Guess who got COVID~! Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona! And yeah, I caught COVID-19 along with some of my family. It's not that bad, just really sick for the first two days and now I'm doing relatively well. Just a slightly sore throat. And everyone else is doing fine now. However, we probably would've suffered so much worse if we didn't get the vaccine. Probably should've gotten the booster shot. Please take care of yourselves and others.
Senran Persona: Ninjas of Hearts has a TV Tropes page. Go do something with it!
Anyways, onto the reviews. To caleroneric758: Yes, I did hear that Maruki's voice actor, Billy Kametz, has stage 4 colon cancer. Please go check out the GoFundMe. It's only 9k away from the goal! I just hope him, his friends and family are getting the help they need during this difficult time.
Okay, that's it. Time to go back to school!
2023 update to romance scenes!
Load Game…Start!
Chapter 103: Back to School with a Boing
(9/1, Early Morning)
(Kusatori Hotel)
Shiki opened the door into her underground hotel room and sighed while rubbing the back of her neck. It took an entire night and an hour to walk there, but she made it to Tokyo safe and sound, permission and all.
"I really wish I was here on vacation..." Shiki sighed as she set down her bags. "School should be starting soon..." She then recalled before a yawn escaped her lips. "Ugh, maybe taking a day to just...relax..." She soon mumbled as she laid in her bed.
It had been a full 24 hours since Kurokage died, and yet it still felt like it was only a few minutes ago.
And that's not to say anything about finding out about Yumi's new job.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Shiki mumbled as she stared at the ceiling. She knew it was hypocritical, considering that they avoided saying that her biological grandfather's sickness was anything serious, but it still hurt to see her all smiling and happy while they were miserable and crying.
"Dammit, Yumi-chii, why did you have to go on that mission?" Shiki grumbled.
By the time she would stop staring at the ceiling, it would be the next day.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Asuka let out a yawn as she handed her stepsister a cup of coffee colored like her tan skin before sitting down at the table with her own mug. They were both in their summer uniforms now, ready to tackle whatever the day had for them. "Aaaahhh...It feels good to be up at this time." She breathed out while looking out the window, smiling at the clear blue skies above.
"I am inclined to agree, my dear sister." Homura replied in agreement. "Mostly due to the fact of what is occurring today of course." She then reminded.
"The first day of the new semester." The two got out at the same time before smirking. "Jinx!" They then declared while pointing at one another before laughing.
"You seem happier, Homu-neechan. Had a good time last night with Yumi-chan?" Asuka noted and guessed.
"Indeed. It was wonderful." Homura replied with satisfaction before taking a huge gulp of her drink. "And how did your task with Ryuji go?" She soon asked.
"He went fine. It's all done and correct." Asuka assured with a proud smile on her face. "I think. To be honest, his handwriting kinda sucks..." She then admitted sheepishly.
"Well...it is as good as he's ever gonna get." Homura muttered under her breath. "Hopefully it'll be enough to avoid after school classes or being left back." She then stated.
"Yeah..." Asuka sighed before downing her coffee. "Moh...it's still not as good as Boss'." She mumbled in disappointment.
"It's fine for me." Homura responded while downing her cup. "Maybe you're being too harsh on yourself." She then assumed.
"Thanks, Homu-neechan, but I know when I'm not doing my best and this isn't it." Asuka admitted as she shook her head before finishing her coffee. "Whew! It still wakes you up though." She then got out in a relaxed tone.
"Now, do we want to buy lunch today or should I make lunch?" Homura soon asked and offered.
"Hmmm..." Asuka hummed as she thought about it. "Third option: I make lunch for school." She then offered.
"Okay. I know you'll make something way more delicious anyways." Homura replied as the Vice Leader headed into the kitchen. "I guess I'll use this time to check what's on the news." She then decided as she grabbed the remote.
"It's probably more stuff on the Phantom Thieves." Asuka pointed out as she began putting some leftover rice into two bento boxes.
"Most likely." Homura replied as she turned on the television.
"And onto breaking news. In regard to the so-called Phantom Thieves events that have been a hot topic among the general public...The prime minister held a press conference at his official residence to address the problem." The reporter informed.
"The government acknowledges the current rumors of the group called the Phantom Thieves. We are currently confirming facts with the police and wish to deal with it in an appropriate manner." The on-field reporter stated before beginning to recount all of the Phantom Thieves' exploits since they first appeared. Probably to fill in airtime.
"Getting acknowledged by the Prime Minister, not bad but not good either." Homura admitted and stated. "I wonder how long it's gonna take until we're declared as terrorists or something..." She soon asked.
"I bet it'll be when they think we'll go after them." Asuka guessed as she handed her roommate the bento she lovingly made, including a hand wrapped handkerchief around it.
"Probably. You know how politicians are." Homura replied with a wry smile. "It would be safe to assume that every single one of them has a Palace." She then assumed.
"Mmhm." Asuka hummed out with a nod before checking the time. "Ah, we better get going! Come on, before the train leaves without us!" She exclaimed while getting her bag and put her own bento into it.
"Alright." Homura got out as she grabbed her own bag. "This semester is gonna be great! I know it!" She then declared, as if taunting the Gods to strike her down.
And so, the two dashed out of the apartment into the world.
(Train)
"...Why is it that we still haven't found an alternative to the subway again?" Homura questioned with a sigh as the two sisters were packed in.
"I don't know!" Asuka whined before the two were pushed around as more people began to get inside. "WAH!" She yelped.
"SIS, DON'T LET GO!" Homura called out before she got a mouthful of someone's bag. Finally, it settled down.
"Hey, Asuka." A familiar voice greeted with a sigh while somehow getting crushed by the people in the train.
"Morning, Akira-kun." Asuka replied almost too casually. "Which hand is yours?" She soon asked.
"The one on your chest. Sorry." The Leader answered in an exasperated manner and apologized. He was trying his best not to move his fingers and hands while being cramped.
"I-It's ok. Homu-neechan?" Asuka meekly got out with a blush, trying not to mind the Leader's hand on her breast.
"I don't know how we keep ending up like this." Homura groaned, unable to get her hand out in between her sister's thighs. "Why don't we walk or run to school?" She soon suggested.
"Well, we wouldn't have moments to talk like this." Akira tried looking at the bright side, only to shrink a little at the glares the roommates gave him. "Uh, so, how's your day been so far?" He awkwardly asked.
"Great, until we had to get on here." Asuka admitted. "Moh...would more trains make things better or worse?" She eventually grumbled
"The age group with the most belief in the Phantom Thieves seems to be...teenagers!" The TV monitor above the group informed. "We've even received messages about how the Phantom Thieves are all students talk about these days." They then revealed.
"Well, that makes sense." Asuka muttered with a shrug.
"Do you know about them?" A businessman asked.
"They're the only thing my daughter talks about. She's been glued to this...Phan-site thing." His boss responded. "I thought it was just an ordinary website..." He soon admitted.
"Would those guys quiet down a little?" Homura mumbled.
"Hold on..." Akira got out as he narrowed his eyes. "Let's see what the adults think." He then muttered as he and the shinobi listened in on the business men.
"Lately they've added a polling feature to ask who you'd like to see have a change of heart." The businessman informed, quickly getting the Thieves' attention. "Given people's heightened expectations, it's been receiving a lot of votes." He then added.
"Huh...Maybe I should go vote for our company president. Change his heart so he'll raise our salaries! Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" His boss suggested with a good-hearted chuckle.
"Poll?" Akira repeated as he narrowed his eyes. Mishima did mention adding a new feature to the site yesterday night.
"That's new..." Morgana noted in a curious manner.
"Jeez, what are you doing, Mishima...?" Homura grumbled as the three pulled out their phones.
"It's true..." Asuka muttered in awe. "There are 10,000 people already on it!" She then exclaimed.
"And it looks like the top spot keeps changing every second." Homura muttered, narrowing her eyes. "...Is this a good idea...?" She soon asked in concern.
"I don't know. But we'll find out soon enough." Akira replied as he put away his phone for the rest of the train ride to school.
(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy Entrance Gates)
It was a peaceful morning in Shujin Academy, and for every student, it was either something new or the same as every school day as they all passed through the gates and went up the stairs to enter the school. And they couldn't help but take glances and feel slight mesmerization and interest on the still graffiti-covered front of the school.
Makoto was now standing beside the school gates, waiting for a particular someone to arrive and go inside the school with her. She was currently tinkering with her phone, trying to find something interesting on what's going around in Tokyo in the meantime, specifically social media and sometimes the Phan-site.
Another thing for her was that she was now having thoughts and inner concerns about her new assets, courtesy of Katsuragi from Hanzō Academy during their beach trip at Shirahama Beach. No doubt in her mind that it would potentially be the talk of the school once she attends school from time to time and onwards.
"Makoto-senpai!" A familiar voice called out.
The brunette student council president of Shujin turned and noticed someone jogging towards her...only for that person'smost noticeable features to bounce.
BOING!
Makoto stared at them for a moment before sighing in slight defeat. "Never have I ever in my whole life let breasts get my attention from now on." She then muttered as she shook her head as she looked at her friend's assets.
She even noticed some female students who were walking along with her to take a few or more glances at her bouncing assets, and obviously, they did not look happy about it.
"Do all the girls in this school keep track of chest sizes?" Makoto eventually thought in a flat tone.
"Makoto-senpai!" Homura called out once more.
"Huh!?" Makoto yelped, instinctively going into a battle stance only to see the tan skinned girl looking on in amusement. "O-Oh, sorry. I was distracted. Morning." She then got out.
"Good morning once again, Makoto-senpai." Homura soon properly greeted with a respectable bow.
"Homura-san, I thought we agreed that you didn't have to refer to me as senpai. We're friends after all." Makoto however reminded in amusement.
"Ehehe, guess the habit of calling you senpai returned after starting school again. Sorry." Homura sheepishly explained and apologized with a giggle while rubbing the back of her head.
Makoto giggled in response. "It's not a problem. It's honestly refreshing hearing you call me that again." She replied and confessed. "Hm? Where's Asuka-san?" She soon asked, noticing her friend's sister wasn't around.
"Ah, she went off to get some melon bread with Akira. We did turn up pretty early today." Homura revealed.
"But...They serve melon bread at school." Makoto pointed out. "I think the shop's open this early. The perks of a prep school." She then added.
"...They open before classes start?" Homura asked in disbelief. "...I seriously need to know more about this school." She then muttered.
"And you will soon enough. We have another semester of..." Makoto began before seeing nearly everyone here staring at them. "The usual problems with going to this school." She concluded with a groan.
"Oh yeah, what happened with your sister regarding...you know?" Homura soon asked before trailing off while glancing down to her best friend's new bust size.
"Well..." Makoto started as she began to recall what happened.
(Rewind)
(8/29, Evening)
(Niijima Residence)
Makoto was sweating up a storm as she and her sister silently stared at each other. There was no greeting, or any sort of noise. Just her appearance as she entered the apartment was enough and noticing the certain physical change in her younger sister.
"..."
"..."
"...They're not breast implants." Makoto eventually informed as quietly as possible.
"..."
"...I'm being honest, Sis." Makoto reassured, scratching her neck in the meantime.
"..."
"..."
After being still like a statue for quite a while, Sae finally moved, walking to her room, before coming out of it with an entire drawer of underwear. "My growth spurt was around this time. I prepared for this situation." She soon informed and revealed.
"Eh?" Makoto responded in confusion.
"Use these." Sae instructed as she gave her younger sister a bra that seemed to have an extra cup size on it before going towards the kitchen. "I'm cooking dinner tonight. What do you want?" She then asked as she prepared herself to cook for their evening meal.
"Uh..." Makoto blinked, a little weirded out but...also relieved. "A salad...?" She eventually responded with uneasiness as she sat down on their dinner table.
(Fast Forward)
(9/1, Early Morning)
(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy Entrance Gates)
"Huh, so she took it well?" Homura simplified with a raised eyebrow.
"I...think so, probably." Makoto responded with uneasiness. "...Now this makes me wonder about my mother..." She soon confessed.
"Eh?" Homura got out in confusion at the sudden confession.
"Well, she died shortly after I was born, so I really didn't get to know her." Makoto admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck. "From my sister's reaction, it was like...she expected this." She then stated.
