Getting into the triple digits soon! Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona. Just more Futaba stuff and a lot more Murasaki in this chapter.
Senran Persona: Ninjas of Hearts has a TV Trope page. I should stop advertising this!
Onto the reviews! To ZonZus: Yeah, I can see where you're coming from with KH3 not meeting your expectations so you're cautious with KH4. However, here's the thing…I loved KH3. Yeah, Kairi was shafted, the last part dragged on and the dialogue wasn't the greatest but I just rolled with it and cheered as everything paid off in the end. I'm just excited for more stories and hey! We might be getting Star Wars! Hopefully, with original characters. Not with Luke and Leia and stuff. Still have not watched the original trilogy…
Anyways, that's it! It's time to punk!
Load Game…Start!
Chapter 97: How to Train Your Hikikomori 3
(8/25, Early Morning)
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
SPLASH!
"Aaaahhhh...~" The two sisters sighed out as they relaxed themselves in the bath.
"Only five more days of summer." Asuka muttered as sank into the water. "God, it feels like it's gone by so fast!" She then breathed out.
"Yeah." Homura replied in agreement. "But I'm actually excited to go back to school. Maybe the behavior at Shujin will improve, maybe Principal Tubgirl will finally get fired...or die. I don't give a shit." She then added, hoping for some of those changes.
"And if it doesn't, you and Makoto-chan are on the job to make it better." Asuka playfully reminded.
"Yeah...me and my committee still have a lot of work to do." Homura responded.
"Hai, but the Phantom Thieves also have a lot of work to do as well." Asuka soon reminded. "Not only with Futaba-chan, but all the Mementos requests we've left over the summer. Moh...hopefully they aren't too bad or have a time limit..." She then added.
"True." Homura sighed. "Huh, probably should've done it over the summer."
"Well...if it was on a time limit, Akira-kun would've told us." Asuka then realized. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing." She soon reassured.
"And we could always check the Phan-site ourselves." Homura soon suggested. "Actually, let me see how things are there." She then got out before reaching for her phone.
"Homu-neechan, not now." Asuka playfully chided. "You could drop it in the water and ruin your phone." She then reminded.
"Ehhh..." Homira responded as she rubbed the back of her head in a sheepish manner. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sure everything's fine. So Sis, it's your turn this time?" She soon asked as she scrubbed her sister's head, eventually forming suds in the process.
"Yup! Gonna meet up with Akira-kun and we're both helping Futaba-chan." Asuka replied and revealed.
"Wonder how things will turn out this time..." Homura mumbled as she poured the pail of water on her head. "I hope it isn't like the previous days with her." She then added.
"Ann-chan mentioned something about her...interests." Asuka remarked, blushing a little. "Um...should I be worried?" She soon asked.
Homura thought about it for a good minute before shaking her head. "...No...well, a little." She responded, albeit a bit awkwardly.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." Asuka responded in concern.
"Sis, I doubt her physical ability will be able to overpower yours." Homura reminded before gaining a haunted expression. "...I swear to god, if she ever meets Katsuragi, the world is truly doomed." She then suddenly declared.
"Eh?" Asuka got out in confusion.
"Just...I can easily see Futaba trying to grope you."
"!?" Asuka immediately perked up in concern. "I mean, it wouldn't really be as bad as Katsu...oh, I get it now."
"Yeah." Homura groaned. "Now pass the shampoo over here. I wanna smell like strawberries and rose buds today."
"Fruity Proficient, it is." Asuka replied with a nod, grabbing the pink bottle and squeezing some into each other's hands.
"Ooh, it feels extra silky this time!" Asuka and Homura got out in awe.
As they washed up, Asuka felt as though her Proficiency was improving as a result while for Homura, she felt her Femininity improving as a result.
"So Homu-neechan, what are your plans for the day?" Asuka eventually asked as they got out of the bath and began drying off.
BOING!
"Hmm..." Homura hummed out as she thought about it while placing a finger on her chin and tilted her head in a cutesy manner. "I think I'll stay home, read some book, and review my summer homework." She soon decided.
"Yours is all done, right?" Asuka remembered.
