Ugh…I wish I had taken a gap year. Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona! So…I'm building a PC right now (finally upgrading from laptops) and all that time waiting for my parts to come in…new graphics cards are coming out…and I forgot to buy an internal hard drive until I saw post on Reddit talking about SSDs, which I got.
I'm an idiot.
To the reviews before I lament how much more money I'm gonna have to spend. To Felipe1402XZA: Oh, the dog? Yeah, that was just a result of the puppy test thing. But now we've managed to make her…a little more important. Like, not story-shaking but…interesting.
Also, did you know Bootyland did have a fake Kickstarter page thing? It's down but a quick trip with the Wayback Machine will let you see it.
Anyways, time to just talk.
Load Game…Start!
Chapter 49: Opportunities
(6/11, Early Morning)
(Leblanc, Attic)
The Leader of the Phantom Thieves had woken up early even before the not cat did, deciding to get some training in. He started doing some pull ups using one of the beams as he waited for the not cat to wake up and the cafe owner to arrive.
"15...16...17...!" Akira struggled out before giving up and dropping off the beam and placed his hands on his knees. "Oh, I do not have the energy for this yet..." He grumbled out, though he felt as though his Health was increasing as a result, even if it was a small amount.
"You're up early." Sojiro stated as he came up the stairs.
"Boss." Akira simply greeted the older man with a nod.
The cafe owner in response nodded as he looked at the boy's current state. "Huh, didn't know you started working out." Sojiro pointed out.
"Yeah, well, this is kinda a recent development." Akira admitted as he wiped away the sweat. "Nearly getting killed and kidnapped makes you care about your health a little." He mentally added.
"Well, clean yourself up." Sojiro advised. "I don't want you stinking up the place. Go and use the bathhouse before you leave for school." He then stated and instructed before heading back downstairs.
"Yes, sir." Akira responded with a nod. "Hm, I expected him to mention a phone call from the principal yesterday and he didn't mention it now." He muttered to himself. "Did he really not call him after my stunt on TV?" He then wondered.
"There is a non-zero chance that the Chief hasn't at least heard about it." Morgana suddenly stated, causing the Leader to turn to him.
"Good morning Morgana." Akira greeted. "And you're right. I've got a bad feeling about this..." He then added.
Grrr...
"...A different bad feeling." Akira stated as his stomach growled. "Speaking of which, what are you feeling today?" He soon asked.
"Do you even have to ask?" Morgana responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Alright, let me see if we have some tuna left." Akira got out.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Hmm?" Akira hummed out as he looked at his phone.
[Haruka: I'm coming soon Akira-kun~]
Well, that was ominous...
Akira couldn't help but feel a stab of fear in his heart.
It...It was probably fine. It wasn't like she was going to break in through the window at any minute...
"Akira, why are you staring at the window?" Morgana asked in confusion before crawling into the schoolbag.
"N-Nothing Morgana. Let's go." Akira replied as he grabbed his bag and began heading downstairs to go get himself washed up.
Hopefully, everything will come out fine today.
(Subway)
Akira was rather surprised to see the Vice Leader practically slam herself into the last available seat on the subway.
"Seat! Yes! Finally!" Asuka declared with surprising intensity.
"A-Are you crying Sis?" Homura asked in shock.
"My butt feels so good Homu-nee!" Asuka sniffled out as the train doors closed and started moving.
The Leader couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the Vice Leader's pleased expression.
"Hey, did you catch that show last night with the detective and that rebellious student?"
"Ah, that talk show? It was absolutely dreadful. The Phantom Thieves are super lame!" The trio heard an old lady call out, causing their eyes to twitch.
"How can anyone seriously suggest supernatural beings are stealing people's hearts? That...child is a phony. There's simply no way that the Phantom Thieves exist."
"Unfortunately, my precious children all think they're real—and worse, that this detective is amazing...Children are far too impressionable to see such vulgar content on TV."
"Looks like people still don't think we're real, or at the very least good guys..." Morgana remarked.
"Hey, we'll make them see." Asuka assured as their ride went on.
(Aoyama-Itchome)
Eventually, the three had gotten off the subway with the other students as they headed for school, over hearing some of them talking.
"I can't believe we were on TV yesterday with Akechi-kun! It was a dream come true!" A loud girl gushed. "I can't believe a high schooler moonlights as a detective. He's just like the Detective Prince." She then added.
"He's smart and handsome. He's almost too perfect!" Her friend also gushed out in a fangirlish manner.
"He wasn't that attractive-looking." Homura meanwhile muttered while rolling her eyes while her friends giggled and chuckled.
"But he is handsome..." Asuka admitted. "Though after looking up Naoto Shirogane last night, I think she was better." She then added.
"We had front row seats. I could practically reach out and touch Akechi-kun! I was so nervous! He was really working that uniform, and without seeming like a snob. He's a natural at public speaking." The loud girl's friend squealed.
"I'm kinda mad that guy with glasses stole his spotlight though..." The loud girl grumbled out.
"Heheh, I bet you're just jealous that people are already shipping them together..." Her friend giggled out, causing the glasses wearing boy's eye to twitch.
"Why...?" Akira got out with an irritated look on his face.
"I heard rivalries often become romantic and lots of shinobi meet their significant others through battle." Homura quietly pointed out. "Though I can't see you and that Akechi guy together." She then admitted while her roommate nodded in agreement.
In response, Akira soon looked at both girls.
The Vice Leader however noticed that. "...I know what you're thinking, Akira-kun!" Asuka suddenly declared. "Homu-nee and I are rivals...and friends..." She began listing off. "And we take baths together..." She then muttered. "And maybe-possibly-family-in-the-hopefully-near-future but we aren't currently or going to be like that." She soon concluded.
"I didn't say anything." Akira pointed out.
"But your face says everything." Asuka accused with a pout.
"I hear he's an orphan who grew up poor. It's part of what makes him so amazing! He wants his last high school memory to be capturing the Phantom Thieves. This isn't a game to him!" The friend continued.
"Yeah, well, sorry to ruin his graduation dreams." Akira got out with a smirk.
"It was never a game to begin with." Homura quietly growled.
"Orphan, huh." Asuka whispered out.
"He is the embodiment of every teenage girl's dream boy." Morgana began to realise. "Pretty, tragic backstory but still able to smile. I wonder if I'm like that when I become human." He then wondered.
"See, I hear his dad's the head of some big financial conglomerate. I will say, I love that he hates the media. Makes me believe that he doesn't do this for fame but the truth. That's so heroic of him...!" The loud girl then informed.
"And rich yet humble. Yeah, defininite poster boy." Akira thought.
"Good god they won't stop talking about him..." Homura muttered in a fed-up tone.
"And why haven't we heard of him until the TV Station?" Asuka wondered. "I mean, I think I've heard of him before..." She then muttered.
"People say he's so good that he's made enemies in the police force..." The loud girl then informed. "Oh, yeah, apparently yesterday's interview was so popular they're going to air it again tonight."
"Ugh..." Homura groaned out.
"Has Boss seen it yet, Akira-kun?" Asuka soon asked.
"He will now." Akura muttered as they continued their walk to school.
(Shujin Academy, Principal's Office)
Akira and Homura let out a simultaneous breath as they reached the principal's office.
"Huh, never noticed the police tape." Akira admitted. "Then again, I've been avoiding this place like a plague." He then added.
"Let's get this over with so we can get to class on time." Homura muttered. "So, after you." She then started.
"Ladies first." Akira however replied.
Homura rolled her eyes and knocked on the door. "Principal Kobayakawa, Akira Kurusu is here." She soon called out.
"Shinkukage-san? You're not supposed to be here." Kobayakawa responded.
"I had the feeling you wanted to talk to Akira, so I brought him here." Homura maturely informed. "And I just wanted to talk to you about this situation." She then requested.
"...Very well. You may come in." Kobayakawa responded after a moment.
Homura nodded as she opened the door...and shoved her friend through it first.
"Ah!" Akira yelped out as he stumbled inside while the tan skinned girl walked in. "You didn't have to do it that hard, you know." He quietly remarked.
"Go with it." Homura whispered back as she looked at the fat man. "Sir, I brought Akira Kurusu to discuss his actions at the Television Station yesterday." She then informed in a tone of authority.
"Thank you. He caused quite a lot of trouble with that little speech of his." The principal got out. "I have to ask: Why voice your support for the Phantom Thieves in troubled times like this?" He then questioned.
"In my defense sir," Akira started. "I never said I supported the Phantom Thieves. I was only stating my opinion." He then explained.
"The public will not see it that way. I already see may-mays based on that stunt yesterday." Kobayakawa pointed out, causing the two to cringe. "You're in a lot of trouble, Kurusu." He then stated.
"Principal Kobayakawa, don't." Homura got out. "It was one mistake and it's getting the school more attention." She then pointed out.
"Attention we don't need Shinkukage-san. You are not involved in this." Kobayakawa got out with a frown.
"I am. I'm his classmate." Homura however stated. "And I say I'll be the one to rule out his punishment. I am the Head of the Disciplinary Committee after all and this definitely falls under my jurisdiction." She then added.
"You are not as powerful as you think, Shinkukage-san." The principal informed.
"Please sir, it's for the good of the school." Homura requested and reminded. "If you expel him, it'll just worsen the school's image. Just let him off. If he does anything stupid like that again, I'll personally make his life a living hell." She soon explained.
The principal narrowed his eyes at that before finally sighing. "...I did warn you that one misstep would earn you an immediate expulsion, but I'm feeling merciful today. I shall allow Shinkukage-san's committee to keep a closer eye in you." Kobayakawa soon stated.
Akira let out a breath before bowing. "Thank you, sir. It won't happen again." He promised.
Kobayakawa in turn narrowed his eyes. "I do hope so. Now please leave us be, Kurusu-san." He soon ordered, the boy soon leaving as he then turned his attention to the tan skinned girl. "I've saved your friend, Shinkukage-kun." He simply stated all of a sudden.
That in turn got the tan skinned girl's attention. "...Excuse me?" Homura whispered out as she turned back to the principal.
"I said I allowed Akira Kurusu to atone for his mistakes in a more productive way than simply kicking him out of school." Kobayakawa clarified with a grin.
"...!?" Homura's eyes suddenly widened as she realised what was happening. "You...!" She soon started.
"Let's make a deal, Shinkukage-kun." Kobayakawa interrupted. "I shall protect your friend to the best of my abilities...however, you must do something for me in return." He then requested.
"...Searching for the Phantom Thieves with Makoto-senpai?" Homura guessed.
"No." Kobayakawa replied. "A simple IOU. It won't be dangerous but I expect you to perform whatever task I wish." He then explained.
"Principal Kobayakawa, I...You can't do this!" Homura called out as she glared at the man. "This bastard...He's using Akira against me!" She meanwhile thought.
"I can, Shinkukage-kun. Unless you wish for me to destroy any chances of Kurusu-san to have a future after this year." The principal replied in a calm tone.
"...Of course...sir." Homura reluctantly responded.
"I'm glad we understand each other. I also trust you that if I catch wind that you've told anyone, you will be joining Kurusu-kun wherever he goes." Kobayakawa responded.
"...Of course, sir." Homura eventually responded.
"Good. Now leave, I am quite busy." Kobayakawa soon ordered.
Homura opened her mouth to get the last word before she shut it and simply glared at the man.
He won this battle...but he won't win the war.
However, for now, she left.
(6/11, Morning)
(Classroom)
"So, how did the thing with the principal go?" Asuka whispered to her roommate.
"We'll talk about it at lunch. Focus on class." Homura answered.
"I've been seeing a lot of shows on TV talking about these Phantom Thieves of Heart." Usami got out. "Why someone would steal something like a heart, which can't be turned into money, is beyond be." She then stated.
"Why do I have the feeling our teacher is a robot?" Akira muttered quietly. "Not everything's about money." He then stated.
"Despite past actions saying otherwise." Ann however whispered out.
"Hey, what happens in the Metaverse, stays in the Metaverse." Akira replied.
"If I were a phantom thief, I wouldn't go after hearts or works of art, I'd go after gold." Usami continued.
"Gold's fine and all, but I'd rather see guys repent." Morgana admitted.
"That's because you get excited over Treasures." Homura pointed out.
"The value of gold has always been high since ancient times, and there has never been a more stable resource." Usami explained before looking around the room. "Now then, Shinkukage-san. Can you imagine how much gold has been excavated by humanity over the course of history?" She soon questioned.
"...Uh...An...Truuuuu..." Homura began before seeing the Leader just edge his paper into her view. "Uuuuhh...I mean, an Olympic swimming pool. Times three." She soon answered.
"Well, that was quite a roundabout way to answer that question but you are correct." Usami stated. "Surprisingly little, don't you think? That rarity is what drives its value." She then informed.
"A bit." Homura muttered.
"Incidentally, they say that 16% of the world's gold is in Japan. Was your first thought the Tokugawa Clan's buried gold? It's actually in discarded home electronics. In other words, a junkyard is much more valuable than someone else's heart." Usami soon explained.
"I dunno. I think people needing heart transplants see hearts as gold." Asuka pointed out. "...Them or organ traffickers." She then awkwardly added, causing some chuckling and giggling from the rest of her class as she then blushed in embarrassment before the class continued on.
(6/11, Lunchtime)
(Courtyard)
Akira, Asuka, Homura and Ryuji were spending their lunch at the courtyard. The dyed blond had asked them to come so he would have someone vent to.
"Man, that detective from yesterday still pisses me off, ya know!?" Ryuji growled in frustration. "He's makin' everyone think we're threats to society and shit!" He then added.
"He hasn't seen what we've seen, Ryuji-kun." Asuka pointed out.
At that moment, the Student Council President drew closer to the group, but kept herself hidden as she took her phone out.
"Dude, there's no effin' way he doesn't!" Ryuji stated. "I'd like to see how he does it! Dude, we wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves if those shitty adults kept getting away with what they've been doin'-MMPH!" He then got out in frustration until Asuka covered his mouth.
"Ryuji-kun, you shouldn't talk about our roleplay sessions so publicly!" Asuka quickly warned.
"Roleplay!?" Makoto squeaked out from around the corner in confusion.
However, the Thieves were way too focused on the dyed blond and his loudmouth to notice.
Suddenly, the ash blonde appeared behind the dyed blond and karate-chopped the back of his head. "Ow! Hey!" Ryuji yelped.
"You're being too loud." Ann stated as she chewed on some Pocky.
"Don't speak with your mouth full, Ann." Akira chided.
"Ah, sorry Akira." Ann replied.
"Who cares? Everybody's talkin' about this stuff anyways. It'd just be more suspicious if we were whisperin'." Ryuji countered and explained.
"No, we should keep it down. People could be listening and one wrong word could bust us." Homura quietly growled and reminded. "Keep things on the down low please before someone stumbles in and takes things out of context. Save it for the hideout." She then stated in a lecturing manner.
"S-Sorry..." Ryuji apologized.
"She's right. Let's save it for later..." Ann sighed out before eating more Pocky.
"Hey, you really gonna keep eatin' and eatin' all that by yourself!?" Ryuji deadpanned. "Come on, gimme some!" He then added.
"Sorry, just ate the last one." Ann however apologized.
"You guys are too laid back. The police are involved now. We should be paranoid." Morgana advised.
"Yeah..." Ann got out as she looked down to the ground. "We'll be alright if we keep doing this right?" She suddenly asked.
"As long as we're careful." Asuka answered.
"Yeah. We can't let the cops scare us outta bein'...uh...roleplayers." Ryuji questioned as he made sure not to say certain words.
"But...what about that weird guy from Madarame's Palace...? Isn't there a lot we don't know?" Ann soon questioned in a worried tone.
"We do have a suspect but there's nothing connecting him to that murderer." Homura pointed out. "Come on, this type of thing should be discussed with Yumi and Yusuke." She soon suggested.
"Hai, we need to meet up soon." Asuka agreed with a nod. "But, Ann-chan...are you thinking about quitting?" She soon asked in concern.
The ash blonde however shook her head to that. "No, it's just what Akechi said...some of it felt as though it made sense..." Ann admitted.
"Don't let it get to you. If we falter, so does everyone who believes in us." Asuka stated. "We can't just stop with just a few words. We're stronger than that." She then added.
"...Yeah. You're right. I'd be ashamed if I just gave up just like that." Ann replied with fire in her eyes. "There's still people like Kamoshida and Madarame in this world, and I can't live with myself if I let them go." She then added.
Meanwhile as Makoto listened on, feeling as though she understood some of what they were talking about. "...There are a lot of rotten adults out there..." She mentally admitted.