"Yeah..." Homura got out, feeling suspicious herself but beginning to look really weirded out. "Where are you going with this?" She eventually asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well..." Makoto began while gaining a serious expression "...Was my mom a shinobi?" She soon asked in a whisper.
Homura's eyes immediately widened to that question. "Huh!? You're seriously basing that assumption off her reaction to the size of your boobs?" She questioned in disbelief.
Makoto in turn blushed. "W-Well, it just seemed unusual that she would react that way." She admitted.
"...True." Homura had to admit in agreement. "...We should discuss this another time. It is our first day back." She soon reminded.
"I can't believe school's starting back up again..." A listless-looking student complained. "Not like I did anything during summer break. I just stayed in and played online games."
"Nothing you could've done this summer would've topped the Phantom Thieves! Hacking Medjed back and all the other stuff- it was totally nuts!" His more energetic friend pointed out in an excited tone.
"Everyone online was waiting for the deadline to hit. People sure do love the Phantom Thieves." The listless student remarked before pulling out his phone. "Speaking of, have you checked out the Phan-site recently? They added a bunch of new stuff, including the option to rank people to get a change of heart." He then added.
"You heard about this, Makoto-senpai?" Homura eventually asked.
"Yeah." Makoto answered with a nod. "I'm not sure how to feel about it but...it would give us suggestions for a target. If anything, just to see what the public thinks." She then admitted.
"Oh yeah, even the principal's popping up too!" the energetic student suddenly remembered. "Think it was due to that tabloid article about Shujin?"
"!?" That in turn got the duo's attention.
"Yeah, some whistleblower in the staff must've spilled everything." the listless student assumed. "Even his involvement with Kamoshida. He's done for." he then added.
"...Oh my God, today is the best day ever." Homura muttered with widened eyes. "I-I'm not dreaming, am I senpai?" She soon asked.
"Wait, which tabloid...?" Makoto whispered to herself. "Who do you think did it?" She then questioned.
"Who cares! Principal Medorthophobia is going to resign before the week is over!" Homura cheered before doing a little dance while walking. "Hey, he might even off-" She then began, however...
"Look, they're coming!"
"Shujin Academy's Dragonesses are entering the school grounds."
"Eh?" Homura quietly got out in confusion to the other girls comments.
"What did they just call us?" Makoto whispered, blinking to hearing that.
"Damn, did Makoto-senpai get even hotter over the summer?"
"Huh? Now that you think about it, her chest looked...I don't know, had a growth spurt or something."
"Say what?"
"Why is everyone commenting about my chest size!?" Makoto exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around herself. "It's only a C-cup!" She then noted.
"Ehh...it's more C barely bordering on D..." Homura awkwardly informed.
"Not. Helping." Makoto got out through gritted teeth.
"Sorry. In any case, when did this happen?" Homura muttered in confusion. "Also, Shujin Academy's Dragonesses? As in the both of us?" She then repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"This is...different..." Makoto awkwardly admitted, blinking a couple of times to process their sudden popularity. "It would be nice if they didn't focus so much on the...body though..." She then sighed out. "This is definitely karma for telling Doctor Takemi that I wish I had a bigger bust..." She soon muttered.
"This is...getting close to how everyone viewed Kamoshida..." Homura mumbled in an uncomfortable manner. "I don't want to be a Queen or whatever the hell they're calling us. I just want to help the school."
"Yeah..." Makoto responded with a wince as they noticed more looking at them in admiration. "We haven't done anything special, have we?" She then asked.
"Maybe they got a wake up call?" Homura guessed in an unsure tone. "Maybe something happened at the summer sports program." She then suggested.
"I haven't heard anything about it." Makoto admitted before frowning. "Then again, I usually wasn't there. I had duties I had to perform." She then muttered.
"Well, we can always just ask them what got this to spread around." Homura soon suggested as they looked at the eager students. "It seems people are more willing to talk to us." She then noted.
The tan skinned girl nodded to that as she approached a group of chatting students. "Ok all of you, what's with this sudden change?" Homura bluntly called out with her hands on her hips.
"Oh, morning." a tomboyish student greeted with a smile. "Eh, only a few people are calling you guys that. It's kinda weird. We're just appreciating what you've done with the school so far." She then admitted.
"But...what about-" Makoto started, thinking back to how harshly she was treated last semester.
"I really like those pads, buchou. Where did you get those?" The more trendy student interjected, looking down at the President's bust.
"...Yes. They're...pads." Makoto blinked while shifting her eyes around. "Anyways, why all the sudden respect?" She then asked.
"Well, we all attended the sports program and after...those..." The trendy student began, only to shiver and groan. "We got to talking. You guys have done so much to make this school worth coming to." She then admitted.
"I feel like I haven't done anything though significant..." Homura admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck. "And, it's mostly the Phantom Thieves. You should thank them." She then said.
"And we do. But when they're not around, at least we can rely on you guys." the tomboy student assured with a smile.
"U-Um...thanks." The tan skinned girl then sighed with a smile.
"So, what's your next goal?" The trendy student eventually questioned. "Fixing up those delinquents?" She then guessed.
"Huh?" Makoto and Homura got out in confusion.
The trendy student looked similarly confused before looking around and spotting something. "Them? You know." The girl insisted before leaning in and whispering. "Kurusu and Sakamoto?" She informed as they turned to see the duo in mention eating melon bread together.
"They're...our friends." Makoto pointed out.
"Yeah, so when are you gonna stop?" The trendy student then asked.
"Look, when it comes to our friends, don't judge them for what others tell you, try to talk and get to know them as people." Homura soon suggested as the two headed for their respective classrooms.
"Should we?"
"The criminal record is still real, even if Kamoshida spread it around just to get rid of him..."
"She's just trying to gain sympathy points for him."
"What if she's right though?"
"I mean they are friends with him for a reason."
"Doesn't matter. It's not like he can get a job after graduating."
"I don't really care, to be honest."
The two girls soon sighed as they heard that and other similar comments. "Small steps." They thought to themselves.
(Shujin Academy, Classroom)
"Nom nom nom..." Asuka got out as she chewed on her melon bread just as her fellow Leader and sister came into the classroom. "Hey guys! Ah, here's your bread, Homu-neechan." She greeted and offered.
"Thanks." Homura replied as she sat at her desk and took a bite. "Mmm..." She then got out in a dreamy manner.
Meanwhile, the ash blonde let out a groan. "Second term's only started and I'm already beat." Ann yawned out. She had been sleeping in later during summer so her school sleep schedule needed getting used to again.
"Yup. I already miss summer..." Asuka sighed out before smiling. "But it was fun, right Homu-neechan?" She then added while looking towards her sister.
"Hell yeah it was." Homura replied as she adjusted her Disciplinary Committee armband.
"Totally. I always think that every year that summer vacation is too short." Ann muttered out. "It's like, it always ends right when you get used to a life without school." She then added.
"Yeah, but we have to go back some day." Akira replied in a dull tone as he sat down at his desk. "Otherwise, we're gonna be dumb adults like our old gym teacher. Or Kaneshiro. Or Principal Teddynuggets." He then listed off.
"Shh, quiet, Kawakami-sensei's coming in." Homura advised in a more mature and respectful tone.
Kawakami cleared her throat, getting everyone to quiet down. "Alright, let's begin homeroom." She announced. "Let's see. We've just gotten back from vacation, but starting next Monday is the school trip." She then informed.
"Aw God...!" A student loudly groaned. "No...!" They then complained.
"It isn't a TV station or the local jail. It's outside Japan." Kawakami assured with a sigh. God, that trip would still bring the yawns if she even thought about it. She really wished she could've gone to the box factory.
This however caught everyone's attention. "Wait, what?" Akira, Asuka and Homura got out in confusion
Kawakami couldn't help but sigh in her usual tired manner. "You students are so lucky. You get an entire month off for summer and get to go to Hawaii too." She then informed in a slightly envious tone.
"Hawaii-...WHAT!?" The trio exclaimed in disbelief after hearing that, getting the attention of everyone else in the room.
"Wait, you didn't know?" Ann asked in disbelief. "It was on the schedule for the year. You should've gotten it when you...oh." She began explaining before realizing.
"What do you mean- Oh, shit." Asuka swore out.
They were supposed to receive it at the start of the year...when they arrived...
Not late.
"Damn it, I knew I forgot something..." Kawakami grumbled under her breath. "Make sure that none of you cut loose too much, okay?" She then advised.
However, the students cut loose and cheered anyway.
"Okay, settle down! That concludes homeroom today." Kawakami got out before leaving the room.
Instantly, the classroom came to life as the students animatedly started talking to one another about the trip.
"Wait really!? A trip to Hawaii right after we got back to school!?" Asuka exclaimed in a surprised manner as their homeroom teacher left the room.
"The school can actually afford that?" Homura asked in disbelief and a raised eyebrow.
"Surprisingly, yes." Ann replied as she looked at the brunette. "Don't worry Asuka-chan, our agency already knows about our trip, so we don't have to worry." She reassured with a smile.
This in turn caused Asuka to sigh in relief. "Well, we better make sure our passports are in order Homu-neechan." She happily replied. "I don't think I've ever been outside Japan before!" She then admitted as excitement started to form.
Homura in response nodded in agreement to that. "Same here." She admitted.
The brunette then looked at her skin in a curious manner. "Hmm...think I should get a better tan while we're in Hawaii?" Asuka then asked in a curious manner. "You know, so we can match Homu-neechan!" She happily added.
The natural tan skinned girl however blushed. "D-Don't flatter me so permanently sis. Besides, there's the risk of sunburn and melanoma..." Homura stammered out.
"Aww, but I really wanted to match Homu-neechan~" Asuka said in an adorable innocence.
Immediately, the tan skinned girl blushed while resisting the urge to gush over her sister. "Cuteness...causing...slight heart attack...!" Homura thought in a strained manner.
Ann meanwhile giggled at that. "Actually, I think a tan might suit you, Asuka-chan." She admitted with a smile.
The tan skinned girl immediately jerked her head towards the ash blonde. "Please don't encourage her, I can't handle any more cuteness." Homura begged.
Ann merely giggled. "You are such a siscon, Homura." She remarked in a teasing tone.
"And that's why I love Homu-neechan." Asuka delightfully declared.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
To that, Homura really had to resist squealing in delight as a result as she bit down on her bottom lip.
"Homura, do you need a minute outside?" Akira meanwhile asked in concern. "Or, maybe a minute alone?" He then added.
Homura merely got up from her seat and left the room.
The girls meanwhile just giggled to the tan skinned girl's action. "Hehe, Homu-neechan is pretty silly at times." Asuka got out.
"Even though you cause it sometimes, Asuka-chan?" Ann quipped out in an amused yet teasing tone.
Asuka however innocently tilted her head to that. "Do I?" She soon asked.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Homura screamed out, getting everyone's attention and sweatdropping to what happened.
"...I'd say so." Akira got out as the tan skinned girl came back into the classroom. "How was outside, Homura?" He soon asked.
"Calming." Homura simply replied. "What were we talking about again?" She then asked.
"Asuka-chan working more on her tan while in Hawaii." Ann soon reminded.
"Yeah, that'll be fine. We'll be in the sun anyways so I can't really stop it." Homura replied. "Just remember to put on sunscreen, Sis." She soon advised.
"I will. Don't worry Homu-neechan." Asuka assured. "Maybe you should even out your tan." She then suggested.
Homura in response awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Um, I don't think the teachers would allow nudity. I don't even think Hawaii has a nude beach and if there is..." She pointed out before shivering.
"Oh..." Asuka sighed out. "Well, at least we get to go to another beach." She then pointed out.
"Ye- Wait, is this thing for some big assignment or something?" Homura realized. "We can't go to Hawaii without a catch." She then stated.
Ann however giggled at that. "Nope, it's just a normal trip, no assignment." She soon revealed.
"That's...weird." Akira had to admit. He never heard of a high school having a flat-out vacation.
"...I-I don't...You know what, I'm just gonna stop asking questions and accept it." Homura sighed out.
Asuka however giggled as a thought came to her mind. "I guess our fatty, no-neck principal wants to make sure we don't talk to the police about the Kamoshida incident by sending us out of the country." She then whispered her deduction. "Less heart of gold, but more dumb of ass. Shujin's Portly Principal." She eventually recited as if she was saying a haiku.
