Disclaimer: None of the authors own any of the referenced properties.
[Persona 2], [Fate/Grand Order]
Eldritch Metropolis of Rumours: Sumaru – part 13
Author: me (HelenTheMoon aka Lermis)
Chapter 4 section 5: Machinations
Area: Abandoned Factory
The enemy they fought, though annoying, was tiny and mostly spoke nonsense. Bedivere and Maki defeated them without much trouble. They looked odd but they were demons, so why…
Why was Mash freaking out so much?
"You are really bad at sensing mana, aren't you Ritsuka?" she heard Edmond in her head. "There was something truly unnatural about these beings."
"Huh?"
Mash was shaking, and Bedivere looked like he was trying his best not to show his own unease. Maki on the other hand had a confused but thoughtful look on her face, like she saw something familiar but could not place what was familiar about it and where she saw it before.
A low buzz came from her pocket and Ritsuka took a look at her communicator. Dr. Roman had scanned Maki. Good. At least an initial reading would be helpful.
Also…
"Ritsuka, you need to find out what that last enemy was immediately. Their presence almost short-circuited our scanners."
She frowned at the message that the doctor sent. That was bad but… really? They were tiny enough to hold in your hands.
However, those concerns were for later. Now she had to help Mash.
The girl was pale and shaking, her eyes wide.
"Mash…?"
"Sempai… I… I couldn't do anything… they were looking at me… but… they… were looking… And I… I could see them…"
What in the world…?
"Mash, look at me."
She did, and there were tears in her eyes. "It's not your fault. We don't know what we fought yet, but we'll find out. And you still tried to fight them. That was brave. And next time, we know how to beat them, okay? We'll find a way. Together."
Ritsuka did not really have a way to sugarcoat it and tell Mash that she was going to beat them all next time and that it was just a fumble – she knew better than to sugarcoat things anyway. But these were the most comforting words she could offer her right now.
Mash did not seem particularly reassured, but she seemed calmer, and she was no longer trembling. "Right. Thank you sempai. No matter what we face I will protect you."
"I know." She meant that.
Ritsuka turned to the others. "Everyone okay?"
Bedivere looked grave. "I have never seen anything like this before."
Well that was a bad sign. "Maki?"
"…"
"…Maki?"
"…Do you have a camera?"
Ritsuka blinked at the request. "A camera? Why?"
"I… I need to send a picture of that monster to a few friends of mine. They may figure out what it is. But… something felt so familiar… I'm sorry I can't help more…"
"It's fine, you took them down."
Inwardly, the gears in Ritsuka's mind were spinning. Maki clearly had a support network, other people who had experience with demons and most likely powers similar to her own. And speaking of said powers…
"Um, Maki? What did you just summon?"
Maki blinked in surprise. "You saw her?"
The trio from Chaldea exchanged glances before they all nodded their affirmation. Maki let out a small sigh before proceeding to explain.
"Most people cannot see them, though they have issues seeing demons too- this is my Persona, Verdandi."
"One of the Norns?" Ritsuka asked for confirmation. "You summoned a god?" Because if Maki could summon Divine Spirits…
"Not quite."
They all looked at her waiting for an explanation. "Gods indeed exist, but summoning them is almost impossible without a medium to possess." That so far coincided with what Ritsuka knew. "However, it is possible to summon shades of those gods in the form of demons."
"Shades. Of Divine Spirits. As demons."
When Ritsuka thought of "demon" she thought of her "Dark Young" form, so treating these creatures like random encounters was a bit of a change of pace for them. And now she was told you could make them out of gods?
Maki was unsurprised at her disbelief. "The gods themselves are not affected at all by the demons of themselves that get summoned. They are only shades that represent an aspect of the real deal after all. And in a way, that's what a Persona is."
"A Persona?" Igor did say they were in the Persona branch, but he never explained what that meant.
"All humans have gods within them. The shape of the gods is dependent on the shape of ourselves and our beliefs. They depend on us to exist, and they are the embodiment of what we believe, how we think and what we are. The Verdandi you saw is a shade of the goddess Verdandi that only I can call, because she is an aspect of Verdandi that I represent the best, and she represents me. That shade is my mirror. I am thou and thou art I."
Ritsuka took a moment to organize this information. "So basically this here is your own personal demon and you can use its abilities."
"That is a very basic way to put it, but yes. It is also an aspect of myself."
"Right, that. What does that mean?"
"Are you familiar with the term "persona"? Or Carl Jung?"
"Can't say I am."
Maki was now clearly in lecturing mode. "A persona is a psychological term coined by Carl Jung, which describes the different personalities people adapt in the different settings in their lives. The most simple example would be how you act around your friends versus how you act in front of your teachers, or how you act around your parents versus how you act around strangers. People adopt different personalities to deal with different conditions, and the purpose of those personalities is to conceal the true self that hides within, so that it is not damaged in some fashion. In other words, our personalities are multi-faceted, and we only show one facet – one mask – at the time depending on the situation. What you show to the world is you, but not the whole you. Likewise, people see what you show them, but they perceive it differently. Each and every person you meet views the mask you show them through different lens, and so there's at least on version of "Ritsuka" for each and every person who ever met you."
She took a deep breath to continue but something stopped her. "Um, do you understand so far?"
"…Yes, I do."
Ritsuka's primary class qualification as a servant was "Pretender". She knew a lot about different facets of you. More than most.
"Good. I can see it in your eyes that you're honest. Now, another term used in Jungian psychology is that of the Collective Unconsciousness. How to phrase it… It is the bedrock of our perceptions as humans. The ocean from which our minds are born."
"…"
"…Let's… explain it another time. …If that's alright with you…"
Ritsuka shook her head. She got the answers she needed right now, philosophy could wait. "It is. Let's get moving guys. We have some robots to shut down."
…
That night, Club Zodiac
"Long time no see, ya fuckin' brat. Did tha' Templar cunt slow ya down THAT' much?"
Sudou's greeting confirmed Tatsuya's suspicions and fears. It was almost a relief to see a familiar face, if anything he had an answer he knew what to do with. Aside from that though…
He glanced at the woman on the side. Miyashiro Shiori. A coworker of his brother.
Yoshizaka had called him barely an hour ago, telling him about the woman who showed up at the club with the intention of capturing the JOKER by using herself as bait.
Women were sharp. Yoshizaka even more so. She recognized something was off with him from the very beginning. That he wasn't "he". Well, he could not pretend to be the Suou Tatsuya she knows anyway. The "him" on this side is friends with Yoshizaka, first name basis and all.