"It is, but I just want to review it quickly before school starts back up again." Homura replied and explained with a nod. "I can go and review your homework too and compare answers for you. I won't give you the answers, obviously, but I'll put down any notes on how to get it right." She then offered and stated.
"Thanks." Asuka got out before putting on her shoes and grabbed her containing her uniform. "Alright, I'm heading out! Love you Homu-neechan!"
"Love ya too. Tell Futaba to..." Homura began before pausing. "Actually I don't know what to say to her other than don't die out there." She awkwardly admitted.
"The regulars won't bite her." Asuka giggled before unlocking the door. "I'll see you tonight!" She then added.
"Yep." Homura responded as watched the door closed before smiling and perking up. "Welp, time to make some money." She declared with her hands on her hips.
"You're sounding and acting more like your sister now." Wolverine noted in amusement.
"You know it. Now, go live!" Homura excitedly declared as she pulled out her phone and opened up ViewTube.
(Hebijo Base)
Haruka, admittingly, wasn't in the best of moods.
Her research into cancer had stagnated severely as of late. Now they were retreading old ground where all other doctors had gone through. While she only just started, compared to the decades of research and the trillions spent on finding a cure, she was honestly very close to simply giving up and seeing if she could locate the young girl and get her comfortable with the concept of death.
Even hanging out with Akira wasn't making things any better. More time with him meant less time keeping a seemingly impossible promise.
Not to mention she had completely neglected her plans to cut ties with Hebijo. So far, it involved a lot of bombs and a lot of arson with a dash of poisoning. She knew not everyone in the school was a bad person, but it was better if it was wiped off the face of the Earth if she wanted any chance of keeping the life she had built in the few months she had been here.
Maybe that's why she decided to take the day off. She needed a break and to collect her thoughts, calm down, maybe treat herself to a nice lunch and just forget about everything. Let Takemi-sensei take care of her research for her while she went out and enjoyed the life she had been given.
Of course, that didn't mean she should neglect her responsibilities. Yomi's beansprouts didn't take care of themselves...seemingly.
With a small grunt, she opened the door to the hideout Crimson Squad practically called home at this point (although at some point they should probably choose a better location) and turned on the lights.
"Next time, Yomi is getting a greenhouse...or some significantly cheaper equivalent." Haruka mumbled as she went over to the garden. "Hmm, the sprouts seem to have thrived quite well. Hopefully those side effects are only the result of immaturity." She noted as she looked around. "Hmm...that's unusual. I don't remember- Whoa!" She then began before...
THUD!
And right on the ground was a bear-shaped sleeping bag, with someone sleeping peacefully in it like a caterpillar in a cocoon.
Which she just so happened to trip over.
"!?" Haruka's eyes soon widened at the sight.
Instantly, her shinobi instincts flared like a roaring hot fire, with thousands of possibilities running through her head but three stuck out to her.
Shinobi.
Homeless.
Dead body.
Obviously, it wasn't a corpse. There were much better ways to dispose of one rather than tying them up in a (rather high quality) sleeping bag and dumping it here in the darkness to rot away.
Homeless was a possibility. If they managed to find this place, it would be a paradise. If the beansprouts were causing them to run to the toilet at every bite, they could comfortably live here until they either die or find a better place than this dusty underground station.
Her worst fear was that it was a shinobi. Someone completely loyal and would not hesitate in killing her. Maybe she was here because they had found out of their plans and was here to ensure that it would not happen, her friend already being piled into a mass grave and burned to ashes.
Well, it would've been a possibility, if Yomi hadn't called her earlier to talk about the absolutely fascinating tale of finding one of the new juniors dancing naked in her room only two minutes prior.
She really emphasized her booty, if she recalled correctly.
And with that bout of her sleep-deprived, mildly severe silent freak out, the sleeping bag rolled over, allowing her to see that the thing had been zipped up almost all the way, with only a small hole remaining to allow the user to breathe as well as a long lock on purple hair sticking out of it.
"...Who are you?" Haruka quietly questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Well, there was only one way to find out. Haruka went over and carefully unzipped the sleeping bag, hoping that the sound of zipping wouldn't wake the-
Zip!
