"About that…" Ren spoke up. "How much do you know about the Phantom Thieves?"
"We've heard some humans talking about them around here. Apparently, they're pretty big in Japan," Vortex replied. "Wait, you wouldn't happen be asking unless…?"
"That's us," Loona admitted.
"No way! That's a way cooler mission than anything I was thinking of!" Bee said excitedly. "So, you guys are changing the hearts of douchebags and stuff? Wicked! No wonder your vibes are so off the charts, dude!"
"Something about our Phantom Thief business did come to mind, though," Ren said. "When we change hearts, we go into these places called Palaces within the Collective Unconscious, and the Ruler of the Palace has tended to embody one of the Deadly Sins in some way. Back in June, we took down a mob boss that embodied Gluttony…"
"Ah, I see where this is going," Vortex said. "You think there might be a connection between the Palaces and the Ring Lords since you taking down that Palace lines up with Bee getting sick."
Bee gave a hum. "I don't know much about the Collective Unconscious, so I guess that's possible, but it doesn't make a lot of sense either. Lots of people embody the Deadly Sins, so what makes these Palace Rulers different?"
"I don't know, but I thought it was interesting," Ren shrugged.
"If I can, I'll try to see if Lucifer or one of the other Ring Lords might have an idea of what's going on there, but you shouldn't let it bother you too much," Bee said. "Still, it totally sucks not being taken seriously anymore. I mean, the other Ring Lords already looked down on me, so getting my powers sapped didn't help that fact in any way."
"Sorry about that, Bee," Loona said. "I know what it's like to be looked down on…"
"Eh, It's not all terrible. At least Tex and I have more time for our relationship now," Bee smiled, giving Vortex a kiss.
"Yeah, that's good… and it reminds me of what I wanted to say the next time we met," Loona said. She took a deep breath before speaking again, "Bee, Tex? I'm sorry for the way I acted at your party. I was being a total bitch towards you especially, Bee, and it's all because of my crush on Vortex."
"I kinda picked up on those vibes," Bee said.
"That doesn't make my attitude any better, though," Loona continued. "I knew Tex had a girlfriend already, but I still thought I could have had a chance with him. And then when you were concerned about my dad, I got pissy at you because of my jealousy."
"Too be fair, I can see how my attitude would have thrown you off," Bee said. "I know that a lot of people think that my kindness can come off as fake, but that's because I thrive off of good vibes. Your vibes were a total mess when we met, and I was just trying to get you in a good mood. Dealing with negative emotions isn't my strong suit…"
"I'd still like to apologize to both of you, though," Loona said. "And I was hoping that we could still be friends after this?"
Vortex gave her smile. "Apology accepted, Loona. I can tell that your human friends are already pretty close to you. When we first met you said you didn't have any friends, but now you got a whole squad to roll with."
"Your aura is glowing as well," Bee added. "When you come back to Hell and I get my powers back, I'm totally throwing you the craziest rager you've ever been too." The then gave a sly smile to the hellhound. "And I can tell that your aura is being drawn towards one of your friends as well."
"W-What!?" Loona exclaimed, blushing at the comment.
Bee giggled. "You gotta just go for what your heart wants, girl, that's what I'm all about! I might not be all about Lust like Asmodeus, but my senses can tell me how compatible people's auras are with each other. If the guy I'm thinking of is who you're compatible with… well, I won't say it's not a bit weird, but you gotta just take the leap and ask him out, girl!"
"I-I'll… think about that…" Loona said.
Vortex put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "I've known since we met that you had a crush on me, and I tried to let you down gently. Obviously, I didn't work how I planned, but I still want us to be friends, Loona. And if your heart is drifting towards someone else now, then know that I'll support you all the way."
"Tex…" Loona said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Shit, I didn't expect to get this emotional at making an apology…"
'I can sense Loona's heart opening even more…' Ren thought as he watched the three hellborns hugging it out.
"Now then, let's dig in! The Hawaiians have a bunch of food I've been dying to try!" Bee exclaimed. The four of them spent the rest of the night enjoying food and trading stories, Ren happy that his friend had renewed her friendship with Vortex and Bee and gaining the Phantom Thieves new allies in Hell.