But he knew the Yoshizaka on the other side well enough to know she is reliable. So they talked. Put some things together. She told him about the murders when he asked about rumours. He told her the police would not be able to deal with them. Eventually they put some things together.
The evening before, while he was struggling not to let his consciousness take over this body, his brother – the one on This Side – practically threw the door to their apartment several hours after he was supposed to be done from work, boiling in frustration that was for once not directed at him.
No, it was instead directed towards all his coworkers and the force and the increasing number of victims and how the higher-ups kept making them do irrelevant things instead of actually investigating.
His brother was always dead serious about law and order, which is the entire reason Tatsuya had a nearly spotless attendance record despite his reputation, why his motorcycle was registered and why generally went out of his way to keep his hands and record as clean as possible up until recently. Not that he cared, but it was less trouble for everyone, him included.
Not that himself on this side had as much of a concern as he did, but at least the motorcycle was registered with a learner's permit.
But despite his brother being serious about the law, he was never terribly passionate about it. He had never seen him return from work this frustrated. Never.
So Tatsuya left, ignoring his brother's protests with practiced ease, and automatically swallowed the familiar resentment when neither of his parents voiced anything at all.
And he went to the shrine. He talked to a familiar-looking hag there. She was pretty sweet.
And on his way back, he saw Yoshizaka. Immediately, she could tell. So they talked.
That was two nights ago.
Miyashiro was frozen in the corner, her gun at the ready yet not aiming. From that model… It would help against some of the weaker demons and it would blow most people to pieces if the ammo was of the same standard as the gun, but it would be of no help against a Persona user.
"Get out of here."
"Wha-"
"Yoshizaka called me. You can't arrest him. Leave. And don't call my brother."
"He's in illegal possession-"
Reflex took over as he grabbed the woman just in time to avoid a knife that would bury itself in her skull.
"-weapons. I know. That law won't matter much soon anyway."
"What does that mean?"
"Leave, now."
And he attacked Sudou.
…
Morning, Abandoned Factory
As they slowly made their way to the lower levels, Ritsuka found that the other demons they found at the factory were considerably more "normal" than the nonsensical orbs they fought. At the same time however they proved Maki's words from earlier true.
Especially when they ran into one that looked exactly like the "Real Deal Nobunaga", except clad in traditional armor and wielding a musket. Ritsuka had seen him enough in the loops to recognize him, but seeing him here was… quite the thing. She wondered how Nobu would react if she saw him. This version of "Tenmau" looked nowhere near as intimidating as the crimson Demon King of Myriad Heavens.
The demons here were also considerably tougher than the ones they found in the forest, though nothing that their party could not handle. Maki's assistance had proven valuable – her Persona was loaded with all sorts of healing spells up to and including Mediarahan, which was capable of curing anything short of status effects, and she appeared to have a near endless amount of energy to back her up. Ritsuka always appreciated having a support healer at her side.
Then as they made their way lower… voices.
"Looks like we're near the facility."
Ritsuka nodded. "So, how are we going to do this? I can sneak inside with no problem, but if they notice you guys…"
Maki frowned, but said nothing.
"She must have an ace in the hole she doesn't want us to know about."
Ritsuka agreed with Edmond's conversation but did not comment on it. Servants who withheld their abilities were not always bad news. And even though Maki was no servant, she had just met them.
Ritsuka pulled out Robin's May King, adding a bit of a light show to pretend it was a bit of displacement magecraft and not a Pocket.
"I'm going in. The rest of you, wait here."
She threw the May King over her shoulders, discreetly opened the doors, and headed in.
[Persona 3]
How not to date girls
Author: Kaoupa
As she, Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Aigis all sat in the chairs outside the room for surgery, Yukari reflected that she may have become a little too used to having her friends in the hospital.
Well... I guess it's not like Makoto's going to die, though, right?
It's just a full body cast.
Well... The memories of the full body cast and how it was obtained did make her wince slightly.
It was a Null Loop, meaning Makoto had to give himself up to prevent the Fall (and an Eiken trip for everyone), and-
"You can see him now."
Yukari forgot what she had been thinking and got up as the door opened, with the nurse stepping aside as they entered.
"Er, hey..." She said awkwardly as the four girls walked into the room where Makoto was currently immobilized.
He gave them a flat look.
"I'd ask how you feel, but I think I know what the answer is..." Fuuka awkwardly noted.
"Makoto-san. Do you require any food or drink? Hospitals are unlikely to let outside foodstuffs in." Aigis questioned.
"No, thank you..." Makoto muttered. He opened his mouth.
Seeing that roughly half his teeth were missing made Yukari (and the other three girls) wince again.
"I am aware there is nothing we can do at the moment, but would you like to request a transfer? I could place you in my family's care - I can explain the situation to my father and Kikuno." Mitsuru said.
"...if I die in my sleep because of them, I'm going to slap you the next time we're both Awake."
Mitsuru, seeing the response as the "please do that" it was meant as in subtext, nodded and left the room as the other three girls sat down.
"Sorry - well, I just - wish we'd all woken up a bit sooner." Fuuka sighed.
"Indeed. Makoto-san does not deserve what our non-looping selves did to Minato-san." Aigis concurred.
"Yeah." Yukari shook her head sadly. "But seriously, we have run into way too many versions of you and the other Wilds Cards that think it's a good idea to date all of us girls without telling any of us..."
Makoto gave the three girls a rather dead look, then spoke as he gestured with his head at his body cast. "You're telling me?"
[Persona 2], [Fate/Grand Order]
Eldritch Metropolis of Rumours: Sumaru – parts 14 to 17
Author: me
Chapter 4 section 5: Machinations
Area: Abandoned Factory
It was a good thing that Ritsuka opted for stealth because this place was packed. There were plenty of goons in traditional Chinese garb walking around with knives and guns in their hands, trying to look big and haughty. However, when they thought nobody was looking, they would glance at the other guards of this place: the armed to the tooth military personnel, carrying heavy rifles and wearing either formal uniforms or what looked like the army version of riot gear. Ritsuka took note of the more "casually" dressed ones – they were wearing some pretty distinct red berets as part of their uniform.
As quietly as she could – which was extremely quiet, she was a trained ninja after all – she treaded deeper in the facility, using the many crate boxes and containers to mask any potential hint she could give away that indicated her presence.