This in turn caused the others to snort in amusement.
"Hehe, looks like you've become a real bad girl Sis." Homura then quipped. "I'm so proud of you!" She then added in a more older sister-like tone.
"Homu-neechan." Asuka got out with a blush on her face.
"Hey, wait, I need to remind you guys that we can't...do our jobs in Hawaii." Ann pointed out. "What are we going to do if-" She began, however...
"Hey, Takamaki-san!" A shrewd girl called out as she approached the ash blonde along with her friend. "You can speak English, right?"
"I don't know. You tell me?" Ann replied in English before giggling at her little joke...only to see the two staring blankly at her. "...Yes." She responded.
"That's amazing!" The piggybacking girl responded with a smile.
"I lived over there, so it's nothing that special." Ann simply revealed.
"Hey, if there's something we're not sure of in English, can we ask you about it?" The shrewd girl praised and requested.
"Heh, you're getting pretty popular Ann." Akira remarked with a smile.
"You guys should also brush up on your English as well. Hawaii's an American state after all." Ann informed. "I can tutor you guys if you want." She then offered.
"Thanks. My English kinda sucks..." Asuka admitted with a groan.
"I can read a little English. Isn't that enough?" Homura muttered before sighing.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Hm?" Akira got out as the Thieves pulled out their phones.
[Shut7heFUp: All people're talking about in my class is the Phantom Thieves.]
[Shut7heFUp: Is it the same for you? Talk about being popular. Anyways, now that a new semester's started, let's have another operation meeting.]
[TheWildJ0ker: All right. Accessway?]
[Shut7heFUp: Accessway.]
"Meeting at the Accessway after school." Akira announced as they pocketed their phones.
"Already texting everyone else." Asuka informed as she tapped away on her phone. "Let's hope nothing too serious happens while we're away on Hawaii."
"Eh, I'm sure Tokyo can live without the Phantom Thieves for a week." Homura assured, waving it off. "Just a week of school, then it's off to Hawaii. This'll be fun." She reminded and declared, getting nods from the others.
"...So, Shujin Academy's Dragonesses?" Akira then suddenly asked with raised eyebrow and a slight smirk on his face.
"Ah jeez, you guys heard about that title too?" Homura sheepishly got out with a blush.
"It's a bit of a mouthful huh?" Ann admitted with a giggle as they continued to make small talk while they waited for their next teacher to come.
"...You know, I feel like we're forgetting something here." Akira muttered out with a frown.
"Huh? Really?" Asuka got out in surprise. "What is it?" She soon asked.
"I dunno, just...we..." Akira started before frowning. "Ah, whatever, it probably wasn't important." He soon decided with a shake of his head.
(9/1, Lunchtime)
(Shujin Academy, Classroom)
"Alright. Favorite horror movie?" Akira suddenly asked as they were all eating their lunches.
"I haven't watched that many but...I'd say The Ghost of Yotsuya." Asuka admitted, shivering slightly
"Sweet Home." Homura answered with a shrug.
"28 Days Later." Ryuji revealed as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"...High School Musical." Ann casually stated, getting the confused looks from the others. "After watching it I spent all my middle school years terrified that the entire school would start singing something and I'd be the only one who didn't know the lyrics." She explained.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by an announcement.
"Kurusu-kun, please come to the Student Guidance Office. I repeat, Kurusu-kun, please come to the Student Guidance Office."
"Kawakami?" Akira got out in surprise.
"Uhh...that sounds like you're in trouble." Homura got out in a concerned manner.
Akira frowned. "No...I don't think that's it." He muttered as he got out of his seat. "Have lunch without me. It shouldn't take a lot of time." He then instructed before heading out of the classroom, walking out faster than usual.
"Okay, Leader." Ann responded with a quick salute.
"Eh? I wonder what Kawakami-sensei's calling Akira-kun for?" Asuka asked in a curious manner.
"Asuka, do you need to ask that?" Ann questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh?" The Vice Leader got out in confusion.
"You're an effin' ninja. Go and find out for yourself." The dyed blonde pointed out before returning to his lunch.
"But that would be rude." Asuka pointed out in concern.
"I dunno. Kawakami-sensei looked worried and way more tired than usual. She might need the support." Homura assumed with a shrug. "Plus, we've been eavesdropping all the time. This isn't anything special, Sis." She then pointed out.
"But still..." Asuka began, but then paused and sighed. "Moh...I blame you guys for convincing me." She groaned before quickly finishing her lunch then heading out of the classroom.
(Student Guidance Office)
Asuka followed the Leader to the student guidance office and quickly made her way to the door once he went inside. After making sure no one was looking her way, she opened the door just enough to listen into the two's conversation.
"I'm sorry to pull you in here out of the blue, but it's about Takase-kun's guardians..." Kawakami began as the Leader leaned against a set of empty bookcases. "I told them...that I'm not going to pay them any more money!" She then revealed with a proud smile on her face.
"What? That's great!" Akira got out in a happy tone.
"And I'm quitting my part-time job too!" Kawakami then added. "Although I'm still in talks with my boss about it."
"That's even better." Akira replied. "I'm really happy for you, sensei."
Kawakami nodded to that. "I'm going to devote myself to being a great teacher! No matter what others say, I won't waver. So, thank you for giving me such good advice. I just thought you should be the first to know..." She then got out in a determined tone before noticing something at the door. "Huh?"
"What is it?" Akira got out, barely hearing a squeak as the Vice Leader moved out of sight.
"Was that...Asuka-chan standing outside?" Kawakami questioned.
Akira blinked before stepping slightly into the teacher's vision, blocking the door. "...No." He answered.
"But I swear..." Kawakami began before shaking her head.
Meanwhile, Asuka let out a sigh of relief. Akira now knew she was listening in, but was already covering for her. "A mark of a true leader..." She thought. While she had some questions about what was happening, she didn't want to pry into it more than she was doing so now.
"I never really talked to Asuka-chan about that whole...encounter from last time." Kawakami remembered with a frown. "I should probably explain what happened. It's been months and she still probably thinks her teacher is a prostitute..." She then admitted and assumed.
"She doesn't think that. But she never did want to talk about it." Akira informed as he rubbed the back of his head while the Vice Leader blushed.
"Yeah, that whole married schtick was never going to work." Kawakami deadpanned. "But you two do make a cute couple..." She then admitted, causing both leaders to blush heavily.
"K-Kawakami-sensei?" Akira got out, his voice breaking a little.
"Ah, sorry." Kawakami apologized with a chuckle. "We have bets amongst the staff about students getting together. Keeps us from going insane and makes us pay attention to our students." She then explained.
"...They need better hobbies." Akira bluntly stated with a sweatdrop.
"With Principal Deadfart around? I think not." Kawakami scoffed as she rolled her eyes.
"Asuka-chan?" A female voice got out from behind the Vice Leader.
"Ah!" Asuka yelped out before turning around to see a teacher with two middle-aged people there. Quickly studying them, she noticed rings on their fingers. They were married. "Oh, uh, sorry Ms...uh..." She then began only to slowly realize that she had no idea what this teacher's name was.
"I don't have time for this." The man grumbled. "Let us into that room. We need to talk to someone inside." He then commanded.
Instantly, warning signs began to blared in her head. "Um...it's sort of a private matter..." Asuka replied in a sheepish tone.
"Then why were you standing in front of the door?" The lady questioned in an impatient tone.
"Waiting for my friend." The Vice Leader responded with a slightly more forceful tone.
"Asuka-chan, please stand aside. These two wish to talk to Kawakami-sensei for only a moment." The teacher got out with a sigh.
"Then wait until after school." Asuka suggested with narrowed eyes.
"Stand aside, or you will get detention for a week." The teacher finally threatened, having enough of the girl's unusual antics.
"Urk!" Asuka winced. She couldn't risk such a thing, especially with the Hawaii trip coming soon. "F-Fine..." She finally relented before opening the door.
However, the middle-aged couple didn't care and stormed into the room. "Did you post that girl here to stop us?" The man assumed.
"Eh? T-Takase-san!?" Kawakami got out in surprise. "Asuka?" She then gasped.
"Sorry, sensei..." Asuka apologized as she reluctantly came into the room and stood at her friend and teacher's side.
The middle-aged woman meanwhile noticed the boy glaring at the both of them. "Tch. Him again?" She questioned in annoyance.
"You know it, lady." Akira responded.
"How rude...I guess a student is only as good as his teacher. Obviously you lack a proper education." The woman remarked.
"And you lack proper manners." Akira shot back.
"You know them, Akira-kun?" Asuka meanwhile asked.
"Unfortunately." Akira groaned. Just another set of bastards among the many he already knows.
"You thought you could just call and say you're not going to pay anymore? Who do you think you are?" The male Takase relative soon questioned in a threatening tone.
"It's what I decided, for Takase-kun's sake. I'm going to make sure there won't be any more students like him, who..." Kawakami responded and declared, but as she began to explain.
"So you're just trying to get out of your responsibility? I bet you don't even care about Taiki!" the woman accused. "How are you still a teacher? Maybe we really should sue the Board of Education! Are you OK with that? A teacher who caused her student to die would surely cause a scandal." She then threatened, causing Kawakami to flinch.
"Eh?" Asuka got out as she turned to her teacher, who winced.
"Oh, you don't even know?" The man got out, looking rather smug. "This lady here killed our boy." He then stated as a matter of fact.
"What?" Asuka gasped before shaking her head. "No, I don't believe you!" She soon declared.
"There was more to it than that! It was an accident!" Kawakami declared, relieving the Vice Leader as she then glared at the man. "And you know it. I won't let you use my guilt against me!" She then stated.
"Tch..." The man got out in annoyance while narrowing his eyes along with the woman.
"I'm not going to run or hide anymore! I'm going to spend my time taking care of my students." Kawakami continued, her flame of resolve flaring for the first time in years. "If you want to take legal action, then go ahead. Regardless, I'll continue teaching. I've decided that that's the best apology I can make to Takase-kun. Paying money to you two is not the solution, to say the least!"
The Takase's stepped back a little before standing their ground. "Hmmm...Along with suing you, maybe I should tell everyone about your little secret..." The man began, finally deciding to play their trump card. "...You know, about your little stint as a sex worker."
Instantly the teacher was struck silent, her flames dying out in an instant.
"How did you...!?" Kawakami gasped before glancing over to Akira and Asuka, who were stunned yet shaking with rage.
"Oh? So I'm right, am I?" The man got out in a smug tone.
"What!?" Kawakami exclaimed as she stumbled back.
"I mean, the amount of money you're paying us can't come from just a teacher's salary. Well? Shall we head on over to the faculty office?" The man assumed before daring the woman to continue her rebellion. But they had done it, and killed any sort of retaliation she could muster.
"These two are nothing more than parasites..." Akira thought with narrowed eyes.
"Stop...please..." Kawakami suddenly pleaded quietly.
"Hah! A teacher working in the sex industry? You've definitely done it this time. How unfortunate for you that you thought you could just leave Taiki's matter unsettled..." The male Takase relative smugly stated. "You know what you have to do now, right? Pay up! And don't ever call us again with this garbage about stopping the payments!" He then demanded.
"W-Why are you doing this!?" Asuka exclaimed. "W-We can go to the police! Blackmail and extortion is a crime, you know!" She soon reminded in growing anger.
"You think the police would give a whore the time of day?" The female Takase relative countered in a cocky manner, only causing the Thieves to get even angrier but held back.
One flick of the wrist, one word, and they would be hoping there was a god out there to protect them.
"He wouldn't have died in the first place if you didn't step into his life." The male Takase relative stated. "All that money is compensating for everything you've done." He then declared.
"That is a lie." Akira stated as he and the Vice Leader stood in front of their teacher.
"...You don't care about him, you only care about the money!" Asuka then accused, glaring at the extortionists.
"Another one of your students I assume?" The man soon got out as he took a good look at the shinobi. "Does she help you with your work?" He then assumed while narrowing his eyes.
SHATTER!
"Get out." Akira darkly growled, his knife hand twitching.
"Don't you dare try and intimidate me." Takase's male relative scoffed before checking the time. "Ugh, let's just leave. And you, it'll be another 100,000 yen on top of what you already owe." He then stated.