[***]
September 10
"Our trip is almost over… By tomorrow night, we'll be in the airplane heading home," Collin sighed.
"Damnit, this isn't how stuff was supposed to go!" Ryuji cursed.
"What do you mean?" Mishima asked.
"We ended up walking around same as we always do in Japan… I mean we even ate at freaking Big Bang Burger! It's like we never left!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Ren taking on the Big Bang Challenge and winning was impressive, though," Collin said.
"Never again…" Ren groaned, still recalling the pain from finishing the challenge yesterday.
"Whine all you like, but that's what the trip is supposed to be," Mishima said.
"But weren't some other guys getting all cozy with their girlfriends or some shit?" Ryuji said.
"I think…" Mishima said.
"Then that's it! That's what this trip is missing!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Come on, we totally gotta get moving during our free time in the afternoon."
"What are we going to do?" Collin asked.
"Make a once-in-a-lifetime summer memory!" Ryuji replied. "Hawaii's famous for its beaches, and y'know… what happens in Hawaii stays in Hawaii! We can get some girls numbers during the day, then sneak away to 'em at night! You in or what!"
"Me too?" Mishima said in surprise.
Collin gasped. "Ryuji, that's no way you should be acting!"
"It'll be great!" Ryuji waved the cherub off. "None of us have girlfriends who'd get mad at us either!"
"I guess that's true, but…" Mishima tried to object.
"Come on. I know you're acting all cool, Ren, but you're totally coming with. No question about it," Ryuji said. It was then that Ren's phone went off. "Oh, you get a message? Who could that- Uh, actually, you don't gotta answer that. It might be something about you-know-what… Come on, Mishima, let's go!"
"Wait, what just happened!? It's only going to be the two of us, Sakamoto!?" Mishima exclaimed.
"Don't gimme that look!" Ryuji shouted. "We're going to Waikiki! Try 'n get a little more excited!"
"Man…" Mishima sighed as the two walked off.
"Oh boy…" Collin said. "What was that message about, Ren?"
Ren took out his phone to see what it was all about. "It's from Octavia."
Octavia: Hey Ren. Did you know that there's a concert going on down by the beach? You should come and check it out if you have the chance. Loona's here with me too, as are Bee and Vortex.
"Right, Loona's friends," Collin recalled. "I'd like to get to know them more, and seeing a human concert would be neat.
Ren: Collin's with me now. We'll come check it out.
Octavia: Great! See you when you get down here.
[***]
Arriving at the beach, Ren and Collin found Octavia, Loona, Vortex, and Bee all standing at the back of a crowd that was gathering near a stage that was set up on the beach. "Woah, there's a lot of people here," Ren said.
"You're telling me… The vibes are completely off, though," Bee shook her head.
"You keep mentioning vibes. What's that all about?" Morgana asked.
"Well, I can sense the emotions of others, see how compatible people are with each other, that kinda stuff," Bee explained. "It helps me to do my job at temping people with gluttony better, like how succubi can detect lust in their victims and act accordingly to their tastes."
"What was that about the vibes being off here, though?" Loona asked.
"I dunno, but the crowd isn't acting how I thought they would be," Bee tried to explain. "Like, I'm pretty sure this venue is supposed to be for a famous Japanese idol, but there's a lot more… horny energy, is the best way I can put it."
"Now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure I saw one of your friends, the blonde guy, go into the crowd either," Vortex recalled.
"Oh boy, that can't be good," Collin said. "If something is wrong here, then Ryuji and Mishima might be in trouble."
As he said that, smoke started to rise from the stage as a shadow moved through the smoke. "All right vacation goers! Y'all ready to get fucked up and make bitching bad choices!?"
"Oh fuck me…" Loona groaned as a familiar face stepped out alongside a posse of other "humans" in swimwear.
"Is that… Verosika Mayday?" Octavia asked.
"Sure is," Vortex nodded. "I don't know what she's doing here, though. Then again I quit after the Spring Break incident so I haven't really kept up with her much…"
"Who's Verosika Mayday?" Ren asked.