...Cute long purple haired girl sleeping inside, hugging onto a plushie like a lover. Either from the light shining through her eyelids, or the sounds the blonde was making, but she was beginning to awaken judging by the groans.
With no other choice, the doctor-in-training unzipped the bag the rest of the way in one smooth motion.
ZIP! BOING!
"My god, she's massive!" Haruka thought in disbelief at the sight of the purplette's bust. It had to be the biggest set she had ever seen! Bigger than her own chest! Even larger than Sensei's!
Murasaki meanwhile sleepily sat up and adjusted her tight pajamas before a yawn escaped her lips. "Hm?" She hummed out before finally noticing the blonde. "..." Her eyes immediately went wide as her skin became pale white.
Well, paler white. This girl definitely did not go out very often.
"Hello." Haruka soon greeted.
"...AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Murasaki screamed before wrapping herself up in her sleeping bag again, shivering and hoping the problem would go away if she ignored it.
The blonde meanwhile sweatdropped at the sight. This girl had the reaction time and reflexes of a hibernating bear. "I'm not going away if you just hide in there, you know." Haruka simply pointed out.
Suddenly, a bear plushie popped out of the sleeping bag. "Look, bitch, either you leave or I kill you. Your choice." Bebeby ordered and threatened.
"...Are you seriously trying to intimidate me with a stuffed toy?" Haruka however questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You think I can't go apeshit on your ass!? I've ripped the tits off girls bigger than yours!" The plushie declared, flailing around angrily.
"..." Haruka blinked silently before pulling out her phone to check the time. "It's only 6AM. I am not caffeinated enough to deal with this right now." She muttered with a groan. Maybe she needed to take some of her own medicine as well, atheist to alleviate the headache that was beginning to form.
"YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE BEARY SORRY IN ABOUT TEN SECONDS!" The bear plushie growled, ready to pounce and assault the intruder.
"Wait...why isn't your voice muffled?" Haruka soon questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why can I hear you so clearly?" She then added.
"...Hey, come here." The bear soon ordered, confusing the blonde but leaning in all the same. "I'll pay you 5000 yen to leave now. This chick in here is a total mess and human interaction is currently her worst nightmare. It took her weeks to even step outside." She soon offered and explained before slipping a bill into the blonde's hands. "A thousand yen advance for your troubles." The plushie concluded.
"I...I don't...this is..." Haruka got out, baffled by this interaction. "Be straight with me, are you a shinobi?" She soon questioned.
"I ain't saying-" Bebeby began, however...
"Stop using the bear!" Haruka snapped as she grabbed the arm controlling the plushie and pulled the girl out of her sleeping bag.
"AH!" Murasaki yelped. "Bebe-tan!" She meekly got out in shock.
Haruka soon sighed as she then dusted the other girl off while smiling. "There, isn't that better?" She soon breathed out in satisfaction.
"Get your grubby hands off me!" Bebeby growled.
"B-Bebe-tan, please stop a-antagonizing her." Murasaki whispered to the bear.
"I'll antagonize whoever I-MMPH!" Bebeby began, only for the blonde to rip up some beansprouts from the garden and some dirt and stuffed it down her throat.
"That should shut them up for a while." Haruka muttered in satisfaction as she dusted off her hands. "I want to speak to the girl, not the bear. Is that fair?" She soon requested.
"PHUCK MOH!" Bebeby choked.
"I'll take that as a yes." Haruka simply responded as she looked at the girl. "Can you at least tell me your name?" She soon requested.
"M...Murasaki..." The purplette mumbled out, shivering nervously.
"There we go." Haruka praised in approval. "And I hopefully assume you aren't a homeless child and know who...owns this place." She responded, only to see the girl shake her head in response. "Ok then, how did you come here?" She then questioned.
"...I took the t-train." Murasaki replied. Haruka really needed to lean in since the girl talked so quietly.
Haruka once more sweatdropped in response. "Okay, wrong question." She sighed out. "Um...how are you here at this base?" She then questioned.
"I asked." Murasaki quietly answered. Unhelpfully vague. Great.
"UMPHTIL MOH FOUD UP!" Bebeby choked out.
"Hmmm..." Haruka however simply hummed and nodded to this. "Murasaki-chan...do you have any friends at the school?" She eventually questioned.
