Author's note:
Once again, thank you all for the continuing support. Hopefully this chapter lives up to expectations.
Next chapter may be a little slower in coming out as I focus on some of my other writing projects.
Enjoy.
Chapter 4: Moving Pieces
Friday, May 6th, 20XX Early Morning
Yusuke staggered to a halt stunned, the early morning crowds rushed around him, annoyed at his disruption. However, Yusuke could not care less. His feet began taking slow steps to where he saw it, to where he saw her.
His breaths were coming fast, pupils dilated as euphoria threatened to overcome his body. "I have found her, my muse! The one who at long last will let me paint a masterpiece on par with the Sayuri!"
"Hey buddy, shut it!"
"Damn lunatics in Shibuya."
The criticisms fell on deaf ears, for nothing could stop the rapturous feeling swelling within his heart. "The perfect golden hair, the sun's rays reflect amidst the dreary black sea. See has called to me like a siren to a drowning sailor!
"Yes, I swear I shall find you my muse, my Sayuri… Next time, I will convince you!"
As the crowds parted around his rambling, Yusuke finally managed to get a grip. His breathing still coming in ragged pants from the swirl of strong emotions that had pierced him. Taking a few more seconds to right himself, Yusuke pointed himself toward the correct platform. Now wasn't the time to get in trouble with the school.
Friday, May 6th, 20XX Morning
"You asked to see me, Principal?" Makoto asked politely, entering the man's office. Nervous about the strange request, it took all of her composure and confidence to stop herself from shifting nervously.
"Ah, yes! Our wonderful student council president!"
"…"
"…Uh hum, well, anyway, as I'm sure you know, our school is now the source of some crazy rumours!"
"Rumours? You mean the phantom thieves?" Makoto replied, able to quickly put together the principal's vague words.
"Exactly! It is imperative that we learn if they are connected to our school!"
"Sir?" Makoto replied confused. "That calling card… You don't believe it, do you? I mean… it's nonsense."
Despite her harsh words, the principal maintained his fake smile that had been getting a lot of practice these past few days. "Now, now," he intoned gently, "you must understand how it will look on you if these rumours turn out to be not as unsubstantiated as you believe. In fact, you could say that both of our jobs are in danger."
"Umm…"
"Now, I could write you a phenomenal reference letter to any university of your choice if you do this… If you fail, well… Imagine how poorly it would reflect on your older sister in the prosecutor's office."
"Urgh…" Wincing at the not-so-subtle threat, Makoto didn't know how to reply. While it was true that she could very easily lose her position as student council president if the student body felt she was doing a poor job, the threat against her sister felt hollow. But then again… Makoto didn't want to underestimate how well-connected the principal was.
"So?"
"I will… begin looking into any students that may be connected to these rumours." Giving in to the principal's demands, Makoto bowed lightly. "Excuse me." Without waiting for a dismissal, she turned and stalked from the room, emotions a mess from the threats and implications.
Friday, May 6th, 20XX Morning
Kasumi waited impatiently by herself. She didn't want to agree to the demands that she'd ended up discussing with her father last night. However, it was for the best. Kasumi couldn't let Sumire do this. It was her responsibility as the older sister.
Now, standing outside the principal office, Kasumi glared at the shut door. She could barely make out a pair of voices, but not the words being discussed. Glancing at the clock nearby, Kasumi rolled her eyes at the time, only five minutes left until first bell. She'd have to make this fast, not that Kasumi planned on talking to the principal for a second longer than necessary.
Growing slightly curious, Kasumi silently approached the door. With her ear nearly pressed against it, the mumblings finally resolved into understandable sentences.
"If you fail, well… Imagine how poorly it would reflect on your older sister in the prosecutor's office."
"Prosecutor's office?" Confused by the strange topic, Kasumi felt awkward for eavesdropping on the conversation, nonetheless, she didn't move as the conversation reached its completion. Kasumi couldn't take much from it, only one thing stood out to her, another student was in there that the principal was manipulating, no, bullying, like a kid in a playground. The principal was the biggest and strongest one and exerted that influence over everyone else.
Quickly backing up, Kasumi felt extremely grateful for her training which enabled her to retreat to the wall without making a sound. Less than a second later, a girl emerged from the office. Blinking, Kasumi realized she knew her. Nijima Makoto, student council president. She was instantly recognizable with her brown hair and red eyes.
"Oh, did you need to see Principal Kobayakawa? Please excuse me."
Kasumi watched as the girl made the expected greeting and apology. Leaping forward without thinking, Kasumi grabbed onto the girl's arm.
"Eep! W-what are you doing!?"
Surprised by how fast the girl's professionalism faded, Kasumi tried to not let it distract herself from her mission. "Umm, I don't know what you talked about… But! You aren't alone." Releasing her arm, Kasumi wasn't sure what she expected. All she knew was that the principal was using her as well and wanted to help. Still, Kasumi doubted her words would do anything. They never seemed to work with Sumire after all.
"Uhh, okay?" Giving a noncommittal answer, the student council president slowly walked away, heading for class. Still, even as she left, Kasumi was happy to see that the girl took a couple glances back at her, each time her expression a little softer than it had been before.
"Okay then!" Trying to psyche herself up, Kasumi walked up to the closed wooden door and rapped loudly upon its surface.
"Who's there?"
Ignoring the question, Kasumi opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind her. Ignoring the principal's outraged expression, she bowed as shallowly as she could mange. "I came to report on your… 'request' from yesterday."
"…I see," the Kobayakawa responded, leaning back in his chair, his smile growing. "It is favourable, I imagine?"
"For you," Kasumi agreed, confirming his suspicions. "I have an appearance this Sunday on how I discovered Kamoshida's atrocities and convinced the student body to speak out against him. This culminated in him seeing the error in his way and admitting to his crimes…"
"You sound unconvinced," Kobayakawa questioned. "You have to make people believe that you actually accomplished this."
"I'll sell the story," Kasumi glared back, "but I can tell you now, I'm going to look extremely foolish when the phantom thieves' next target confesses. When that happens, I will publicly apologize and tell everyone how you blackmailed me into giving this story."
"E-excuse me!?" Kobayakawa squeaked, taken aback by Kasumi's direct words.
Unable to contain her anger, Kasumi stalked even closer to his desk and pointed her finger at him. "I may be scared of them and their suspicious powers, but if anyone needs a change of heart, it's you!"
Panting from her exertion, Kasumi couldn't believe she had just yelled at her principal. However, every word was one she had needed to say. Kasumi loathed bullies. Seeing one take advantage of not only her, but her family, and even the student council president had been too much.
"Grr… How dare you!? I am the principal! I'll… I'll… I'll…"
"Wait for my appearance, I get it." Kasumi replied dead-panned. Words said, the searing heat in her chest had faded, leaving only a cold, containable anger. "Excuse me." Barely, shifting her head, Kasumi stalked for the door as the morning bell rang for the first time signifying five minutes before the commencement of lectures.
Friday, May 6th, 20XX Morning
Ren listened, fascinated as Math class began in earnest. Ever since obtaining his powers, he had found it far easier to focus on the material being presented. A part of it was probably Morgana in his desk, ready to tease him if he slacked off; however, a larger part was a desire to know. To really understand the world around him as he was beginning to see it.