"A succubus pop star and a total buzzkill," Bee scoffed. "Seriously, I tried inviting her to a party once and she just turned the whole thing into an orgy. I want good vibes not… whatever she brings."
"She's also one of Dad's many exes," Loona added.
"Wait, really? Then she really is a buzzkill if she dumped him," Bee mused. "You're dad's awesome whenever he's not getting blackout drunk."
"It was nasty on both ends, trust me. I've heard their breakup story one too many times…" Loona said.
"If she's a succubus, then we gotta get Ryuji out of there!" Collin exclaimed, rushing into the crowd to try and find him. The as the cherub moved through the crowd, he was suddenly grabbed on the arm by someone, getting dragged into an embrace and getting a face full of boob in the process.
"Hey there, pumpkin," the succubus cooed, stroking at Collin's hair. "I have a thing for short guys. How about you and I get down and dirty?"
"N-No thanks…" Collin said, trying to push out of her grip.
"Oh, don't try and resist, darling," the succubus chuckled, going to pull Collin's trunks down before she got decked by an enraged Loona.
"Hands off him, freak!" Loona shouted, giving the succubus a swift kick to the ass for good measure.
"Chill out, Satan damn it!" the succubus exclaimed, crawling away from the hellhound. "I was just trying to get him in the mood! His lust was totally tainted anyways so you can have him, jeez!"
"Yeah, you better leave…" Loona growled. "You okay, Collin?"
"T-Thank you, L-Loona…" Collin said, taking her hand.
"We found Ryuji, so let's get out of here," Loona said as the two went back to where the others were.
Ryuji was currently rubbing at his cheek in annoyance. "Did you really have to slap me?" he asked.
"Yes. You were under the influence of a succubus. I had to snap you out of it so you didn't get raped… or worse," Octavia said.
"And what about Mishima?" Ryuji asked, looking over to see the guy passed out on the beach.
"We knocked him out so he didn't get involved in the supernatural side of things," Morgana said.
"Still, a succubus? Those are the hot demon girls that go down on you, right?" Ryuji asked. "I dunno, having a hot demon girlfriend sounds pretty sweet."
"Trust me, blondie, succubi are not the best at dating, especially those living the pop star life," Bee shook her head. "And technically they can be guys too, though that type of demon is called an incubus."
"Still, I wonder what Verosika is doing here anyway… other than her job, I guess," Vortex said. "I'm pretty sure she was doing a tour in Hell last time I saw, so being up here on Earth doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
"Then maybe she took over the venue from someone else," Ren suggested.
"You might be right," Octavia said. She looked at the crowd in concern. "I know we don't have to do anything, but as Phantom Thieves, I feel like we should try and stop Verosika in some way."
"I'd be down for that," Loona said.
Ren's phone suddenly went off, prompting him to pull it out and see that it was a message from Futaba.
Futaba: I heard about your situation and took a break from the decrypting to see what was going on. Apparently Risette is supposed to be performing a benefit concert at that venue, but clearly Verosika took it over.
"No way, Risette the idol!?" Ryuji exclaimed. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to see Risette in person…"
Futaba: Your best chance at getting rid of Verosika is to get Risette on that stage. She should be nearby, and I can do a bit of hacking to hijack this concert. Just get me to the stage and I'll work my magic!
"Who are you guys talking to?" Bee asked.
"Our hacking expert Futaba," Loona replied. "She's still back in Japan, but with Ren's phone she can hijack the concert from under Verosika's nose. Now we just have to find this Risette girl…"
Looking around the area, the Phantom Thieves soon came across a woman in her early twenties wearing a blue summer dress with brown hair tied up in twin pigtails. "Are you Risette?" Octavia asked.
"Yes, though that's my idol name," Risette replied. "If this is about autographs, then I must decline. We're in the middle of figuring out this scheduling conflict with Ms. Mayday. I didn't realize this was a double-feature concert."
"That's because it isn't," Octavia shook her head. "Verosika Mayday stole your venue for her own concert. We're here to help you take the stage back."
"Hm… That does make more sense," Risette said. "My manager would have told me if there were going to be other performers at this concert… Okay then, let's do it!"