Much to her frustration, the crates were arranged like a labyrinth, forcing her to weave through the thin trails they followed or climb on top of them. Robin's cloak was invaluable
There they were. The mechas.
Ritsuka knew that her standards were generally skewed by Olympus, but even so these were disappointingly small. Like Edmond said, they were around three meters in height and had a design which looked largely inspired by Star Wars, except the more cyberpunk version of them. A small chamber for one pilot and a bipedal design with "hands" to hold weapons. Well, even more weapons. Each and every available spot on that thing's armor was absolutely covered with guns of several calibers, the ammunition undoubtedly hidden in the bulky armor. All in all, pretty standard stuff.
Except for that weapon.
"Why a giant sword of all things?" It was a oversized Japanese katana which in Ritsuka's opinion looked pretty out of place, though it definitely served as a symbol of nationalism if nothing else. She ended up in GUDAGUDA enough times to know what absurdly advanced Imperial Army magitech looked like.
Actually, this could be trouble.
"There's something off with that sword, Ritsuka…"
The girl frowned at her partner's worried tone. As usual, she could not sense much of anything, but if Edmond got a bad feeling out of it, then it was better she took his advice to heart and exercised caution.
"Let's find a way to disable that. Then we'll keep looking."
Quiet as the air itself, Ritsuka made her way behind the bulky mech and pulled a taser specifically designed by Tesla many loops ago. The result of one of his and Edison's many competitions, the "Teslaser" was designed, depending on the setting, to unleash attacks that ranged from merely functioning like a typical taser to its best mini-sized imitation of the infamous death ray. Not that Ritsuka ever tested that one – she never got the chance to.
Now however she needed it for Tesla most favourite of functions; short-circuiting other machines.
She found one promising-looking gap in the plating, and let the device do its work. A few moments later, there was a smell of smoke rising from the mech – a sure indication that it was successfully fried.
Edmond was not as happy.
"You idiot! Now they'll smell it!"
Shit. Ritsuka didn't usually have to worry about things like that!
"Let's move quickly."
"Let's."
After that Ritsuka was low-key jogging through the facility, eternally grateful for Robin's Noble Phantasm as otherwise she would have been heard. For a while it did not look like anyone noticed the smell, but if she took too long…
"We should have come in the middle of the night. This whole "destroy all equipment" thing would be so much easier if there was no stealth involved."
"True, but thanks to you getting a good night's sleep, we now have access to Igor and a support network. By your standards, it was a remarkably good night."
"True enough."
She soon ran into some other mechs too, and she stood for a moment contemplating before deciding to leave them alone. She knew they could handle them if they attacked later. The important part was to find the production units and the computers.
Which she did.
Hoo boy, these were ANCIENT. Um, they were mounted in the wall even, and connected with way too many wires… She was pretty sure just cutting the wires wasn't going to be an issue here, they were just going to buy new ones… there were also some old PCs with BOX SCREENS of all things and a couple of the blockiest laptops she had ever seen. She didn't know there were touch screens back- wait, there was no touch screen. But- hold on, was that red thing in the middle of the keyboard a direction button? Like a joystick? Wild. Ritsuka had been in many eras but this was pretty high in her lists of "times I felt very misplaced". Laptops with in-build joysticks because touch screens weren't a thing yet. Wow.
And flop disks. She could not forget the flop disks.
The computers were all connected to the production lanes, which seemed to have repurposed from whatever this place used to manufacture. Along the old machinery, almost like a parasite or a chimera, new machines had been added. Far newer with cylindrical designs and many limbs and just as many carefully labeled wires, unclear in what their exact purpose was supposed to be, carrying the same cyberpunk feeling and the GUDAGUDA magitech aesthetic as the mechs from before. Undoubtedly, they had the same designer. In many of the opened crates, she could see various guns, and a further back a small group of men were welding parts of the guns with the armor of the mech they were working on. A man standing by the computers was inspecting the process.
Well then. She would have to steal everything that wasn't nailed down. Then blow up everything.
Edmond let out a sigh at the risk but otherwise took it in stride. Typical Ritsuka.
Honestly, it was kind of hilarious to watch. Ritsuka started with all the stray floppy sticks, then stole all the extra wires just for the heck of it, went through the crates and took enough guns to make Koyanskaya jealous, took about three or four laptops, and planted several tiny explosives that she had gathered over the loops – courtesy of several servants including Nobunaga, Edison, Kiritsugu, and Nursery Rhyme in one memorable case – and fled before anyone knew what's going on, disabling a few extra robots in the process.
Just as she slipped out of the facility and closed the door behind her, she heard someone call out in Chinese.
"有人吸烟吗？"
Stealth was fun.
She removed the May King to the curious faces of her team. "I planted about twenty or so mini bombs in there. Let's get out of here."
They made it out of the factory and were greeted with a small tremor. Just like the movies.
It was followed by a much louder tremor in her stomach that everyone heard.
"Any ideas for where we can eat, Maki?"
"Sure thing! Just let me call some friends to see if they're around…"
Ritsuka counted today as a success. And the day had barely started.
…
Chapter 5 section 1: Rumourmonger 2
Area: Aoba
Maki spent the next few minutes making phone-calls to her various friends, much to the fascination of her audience. Ritsuka could only catch one half of the conversation, but from what she figured out, some of them would be coming to town in a few days, another was too busy with something, and the third was still at work. So that left them with one friend left, which they were heading to meet right now.
"We're here!"
"Here" was a small office tucked among the many other stores in Aoba's main shopping district, the interior hidden with typical office window blinds. An elegant bronze sign writing "Kuzunoha" in English characters decorated the entrance, repeating the name with Kanji and the note "Detective Agency".
Maki stepped to the door without hesitation, and Ritsuka followed suit.
"Tamaki! We're here!"
"Hey, Maki!"
The only detective agency Ritsuka had been in before was Ryouma and Oryou's, so seeing this place was a bit of a whiplash. The Sakamoto detective agency could best be described as organized chaos, complete with a conspiracy board, a LOT of paperwork, a lot of frog memorabilia and a bunch of boxes and knick-knacks meant for Oryou's shop, all set in strange mix of a Bakumatsu and mid 20th century style that Ryouma favoured. In comparison, the Kuzunoha detective agency felt sterile. The walls and lights were white, and one wall was covered with an oak bookcase filled to the brim with files. The heavy oak desk also had a computer and several organized stacks of paper. The floor in the middle was lower than the rest in a style that just screamed 80's, complete with some comfy leather sofas and a desk with some typical magazines always found in waiting areas. The only thing of note was the absolutely massive gold lucky cat statue tucked in the corner. Well, probably not actual gold, but still. It was so tacky that it looked like it was compensating for the sterility of the room.