Forcefully ripped from his shell of repetition and safety, Ren was starting to see the underlying currents in everything. How politicians could use the law to protect themselves from justice, or how physics affected the trajectory of his bullets in the metaverse.
"Now, as you should recall from earlier years of math, the interior angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees. Last year, you dealt exclusively with ones containing a right angle. On a flat plane, these are easy to solve the side-lengths of through use of Pythagoras' theorem.
"This year, we will begin moving onto use of trigonometric functions. These will enable you to solve both the side-lengths and angles for any triangle. This can grow quite complicated, very quickly. To help simplify things, we will begin with a tool called the unit circle."
Taking a break form the lecture, the teacher drew a rough circle upon the black and split it into quarters with a vertical and horizontal line.
"Now then, we will start at the top-left quadrant, which is positive in both directions. Our first line starts at the origin and rises at an angle of 30 degrees above the x-axis." Pausing to draw exactly that, she then turned back to the class. "For our unit circle, the radius of the circle is one. To put it a little simpler, the hypotenuse of any triangle we make within it will be one." Turning back to the board, she connected the place where the line met the circle to the x-axis.
"According to Pythagoreus' theorem, we know that these two side lengths, a and b, the sum of their squares is equal to the square root of one, which is one.
"While you obviously don't have the tools to solve for those numbers quite yet, there is a line that you can solve, the forty-five degree line." Repeating her actions, the teacher drew a line that cut the upper-left segment in half and again connected it to the base. "So, does anyone want to tell me what the side lengths are for this triangle?"
Ripping his eyes from the board, Ren scribbled furiously on his paper, attempting to manipulate the variables in the equation given such that the correct number would pop out. Starting with Pythagoras' theorem, Ren knew that with a forty-five-degree angle, the height and base would be the same. Therefore, instead of a squared plus b squared equals one, it was a squared plus a squared equals one.
Epiphany striking Ren saw the solution. Adding them together, it became simple algebra, two a squared equals one, and thus, a squared equals one-half, and finally, a is equal to the square root of a half. Pleased with himself, Ren pumped in his fist in excitement, the small motion making no noise.
"Ah, I see someone has something. Would you care to share Amamiya-kun?"
Surprised at being called out, Ren looked awkwardly around the room at the students staring at him. "Is it… the square root of a half?"
"For the base or the height?"
"…Both?" Ren replied suddenly less sure after the teacher's question. His reply drawing snickers from his classmates.
"You are absolutely correct!" The teacher replied happily. "You saw through the trick that a forty-five degree angle means the side-lengths are the same, and therefore you only have one variable in Pythagoras' theorem. I'll have to keep my eye on you Amamiya-kun, you're turning into quite the math whiz."
"Wow!" Morgana whispered from Ren's desk. "I didn't know that one at all!"
Bowing his head from the praise coming from two directions, Ren had no reply for either of them.
"Is he really a delinquent?"
"Did Kamoshida make the whole thing up?"
"I don't know, I heard that the delinquent blackmailed Kamoshida into confessing."
Just like that, Ren's happiness at having solved the problem vanished as rumours whipped through the class, no effort taken to make them inaudible. Perhaps he'd been naïve, but Ren had assumed that Kamoshida's confession would improve his standing with the students in the school. Like it had with Ann. She could now interact with other students, people that had actually apologized to her. Ren, however, received just as many glances. He tried and failed to take solace in the fact that there was more uncertainty in their eyes when they did so.
The rest of the lecture passed by in the blink of an eye, the teacher filling out the rest of the unit circle, explaining its uses, and only at the end teasing the introduction of the first trigonometric function which would be properly introduced tomorrow. With that, the bell rang, signifying the end of classes for the morning and the start of lunch break.
"Finally…" Ann moaned in pain from in front of Ren, arms stretching high to the sky as the bell rang. Smirking at her back, Ren patted her on the shoulder in a show of support.
"Come on, math isn't that bad."
"Yes, it is!" Ann shot back, whirling around in her chair so that she could look at Ren. "Although I suppose a math quiz like yourself wouldn't understand."
"…A what?"
"The thing the teacher called you," Ann repeated, rolling her eyes. "A math quiz or something like that."
"…"
"Lady Ann," Morgana moaned in sympathy, unable to find any way to defend her from this self-inflicted injury.
"She called me a math whiz. With a W."
"O-oh," Ann muttered in surprise, looking away. "I-I guess that makes sense too. Anyway, I got to run, I told some girls that I'd eat lunch with them."
"That's good," Ren replied sincerely. "I'm glad you're finding friends."
"You're my friend too, you know," Ann replied with a gorgeous smile. "Although… A part of me feels like they just want me there so I can translate English message boards for them. Anyway, later!"
Waving one last time at her, Ren forced his eyes to not watch her as she walked away. Glancing down, Ren shook his head at Morgana who was doing just that. Ignoring the cat, Ren stood up and stretched as well, thinking about his plans for lunch. His bag was lacking anything, and he actually felt hungry today. Internally debating his decisions, Ren was torn. While the cafeteria sounded best, he'd then have to stand in line with a bunch of other students and pretend to not here their whispers.
Or I could act like a delinquent for once and budge the line. No one would stop me.
Blinking, Ren was surprised at the thought. Taking a deep breath, Ren delved deep inside himself and found the problem instantly. At some point, he changed over to Incubus, the devil persona goading him on to take what he wanted. Moving over to Berith, the steadier Heirophant persona instantly repressed the urge. Ignoring whispers was fine. Preparing to grab the bag that Morgana had slunk into, Ren looked up as the tone in the room changed.
A red head was nervously poking in, glancing around at the students present. "Yoshizawa?" Muttering in confusion, Ren left the bag for now and walked over to greet her.
"O-oh, Senpai! What a surprise to see you here!"
Surprise? This Is my classroom.
Keeping the words internal, Ren merely nodded in answer as the students around him clicked onto this new information instantly.
"Wait, he knows the new honour's student?"
"Seriously!? Maybe she's attracted to daredevils. …Actually, I'm kind of one myself."
"Shut up dude…"
"Oh my god, look at her walking around like she owns the school. I can't even with honour's students!"
"I tots get you."
"…" Sharing an awkward silent look with the girl, Ren didn't know what to do. It hurt to hear that the students seemed to regard her privileges with the same general animosity that they regarded him with.
"U-umm… Senpai, what a surprise! I was about to eat… If you, uhh… perhaps, maybe, uhh…"
"I was headed to the cafeteria to get lunch as well." Ren confirmed, saving her from her troubles.
"A-and I can join you?"
She replied, her voice so small that Ren almost missed it. "Of course, I would be honored if you would." Surprising himself by how steady he felt, Ren was glad the butterflies from yesterday didn't manifest yet again. Grabbing the door, he gestured for Sumire to go first.
"W-why thank you Senpai."
"You're very welcome." The overly formal words falling awkwardly from his mouth, Ren was shocked by how seriously he had spoken them.
"Uhh…"
Yoshizawa appeared to be similarly confused, unsure if she was missing a joke. Smiling awkwardly, Ren once again dove inside himself to find the explanation. Once again, it struck him like a load of bricks. The persona that he had equipped. Each person gets one persona, that persona represents their personality.