"Great. Our friend is already working on interrupting Verosika. All you have to do is get up on-stage and do what you do best!" Ryuji said. "Wow, I'm actually talking to Risette right now…!"
"Chill out, dude," Loona rolled her eyes with a smirk.
Risette put a hand to her face. "Oh, I just realized that I let my backup dancers have a break while we waited for Ms. Mayday to be done with her set. I can't really get on stage without them…" She looked over at Loona and Bee in wonder. "Could you two fill in for them?"
"What!? No way!" Loona shook her head.
"I know it's sudden, but I really need my backup dancers if we're going to upstage Ms. Mayday," Risette said.
Bee put an arm around Loona's shoulder. "Come on, Loona! Let's have some fun! Plus you can perform for a certain boy you like…"
Loona blushed at that comment. "F-Fine, but you gotta know that I suck ass at dancing."
"Just leave my skills to help with that," Risette assured her. "Follow my dance moves and we'll be all right!"
The three quickly left for the stage, where Ren was already set up to let Futaba do her hacking thing. Up on stage, Verosika was hyping up the crowd. "Yeah, that's right! I see you all enjoying yourselves!" the succubus cackled. "Up next is my smash summer hit from last year. Now's the time to take you on a "Vacay to Bone Town."
"I don't think so," Alibaba's voice said, the screen behind Verosika glitching out as the Phantom Thieves logo briefly appeared. "Verosika Mayday, you wrongly stole this venue from Risette. Now's the time for us to get this concert back on track!"
"Uh, what's this?" Verosika questioned. "This is a lame-o prank, guys. I don't even know what a Risette-" She didn't get to finish as a trapdoor opened up underneath her feet, dropping her down with a scream. The screen then changed to Risette's title, the idol in question coming out on stage alongside Loona and Bee.
"Hey everyone! Sorry for the unexpected delay!" Risette announced as her fans cheered. "Now then, let's get this concert started by shining bright. This is "Neon" from my Sapphire: Burning Remix album!" Music soon started up, with Risette dancing to the beat before smiling and bringing her microphone up to sing.
"We're all born with a dream
We wanna make come true…"
Risette put her hands out to her sides before bringing them together at her chest.
"The best will climb to the top like me
The rest will end up like you!"
She then thrust her right hand up to the sky, doing a spin before bringing her hand down to point a thumb at herself before winking and pointing at the crowd.
"I bet it's hard to live with
Knowing that you'll never be this fine!"
"I've never been much into idols, but her music is pretty good," Ren mused from the crowd.
"Dude, I gotta show you some of her albums when we get back to Japan," Ryuji said.
"Why do I feel like you're more into Risette because you think she's cute more than her music?" Octavia chuckled.
"Don't be distraught don't be sad
You gave it your best try!"
Down underneath the stage, Verosika stumbled about as she was pulled out by her posse. "What the fuck was that?" she said.
"Uh… I think our takeover just got taken over," one of the succubi replied.
Verosika growled as she watched the crowd cheer along for Risette. "That tramp is ruining our lust source. Let's end this show, now!"
"Listen, girlfriend, can't you see?
I'm all of the things that you'll never be
I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun
I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun!"
"Yeah, go Bee!" Vortex cheered as his girlfriend danced with Risette. Next to him, Collin was blushing up a storm as he watched Loona dance. "Woah, you okay, little angel?"
"I-I'm fine!" Collin said a bit too loud.
As that was going on, Verosika stomped her way back onto the stage, going after Risette as the idol just smirked.
"May be time to retreat
You need a diva review…"
Risette kept up her dance as she artfully dodged around Verosika's attempts at grabbing her. Since the succubus had to keep up her human disguise, it meant she wasn't able to use her demon powers to do anything as Risette danced around her.
"You can see I never miss a beat
Your makeover's long overdue!"
Risette did a quick four-step movement before ducking a swing from Verosika, Loona catching her arm and smirking. "You!?" Verosika gasped before Loona swiftly pushed her off stage, the crowd surfing Verosika all the way to the back of the crowd and unceremoniously dropping her in the sand.
"Just try to understand this
It's not that I am trying to outshine!"