She also wasn't expecting the mechanized voice. "Tip please."
She decided to humour it and threw in some yen.
"…that's all you got?"
"What?"
"Thank you!"
…That was weird.
"Do you like our lucky cat?"
"Never seen one like it before…"
She chuckled. "It's pretty unique…" Was that nervousness? Weird.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself! Uchida Tamaki, I'm an intern here." The young woman offered her hand in a handshake and the Chaldean mage accepted it.
"Fujimaru Ritsuka. Nice to meet you."
Tamaki was a fairly pretty woman. Her brown hair was cut short but instead of Maki's pixie cut hers was more layered and flared out. She was wearing a brown pinstripe suit that looked very professional but wasn't exactly flattering, and she had a straight pose Ritsuka usually saw in sword users.
So she can fight too… "Edmond, can you sense anything from her?"
"Not really… However, something's off about that statue… and the back of the office."
Statue and back of the office. Noted.
While she was observing her, Tamaki exchanged introductions with the rest of the squad.
"Where's the detective?"
"Out for lunch, he should be back in an hour or so."
"That's a shame, I would love to introduce him too."
"Maybe another day? Or a bit later? We're always open!"
"Heheh, that's true! What about Tadashi? Is he still missing?"
Missing?
"Eh, he's a cockroach, he'll be fine" said Tamaki, entirely unconcerned.
"You're dating him though…"
Ritsuka was not the only one sweatdropping at this exchange.
"So, shall we get going? I know a great sushi place in Regendai!" She turned towards Ritsuka and company and winked. "I'll show you newbies some good tips about this city too!"
Now, Ritsuka was very interested.
"This could be useful" said Edmond in the privacy of their head. "So far this city has been nothing but mysteries, so any kind of tip on would be a precious boon."
Ritsuka agreed. "Igor really did us a solid."
"We'll see how much of "a solid" he offered once we hear what this Uchida woman has to offer."
Ritsuka did not disagree.
Fortunately the way to Regendai was pretty short, even with the buss – damn this city really needed a metro. From what Dr. Roman had told them, this was the city center and it had a hill at the center. It certainly looked like no city center that Ritsuka had ever seen. A lone island in the middle of the river that crossed through Sumaru, Regendai was dominated by greenery. The residential area was relatively small, there was a single school and the shopping district where they were headed was similarly contained. They passed by a large park under construction on the way too.
"I sense strange energy coming from that hill, my accomplice…"
That was concerning. However, Ritsuka barely had any time to ponder on it before she and the others were ushered in a sushi bar.
"WELCOME!" came a mighty roar from behind the counter. They all turned to see a middle-aged man in a traditional chef's kimono, complete with a towel wrapped around his forehead to catch his sweat. "First time customers? Thanks for coming! Gatten sushi is known for the fresh fish and the incredibly low prices! Come eat as much as you want!"
After the overly aggressive welcome, Ritsuka took in the store. The interior was uber-traditional, and while the tatami mats were mostly empty, the bar was full of businessmen in suits. There was also a large fish tank right by the door.
The two locals of the group however did not go to sit anywhere at all. "Hey, Chunky!"
"Wha-" Chunky!?
"Oh! Tamaki-san and Maki-san! It's been a while! And who are these here? New pals or clients?"
Ritsuka blinked, completely taken off-guard by the development. The man who responded was massive, but his face was youthful and he was excited. Still, calling someone Chunky is so rude… Was it a high school nickname or something? Those tended to be mean.
"A bit of both" replied Tamaki. "Introductions, everyone! This is Kenta Yokouchi, he was in our year back in St. Hermellin High. He's a door-to-door salesman now. Chunky, these here are Ritsuka, Mash, and Sir Lucius."
Bedivere blushed. "Just Lucius is fine, my lady."
The man – Yokouchi – laughed. "That's why she's calling you "Sir", isn't it. Come on" he gestured to the tatami mats "let's sit. Kenkichi-san! All their orders on me!"
"You don't have to…" stammered Mash.
"Nonsense, you guys are Maki and Tamaki's friends, right? Makes you fine in my book!"
"Um… thank you very much!"
Even after so many loops, Ritsuka could not deny the warm feeling in her chest. Such a warm welcome, and by completely new people nonetheless. Even if the mean nickname made things a bit awkward.
"So…" started Yokouchi after everyone had placed their orders. Ritsuka was surprised to see a handful of vegan options in the otherwise very traditional menu.
"You guys have some pretty strong auras but you aren't Persona users. What's your deal?"
Ritsuka's jaw dropped, as did the jaws of all her companions.
Maki chuckled. "Chunky doesn't look like much, but nobody's as good as sensing Persona and demon auras as he is."
"He's really good at concealing it too" commented Edmond in her head. "His aura reminds me of Beast III/L, though only on a surface level."
Beast III/L? Ritsuka was alarmed for a moment but then she remembered Maki's speech from earlier that day. "Maybe he has a Persona based on Kama or Mara?"
"Sounds like the most likely scenario."
He certainly did not look the part, but then again Maki did not look like she was housing Verdandi and carrying highly illegal firearms either.
While Ritsuka was discussing with the Count, Maki was explaining the situation to Yokouchi.
"So you guys aren't Persona users but you got caught up in this anyway? Are you sure you're just tourists?"
"I knew about demons for quite a while" said Bedivere "but it was quite unexpected that we ran into them here. We ran into Lady Maki by chance. Lady Ritsuka has a habit of trying to solve everyone's problems, so it falls to us to keep her safe and help her in turn. I admit however that today was the first time we hear of Personas. We have abilities ourselves, but nothing like this."
And the question about them being real tourists was artfully dodged, with centuries of practice by Sir Bedivere.
"It's not common to see this side of him out of the Camelot Singularity" noted Edmond. Ritsuka silently agreed. In a time – or a branch in this case – where everyone would question them, his ability to stay under the radar was invaluable.
"Maki-san? Tamaki-san?"
The two ladies turned to Ritsuka.
"Why exactly have you brought us here?"
"Cutting to the chase, huh?" said Kenta. "It's to show you the ropes about rumourmongers, right?"