Murasaki in response shook her head. "No, all I have is..." She soon began before hesitating. "M-My sister..." She muttered.
"Your...sister?" Haruka repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"...Imu..." Murasaki mumbled out.
"!?" Haruka's eyes soon widened in shock to this response. "You're...the infamous Hebijo Shut-In, aren't you?" She breathed out in awe and disbelief.
Murasaki immediately blinked. "I have a title?" She asked.
"Not something to be proud of." Haruka stated with a frown. "The only student in all of Hebijo's existence to be a truant. It's only because of your power that you're allowed to stay...for now." She then added in a serious tone.
Murasaki whimpered a little, moving away from the woman slightly.
"So, I have to wonder...how did you manage to convince the staff to let you leave school grounds when you've never even attended a single class?" Haruka soon asked in a curious manner.
"..." Murasaki however became a shivering mess to the question as a result
"ACK! GAH!" Bebeby gagged and choked before spitting up a wet ball of dirt and sprouts. "Ugh, that sucked. I could feel it growing in my mouth." The plushie groaned out.
Haruka opened her mouth to ask if the thing was alive, only to shut it and shake her head. She was at her limit of nonsense she could take right now. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're here now and there's no way to change that." She concluded.
"..."
"But at least your sister knows where you are, right?" Haruka eventually assumed.
"..."
"Murasaki-chan, she does know where you are right now, right?" Haruka soon asked while narrowing her eyes.
Murasaki meanwhile soon became a stuttering mess. "P-P-Please d-d-don't tell onee-chan that I'm here!" She soon begged with tears running down her eyes.
"Why?" Haruka questioned. "Wait...you're not planning on running away, are you?" She soon assumed. "A potential Crimson Squad member?" She thought to herself.
"She got permission from the school to come to Tokyo, but she doesn't want Imu to know." Bebeby answered.
"Because...?" Haruka responded with a raised eyebrow.
"..." Murasaki immediately fell silent in response.
"Murasaki-chan, you are not the type to leave your room on a whim." Haruka soon stated, recalling the rumors about her. "So what compelled you to leave?" She then questioned while crossing her arms over her chest.
"..." Murasaki however didn't answer as she twiddled her fingers.
"She's looking for some dumbass after constantly hearing about him from you guys." Bebeby sighed out, causing the purplette to blush. "Uh...what was his name...Kira Karasu?" The plushie then began to recall.
Haruka in turn raised an eyebrow to this, but soon had an idea. "Akira Kurusu." She responded.
"Yeah, him." Bebeby mumbled off-handedly.
This in response caused the blonde to blink. "...You want to meet darling?" Haruka repeated as she blinked a couple more times...before smiling in amusement. "Oho~ So you're curious about him~" She then guessed as she then watched as the girl blushed a glowing pink.
"Darling?" Bebeby repeated. "You gave the guy a pet name?" The plushie asked.
"Ufufu~ Well he is an attractive man~" Haruka cooed out while licking her lips. "And a sexy woman as well." She added in her head.
"What!?" Murasaki squeaked out. "I-I don't..." She mumbled out before trailing off.
"Now now Murasaki-chan, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Haruka reassured while placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "However, if you somehow win him over, I will be-" She soon began before stopping herself. "-Very, very supportive." She then concluded.
"Eh?" Murasaki responded as she blinked.
"I won't let them know you are here." Haruka concluded. "But make sure you're ready for the consequences." She then advised.
"E-Eh?" Murasaki got out in confusion. "R-Really?" She muttered in a hopeful manner. "W-Why?" She soon asked.
"Because there's more to life than what you can experience inside the walls of Hebijo." Haruka answered in a serious tone. "Now, as a gesture of peace, allow me to get you breakfast." She then offered.
Murasaki looked like she wanted to turn her down, only to stop herself and nod.
However, as Haruka went to find ingredients, all she found were ramen packets and a few pieces of fruit, some of it half-eaten. "Hmm, how unusual..." She muttered to herself while narrowing her eyes. "How much food have you brought with you?" She then questioned.
"..." Murasaki in response began to twiddle her fingers.