"Ugh, I will not stand for being treated like this!" Verosika growled. "I am Verosika Mayday, you hear me!?"
"Verosika Mayday?" a voice said.
"What!?" Verosika shouted, only to have her hands swiftly put behind her back and handcuffed by the Hawaii Police Department.
"HPD. You're under arrest for public indecency, illegal venue usage, and previous attempts at evading arrest," the policeman said.
"You've got your inner beauty
We can't all be divine!"
Loona gave a taunting gesture to Verosika as she was dragged away by the police before turning and giving a high-five to Risette.
"Listen, girlfriend, can't you see?
I'm all of the things that you'll never be
I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun
I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun!"
"Hehe, that's one succubus dealt with,"Futaba laughed through Ren's phone.
"Great work, Futaba," Morgana said.
"No one likes a girl who wears a silly frown," Bee sang out.
"Just wear a smile and you'll turn it all around!" Risette replied as the two danced together.
Just think of happy things
You'll see in no time…."
Bee then took Loona by the hand and lead her in a dance, much to the hellhound's shock.
"Fun every day
The clouds roll away
Try it you'll see
Just be more like me!"
Risette struck a pose as the dance break happened, the crowd cheering as their favorite idol performed. "Does this mean Risette supports the Phantom Thieves?" someone in the crowd asks.
"Or maybe the Phantom Thieves are fans of Risette," another crowd-goer suggested. "The totally just saved this concert!"
"Dude, this is just gonna get us more fame!" Ryuji whispered to Ren. The leader of the Phantom Thieves just gave a nod.
"Listen, girlfriend, can't you see?
I'm all of the things that you'll never be
I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun
I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun!"
The song soon ended, with Loona and Bee making their exit as Risette's actual backup dancers finally showed up. "That was so much fun, Loona!" Bee giggled as they rejoined the Phantom Thieves. "Hm, maybe I should start a career as an idol here on Earth. Oh, or produce my own album!"
"You got the voice for it, babe," Vortex said, cuddling up to his girl.
"Y-You did g-g-good, Loona," Collin stuttered out.
"Thanks, Lambchop…" Loona said, looking away and blushing at the compliment.
"Good vibes…" Bee whisper-laughed, getting Loona to blush more.
"I'm just glad that we showed Verosika what for," Octavia said. "I never liked her music anyways…"
"Still, there is one thing that one of the succubus said that confused me," Collin noted. "When I was… grabbed by one of them they said my lust was tainted. What does that even mean?"
"Maybe it's your zero-sex appeal?" Ryuji suggested, only to get elbowed by Loona. "Hey, it's true!"
"Hm… Succubus eat the lust off of people, but they also have an adverseness to true love," Bee recalled. "Guess that love of yours got you out of trouble, little lamb."
"Yeah… Lucky me…" Collin shrugged. 'True love… Does that mean that my feelings for Loona really are…?'
"Well, I'm done for today," Loona said. "I just want to crash back at the hotel now."
"Come on, we gotta try to get an autograph from Risette," Ryuji said.
"You guys can do that. I want to go back," Loona said, walking off.
"Hey, what happened to Mishima?" Ren wondered out loud. His question was answered when a voice rang out in the crowd.
"Yeah! Go Risette!" Mishima cheered.
"I think he's fine now," Octavia shook her head, chuckling.
[***]
September 11
"The school trip is finally coming to a close…" Octavia sighed.
"I never thought I'd have the chance to go on one this year as well…" Makoto mused.
"It barely even felt like I was out of the country, though," Ryuji muttered.
"Even Yusuke showed up," Ann giggled.
"I'm simply glad the storm didn't make its way over here…" Yusuke said.
"And I got to introduce you guys to Bee and Tex," Loona said. "Oh, and kick Dad's ex-girlfriend's ass. That was fun…"
"Y-Yeah, it was certainly… something…" Collin said, blushing from what had happened the other day.
"We even got signed copies of Risette's latest album for helping her out," Ryuji grinned.
"It may not have been the most exciting trip, but we still had a good time," Makoto said.
"Honestly though, I'm thankful we didn't have to deal with the storm. They truly are dreadful…" Yusuke said.