"Speaking of shitty adults like them..." Homura began, getting everyone's attention. "Akira, after you left...the principal well...he figured out a way to use you as leverage against me. I'm...I'm in the same situation as Makoto-senpai now." She awkwardly informed.
That immediately caused Makoto's eyes to widen. "He did what!?" She thought in shock.
"What!?" Asuka exclaimed.
"...Fuck." Akira swore out.
"Are you kiddin' me!?" Ryuji got out in shock.
"Why didn't you say so earlier!?" Ann asked in disbelief.
"It just happened this morning!" Homura revealed before palming her face. "God, we seriously screwed up..." She then grumbled out.
"...No, it was my fault." Akira sighed out.
"Nah, he already had it out for me and your whole speech was just the opportunity he needed. I bet the guy doesn't even think my committee is helping out." Homura however confessed.
Makoto meanwhile winced when she heard that. "S-She already knows!?" She thought in shock.
"But that only means we need to change his heart faster. Which means we have to figure out his distortion sooner rather than later." Morgana got out.
"In any case, what is he making you do?" Akira soon asked.
"Nothing...yet. He can make me do whatever he wants at any time." Homura growled out. "He may be a fucking idiot, but he's quite the opportunist." She then admitted.
"And...you can't get out of this Homu-nee?" Asuka soon guessed in concern.
"Do any of you know the last word?" Homura responded with her own question.
"Well, shit." Ann groaned.
"Sorry Akira, he said basically if I don't listen to him, he'll expel you." Homura explained with a sigh escaping her lips. "Not to mention that if I told anyone, he'd expel us." She then added.
Makoto meanwhile paled to hearing that, but was also angered and disgusted. "This...This is insane! He can't just get away with something like this!" She thought in rising fury.
"Start your own rebellion." Akira's words echoed in her mind.
"...I'm starting to see the meaning behind those words..." Makoto offhandedly thought to herself while narrowing her eyes and balling her hand into a fist.
"God, he's basically another Kamoshida at this point!" Ryuji called out.
"How dare he do that to Lady Homura!" Morgana growled out.
"He's abusing his job to get his way!" Ann exclaimed in anger. "Gah...! Why can't we figure it out!? What could possibly be his stupid distortion!?" She soon asked.
"Distortion?" Makoto meanwhile repeated in her head in confusion.
"Start naming stuff!" Ryuji called out.
"We can't right now. We don't have time." Akira reminded. "We'll just have to put it off for now..." He then regretfully added.
The tan skinned girl however groaned in anger. "Why!" WHAM! "Can't we!" WHAM! "Do anything!?" WHAM WHAM WHAM! Homura growled as she slammed her head on the nearby vending machine repeatedly in frustration.
SPARK! Fizzle...
This in turn caused the group to sweatdrop as the machine sparked and smoked. "...Oops." Homura awkwardly got out as they looked at the now broken machine.
"I would say I would report you for breaking the machine...but I'm starting to not really care much anymore Homura-san." A familiar voice informed.
That in turn got the group's attention as they turned their heads. "Ah, Makoto-chan." Asuka got out as the Student Council President approached the group.
"Makoto-senpai." Homura greeted with a respectable bow.
"Um...do you need to uh...go to the Nurse's Office?" Makoto however awkwardly asked the tan skinned girl in concern.
"I'm alright Makoto-senpai, I'm barely phased by this." Homura replied while waving it off. "I'm much tougher than you think." She then added in a confident manner.
"I can see that." Makoto noted as she looked at the dent her friend's forehead had made on the machine.
It was at that moment the tan skinned girl realized something. "Wait, Makoto-senpai...you...did you hear about-? Homura started.
"The blackmail? I have." Makoto answered in a serious tone.
"...You were listening in on us, weren't you." Akira soon guessed.
"Only when you mentioned the blackmail part." Makoto answered in a guilty manner. "I apologize for that by the way." She then added as she bowed to the group.
"There's no helping it." Akira soon responded. "We weren't exactly whispering. It's just I doubt people would be as sympathetic as you." He then admitted.
"Still, I shouldn't have eavesdropped the way I did..." Makoto admitted with guilt in her voice.
"It's fine Makoto-chan, we were pretty loud." Asuka meanwhile giggled out.
Sighing to that, the Student Council President relaxed herself. "By the way, Kurusu-kun, may I ask about what happened at the TV Station?" Makoto soon asked as she looked at the boy in mention.
Akira in response sighed to the question. "I stood up for what I believed. It was stupid, yes, but...I can't just stand idly by as I watch as my heroes are torn apart." He replied and explained.
"The Phantom Thieves are heroes to you?" Makoto soon questioned.
Akira however shook his head to that. "Not heroes exactly..." He responded, confusing the Student Council President. "Heroes...they're what society idealises. The one who upholds the status quo and protects it from outside forces trying to change that. I think they're more like anti-heroes. People who aren't the idealised vision of what a hero is supposed to be, who goes against the grain and tries their best to do good in their own way. It may not be the nicest way to do things, but it sure as hell just as effective." He further explained in detail before taking in a deep breath.
"...You're gettin' really preachy, man." Ryuji quipped out.
"Uh...Sorry, it's been a weird couple of days." Akira awkwardly chuckled out.
"It was a nice speech though." Asuka meanwhile complimented.
"Yes, it gave me...a lot to think about." Makoto admitted as she pulled out her phone, only to fumble with it. "Ah, whoops!" She yelped out.
FLASH! Click!
"Ah! Sorry, I hit the wrong button!" Makoto apologised, a flustered blush forming on her face. "Moh, why do they have the camera button so close to the unlock button?" She then lamented.
"It's alright. It was an accident." Homura got out as the Student Council President saved the photo on her personal cloud drive before deleting the original. "Still, what are we gonna do about the principal...?" She soon asked.
"...Wait for the Phantom Thieves, I guess." Akira sighed out, causing everyone else to sigh as well.
"I wish I could provide more help but, um, I'm currently busy with something personal." Makoto soon informed the group, though felt more relaxed. "This was...nice though..." She mentally admitted.
"It's okay, we don't expect you to do everything." Ryuji assured.
"Well, have a good day." Makoto got out as she began to take her leave.
"You too, senpai." Ann replied with a kind smile.
Akira meanwhile just nodded as he gave off a charming smile.
This however caused the Student Council President to blush a bit. "Y-Yeah..." Makoto stammered out before leaving.
"Well, that went well." Asuka got out.
"At least Akira didn't basically flirt with Makoto-senpai again." Homura remarked. "Though seeing her like that is pretty funny." She then admitted.
"Huh?" Ryuji got out. "You flirted with her?" He then asked.
"...As dense as the metal of your mask." Homura deadpanned.
"She literally became a shy and stuttering mess last time." Akira amusingly informed with a smirk. "It was actually pretty cute." He then admitted.
"...For real? Seriously?" Ryuji soon asked with widened eyes of disbelief.
"Wait...is Makoto-chan your type Akira-kun?" Asuka soon asked in a curious manner and with a tilt of her head.
Akira however chuckled to that. "Who knows Asuka." He responded in amusement.
"I think he just likes making her blush..." Homura bluntly guessed with a sweatdrop. "If she actually falls for you, it's all on you and you better take care of her." She then advised in a more threatening tone while narrowing her eyes.
"Look, she's more likely to fall for you than me." Akira however countered.
"Huh!? W-What does that mean!?" Homura questioned in confusion as the other Thieves minus her roommate laughed at her red face.
"You know, it's kinda nice to not treat her as the enemy." Ann meanwhile admitted after they all calmed down.
"Yeah, it's just as I said. She's just stressed out due to the principal forcing too much on her." Homura however reminded. "...And now I'm in the same situation as well." She then added with a sigh.
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out." Akira assured before looking over to the Student Council President's retreating form. "At least we have one less thing to worry about." He thought.
After walking a good distance away, Makoto shook off her blush and sighed in relief as she looked at her phone before she opened the recorder app and looked at the most recent file. "So they are indeed..." She muttered as she nibbled on her lip and played it.
"Dude, we wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves if those shitty adults kept getting away with what they've been doin'-MMPH!"
When the recording ended, the Student Council President sigh as she left the app and pocketed her phone. "...Should I...really care anymore?" Makoto suddenly asked herself. "I mean...he's forcing Homura-san into the same situation as me...trying to ruin her and Kurusu-kun's futures..." She then muttered. "What right does he have to do that? Just cause he's an adult?" She eventually questioned as she narrowed her eyes.
No...it was more than that.
It was control.
The feeling of having pawns at his beck-and-call to use and sacrifice in some twisted game she didn't know they were playing.
Control...she would love to have. To control...something in her life, but it just kept getting ripped away from her.
Was it worth it?
Was all of this actually going to be worth all the stress and sorrow she felt at the end?
Her mind was screaming yes...but her heart was screaming louder.
But still...
Something compelled her to keep going.
She had her evidence...but she felt like there was just one thing missing.
And besides...
There was nothing wrong with wanting to know the whole truth at least...right?
(6/11, After School)
(Shibuya, Station Square)
As soon as school let out, Akira requested for everyone to meet to discuss what had happened over the past few days, deciding to meetup at Station Square.
After catching the two Kosei students up on the situation, they reacted...appropriately.
"Excuse me, but allow me to rip your principal a new one." Yumi kindly requested. "No one threatens my friends like that and gets away with it." She then added with an icy aura surrounding her.
"...Alive?" Ryuji hesitantly asked.
"He will be wishing he was dead." Yumi answered. "Has anyone figured out his distortion yet?" She soon asked as she looked at the group.
The Thieves shook their heads shamefully. "We're idiots." Akira bluntly stated.
"It is not your fault, we were bound to hit a wall eventually." Yusuke comforted the Leader.
"Are you looking into our principal Yumi?" Homura soon asked.
"Yes, but so far there are no clues to his Palace. He is quite an envious person though, wanting people to be jealous of him but that's about it. He is just a difficult person for us to deal with." Yumi however responded.
"Gah...! This sucks!" Ryuji got out in frustration. "How's things on the Phan-site anyways?" He then asked as the young artist pulled out his phone.
"Comments are coming in at an alarming rate. However, negative ones seem to be the most prominent." Yusuke meanwhile informed. "A bunch of punks who do whatever they want in the name of "justice"." He read out. "Huh..." He then added.
"It must be because of Akechi badmouthing us." Homura guessed.
"He's free to deny our actions, but being cursed by his influence is another thing entirely." Yusuke replied with a frown.
"Just when we were starting to get people to believe in us too..." Ann sighed out.
"All we gotta do is take down another hot shot, yeah?" Ryuji soon suggested.
"Well, do you have any ideas who this next hot shot could be?" Yusuke however asked.
"I ain't got a thing yet...Dammit, this is real irritatin'..." Ryuji grumbled out in frustration. "By the way, what's up with that luggage?" He then asked as the other then took notice of the bags and the Sayuri.
"Yusuke-san decided to leave the school dorms." Yumi informed.
"Indeed. They were not only filthy, but too noisy as well...No true art could come from such a place." Yusuke admitted with a shake of his head.
"What're you gonna do then? You can't go back to that shack and Yumi doesn't have room in her apartment, right?" Ryuji pointed out.
"I was planning on staying at Takamaki-san's- I mean, Ann's house." The young artist got out as he pulled out a small box. "I even prepared a thank-you gift. I hope it's to your parents' liking." Yusuke then informed.
This however shocked and confused the ash blonde. "WHAT!? There's no way that's gonna happen!" Ann declared in disbelief.
"Oh..." Yusuke got out in a sad tone...right before turning to the two roommates. "So then-" He then started.
"I will...not stab you, but I will shove your paint brushes up your ass." Homura quickly threatened.
"Mixing it up?" Akira guessed.
"Yeah, stabbing is getting a little old." Homura admitted.
"Well, it is a step up..." Yumi meanwhile thought. "My next lesson should help out Homura-san greatly." She then added to herself in anticipation and rising excitement to just imagining it.
"Impossible..." Yusuke however got out in disbelief.
"You're the impossible one!" Ryuji countered.
"Yusuke-san, you really should have known that Ann-san would reject a sudden suggestion without asking her in the first place." Yumi pointed out in a chiding tone of disapproval as she couldn't help but sigh in slight annoyance. "I apologize for this Ann-san." She then got out.
"It's okay. I do want to model for you some time though. Just don't make me take my clothes off." Ann stated.
"But I spent everything I had on these delectable Japanese sweets..." Yusuke soon revealed.
"Yusuke-san...!" Yumi got out in a chiding manner as her eye twitched.
"That's not the issue here!" Ann however declared. "Seriously though...what're we gonna do about him?" She soon asked.
"How about a manga cafe?" Akira suggested. "Plenty of people live there. Freedom's nearby and it is pretty cheap." He then added and informed.
"I'd rather not pay any sort of rent." Yusuke stated. "Besides, the spaces are too small." He then added.
"Well, seeing as Yusuke is an important member of our team...I'll lend a hand!" Morgana spoke up. "Come stay at our place! It's dirty, but at least you'll have somewhere to sleep!" He then offered.
"Wait what?" Akira got out in confusion to that sudden statement.
"Why're you the one calling the shots?" Ryuji deadpanned.
"Don't you two live in a cafe? I've been wondering about that for a while." Ann questioned and admitted. "Yongen Isn't too far, is it?" She then added.
"Nope! And the cafe's only a minute walk from the station." Morgana informed. "It's a little out of the way, but you can find it pretty easily." He then added.
"How about we go there now? We can have a party to celebrate Madarame's change of heart!" Ryuji soon suggested.
"Ooh, good idea! We can make it a welcome party for Yusuke and Yumi-chan too!" Ann replied.
"Yeah, I think we're all stressed out from everything." Asuka sighed out. "Let's just forget about all this heavy stuff and just be normal teenagers for a little while." She soon suggested.
"All right, it's decided!" Ann replied with a smile.
"Wait, hold on...!" Akira got out. He was not on the best terms with Sojiro, so he was worried that he would refuse.
"Sorry to cause you trouble." Yusuke soon apologized. "By the way...I prefer sleeping on a futon." He then informed the Leader.
"But...I..." Akira started before sighing as he watched his friends walking to the station.
"It'll be up to you to convince the chief." Morgana soon stated, making the Leader's eye twitch.
Akira only shook his bag in response, causing the not cat to yelp as he caught up to his friends.
"Oh yeah, now you can finally see where me and Akira-kun work." Asuka happily pointed out in realization.
"I have been curious Sis." Homura soon admitted with a smile. "I mean you do a lot of work." She then added.
"It's not that bad Homu-nee, I'm learning a lot from both." Asuka however reassured. "Now hurry up, I wanna get this party started already!" She soon declared while pumping a fist into the air.
Nodding in agreement to that, the others soon made it onto the subway, albeit a bit cramped as they headed out.
(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)
"You need more?" Sojiro got out in disbelief over the phone. "I thought you had enough." He then pointed out before sighing. "...Do you know how much trash I have to throw away?" "...Okay, I'll see what I can do." He soon informed.
Ring!
"Sorry, I have to go. See you tonight." Sojiro stated as he heard the door open before hanging up. "Welcome." He then greeted. However, he quickly became confused when he saw it was a bunch of teenagers.
"Ah, what a nice smell..." Ann breathed out.
"So this is why Akira-kun smells like coffee most of the time..." Yumi muttered out.
"This place looks so outdated...I can't say I hate it though." Ryuji admitted.
"People refer to that as retro." Yusuke corrected.
"Hmm, so this is where you're working too, Sis." Homura got out in a curious manner.
"Yeah, it's pretty calming when working here, relaxing really." Asuka then admitted. "Boss is also pretty nice as well, though he may seem a bit rough at first." She soon informed.
"So not only modeling, but also working as a waitress as well as a sushi chef, my word, that seems like a lot for you Asuka-san." Yumi admitted in an impressed tone.
Asuka in turn giggled to that as she rubbed the back of her head. "I thought it would be too, but Akira-kun and Sojiro-san helps me out when it comes to being a waitress along with the cafe's sushi chef and Ann-chan helps me with the scheduling as a model, so it really isn't as hard as I thought it would be." She then revealed.
Homura meanwhile slightly dropped her head in disappointment. "And yet I still can't find a job..." She muttered to herself. "Dammit..." She then got out in frustration.
"Shirokage, you're here." Sojiro meanwhile spoke up.
"Good afternoon Boss." Asuka politely greeted.
"And a whole lot of other people..." The owner added as he looked over the variety of kids looking around the place.
"Hello!" Ann greeted.
"And a lot of girls too..." Sojiro noticed...before his eyes started to drift down. "...Holy hell, what are they feeding these kids..." He mumbled to himself.