As the wild card, Ren was able to craft and utilize as many personalities as he saw fit. The one he equipped was a knight. A figure that went above and beyond to chivalrously defend and protect women. No wonder he talked as he did.
Reminding himself to keep a closer watch on that, Ren followed Yoshizawa down to the cafeteria, unsure what he was forgetting as a mournful yowl rang out behind him.
Friday May 6th, 20XX Lunchtime
"S-so, senpai, h-how is school going?" Stuttering nervously, Sumire kept taking nervous side-glances at the boy walking beside her. Ren. The sound of his name rolling around in her mind again. Sumire doubted she would ever be able to use it with him. That was a privilege reserved for close friends. Even if they were, there was something about calling him senpai that felt special anyway.
Doing her best to repress the giggle rising up, Sumire swiped the lock of red hair that was beside her head over her shoulder. Like clockwork though, within a few steps it had fallen forward and was once again restricting her view of Senpai.
This is exactly why Kasumi ties her hair back!
Raging internally, Sumire briefly wondered why she didn't do the same. However, the answer returned all too quickly. With her hair down, it was easier to ignore the people around her. The ones that whispered about how it was nice that Kasumi let her younger tag along to events. Or the sad whispers about Sumire simply not measuring up to her older sister's talent.
Having managed to depress herself again, Sumire's eyes fell to the floor as she walked silently along. I bet he just came because he was being nice. Once the thought infected her head, Sumire couldn't dismiss the possibility. It lined up too well with his overly formal attitude and expression when opening the door.
"Huh?" Finding herself stopped by a hand, on her shoulder, Sumire turned around. Glancing up, she found Senpai's concerned eyes looking at her. "I-is something wrong?"
"Well… Kind of? You just walked past the staircase."
"…" Confirming his words with her eyes, Sumire's cheeks heated from the embarrassment. She had been so lost in her thoughts she wasn't even able to walk to the cafeteria. Typical Sumire. "Umm, Senpai, if you don't want to eat with me… It's fine."
Not answering immediately, he slowly shook his head. "That's something you and your sister could deal with having a little more of, confidence. Now come one, let's hurry before everything is sold out. I'm personally yearning for Yakisoba pan."
Sumire didn't hear anything after the first part. Following numbly along behind him, she was sure she misunderstood. Yet every time she played it back in her head, they came out the same. That Sumire needed more confidence, she understood that. But he had implied that Kasumi needed some as well. That simply wasn't possible. Kasumi was the most confident person Sumire knew. Senpai clearly didn't know her at all.
"One order of Yakisoba pan please! Oh, and add a strawberry delight as well."
"That's 300 yen total."
The exchange happening before Sumire's eyes brought her back enough to carry out her own transaction. Casting a disapproving eye over Senpai's meager meal, Sumire decided to order something extra for him as well.
"…A-are you sure honey?" The worker replied after Sumire conveyed her extensive list.
"Of course! Honestly I should add something else, but I can never be sure about nutritional quality or calories when I don't cook it myself." Attempting to not get offended by the person's disbelief, Sumire brought out a one-thousand-yen bill, and then a second. Receiving her scant few coins back, Sumire tucked them into her wallet.
"That's umm… quite the order," Senpai said weakly as the food arrived. "Puts the big bang burger challenge to shame…"
"Hmm? What was that senpai?" Sumire asked, having missed the final whispered words.
"N-nothing! I was just thinking about how I know a place we can sit."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Following him, Sumire was feeling a little better now that food was in front of her. A delicious meal always seemed to make her feel better. There was nothing better than eating a large meal to sate that grumbling stomach and then working out, and then eating again… "Well, no sense waiting. Let's dig in Senpai! Itadakimasu!"
"I-Itadakimasu…" He echoed a few seconds later.
Sitting down at the table outside, Sumire was glad that no one else was here. Seeing as two vending machines existed in this alcove, it was all too possible that other students could stand around and watch them eat.
Eat.
Ignoring that possibility for now, Sumire stared hungrily at the food in front of her before unwrapping it and beginning to dig in. The school-sized portions disappeared down her gullet one after another.
"Good lord…"
"Hmm, is something the matter Senpai?"
"N-nothing."
"Okay!" Agreeing happily, Sumire continued to ravage the meal in front of her like a swarm of locusts over a field of grain. In the same rough timescale, both were completely devoured. "Ah… That was good. Too much sugar and fat though. I'll need to try and trim those out during my next meals this week…"
"N-next meals?" Senpai spoke disbelievingly. "You mean you eat that… like that… three times a day!?"
"Huh?" Sumire blinked in confusion, not understanding his point. "Well… yes, sometimes four if I have multiple training sessions. As an athlete, I need the energy in order to perform at maximum capacity!"
"…I see."
Nodding firmly, Sumire felt like she'd properly educated him on the requirements of an athlete's health. Staring at the bit she'd given him, Sumire was dismayed to see that he'd barely touched it.
"Senpai? Did you not like that one?"
"No, it's fine…"
"Then why didn't you eat it."
"Well… I'm full..."
"…"
Tilting her head, Sumire thought over the claim again. Full. From one Yakisoba pan and a drink.
"You shouldn't kid like that Senpai. If you had bought a proper amount of food, I wouldn't have had to get you something you don't like."
"N-no, seriously," he replied unevenly. "I don't need as much food as you."
Biting her lip, Sumire wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but decided to drop it. Food was something she was passionate about and was positive that she'd seen him eat far more during the buffet yesterday.
"Actually, I wanted to ask, why were you at that buffet yesterday with the principal?"
"Eh!?" Jumping in surprise, Sumire gapped at Senpai. "Y-you're a…" barely snapping her mouth closed before the words mind reader could slip out.
It must be a power gained from being a phantom thief!
"You sure are amazing Senpai…"
"Uh, what?"
"W-well you know, for…" Tapping her head, Sumire was sure he would know what she meant. After a second of staring at his baffled face, Sumire's confidence in her deduction waned. "It was just a coincidence… wasn't it?"
"…I honestly have no idea what you are talking about right now."
"I-I'm so sorry!" Sumire squeaked. "I-I've made a mess of everything, from my invitation, and then missing the stairs, and then I bought you food you didn't want!" Standing up, Sumire bowed deeply, hiding her flaming cheeks that she had embarrassed herself so thoroughly.
Staying like that for a couple seconds, Sumire finally looked up as she heard an odd noise. Eyes shaking in disbelief, Sumire gaped at Senpai who appeared to be producing it. Light laughter, like silver bells seeped from his body in constant, yet soft waves.
I made him laugh…
Heart swooning, Sumire fully acknowledged she had gone far past a crush at this point. She wanted to hear it again, to see it again. The stoic Senpai in her life, beaten down day after day by rumours and responsibilities, laugh freely.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, his face returning to a mask of neutrality. "It's hard to get a read on you."
You.
That ugly pronoun ruining what would be an otherwise happy moment. Opening her mouth to ask why he didn't call her by her name, Sumire remembered with horror, she had never told him her name.
"I'm so sorry!"
"What this time?"
"I've never properly introduced myself!" Leaping back to her feet a second time, Sumire began bowing even before her feet landed back on the concrete. "My name is Yoshizawa Sumire! Please take care of me Senpai."
"I-I'll do my bes… What was that move!?" Curiosity getting the better of him, he couldn't complete the polite response.