"That's right" confirmed the detective. "Rumours are one of the most important parts of any investigation, as there is always a kernel of truth in them. And there's no better place to get them but from rumourmongers, like Chunky here!"
"Rumours are handy in sales" said Yokouchi "and here me and the other guys on the bar are sharing rumours we hear on the job. I go from door to door, so I always meet plenty of housewifes willing to gossip. Little kids never hold back their tongues either! And of course, you hear all sorts of things at restaurants. Like that man there at the corner?"
Chunky did not point but he did not have to. It was an older man in an overly expensive and very new three piece suit that did not really compliment him, practically radiating smugness as he stuffed his face with sushi.
"His boss was killed by the JOKER a few weeks back, and this guy got a promotion. Now his company CEO. He used to complain about his boss all the time, next thing he marches in here with this new suit and a newspaper."
It was not hard at all to piece together the hints. Everyone on the table stiffened.
Yokouchi gave them a few moments for the information to sink in, eating a few pieces of his sushi. The others imitated him.
"There are quite a few of us rumourmongers around the city. Like Toku-san, he used to sleep at Honmaru park before it went under construction. Or Chikarin, from the Seven Sisters' school newspaper."
Ritsuka was starting to see how this segment of the Persona branch was so unstable. With everyone so interested in rumours that spreading them gave you a title, no wonder that a curse that makes them all come true was causing such chaos. It was the perfect breeding ground.
"And do not forget that this curse crashed an Equestria loop once" reminded her Edmond.
"We heard about the factory from a website…" said Mash.
"Hm…"
"Baofu's, right?" asked Tamaki. "I hear he has been offline for a while."
Baofu? That doesn't sound Japanese. Ritsuka filed that away for later.
"Here's how the "system" works" said Yokouchi. "You tell us a rumour and we tell you one in return. Give and take you know? And that's how you spread them across the city. The better the information you give me the better information we get to give you."
"So you pay them for their services."
"Does that make sense?"
Nods all around.
"Good! Glad we understand each other. Let's get down to business; what do you want to know?"
Ritsuka fell deep in thought. Give information and get information in exchange, huh?
"We can ask about the mysterious man at the club!"suggested Mash. "Maybe he has a lead!"
"Great idea, Mash! Why don't you tell him? Just keep everything we heard from the JOKER a secret."
Mash blushed. "Um… Alright! I'll do my best, senpai!" She cleared her throat.
"You have something good for me, Mash-san?"
"I-I think so! You have heard that there is a Triads base in Club Zodiac, correct? We saw a strange man in a yellow suit spying on them yesterday. He has abilities too, so we think he may be a Persona user or someone like us."
Yokouchi gave an appreciative hum. "Sounds mysterious! Let me give you something mysterious in return. Let's see…"
Ritsuka fidgeted with anticipation. She vaguely heard Edmond telling her not to get her hopes too high, but she ignored it.
"Right! There's an invisible shop in this mall."
Ritsuka blinked.
"Hold your horses. It's an antique shop called Time Castle, but here's the mysterious part; it appeared only a few months ago, but everyone acts like it's been there forever. Like it showed up in a flash and suddenly everyone already knew it. It has a pretty strange aura too. People who go inside leave, but over time they leave less and less… How does that sound?"
"…A mysterious aura?"
"Yep. Certified by yours truly. I haven't sensed anything similar since… never mind."
From the corner of her eye Ritsuka saw Maki flinch a little, with Tamaki patting her leg. Interesting.
"I haven't gone inside though. You guys don't have Personas but you don't need them I guess. You don't use the Demon Summoning Program either-"
There was a program?
"-that's pretty rare."
"Uhh, yeah…" Did he know about mages? It certainly looked like it.
"So no information about the yellow man…" said Mash downcast.
"Sorry, but housewifes don't really gossip about things like that." Made sense. "Still, people like us tend to gather in mysterious places, so who knows? Maybe you'll hear something there."
Mash bowed gratefully, with Ritsuka and Bedivere following her lead. "Thank you very much, Yokouchi-san!"
"Hey, no need to thank me, you told me some interesting stuff! A deal's a deal! Now, enough with the serious talk, let's eat!"
The rest of the noon passed pleasantly, with the former classmates catching up and Mash asking all sorts of questions about their lives. Soon that shifted into what kind of books everyone liked watching performances in general. No matter the loop, Ritsuka always loved watching Mash come out of her shell. Bedivere gave her an empathetic smile. He understood it too.
As he promised, Yokouchi paid for everyone, and shortly afterwards they all got up to leave.
A sudden thought struck Ritsuka.
"By the way, Yokouchi-san?"
"Yes?"
"What IS your Persona?"
He chuckled a little. "Tower Arcana, Mara. That seductive aura makes for seductive offers, you know?"
That was… unconventional. Ritsuka seriously wondered what Kama would say if she heard that.
"Hope to see you guys soon!"
The waved their goodbyes in return, and Ritsuka left feeling lighter.
Time to chase their next lead.
…
Chapter 5 section 2: Rumourmonger 2
Area: Regendai
Finding the Time Castle, as the shop was called, was surprisingly difficult. There were several shops in the mall, and after a while the signs seemed to blur together. True, Yokouchi may have mentioned the shop having a unique aura, but Ritsuka has always been trash at sensing them and this was not going to change anytime soon.
Fortunately, the mall was not quite that big.
"Senpai, look! There it is!"
Ritsuka looked to where Mash was pointing. It definitely looked like an antique shop. Unlike most other places with their modern fronts, this one was dressed in wood to evoke this old-timey aesthetic that it advertized. A red sign with the shop's name and an embedded clock was hanging in front of the entrance.
Their small group gathered in front of the shop.
"It really does have an unpleasant aura…" commented Mash, looking disturbed. "Sempai… it reminds me of those monsters we fought…"
"Huh?"
Ritsuka was puzzled, and the agreeing gestures from Bedivere and Maki only increased her confusion. "The entities we battled were truly vile, my accomplice. And while it is not all that similar, the aura from this shop is indeed reminiscent of the aura of the beings at the factory."
"Well you know that I can't sense crap" said Ritsuka. Still, even Edmond was spooked? Ritsuka only thought that those demons really weird. They were tiny.
"It sounds pretty bad" said Tamaki. "I'd rather we all get more prepared before we enter. I don't have my COMP with me-"
Her what-
"Oh? So you are uncertain of your purchase?"
Everyone froze.