"You know, I was wondering what you got up to yesterday, Ann," Octavia asked.
"Morgana and I went out shopping for a few things, and seeing the sights," Ann explained.
"We got a bunch of great photos as well!" Morgana added. "Hehe, I bet some those only someone like me could get!"
"Because you're a cat?" Ryuji said with a grin.
"I am not a-" Morgana started, before stopping himself. "You know what, I'm over that now. Whether I'm human, demon, or a cat, it doesn't matter. I'm still Morgana either way."
"That's the spirit," Octavia smiled. "I'm glad you two have that whole situation resolved…" She then noticed Morgana giving a dreamy look to Ann. "…For the most part."
"Hey, Morgana got to hang out with a girl yesterday," Ren pointed. "Your whole "Operation Babe Watch" didn't go as planned, did it, Ryuji?"
"Damn, he got you there," Loona laughed.
"Shut up…" Ryuji sighed.
"That's enough, you guys," Makoto said.
"It felt like this trip went by in a flash," Collin said. "I'm not sure if I want to go home or stay here longer at this point…"
"Why don't we shop for souvenirs together before it's time to go?" Octavia suggested.
"Oh, count me in!" Ann cheered.
"Allow me to join you as well… Although I have no funds for souvenirs," Yusuke said.
"This is why you have rich friends to buy you shit, Yusuke," Loona said, pointing a thumb at Octavia.
Octavia sighed. "You're going to be able to get back to Japan… right? Oh, and I should send you back to Japan soon, Morgana."
"See you all later!" Morgana said.
One portal for the not-cat later and the gang were soon at the gift shop to pick out some things before they went back to Japan. "What do you guys think Futaba would like?" Collin asked.
"The traditional souvenir from Hawaii is usually chocolate…" Ann recalled.
"If we're gonna get her a souvenir, we gotta pick stuff she'll really wig out over," Ryuji said.
"Why don't we split up and look around, then?" Yusuke suggested. The gang did just that, with Octavia and Ren going together. As the cousins went off to find the perfect gift for Futaba, Ren suddenly got a chill down his spine.
'I feel like someone's staring at me from behind…' Ren thought.
"Hellooooo… Senpai!" Kasumi exclaimed from behind.
"Aloha," Ren greeted, turning to greet her.
Kasumi giggled. "That's a much more appropriate greeting."
"Aloha!" Shin said as he walked up as well.
"Shin! Aloha as well," Octavia said.
"I meant to say hello earlier in the trip, but you know, chaperoning got in the way," Shin apologized. He then turned to Kasumi. "Ah, and aloha to you as well, Yoshizawa-san."
"You two know each other?" Ren said in surprise.
It was then that the other Phantom Thieves came around, noticing the two newcomers, all of them voicing some confusion as to who they were. "Ah… sorry to be a bother!" Kasumi apologized. "I'm Yoshizawa, a first year. It's nice to meet you all."
"Shin Igami, third year. What's up?" Shin greeted.
"…Oh! You're that gymnast!" Ann recognized.
"And the delinquent "Bully Reaper"," Makoto added as she gave Shin a skeptical glance.
"Guilty as charged," Shin shrugged with a grin. "Though I'm surprised you're already training, Yoshizawa-san. The last meet was only a short while ago, wasn't it?"
Kasumi nodded. "Our club's here at a training camp to get ready for the next big meet, and I just happened to find Amamiya-senpai."
"You seem to be making quite the effort," Makoto mused.
"Well, I absolutely have to get the results I'm looking for at the next competition," Kasumi said. "The team's been training with a famous coach who lives here on the island. She's working us especially hard… We end up in tears almost every day."
"Your dedications to training even when overseas is admirable. We should all learn from your example," Yusuke said.
"Yup!" Ryuji nodded.
"Good luck at the next meet- we're all rooting for you!" Collin cheered.
"Thank you! Your kind words may be what keeps me from crying today," Kasumi joked.
"Hey, uh… It's fine if you do cry today, though," Ryuji stated. "You know what they say: "what doesn't thrill ya makes ya stronger." Agh! I almost forget we're outta time here. Ah, welp, I'm gonna go pay for my stuff."