"Huh?" Rising from her bow, Sumire thought back to what she'd done. "Oh, Umm, it wasn't much. It's a simple backward jump that I transitioned into a bow…"
However, Sumire got the feeling that Senpai had seen something far different than her modified gymnastics for everyday use. She couldn't help but feel that the appraising eyes he cast over her saw as an opportunity or a skill that he could use.
"Say, Yoshiza…"
"Sumire!"
"…What?"
"P-please call me Sumire, senpai." She answered, blushing while doing so. Shifting back and forth, she felt far too awkward to sit back down. She knew her request had been inappropriate, but even so. She had to make it.
"S-Sumire…" He muttered out, to her extreme delight. "Oh, I never introduced myself." Peeling himself off the table so that they were both standing, he bowed formally in reply. "My name is Amamiya Ren, a second-year."
Face heating yet again, Sumire knew it wasn't from embarrassment this time. It sounded even better when he said it. "I-its nice to meet you… Senpai."
"…You may call me Ren, if you wish."
"O-oh no, Senpai, I couldn't possibly. My heart isn't ready for something like… 'DING'!"
Breaking through her speech, the lunch bell rang with a certain finality on their conversation. Disappointed, Sumire could only tremble as it echoed twice, and a final third time through the school.
"…Well, I guess, I'll see you later."
"Umm, yes Senpai! I'll see you; I mean, I hope I see you again! Good luck!" Leaving it there, Sumire dashed away, heart beating a mile a minute. Nothing ever went right for her. But today, those last few minutes, were a dream come true.
Friday May 6th, 20XX After school
"Rargh!" Punching the bags, Kasumi found herself not wanting for energy. Sweat poured off her body in waves as she pounded through the routines with a mindless ferocity.
"That's break."
"No…" She panted in reply, "I can keep going!"
"Kasumi…" Hiraguchi muttered shaking her head at the girl. "Take five minutes and cool off. You're overworking yourself. A hurt athlete can't perform."
"…Fine." Growling, Kasumi stalked over to the water station and downed an endless stream in one big gulp. Even knowing that it was the wrong way to drink water couldn't get her to feel remorse. Kasumi's whole body felt restless and pulsated with endless energy that begged for release. An energy produced from a shimmering fury that only rose as Kasumi's thoughts continued to spiral.
She knew she had every right to be angry. The principal was being an idiot and was levering his unfair advantage over her. However, that wasn't what was really bothering Kasumi anymore. Kasumi had been eating lunch alone again, standing in the glass walkway, staring at the scenery, mind lost in her thoughts when she saw them. Sumire and Senpai.
The initial happiness that she felt upon her sister finally building some confidence quickly faded for a strange new emotion to take its place. Kasumi had spent the rest of the day trying to figure it out, only to realize that she was jealous. That jealously had quickly changed into anger at herself for being jealous of her sister talking to a boy. Then she got even angrier at herself for getting angry at something so trivial when there were actual problems to deal with.
Rubbing at her face, Kasumi tried to make the thoughts go away. She didn't want to think about it. She had been looking forward to this workout for precisely that reason. It was a fantastic way to relieve stress while also working toward her goal. For some reason though, today, it wasn't working. Kasumi felt just as wound-up now as when the workout started over half an hour ago at this point. Going into the last third, she was worried about carrying this energy home.
"What are you leaning against the wall for? I thought you had energy!? Let's see some tuck jumps, work on that vertical!"
"Y-yes coach!" Caught off guard by Hiraguchi arriving back, Kasumi pushed herself out of her slouch against the wall and jogged onto the workout area. Going immediately into the exercise, Kasumi's breaths started coming faster as her exertion level rose. Landing lightly on the balls of her feet, Kasumi sprung up, lifting her knees at the same time, turning into a ball in mid air. Easily though, her legs extended, and she landed lightly with bent knees, ready to spring back up half a second later.
"Good form, keep it up!"
"Yes!"
Answering solidly, Kasumi could start to feel the burn. Her poor muscles begging for relief from the grueling exercise. Gritting her teeth against it, Kasumi kept the motion going, not letting herself slow down. Practiced breathing techniques enabling her to set an unerring pace.
"Amazing…"
"So that's the level of a professional athlete…"
Normally the whispered compliments from the other gymgoers would satisfy Kasumi. Today, however, she wanted to scream at them. To tell them that if they thought this was impressive, they had no idea the struggle required. Their vanity project of looking good was simple. To rise beyond that and achieve the pinnacle that the human body could produce was a herculean task with no apparent goal.
"You still look pretty wired, even after that," Hiraguchi sighed, shaking her head at Kasumi. "You hate tuck jumps. I never thought I'd see the day you blast through an entire minute without faltering."
"I-I never said I hated them!" Kasumi complained, wondering where she's gotten the idea.
"Ha! I've coached you for how long. I've seen those looks you make when you're trying to psyche yourself up for the last set at the end of a long session."
Blushing slightly, Kasumi was ashamed that she'd shown so much weakness over the years. Exercises were important. The ones you were worst at were the most important for they informed you where your weaknesses lay. Kasumi had been sure that she'd come to eliminate every exercise that she'd found difficult over the years.
"Go hit the treadmill, ten minutes changing speeds on the minute. I don't want you over ten kilometres an hour."
"Ten!" Kasumi shot back protesting the slow speed. "That's barely a jog!"
"Yes, and I don't want you pulling a muscle. Do that to loosen up your legs a bit, remember to throw in some proper walking intervals, after that, finish stretching and head home."
"…Fine." Unhappy with the treatment, Kasumi couldn't complain. Swallowing a little, she was suddenly glad that coach had restricted her speed. The pain was finally beginning to break through the anger. Kasumi could feel the muscle groups that she'd overworked in her blind rage.
Getting on the instrument, Kasumi prepared herself for a long ten minutes, full of nothing to do except think about the pain. Perhaps that was why she avoided running as much as possible, all she had to do was alternate between her thoughts and pain, sometimes both.
Today in particular, that was a combination Kasumi was trying to escape. Turning it up to ten, Kasumi forced her legs to move along with the black track. Legs beginning to pump, even this slow speed felt hard to hold in her present state.
"Just… thirty more seconds…" Groaning quietly to herself, Kasumi couldn't help but stare at the timer as it inexorably ticks up, long second after second. "Ten…" Counting down in her head, Kasumi pressed the five button a couple seconds before she should have, transitioning into a walk. The pace was slow, but it also felt surprisingly good on her legs. The movement opening up the blood vessels while using muscles different from those she used for most of her other exercises.
Now though, all that was left for Kasumi to do was think. Inevitably, her mind was drawn back to lunch. She still couldn't understand why seeing her sister with him had upset her so much. Chewing over it, Kasumi felt like she was getting a little closer as the ten minutes came to an end. What she had once thought would take forever passing in the blink of eye.
"It's all Sumire's fault…"
That was the conclusion she had come to. If Sumire hadn't kept incorrectly assuming that Kasumi liked him, then she wouldn't feel this way. Now, Kasumi felt pressured into liking him. That must be it!
Confident in her answer, Kasumi began stretching, more at peace than she was before. Sumire's influence would fade in time, and then Kasumi could be properly excited for her sister.