"...This is all the food you brought with you." Haruka soon realized.
"..." Murasaki didn't say anything as she looked away to a specific direction.
This in turn caused the blonde to look in the direction and saw what she was seeing. "Have you...eaten the beansprouts here?" Haruka eventually questioned in concern.
"Uh...a little." Murasaki mumbled out.
"Yeah, and she wants to eat more of them. Stupid fucking-" Bebeby grumbled in frustration.
"Bebe-tan..." Murasaki interrupted.
Haruka however narrowed her eyes to this reveal. "Murasaki-chan, don't touch them. I'm still looking into them so they could potentially lead to some...unwanted side effects." She soon instructed and explained. "Look, let me take you to the clinic and give you a checkup. I doubt you left your room for the yearly physical back at school, am I correct?"
"Mmhm." Murasaki hummed out with a nod.
"Come on, we don't want you dying before you meet darling, do you?" Haruka pointed out as she booped the girl on the nose. "Get dressed and we'll head there right now." She then instructed before sniffing the air around the girl and cringed. "The clinic is also near a bath house that we can wash up at." She soon informed.
Murasaki nodded before getting up and grabbing her clothes.
(8/25, Daytime)
(Yongen-Jaya, Cafe Leblanc)
Akira let out a breath as he sat down on his bed, already dressed in his work clothes. Today was either going to go extremely well, or become a shitshow for the ages.
"Today's the day we're having Futaba try and help out at the cafe, right?" Morgana soon pointed out to the Leader, who was just out of bed. "This will be a stressful turn of events...I just know it." He then added.
"Better than doing nothing for Futaba." Akira reminded while getting dressed.
"Wish ourselves luck then, I guess." The not cat simply muttered out before licking his paw for a moment and going on with their day.
As the Leader went downstairs...
RING!
He then noticed someone entering the cafe as he heard the shopkeeper's bell ring. It was the Vice Leader along with Futaba Sakura accompanying her.
"Oh, Asuka, Futaba. Good morning." Akira greeted with a wave.
"Morning, Akira-kun." Asuka replied with a smile.
"Soooo we're gonna do this thing?" Futaba meanwhile got out with a slight nervousness in her tone.
"Definitely." Akira responded with a nod.
"Hey." Sojiro greeted as he came through the front door. "You here to work again, Asuka?"
"Yep. Let me put on my work uniform first." Asuka replied while holding her bag. "I'll be in the bathroom for a moment." She then reminded before briskly jogging to said bathroom to change.
"Man, I could really use a cup of coffee right now." Akira simply mumbled as he smelled the scent of fresh coffee beans in the cafe, clearly craving something for his taste buds and energy as well first thing in the morning. "House blend would be nice." He then added.
"I hear that, kid." The cafe owner got out as he cleaned the last of the set of cups. "Well, if you want, you can make a cup for yourself right now when there's no customers yet." He then suggested as he finished cleaning.
"Oh, thanks, Boss." Akira replied with a nod. "Maybe later." He then decided.
"Hey, don't turn down free coffee. It's the liquid of the gods in the adult world." Futaba pointed out.
"You doing okay so far, Futaba?" Akira then asked.
"Aside from spying on you guys, I'm fine." Futaba replied right away in a somewhat monotonous tone with hands on her back.
"Wait...what?" Akira did a double take on what their fresh new member of the Phantom Thieves just said.
"You guys go out a lot at night, as a matter of fact." Futaba simply stated with a hand wave. "Juicy things happened too. Research-worthy, for sure." She then added with a smirk.
That made Akira freeze on the spot for a couple of seconds. "H-Hold on, are you saying that-" He then started, however...
At that moment, the Vice Leader came out of the bathroom in her waitress outfit.
The orangette meanwhile whistled in an impressed manner. "Man, that really is a pretty sexy waitress outfit Asuka." Futaba commented. "As expected of a top model." She then added.
Asuka in response giggled at that compliment. "Thank you Futaba-chan." She happily replied as she then took a deep breath. "Ah, I love the smell of coffee in the morning~" She sighed in a delighted tone. "And I'm ready to go!" She then happily declared with an adorable wink.