At the entrance of the shop stood a stranger. A man that looked young and older at once, with long white hair, an overly pale complexion, a long red coat, and most strangely of all, a pocket watch worn as a monocle. He examined each of them.
Bedivere out of sheer force of manners stepped forward first. "Greetings-"
"I see… existences like you are most unusual, yet fascinating. You seek to defy for Fate yet you are defined by what has passed… Regardless of their nature, humans are veritably pitiful beings…"
What. The actual. Fuck.
"I assure you that my shop if free for all to enter, if you wish to browse."
Ritsuka really wished she texted Dr. Roman to get a reading off this shop. "It would not work" said Edmond. "The presence of the creatures earlier blocked Chaldea's sensors."
"We-we were just window shopping" stammered Mash. "I-I'm… really sorry to have bothered you… sir…"
The shop owner regarded them with the same flat yet piercing expression. "We should leave…" said Maki.
"If you are truly interested in the unusual and bizarre, may I suggest some urban exploring?"
"Huh?"
That was not where Ritsuka was expecting this conversation to turn. The shop owner had a thin smile on his lips. Somehow that was more unnerving than his expression before.
"You hear many fascinating takes about the underground. To my understanding the construction of the subway system has unearthed many of them. Though maybe something more… secured would be a safer start?"
"…Thank you for your tip, sir." Ritsuka was not sure what else to tell the man.
"The gears of time inevitable turn forward. Be certain not to waste it." And with that he returned to his shop.
The party just stared after him for a few moments, then slowly walked away.
A few shops later Tamaki exploded. "What the hell was that!? Chunky's rumour was right on the money, there's NOTHING normal about this!"
Maki nodded with a downcast expression. "What an unnerving man…"
"However we have a new lead now."
Everyone turned to Bedivere. "What do you mean?"
"He advised us to head underground" he replied. "It may be a trap of some kind or a simple trick, but we have heard – or rather read – several tales about the subway system construction site. In addition, the criminals we encountered operated from a seemingly abandoned factory. It would not be a stretch to assume that they are using other places that the public cannot access as a means of carrying their operations."
"You have a point" said Maki. "They have to get the materials into the factory somehow…"
"What were they making in that factory anyway" asked Tamaki "you never told me."
"Mechas."
"Mechas? Robots!?"
"Yup."
"Wha- MAKI! Mention that sooner! Why didn't you call me!?"
"I was just supposed to scout the place!"
"Why, what did you do?"
"Ritsuka set a few explosives apparently."
"And stole everything that wasn't nailed down…" added Mash with a tired look of resignation.
Tamaki gawked at Ritsuka's smugness, Mash's resignation, Bedivere's "I've seen crazier but not by much", and Maki's "what can you do" looks.
"And you think they won't notice?"
"Oh, no" said Ritsuka. "They've definitely noticed."
…
Abandoned Factory
"How in the world did this happen!? Are all of you blind and deaf buffoons!? Maybe your noses are stuffed from your stupidity? And YOU! You are the inspector! How didn't YOU notice that anything was off!? This is a grave security breach!"
The Triad goons in the room could barely catch half of what was said at best, but they did not really need a translation either. The military man's tone of voice was more than enough to relay your message.
"I will SPEAK to your le-grlghh!"
In mid rant he was overcome by a terrible coughing fit, the cold sweat that was always covering his body even more prominent.
Damn disease…
It was fine. It would be fine. If anything their leader promised him to fix this, as long as he provided the machines. So for some… foreign vermin to ruin everything with their idiocy! It was… It was…!
Another coughing fit, that left him heaving. He loathed how weak they made him. Disgusted him to his core.
"General Sugawara."
He snapped to attention – not the military one, but rather of surprise. The man who entered had a prominent Taiwanese accent, and a teasing tone in his voice. A different kind of disgust swirled in his gut.
"Yung Pao."
The assassin smiled, making his scar twitch in his face. He was not imagining the air of smugness radiating from his ugly mug. Ugh, why did Tatsuzou have to rely on him of all people?
"Do not get upset, you get ill. We take care of culprit."
He can't even speak Japanese properly. Still, the Triad assassin was a long term associate. He could not be impolite with him. "How exactly will you find the culprits."
The man's smile got even wider. "We have new associates."
Suddenly there was a second figure. Only years in the military prevented Sugawara from flinching in surprise. Where did he come from?
He discarded those thoughts to take the stranger in. His traditional garb was even more obnoxious than Yung Pao's, leaving his tattoos extremely prominent. His hair was everything but subtle either. Such a glaring appearance, really…
But I have no idea how long he was standing there.
"'Sup! Sugawara, right? Call me Assassin. I'll be'in ya care! No sweats, I'll fin' yer vermins for ya. Can pick 'em trail no probs."
He completed his statement with a wink.
We're doomed.
…
Area: ?
"Man, the others are going to lose their minds when they see you! How long it's been?"
"Almost four years by now… Seriously, how about you come too? Nanjo can easily pay for both our tickets."
"Ugh, you know I'm here on a freaking scholarship, can't risk that!"
"Heh, you're right. But don't spoil the surprise!"
"No worries dude, I won't. But take a picture, would you? I want to see their faces!"
"When I walk in?"
"Of COURSE when you walk in!"
"Consider it done."
"Ha, that's why you're the best, man!"
The two exhanged a fist bump, then a long hug.
"Don't do anything too crazy!"
"That's Nanjo's line."
"Hey!"
They laughed.
"Seriously though, be careful. I keep up with the news, it sounds like a shitshow!"
"That's why I'm going."
"Catch up to ya later then?"
"Sure thing. You have my email."
"What happened to phones?"
"The bills."
"Oh, right…"
A taxi drove in, slowing in front of the two young men. The driver came out to open the back, and the young man threw his travelling bag inside.
For the last time he waved back at his friend, knowing they would not see each other for a while.
"So? Excited?"
"Excited!? It has been a long time since I last gazed upon the land only the rising sun! It better be as glorious as the one upon my lands!"
The young man smiled.
"I can think of a few spots. After we take care of things."
He has not spoken to Igor in a while after all.
…
Hirasaka
"Oh! You'll turn in already?"
"Not quite" said Ritsuka to Maki's inquiry. "We're mostly going to organize our stuff, if we're planning on walking through guarded tunnels tomorrow."
Tamaki nodded approvingly. "Always take advantage of time if you have it. Being slothful in your preparations is a huge no-go. I'm talking from experience! And we both have jobs to get back to."