Saturday May 7th, 20XX Morning
"Watch out!"
"Bro, you're going to hit that shadow!"
"That's the point!" Joker laughed gaily, slamming the mona-car into the unsuspecting shadow. The controls had been surprising easy for him to pick up,
"Yahoo!" Mona shouted in agreement as the splattered form broke apart to resemble actual shadows. With Mona turning back into his cat-like form, the four of them were down and ready to fight, their first since Kamoshida.
"Let's take this slow!" Joker commanded, but his body was commanding a different method. The excitement coursing through his body demanded him to tear into the creatures. To let loose and discard the façade of an upright student that he maintained day in, day out.
"For real!?" Skull complained.
"Do we have to?" Panther added on.
"Come on Joker," Mona finished the complaints, "As the leader you can't take the fun out of things! This is our first fight as an official group after all!"
I'm also in charge of keeping you all alive.
Supressing the thought, Joker waved them forward to slaughter the shadows as they wished. Lagging behind them, Joker wished he could dive in as well. Unfortunately, the added pressure of being leader kept him back and evaluating the fight.
Joker couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief at the three of them. Each one of them appeared to have forgotten the stakes and were simply doing whatever they wished. No one focused on finishing off weak enemies or downing them. It was a melee slugfest. Letting it go for now, Joker knew he'd have to shape them up into a respectable fighting force before the next real encounter.
Using his turn to cast an aoe heal over all of them, Joker waited for them to finish off the weak creatures. All things that they used to beat easily back in Kamoshida's palace.
"Whew! What a workout!"
"No kidding! I forgot how fun beating up defenseless things can be!"
"…" Shaking his head slowly at the three, Joker once again had to fight down the urge to join in. "So, did we learn anything?"
"Yupp!" Skull agreed, "that these mementos shadows are weeeak!"
"Couldn't have said it better!" Panther agreed with a nod of head, a large smile adorning both of their faces.
Turning to Mona, Joker wondered if he would get the same response. "That was… Sloppy. Sorry Joker."
Nodding once in acceptance, Joker was glad that at least one person understood. Enjoying themselves was important but staying disciplined while doing so was just as.
"What do you mean!?" Skull shot back, "we totally smashed them!"
Shaking his head, Joker sighed once, "it took two rounds of combat, a lot of our mental energy, and we got hit. This should have been a quick slaughter after knocking them all down."
"…" Silence followed Joker's criticisms, none of them willing to meet his gaze.
"Well, let's get going, Mona transform."
"Y-Yes Joker!"
Hopping back into the car, the mood was far more somber than it had been previously. All three of them were still struggling with their guilt after that abomination of a fight. Unsure if he should let it go, Joker had more important things to think apart.
Arriving at the end of the complicated maze, Joker got out and stared at an escalator leading down to another floor. "So, there's more to this place, huh?"
"Yeah," Mona confirmed, "way more. We haven't dealt with Nakanohara yet though. Let's focus on him for today."
"…Fine," Agreeing reluctantly, Joker cast one final look at the way down and hopped back in the vehicle. It was almost as if he could hear something calling him from down there. Answers to the questions he didn't know enough yet to even ask.
The drive to the distortion that contained Nakanohara's shadow was quick. A couple of quick turns and they were there. Joker couldn't help but pause in awe outside of it. An endless vortex of energy with overlapping red and black particles spiraling into the unknown.
"Amazing…" Panther whispered, echoing his thoughts.
"Meh," Skull chipped in. "Let's get going."
"Oh Skull, you're helpless," Mona berated him. "Lady Ann can see the beauty within this strange area because she is refined."
"Bro… Didn't she call Joker a math quiz?"
"S-shut up! I just got a little confused…"
Smiling wryly, Joker chuckled along with their shenanigans. Giving them a couple more seconds to calm down, he stepped on the gas again, driving them into the distorted realm. Inside, the area was similar to the rest of the floor. Here though, the tracks ended in a small room, a perfect space for battling. Wondering if it would really come to that, Joker got out of the Mona car to confront the shadow.
"Are you Nakanohara?"
"Who's asking? Wait! You're those phantom thieves! Why are you coming after me? I'm innocent! If anyone, you should target Madarame!"
"Madarame?" Panther echoed from behind. "Who?"
"Dudes probably just making excuses," Skull dismissed the claim.
"Or, it's a tangible lead on our next target," Mona sniffs disdainfully. "We can't just ignore intel."
"Are you stalking a girl?" Joker asked the shadow, interrupting the lecture on information.
"So what? She's mine! I can do what I want with her!"
"She is not your property!" Panther raged, the similarities to Kamoshida striking a sore spot.
"She's all I have left! I won't let her take you!"
With that final sentence, the guise of a human melted away revealing the shadow underneath. Attracted by his distorted desire, the shadow is what gave the desire form and power.
"Now, let's do this," Joker smirked, ready for his first real fight in a long time. The shadow resolved into a… thing. It resembled a small child, an imp maybe. It was like no persona that Joker had seen before. Drawing his gun, he started the fight off with a bang. Smirking at his internal pun, Joker fired all eight shots into the thing, only landing a paltry six bullets. The damage dealt was far less than he'd hoped.
Doing a little jig, the shadow used its action to cast a spell on itself. Looking to Mona, Joker waited to hear what it had done.
"It's attack is up! We better watch out."
"Got it," Joker agreed taking the information in stride. "Panther, undo that buff. Mona, Skull, find me a weakness."
"You got it leader!" Agreeing as one, their moves landed one after another. Crying out in pain, the shadow dropped to the floor as Ryuji's lightning struck it, finding the hole in its defenses.
"Now, All out attack!"
Leading the charge, Joker let himself succumb to the thrill as he dashed in and out of his party mates, each blow taking more and more life force from the unwilling shadow. Reluctantly, Joker pulled them out of the charge as the creature heaved itself to its feet with an unsettling groan. Their move had taken out a large portion of the thing's health. Next turn would be its last.
"Come, Jack frost!" Calling out his persona's name, Joker lowered the thing's defense. Smirking, he was sure this fight was over. With its resistance lowered, it had no way of surviving another barrage.
"I'm not finished yet!"
Roaring back at them, the shadow pulled out its final move. Moving slowly, none of them could guard as the attack washed over them. Sensing it just in time, Joker adeptly moved out of the way.
That's a lot like what Sumire did today…
Getting slightly distracted by the impeding thought, Joker pushed it to the side for now. Whatever it had been, that attack was dangerous and targeted everyone.
"Lady Ann!" Mona's called signified Joker to her distressed condition. The physical move had hit a weak spot, resulting in a critical.
Tsking, Joker looked back up at the shadow, waiting for the second round. Paused anxiously, Joker was sure it would repeat the move, another critical could prove disastrous to them. But… "It buffed itself?" Tilting his head in confusion, Joker felt somewhat bad for the stupid shadow. All the attack power in the world wouldn't save it anymore.
"Skull, hit it!"
"You got it Leader! Captain Kidd!"
With a crash of lightning, the shadow was on the ground. Smirking at it, Joker quickly brought its life to an end with one final rush of blows.
Disappearing, the shadow of Nakanohara took its place. On his knees, the government worker looked pathetic as he coughed weakly.
"Why are you stalking her?" Joker asked the man.