The three obviously mentioned girls began to blush in shame at that.
"Akira has really helped us a lot lately." Ann soon informed with a smile.
"Heh, I bet you're the ones doing all the helping." Sojiro however chuckled and guessed.
"No, really, he's been great." Ann then reassured.
"Huh...Sit down. This round'll be on the house." Sojiro got out before he turned to his two employees. "You're helping though." He then ordered.
"Got it, Boss." Akira replied with a quick salute as he went to change.
"...I didn't bring my uniform." Asuka got out.
"It's ok, just grab an apron." Sojiro replied.
"Ooh! I always wanted to try out Asuka-chan's sushi!" Ann got out.
"Yeah, Sis' is the best!" Homura replied with a smirk.
"Hey, I'm down." Ryuji admitted as he took a seat.
"I would like to try some." Yusuke got out.
The cafe owner in response nodded to those requests. "Shirokage, think you can make some sushi for everyone then Sojiro soon asked.
"Hai!" Asuka replied with a salute before dashing off to get an apron just as the Leader came back in his barista outfit and started getting to work.
The cafe owner meanwhile took another look at the girls before nodding. "Now I see why you workout." Sojiro mumbled to himself.
Akira could only blush as he laughed nervously in response.
"Huh?" Homura got out in confusion.
"What are you laughing at, Akira-kun?" Asuka meanwhile asked as she came back.
"Ah, it's probably one of his odd traits..." Yumi guessed as she took in the smells of fresh coffee being made. "Oh...that smells wonderful..." She then breathed out.
"You want ice coffee, Yumi-chan?" Asuka then offered.
"That would be wonderful." Yumi replied with a smile.
"Coming right up then." Sojiro responded with a nod.
Soon enough after a bit of time, everyone got their drinks.
"Ah! It's delicious!" Ann got out in a pleased tone after taking a sip of her coffee.
"Indeed, there's great depth to its acidity." Yusuke agreed before taking another sip. "I'm surprised this place is so quiet if it has coffee this good." He then admitted.
"Oh yeah, I remember now! I think I've seen Leblanc mentioned in a magazine before..." Ann soon got out in realization.
"R-Really!?" Asuka exclaimed as she looked at the owner. "That's amazing, Boss!" She then admitted.
"That was a long time ago." Sojiro sheepishly replied.
"Well, they should write about this place more often." Homura got out as she downed the rest of her coffee. "Ahhh...That really hits the spot..." She breathed out in satisfaction.
"For real? Gimme a taste." "Blech!" Ryuji gagged out before quickly downing his soda.
"You really do not like bitter flavors do you." Yumi noticed.
"Who the hell likes bitter!?" Ryuji called out. "Gah...This has gotta be cruel and unusual punishment!" He then groaned.
"Eh, I didn't drink coffee when I was a kid either." Sojiro chuckled out his confession. "When you first try coffee, you kill off your old taste buds. Once your new taste buds grow in, you'll start to enjoy coffee, prunes and the taste of despair." He soon revealed.
The Thieves proceeded to stop what they were doing and stare at the coffee owner in horror.
"...It was a joke." Sojiro soon informed to ease the group's concerns.
"Uh...Ha ha ha ha...?" Akira awkwardly chuckled out.
"Ah, don't patronise me." Sojiro grumbled out.
"Here you go, sushi made by yours truly." Asuka meanwhile informed as she placed the individual plates out.
"Coffee and sushi...Never expected to taste such a combination..." Yusuke admitted.
"It looks very delectable Asuka-san." Yumi praised.
"Well, eat up already!" Asuka encouraged. "Come on, they aren't meant to be stared at." She then added.
"Hai!" Yumi replied before they began eating.
"Ooooh! It's melting in my mouth!" Ann gushed out in amazement.
"Yeah..." Ryuji got out. "This shit's awesome!" He then added.
"Mmm, this tuna has been cut perfectly and the rice was well prepared." Yusuke informed in a satisfied tone.
"Hai, this is indeed high quality Asuka-san." Yumi soon praised.
Meanwhile, Morgana stewed in his jealousy at being unable to eat the Vice Leader's sushi.
"I kinda want to eat more of those thick and juicy sushi you had when we met." Homura sighed out.
"Only Jii-chan can really make them. My ones pale in comparison." Asuka informed.
"Phrasing..." Akira meanwhile muttered while adjusting his glasses.
"Moh..." Asuka mumbled with a pout.
"Hehe...come on." Akira chuckled out as he gave his fellow employee a cup of coffee. "Enjoy yourself and leave your worries outside the door." He then suggested as he picked up his own cup.
Asuka couldn't help but sigh before nodding and clinking their glasses together. "Hai." She replied before they downed their coffee.
"These're your friends, yeah? Go on and take them up to your room. No need to stay down here." Sojiro soon suggested with a smirk as he watched the interactions.
This in turn got the group's attention as a whole.
"You know, for all the times I've been here, I've never seen Akira-kun's room." Asuka muttered out.
"Ooh! I wanna see!" Ann soon got out in a curious tone.
"It's only an attic." Sojiro however informed.
"Hey, I've been doing my best to make it a home." Akira however revealed.
"Man, that bitter taste just won't leave my mouth," Ryuji soon groaned. "Though the sushi helped..." He then added.
"Thank you very much for the drink." Yusuke thanked the owner.
"Hai, it was quite delicious." Yumi politely stated.
"Up these stairs, right?" "...Oh, and thanks for the soda!" He then called out before the Thieves headed up the stairs except for the ash blonde.
"So, you're uhh..." Sojiro began as he looked over the girl.
"Ann. Ann Takamaki." Ann soon introduced herself.
"Ann-chan, huh...That's a nice name." Sojiro muttered out. "You got a boyfriend?" He then asked in a curious manner.
"Nope. Never have, either." Ann replied and informed.
But before the cafe owner could respond...
"Hey, you gotta get up here! This place's freakin' insane!" Ryuji soon called out.
"Go on." Sojiro got out, shooing her upstairs.
"Oh, right. Thank you for the coffee!" Ann once more thanked before noticing something. "Sheesh. They had to leave the Mona bag down here?" She then grumbled out as she grabbed the bags and walked upstairs.
"Huh, sweet girl." Sojiro remarked as he got another phone call. "Hello?" He then asked over the phone.
"Sojiro...Jokes are funny." The caller informed in a flat tone.
Beeeeeeeeppppppp...
And then hung up.
(Attic)
The Thieves looked around the Leader's room and studied his living conditions.
"Whaddya think of this room?" Ryuji soon asked. "I don't know where to begin with." He then added.
"It seems quite ordinary to me." Yusuke admitted.
"For real...?" Ryuji got out with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, it is pretty similar to the shack. I doubt he's lived anywhere with working heat." Asuka thought.
"It seems like a standard one floor apartment size." Homura however noted.
"Yes. It's about the size of my apartment." Yumi stated. "I'm actually quite jealous you have this much room, actually." She then got out as Ann came up with their bags.
"Oh..." The ash blonde got out as she set the bags down, allowing Morgana to crawl out.
"See? Ain't this crazy?" Ryuji asked.
"It's cleaner than I thought it would be." Ann admitted as she looked around..
"What!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Well, sit wherever you'd like." Morgana offered.
"For an attic though, this is pretty big." Homura admitted in an impressed tone as she took a seat on the love seat.
"Well, it was mostly filled with junk before but I cleaned it up during my first month here." Akira stated. "Still kinda dusty though...Sorry about that." He then admitted and apologized.
"That's okay. It has this cozy feel to it. It's really nice." Yumi admitted as she went and opened the window.
"The bed sucks though." Ryuji pointed out. "It's just a couple of boxes, man!" He then added.
"Okay, that's going on the Make Joker's Life More Comfortable List." Asuka soon declared. "A minifridge and a real bed." She then listed off.
"You don't have to do that." Akira muttered out as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Maybe, but we want to." Asuka replied with a smile.
"Wow, you really put that poster up, Akira." Ann noticed the Sapphire poster she gifted the boy when they hung out that one time.
"Why wouldn't I?" Akira however asked with a smirk. "Plus, I kept that chocolate fountain you gave me too." He then informed.
"Really!? You got something like that!?" Asuka asked in a curious yet excited manner before looking over to see, yes, he indeed had a chocolate fountain. "Where did you get it!?"
"Ah I won it from the WIlton Hotel but I didn't need it, so I gave it to him." Ann explained as she looked at the Leader. "You've been changing the chocolate, right." She then asked.
"Yeah." Akira replied with a nod.
"I'll go check if we have strawberries then for chocolate fondue." Asuka got out as she headed back downstairs.
Turns out, Sojiro didn't have any, but a quick trip to the market rectified that and now the Thieves were snacking on chocolate-covered strawberries while they began to discuss business.
"We're all over the news." Yusuke informed. "Even those who previously believed in us have been influenced by the comments made on TV." He then added while eating one of the strawberries.
"This is all that effin' Akechi's fault!" Ryuji yelled in frustration.
"Keep it down. We don't want anyone hearing us." Yusuke however chided.
"At this rate we're just going to worry everyone instead of giving them courage..." Ann groaned out.
"We can't let this discourage us though." Yumi however advised. "We have to keep going regardless of what people think of us." She then stated.
"Yeah, but we have the police after us." Akira reminded. "And people aren't gonna post requests on the Phan-site if they don't believe in us." He then added.
"We need to find a way to make our righteousness known to society." Asuka declared.
"Yes, it's time we think about our next move. You were planning on discussing that today, right?" Morgana soon asked.
"Yes. First, we need to search for a candidate."Akira replied.
"Yeah, the principal will have to be put on the backburner for now." Homura stated with a frown. She didn't like it, but if they just changed his heart right now, they'd probably cause a panic or something.
"It's not like we're just gonna stumble upon some important target though." Ryuji pointed out. "You guys don't know anyone, do you?" He then asked.
"I don't..." Ann got out.
"Me neither..." Akira responded.
"I don't have anyone too." Homura replied with a shake of her head.
"Me neither." Asuka replied. "Yumi-chan, anything from the network?" She soon asked.
"Nothing so far." Yumi sighed out.
"Whaddya think, Leader?" Ryuji soon asked.
"What about the news?" Akira suggested.
"Well...there probably are a lot of famous targets on TV..." Morgana got out.
"However, the suspects on the news are already being pursued by the police." Yusuke pointed out. "Even if we make them confess their crimes, the police will take the credit. That won't do."
"Dammit...We're never gonna prove Akechi wrong at this rate...!" Ryuji soon growled out.
Grrr...!
"Whoa!" Asuka exclaimed. "That sounded like a yōma about to pounce!" She then declared.
The Kosei Student Council President however knew exactly what it was. "...Yusuke-san..." Yumi sighed out.
"Sorry...I haven't eaten anything since yesterday save for Asuka's sushi just now..." Yusuke awkwardly apologized.
"And you spent all your money on that box of sweets!?" Ann exclaimed in shock.
"Dude, how much did you have...?" Ryuji however asked.
"Not enough I'm afraid..." Yumi sighed out. "Even when I tell him to..." She then added.
"Anyway, we'll just have to sit tight until we can find another target or eventually get the principal's distortion." Ann stated. "So...How about that welcome party?" She soon suggested with a smile and to change the subject.
"Someone's excited." Ryuji commented.
Ann just giggled in response before looking around. "Hey, I think I found something. Isn't that a portable stove?" She got out as she saw the stove on the shelf. "Can't we make hot pot on it?"
"That sounds great! I've heard that eating hot pot together brings people closer!" Morgana replied.
"Anything with meat's fine by me!" Ryuji got out.
"Ooh...Pork sounds amazing right now...!" Homura admitted as she drooled a little.
"I only ask that we finish it off with porridge. Extra parsley, of course." Yusuke soon requested and suggested.
"So, what do you say?" Ann asked their Leader.
"Sure. And we'll finish it off with some udon!" Akira agreed enthusiastically.
"Whattt!?" Yusuke got out in disbelief.
"Whattt, my ass!" Ryuji however called out. "You don't have any cash! C'mon, let's go buy ingredients."
"I'll need gingko nuts, wonton wrappers, and..." Yusuke soon began listing off what to buy as the light grey haired girl could only shake her head.
"Yusuke-san always did have an interest in cooking." Yumi muttered out. "It's just that he could never afford any ingredients to cook." She then explained.
"We'll take care of the shopping. Could you borrow a pot from downstairs while we're out? We can split the cost later." Ann got out.
"Sure." Akira replied. "Hopefully Boss won't mind."
"Sis, do you mind going and getting pork?" Homura soon requested.
"Sure, Homu-nee." Asuka replied before she realized what she just requested. "Wait what?" She soon asked as she became nervous.
"Is something wrong?" Ann asked as they went downstairs.
"I-I'm not comfortable around the meat section..." Asuka meekly admitted.
This however caused the tan skinned girl to raise an eyebrow. "Why? I know you're not a vegetarian with all the meals I make Sis." Homura questioned.
"I-It's just somewhere I'm not comfortable around, alright!" Asuka suddenly exclaimed, a blush gracing her face as a result.
"Ah I'm sure you'll be fine Asuka." Ryuji assured without any care or concern.
"NoIwon'tnoIwon'tnoIwon'tnoIwon'tnoIwon'tnoIwon'tnoIwon't..." Asuka however thought in a concerned yet panicked manner. Still, pork did sound nice right now.
"Sis?" Homura called out, seeing the far off expression on her face.
"O-Okay...I'll do it...for the good of the hot pot! I will face my fear and get the greatest slab of pork ever to grace the earth! Wish me luck, Homu-nee, because if I return with my dignity intact, then I have failed this mission of life or death!" Asuka declared with an expression of determination on her face...which would've worked if it weren't her knees knocking together, showing her very obvious fear.
The rest of the group however became confused by this declaration.
"...What?" Yumi got out in confusion.
"Such flair, Asuka!" Yusuke got out in an impressed tone.
"...Asuka-chan, you're just getting pork from down the street." Ann awkwardly pointed out.
"O-Oh...Um...Er..." Asuka tried to say something, blushing rather intensely. "I...Um...I'm gonna go get the pork now." She got out as she quickly dashed down the stairs.
"You go do that." Ryuji deadpanned.
"We are a rather odd group, aren't we?" Yumi remarked, giggling slightly at the Vice Leader's antics.
"Hehe...We are. Now let's go!" Ann cheered out before leaving the cafe to gather the ingredients.
Soon enough, most of the Thieves came back carrying bags of ingredients to the attic, where Akira was already setting the portable stove and hot pot.
However, there were two things missing...
"Okay...I think that's everything..." Yumi got out. "Oh, wait, where's the pork?"
"Uh...Asuka was supposed to get it." Ryuji reminded.
"Where is Sis anyways? She should be here by now..." Homura soon asked, sounding a little worried.
At that moment however...
"G-Guys..." An innocent and meek voice called out.
"Oh, Asuka-chan! What took you so-" Ann started to greet, only to stop and freeze as soon as they saw what happened to the Vice Leader with widened eyes as she came up the stairs.
Mainly, the butcher's twine tied around her large breasts as if it were a roast ready to go in an oven. She even managed to lose her shirt.
This meanwhile caused the other girls to wince at the sight. "Oh, that looks like it chafes." Akira thought.
"Uuuuuh..." Ryuji got out, his head red at the sight.
"How?" Akira bluntly asked, his head being the same as the dyed blond.
"Well...that's not something you see every day..." Yusuke muttered out.
"A-Asuka-san..." Yumi got out, shocked by the sight as a blush formed on her face. "What...?" She began to ask, however...
"P-Please don't ask." Asuka sighed out as she sat down, allowing her to work on untying her breasts while using one of her arms to cover herself. "Homu-nee, can you please help me?" She soon asked in a meek manner.
"Uh...sure..." Homura got out as she leaned in. "Ann, Yumi. Come and help." She then requested.
"Hai..." Yumi responded with a nod.
"Yeah..." Ann replied.
With that, the other girls walked towards and gathered around the Vice Leader as they began cutting and untying the strings.
"This...has happened to you before hasn't it?" Ann awkwardly guessed.
"Mmhm..." Asuka hummed out with a nod.
"...How many times?" Ryuji had to ask.
"Too many." Asuka sighed out.
"Hey, where's the pork?" Akira questioned as he looked over the ingredients.
"..." Asuka remained silent as the look of horror dawned on her pale face. "Ack...!" She squeaked out.
"W-We already have enough protein for the pot already." Homura awkwardly got out. "Now can we please forget everything that happened in the last ten minutes and start cooking?" She soon suggested.
"Y-Yeah..." Akira replied as he began distracting himself by dumping the ingredients into the pot.