"I took today off though?"
"Well, I didn't! And I need to update the detective!"
"Don't worry, he's trustworthy" said Maki at the alarmed looks crossing the Chaldea group's faces.
"If you say so…"
"Trust me, he's seen all kinds of nonsense. He's a demon summoner on the side, you see!"
What's UP with this branch. Is the rest of Persona like this?
They all waved their goodbyes, and the Chaldea trio headed to their hotel.
"So, what are we going to do next, senpai?"
"Next… we are going to see Dr. Roman's readings on Maki."
…
Late evening, Konan
Shiori Miyashiro straightened her suit jacket, then looked at herself in the mirror. Good. Her gun was concealed. The calling card was on her person, her police badge, I.D., card and wallet all in their respective places. Her phone was fully charged, and her own number was on the quick dial.
It's finally time, Tatsuya Sudou. You won't get away lightly THIS time. I promise.
She would do it. She would catch him in the act. She would prove that he deserved to be behind a prison's bars, that he deserved to be six feet under, that he deserved to be ash. Not whatever cushy room they had for him. That was not good enough. He would never pay for what he did that way. She would do it herself. She HAD to.
She picked up her keys and headed for Club Zodiac.
…
Chapter 6 section 1: A Peek through the Window
Area: Hirasaka, Hotel
"And this is what happened."
While the connection was not stable enough for an image, it was all too easy to imagine the troubled frowns on Dr. Roman and Da Vinci's faces.
"The demons that you described distorting our connection do not match anything in our database. We cannot find any kind of historical or mythological background on them."
Ritsuka blinked. "Nothing?"
"Nothing. We also lost your signal after you guys said you left the factory. You said you passed by a bizarre shop?"
"Yes" confirmed Mash "the aura felt similar to those bizarre demons we fought."
"Hmm… We could try and calibrate our instruments to detect them, but with the way they block us it'll be impossible with our connection being what it is…"
"So it's Camelot all over again" said Ritsuka.
"Kind of like that" confirmed Da Vinci.
"This could be the result of a spatial distortion" said Dr. Roman.
"A spatial distortion?"
"As Ritsuka said, this situation has similarities to when he were losing your signal in Camelot. In that case, it was the result of a time distortion due to Ozymandias's domain bringing a different era. However, there's no such indication of this phenomenon happening in Sumaru city."
Mash slowly tried to take this in. "So what you're saying is… this could be the result of a distortion in space?"
"From your description, those demons were connected to some kind of portal. Thiss could be what is throwing off our readings."
"Then what about the shop?" asked Mash.
"Perhaps it's a bounded field?" proposed Bedivere.
"A bounded field with spatial distortion as its basic principle? Sounds likely." Da Vinci grinned. "Maybe it's a local specialty?"
"Along with this Persona thing?"
"Maki Sonomura mentioned Carl Jung, right?"
Mash nodded. "Yes. Carl Yung was one of the greatest and most famous psychologists and psychiatrist of the 20th century."
"Right on the money! And from the way this Maki describes it, he more or less analyzed an entire school of magecraft with his "persona" research. He may have even founded it!"
"Was Carl Jung ever a magus?"
"Not that I have heard of…"
"Perhaps the local Persona users modeled their magecraft after his research?"
"That could be it too" admitted Dr. Roman. "There are too many unknowns right now, but at least thanks to Maki we have a solid understanding of how it works. It has some superficial resemblance to the pseudo-servant system."
"That's what I thought too" said Ritsuka.
"It's actually pretty great you secured allies!" said Da Vinci. "Shame you could not secure the laypool at the factory though."
"Speaking of our allies" interrupted Bedivere "I understand you have readings on Maki?"
"Yep! Nothing concrete, but here they are!"
After a few moments a file arrived at Ritsuka's device. She promptly opened it.
"So far, it seems that a Persona and its user have different skills. Maki was mostly using her Persona's skills, but she employed some personal magecraft as well during the fight."
Ritsuka noticed that too. Verdandi used a lot of spells – or skills – that she saw during her fused loop with Naoki, but Maki occasionally did some weird stuff with her gun that would not fit a Norse goddess of fate.
"Let's start with Verdandi's skills. It has almost nothing but specialized healing spells. However, it's nothing like what's recorded on the Clock Tower" said Da Vinci.
"However" interjected Dr. Roman "there does seem to be some kind of structure system in it. All healing spells she used have the word "dia" in them, for example. Due to her specializing so much though, we have no way of knowing if it's a widespread magecraft system or just Maki Sonomura's specialty."
Oh, it is DEFINITELY widespread, thought Ritsuka. When she was travelling with Naoki, after a few days she could tell how powerful a spell was and what type of spell it was just by its name. Not that she could mention that.
"You could still use that knowledge to our advantage" said Edmond in her head. Not that Ritsuka was planning otherwise.
"Next we have Maki Sonomura herself. Unfortunately, just like with the man in yellow we were not able to gather much information on her. Here is what we do have."
True Name: Maki Sonomura
Class: Caster
Alignment: Lawful Good
Parameters
Attribute: Sky
Traits: Divine, Earth or Sky, Female, Hominidae, Humanoid, Weak to Enuma Elish
Strength: E
Agility: B
Endurance: E
Mana: A
Luck: -
Class Skills
Divinity C
She presumably has this skill due to her ability to channel aspects of divine spirits as "personas".
Item Construction (rank unknown)
By her own admission, she crafts the mystic code bullets she uses with her firearm. She also mentioned being a painter.
Magic Resistance B
She has a general resistance towards magecraft, though it appears she has certain elemental affinities that increase or decrease that resistance. Perhaps tied to her "persona"?
Personal Skills
Extensive Knowledge of Firearms (rank unknown)
A skill she mentioned by name. Safe enough to assume it does exactly what its name implies, and enables her to use firearms with great skill.
"Wow. That's a lot more than what we have for the guy in yellow."
"It's thanks to her fighting alongside you" said Dr. Roman. Ritsuka could practically see his smile.
"Yeah, no kidding! It's a brand new branch of magecraft! I want to get as much data as possible!"
"Da Vinci…"
"Hahaha… as you can see she's very excited."
Ritsuka snorted. "I can see that." Igor would blow her mind.
"Back on topic… Despite your sabotage, the Triads have secured the laypool. Even though this is a Singularity, we have yet to see any servants here. That means-"
"That the Triads may have summoned a servant?"