"Oh, I oughta do that too. See you later, Yoshizawa-san!" Ann said.
"Yes, it was nice meeting you all!" Kasumi said. As the others went to pay for their stuff, Octavia and Ren stuck around with Shin and Kasumi.
"Your friends seem like a nice bunch," Shin mused.
"They're great, if a bit weird at times," Octavia laughed.
"I think so too," Kasumi giggled.
"How do you two know each other, by the way?" Octavia asked.
"The gym I like to work out at is right next to the practice building Yoshizawa goes to," Shin explained. "I've made sure that she gets home safely after a meet a few times."
"Keeping up that training I see…" Ren mused. "Shin's been my self-defense trainer, Kasumi."
"You've got a good pick then," Kasumi nodded. 'Well, I know I'm going to win for sure this time. I'll prove to everyone what I'm made of. Considering the rank I got last time, though, I also got this souvenir as a sort of insurance."
"It looks Japanese," Ren noted.
"I bought it earlier today at this branch of a Japanese shrine here in Hawaii," Kasumi explained. "I always used to buy some sort of charm before a big competition. My sister was even more stringent with her own superstitions. The thing is… I forgot to pick one up before the last meet. I'll be fine now, though. I just know it…"
"I got one as well," Shin said, pulling out a charm in the shape of a squid. "It depicts Kanaloa, one of the main gods of Polynesian myth. He's sometimes seen as a god other underworld, though that mostly comes from post-contact accounts of the myth."
"Interesting," Octavia said.
"I should probably get going. I almost forgot that I still need to pick up souvenirs for my family," Kasumi said. "Sorry for keeping you so long. I'll see you later, all right?"
"Will do," Ren said. After their meeting with Kasumi and getting their gifts all bought, the Phantom Thieves' Hawaiian vacation was done, and it would be back to Japan by tomorrow.
Confidant Rank Up
Confidant: Loona Nyx
Arcana: Twilight
Rank 8 Description: Loona made amends with her friends, Bee and Vortex. Her heart is now committed to being more open with those she cares about.
Rank 8 Ability: Endure- Chance to withstand an otherwise fatal attack with 1 HP remaining.
Author's Note
The Hawaii trip is a fun part of the Persona 5 experience, even if it's also a prelude to the worst arc in the game. Thankfully with Morgana tagging along, that arc has been averted, so it's just good vibes in the Aloha State for the gang!
Speaking of vibes, Queen Bee-lzebub and Vortex make their debut here, giving Loona a chance to make amends with them! Bee is always a fun character to write so I'm glad I got to give her some spotlight in this story. I even got the chance to give my head cannon on why her appearance is different from the classical interpretation of Beelzebub- Bee wanted to relate more to her people and took on a form more suited for that. We also find out that the Palaces and Deadly Sins might be connected in some way, with Bee losing a majority of her powers as a consequence. But how does this all tie into the ordeal Ren and Octavia are trying to solve? Loona and Collin also get some ship tease from Bee in this chapter, and we'll see where that goes in the upcoming arcs.
Another fun scene is the appearance of Verosika Mayday, which is a scene I've had in my head since starting this story. You can't tell me Ryuji wouldn't be seduced by the succubus. An even more surprising cameo is Risette aka Rise from Persona 4! I thought it would be a fun idea to pit Helluva Boss' pop idol against one from Persona, and Rise is a fun character to have around for a quick scene. The song she performs in "Neon" from the show RWBY, which I feel fits Risette for taking down Verosika. It also counts as a stealth reference to how Persona and RWBY crossed over in the fighting game BlazeBlue: Cross Tag Battle.
Shin also makes and appearance during the Kasumi scene, letting the other Phantom Thieves formally meet him as well. The Kanaloa charm that Shin buys is in reference to an actual demon that can be found in SMT, at least design-wise. I don't have Kanaloa as a future persona for Ren to summon, though, as he falls under the Tower arcana, which doesn't fit with Shin's Void arcana.
Next time will be the start of the next Palace arc. But if Morgana isn't having his usual questioning of his place on the team, what will truly kick off this arc...?