"Uh, for the future, I also have trouble at the seafood section..." Asuka mumbled out. "...M-Mainly those with...tentacles..." She then added.
"Hm, like The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife?" Yusuke guessed.
"..." The other girls meanwhile said nothing to that as they already had figured out what the Vice Leader meant.
"...No octopus or squid." Homura bluntly declared in a protective manner.
"I agree with Homura-san." Yumi replied with a nod. "Well, at least living ones..." She then added.
"Ok, that's soundin' like somethin' out of a hentai..." Ryuji muttered.
"Yeah..." Akira replied in agreement. "Tentacles...it had to be tentacles..." He then added.
"Is that like doujinshi?" Yusuke meanwhile asked.
"Please stop talking about that and let's cook!" Asuka soon requested with a scarlet blush. "Umm...do you have any spare shirts Akira-kun?" She soon asked.
"Let me see." Akira got out as he went to check his box. "Uhh...You like Gas Chamber?" He then asked.
"E-Excuse me?" Yumi choked out.
"I dunno, it's some band my parents listened to back in the day." Akira explained as he handed the t-shirt over to the Vice Leader. "Here you go." He then got out.
"It'll do until I get my shirt back later..." Asuka mumbled out. This would definitely show her bellybutton but it was not like she had much of a choice. "Now, let the hot pot party begin!" She declared in anticipation.
Some time later...the hot pot was completely cleaned out as the Thieve just relaxed and let the food settle in their stomachs.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh..." The Thieves breathed out in satisfaction.
"Oh man, I can't eat another bite..." Ryuji groaned out as he rubbed his stomach.
"That was delicious, Lady Ann. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful bride some-" Morgana began prasing, however...
Suddenly the ash blonde let out a yawn. "Sorry, I'm gonna have to borrow the sofa." Ann got out as she settled into a more comfortable position before closing her eyes.
"Have a nice nap, Ann-chan." "You have a blanket Akira-kun?" She then asked.
"She can borrow the one on my bed for a little bit." Akira replied as he got up and went to his bed before coming back with it, covering the ash blonde as she started to doze off.
"Oh yeah, that was a good meal." Homura sighed out in satisfaction.
"What's wrong, Yusuke?" Morgana asked, noticing the artist's sad expression.
"We haven't finished our meal. What about the porridge, or even udon...?" Yusuke questioned.
"Just leave it for next time, man..." Ryuji groaned out, looking about ready to take a nap himself.
Suddenly, they heard the ash blonde begin to snore. "Zzzzzz..." Ann snored out.
"She's asleep already...!?" Morgana exclaimed.
"We should let Ann-chan rest for a bit." Asuka soon suggested. "It has been a really long day today." She then added while stretching her arms.
"By the way, Ryuji...how do you know Ann?" Yusuke asked.
"Huh? Oh, we went to middle school together." Ryuji replied.
"Really?" Yumi asked in a curious manner.
"What was Lady Ann like back then?" Morgana had to ask.
"Not so different from now. Once we got to high school, we ended up in different classes and stopped talkin'." Ryuji answered with a shrug. "...I don't think she had many friends. I mean, she grew up overseas, plus there's her looks. The popular kids hate her; the quiet ones stay away." He then explained.
"Envy, such a distasteful feeling." Yumi stated.
"It is one of the seven deadly sins after all." Akira spoke up.
"I see...So, what about everyone else?" Yusuke soon questioned.
"Us...?" Ryuji got out in surprise.
"This is a great opportunity to get to know each other better. You know every detail of my past at this point. It's only fair you tell me every detail of yours." Yusuke pointed out.
"So you got nothin' to lose, huh? All right, I'll tell you. It's just a normal story about a rotten kid though." Ryuji stated as they all shifted their seats closer. "After my dad left, it's been me and my mom since. I was actually tryin' to get a track scholarship so I could make things easier for her. Then the shit with Kamoshida and the bull 'bout self-defense happened and, well, you know what happened. In the end, I just screwed it all up. Turns out I'm a pretty bad son, huh?" He then got out with a sad chuckle.
"No you aren't Ryuji-kun." Asuka responded while shaking her head.
"Indeed, Kamoshida was the vile one for putting you through what you've been through." Yumi added in agreement.
"I know but...it was my anger that got the better of me." Ryuji sighed out. "Back when I was a first-year, my mom got called out to school for me raisin' my hand at Kamoshida. All the teachers kept houndin' her for what I did, but she just stayed quiet through it all...I'll never forget the look she had on her face though...On the way home, she...she apologized to me. For bein' a single mom and all..." He then explained and revealed.
"Ryuji...She had nothing to apologize for." Homura however stated. "She raised you quite well."
"Yeah. She's really nice." Asuka got out with a nod.
"So that's what happened..." Yusuke got out with a frown. "They say at school that everyone is equal, but in reality that's a gross oversimplification..." He then stated. "...I understand how you feel." He soon admitted.
"I guess if we're all spilling out our backstories, we should all go around to cover our bases." Homura muttered out. "Yusuke, you never heard our stories, right?" She then asked.
"Never." Yusuke answered with a shake of his head. "Why don't we start with yours, Asuka-san?" He soon requested.
"I...I don't really have that much of a story to tell..." Asuka admitted. "I have loving parents and relatives, grew up dreaming of being the greatest shinobi and all that while going to Hanzō Academy. Made plenty of friends and just...lived life." She began explaining. "But...When I got Kaeru, I realised just how much of my life had been set since I was born." She soon confessed. "I was the only one who could continue the legacy of the legendary shinobi. I had to be the greatest, everyone expects me to be the greatest but...I...I just can't. And...if I wasn't legendary, I'm nothing but a stain of that legacy..." She then added.
"Asuka-san..." Yumi got out, slightly saddened to hear that. "You are nothing of the sorts." She soon stated in reassurance.
"I know but...there are still a lot of people who expect more of me..." Asuka mumbled out. "It's one thing to start from nothing, but it's another to start from something and be forced to be greater..." She then added.
"The burden of a legacy..." Akira muttered out. "That's why you need to find your own path instead of growing into their shadow." He soon stated.
"Hai. I know that now." Asuka responded with a nod.
"And how did you become a shinobi, Homura?" Yusuke asked
"Well...It all started to go wrong when I thought I killed the bastard called Komichi." Homura began. "I was born into a good shinobi cIan. The Heiress for them, even. Used to be a sweet kid. But it was in middle school that I met this...amazing guy. He was handsome and caring and...he was everything I wanted in a guy back then. And I uh...sort of told him I was a shinobi. I thought I could trust him but...he went and attacked me. Turns out he was an Evil Shinobi assigned to kill the heirs of Good Shinobi clans. He confessed that he got a kick out of seeing the shocked looks of those he betrayed. I just...snapped." She then got out as she clenched her hands into fists. "I couldn't remember what happened other than the fact that I found his dead body on the floor...until Wolverine helped me remember that Komichi actually committed suicide to frame me and get me exiled from my former clan by using the Good Shinobi code against me, but I just knew that I could easily shove my katanas down his throat if he didn't do stuff. It didn't matter though. All I had left after that was the clothes on my back and a sword I can't even use. Then after wandering around for god knows how long, a woman saw me and offered me a place to belong and lo and behold, I became a Hebijo student and eventually one of the Elites with nothing to live for but the next battle."
"And then her clan had a mental shutdown...which was what led me to coming to Tokyo." Asuka soon revealed.
"Shit..." Ryuji got out. "I did not remember most of that."
"I don't think I ever told anyone but Sis before but...yeah, you're looking at the last surviving member of the Shinkukage clan. And technically the heiress again." Homura informed
"Life was not kind to you." Yusuke simply stated.
"Yeah, that's...that's pretty obvious." Homura mumbled out.
"You were naive to reveal such information." Yumi however pointed out.
"I know, part of it was also due to stress from...family training..." Homura groaned out in a vague manner, deciding to leave it there. "Alright, who's next?" She then asked.
"R-Right, my apologies Homura-san..." Yumi stammered out to the reminder.
"You're an orphan too, right Yumi?" Ryuji remembered. "How'd ya lose your parents?" He soon asked, before getting smacked in the head.
"Goddammit, Ryuji! Show some tact." Homura called out.
"No no, it's alright. I'm quite over it. Besides I don't know. It just happened when I was eight." Yumi responded as she shook her head. "All I was told was that they were killed in the line of duty against Evil Shinobi. They kept telling me at their funeral that they were admirable shinobi but...I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it! All that praise would never bring them back!" She then got out in frustration before her expression calmed. "But it was then that I met Ojii-sama and he took me in, gave me my new name and trained me as a shinobi." She soon explained. "He then later found four other girls whose families were killed by Evil Shinobis and took them in as well, in a sense becoming my sisters as we all trained together to fight against Evil Shinobis." She then added.
"So he gave you everything..." Akira whispered out.
"Yes. He gave me a reason to live." Yumi got out. "I grew stronger not because of the need for revenge...but the need to better the world. A greater goal than a personal grudge." She then explained.
"Wow, Akira and the shinobi girls have a lot of things in common..." Ryuji muttered.
"Is this about his past?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah. Screwed over, labelled and then thrown away. Sounds about right..." Akira sighed out.
"Now that I think about it, we never have heard the details." Morgana admitted.
"Right, me, Sis and Ryuji heard about what happened to Akira after Ryuji got his Persona." "How exactly did it go?" She then asked, causing the Leader to pinch the bridge of his nose.
How many times was he going to tell this story?
He told it to the police during questioning, which he was pretty sure that they weren't listening to at all. He told it to his parents when they picked him up. He told it at the trial he knew he was going to lose as soon as that woman came to the witness stand. He told it to himself before he moved to Tokyo, wondering how his life had gone to shit. And once more, he told the story to Ryuji, Asuka and Homura after their second visit to the castle, the only friends he had in the world at the time.
And now he was going to tell it again. He wanted to forget about it and just coast through this probation, but after everything with the Metaverse and the shinobi...
(Rewind)
It was evening. The sun had set some time ago and Akira was heading home. The cool night calmed him down as he hurried home.
Cram school had been particularly tough today and he wanted nothing but to sleep. However, fate said otherwise.
"Aaahh!"
Akira raised his head after hearing a woman scream. They seemed to be up ahead.
"GET IN THE CAR!"
"No! Someone, help!"
"Shut up, you bitch! Now get in!"
Akira shook his head as he kept walking. If he called the police, it would be too late...
"Stop struggling! You can scream all you want when we get home!"
"STOP IT!"
He shouldn't. There was nothing he could do. It probably would...
Probably...
"...Dammit." Akira whispered to himself before running towards the screams.
"Tch...What a waste of time." The drunk man growled as he tightened his grip on the woman. "You think you're worth causing me trouble? Huh?" He then questioned.
"I-I'll...I'll call the police!" The struggling woman soon threatened.
"Heh, call them if you want!" The drunken man got out. "The police are my bitches. They're not gonna take you seriously. Hell, I'll even make 'em join in." He then added.
What...the hell...? What did he mean by that!?
However, they all suddenly heard sirens in the distance and they were getting closer.
"Someone called the cops, huh?" The man growled. "Get in the car! Incompetent fools like you just need the shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!" He then exclaimed as he forced the woman closer into the car.
Akira grit his teeth as he heard all this. He had to be powerful. Abusing his position to get what he wants.
No...
He won't let him!
"...What're you looking at? Get outta my face!" The drunken man ordered. "This ain't a show, kid. Now get lost!" He then added to the order. "See? This is all because you're so damn slow! Get in the car!" He soon accused the woman.
"No." Akira replied firmly. "You're obviously hurting her. You should just get a glass of water and leave." He then advised.
Akira had tried to act calmly to not escalate the situation. He just wanted the man to just walk away and forget about this entire thing. He was in no state to drive anyways. He probably would've killed himself and the woman and god knows who else.
"Please, let's act like adults and calm down." Akira soon suggested.
"Shut it! You don't get to order me around!" The man screamed as he went for a punch...
Akira reached out to stop him but it was too late, he tripped over his own feet and hit his head on the curb.
"Gah...!" The man grunted in pain as he glared at the boy, blood running down from his forehead to his nose.
"H-Hey are you okay?" Akira got out in worry.
"Damn brat! I'll sue!" The drunken and now injured man declared in anger.
Those words...
It really shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did now but...
It instilled a great fear in him that it haunts him to this day.
"If you keep this up...Then I'll report about the money! Is that fine with you!?" The woman quickly threatened, hiding behind the boy.
"All I have to say is that you did it on your own, and it's over." The injured man stated.
"But...I just did as I was told..." The woman stammered out.
"Who do you think I am?" The man soon pointed out.
"No..." The woman gasped out as she shivered in fear.
Akira really didn't know what was happening, all he could do was glare at the guy and try to get him to walk away.
"Hey. Make this statement to the cops." The man suddenly ordered. "This kid suddenly attacked me. Got it?" He soon instructed.
What...?
He...
He was not that strong...
He didn't even touch the guy...!
"If you even try to say anything else, you know what'll happen to you, right?" The man soon got out.
"Huh? But-" The woman whispered out as she looked at the boy.
"That's bullshit! You can't do that!" Akira exclaimed, shocked to hearing that demand.
"Shut up. You're done for. You're gonna learn what happens when you cross me..." The man growled, just as police officers arrived onto the scene.
"Excuse me, folks. We received a complaint about an argument here. Is something the matter?" The burly-looking officer asked before noticing the drunken man. "Oh! It's you, sir!" He then got out in a more fear filled manner.
These guys knew him...?
"So, what happened? Explain it to the good officer." The drunken man soon ordered in a serious tone.
"...That young man suddenly attacked him..." The woman suddenly confessed. "He shoved this gentleman to the ground. And this man...got injured..." She then informed.
What the hell...?
Why did she say that!?
This can't be real.
All he did was tripped over his own damn feet!
"...It's as she says." The man got out with a vile smirk. "Also...make sure you deal with this so my name isn't mentioned at all."
Akira realised that the woman even avoided using the man's name.
She didn't want him to know who he was.
"You understand what that means, correct?"
"Y-Yes, sir! Hey, cuff him!" The first officer responded in a nervous tone.
"U-Understood."
Wait, what was happening?
Did he really just order those police officers?
Hold on, what about the woman? At least take her away from that man!
"H-Hey! Wait! What are you-" Akira started in shock.
"You have the right to remain silent." The officer simply stated, interrupting the boy before throwing him into the car.
SLAM!
After being shoved into that police car, everything became a blur. The trial, the verdict, the arguing from his parents, the expulsion...
Next thing he knew he was on his way to Tokyo.
(Fast Forward)
"I see, so that is what happened to you, Akira-kun..." Yumi got out, clearly upset over learning what had happened. "That's...my word..." She soon got out in a hesitant tone.
"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction Yumi-chan." Asuka sighed out. "Why ruin his life when it's his own fault...?" She then asked.
"It's a load of bull though..." Homura muttered in anger while her roommate nodded in agreement.
Ryuji just shook his head to that. "Just listenin' to it pisses me off..." He soon started in anger. "Goddammit...! You got an assault on your record just for that?" He then stated more than asked.
"The woman sounds quite horrible as well. She's stayed quiet this whole time..." Yusuke then stated.
"That man is just the kind of person whose heart we should steal!" Morgana got out. "Who is he, and where can we find him!?" He soon asked.
The Leader however sighed. "Again, it's in the past. There's nothing I can do about it now, so I'm making the most of my time here." Akira soon stated. "Besides, I have you guys to make life better." He then admitted.
"Still, what happened to you was complete bullshit." Asuka got out, angry and disgusted to remembering the first time she learned about it.
"Asuka-san, language..." Yumi chidded before sighing. "Though...it is understandable." She then admitted.
"Hey wait, with Yumi's info network, she could probably track the bastard down." Ryuji realised.
"You're quite right. Do you remember any more details? Maybe a physical description of the man who sued you?" Yumi replied with a nod, followed by the question.
Akira however shook his head. "It's been a long time since then, it was too dark to see his face and the guy didn't even show up to the trial." He informed. "It's not fair, I know, but it's not like time travel exists. You can't change the past, so you may as well change the future." He then stated.
"I'm actually surprised you can still smile and joke around after all that." Ann got out.
"Well, recent developments have returned my sense of humor." Akira amusingly revealed.
"Oh, so you were always a jackass?" Ryuji quipped out, causing the Thieves to chuckle a little..
"I just hope that woman hasn't been hurt afterwards." Akira muttered out. "And I hope she stayed far away from that man."
"Wait, you're still worrying about her!?" Homura asked.