"I… I couldn't lose her. She's all I have now…"
"What do you mean, now?"
"…I used to be an artist, determined to be the best… I was almost there. But then my sensei… Madarame, he took it all from me when I tried to forge my own path!"
"Still blaming others, huh?" Mona shook his head sadly at the man.
"…You're right, I'm sorry," he admitted after a brief pause. "I want follow her anymore, but please, change Madarame's heart, before more people end up like me…"
With that last ominous warning, the shadow disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind a floating, glowing orb. Curious, Joker snaked his hand out and grabbed it. As he did, the light faded, and it resolved itself into a proper item. Taking the accessory, Joker slid it into his seemingly endless pockets. Whatever was happening in there, he didn't question it. As long as it could hold everything he needed and produced easily everything he wanted, he was fine.
"Damn! That was a nice fight!" Skull exclaimed, stretching his dominant arm.
"For you!" Panther complained, "Why do I always feel so much weaker than you?"
"Because he is a brute, Lady Ann," Mona confirmed for her. "He hits things with his head, while you use grace to…"
"Burn them to cinders?" Joker chided, sure that Mona had figured out to late the trouble he had gotten himself into.
"Grr… We need another girl in this group so that I'll have someone intelligent to talk to!"
"Whatever you say math quiz!"
"One more word, Ryuji!" Panther snapped, dropping codenames in her anger.
Leaving them to their quarrel, Mona sauntered back over to Joker. "Well, that's the gist of it. Small fries like this guy can be dealt with in Mementos. Far easier than having to clear a palace."
"Indeed," Joker agreed with a nod. "Still dangerous though. "We can't underestimate them, or this place."
"Yeah," Mona sighs. "As much as I hate to admit it, we got kind of lucky this fight."
Lucky.
Again, that word rang through Joker's head. He knew that it should mean something to him. Something that had sent waves of uneasiness through him… Only yesterday, he thought.
"Sumire…"
"Huh?"
"N-nothing," Joker placated him. "Let's calm those two down and get out of here." Walking along back to the entrance, Joker felt anything but calm.
Good Luck.
The last two words that Sumire had spoken to him at lunch yesterday. Did they just happen to be a strange turn of phrase, or was there something else there? Could she possibly know?
Joker didn't how that was possible. No one could possibly have connected them to the calling card. Except Mishima. Plus, she was also at that lunch yesterday. Concerned with how fast word was getting around, Joker resolved to keep a close eye on the girl just in case. There was nothing else he could do at this point.
Keeping a close eye on her might force him to get to know her better. Oh well, it was for the phantom thieves. Definitely for no other reason. Wondering if her sister also knew, Joker figured it would be better to be safe than sorry and keep an eye on her as well.
Sunday May 8th, 20XX Morning
"Well, this is the studio… We've decided to go with a natural look, so you don't need to go to the stylist…"
Nodding along awkwardly, Kasumi didn't have anything else to say. The butterflies in her stomach were swirling up a storm in there. For the first time she remembered, Kasumi had found herself unable to eat breakfast. Even now, as noon approached, she found herself more likely to puke than to eat something.
"Anyway…" Her father continued. "Just stay here for now, when it is your turn, they'll signal you."
"…I know." Having heard the information a dozen times, Kasumi tried a smile to put her father at ease. It was hard to do when she was a bundle of emotions.
"…I'll be going then. Good luck."
"…Thanks."
Awkward conversation finished; Kasumi stood off to the side of the break room by herself. Everyone moved with such purpose it was hard not to feel out of place. Even worse, she'd been forced to wear her school uniform, as if that would prove she was a student at Shujin.
Now that the time had come, Kasumi felt far less confident than she had been earlier. Standing in front of principal Kobayakawa yelling about how she'd do his part and that it wouldn't matter. That was still something Kasumi hadn't had time to think about. The fall out from all of this. Kasumi didn't see how it was possible that the truth wouldn't end up coming out. That she played no role in Kamoshida's confession.
"Yoshizawa-san?"
"Y-yes!?"
"You're on in a minute."
"…One minute," Kasumi whispered to no one as the tech left. Taking a few deep breaths, Kasumi tried to tell herself this was simply a competition. She had a routine to perform. Attack it with boldness and it would go off without a hitch. "Okay!"
"It's time."
Striding forward, Kasumi gave the man a curt nod as she passed him and emerged into the studio proper. Benches set up, she walked over to where the dual host and hostess had just finished introducing her.
"And here she is! The star of today, Yoshizawa Kasumi! How are you doing."
"Quite well, thank you." Not well at all.
"That's great to hear! Please, take a seat!"
Why does everything he says have to be said with such a happy smile!?
Whining to herself, Kasumi adopted a similar smile. The gymnastics practiced expression falling into place without a hitch.
"Ah, we certainly are lucky to have such a gorgeous girl with us today! One with quite the inspiring tale I hear!"
Taking her prompt from the telecaster, Kasumi began speaking. In order to leave a bit of originality and means for adaptation, Kasumi hadn't been presented with scripted lines. "Thank you for saying that, but I only did what anyone would have."
"Ah, you say that, but we hear that these atrocities have been going on for years! Just to summarize, the ex-teacher Kamoshida Suguru is an olympic gold medalist who was abusing students at Shujin academy. Our guest here is the one that outed his wrongdoings, leading to him confessing his mistakes."
"It is true that Kamoshida has most likely been committing wrongdoings under the guise of coaching for years," Kasumi picked up the question. "However, I would say that his crimes didn't escalate until this year."
"Is that true? That is very interesting!" The man replied, happy as ever even when discussing the misfortune of others. "Now, the part we are dying to hear is, how did you do it? How did you convince this man to confess?"
Blushing slightly, Kasumi hoped it was the appropriate response to the praise, and not because she guilty at lying about this all. "I really only got everything started. Kamoshida hid his atrocities by telling the students that no one would believe them. He made each one of them feel separated, with no one to turn to.
"Therefore, all I had to do was speak up first. Tell people that Kamoshida was abusing people and that we couldn't let this continue. After that, well… you know the saying, one rock can start an avalanche."
"Ah, so you only say you were the catalyst for this all!" The man murmurs, somehow managing to look pleased and disappointed at the same time that Kasumi wouldn't be regaling him with an epic tale of how she had personally confronted Kamoshida and forced him to accept justice.
"But then, we've heard crazy rumours coming from this case…" The co-host broke in, speaking for the first time. "Rumours about a calling card with people that claimed beforehand that they would make Kamoshida confess. Is this true?"
Expecting the question, Kasumi nodded her head, premeditated answer rising to her mouth. "The calling card was indeed posted around the school." Pausing there, Kasumi watched with some mirth at the ripples of unease and excitement washed through the live studio audience. "However… I do not believe that Kamoshida was targeted by any group, or individual. I simply believe that being forced to come face-to-face with his crimes forced him to reflect on what he had degenerated into these past few years. After all…" Hating herself, Kasumi forced the words out. "To win on the highest stage, you have to know about teamwork, and cooperation. He had simply forgotten that."
"Now, isn't that touching! Let's give our star a hand!"
Undeserved praise washing over her, Kasumi waited eagerly for the segment to come to an end. She hadn't been given a long segment due to the last-minute rush, but it should neatly fulfill the principal's wishes.