Sojiro meanwhile chuckled at this. "Well, I'm glad to hear that." He replied. "Now, what are you feeling today, Futaba?" He soon asked.
"U-Um...a-actually, er...uh..." Futaba soon stammered out.
"Futaba-chan wants to help out." Asuka cut in. "Do you mind if she works here today?" She then requested.
The cafe owner in turn blinked to this. "You want me to let Futaba help around the shop?" Sojiro got out with a finger placed on his chin.
"Yeah, Boss. For her sake." Asuka replied with a nod.
"We wanna help Futaba out with her social anxiety issues." Akira explained. "So yeah, this might be a good chance to help her out."
"But I've never had her do anything like that before." The cafe owner however reminded. "Is she gonna be okay?" He then asked.
"Experience is important and she desperately needs a level up." Akira responded with confidence. Although, this only earned a slightly confused look from the owner.
"Yeah, Boss." Asuka added with a nod. "We'll be there for her." She then reassured.
"I hear you, but this isn't the same as taking care of a cat, you know?" Sojiro however reminded. "Putting her out in front of customers is a little much..." He then added with a hand behind his head.
"D-Don't worry, Sojiro. I did graduate middle school last year..." The orangette stated in a slightly fidgeting tone. "Sooo...I-I'll be fine if I just think of this as my first summer job in high school!" Futaba soon stated.
"Well, in that case...how 'bout you wash the dishes?" The cafe owner eventually decided. He still didn't like it, but every little thing helped if it let Futaba overcome her issues. "Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?" He then reminded.
Futaba nodded before going towards the sink...before standing awkwardly by it, considering Asuka washed all the dishes and put them away last night.
"And you two, get ready. I'm opening the shop now." Sojiro soon stated and informed.
"Hai, Boss." The two Leaders responded before getting to work.
Because of the waning summer days the temperature was just right for savory foods, so a few customers were coming in today. While the cafe was never full, there wasn't much downtime in-between. Asuka even had to go out and get more ingredients. But at least the workload of dishes were li-
CRACK!
"Eep!" Futaba suddenly squeaked.
"Yep, that's broken." Akira muttered as he went to the back to grab a broom.
"Hey, are you alright?" Sojiro got out in concern.
"It's fine! Everything is fine!" Futaba called out, subtly moving her body to hide the broken cup she dropped on accident.
"The usual, Boss. Extra strong." One of the customers requested.
"Sure thing." Sojiro responded before turning to the two Leaders. "Hey, you two keep an eye on Futaba." He quietly requested.
"Roger that." Akira replied with a quick salute before heading into the kitchen. "Hey, get a grip." He whispered.
"I'm trying, Leader." The hacker whimpered, not trusting her hands right now to handle anything.
"No, actually, get a grip. Use dishwashing gloves." Akira corrected as he gave the hacker a pair of yellow rubber gloves. "Your hands are getting pruney too." He then revealed.
"Oh." Futaba could only say before putting the gloves on. "You could've given me these before!" She then pointed out.
"...Okay, that was my bad." Akira admitted with a sigh.
RING!
"I'm back!" Asuka called out as she came through the front door. "Got your resupply of meat! And also got what I need for sushi!"
"Thank you, Asuka. Now start chopping the vegetables." Sojiro ordered as he started on the next brew.
"Hai!" Asuka happily replied before going into the kitchen. "Hup!" She then got out as she caught a plate the orangette elbowed off the sink before it hit the ground. "Careful." She soon instructed.
Futaba blushed as she carefully took the plate and put it on the drying rack. "Thanks." She mumbled.
Meanwhile, one of the customers couldn't help but notice the orangette in the kitchen. "Is she another part-timer?" The pompous male customer spoke up. "Man, smooth as always. What number is this Bond girl, Boss?" He started in an impressed tone and asked.
Although Futaba didn't react (mostly because her headphones were currently blasting Day by Day by Lotus Juice into her ears), the Leaders instantly stopped what they were doing.
"It's not like that." Sojiro grumbled with a frown.
"You usually go for the older ones, right? It's only natural you'd want someone younger like Asuka-chan here. Damn, you'd think there'd be more customers with her around." the pompous man continued. "It's like the Guatemala Peaberry coffee. Its acidic sweetness is akin to a breath of fresh air." He then stated just as the Vice Leader stabbed the knife into the cutting board.