"Yeah? What's the problem with that? She had her reasons to screw me over." Akira answered with a shrug. "I'm angry at her but considering her situation I can understand."
"Akira, you are way too forgiving." Morgana stated.
"Oh, like I am when fighting people like Kamoshida and Madarame?" Akira however questioned. "Let me tell you, I intend not to let another situation like that happen ever again to anyone else. One heart at a time." He then explained.
"Akira-kun..." Asuka whispered out with widened eyes.
"Besides...I'd gladly do it again." Akira stated with a smirk.
"As expected of Joker of the Phantom Thieves." Morgana got out in an impressed tone.
"Besides, the victim's personal information is always kept secret. Identifying that man will prove difficult..." Yusuke muttered out.
"And the courts already made their ruling, didn't they?" Homura pointed out. "Even if we manage to get revenge, Akira's past record won't go away unless he confessed to it." She then added.
"He was drunk, right? I doubt he'd even remember doing something like that." Asuka growled in a low tone.
"I just can't stand it though...This world is so messed up!"" Ryuji soon declared in frustration. "The weak're left to fight for themselves, while rotten adults get away with whatever they want!" He then added in anger.
"And those in power don't do anything to help the situation." Morgana then added while narrowing his eyes.
"God...I'd do anything to go back and make this guy pay..." Homura got out.
"Can't we fix this though...Nobody would even know..." Yusuke pointed out. "We just need to show the world what true justice is. We'll make them come to their senses." He soon stated.
"You're right, Yusuke! That's gotta be what our powers're for!" Ryuji declared in agreement..
"Sounds good to me. The flashier our missions are, the cooler we end up looking!" Morgana replied.
"To ourselves." Homura pointed out. "It's not like we can film anything we do in the Metaverse. And what does being cooler have to do with anything?" She meanwhile asked.
"To have fun." Asuka replied with a smile.
"You could cool down a little more Homura-san." Yumi admitted with a giggle. "Nothing that my training can't help with." She meanwhile thought.
Homura however pouted to that before smirking. "Ah, whatever. We're all a little crazy anyways, so why not?" She soon got out.
"You've all taught me so much." Yusuke however confessed.
Suddenly, the ash blonde sat up. "What're you guys getting all excited about?" Ann groaned out as she rubbed her eyes.
Oh, sorry...Did we wake you up?
"Nah, not really. I've been up for a while now." Ann answered. "Still, this weird feeling came over me while I was listening to you guys...It almost feels like I've known you all for forever..." She soon confessed.
"Hm?" Asuka hummed out in a curious tone as she tilted her head in confusion to hearing that.
"Do you think it's because our backgrounds are so similar?" Ann guessed.
"Well...it sure ain't 'cause of anything good." Ryuji replied with a shrug.
"It's not gonna be like we're all secretly related or something?" Akira got out with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, a lot of us don't have the best parents." He then pointed out, only to earn a punch to the shoulder. "Ow!"
Morgana however frowned in response. "Similar, huh...I'm the only one who doesn't fit in..." He got out and reminded.
"Hm?" Ryuji hummed out as they turned to the not cat.
"I don't have any past to look back on...No memories..." Morgana muttered in depression.
"Whaddya mean? We could search the whole world and we wouldn't find a bigger misfit than you." Ryuji stated. "And the reason we're goin' to Mementos is to get your memories back, right?" He then reminded more than asked.
"I'm sure your past will be just as troubled as ours." Yusuke assured.
"I mean, he could be a shinobi too..." Yumi added. "I mean, it would explain quite a few of his skills." She then added.
"No doubt." Ryuji agreed with a nod.
"With our luck, he will actually be a she." Homura then joked in amusement.
"Hmph, we'll see about that!" Morgana got out in an annoyed tone.
"I actually feel like I've known Morgana for a really long time too. It's so strange...I can't really put it into words." Ann soon confessed.
"Look, I'm helping you guys out for my own sake. Don't get me wrong! If you don't get stronger, investigating Mementos won't be anything but a pipe dream!"
"Tsundere cat..." Akira meanwhile muttered quietly to himself.
"That sure was a quick turnaround." Ryuji muttered out as he blinked. "One second you're depressed, the next you're actin' all tough..." He then mumbled under his breath.
"All joking aside...let's take this seriously. We should go as far with it as we can..." Ann got out. "I want to punish those corrupt adults and give courage to people in trouble...Only we can do that!" She then concluded.
"Ha! You can say that again!" Ryuji laughed out.
"All joking aside..." Ann began, only for the Vice Leader to giggle and nudge her shoulder.
"We will be a true force of justice." Yumi soon stated in a determined manner.
"A justice only we know." Homura then added with a solemn smile.
"Being a member of the Phantom Thieves will surely help me grow, both as an artist and as a person." Yusuke stated.
"Yeah, I wanna be more than just a shinobi!" Asuka declared.
"Of course. You're under my tutelage, after all. There's nothing we can't accomplish!" Morgana soon reminded in a confident manner.
"Well...I hope we can keep this up. We should be all right with you two as our leaders."
"Leave it to us!" Asuka happily declared while pumping a fist.
"We won't let you down." Akira assured with a nod before checking his phone. "Whoa...okay. It's eight o' clock..." He then informed.
"...Whoa, it's this late?" Ann gasped out as she checked her phone as well.
"I guess now's a good time to call it for the night!" Ryuji suggested as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah, we should all get home before the trains close for the night." Yumi advised as she stood up and stretched.
"Oh, that reminds me! The owner said you're free to crash here, Yusuke." Ann informed the homeless artist.
"That's...very kind of him." Yusuke got out in surprise.
"You convinced him, didn't you? You go, Miss Older-Dude-Charmer!"
"Dude, no." Homura deadpanned as she shook her head. "Just...no." She then muttered.
"What kind of nickname is that!?"
"Hm, I won't be able to sleep unless I take a bath..."
"Oh! How about we all go to the bathhouse?" Asuka then happily suggested.
"I could use one." Homura replied with a smile as she took out and looked at her phone. "We got time before the trains stop running." She then added.
"They are only 500 yen." Morgana then revealed.
"That's a steal!" Asuka and Homura exclaimed in unison.
"I could go for a nice bath." Yumi soon admitted with a smile.
"Yeah, that sounds awesome right now." Ann got out in an excited tone.
The Vice Leader then looked at the ash blonde. "Come on Ann-chan, this can be an all girls bonding moment." Asuka soon suggested with a smile.
This in turn caused Ann to giggle. "Sure!" She replied as she stood up. "I could go for a bath before heading home." She then admitted.
"Then I guess we'll have our all guys bonding moment then." Akira got out.
"Too bad I can;t join you guys..." Morgana sighed out.
"Dude, you'd probably sneak into the girl's section." Ryuji pointed out. "You're staying here." He then added.
This however caused the not cat to blush. "I-I would never!" Morgana exclaimed in denial.
"Suuuurrrreeee..." Akira deadpanned before all the human Thieves began to leave.
(Yongen-Jaya, Bathhouse)
After leaving the cafe, the group followed the Leader as they literally walked right across the street to see a Laundromat as well as the entrance to the bathhouse.
"Huh, this really is convenient." Homura pointed out as she looked at the bathhouse door.
"Hey, do you think we can convince our guardians to move us here?" Asuka asked.
"Isn't your bathroom, like, already a mini-bathhouse?" Ryuji pointed out.
"It can only hold up to three people." Homura however informed as she looked at her roommate and the light grey haired girl, who nodded in confirmation. "Our bath is fine for me and Sis, however I'd rather bathe in a large bath or hot springs when it comes to a group of friends." She then explained as the girls headed in.
"Yeah, well, just watch out of the old ladies. I heard they get touchy and judgemental." Akira warned before heading inside as well and turned to head for the male side.
"Wait what?" Asuka got out in confusion as the girls went to the female side. "Wait, what do you mean by that!?" She then asked.
"Sis, come on!" Homura however called out.
"H-Hai!" Asuka quickly replied before heading in as well, arriving at the lockers.
"Basically girls like Risa and her groupies being jealous, Asuka-chan." Ann whispered while taking off her uniform.
"Risa isn't touchy though..." Asuka mumbled out as she rubbed her breasts while taking off her uniform as well.
"What are you doing...?" Yumi meanwhile asked, already down to her light blue bra and panties.
That in response caused the Vice Leader to snap out of her daze. "Sorry, just half-expecting for Katsu-nee to ambush me." Asuka sheepishly explained.
"Eh?" Yumi got out in confusion. "Katsu-nee?" She then repeated in a curious manner.
"She's a girl who likes boobs. A lot." Homura groaned out.
"Huh." Yumi got out. "Well-" She then started.
"And I mean a lot." Homura continued in a serious tone, interrupting the light grey haired girl. "Like...Declares herself the Queen of Sexual Harassment proudly type of thing." She then added.
This meanwhile caused the ash blonde and light grey haired girls to look at the two roommates in concern.
The light grey haired girl soon paled to that explanation. "Don't tell me...does she like groping other girls?" Yumi soon asked while making a groping motion with her hands as the ash blonde looked at her in disbelief to the deduction.
"...When I went to visit my friends, three of them told me they went up a couple cup sizes as a result of Katsu-nee..." Asuka revealed.
"...Bullshit." Ann bluntly stated. "That's not possible." She then added in denial while grabbing a towel.
"But that's what shinobi do." Homura responded as the other girls grabbed their towels as well after fully stripping and putting their clothes in the hampers. "Do the impossible to complete their missions." She then stated.
"Hai." Asuka replied in agreement.
"But...making others breasts bigger?" Ann then asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah..." Homura sighed out.
"Still though, shinobi girls are really well developed...and they really bounce..." Ann muttered with a sweatdrop as she looked at her friends. "Got any tips?" She then asked.
"Uh...have good genetics...?" Homura answered in an unsure tone. "Besides, you're getting up there." She then encouraged.
"Not on your levels though." Ann however pointed out. "I'm just concerned about your spines. They must hurt like hell." She then added.
"They should, but our training mitigates it." Yumi informed. "There are many downsides to having such large sexual characteristics that many do not consider until they are cursed with them." She then explained.
"Cursed?" Ann repeated with a raised eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean by that Yumi-chan?" She then asked.
"Well, they often get in the way of training at first before fully getting used to them, it draws unwanted attention and it makes various outfits impossible for us to wear." Yumi explained. "My kimono for example can't go over my shoulders, for example." She then informed.
"Hmm...I guess you're right..." Ann admitted. "Besides, I think my spine would snap in two if I had a chest like that." She then muttered out.
"Spinal problems are actually not an issue." Yumi however revealed.
"My spine. I'm not as strong as all of you." Ann corrected and explained. "Though maybe I should get more training from Homura." She then added.
"Well, getting a chest like ours is not gonna happen any time soon." Homura pointed out. "You're already beautiful, don't get weighed down by such a thing." She then assured. "But I'm always here for training if you need it." She soon offered with a grin.
"Just don't take it too far Homura." Ann requested. "Hehe, maybe I'll deduct the amount you and Asuka-chan have to pay me back for if you take it easy." She then added with a giggle.
"Uh, yeah, not worth it." Homura stated. "I need you ready to face shinobi, no slacking from either of us."
"Homu-nee!" Asuka yelped out in shock before sighing in realization. "Though she has a point with what recently happened to Akira-kun..." She then admitted.
That caused the ash blonde to wince at that reminder. "Oh...right..." Ann muttered. "In that case...I guess I can deal with the amount of training you're giving since it's to help us out." She then replied.
"Good, because just for that, I'm gonna train you even harder than before!" Homura declared, causing the ash blonde to whimper in a nervous manner
"Huh." Yumi got out in surprise, getting everyone's attention.
"What is it Yumi-chan?" Ann asked.
"Well, I've noticed that Asuka-san doesn't seem to have any battle scars..." Yumi replied.
"Oh, what?" Homura got out in disbelief. "...Actually, now that I think about it, yeah, I've never seen any when we bathed together Sis." She admitted.
"You guys don't have, like, some healing factor or some type of technique that takes care of that?" Ann however asked in concern.
Homura however shook her head to that. "Nope. At least, as far as I know." Homura got out. She answered. "Besides, I like them. They are signs of my struggles, of every battle I've ever faced and every mistake I made. A reminder that I'm alive and strong." She then confessed and explained.
"Homu-nee...so cool..." Asuka got out in amazement to hearing the reasoning.
"That's...pretty metal." Ann admitted. "Anyways, do you really not have scars, Asuka-chan?" She then asked.
"I do have some scars, they're just...kinda all on my butt..." Asuka sheepishly admitted while gripping her towel. "...You wanna see them?" She then offered.
"Uh, no." Ann deadpanned.
"Yes." Homura replied at the same time, earning weird looks from the other girls. "T-To compare with my ones of course." She stammered out her explanation.
"I think we should be questioning more why you have scars on your butt." Yumi then stated. "But let us forget about that and head into the bath." She soon suggested as she wrapped a towel around her body and headed in.
"Hai." Asuka replied with a nod as they all did the same, soon going into a massive bath at the other end while also having several bath heads leading to it along with pails and assorted shampoos and body washes being offered. "Wow~ This place is big!" She then got out in amazement.
"Oh, there's no one else in at the moment." Yumi pointed out while looking around. "Which means we have the bath to ourselves tonight." She then added with a smile.
"Yep." Homura got out before she placed her towel on a nearby hook. "Ah...This is gonna be great...just like the hot springs back at Hebijo after a tough day of training." She breathed out while stretching her limbs.
"Eh? Hebijo has a hot spring? We only have a shower room and a bath at Hanzō for the Elites." Asuka informed, surprised to learn that while placing her towel down.
"Well, showers are more efficient." Yumi pointed out as she placed her towel down on a hook as well before grabbing a pail along with shampoo and body wash.
"...Your old school sounds so nice for what they do." Ann muttered out.
"It was still pretty strict." Homura admitted. "It was really nice though." She then added as she and her roommate went into the bath.
SPLASH!
"Aaah~ This is nice~" Asuka got out in a relaxed tone as she sat in the tub.
"Still kinda jealous he lives right across from this place..." Homura admitted while sitting next to her roommate.
Meanwhile Ann settled herself down as she wetted herself down before she began humming a tune as she scrubbed her body down in a pleasant manner.
"This was a wonderful idea Asuka-san." Yumi soon praised in a relaxed manner as she also scrubbed herself down.
"Well, it's not like we can do this every day." Asuka pointed out.
"Wait...is this a mixed bath or...?" Homura asked in an uneasy tone.
"No, the sign outside said these were separate baths." Yumi soon informed. "The boys are on the other side." She then added as she dumped a pail of water on her head to get rid of the suds.
"STOP TURNING UP THE HEAT YOU JACKASS!" The voice of Ryuji yelled out, causing the girls to sweatdrop in unison.
"Oh. Just checking." Homura stated as she went back to relaxing herself.
"Homura-san I was wondering, why do you have those tan lines?" Yumi soon asked in a curious manner as she then also entered the tub, this also getting the attention of the ash blonde, who just rinsed herself of soap suds as well as they both looked at the tan skinned girl.
"Yeah, they look like you were sunbathing in with a shoulderless bikini at the time." Ann guessed as she also joined the others.
"That's...well..." Homura got out in an embarrassed and slightly hesitant manner.
"Homu-nee used to hold her breasts back using bandages all the time, so it's the reason they look the way they do." Asuka soon informed.
"What!?" Ann exclaimed in shock as she went and grabbed the tan skinned girl's shoulders, shocking said girl in the process. "Homura! Don't you know doing that is completely unhealthy for any girl!?" She soon questioned. "I can't believe you even went and did that in the past!" She then added in disbelief.
"I am inclined to agree, Ojii-sama would also have been against those actions for my own health." Yumi replied in agreement.
Houmra in turn groaned in an exhausted manner. "I know, I know, Sis made sure to inform me of those things in detail." She responded.
"That doesn't exactly explain the thong-like tan lines..." Yumi pointed out.
"I uh...I fell asleep during summer..." Homura lied.
The brunette however puffed up one of her cheeks to that. "No you didn't Homu-nee, you told me it was due to your old family tradition of wearing string underwear that barely covered that area." Asuka got out.
This immediately caused the tan skinned girl to pale. "Sis! Why are you revealing that so casually!? Come on, at least give me some privacy about my life..." Homura whined out in a more childish manner.
The light gray haired girl however had to hold back a giggle to the tone of voice and the embarrassment from the girl. "Homura-san, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Yumi got out in a more sisterly tone.
The ash blonde in turn nodded in agreement to that. "Yeah, but I'd rather not hear more about your family and what they did to you. Last time it gave me some really weird dreams..." Ann awkwardly admitted.