"Singularities are powered by a Holy Grail. It should be unquestionable that there are servants present. You were incredibly lucky you did not run into one when infiltrating the factory."
"Yeah, that would have tipped them off for sure."
"I may be reaching" said Mash "but what if because of the Persona users there are no servants?"
"We can't risk that" said Bedivere. Ritsuka nodded in agreement.
"Tomorrow we're heading underground. I'd like to avoid the subway construction site first. I want to find a layline or maybe even another laypool before chasing any weird leads."
"I agree too" said Bedivere.
"Um… how would we explain them to Maki-san and Tamaki-san?"
Ritsuka blinked. "I, uh… hadn't thought of that."
Mainly because it was no issue before. Literally never. Unlike all other people in the previous loops (minus Patxi who more often than not ended up snooping on the summoning process) nobody questioned too deeply where exactly the servants came from. However, here it was a situation similar to Salem in that they had to pretend to be ordinary civilians with a pre-established party – except nothing about it was pre-planned.
"We could tell them to stay in spirit form…"
"And if they can see them? They said normal people can see Personas and demons."
This was turning out to be a headache.
"I'll leave you to brainstorm" declared Da Vinci. "We can't strain the connection too much."
"Alright. Thanks, Da Vinci. Dr. Roman."
"Get back to us soon!"
"Will do!"
And so, Ritsuka and her servants were left making plans for tomorrow.
…
That night…
Area: Yumezaki, Club Zodiac
Tatsuya resisted the urge to sigh at yet another complication. He suspected that this Shiori Miyashiro was at least acquainted with his brother, since she told Yoshizaka to call him and only him. The news about "other visitors" threw him off however. Never mind the police and apparently the Triads being involved in this mess, now he had a completely unknown party making a mess of things too.
Honestly, he was of half a mind to just kill Sudou right now. However, Miyashiro did not look like she had any idea what was happening; she would be no good for information.
As long as she doesn't tell my brother…
"So you took up the mantle of the Joker…" The mere thought made his vision go red. "Do you really think you can be what Jun was!? He's nothing like you!"
"Nah, my mug's t'ugly for tha. Joker was like a goddess… Heh, may I shoul' wear one too. A mask. Need a mask ta be JOKER."
Well, killing the man was out of the table for now, but burning his eye off again was not.
"I'll throw ya a bone; the Voices are sayin' weird shit. Space bein' ripped from tha outsi'e by tha dead. They look through th'eye of a false seer. Pre'y damn sure twas those brats tha' visited me. Heh, I told 'em ta check out this place an' they did! Those Chinese goons 'ere a huge pain, now nobody's here! For now. Brats must be desperate."
Tatsuya filed in this information for afterwards. If someone went spying on the Triads here earlier today, then Yoshizaka probably saw them. He would have to ask her.
A part of him felt guilty for involving her into this, but she caught up to him first.
"Ah, 'nother thin… Got an interestin' call while I was waitin' 'ere."
Another contract?
The monster in the skin of a man grinned, and it was "Hit's for Maya Amano."
Tatsuya blanked out.
Then he ignited.
…
The guy who was not Tatsuya – or rather, Other Tatsuya – came in ruffled, stinking a little and with the suicidally stupid cop lady in tow. He also had a new sword. Behind the club's bar, Nakamura freaked out even more. Anna supposed she should feel bad for the guy, because this Other Tatsuya was freaky.
Other Tatsuya merely glanced at him and threw the boken and the borrowed club key at him.
"I would't go in the back until it airs out. Yoshizaka, come over for a moment."
Well. She definitely had to respect how selective he was with the fucks he had to give. She got up from her seat, silently cursing her busted knee. Other Tatsuya glanced at it and then looked at her in the eye.
The Tatsuya who was a friend would not be looking at her. He would look away and then try to cover the awkwardness with a bad joke, being a bit too loud on purpose for once. This guy was silently asking if she needed a hand with that; or rather, he decided that she did not but asked if she wanted one anyway.
Anna appreciated both gestures.
She briefly glanced at the cop lady, who looked unscathed but shell-shocked. Stupid. What did she expect when she put a hit on herself?
The three of them headed out of the club. Other Tatsuya was not really trying to hide his newly obtained sword, but well. Nobody would give him crap about it.
First things first though… "Was JOKER really in there?"
"Yeah."
Somehow it still felt surreal. Anna felt like she was floating a bit, watching the whole mess from a distance. Everything that happened between the hit and run and now…
"Where you around here yesterday morning?"
She blinked. "Yeah, why are you asking?"
"Sudou said something weird."
Sudou? Trust this Other Tatsuya to know the name of the most wanted serial killer in the country.
"He said he sent some people to check out the Triad base here."
What.
"Oh."
He looked at her sharply. She had to turn away a little. She was not unused to intense gazes, but coming from such a familiar face… "You know something?"
"They weren't alone. I saw a weird man with long black hair in a yellow suit run out of there. Then that group came out. Two girls our age, one redhead and one with pink hair, and another dude in his twenties, foreigner. Blond with twintails."
Other Tatsuya frowned.
"You know them?"
"No, nothing I can think of matches. Did you catch what they wanted?"
"Confirm the Triad thing, apparently." They had not really talked. "They were after the yellow dude."
"Great… Another guy I don't know…"
He sounded so tired in a way her friend Tatsuya absolutely never did, except for those rare, rare times his family was brought up.
This Other Tatsuya made her skin crawl.
She could not hate him even though she wanted to.
"…"
"Hey, Yoshizaka?"
"Yeah?"
"…Thanks. …For putting up with me."
What could she say to that?
"Tatsuya's life is in your hands."
Well, probably not that. He flinched like he had been slapped.
"…I'll be careful."
Somehow, that made her feel a little better.
"I'll stick around in the club. Maybe I'll find out something new. Swing by whenever you want. And don't freak out Nakamura too much."
He cracked a smile. It was nothing like the cocky thing she was used to from her friend, but this Other Tatsuya? It suited him. "As long as he doesn't spread weird shit about me I'll take it easy."
"Can you take it easy?"
"Hang out with the people I used to and you have no choice. Unless there are fires involved."
Another stark reminder of how different he was. "I see your regard for the law is exactly zero."
"I was following the law until August" he replied, looking surprised that he did.
They continued with this strange banter until the cop lady called him out from her car. Anna was left nursing a smoke out on the street.
Maybe she should check up on Noriko tomorrow.