With that, the Takase's took their leave.
"...Dammit..." Akira cursed under his breath before turning to Kawakami. It hurt him to see how her smile turned into a depressed frown.
"...Sensei?" Asuka whispered in a concerned tone.
"Haha...I guess I can't quit my part-time job just yet." Kawakami laughed weakly, attempting to hide her pain.
"You can't just give up!" Akira encouraged. "You can't let these bastards take your life!" He then insisted.
"I know! But what am I supposed to do...?" Kawakami responded in a sad yet frustrated manner. "What about the Phantom Thieves...? Would they help someone like me? No, that would be impossible..."
"Kawakami-sensei..." Asuka muttered in concern.
"I can't do this anymore..." Kawakami sniffled out, feeling everything she had done crashing around her.
"...Well, it wouldn't hurt to try." Akira responded as he pulled out his phone. "I'll post it on the site for you. What're their names again?" He offered and asked.
"The Takases? The husband is Toshio-san...and his wife is Hiromi-san...Haha, I could never forget them. I send them money every week..." Kawakami informed, still humorlessly laughing at her self-pity. "Wait, why did I tell you!? Please don't! A Shujin teacher asking the Phantom Thieves for help would be..." She soon asked in realization and stated.
"Sensei..." Asuka breathed out before shaking her head. "The Phantom Thieves will always be there to help anyone. Whenever there's a target they can't ignore, their heart is already theirs." She then declared, confident in their victory.
"Do you really believe that...?" the teacher questioned with a raised eyebrow. "...It doesn't matter. Akira-kun, sorry for dragging you here. I was just so excited to tell you what I had decided...and then it ended up like this..." She then apologized.
"Sensei, it's fine." Akira assured.
"And Asuka-chan, thanks for trying to help even if you didn't know the whole picture." Kawakami then added. "Just forget everything, OK? If you think about it, I'm right back where I started..." She eventually requested and muttered.
"No, you're not." Asuka however stated. "You have us to support you now." She then reassured.
"Urgh...relying on teenagers for an adult problem..." Kawakami groaned. It seemed the Vice Leader's words just made her even sadder. "I guess I'll never change...Haha...Class is about to start...I need to go." She then got out.
With that, their homeroom teacher left the room, probably to find somewhere quiet and private to cry at for the rest of the day.
With the two Leaders alone, it finally allowed them to cut loose on their feelings. "Akira-kun?" Asuka sweetly started.
"Yeah?"
"I wanna take their hearts." Asuka soon requested in a vengeful tone with a fire of anger in her eyes.
"Already ours." Akira coldly declared just as the bell rang.
(9/1, After School)
(Disciplinary Committee Board)
Homura sighed as she sat down at her desk and looked upon her committee members. "Good afternoon everyone. Happy to see you all after summer vacation." She soon greeted/
"As did you." Everyone all greeted back.
"It really is good to see you again, Homura-san." Keiichiro greeted with a salute.
"Yeah, it feels like forever since I last saw you." Naomi admitted with a salute of her own.
"Right!? I was thinking the same thing!" Hikari got out in agreement.
"It's been a nice vacation, but it's really good to see you again." Suzuka got out with a smile as she placed a hand on her hip.
"As much as I wanted to say I was enjoying my vacation, I had some other things to do during that time, so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted." Chitose sheepishly admitted.
"Same here, I was busy working on how to take Shujin back for my family and I spent about half of the summer working it out. But I did manage to spend the rest of summer vacation at the beach, so it worked out in the end." Ryoga nodded as well.
"Hai, it was enjoyable whIle it lasted." Emica got out with a nod.
"Vacations are exactly what we need since we essentially run this school." Daigo soon remembered.
"More so now due to the principal being in hot water for his revealed crimes." Yui then stated.
"Thank you, Matayoshi-san." Both Homura and Chitose thought as they smiled inwardly.
"So that means we've got the entire school to ourselves, right?" Satoshi asked while crossing his arms.
"H-Hai, both Niijima-senpai and Homura-senpai are essentially the heads." Hitomi stammered out.
"So now you two really are the Queens of Shujin Academy since that fat principal no longer has the school under his greedy hands." Ichiko declared as she then smirked. "Honestly, I'm just glad that we don't have to worry about him breathing down our necks and waiting for us to slip up so that he'll shut us down." She soon confessed.
"No pressure though!" Homura quipped.
"Oh, definitely." Ichiko smirked.
"Hold on, aren't we missing someone? What happened to the short stack?" Satoshi wondered as he noticed their group was missing one member.
"Hm?" Homura got out in confusion as she looked around, soon noticing it herself. "Ah, you're right. Where is Sora-san?" She soon asked.
"I don't know. I didn't really see him in-between classes. I thought he might be sick or something, so I asked one of the teachers if they've seen him." Suzuka answered. "They said he's helping a teacher right now, so he'll probably be a little late."
Homura in response smiled at that. "That sounds like him." She admitted in approval.
"So what are we going to do? Start the meeting without him or should we wait until we hear anything from the teachers?" Daigo questioned in concern.
"Well, we really-" Homura started, however...
The door slides open as an unfamiliar boy wearing a hoodie over his uniform walks into the room. "Whew...made it..." He sighed in exhaustion as he closed the door. "Sorry about that, I was helping one of the teachers and it took longer than I thought. Hope I'm not too late for the meeting." He then explained.
"..." The others meanwhile were confused by the sight of the unfamiliar person that just came in.
"What...?" Daigo started.
"In...?" Chitose continued.
"The...?" Satoshi got out.
"Hell...?" And Suzuka, all of them confused by this.
"What? What's wrong, guys? Is there something on my face?" The boy however asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh..." Emica responded.
"Who..." Naomi then began.
"A-Are you?" Hitomi soon asked.
"Seriously? C'mon, guys. It's me. Sora Kagurazaka." The boy revealed himself as Sora as he took off the hood. He was slightly taller than before, his hair had grown down to his shoulders and had a slightly more athletic build.
The other Disciplinary Committee members' jaws all drop in response to hearing that.
"Wait what?" Homura got out as she looked at the former shortest member of her committee.
"You're kidding, right?" Satoshi asked in disbelief.
"Dude. What happened to you? You look so..." Daigo was at a loss for words.
"Different..." Suzuka finished for him.
"Humana humana..." Ichiko got out before shaking her head to deny this.
"H-How?" Hitomi and Emica soon questioned at the same time.
"Yeah, the last time we saw you was when you were still the shortest out of all of us." Chitose agreed in awe.
"Now look at you, you've changed over the summer. How did that even happen?" Ryoga stated and questioned him.
"Oh, I took Homura-senpai's advice and started going to the gym." Sora explained to them. "At first it was to release some stress, but I started to go there more regularly. So over the summer, I've been working out and I guess I started to change a little." He soon revealed.
"A little is an understatement." Homura soon confessed.
"I guess you're right, senpai. But your advice did help and now I'm feeling a lot better than I did before." Sora replied as he smiled at her.
"I-I guess..." Homura awkwardly admitted while the other girls in the room blushed.
"Looks like he's started to get the attention of the girls." Chitose whispered to the boys.
"I don't blame them. After seeing his sudden transformation into that, I wouldn't be surprised if that was their reaction when he walked into the gates." Daigo agrees as he chuckles.
"How the hell did the shrimp become that!?" Satoshi meanwhile got out.
"Someone starting to feel inadequate, hmm?" Ryoga glanced at him with a smirk.
"Ah shut it Shujin..." Satoshi grumbled.
"Still Sora-san, good to see you finally got here." Homura meanwhile got out as she smiled at him after calming down.
"Yeah, sorry if I was late. I lost track of time because I was helping out a teacher. Hope I didn't miss anything important." Sora nodded.
"It's ok, I was just greeting everyone and welcoming them back from summer vacation and talking about how we basically run the school." Homura responded and revealed.
"Oh okay. So I just missed that. Again, sorry about that." Sora apologizes again.
"It's not a problem." Homura replied as she then glanced at the others. "I think the others are still in shock by your new appearance. Right?" She then guessed and asked out loud to the other members.
Everyone else meanwhile all nodded in agreement as the boys all complimented his new look with the exception of Satoshi while the girls couldn't help but realize how handsome he's become.
Even Homura had to admit that he was now more attractive than before. Good thing shinobi training made the tan skinned girl more resistant to charm then others.
And because she started to possibly have feelings for her leader of the Phantom Thieves, but decided not to let that distract her from her duties at the moment.
"So Sora-san, feeling good knowing that we practically run the school and not the principal?" Homura soon asked.
"Yeah, really good. I'm still having a hard time believing that we now run the school, but I can't deny it as well." Sora replied and admitted. "I'm glad that we can now run it properly than our principal ever could. So I'm ready for whatever comes our way." he then declared.
"Good to hear." Homura replied in approval as she felt her bond with her committee member improving even more as a result.
SHATTER!
RANK UP! Strength Rank 3!
Inner Focus: Chance to increase Strength at the start of a battle.
"So what's the plan to run this school? Do we just do as we normally do?" Sora asked, ready for any challenge.
"That and making sure that every student is satisfied so they feel proud attending Shujin." Homura answered. "...Except for students that want to smoke on the premises." She then added.
"Amen to that." Daigo agreed.
"These bastards really think they can just do what they want, but we're not going to let them have the run of the place any longer." Chitose declared.
"You can count on us to make sure that this school is safe for everyone and that the students feel proud to attend." Ryoga replied in confidence.
"I used to let everyone else do everything because I was the shortest one, but now I'm ready to keep the peace in our school." Sora declared as he nodded in confidence.
"Understood ma'am!" Keiichiro responded with a determined nod.
"Yeah! Let's fix up school and make it even better!" Naomi got out while pumping a fist with a grin on her face.
"I'm ready for whatever those guys might try. We won't let them do whatever they want anymore." Suzuka replied, smirking as well.
"Time to punish those that do shameless acts." Yui decided with a smile in anticipation.
"I might not do much, but I'll do whatever I can to make sure our school is safe for everyone attending." Emica stated as she nodded in determination.
"I-I'll do my best Homura-sama." Hitomi meekly stammered out.
"Hmph, there'll be no match for our committee since this is our reign. Ohohoho~!" Ichiko confidently declared followed by a haughty laugh.
Satoshi on the other hand rolled his eyes to hearing that.
"But before that..." Hikari started as she glanced toward the light blue haired boy.
"Hm? What's up Hikari?" Homura hummed out and questioned.
"Can I help you, Hikari-san?" Sora meanwhile asked as he turned to her.
At that moment, the girl in question went over to the boy.
Homura's eye on the other hand noticed the expression her committee member had. "Oh no..." She thought to herself.
"Hikari-san, what's with that look? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sora asked while taking a step back from her.
At that moment, Homura noticed some of her other female members also going towards him. "Oh jeez..." She sighed out as she palmed her face.
"Uh...ladies...? What's going on here? I really don't like the looks on your faces..." Sora once more asked as he was backed into the wall.
"N-No way..." Yui got out in disbelief.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Satoshi muttered.
"That can't be good..." Ryoga pointed out.
"Should we go help him?" Daigo asked in worry.
"I don't think that's a good idea. I think their switch has been turned on and it's directed right at him." Chitose explained as they watched this unfold.
"Wait what?" Sora got out as he heard the others say those things before looking at the girls gathering around him. "Uh...ladies...You're a little too close..." He nervously got out as he was surrounded by the girls on all sides and couldn't find a way to escape.
"Come on, you had to suspect this would happen to you, Sora-kun." Hikari playfully pointed out.
"Kun? You called me Sora-kun?" Sora responded in confusion as he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "And what did you mean by that?" He then asked.
"It's just as she said, Sora-chan. You didn't expect us to not be attracted by your new look." Suzuka answered as she leaned in closer.
Homura meanwhile snorted in amusement at seeing her committee member blushing.
Sora's eyes shifted to each girl as they leaned in even closer to him as he turned to everyone else for help.
"G-Good luck Sora-kun." Hitomi meekly encouraged him.
"We will remember you, always." Daigo saluted him.
"On the bright side, you get to experience what most guys would kill to have." Chitose gave him a thumbs up.
"We'll be sure to keep your memory alive." Ryoga nodded as he bowed.
"..." Yui's eye meanwhile twitched at the sight.