Finally, the show came to an end, and Kasumi was allowed to drop the fake smile. As soon as she got into the break room, Kasumi collapsed into the nearest chair. Hands over her face, she recalled with horror the things she had said on live television. Every sentence delivered with a perfect smile and sincere eyes.
Dashing out of the chair, Kasumi found the nearest garbage can just in time. Body lurching, only bile burned her throat as her empty stomach had nothing for her to disgorge. Putting the can down, Kasumi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up, she needed to find a sink.
"Here, it seems you need this more than I do."
"Huh?" Turning, Kasumi blinked in surprise at a well-dressed man offering her a glass of water. No, revising her opinion, Kasumi realized he was still a teenager. It was only the extremely professional looking suit that made him look older. He wore a kind smile underneath soft, dark red eyes and straight brown hair. It was messy in an adorable way, kind of like senpai's adorable mop.
"T-thank you…" Hesitantly taking it, Kasumi searched for the nearest sink that she could spit the bile water into.
"It's around the corner," the man informed her with a slight smirk.
"Again, thank you…" Bowing slightly, Kasumi was surprised to find him trailing after her as she headed to the sink. Surely, he had better things to do than watch a girl spit out water.
"That was quite the performance you gave out there," he spoke, uncaring about Kasumi's distress. "I must wonder though, was any of it true?"
"Gragh!" Coughing in surprise, water came out of Kasumi's nose as well as her mouth. Coughing heavily from the sensation, Kasumi struggled to recover and answer his claim. "I-I don't know what you mean."
"Hmm… Would it make things clearer if I told you my name is Akechi Goro?"
"The detective prince," Kasumi mumbled in surprise. His name had kept rising in popularity these past few years. Some had started claiming he was better than the previous detective prince who had solved that serial murder case out in the boonies.
"Yes… I must say your final argument there was quite compelling. That there was no reason to do anything to Kamoshida since forcing him to confront his deeds reminded him of the fact that he relied on these people and should therefore treat them with kindness… How… Unique."
Blinking, Kasumi had to admit that his reputation wasn't wrong. The way he spoke was intriguing. As if he was already multiple steps ahead of you. Yet, Kasumi couldn't help but balk at the subtle insult thrown in on the end. "Well, what do you think happened?"
"Me?" Akechi asked, as if surprised Kasumi would talk back to him. "I believe that somehow, a group of people altered his cognition, resulting in a change in personality."
It took all of Kasumi's acting ability to not gape at the detective. His words resonated strongly with the text she'd found on cognitive psience. Deeply disturbed by this short interaction, Kasumi bowed stiffly. "Thank you for entertaining me detective and thank you for the water."
"Wait? Did you think my answer was serious?"
"Huh? W-well…" Stuttering, Kasumi once again found herself on the backfoot. She had no idea how to get rid of this boy. A detective discovering her lie at this stage would be bad. She needed more time to figure out how to pin the responsibility of Kobayakawa.
"Hmm… Yoshizawa Kasumi… I'll remember you. If you ever feel like being more helpful, I think we could mutually benefit each other."
"W-what!?" Once again she felt utterly lost. Looking down at her hand, she didn't even know when the detective had stuck his business card in it before casually sauntering off.
Turning to the nearest garbage can, Kasumi moved to throw the card away. There was no way she would ever want to have a conversation with such an unnerving boy again. That sly smile and eyes that seemed to suggest he kneww everything already and is just testing you. Yet, as she reached the can, Kasumi found her hand still.
"He could help me… Maybe." Wavering Kasumi wished there was someone around who could tell her what to do. What the right path forward was from a road with two-dead ends. Both paths leading to eventual failure.
"Maybe… Maybe Senpai could…" Shaking her head, Kasumi quickly dismissed the thought. Pocketing the card, she strode to the producing room where her father would be. There was nothing a normal high schooler could do to help her with this crisis.
Tuesday May 10th, 20XX Evening
Humming softly to herself, Sumire poured over her notes. Despite midterms starting tomorrow, she felt surprisingly anxious-free. Eyes drifting as the lines blurred together, a huge smile slowly formed on her face. Absorbing none of the information, Sumire's mind was fixed firmly on one individual.
After lunch together on Friday, Sumire ran into him randomly on Monday between classes, then on the train home for a brief while today. Despite each interaction being only a couple of minutes long, Sumire remembered each one fondly.
No matter what she did, Sumire just couldn't get any last-minute studying done, it just felt so… unimportant. For in the back of her mind, dampening her new-found good mood, was an eternal worry for her sister. Sumire had shivered in fear when she saw the interview. The bold-faced lies that Kasumi had delivered easily. If she didn't know better, Sumire would even believe it.
'Knock, knock.' "Hey Sumire, are you there."
"Y-you bet, come in!" Wondering if she was starting to develop the same magical powers as Senpai, the object of her thoughts called out. Turning to the door, Sumire watched as Kasumi slowly let herself into the room.
"Ah, you were studying. I mean, of course you were, I'll talk to you after mid-terms."
"W-woah! Stop right there!" Sumire commanded her, unsure about the sudden change. "I'm feeling good about the exams. What concerns me is you."
"Hehe, you're starting to sound like the older sister." Kasumi chuckled, but she didn't leave. Closing the door behind her, she made her way to the bed and awkwardly sat on the corner.
Turning around on her chair, Sumire rested her arms on the backrest then leaned her chin on those so she could stare at Kasumi. "Y-you've helped me so much, I… I want to do something for you."
"…I always thought I was helping you as well…" Kasumi muttered in answer. "But was I really? You suffered, and I thought I could help by performing better. I'm a horrible older sister."
"W-woah!" Kasumi panicked, not understanding where the words were coming from. "T-that was my problem. My insecurities. I had to fix them, not you."
"…"
Although Kasumi didn't reply to her, Sumire thought she looked a little happier. Taking the brief pause to think, Sumire was surprised at her ability to speak so well. She'd managed to speak her mind to Kasumi. That was a first.
"S-so, what's up?"
"…I wanted to ask you… What you thought about the interview I did."
"Well…" Thinking over the question, Sumire took a moment to look down and compose her words. She didn't want to say the wrong thing here. "I saw… My sister. You looked invincible sitting there. The perfect student, no, the perfect person. One that stands up to injustice and corrects it. It was inspiring."
Kasumi winced in pain, as if Sumire's words had been an insult rather than the highest praise.
"But… I think I also saw your pain. You deserve to be in front of the world for the things you've done. And instead… you're being lauded for the one you didn't."
"Ha… Thanks. At least… One person saw the truth of that charade." Looking somewhat relieved, Kasumi actually smiled at Sumire.
Taken aback at the sad expression, Senpai's words from last week flowed though her mind. That's something you and your sister could do this some more of, confidence. Now, for the first time, Sumire saw the indecision in her sister. How she always covered up her weakness with boldness.
"Hey… Sumire… If something were to happen to me… Would you still finish our dream? For both of us?"
"S-something!?" Sumire squeaked, unprepared for the question. "W-what do you mean, nothing is going to happen to you!" Shooting out of her chair, Sumire stared at Kasumi in a terrified mess. The idea of Kasumi not being around frightened her in a way that she'd never experienced before. Even when she'd been distancing herself from Kasumi, it was with the assurance that she would be there when she got back.