"Tha-Wait, dreams? Shouldn't they be nightmares?" Homura got out in confusion.
"T-That's what I meant! Nightmares! Yeah...nightmares..." Ann got out as a blush came to her face.
This in turn caused the others to look at the ash blonde. "...Do you wish to talk about it Ann-san?" Yumi soon offered.
"No." Ann deadpanned as she got into the water with the brunette and tan skinned girl.
"Come on, I bet the guys are talking about us on the other side." Asuka got out. "And we're all exposing secrets here." She then added.
"I'm not going to tell you about my w-my dream! Nightmare! Gah!" Ann got out before giving up and sinking into the water, her nose and eyes only visible.
The three shinobi girls meanwhile giggled to that. "Like I said to Homura-san Ann-san, there is nothing to be ashamed of." Yumi got out in slight amusement.
The ash blonde then slightly brought up her head. "So...what secrets do you guys got?" Ann soon asked.
"Our profession requires us to keep a lot of secrets." Yumi pointed out. "However...I guess we can reveal one secret since Asuka-san exposed Homura-san's." She then suggested.
To that, the two roommates nodded to that. "We're fine with that." Asuka and Homura replied in unison.
The light gray haired girl in response smiled at those answers. "Then we are in agreement then." Yumi concluded. "So then, who would like to start?" She soon asked in a curious manner.
To that, the other girls gave off awkward expressions.
"Hmm..." Yumi hummed out in thinking manner. "Asuka-san, how about you start since you already exposed a secret from Homura-san?" She soon suggested.
Blinking, the Vice Leader gulped slightly as she thought it over before sighing at coming to a secret to reveal. "Honestly...sometimes I feel as though people try to wrap me around their fingers..." Asuka soon admitted. "Like...I get the feeling that everyone wants to try and manipulate me in some way..." She then revealed.
This in turn surprised the others as they became silent as a result.
"That's...disturbing..." Ann admitted, slightly surprised to hear that while also breaking the silence. "You shouldn't have kept that to yourself." She then added. "Was it one of the reasons being 'cause I convinced you into modeling?" She then asked in concern.
Asuka merely shook her head to that. "No, the modeling wasn't part of it, it was like that before I came to Shujin." She revealed.
"...Really Sis?" Homura replied in a concerned manner. "Are you serious?" She then asked.
Asuka in response meekly nodded to that. "Hai..." She quietly replied.
"I would have never known Asuka-san." Yumi soon admitted. "I'm not trying to put you under my thumb, I assure you." She then informed.
"Same here Sis." Homura added as she took one of her hands and held it in a gentle soft manner.
"Yeah. We're all friends here Asuka-chan." Ann reassured with a smile.
"Hehe, thanks." Asuka replied with a smile of her own. "Also, I like being in Tokyo now save for everything with our jerk of a principal." She soon confessed. "Though I also can't wait to know if me and Ann-chan made the audition." She then added.
That in turn caused the ash blonde to giggle as well. "The anticipation is getting to you huh?" Ann guessed in amusement.
"Hai. I really want to know if I'm going to be going on the runway since it's been a while since the audition." Asuka replied. "I mean it's like you said Ann-chan, who would expect a model to be a shinobi?" She then reminded with a playful wink and smile.
"Heeeee, so that's the reason you gave Sis?" Homura meanwhile asked in a curious tone.
"Yup." Ann replied with a nod. "It made sense at the time." She then added.
"That...honestly makes sense." Yumi confessed in a fascinated tone. "I'm surprised I never even thought about that idea myself. Hiding in plain sight and deceiving even other shinobis..." She then added.
"I'm still kinda not sure about this..." Homura muttered out. "I mean, if people see you, there can be those that could possibly recognise you..." She then added.
"But I don't wanna quit though..." Asuka mumbled.
"I know, I know Sis. Just...be prepared to be burned." Homura warned.
"I already gotta deal with bullies while modeling..." Asuka quietly informed.
"Ah, those girls are just jealous Asuka-chan." Ann however waved off.
"...Bullies?" Homura however repeated as shadows covered her eyes and a red glow started to form around her. "There are bitches bullying my precious Asuka?" SHe then questioned.
"They're no problem! Don't blow this out of proportion! It's fine!" Asuka snapped.
This in response surprised the tan skinned girl as she looked at the furious expression on her roommate's face. "S-Sis..." Homura got out.
"I'm a big girl Homu-nee, you are really like Yagyū-chan now, being so overprotective." Asuka pointed out while pouting in a childish manner. "I can take care of myself." She then declared.
That in turn caused the tan skinned girl to feel as though she was shot in the heart. "...S-Sorry Sis." Homura struggled out.
Yumi however giggled to that. "Hehe, you really are like a protective big sister Homura-san." She pointed out. "It actually reminds me a bit of Yozakura-san back at Gessen with how she acts like a mother figure." She then explained in a nostalgic tone.
"We really gotta meet your other friends some time..." Ann muttered out.
"Maybe we will, but there's too much going on to really involve them right now." Yumi however replied. "Besides, I'm sure they're quite busy with their training." She then added.
(Gessen Girls' Academy, Elite's Room)
Meanwhile, in Gessen Academy, Yumi's teammates were doing their own various activities to pass the time...
"Hmm..." Murakumo silently hummed out while reading a manga. "Yes, this will be a good reference for my next piece." She admitted in approval.
"Hehehe...Nice." Shiki texting to her other friends on her phone. "So we'll meet up at the mall for the sale coming up and then..." She continued on rambling.
"Da da da da da...~" Minori sang to herself as she made her sweets.
And as for Yozakura...
"WWWWWAAAAHHHH!"
Well, she missed her Leader since she had been gone since last year.
"How long is this mission supposed to take!? Everyone is being too lazy!" Yozakura asked and declared in a frustrated and sad tone.
"One, about a year but knowing Yumi-chi, she won't come back until she has anything to show for it. And two, we trained all day. We need this break." Shiki corrected, not once tearing her eyes away from her phone.
"Yes, but there hasn't been anything significant about the mental shutdown since two years ago! Even graduates have come back with nothing!" Yozakura pointed out in concern.
"What about those Phantom Thieves?" Shiki soon suggested as she showed off her phone, revealing it was on the Phan-Site. "They seem like people Yumi-chi would go after." She then pointed out.
"Hmm...the thieves that call themselves heroes of justice..." Yozakura muttered as she began thinking about it. "If I recall, Yumi's cover is that of the Student Council President of Koesei, where one of her friends she made there, her junior was Ichiryusei Madarame's former pupil, who in turn was someone who had a change of heart." She then added as she remembered those details.
That in turn got the attention of the others as they looked at their temporary Leader. "Ah, you mean Yumi-chi's boyfriend~?" Shiki teasingly asked with a witty grin.
"Yes. Um...Yosuke was his name, right?" Murakumo spoke up.
"Yusuke." Yozakura corrected. "And no Shiki, he is not Yumi's boyfriend, just a friend." She then added.
"Ah, but that's the start of all romance stories." Murakumo however pointed out.
"Ugh..." Yozakura groaned out. "I assure you that Yumi will never date anyone as long as she's on a mission." She then added.
"Ooh~ You just jinxed it." Shiki giggled with a grin.
"Jinxes don't exist!" Yozakura exclaimed.
"Hey, when do you think we can meet Yusuke-kun?" Minori innocently asked.
"Maybe during the summer." Murakumo suggested. "Would that be alright Yozakura?" She then asked.
"But we can't interfere just yet." Yozakura replied. "I'm sure as soon as Yumi finds something solid, we'll all head to Tokyo, eliminate all opposition like the Phantom Thieves and bring the world one step closer to Kurokage-sama's ideal." She then declared.
"She better be." Murakumo got out. "But I'm sure she's working through the night to catch them." She then added.
(Yongen-Jaya, Bath House)
Meanwhile, while the Gessen Leader relaxed in the bath house, she quickly realised what her friends would most likely be doing.
"...Then again, Murakumo-san might make herself busy by drawing up her original doujins, Shiki-san could be planning shopping trips and Minori-san would be making sweets..." Yumi soon admitted. "Now I am feeling bad for leaving Yozakura-san alone to watch over them..." She then added in concern.
"That doesn't sound like too much trouble." Ann admitted. "Relax. You're in a nice bath house with your friends. Calm down and soak." She soon added.
"True...I do only have a shower back in my apartment..." Yumi got out as she sunk a bit into the water before giggling. "Honestly, if I was still back at Gessen, I would have thought actions such as this would be considered evil." She then revealed.
"You mean the bath house thing or the killing and looting we do in the Metaverse?" Homura asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Well...just doing activities where a purpose becomes too relaxed or lazy..." Yumi explained while poking her pointer fingers together in a embarassed manner. "I do need to meet up with some informants tomorrow, but for now, this is me time."
"You should always have me time, Yumi-chan." Asuka got out.
"Wait Sis, if you're comparing me to Yagyū...Does that mean you're like Hibari then?" Homura suddenly and jokingly asked with a grin.
"Homu-nee..." Asuka sighed out. "You know, for that, why don't you admit something." She soon requested.
The tan skinned girl winced at that. "Fine. I'll tell you one of my secrets." Homura groaned out. "...I'm...kinda...not...a..." She hesitantly began.
"A...what...?" Yumi pressed on in a curious manner.
"I...wasn't...always that...good cook." Homura confessed. "I used to sneak out to buy food, even during missions...but then I got punished by my old family for doing that. Though, I did kinda do it during my Hebijo days cooking for the other Elites since Haruka always went on with her experiments." She then revealed.
"O-Oh." Yumi got out. "I...I just thought...you weren't..." She started as a blush formed across her face.
"I wasn't what, Yumi?" Homura got out as she raised an eyebrow.
"Y-You know...a v-v-v..." Yumi stammered out.
"...Like everyone knows...My former family was really sick..." Homura darkly reminded as her roommate hugged her. "However...they somehow managed to not...do that to me." She then added.
"...Really?" Yumi got out in a curious manner.
"Yep, at least they gave me that..." Homura quietly replied. "Enough about my depressing and disturbing childhood. What about you, Yumi? You got anything to talk about?" She soon asked.
"Oh...I would rather not..." Yumi sheepishly mumbled out. "It's quite embarrassing..."
"It can't be that bad, Yumi-chan." Asuka got out.
"...Okay, but only once. There was this one time in middle school where I [CENSORED] then I [CENSORED] before sticking it in the [CENSORED] and once that was over I [CENSORED]." Yumi admitted as her head was crimson by the time she was finished.
"..." Asuka remained silent, only staring at the girl in pure horror with a pale face.
"Wow, even the princess had a dark secret to reveal." Homura got out in disbelief and slight amazement. "I don't even think my old family would stoop that low." She then added.
"I-Is that even physically possible!?" Ann exclaimed in shock. "Thank god we're the only ones here on the girl's side." She then added.
"Well, only if you-" Yumi started to explain the horrible, horrible details, however...
"Please stop." Asuka quietly begged. "Let's talk about something else! Umm...oh! Do you think I would look better with longer hair?" She quickly got out followed by the new question to change the subject.
To that, the ash blonde hummed a bit as she looked at the brunette. "I don't know, but having shorter hair...There's this air around you and your hair just works so well with it." Ann admitted. "Isn't that right Yumi, who is our friend who we care for and will never do [CENSORED] to another human being ever again?" She then got out.
"I-It was that one time!" Yumi got out in a slightly frantic tone before calming herself down. "B-But I do agree with Ann-san about your hair Asuka-san, it has its own natural beauty to it that suits you well." She then admitted.
Asuka in turn smiled at this. "Thanks, it's just that I was wondering at times if I should grow it out to like Ann-chan and Homu-nee's length since it's so pretty on you two." She soon explained.
"Aaaaw! Thanks Asuka-chan!" Ann happily replied to the compliment towards her.
Homura meanwhile rubbed the back of her head to the compliment given to her.
"Hmm..." Yumi soon hummed out as she began thinking. "Maybe you could grow your hair out slightly towards your shoulders Asuka-san." She then suggested as she then looked at the others. "What do you think Homura-san, Ann-san?" She asked in a curious manner.
"Hmm..." Ann hummed out as she thought about it. "I honestly think you'll be fine either way Asuka-chan, you're already gaining quite a bit of popularity as a model." She then reminded. "I even heard some talk about wanting to put you in a magazine or two." She soon revealed.
This in turn caused Asuka to blush slightly. "R-Really?" She meekly got out. "T-That's the first I've heard about that." She then replied.
"My, if that is the case, I must say that is impressive Asuka-san." Yumi admitted in an amazed tone as she then turned to the tan skinned girl. "Wouldn't you say Homura-san?" She soon asked.
"Yeah, my cute Sis is becoming famous as a model." Homura got out in an airy and dazed tone with a grin on her face to the thought.
The two other girls meanwhile giggled to this. "I believe you actually have Homura-san wrapped around your finger Asuka-san." Yumi playfully informed.
"Eh?" Asuka innocently got out in confusion. "What do you mean Yumi-chan?" She soon asked.
"Oh nothing~" Yumi teasingly replied with an amused expression on her face.
Some time later, the girls came out of the bath with smooth, yet slightly red skin save for the tan skinned girl.
"I'll go get us some milk," Homura offered with a towel around her waist and another over her head.
"Thank you." Yumi replied as she dried herself off.
"Ah~ I really needed that." Ann breathed out as she threw away the drink. "I can already feel that my skin is smoother." She then revealed.
"Yeah, no wonder Akira's so charming." Homura got out as she returned with four bottles of milk. "He can visit here for his bath every night." She then added while handing them out.
"Oh? Are you falling for him Homura-san?" Yumi then asked with a giggle while opening her bottle.
Homura however sighed to that as she did the same. "No Yumi, it's nothing like that." She replied.
"But he does have really soft and smooth skin..." Asuka admitted as the other girls then looked at her. "Ooh, that feels good~" She soon sighed out before going and chugging her milk.
"While this is nice, we need to focus back on our situation." Yumi reminded. "I'll get to work on getting some blackmail on the principal. If he's going to threaten you, we'll just threaten him right back. If we can't, then it's more guesses for the MetaNav." She then added.
"Thanks Yumi," Homura replied. "Sorry I have to force this on you." She then apologized.
"No, he started this war first. This is retaliation." Yumi replied in a more serious tone. "Now then, I believe we should get dressed now." She then suggested as she went to get her clothes.
"Ooh~ I am all up for an all-out war against Principal Lump'o Lard." Asuka got out in an excited tone and a green gleam in her eyes as she got her panties on.
"We also have to plan for every possible outcome, including our identities being revealed. I wish to refine what we discussed a while back. I'm thinking of staying over at Leblanc tonight along with Yusuke-san to discuss and lay out our strategy." Yumi stated. "We can't be too careful after all." She then advised.
"You're planning on staying over then?" Ann got out.
"Yes." Yumi answered with a nod.
"Um...you didn't bring any spare clothes and stuff right?" Asuka however pointed out.
"You underestimate me, Asuka-san." Yumi soon informed as she pulled a scroll out from between her breasts. "Just in case." She then added before putting the scroll back.
"You shinobi are really prepared for anything, aren't you?" Ann muttered out with a sweatdrop.
"We have to be." Yumi simply replied.
"It's what we are trained to do." Homura admitted while shrugging her shoulder. "But that only reminded me of Akira's crappy bed." She then added.
"I'm sure we'll find a cot for cheap or something." Ann got out. "And we still have a lot of Mementos money left, so let's go do some shopping some time." She then suggested. "I mean it has been a while since we went shopping together Asuka-chan, Homura." She soon reminded.
"Yeah..." Asuka responded with a nod of agreement. "Oh, Yumi-chan can join too! Do you wanna come?" She then added and asked as she looked at the light grey haired girl.
"Hmm...well, we'll see if I can." Yumi replied. "I'll try and make the time between visiting my informants and such." She then informed with a reassuring smile. "Though, I honestly wouldn't know what to buy if I went shopping...I was never one for material things..." She however admitted.
"Don't worry, we'll try and work around your schedule and we'll help you out." Asuka got out. "It'll be fun." She then assured.
"And we can help find out what suits you best Yumi-chan, leave it to me." Ann added with a wink and a thumbs up.
"Yeah, it'll be just like today!" Asuka assured.
"And today was really fun." Ann admitted as she redid her pigtails.
"Hai, after everything we had been through, this is a nice change of pace." Yumi admitted in agreement.
"I know. Hey, maybe we could invite Makoto-chan next time." Asuka replied and suggested.
"Yeah. but I'm sure she's having just as much fun with her sister." Homura assured.