"You better be sure to take responsibility for them." Keiichiro soon stated.
"Responsibility?! What the hell do you mean by responsibility?!" Sora yelled before turning back to the girls who are now even closer to him, right up to his face.
"Four girls, not bad when it wasn't intentional." Homura openly admitted, getting amused at the boy's blush as a result.
"Hold on Suzu-chan, I noticed him first." Hikari started, albeit a bit menacing.
"Oh please, I knew him far longer than you. So you better stay out of my way." Suzuka shot back, just as menacing.
"I believe I have a better chance with him then you two." Emica however countered with her eye narrowed.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Naomi however informed her.
"G-Girls..." Sora stammered out, shocked to hear this.
"And what are you planning to do, you military nut?" Suzuka challenged, pressing her breasts with the brunette's.
"Why don't you come and see?" Naomi taunted.
"This is actually happening..." Satoshi muttered.
"C'mon girls, don't fight like this..." Sora tried to stop them, but his words fell on deaf ears.
SHINE!
"Ladies, at ease." Homura however called out in an authority filled manner as the light shined behind her.
Everyone turned to her as they're all now at ease with her by her radiation.
"S-Sorry Homura-san." Hikari awkwardly got out.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Suzuka rubbed the back of her in guilt.
"I'm sorry as well." Emica bowed apologetically.
"Same, I don't know what came over me..." Naomi awkwardly admitted.
"It is alright, you let a brief moment of lust consume you for a moment, just be sure to learn from that." Homura replied and advised.
"We will, ma'am." The four girls responded as they all nodded.
"Good." Homura replied in approval. "Now then, everyone head out and make sure this academy is great for everyone." She then ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone nodded as they all headed out of the committee meeting.
"Ugh...I thought I was about to die..." Sora confessed with a sigh as he slid down the wall while breathing a sigh of relief.
"You ok?" Homura soon asked as she went over to his side.
"Yeah, I'll live. But I don't know if I can handle that again." Sora replied as he wiped away some sweat. "I really wasn't expecting them to crowd me like that. Especially after seeing me like this." He then admitted.
"Well to most girls, you're a heart throb." Homura admitted. "Thank god I'm resistant to it." She meanwhile thought to herself with a sweatdrop.
"I get that since I've seen a lot of guys who are way better looking than me. I guess it just took me by surprise and I didn't really know how to respond to it." Sora replied as he leaned back against the wall.
"Don't worry, you'll survive." Homura meanwhile encouraged before offering a hand. "So, ready to go?" She soon offered.
"Yeah, ready." Sora accepted her offer and took her hand into his.
Nodding to that, the tan skinned girl brought the boy to his feet before they then headed out for their patrol before later heading out for the rest of the day.
(Shibuya, Teikyu Building Accessway)
Homura was running through the station at a civilian pace to make her way to the meeting as soon as she could. Her meeting with her committee actually took a little longer than she liked, and delaying the discussion of plans was just rude in her eyes.
The tan skinned girl soon noticed the Leader by a vending machine, scrolling through his phone and occasionally glancing upwards only to finally spot her. It seemed he didn't want her to be the only one late to the meeting.
"You took your time getting here Homura." Akira noted as the tan skinned girl approached him.
"My apologies, I just had to see my committee and get them to work." Homura replied and explained with a bow.
"It makes sense, you haven't seen them all summer." Akira responded with a nod.
"Well...most of the summer..." Homura mumbled as she scratched the back of her neck. "Should've really gone to school..." She then admitted with a sigh.
"Oh, by the way, can you do me a favor tonight?" Akira then asked as he reached for something from his bag.
"Uh, sure?" Homura nodded. "What is it?" She then questioned with hand on her hip.
"I need you to train Futaba." Akira requested as he took out a large sum of cash.
The tan-skinned girl blinked for a moment at the cash before shaking her head off. "In what?"
"In everything." Akira responded in a no nonsense tone.
"You want me to train her in what?" Homura repeated as she was given the large sum of money. "But...she doesn't fight directly. We don't even know if she needs weapons." She then reminded.
"She needs a workout." Akira bluntly stated. "Her stamina can be a bit of a problem, especially when we're dealing with more than the Metaverse if you know what I mean. Running, evading, Palace falling down, that kind of stuff." He then explained.
"Akira...if I do this, I will take Futaba out of commission for the next month or so." Homura warned in a serious tone.
"And that is why you need to take it slowly for starters." Akira revealed. "Tokyo wasn't built in a day, so take all the time you need to train her. Even a little bit of progress is good enough, for her sake." He then added.
"Alright..." Homura got out with a nod. "Now let's get to that meeting." She then added as she gestured to the frizzy-haired student to go with him to get to their meeting spot.
Eventually, they found the others making small talk and eating snacks to pass the time. "Finally! You guys are here." Futaba exclaimed as the two headed over to the group. "It's not nice to keep others waiting, you know." She then added before continuing on her techie work.
"Sorry. Had a meeting with my committee and this guy here decided to wait for me." Homura explained...right before realizing who was talking. "Wait, Futaba!?" She exclaimed, stumbling back upon seeing the hacker crouched over her laptop typing up something.
"We went to get her since we got out of school early." Yusuke explained.
"Yusuke-san insisted we do so." Yumi sighed.
"Practically gave me a heart attack since I was planning to get her." Miyabi admitted as she gave the artist a deadpan expression.
"What a patronizing Inari." Futaba grumbled in annoyance as she did the same as the white haired woman.
"Well then, let's get talkin'. Whadda we do now? Should we go after another big target?" Ryuji soon got out, getting the meeting rolling.
"That's important too, but what about that villain in the cognitive world?"
"We certainly can't turn a blind eye to them anymore."
"Yeah, but we don't got any clues..." Ryuji sighed out. "Grr...we'd totally kick their ass once we get one though." He then added.
"Assuming it's one person doing all this." Yumi muttered with a frown.
"Ah, we can figure that shit out later. We gotta focus on the present." The dyed blond then waved off before letting out a huge smile. "You know how we're totes popular right now? Everyone at school's talkin' about us, and not a day goes by when you don't hear about it on TV either! We totally made it big, don'tcha think?"
"True. The rankings on the Phantom Aficionado website have been crazy too." Ann remarked.
"You mean this?" Futaba assumed as she showed everyone the website on her laptop.
"Huh? What the hell!? First place...keeps changing by the second!" Ryuji gasped as hundreds of names shifted around at a rapid pace. No one remained in the top spot for more than a few seconds.
"People are voting around the clock, after all." The hacker informed before putting down her computer to continue working. "The forums are practically warring with each other trying to decide who would be the Phantom Thieves' next target."
"If we go after these guys, I'm sure we'll score some big cash at least once!"
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Tough Shadows do drop a nice bounty every time we take them down..." Yumi muttered with a frown. "But remember, Ryuji-san, we're in this for the weak, not for the money."
"Yeah, but you still take an effin' every run through the Metaverse...or should we stop since you're a big shot idol now?" Ryuji soon questioned in a teasing manner.
"N-No no, I'd...I'd like the money...f-f-for practical things." The light gray haired girl stammered out with a blush.
The dyed blond smirked at that before turning to the Leader. "So, what would you use money like that for, Akira?"
"I'll probably put it into my savings." Akira answered with a shrug. "Sure, it's all in cash, but at least we could save some of our spoils for a seriously rainy day."
"Smart move." Miyabi replied with a nod of approval.
"Agreed." Yumi responded with a nod as well.
"Aw, come on! I've never heard of a phantom thief that saves up money!" Ryuji whined.
"You didn't even know what that was until Morgana said it." Homura bluntly reminded.
"When?" Ryuji questioned.
"At the...At the start of the year, DUMBASS!" Homura shouted at the dyed blond.
"Oh, right..." Ryuji realized as everyone else had to resist facefaulting as a result.
"Goddammit, Ryuji..." The tan skinned girl groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Are you fine with that, Futaba? Even though it's related to what happened to your mother?" Makoto asked and reminded.
"It's not OK! I'm definitely gonna punch that guy...!" Futaba responded in anger.
"The culprit forcing mental shutdowns..." Ryuji muttered out as he began thinking. "If you think about it, there's no bigger target than that. If we can change his heart and get a confession outta him, we'll be on top of the world for real. Should we reveal our identities then? I bet chicks are gonna be all over us!"
"Including the chicks here?" Akira mentally deadpanned as he gave the dyed blond a flat stare.
"Whoa, whoa, you want us to show our faces...!?" Ann exclaimed. "...I guess that might be OK?" She then got out in an unsure tone.
"...What the fuck are you talking about!?" Miyabi finally called out in a pissed off manner.
"I see. If the true culprit confesses, the existence of the Metaverse will become known...There would be no need for us to remain in hiding in such a questionable manner..." Yusuke realized, however he still didn't sound convinced.
"Hey! We're not doing this to stand out, you know!" Makoto reminded in disapproval.
"Also, I want to remind people here, WE WOULD BE HUNTED DOWN!" Homura added.
"And besides, being unknown is the allure of being a phantom thief." Morgana concluded.
"Come on, we've been trainin' since we got our Personas. We're strong enough to deal with anyone who's trying to take us down!" Ryuji declared in a confident manner. "And considering the hype now, it's gonna be one hell of a huge deal if we pull it off!"
"...This is a new low for you, man." Homura deadpanned in disappointment.
"Aw shut up! You're the one who keep callin' me an idiot!" Ryuji countered. "Shit's finally startin' to turn out great for us! Why can't we enjoy it? Didn't you learn that after coming here?" He then pointed out.
Wow, she never wanted to kick in the nuts so badly before today. "There's a huge difference!" Homura called out. "The MetaNav isn't a tool, it is a weapon! We're just shooting them in the foot, not the face." She then stated.
"That'll also mean that the shinobi from both factions will be able to gain access to Personas and the Metaverse." Yumi soon got out before frowning in thought. "I wonder if it'll change anything. Make things safer...or just spill more blood than usual." She then muttered.
"Hey, remember. To awaken your Persona, you must have the will of rebellion, from dealing with feelings of frustration of being wronged or taken advantage of."
"Most shinobi are loyal to whoever they work for and wouldn't think of such things." Miyabi pointed out. "The only ones I can think of are renegades, and they're in the minority."
"Hey, it happened to you guys. What makes you think it won't happen again?" Akira then informed.
"Also, isn't having such a will quite vague?" Asuka spoke up. "Just because someone has a Persona, doesn't mean they'll be good guys."
"Look, either way, if we're gonna start hunting Black Mask, we're gonna have to start somewhere." Miyabi sighed as she shook her head. "Too bad all our leads are gone and what information they did give us only confirmed their existence."
"Are there really no clues regarding those mental shutdown cases? If I remember right, wasn't that lawyer from before investigating it?" Morgana soon questioned.
"...That's my...sister." Makoto slowly admitted.
That made everyone silent for a moment.
"...Eh?" Asuka got out a small tone.
"The one who threatened Boss...she's my older sister. The one also looking into the Phantom Thieves." Makoto revealed with guilt in her voice. "Sorry..." She then apologized.
"...Please tell me you're kidding." Ann pleaded.
Makoto simply stayed silent as she stared at her eyes with a slightly regretful expression without batting an eye.
That clearly answered the ash blonde's question.
"...Oh." Asuka got out in a guilty manner, remembering everything they've said about taking revenge on the bitch.
"...Oh, there's no point in apologizing, is there?" Homura got out in a miserable tone.
"No, I should've said something about it sooner." Makoto admitted in a regretful tone. "But I guess...I just didn't want to believe my sister would stoop so low to get what she wants."
"Damn..." Akira sighed.
"But that means she's our only lead to Black Mask." Yumi soon got out. "If she really is looking into the incidents, she's bound to have a few suspects." She then assumed.
"Yes...I can pry and ask about it. But she'll just tell me to mind my own business and get angry with me." Makoto soon informed with a shake of her head.
"Probably raise her suspicion of you being a Phantom Thief too." Homura added with a frown while Makoto winced.
"If you can't ask her, wanna just extract that data?" Futaba soon suggested.
"That might be an idea." Akira got out with a nod.
"We could just break into the police station and obtain that information there." Yusuke soon pointed out as he looked over to the shinobi.