"…That was a random question, wasn't it?" Kasumi sighed, shaking her head sadly. "Sorry, I just feel… powerless. There seem to be so many things swirling around me. Forces I have no ability to overcome."
"Do… Do you mean the phantom thieves?" Sumire asked back, confused at her sister's rambling. "B-because they're good! They help people. That's it! We'll get the phantom thieves to help us!"
"N-no! Wait, what are you doing!" Jumping off the bed, Kasumi stared dazed at her sister.
"Don't worry!" Sumire assured her, trying to boot up her non-functional phone. "I found out yesterday that the phantom thieves now have an official website! You can put the names of people who deserve a change of heart."
"That's horrible!" Kasumi gasped back. "That can't punish people without even knowing if they're guilty or not!"
"Don't worry," Sumire soothed her panicking sister, still struggling with her phone, "they're good people. They can tell which requests are legit and which to ignore."
"Oh yeah, and how do you know?" Kasumi shot back, a little more interested than before.
"There was this one request for a stalker named Nakanohara, right?" Sumire gushed, excited she could finally talk to someone about all of this, "and like, the day later, the guy himself posted a reply to his girlfriend about how sorry he was and that he wouldn't do it any longer!"
"…That sounds suspicious. Could have been a fan account that wanted to spread their popularity."
"Nope!" Sumire smiled, ready for her sister's predictable reply, "not only did the original commenter reply thanking them for helping, but the guy posted the same apology on his office website and telling people that they should support the phantom thieves."
"T-that's…" Unable to get the rest of her statement out, Kasumi looked thoroughly disturbed. Eventually she simply smiled and shook her head at the absurdity of it all. "Well, if someone was to change our pig-headed principal… I certainly wouldn't complain."
"Hehe…" Giggling Sumire shot up out of the chair and grabbed Kasumi's hand.
"Eek! Where are you taking me!?"
"Come on, let's grab that tablet and we'll do just that!" Ecstatic about being able to help her sister, Sumire had full faith in her Senpai. He hadn't let her down yet, and this certainly wouldn't be the first time.
Friday May 13th, 20XX Lunchtime
"Seriously?" Ryuji complained. "What's with that guy? He reminded me more of a clown than a councilor. And in the middle of mid-terms, I mean, what the hell?"
"I get what you mean," Ann sighed. "These exams are killing me."
"Speak for yourselves," Ren taunted. However, if he was being honest, the exams were more challenging than he had expected. While he was sure he'd finish in the top-half, it certainly wasn't the performance he had expected from himself. Ren was determined to put more time into studying before finals rolled around.
"Come on, dude! You don't have to call us out like that," Ryuji sighed. "But honestly, are either of you two going to get this 'counseling'. Go talk about your feelings or whatever the shit they mean."
"Ryuji!" Ann groaned in warning, but it was too late. Dr. Maruki had already strolled up. Ren grimaced, but the doctor looked unaffected, despite obviously hearing everything.
"Excuse me, but you're the transfer student, right? Amamiya Ren?"
"…Yes."
"May I talk to you for a minute? It will be quick, I promise."
Nodding reluctantly, Ren waved the other two away and followed Maruki a short way into the courtyard. As the students shuffled back to their classrooms for afternoon exams, Ren waited patiently for the councillor to begin speaking.
"I wanted to apologize to you, I've been made aware of your record."
Nodding again, Ren stayed silent, he had nothing to say. It didn't surprise him that the councillor the school had hired would be told the truth about his past.
"Anyway, I'm also sorry to inform you, that the school has decided that you are one of the people who must come to me for counselling."
"…I see. Do I know the others?"
"…Most," Maruki nods, answering somewhat reluctantly. "Your friends, Sakamoto and Takamaki, they are on it. As well as some others that suffered as a direct result of Kamoshida's actions."
"So, the entirety of both volleyball teams?" Ren quipped back, finding it surprisingly easy to talk to the doctor.
"Haha!" Maruki laughed, "I hope they all come to see me! But for most of them, Kamoshida's abuse was light. There were only a couple students that really seemed to draw his ire."
"That's understandable…" Ren agreed. Trailing off though, he still felt hesitant about this. He barely thought about Kamoshida anymore, or the lives he tried to wreck along the way. Ren's mind was totally in the present and looking to the future.
"It looks like I wasn't able to convince you about the counselling, huh?"
"Sorry," Ren admitted, "I'll probably only come the amount I need to…"
"Hmm… It's not that I don't under… I got it!" Bursting out randomly, Maruki bounced slightly like a little kid with a present. "I'll give you some mental training!"
"Okay…" Ren blinked in confusion. "Thanks, but uhh, what do you get out of this?"
"The satisfaction of helping someone take their life back is all I need…"
Narrowing his eyes at the doctor, Ren had a suspicion that he wanted to say something else. "Are you sure?"
"…To be honest, I'm currently conducting research but…" Sighing heavily, the doctor shook his head, an expression of sorrow on his face. "I'm struggling with it. Perhaps, if there is time during our sessions, we can talk it over. I doubt you'll be able to help though."
"…I'll do my best," Ren promises extending his hand. He was unsure if he could really be of help to the doctor, but it was certainly to be more exciting than talking about his emotions.
"Haha, well I look forward to seeing you later!"
As they shook hands, Ren felt that same sensation again. One that signified the formation of a 'bond' as Igor had called them. While the concept intrigued Ren, as far as he knew, the only thing he got out of it was more powerful personas during fusion. Hoping the other benefits would come clear in time, he bid farewell to Maruki. Rushing over to class, Ren hoped the afternoon exams wouldn't be too challenging.
Saturday May 14th, 20XX Early Morning
There she is, I can't let her go again. Today is the day!
Walking forward with quick strides, Yusuke used his tall frame to track her through the crowds. His piercing gaze locked upon the bobbing golden flower with such intensity he was surprised she couldn't sense him. Sense the passion and need he felt to paint her.
That perfect face.
Those beautiful, long legs.
Every inch of her would become immortalized upon his canvas. A masterpiece that everyone the world over would view!
Passion gripping him, Yusuke walked even faster, no attention given to the citizens he bumped into on his way forward.
"Just on that escalator!"
Crying out in victory, Yusuke's heart beat wildly at the prospect of their first meeting. His muse, his inspiration, his own Sayuri. Oh, every fiber of his being vibrated in euphoric shudders at the fast-coming encounter.
Out in the sun now, he was positive she could not lose him here. The beacon of her hair guiding him to her wherever she may hide. Looking quickly and not spotting her, Yusuke realized she had put her hood up. Frowning at the strange action, he hurried forward at the unforeseen problem.
There!
Making a move to grab her shoulder, Yusuke couldn't risk her disappearing again. Sensei was being extra strict nowadays. If Yusuke wasn't able to produce a masterpiece… He didn't want to think about the problems that would cause.
"Huh?" Muttering in confusion, two men intercepted his path as the girl turned around. Their words were meaningless to him as he soaked in her face. Her intense blue eyes as she accused him of something. Strangely though… It was muted. She seemed far more… ordinary than he had first believed.
"I want you to be my model!" Speaking his wish anyway, Yusuke had to go through with this. She was what he had been searching for. She had to be.