(Niijima Residence)
Dinners at the Niijima Residence were mostly a quiet affair. Either one of the sisters were away and busy, had already eaten and went to do their business. When they did manage to eat together, it was usually on two topics; Sae's work or Makoto's progression in school. Maybe the occasional news story, but it was usually these two topics. And more often than not, it was simply silence with the TV turned on.
It was far from an ideal situation, but they tried their best to make it work given their situation.
"After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!" The male host announced on the TV, Sae's colleague walking on stage.
"This tastes a bit bland..." Sae informed after taking a bite of her dinner. "But I'm relieved. A lot's happened, but it seems your grades haven't dropped." She then stated.
"School's been going...fine." Makoto responded, though a bit hesitant. "I'm more worried about you, Sis. Are you tired? You're probably lacking sodium." She soon guessed.
"Do I seem so?" Sae soon asked, but before she could get a response...
"But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real...I believe they should be tried in a court of law." The two sisters then heard Akechi declare.
Makoto mentally groaned after hearing that. "There he goes again..." She thought to herself.
"That's quite the statement. Committing vandalism is one thing, but to be tried in court? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways."
"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime." TV Akechi admitted with an angered expression. "However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him, determining if they deserve to be targeted and then executing their change of heart. The Phantom Thieves see themselves as judge, jury and executioner. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart." He then explained.
"...Is it a crime to manipulate someone's heart?" Makoto unconsciously asked.
" . .Depending on the means, yes. He's absolutely right." Sae answered before going back to her dinner.
"...Even if it makes someone admit their evil deeds and helps make them pay for their crimes?" Makoto then asked as her best friend appeared in her mind.
"Forcing someone to confess is unlawful. They must do so under their own accord." "Why the sudden interest?"
"It's...It's nothing..." Makoto stammered out as she averted her gaze.
"Do you believe that these allies of justice exist?"
"...Of course not." Makoto response. "I do..." She mentally confessed.
"You don't need to think about such unnecessary things. They're just vandals hitting above their weight-class." "You understand what I'm trying to say, right?"
"Study hard and go to a prestigious college..." Makoto answered, having repeated this answer about 567 times before.
"Moving up in the world is difficult as a woman." Sae soon reminded. "Yet, you can't do much if you don't have the authority. I'll use every method necessary to make it happen. All you need to do is remain focused on what must be done now for your future's sake. I won't let anyone stop me, and neither should you." She soon advised.
"...Sorry." Makoto apologized, but at that moment...
"Start your own rebellion!" Makoto once again heard her fellow student declare with intense gaze practically staring into her soul.
"So that's where it came from..." Sae spoke up with narrowed eyes. "He put the police on high alert for riots and such but so far it's just talk on social media." She then informed as she then looked at her sister. "Do you know him Makoto?" She soon asked.
"...No. Never even seen him." Makoto lied. "I only heard about him through rumors." She then informed.
"Good. Such an influence will only disrupt your studies." Sae stated. "Conviction in your beliefs is one thing, but pushing them onto others is another. What he's suggesting will amount to nothing, I'm sure of it." She then got out with confidence.
"...Nothing?" Makoto repeated.
"Makoto, people often talk about changing the world but more often than not they don't have the will or the power to do so." Sae pointed out.
"And if they do?" Makoto however asked, getting her sister's attention. "I mean, those changes the Phantom Thieves caused...Kamoshida and Madarame were never going to change unless they did something about it..." She then pointed out.
"Makoto, enough. Just don't let people like him convince you that you can change the world." Sae responded with a sigh.
"...But you still haven't-" Makoto began, however...
"That's enough." Sae interrupted. "I'm not in the mood right now to discuss philosophy. Eat." She responded and ordered in a frustrated tone.
Makoto opened her mouth, only to just place some food in it instead.
Suddenly, Sae's phone rang. "Now?" She sighed out as she got up and walked into the hallway to answer the call. "Yes? ...Mm-hm. It's fine... .Oh, that case." She started.
Makoto meanwhile could stare at her sister's back with a sad expression as she remembered what happened earlier today.
"Not heroes...Heroes...they're what society idealises. The one who upholds the status quo and protects it from outside forces trying to change that. I think they're more like anti-heroes. People who aren't the idealised vision of what a hero is supposed to be, who goes against the grain and tries their best to do good in their own way. It may not be the nicest way to do things, but it sure as hell just as effective."
"Dude, we wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves if those shitty adults kept getting away with what they've been doin'-MMPH!"
"...Heroes..." Makoto muttered as she stared at the TV, which had been cut to commercial. "Trying to do your best in your own way..." She then repeated. "Shitty adults...getting away with whatever they want..." She meanwhile thought.
Well then...it was time to do her best in her own way.
No longer for the principal...but for the truth.
Makoto...the Anti-Hero.
That had a nice ring to it.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
The two roommates soon arrived back in their apartment with happy looks on their faces.
"You know, despite the stuff with the fatty, I had fun today with the hot pot party and the bath house." Homura confessed. "Definitely going back to Leblanc for a cup in the future." She then added with a grin.
"Yeah, I'll definitely be making your cups if you do." Asuka got out.
"Hehe...Maybe we can visit before we head to school." Homura giggled out in a joking manner.
"Maybe. I think Leblanc opens at around eight though." Asuka replied and informed. "I never worked a daytime shift." She then admitted.
"Hey, I think summer's coming up next month. You can probably work there more often." Homura replied and suggested.
"That and more modeling gigs." Asuka then added with an excited gleam in her eyes to the thought of being able to work more at both of her jobs.
"Yeah...Also Sis...sorry for being over protective again..." Homura soon apologized in shame as the two stripped themselves down before heading to the futon.
Asuka however shook her head to that. "It's okay. I should've said so earlier instead of just letting it happen at the time." She soon replied. "You just want to be like a big sister to me." She then added while smiling in an innocent manner.
"Still not completely sure about the offer though...sorry..." Homura mumbled and apologized.
Suddenly, the brunette gasped as an idea came to her. "I know! Next time I have a modeling job, you can come watch and see what I do!" Asuka soon suggested.
Homura however blinked a couple of times to the suggestion. "Are you sure Sis?" She soon asked.
"Yeah, it'll be fun! You might even get an offer!" Asuka replied with a nod of enthusiasm.
Homura however blushed to the second part. "I-I dunno..." Homura muttered out as she rubbed the back of her neck. She began in an uneasy tone. "M-Modeling is your thing Sis." She then reminded.
"Oh come on, imagine it! You and me, doing photo shoots together, modeling, walking down the runway with beautiful dresses..." Asuka got out as her imagination ran wild with sparkles in her eyes while taking her roommate's hands into her own.
(Asuka's Imagination)
Flashing lights of cameras were going off as two extremely attractive girls strutted down the runway.
First was Asuka herself as she was wearing a...Well, it's not really important what the description is right now, so let's just say some generically beautiful green short dress.
By her side meanwhile was Homura, wearing some generically beautiful crimson red dress.
"You know, this is really fun, Sis!" Homura confessed as the lights and camera flashed.
"I told you!" Asuka replied as she gave the photographers her best smile.
Homura however began sweating as she looked away. "Tons of lights and cameras...all focused on my dumbass as I trip and fall on my face." She weakly mumbled out as her own imagination ran wild as the two got into the futon.
(Homura's Imagination)
"You know, this is actually really-OH FUCK!" Homura began, only to trip on her heels and fall flat on her face.
"Ah! Homu-nee!" Asuka yelped out in concern.
"...I forgot my panties, didn't I?" The tan skinned girl muttered in fear and wide eyes.
Click! BOOM!
And suddenly Homura exploded, leaving nothing behind.
"...Why did you explode?" Asuka however asked in confusion.
"Because I probably will if I go in front of people." Homura answered quite confidently, her head steaming in embarrassment.
"Wait...are you afraid of being in front of big crowds Homu-nee?" Asuka guessed.
"A-A little." Homura mumbled out her confession in slight shame.
"Aw, I didn't know you're so camera shy..." Asuka got out, her hands twitching as she resisted the urge to pinch her roommate's cheeks since she was still holding her roommate's hands. "That's so cute Homu-nee!" She then gushed out as she then cuddled into the tan skinned girl.
"C-Cute? R-Really?" "Y-Yeah, well, most shinobi should be. C-Camera shy! N-Not cute. I mean like, friends and stuff is fine but any picture seen by more is just...no. Camera bad, shadow good."
"But you are sooooo cute though!" Asuka happily complimented.
"L-Look, I would love to but I'm just not that type of person, Sis." Homura muttered out. "I...just can't see it...even if you can..." She then confessed.
"Moh...Okay. I won't make you do anything you don't wanna do..." Asuka responded with a pout of disappointment.
"Thanks." Homura replied with a soft smile.
"I'm still telling Ann-chan and Yumi-chan your camera shy though." Asuka soon informed in a more teasing manner as she reached out for her phone.
"S-Sis! No!" Homura exclaimed in a panic. "You know how Yumi-senpai is with teasing!" She then reminded.
"Hehehe...come on...it's just innocent teasing..." Asuka giggled out.
"No! Please...!" Homura however begged in a more panicked manner. "C-Come one Sis, w-we really should get to sleep." She then pointed out.
"Hai, we really should." Asuka replied in agreement. "However...~" She then started with a smile.
"Eh?" Homura got out in confusion.
The brunette soon smiled widely. "I wuv you Homu-neechan~!" Asuka however suddenly confessed in a babyish tone and big cutesy eyes.
BANG! BANG!
The tan skinned girls meanwhile widened to that confession while her mind went and started running wild... "HolycrapSisjustsaidthatinthemostadorableandmanner!" Homura began thinking at a rapid pace.
But then...she couldn't help herself anymore...
"KYA!" Homura squeaked out in a more feminine manner. "I wuv you too!" She soon squealed out in excitement before tightly embracing the other girl.
This in turn caused the brunette to grin. "Hey Homu-nee, will you me call-" Asuka began to ask, however...
THUD!
And thus, Homura fainted from cuteness with a cutesy smile of her own.
With her breasts landing right on her roommate's face.
"MMPH! MMPH-MEE! MMPH!" Asuka screamed, though it was muffled as she tried to push her roommate off of her. "Why is this happening again!?" She mentally exclaimed in a panic.
"This was your own doing." Kaeru however answered.
"MMMPH MPHEEEEEEEE...!" Asuka screamed in a muffled manner into the unfeeling boobs of the tan skinned girl as her eyes slowly began to close from exhaustion as sleep soon took her.
(Yongen-Jaya, Clinic)
Tae Takemi. The Plague.
Well, having a title like that had their advantages.
The need to uphold an image was tiring. People expected her to be the best of the best constantly, developing new drugs that would cure numerous diseases without side effects in only months. Hell, she was expecting a letter from Cadeus at some point in her past.
However, as soon as she made one critical mistake, everyone turned her back on her.
It wasn't her fault, but it was an opportunity to allow her to focus on her projects. It was slow, not having as much money to work with would do that, but she knew she would get it eventually, and she would save those who suffered from this rare disease.
She was...content with her place in life now.
However, it all began to change once she met Akira Kurusu.
Having a live test subject certainly helped a lot with her research. She was using herself to test out her drugs before and that obviously slowed the development. He obviously wasn't using her other drugs for studying, but she needed the money and she wasn't going to question how he's able to procure so much of it in very little time.
And now she was closer than ever. It needed another month or so, but if she managed to work out the kinks, she would eliminate Crawford-Ende's Disease for-
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Ugh..." Takemi groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're closed. Unless it's urgent, please come back tomorrow." She soon informed.
"It won't take up that much time." A feminine voice however replied. "I would just like to see Doctor Takemi."
"...Fine." Takemi sighed out as she unlocked the door to her consultation office...and instantly looked down. "Oh my God..." She quietly got out at the sight.
Haruka couldn't help but smile as the doctor stared at her boobs. They were quite prominent in the casual outfit she had chosen to wear today. A yellow sweater, pink skirt with a navy blue belt around her waist, dark purple stockings and a pair of black open toe short heels. The Sexy Sweater never failed to impress anyone.
"My eyes are up here~" Haruka giggled out.
"Hm?" Tae got out before shaking her head. "I mean...come in." She soon said as she stepped aside to let the girl in. "Take a seat on that bed. Just give me a second."
"Of course." Haruka replied in a polite and well mannered tone before she took a seat while the doctor got her stuff ready. The shinobi narrowed her eyes as she saw the doctor go behind the curtain. There was definitely something behind it, but it was probably not a good idea to sneak a peek.
A few seconds later, Tae came back and began to examine Haruka. It was pretty standard procedure so far, although a medical check up wasn't what she was there for..
"...How's your back?" Takemi suddenly asked.
Haruka in turn raised an eyebrow to the sudden question. "Completely fine." She answered.
"...I'm prescribing you painkillers anyways." Tae informed as she quickly went on her computer and printed out the necessary forms. "I also recommend visiting a masseuse when you have the chance." She then advised as she signed everything she needed.
"Hm?" Haruka innocently hummed out.
"You'll thank me in a few years." The gothic doctor assured as she handed over the papers.
"Excuse me though, but I didn't come for a medical checkup." Haruka stated as she shook her head. "I came here to request a job to be your assistant." She soon informed as she pulled out some papers herself. "Here. As you can see I am quite skilled in medicine." She then offered.
Takemi took the papers...then promptly crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can. 3-pointer. "No." She bluntly answered.
Well that wasn't the answer the blonde was expecting. "Please? At least review my resume." Haruka requested.
"Well, let me go check if I put up a Help Wanted sign." Tae got out. However, Haruka couldn't help but note that she hadn't moved an inch.
"...You're not moving." Haruka awkwardly pointed out.
"Well, I can confirm that I'm not looking for an assistant right now." Takemi informed. "I already have one. Please leave." She then stated and requested.
The busty girl narrowed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. "...Would his name happen to be Akira Kurusu?" Haruka guessed.
Tae soon frowned before getting up...
Click!
And locking the door.
"How do you know that name?" Tae asked as she narrowed her eyes.
"He's an acquaintance of mine." Haruka replied. "He said you're quite the doctor." She then added.
"...How much do you know about me and him?" Takemi soon asked.
"Only that he works for you." Haruka responded.
"...Look, if you're a plant sent by Oyamada..." Tae soon got out as she glared at the girl.
"Eh? I'm afraid you are misunderstanding my intentions." Haruka responded, confused to that accusation. "I am simply here for a job. Nothing more." She then stated.
"...Okay then. Please review these notes for me. I need to at least see if you have any medical knowledge." Takemi responded and instructed.
"Fair enough." Haruka replied with a nod and a smile.
To that, the doctor went and took out a paper and handed it to the blonde. "Tell me, are there any flaws in the formula?" Takemi asked as she leaned in.
"Well...given the combination of chemicals, it would simply result in an equivalent of a sugar pill." Haruka calmly informed after reading it over.
"Very good." Tae responded with a nod as she then got another paper. "Now check this formula now." She then instructed.
Nodding to that, the blonde took the paper and began to read the contents. "This is...perfluorocarbon. Breathable liquid." Haruka informed in a serious tone while narrowing her eyes. She knew about it because she had been taught to use it for particularly stubborn people.
"Good." Takemi responded with a nod. "You know it can be used for torture. Seal someone in a box, then fill it with the stuff. They'll think they have drowned and died, so from there you resuscitate them and try and extract information from them or they make them drown again." She then explained.
"That's rather fascinating." Haruka admitted. "Humanity can be quite creative." She then added.
"Yes it can certainly be. We're a stubborn lot, that can help or hurt each other in unique ways given enough time." Takemi stated.
"However as doctors, it's our duty to help." Haruka replied while handing the paper back. "After all, the first rule is do no harm." She then added, remembering some of her old father's knowledge as a doctor before his downfall.
The doctor in response nodded as she brought out one last paper. "Last one." Tae soon informed as she handed the last paper. "I might even let you keep it if you get it right." She then added.
Haruka nodded as she took and looked over the last piece of paper. "The Cure to CrEnD..." She read out before narrowing her eyes. "...This...is simply...wrong." She soon stated.
"Hm?" Takemi hummed out with a raised eyebrow.
"All of it. It seems safe but if you look closer it's a disaster. It won't harm the patient when consumed, it will certainly cause various unpleasant side effects. No, these aren't side effects, they are simply the effects of this drug. Nausea, constipation, thinning of blood, the inability to ejaculate...this would make the person have the worst day of their life." Haruka informed before looking Tae in the eyes. "But...you made it this way, didn't you. In case someone tried to steal the real formula."