"I don't think that's in the cards, Yusuke-kun." Asuka however replied as she shook her head. "We have no idea where it'd be stored, and there's just too much to sift through to find it."
"Does she have a personal laptop or something?" Futaba suddenly asked.
"She does." Makoto answered before looking a little worried. "...What are you planning?"
The hacker soon pulled out a USB and held it out to the advisor of the Thieves. "I can lend you this special USB loaded with a special program on it. Same tech used to hack Yumi's concert." Futaba informed."Just stick this baby in, and it'll clone the internal hard drive! It'll even bypass the OS password!" She then explained and revealed.
"...And you just decided to bring that along with you." Miyabi stated as she blinked at learning this. "No, wait, why did you even make that in the first place!?" She soon asked in slight disbelief.
"Piracy." Futaba casually answered. "You'll have to plug it directly into her laptop though. Can you do it?" She then instructed and asked.
"Sis does bring her laptop home sometimes...But I'm not comfortable going that far..." Makoto responded and confessed with uneasiness.
"Ooh, is Futaba gonna do something amazin' again?" Ryuji assumed, everyone missing the wince the not cat had on his face.
"Are you scared of seeing how your sister truly feels?" Yusuke meanwhile questioned.
"N-No! Of course not." Makoto immediately responded before sighing. "...Fine, I'll do it." She soon decided as she took the device.
"Great! Thanks." Futaba got out with a nod. "Now, if you'll excuse me, some old pervy farts need to be late to their meetings." She then added as she continued her hacking work with a grin, only to be heard by the white-haired woman with a blank expression.
"Okay, no laptop for a week, young lady." Miyabi stated as she rolled her eyes. "...After you're done." She then added.
"Wha-? Are you for re-!? Urrgghh!" The orangette exclaimed and grumbled in anger and annoyance. "Oh yeah, I still have my-" Futaba soon began.
"Your PC and consoles included, Sakura." Miyabi then continued.
"Oh, don't Sakura me. Makes me sound like a whiner or a kid." Futaba muttered in annoyance as she crossed her arms...before realizing what the white-haired woman just said. "Wait...NO! NOT MY PC! I JUST GOT A NEW GAME!" She exclaimed in shock.
The Thieves could only sweatdrop as Futaba argued with Miyabi while the woman herself was acting like a mother disciplining her child.
This was going to be a long next few days.
(9/1, Evening)
(Shibuya, Protein Lovers)
"Ugh...why did you drag me to this place?" Futaba whined as the tan skinned girl literally dragged through the entrance. "I just managed to wear Miyabi down to two hours of computer time every day so I want to spend it beating my new game." She then informed.
"You can do it later. Plus, you're not in school. You have more than enough time to do stuff like this after." Homura pointed out before heading over to the counter to pay for their training session.
"What? Die by that contraption?" Futaba assumed as she pointed over the exercise equipment offered at this gym.
"...That's a speed bag. You punch it a lot." Homura informed before narrowing her eyes. "You're not even tall enough to reach it. You're that short." She then added.
"I bet it's still gonna kill me somehow." Futaba mumbled out as she crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.
"Come on, Futaba. Akira paid me a hefty sum to train you so you need to work hard here." Homura soon explained. "Look, I won't hurt you too much." She then stated.
"That means I'll get hurt!" Futaba pointed out in a worried manner.
"You know the saying: No pain, no gain." Homura reminded.
"I know what you do to the others so I'm gonna go back home!" Futaba countered before storming towards the door.
"Oh boy..." Homura groaned. Alright, time to play dirty. "Hmm...Hey, if you leave, I guess you're not getting your reward."
"!" That got the orangette's attention. "...Reward?" She repeated in a hopeful tone.
"Yes. With the power (and money) invested in me, I shall give you..." Homura began, only to rack her brain, trying to figure out the appropriate carrot-on-a-stick that would motivate a recovering shut-in and nerd. "...A body pillow!"
Futaba gasped. "You mean the limited edition life-sized dakimakura of Featherman Pink!?"
It took Homura several seconds to register what the hacker just said. "...Yes."
"...Do you have it here now?" Futaba asked in a low tone, as if she wanted to see someone's stash.
"Yes she does." The clerk at the counter spoke up before taking it out from under the counter. "...Don't judge me. I sleep here sometimes and this is for a good cause. Now pay up." He then whispered to the tan skinned girl.
"You guys are way too generous." Homura whispered before sneakily giving him a few thousand yen and taking the pillow off his hands.
"It smells like...strawberries..." Futaba noted after taking a whiff. "I love it!" She then got out, reaching for the pillow.
However, Homura instantly raised it above her head and out of reach. "Ah, ah, ah...you only get this if you get through all my exercises." She got out in a doting manner.
"Grr...I knew this was going to have mandatory objectives." Futaba grumbled. "Fine. For Featherman Pink!" She soon responded and declared.
"For Featherman Pink!" Homura replied with a cheer. "Now drop and give me twenty." She soon ordered.
"..." Futaba did not drop.
"Ten."
"..." Futaba continued to not drop to the floor.
"Five."
"..." It was increasingly apparent that those numbers previously offered were outside of her level.
"...Fine, one. Then we can go from there." Homura finally relented.
"Hai, sensei!" Futaba responded with a bow before dropping to the ground.
However, it seemed that the hacker was doing the plank yoga position rather than a push up. "...Futaba, you need to push yourself up with your arms."
"I...am...Oh God..." Futaba struggled out, her arms shaking like leaves.
Homura gave the hacker a flat stare before pulling out her phone and calling the white haired woman. "Hi, this is Miyabi. I'm not responding to your call either because I'm busy or I don't care. Goodbye."
"Stupid voicemail..." Homura grumbled. "...Although, I don't think she'll do any better..." She then assumed, imagining the woman being too gentle to really give the workout Futaba really needed.
"What?"
"Just do your push up already. We don't have all night." Homura sighed out.
"Ngh! My arms are made for model-building and typing, not this torture!" Futaba cried as her arms shook, straining to lift her tiny body.
"I just need a push up! One! Push! Up!" Homura encouraged. "You can do this if you believe in yourself!" She then added.
"I don't! I really don't!" Futaba cried out. "I need a Mad Bull!" She then requested.
"Energy drinks are for the weak!" Homura declared as the orange-haired girl began to cry. "Don't you cry on me! You are stronger than you think you are! The toughest prison to break out in is in your mind so stop complaining and lift yourself off the ground like the gremlin you are!"
"Can't...I do...wall push ups?" Futaba soon suggested, causing Homura to pause.
"...Wall push ups?" The tan skinned girl repeated. She was unfamiliar with such a thing.
"It's a push up...you do...on a wall..." Futaba panted out, having given up on performing a normal push up. "You lean against it...easier that way..." She then wheezed out.
"...How do you know that?" Homura questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Internet." Futaba simply answered.
"...Okay. One wall push up. Up you go." Homura sighed. If the orangette needed to start easy, she'll need to redefine what easy was.
"Oh sweet mercy..." Futaba breathed out in relief as the tan skinned girl helped her to her feet.
"But if it's easier, you're doing twenty." Homura then decided as the orangette placed her hands against the wall.
"..."
"Ten."
"..."
"Five or I burn the pillow." Homura threatened in a flat tone.
"Five. Got it." Futaba responded before preparing herself for the pain. "One!" She soon counted.
CREAK!
Okay. That went well. Only a few cracking joints, maybe some slight heartburn. She could do this.
"T-Two!"
She definitely could not do this. Her body instantly lit on fire as she used muscles that had not been used in years, even before she became a shut-in. Probably made worse because she became a shut-in.
"T-T-Three...!"
Okay, now she could see God. Glowing white, ethereal, curvy, naked. Wow, her tits were massive. She wondered why she wasn't getting any of that.
"F...Four..."
The death number, and she definitely felt it. She could already see her mother attempting to help her not die here in this stupid gym. But she couldn't give up now! She was a Phantom Thief! She knew shinobi! She wanted to help! And if that meant enduring the worst pain she's ever felt in her short life, she is going to do it!
"F...F...F..." Futaba struggled out, a fire lit in her eyes. "F...F...F...! FIVEEE!" She eventually announced.
And finally, she met the objective's requirements.
"I-I did it!" Futaba got out in disbelief, hearing a video game celebration music playing in her head. "I really did-" She then began, however...
THUD!
"...Ow." Futaba got out as she slumped to the floor. "I...I can't move my arms." She then whimpered.
"...This is gonna be a looong session, huh." Homura sighed out. "But if your legs still work, you can go on the treadmill for a bit." She then stated.
"Need...to call...117..." Futaba deliriously pleaded as the tan skinned girl guided her to the treadmill. "Someone help me! This psycho is trying to kill me!" She soon called out.
"Technically, this is Akira's fault." Homura muttered. "Now run...or walk, and don't look back." She then ordered before setting the speed to two.
"Oh, Necronomicon, give me strength!" Futaba whined before the treadmill activated, forcing the girl to walk.
"Eh...walking won't be enough here..." Homura muttered before setting the speed to four, a leisurely jog to more healthier people...a heart-pumping sprint to the orangette.
"AAAAAHHHH!" The hacker screamed in pain as she forced her legs to go faster.
"Feel the burn, Futaba. Feel the burn." Homura casually encouraged.
"I wish I could set you on fire!" Futaba declared in anger.
"You can later. Immune to it." Homura countered and reminded.
"I'll find a way!" Futaba promised. It was right then that she couldn't spare the energy to talk so she focused on running.
Eventually, Homura noticed the orangette's feet beginning to stumble around and lose her footing, so she decided to stop the machine before it caused the hacker to fall off and hurt herself.
"That. . That was a good...oh god..." Futaba struggled to breathe as she tried to get her brain in working order. "That...was a good workout..." She soon admitted.
"...You lasted exactly two minutes." Homura deadpanned.
"New...record..." Futaba panted out before...
THUD!
"...So no shinobi training for you...for the next three years...or thirty." Homura stated. "Maybe Makoto-senpai or Miyabi can help me out with this next time." She then decided.
"Please no." Futaba whimpered. "Stupid balancing...someone this cute and smart can't have good physical stats! Just look at Ann!" She then stated.
"Well, you need to get stronger! We can't have you dying on us after some moderate jogging!" Homura called out as she put her foot down.
"I have a spaceship! Your argument is invalid!" Futaba countered.
"Until some guard Shadows somehow get rocket launchers or try to attack you in your Persona! Or capture you before you can summon your Persona. Or something happening in the real world." Homura listed off, trying to scare the girl straight.
"...Now that's just being paranoid." Futaba accused in a deadpan tone.
"With our luck it'll happen!" Homura countered with a pout on her face and crossed her arms over her chest. "Face it, Futaba, you need to get stronger. Just because you aren't in the frontlines doesn't mean you can just-" She then started explaining, however...
"Zzzz..." Futaba snored, having activated her best self-healing skill: Power Nap.
"...Give up." Homura groaned while palming her face. "Maybe I should let her naturally regain her stamina before I put her through training." She then thought.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Oh god, no." Homura got out as she checked the IM.
[TheWildJ0ker: Hey, how's the training going?]
[FireGirl20: She 'died' after five push ups and two minutes of jogging.]
[TheWildJ0ker: Ouch.]
[TheWildJ0ker: Well...there's always next time. Let's try again after her health improves.]
For some reason, Futaba started crying, as if sensing her future torture.
"...I am not returning his money." Homura decided as she went and placed the orangette on her back to take her home. "And I'll just stick to watching magical girl anime with Futaba until then...or buy her a gun." She then added. "Wait, she already has bombs though..." She soon grumbled as she grabbed the pillow as well. She at least deserved a nice pillow to rest on.
With that, Homura left the gym and took the orangette home, feeling as though she had lost this round.
But she would be back with a vengeance...and hopefully improved stamina.
(Hebijo Base)
"Mou..." Murasaki moaned in despair while lifting up dumbbells in one hand and holding Bebeby in the other.
"Come on Murasaki-chan, there's no need to be depressed." Haruka encouraged while placing a hand on the purplette's shoulder. "You met Akira-kun and got his number. I would say that's a success." She then reminded and stated in a proud manner.
"I'm not really that sad over it..." Murasaki admitted. "I just wish I brought something to play my new game..." She then revealed.