Okay, line crossed. "Sir, we need to ask you to leave." Akira spoke up as he put down his broom.
"What?" The pompous man got out in confusion.
"Get out of here, right now." Asuka got out in a more forceful tone as she pulled him out of his seat.
"Wh-What the hell? Hey, Boss, they can't do this!" The pompous dick called out.
"Yes, they can, considering your comments about my fifteen-year-old daughter." Sojiro pointed out, glaring at the man.
"What!?" The former customer exclaimed in disbelief.
"And don't come back!" Asuka called out before slamming the door in the man's face. "Huh, I kinda always wanted to say that." She soon admitted.
"Well, there goes a regular." Sojiro muttered with a sigh.
"Good riddance, I say." Another customer responded. "He was staring at Asuka-chan every time I was here. I'm surprised you didn't say anything before." He then revealed in disapproval.
"Really?" Asuka got out with widened eyes.
It was right then Futaba decided to put down her headphones to hear what was going on. "Did I miss something?" She soon asked.
"It's nothing, Futaba." Sojiro responded before putting the finishing touches on the latest order. "I think you've done enough dishwashing. Here. Give this cup to that man over there." He then replied and instructed.
"..." Futaba however immediately went silent to this order.
"Futaba-chan?" Asuka called out in concern.
"Erm...I need to go to the bathroom." The hacker mumbled before shuffling away without waiting for a response.
"Okay. Just make it quick." Sojiro muttered before going back to brewing coffee.
"Oh, can I have sashimi as well?" A customer soon asked.
"Asuka?" Sojiro responded as he looked at the girl.
"Hai, Boss." Asuka replied with a nod. "Coming right up." She then informed with a smile before heading back into the kitchen.
Though after a while, Asuka finished the finishing touches on the sushi, and was about to serve it when-
CRASH!
"A-Aaaah! W-What the-!?" A voice shrieked out.
Akira, Sojiro and Asuka turned to see the orangette serving the customer who came in earlier...while wearing a different mask than her other one back in her room at her house.
"Yo, here's your coffee." Futaba's voice echoed from her mask as she served the customer.
"Fu-Futaba..." Asuka trailed off in slight shock.
"When in the world did she..." Sojiro trailed off in slight disbelief as he noticed the mask.
The Leader mentally groaned as he put the coffee cup down in front of the customer before putting her aside. "...Why do you have a Jack Frost mask?" Akira asked. He definitely did not see that when she came in today.
"Because Asuka will argue for me to keep it on." Futaba answered in a confident tone.
"Okay, Asuka isn't that obsessed with Jack Frost. Right, Asu..." Akira started, only to see his fellow Leader visibly struggling. "Asuka." He called out with a sweatdrop.
"Please don't make me Futaba-chan...you need to get used to people..." Asuka whispered out, tears in her eyes from the sheer cuteness of the mask.
Akira meanwhile sweatdropped as he looked at the young hacker. "You're playing dirty now, huh." He got out, not knowing if he should be proud or disappointed.
"Mwehehe~" Futaba giggled out in satisfaction.
"...So where did you get it and how much is it?" Akira then asked.
"Akihabara. For a cheap price." The orangette simply replied. "The staff even said they have a giveaway for it as well. One free booby mousepad." Futaba then revealed in amusement.
"...Booby mouse pad?" Akira repeated with a sweatdrop.
"You know, mouse pads with cushions to relax your arm on that look like big boobs on them?" Futaba replied and explained
"Wait, are you-" Akira soon started, however...
"Hey, Futaba, again?" Sojiro got out in disapproval. "What have I told you about wearing those damn things in public?" He soon asked. "And be more polite when bringing something to the customers next time." He then instructed.
"Y-Yes, Sojiro." Futaba stammered out.
"...You're still not taking it off." Asuka noticed.
"You never said I should." Futaba countered.
"Okay, let's just try again with a different customer." Akira suggested with a sigh. "You can keep it on for now." He then stated.