This caused Takemi to raise an eyebrow before smirking in an impressed manner. "...Very good. Come back tomorrow and we'll see." Tae got out before realising she never got her name. "Miss..." She then started.
"Haruka," Haruka once more introduced herself. "Haruka Toyoguchi." She then stated.
That however caught the doctor's attention. "Toyoguchi..." Takemi repeated. "As in...the disgraced doctor Hitomu Toyoguchi?" She soon asked.
That in turn caused the blonde's eyes to widen for a brief moment. "Hm? Really? Ah, simply a coincidence." Haruka replied, though some sweat ran down her head. "So she knew or at least heard of my father...or at least heard about him..." She thought to herself.
"...Right." Takemi responded in a tone that clearly showed that she didn't believe what was said before sighing. "Fine then, I honestly could use some help." She soon decided.
"Really?" Haruka got out as she blinked a couple of times to hear that. "So soon?" She meanwhile thought as she then raised an eyebrow.
"It'll make things go faster. Plus, it gets a little lonely here, so a fresh face will help." Takemi replied.
This of course made the blonde smile. "Thank you Ma'am." Haruka respectfully responded.
"However, we're going to lay some ground rules, Haruka." Takemi got out in a serious tone. "First off, you are to arrive at 6AM sharp in proper attire, meaning a lab coat. I don't care what else you wear underneath, just not naked. Second, don't ask questions. And three, if a boy with glasses comes by, you are to leave us alone. Again, no questions asked. Got it?" She soon instructed.
"Of course. I'll follow them to the letter." Haruka replied with a nod and a smile of understanding.
"And finally, and this is the most important, nothing in this room comes out with you." Takemi concluded in a dead serious tone.
"My lips are sealed Sensei." Haruka replied once more.
"Good. Now, I was in the middle of a test so give me a second to check on it." Takemi responded and requested.
"What is it?" Haruka had to ask in a curious manner before she could stop herself.
"What did I say about questions?" Tae sighed out. "It's just a personal project I've been working on with my guinea pig. And that's all you're going to hear." She vaguely informed.
"I see." Haruka responded in a more curious and interested tone. She knew it was possibly for Crawford-Ende's Disease, but decided not to say anything about it. It would raise too suspicion if she knew. "Still, what a challenge this would be~" She meanwhile thought with an excited gleam in her eyes. Experimenting to find a cure for a disease like that was a challenge...and she was more than interested in taking it.
"Now, for how much you'll be paid..." Takemi began as she did some quick calculations in her head. "Well, I don't really make all that much money, so you're getting minimum wage. If business ever picks up, I might pay you more." She then added.
"As expected Takemi-sensei." Haruka replied with a nod.
"Good. Now, your first job is to get us some coffee." Tae soon ordered as she handed the girl some money. "Leblanc is closing soon, but it's nearby, so you better hurry." She then informed her.
"Hai, Takemi-sensei!" Haruka responded before heading out of the office. "It also gives me a chance to play with Akira-kun a little. This mission is going to be fun~" She meanwhile thought to herself.
(Leblanc)
"So you want to stay over too?" Sojiro got out with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but I wish to tutor Akira on a subject he's been struggling with." Yumi replied.
"Which involves staying in his room?" Sojiro then asked with a raised eyebrow.
"..." Yumi in response was rendered silent.
"Oh...I see. Just don't keep your friend up too late." Sojiro informed. "Hey, kid! I'm heading home for the night!" He then called out.
"'Kay, Boss! Have a good one!" Akira replied from upstairs.
Nodding to that, the cafe owner looked at the light grey haired girl again. "Alright. Make sure the kid locks the place up, alright." Sojiro then requested.
"Hai, good night Sakura-san." Yumi replied with a nod as she watched the owner leave before heading up the stairs.
"So, what are you gonna help me with tutoring?" Akira jokingly asked with a smirk.
"Phantom thievery and shinobi espionage." Yumi smoothly replied.
"Hehehe...That's a lesson I'm excited to learn."
"Excuse me, but...you do not have spare clothes or anything that would allow you to stay the night."
Yumi then took a scroll out from in between her breasts. "A shinobi must be prepared for any situation." She soon informed as she unraveled it and made a hand sign.
POOF!
Then in a light puff of smoke, a set of light blue pajamas appeared along with toiletry needs.
Akira in response blinked a couple of times to the sight. "...WelI, I should have expected that." He then admitted.
"Were you planning this?" Morgana guessed.
"It was an on-the-spot decision." Yumi admitted. "Look, this is important. I'll take care of my needs tomorrow but right now we need to deal with this." She then explained.
"Lady Yumi does make a good point." Morgana admitted. "Plus we can prep for the next infiltration too." He then added.
"Where are you going to sleep though, senpai?" Yusuke asked in a curious tone.
"Yeah. I only have one futon and Yusuke's kinda using it already. Sorry." Akira soon pointed out. "I'm fine with taking the couch." He then offered.
"Oh no Akira-kun, I was the one who decided to intrude, so I must insist on taking the couch." Yumi replied while shaking her head.
"You're so kind and pure Lady Yumi~" Morgana sighed out. "That's the type of answer that deserves the bed~" He then stated as someone would be able to see hearts coming out of him.
"Morgana-san..." Yumi mumbled in a flustered manner. "I'm going to take the couch. No arguments. Besides, I've slept in worse conditions." She then responded with firmness in her voice.
"Yes Ma'am." Akira immediately responded.
Ring ring ring...
"Dammit, Boss didn't turn the sign over before leaving." Akira sighed out. "Let me go take care of that real quick." He then got out.
"Of course. We'll stay up here." Yusuke replied as the light grey haired girl nodded before getting their beds ready.
"I'm sorry, we're closed for the night." Akira got out as he went downstairs, not exactly looking up.
"My, what quaint and pleasant place." Haruka however commented.
The recognizable voice immediately caught the Leader's attention as he broke out in a cold sweat before turning to see the girl. "SWEET NUT OF CHRIST!" Akira yelped out.
The light grey haired girl meanwhile tilted her head as she heard the reaction. "Akira-kun, what's wrong!?" Yumi meanwhile asked.
"Shit, Yumi, Yusuke." Akira quietly swore out. "Uh, nothing! Just a customer! Don't worry about it!" He quickly assured. "I just have two friends staying over tonight. Sorry about that." He soon apologised, although it seemed more out of obligation than actual kindness.
"Well, I'll keep my voice low then Akira-kun~" Haruka replied in amusement.
"O-Okay then." Yumi responded before frowning.
The Leader sighed before staring straight into the girl's eyes. "Why are you here?" Akira however questioned in a dead serious tone.
"Well, first off, to pick up some coffee for myself and Takemi-sensei." Haruka answered.
Akira however raised an eyebrow to that. "Tae Takemi?" He guessed as the girl simply nodded in response. "Alright, I'll whip up your order real quick. I know her preferences already. Let me just get my apron." He then replied.
"Ufufu~ Such a reliable young man~" Haruka giggled out.
"How do you want yours by the way?" Akira soon asked.
"Black please." Haruka replied.
"No one usually likes it black. You're getting cream and sugar with it." Akira deadpanned.
"And someone who can take the initiative. I think I'm in love." Haruka cooed out.
"Hardy har." Akira sarcastically laughed. "Now enough jokes, why are you here?" He soon questioned.
"Okay, fine..." Haruka sighed out with a pout before calming down. "My teacher back at Hebijo wanted me to expand my medical knowledge, but by going somewhere I wouldn't have to give too much information like at a hospital." She explained.
"...Okay then. What's the real reason?" Akira soon asked.
"...That's it honestly." Haruka replied.
"I dunno. The last time someone was sent here from your school, they wanted to steal whatever is causing the shutdowns." Akira pointed out with a frown. "Now talk." He then ordered.
"Oh, aren't you being forceful Akira-kun~" Haruka responded with a coy smile.
"I have to be if I want to get anywhere. Now talk or you are getting the Surprise Me special." Akira once more ordered.
Haruka in response sighed again. "Ok ok, my teacher was getting tired of my experiments going wild, so she wants me to learn from a proper doctor." She soon explained.
"..." Akira only intensified his stare.
"...And keep an eye on Homura-chan." Haruka continued.
"..." Akira only intensified his stare even further.
"...And possibly figure out how Tae Takemi-sensei makes her drugs, but I have no intention of doing so. I'm more interested in helping her complete her research now." Haruka soon concluded.
"Jackpot." Akira thought with a smirk. "If you're lying to me about that last part..." He soon began.
"Surprise Me special?" Haruka playfully guessed.
"No, I throw hot coffee in your face." Akira bluntly answered.
"How mean~ You would hurt a cute girl like me~?" Haruka got out with a pout.
"Justice slash violence is unisex." Akira replied in a serious tone as he finished. "Anyway, here's your cups. I just need to get your orders in." He then informed before placing the two take out coffee cups, one labeled with a T and the other labeled with an H, on the counter.
"Thank you." Haruka replied.
"You're welcome. Now please get your boobs out of here." Akira simply ordered before blinking as he realised what he said. "...I mean your tits. Your butt. Yourself. Out." He then tried to salvage his image as best as he could.
"Too late." Haruka stated with a giggle.
"I know..." The Leader groaned out as he slid his hands down his face.
"Also, don't tell Homura-chan, I want to enjoy myself this time being in Tokyo. Ok~?" Haruka soon requested with a charming and seductive wink.
"I won't." Akira mumbled out in some vaguely committal tone.
"...I know you just lied to me and were going to tell her as soon as I stepped out?" Haruka soon accused.
"...Can you blame me?" Akira asked as he began cleaning up.
Haruka in response sighed at the response. "Well...how about this? I'll let you buy some special concoctions Takemi-sensei can't make." She soon offered. "Poisons, drugs, items that help with improving yourself..." She then listed off.
That immediately got the boy's attention as he glanced at the girl. "...I'm listening..." Akira responded.
"However in exchange, I request that you do something for me." Haruka got out. "You don't tell Homura-chan and you bring in anything unusual I may be interested in." She then explained.
"Unusual?" Akira repeated with a raised eyebrow. "You mean regarding her mission?" He then asked.
"No no, I mean...well, I'm not sure what I'm looking for at the moment, but...I have a feeling you'll find it." Haruka replied.
"Could stuff from the Metaverse work for her?" Akira thought with a frown. "Well...I guess it won't hurt..." He muttered to himself with a shrug. "Alright. I'll see what I can do." He then got out.
This in turn made the blonde smile. "Thank you. I'll be glad to be working with you, Akira-kun." Haruka replied.
The Leader in response nodded as another thought came to mind. "Will you stop sending me those pics?" Akira soon asked.
Haruka however giggled to that. "Oh Akira-kun, you say the silliest things." She replied in amusement.
"I assume that's a no then." Akira sighed out.
"Yep!" Haruka teasingly replied.
Akira could only groan before he found himself laughing at it.
Whatever she has in store for him, it certainly wouldn't be boring...
(Fast Forward)
"I'm sure you've dealt with dangerous individuals throughout the year." Sae soon got out. "So I can only assume you became just as dangerous if not more so to deal with them." She then deducted.
"Well, they certainly gave me some serious motivation." Akira replied.
"Who were these people?" Sae soon enough questioned.
"Wouldn't you like to know..." Akira muttered.
(Rewind)
SHATTER!
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Suit of Wands
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power...
This...felt different...
He could feel himself not only get closer to Haruka...but to all the other girls that were the tan skinned girl's friends. Mirai, Hikage, Yomi...all of them.
Yeah, this was definitely different and...
SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!
"Huh? What?" Akira got out as he rapidly shook his head.
"Hm, you seemed quite unfocused for a second there." Haruka noted with a frown while examining him in a more professional manner. "Maybe you do need me..." She then muttered under her breath in concern.
"Ah, I was just thinking." Akira replied. "Where are you even staying anyways? The Hebijo Hideout?" He soon asked.
"Not this time. Too stuffy and you are using it with Homura-chan for training." Haruka informed. "I...I don't actually have a place to stay yet." She then sheepishly revealed.
"No apartment and roommate?" Akira got out with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing of the sort." Haruka answered as she shook her head. "My sensei from Hebijo is still organizing a place for me to stay. I don't mind though. I'm planning to work all night." She then explained.
"Never took you as a workaholic." Akira admitted.
"You know the saying: Work hard, play hard." Haruka stated with a seductive smirk. "And I intend to play with you hard~" She soon added in anticipation.
"...That'll be 2,500 yen." Akira informed in a flat tone.
"So expensive!" Haruka overdramtically declared. "Don't you mind giving me a discount on that~?" She soon requested.
"...Sure." Akira got out with a shrug." I'll give you the Naruto discount. It's now 5,000 yen." He then informed her.
"...You're enjoying this." Haruka soon accused while pouting. "And isn't that fishcake?" She then added.
"Hey, if you can have your fun, I can have mine. Now please pay up." Akira countered and then ordered with a playful smirk.
"Hai hai..." Haruka replied as she took out the money and leaned in to give it to the boy. "You really are a bad boy Akira-kun~" She then complimented.
"You better get going. Takemi-san isn't someone you should keep waiting." Akura however advised.
"I won't. Also, I saw that speech you gave on TV. You were very passionate~" Haruka soon admitted while licking her lips.
"...She really reminds me of Akeno from DXD..." Akira thought to himself as he gulped. "Thank you." He calmly responded, but at that moment...
CHU!
Haruka suddenly placed a kiss on the boy's cheek. "Ufufu~ Come by the clinic when you have the chance for all your needs~" She then requested, giggling at the boy's blushing face as she then left the cafe.
Shaking off the blush, Akira suddenly felt that his life just became a lot more complicated than before as the door closed.
(Backstreets)
Outside the cafe, Haruka began walking back to the clinic with the coffees, giggling in amusement all the while. "Ufufu~ As I thought, Akira-kun is indeed a cutie~" She soon confessed with a playful blush on her face. "I can't wait for the others to come and get to know him better too." She then added before heading to the clinic.
She was going to be busy for a while and she was gonna enjoy it.
(Leblanc)
"Whew! Almost forgot." Akira breathed out as he wiped the sweat off his brow and re-entered the restaurant, having flipped the sign to Closed. "No one else will be coming in for coffee in the middle of the night." He then got out as he locked the door.
"Akira-kun...who was that?" Yumi suddenly asked in a serious tone as she came down the stairs along with the dark blue haired boy.
"So you were listening?" Akira guessed with a sigh.
"It was rather obvious." Yusuke however stated. "She seemed quite...promiscuous..." He then admitted.
"Hai..." Yumi got out as she narrowed her eyes.
"You guys have a problem with it?" Akira questioned.
"Well, I am quite concerned about making friends with your kidnapper...however, making allies with Hebijo students could come to our advantage..." Yumi muttered out. "But for now, we should be planning our next move. It's a Sunday tomorrow, so we can stay up and discuss how we solve our problem." She then advised.
"No! You should be going to bed at a reasonable hour and not stay up late!" Morgana however declared in a panic.
"I think talking about how to free Homura from the principal's fat, grubby hands, figuring out his distortion and working out the details of our contingency plan is more important." Akira bluntly countered.
"Ugh...fine. But I expect everyone to turn in at midnight." Morgana responded.
"You seem to really want to make sure Akira is on a tight schedule Morgana." Yusuke pointed out.
"Yeah. He comes late to school again, he gets expelled." Morgana bluntly pointed out. "Keeping him out of trouble is a high priority." He then explained.
"Despite it being like you are always having me at gunpoint..." Akira grumbled.
"Hey, you were the one who came back exhausted the last time you tried to do more things in a day." Morgana soon reminded. "You woke up barely in time to get to school. If you don't like it, fine! But don't blame me when you collapse. I care about you, you know, but you can't run yourself ragged every day, so stop being a baby and go to sleep when I tell you to." He then stated.
"What a loyal friend." Yumi replied with a nod and a smile while petting the not cat. "I'll make sure the boys get enough sleep." She then reassured.
"...Sorry." Akira apologized with a guilty look on his face.
"...But at the very least, don't leave Leblanc." Morgana sighed out. "I'll let you do something here even if you look exhausted, but soon after you head to bed, got it? Now, let's go and figure out how to deal with the principal and how to prove the Phantom Thieves' justice to help both Lady Homura and Makoto Niijima." He advised and stated in a more serious tone.
"...I guess I'll make more coffee then." Akira concluded as he went and did as such. "Yare yare daze..." He soon groaned out while shaking his head and adjusting his glasses.
Save Game…Quit!
Whew! Done! And…yeah. The principal is a little more of a threat than in canon. But you know, I am curious if anyone could figure out his Palace distortion right now…
If someone manages to get it right, I will eat my Keyblade.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