"Ah you can play it when you get back to Hebijo." Bebeby simply stated while waving it off. "...And when did you get a set of dumbbells?" The plushie soon asked as the purplette was lifting them.
"They were on sale with same day shipping." Murasaki revealed.
"My, you really are becoming more dedicated to keeping in shape." Haruka noted with a smile.
"I need to get strong enough to make Akira-san respect me." Murasaki explained. "...And it also feels good..." She then confessed with a smile.
"Still does nothing for the chest though..." Bebeby then pointed out. "It is a wonder they don't slap into your face every second of a fight." The plushie remarked.
"Bebe-tan..." Murasaki sighed out as she kept going.
"Now now Bebeby, be nice to Murasaki-chan." Haruka chided.
"Hey, I'm just speaking her mind." Bebeby got out with a shrug. "She still has some things she isn't willing to say herself. Like wanting to suck-" The plushie then added before...
"Topsicles!" Murasaki quickly interrupted while dropping the dumbbells. "T-Topsicles. I want Topsicles now..." She mumbled.
Haruka however smiled teasingly. "Ufufu~ There's no need to be ashamed, Murasaki-chan. So, at first sight, hm~?" She reassured and assumed in amusement.
Murasaki immediately blushed scarlet in response.
"Bitch, it wasn't at first sight. It was at first smell." Bebeby corrected.
"BEBE-TAN!" Murasaki exclaimed rather loudly.
"She had nice dreams that night..."
"WHY...!?" Murasaki cried in anger and embarrassment.
Haruka however went over and hugged the other girl in a tender manner. "Shh...there's nothing to be ashamed of." She softly assured. "However, just know that first loves come and go. It may work out or not, the only wrong thing to do is not try in the first place." She soon reminded.
"But...don't you love him too...?" Murasaki hesitantly asked in a soft tone.
"I do, but that doesn't mean I own him." Haruka responded with a nod. "Darling...changed me in a way I never expected." She then revealed with a grateful smile.
"You make him out as some sort of god." Bebeby remarked. "It's kinda weird, lady." The plushie then added.
"No, darling is no god, he just has this...aura that attracts others to him." Haruka vaguely explained in a tone of admiration.
"...It would explain why everyone acts so differently every time they come back..." Murasaki recalled. "...I wonder if he can help Onee-chan..." She then muttered in a curious manner.
"Who knows. She might not go to Tokyo right away due to the fact she has to train underclassmen at Hebijo." Haruka replied and reminded.
"It wouldn't take much to convince her." Murasaki muttered.
"So, when are you going to meet him next?" Haruka soon asked as she grabbed an apple to eat.
"..." The purplette froze, clearly starting to panic a bit on the inside.
"...It's okay, take your time." Haruka got out in a comforting tone. "I mean, he's not going anywhere any time soon." She then assured with a smile.
That at least calmed the purplette down a bit, though she was still uncertain on how she will meet with him again next. Pretty much anything can happen in Tokyo, especially when shinobis are starting to gather around the city from what she had heard.
(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)
"Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii~" Asuka mentally sang to herself as she watched a middle-aged man enjoy some coffee and leave. "Whew! And that's the last customer!" The Vice Leader breathed out as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "We did it, Akira-kun!" She then cheered.
"Yep." Akira replied as he high-fived the girl. "Heh, I bet we could run this place if Sojiro was looking to retire in a few years." He jokingly added.
"Hey, Boss isn't that old! He's like..." Asuka defended the owner, only to trail off as she tried to recall the Boss' age. "Something years old." She finally settled on that.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Ah, what's up now?" Akira got out as he and the Vice Leader pulled out their phones.
[Sweetkat06: These rankings are insane!]
[All4Painting: Yes, if you look away for even a single moment, the order changes completely.]
[Sweetkat06: It's hard to decide who to actually go after!]
[FireGirl20: If we could actually see the names.]
[SushiRoll23: I know. I can't even get the chance to read who they are before they go down a hundred places!]
[Shut7heFUp: They're flooding in!]
[Alibaba9: We can choose anyone we want!]
[Negative8Degrees: Anyone with a Palace or a reason to spawn a Shadow, that is.]
[DarkEyeXI: Yeah, right now to us they're just a bunch of names.]
[All4Painting: We should wait for now though, it will surely cool off soon. More importantly, how are things on your end, Makoto?]
[Road2Queen: Sis isn't home yet. She may not come back at all tonight.]
[Shut7heFUp: Man, just think how great it'd be to narrow down our targets!]
[Road2Queen: That's true, but...]
[Road2Queen: Aren't you guys taking this too lightly? All the pressure rests on me.]
[Negative8Degrees: Unfortunately, you're our only lead.]
[TheWildJ0ker: Makoto, we believe in you.]
[FireGirl20: Well, I can always come over and do it for you.]
[Road2Queen: No. She locks her laptop away if she doesn't feel it's safe. Like around guests or when she's asleep.]
[SushiRoll23: What if you get caught though?]
[Road2Queen: I will gladly accept the consequences. I will only suffer a grounding. Everyone else would be risking going to prison.]
[Road2Queen: Besides, overcomplicating such a task with more people might make it harder.]
[FireGirl20: Alright...]
[Alibaba9: Remember, do not take it out in the middle of the download.]
[Alibaba9: It'll corrupt the USB and it'll be rendered useless. The program is really sensitive.]
[Road2Queen: I know. Computer Safety 101.]
"Huh, Futaba-chan recovered fast." Asuka remarked.
"Never underestimate a nerd." Akira stated, chuckling a little. "God, we're gonna be busy for the next few days." He then muttered.
"Hm? How come?" Asuka hummed out and asked.
"We haven't been in Mementos for two whole months! We have a ton of requests we need to deal with." Akira reminded and revealed. "Tokyo can last without the Phantom Thieves for a week, but it would feel better if we had no obligations before we leave. Plus, I have my own things to attend to." He then added.
"Yeah, you're right." Asuka replied with a nod of agreement. "Let's take care of everything now before we enjoy Hawaii together!" She then decided with enthusiasm.
"Yep." Akira replied, simply enjoying the aura of happiness Asuka exhumed. "I mean, it should be a breeze, right?" He then added with a smirk.
RING!
"Good evening, may I take your-" Asuka started asking while holding her notepad before she then saw who it was. "J-Jii-chan!?" She got out in a surprised and confused tone.
"Jii-chan?" Akira repeated before suddenly tripping over himself. "Wait, didn't Asuka say he's some legendary shinobi?!" He thought in a surprised manner.
"Ah, Asuka! Glad to have caught you!" Hanzō greeted in a pleasant tone. "Sorry it took so long to see you again."
"Wait, did I ever tell you that I work here...?" Asuka muttered to herself.
"Um, may I take your order?" Akira asked.
"Ah, I'll have the house blend please." Hanzō soon decided.
"Coming right up." Asuka replied as she wrote down the order.
"If you think it's on the house, we'll charge you extra." Akira joked as he got the pot going.
"Hahaha. You're quite something else, young man." Hanzō declared in amusement. "Youth really have their own moments, it seems." He then added in approval.
Meanwhile, the two moved away from the man to discuss a little more privately.
"Isn't it strange he's here instead of somewhere a little private?" Akira mouthed to the Vice Leader while they cleaned the dishes.
"Not really. We talked in public all the time before." Asuka replied, glancing back and seeing her grandfather wave at her. "It isn't all about shinobi business." She then reassured while pouring the coffee into a nice cup.
"But took the effort to track you down to a back alley cafe." Akira pointed out as he put away the dishes. "This seems serious. Should I be worried?" He soon questioned.
"I-I don't think so. I mean, it could just be a friendly visit." Asuka responded with a shrug. "For now, he's just another customer. Don't worry about it until he gives us a reason to worry about it." She soon stated before walking over. "Here you go, Jii-chan! The house blend! I think I got it right." She offered with a smile.
"Thank you." Hanzō replied before taking a sip. "Mmm, lovely." He complimented in approval.
"Thank you, I worked really hard on it." Asuka responded with a smile.
"I can tell." Hanzō got out before looking around the quaint little cafe, glancing particularly at the Sayuri hanging by the door. "You must've been very busy since you left." He then remarked.
"Really busy." Asuka added, suppressing the urge to groan tiredly as the memories of her adventures in the Metaverse flashed through her mind.
Her grandfather nodded to that before turning to the boy, who had just finished cleaning the dishes. "Young man, would you mind giving us some privacy?" Hanzō kindly requested. "I wish to discuss something very important with my granddaughter." He then informed.
"Commence worrying." Akira and Asuka thought.
Akira nodded to the request. "Of course, sir." He replied before heading for the door. "I'll be taking my break then. See you in half an hour, Asuka." He then decided.
"See you later, Akira-kun." Asuka replied with a nod before turning to her grandfather. "So, Jii-chan, what do you want to talk about?" She soon asked as her fellow Leader left the cafe while secretly calling him.
"Asuka..." Hanzō started. "I'm afraid this will not be a lighthearted chat." He soon informed.
"Jii-chan?" Asuka got out in growing concern.,
"You cannot reveal this information to anyone. But a powerful yōma has appeared somewhere in Tokyo." Hanzō revealed in a serious tone.
"What!? How did-" Asuka exclaimed before calming herself down. Now was not the time to panic. "No. It doesn't matter. Where is it?" She soon whispered.
"That is the thing. We don't know." Hanzō responded as he narrowed his eyes. "But...We have reasons to believe it is the progenitor of all Yōma." He soon revealed while taking a sip.
"Excuse me!?" Asuka soon got out with widened eyes.
"This...This could be our only chance." Hanzō started with a more uncomfortable expression. "The council is already in talks with the Evil Shinobi. Asuka...they preparing to draw it out...which will require the blood of shinobi." He then revealed.
"Th-The blood of shinobi..." Asuka repeated in a stammer...before she went pale at the face. "Wait, then that means-!?" She then started.
The legendary shinobi in response nodded and frowned. "Yes, many will need to die in order to trap it within a Shinobi Kekkai. From there, the surviving shinobi can kill it." Hanzō informed and explained. "We'll need every shinobi in the area...including you and Homura." He then concluded while taking a sip of his coffee.
"B-B-But we haven't even graduated and Homu-neechan hasn't even started attending Hanzō Academy yet!" Asuka stated and reminded in a panic. "And I'm...behind in my shinobi training..." She then confessed.
"I know." Hanzō responded with a nod.
"...Are...Are we...Are we going to be-" Asuka stammered, however...
"No, I would never allow that." Hanzō responded, interrupting his granddaughter as he shook his head. "But...it may be out of my hands. Regardless, lives will need to be sacrificed in order to end this threat once and for all." He then concluded.
"..." Asuka looked down, her hands on the counter clenching into fists.
"And...that's all I had to say." Hanzō concluded with a sigh. "Asuka, I'll make sure you won't get involved." He then assured.
"Because you don't think I'm ready?" Asuka assumed with a frown.
"Because I love you...and I don't want you to throw your life away for something that might not be possible." Hanzō answered, surprising his granddaughter. "Take care, and have fun at school tomorrow." He soon got out as he stood up from his seat. "Oh, I also dropped off yours and Homura's passports for your school trip." He then informed before taking his leave.
"Thanks, Jii-chan. Have a good night." Asuka replied as her grandfather left the store, leaving her alone. After a few more seconds of silent contemplation, she looked around. "Come in, Akira-kun." She soon called out.
Instantly, her fellow Leader walked into the store. Despite his calm demeanor, he was freaking out. "Holy shit." Akira breathed out in disbelief.
"You heard all that?" Asuka asked as she ended the call on her phone.
"Yep." Akira answered with a nod. "What the hell...All those yōma you guys have been talking about...they all come from this Shin thing?" He then asked.
"Apparently." Asuka replied with a frown. "...We need to destroy it." She then muttered.
"W-Wait, what?" Akira got out as his eyes widened. "Asuka, I don't think we're ready to fight that thing. You heard the old man. We'll need an army." He hesitantly admitted.
"Well, we have to try! This could be our only opportunity to get rid of the Yōma permanently without anyone...with minor casualties." Asuka replied in a serious tone.
"Asuka...You could die." Akira soon reminded.
"I don't care." Asuka automatically countered. "A-A shinobi must be willing to sacrifice everything they have to complete their objective...even if it means their life. I'm not afraid to die, Akira-kun. As long as I take Shin with me." She soon stated in a dead serious tone.
"...But what about Homura?" Akira soon asked.
The Vice Leader's eyes in response widened to this. "W-What about her? This...This is bigger than our relationship. I know she'll agree with me." Asuka responded.
"But do you think she would want you dying? And what if it was reversed? Would you want her to die?" Akira then asked in a dead serious tone of his own. "And that's not to say about everyone else. Come on, Asuka, you have people that care about you too much to let you get killed."
"...Akira-kun...You don't get it, do you? I will be sad if Homu-neechan dies, but...I know it'll be for the greater good." Asuka soon replied, though still hesitant about it. "If you're trying to use Homu-neechan as a way to stop me, please don't." She then muttered as shadows hid her eyes.
"I wasn't trying to, I just know how much you two care for one another ever since she officially became your sister." Akira countered. "I'm just saying people are going to miss you." He then explained.
Asuka's head soon jerked up as the Leader saw tears running down her face. "Don't you think I know that!? Shinobi can't be afraid to die! But...the more I hang out with everyone, with you, with Homu-neechan, I...I...I'm scared!" She soon confessed. "About everything we do! The Phantom Thieves, my duty as a shinobi...I feel like I'm going to cause someone to get killed." She then admitted.
Akira then placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "You have the right to be afraid, Asuka, it's what makes you human." He soon stated in a calm manner.
"Most humans don't have the weight of the world on their back." Asuka pointed out.
"You know what I mean." Akira responded as he then flicked the girl's forehead.
"Ow!" Asuka winced out as she rubbed where she was hit. "Moh, I know, alright. But with Shin out there...I can't be human. I have to be a shinobi." She soon declared.
"God, it sounds like you're gonna do this on your own." Akira pointed out as he narrowed his eyes. "You have to take your own advice; don't shoulder all those burdens onto yourself." He then reminded.
"...I know I am. I just...I don't want to lose...I don't wanna die. But I don't want everyone else to be dragged into this. But I feel like I have to discard stuff like...emotion and self preservation just to stand a chance." Asuka soon confessed.
"I bet even Kaeru would lecture you on this fact though. Being a shinobi is a title, not a different species altogether." Akira then got out.
"...Multiple times..." Asuka meanwhile mumbled out. "But...I'm not gonna survive if I face Shin like this." She then added.
"You can survive if you have faith in yourself." Kaeru however stated within the girl's mind.
"Faith in myself?" Asuka muttered out. "But...But that doesn't translate to anything remotely helpful. I need...I need power...I need to be stronger..." She then added.
"But you are strong." Akira soon encouraged with a smile.
"And how do you know? What if the strength I have isn't enough?" Asuka however asked.
"That's why you have friends." Akira answered before holding onto her shoulders. "Asuka, you need to remember you're not alone here. You have the Phantom Thieves to back you up." He then stated.
"...You really think we can kill Shin?" Asuka soon asked in a mutter.
To that question, Akira felt as though he had a few choices to choose from.
Yes.
I'm not sure, but we can try.
No, but has that stopped us before?
"...Yes." Akira answered in a serious tone. "I mean, we've made it this far after all." He then reminded.
"Barely." Asuka sighed out. "...I want to be hopeful, I really do...but this is going to be so much different from a Shadow..." She then added.
"Even so, do you even know where Shin is exactly?" Akira soon asked.
The Vice Leader in turn shook her head to the question. "I don't know. What do we know about it?" Asuka replied. "There has to be a clue to its location..." She then muttered. "It has to be somewhere with tons of bloodshed and negativity. But also somewhere that no one can really easily access since it wants to stay hidden." She soon stated.
To these clues, both Leaders blinked as they both realized they did know a location that perfectly fit that description.
Shujin Academy.
Mementos.
"Mementos." The two Leaders realized in unison.
Akira then quickly took his phone out and activated the Metaverse Navigator. "...Shin, the creator of the Yōma." He soon spoke into it.
[NIFNWSDFSDLMFMLSFNJSDUISDOJFNJK]
[DKGDKYFKH located.]
"...I'm gonna take that as a confirmation." Akira got out.
"Shin really is in Mementos!?" Asuka quietly exclaimed. "H-How can that be possible!? That was just a guess..." She soon asked.
"Well it is some demon thing from a different dimension. It shouldn't be that hard to believe it can manage to make its way into the Metaverse. That is, if Mementos is its home." Akira pointed out. "So, when are we fighting this thing?" He then asked.
"I...I don't know..." Asuka got out as she took a seat, trying to process everything. "We...I...I don't know if we can do this..." She then admitted, head in her hands.
"We can and we will. After all, once the Phantom Thieves set their sight on a target, they've already won." Akira stated with a smirk.
"Akira-kun, you're so confident that we can do this...why are you doing this?" Asuka soon asked in concern.
Akira swallowed some saliva, as he tried to give one of his best friends the right words.
"Because you're my friend. That's all the reason I need." Akira replied in a serious tone.
"Akira-kun..." Asuka got out, tears welling up in her eyes. "Y-You'd...You'd do that just for..." She then whispered in disbelief.
"Hey, you're the first nice person I met ever since my probation. To be honest...I am scared too. Every trip to the Metaverse is just...there's a lot you can hide behind a mask." Akira confessed. "But that's why I do what I do. I mean, if no one helps, who's left to save the world? True bravery is being scared, but finding it in yourself to face whatever life throws at you head-on." He then stated.
"...Thank you." Asuka couldn't help but smile before wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "O-okay. Let's go kill Shin!" She then declared with an eager smile.
Their shared determination in destroying a great evil, despite their extremely small chance of actually surviving such an encounter, made them grow closer than ever.
SHATTER!
RANK UP! Happy Squirrel Rank 8!
Unlocked Protect!
Chance to shield Joker from an otherwise fatal attack.
"Yosh." Akira mentally got out with a fist pump. "Okay, what's the plan?" He soon asked.
"Huh?" Asuka responded in surprise. "Wait, you're putting me in charge of this?" She questioned.
"It's your life, Yin. Make it count." Akira answered with a nod.
To that, the Vice Leader blinked to this decision before nodding. "Well...let's take a few days to prepare. We don't know what's going to happen down there." Asuka suggested.
"Alright. If you say so." Akira responded. "Tell me when you're ready and I'll get the others." He soon informed.
"Hai! If we're gonna fight Shin, I'm going to work extra hard on making all my special sushi!" Asuka soon declared in a determined manner. "Extra soft, extra buttery, extra everything!" She then listed off with enthusiasm and excitement with a renewed fire in her eyes.
"Always good to see that fire in your eyes." Akira got out with a smile. "...But we still need to clean the shop and the dishes." He then informed.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! SPARKLE! SPARKLE!
"Done! Back to sushi making!" Asuka quickly informed as she prepared to get the equipment out.
"...Well, I thought we were going to take it slow so we could discuss our plans but I guess that works too." Akira deadpanned, though was impressed by how clean it was now. "You know...it makes me question why I'm still working in the first place if you can just do that in a fraction of a second." He then admitted with a flat look on his face.
"Quiet, time for sushi making!" Asuka however declared with a gleam in her eyes.
Akira meanwhile sweatdropped at this response, but did as ordered.
Once they made enough sushi to feed all the Thieves for a Palace run, Asuka left for home.
After all, tomorrow was a school day.
(Fast Forward)
"...You're going to kill a demon." Sae got out, wanting to make sure she heard the Leader right.
"A super demon." Akira corrected with a smile. "And...it's killed." He then added.
"..." The prosecutor only gave the Leader a blank stare.
"...Look, it makes more sense if I just continued..." Akira sighed. "Uh, by the way, why were you so prepared for Makoto's..." He soon began to question.
"Our mother had an abnormal breast size!" Sae interrupted, not wanting to discuss that in front of the young man. "Please don't pry into our family life." She then advised in growing irritation.
"Alright, alright. Anyways..." Akira got out as he continued with his story.
Of course...maybe Akira decided to hide a few details in his recount of that night...
(Rewind)
"...I'm gonna take that as a confirmation." Akira got out.
"Shin really is in Mementos!?" Asuka quietly exclaimed. "H-How can that be possible!? That was just a guess..." She soon asked.
"Well it is some demon thing from a different dimension. It shouldn't be that hard to believe it can manage to make its way into the Metaverse. That is, if Mementos is its home." Akira pointed out. "So, when are we fighting this thing?" He then asked.
"I...I don't know..." Asuka got out as she took a seat, trying to process everything. "We...I...I don't know if we can do this..." She then admitted, head in her hands.
"We can and we will. After all, once the Phantom Thieves set their sight on a target, they've already won." Akira stated with a smirk.
"Akira-kun, you're so confident that we can do this...why are you doing this?" Asuka soon asked in concern.
Akira swallowed some saliva, as he tried to give one of his best friends the right words.
"...Because...I love you." Akira confessed before he could even stop himself.
As the Leader mentally face palmed repeatedly, the Vice Leader's brain stopped for a few seconds before restarting. "Y-You...love me?" Asuka got out not sure if she heard her friend right.
Akira knew that this was his last chance to back out. That if he continued, their dangerous fates would intertwine.
But that was the best part.
"Yes, ever since we met." Akira admitted with a small blush on his face. "I've seen you at your worst, and I've seen you at your best and my feelings never changed. You...You're the greatest thing to happen to this world and...I didn't think I would have a chance. You're so beautiful and kind and...I just can't describe how I feel about you. You make me happy and...and I want to make you happy too." He then confessed.
"A-Akira-kun..." Asuka got out, the surprised expression still on her face after her friend's confession. "Y-You...You really mean that Akira-kun?" She soon asked.
The glasses wearing boy then took off his glasses as he got closer to the girl. "I would move the stars if that's what it took to convince you." Akira whispered into her ear.
To that, Asuka's face became completely scarlet in color, speechless to her friend's (is that the right term to use now?) confession.
Soon enough, the Leader took a step back. "Sorry, I had to at least let you know in case something happens..." Akira soon apologized. "But right now, we have to deal with Shin in Mementos. We can work this out afterwards." He then suggested.
To hear that suggestion, Asuka merely nodded to that as she remained silent.
"Alright. It's your call, Asuka." Akira assured with a nod.
"Thank you, Akira-kun." Asuka replied with a nod before looking into the steel gray eyes. "I...I really appreciate this." She honestly stated.
"It's the least I can do." Akira responded. "I just hope we survive this." He then muttered in a quiet tone.
"Me too." Asuka replied with a nod. "...We better get back to work." She sheepishly suggested.
"Yeah. We may be killing a super demon, but it doesn't really let us stop cleaning the shop." Akira chuckled as he went to the back to grab the mop.
"We owe Boss at least that much." Asuka whispered to herself before getting back to work.
The calm before the storm. It's probably what they needed right now before they throw themselves into hell itself.
SHATTER!
RANK UP! Happy Squirrel Rank 8!
Unlocked Protect!
Chance to shield Joker from an otherwise fatal attack.
They quietly continued working for the rest of their time in Leblanc before Asuka left for home. It was a school day tomorrow.
SHATTER!
"...I just confessed to Asuka at the worst possible time..." Akira realized while palming his face.
"What was that?" Morgana spoke up as he went down stairs, having returned from whatever adventure he went off on.
"Nothing. Don't...worry about it." Akira responded as he took off his apron. "Because we're gonna worry about it later." He mentally added.
SHATTER!
"...A-Akira-kun...just confessed to me..." Asuka muttered in realization...before blushing scarlet and steaming.
WHOOSH!
And then instantly vanished...as a high pitch squeal was heard in the wind.
Save Game...Quit!
Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:
Leadership- Mastermind (Level 4)
Knowledge- Professor (Level 4)
Proficiency- Masterful (Level 4)
Diligence- Thorough (Level 4)
Courage- Daring (Level 4)
Homura/Yang's Development Stats:
Maturity- Adult (Level 4)
Knowledge- Professor (Level 4)
Femininity- Yamato Nadeshiko (Level 5)
Elegance- Gentlewoman (Level 4)
Understanding- Motherly (Level 4)
Whew! Done! It's back to school and it looks like it's gonna be a very long week for the Phantom Thieves. Let's just hope there's enough time before the Hawaii trip.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