"Yes!" Futaba cheered in relief before turning back to the customer. "Uh...H-H-Here is your coffee...sir." The orangette nervously mumbled inside her mask.
The customer simply stared speechless for a moment. "..." He blinked at the sight.
"It's...a promotional campaign with..." Asuka stammered before subtly checking the back of the mask. "At...lus...?" She slowly read out.
"Don't make it seem that I'm a sellout." Sojiro grumbled under his breath. "They can take their promotional campaigns and shove it up-" He soon began before coughing into his fist to stop himself. "Ahem, I mean...enjoy." He then corrected. He was not going to lose another regular like this.
"Here's your sushi sir." Asuka awkwardly gigged out as she placed her plate down. "And I'm sorry about Futaba-chan's mask." She then apologized.
"Uh, it's not a problem Asuka-chan, thanks for the sushi." The customer responded.
Soon enough, Sojiro went out to flip the sign so they could have a break. They served quite a few customers today.
"Did you see that? I just served a customer!" Futaba excitedly declared, her mask loosely bobbing up and down. "I did my job!" She then cheered.
"You did great...relatively." Akira quietly added that last part.
"Huh. Turns out this is pretty easy." Futaba soon admitted.
"To think Futaba'd go out and talk to a customer herself..." Sojiro muttered, sounding rather glad this hadn't turned the place into a laughing stock. "Mask aside, I'm impressed. Looks like people really can change." He soon stated.
"Yeah, and it doesn't involve stealing their heart." Akira muttered under his breath.
"Sojiro! Want me to bring coffee to more customers?" Futaba soon asked.
"Mask off first." Sojiro responded.
"H-Hrghhh...I'll think about it." Futaba grumbled in response with a pout.
"Well, you better decide in an hour." Sojiro soon stated. "You kids go outside and relax before the next shift." He then instructed.
With that, the Thieves nodded and headed out of the cafe to wander around Yongen-Jaya and enjoy themselves before their break ended.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Homura let out a shuddering breath and carefully put down the book she had been working on for the past several months. After doing some dancing for a stream and got a good chunk of cash as a result, the amount being much more then the last time with a total of 100,750 yen, she decided to rest when she was finished with a good book.
"I should really get other books to read." Homura groaned as she held her head. "Ugh...brain...headache from learning...must...relieve...with TV." She soon decided as she got the remote and turned it on.
"As everyone should know by now, the hacktivist group Medjed claimed they were going to attack, but it has been several days since the deadline and business seems to be going on as normal. Meanwhile, people on the internet are celebrating, calling this a victory for the Phantom Thieves." The newscaster informed.
"It's quite odd. This was different from their usual grand displays. I was half-expecting the city to light up in red." The other host remarked. "The Medjed website is still down so we have no way to know if the attack was stopped or merely delayed. For now, we can only wait either for a new date...or the next target of the Phantom Thieves. This has been the Phantom Hour. Coming up soon, a marathon of a classic show. Have a good day everyone."
"The next target..." Homura repeated with a sigh. "What's bigger than an international hacker organization...?" She soon wondered.
"Probably something more organized than a bunch of assholes talking over the internet." Wolverine responded.
"So, a real organization. A company or...terrorists." Homura concluded in a serious tone. "I don't know any off the top of my head though." She then added.
"Then go look it up. This isn't the 90s." Wolverine countered.
"But if the information is publicly available, the police are just going to claim the credit." Homura pointed out. "Besides, they have to be some real bastards to have a Palace, and that info is not going to be easy to find if they want to hide." She then added.
"Just wait, with the luck of the Phantom Thieves, one will come to us." Wolverine responded.
"With our luck, it'll also involve the usual wonton chaos and destruction we usually go through." Homura deadpanned. "...Dammit, I just jinxed it, didn't I?" She groaned while placing her face in her hands.
"Coming up next, a three hour Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon marathon!"
"...Oh thank god, Sailor Moon..." Homura breathed out in relief, already feeling reenergized as a result with a starry look in her eyes. "Oh! I should change!" She then happily decided, getting to her feet. "Make Up!" She soon called out while raising a hand to the sky.
SHINE!
Homura soon did a small hop and gave off a cutesy pose with a wink.
"...I did not expect you to become a goddamn magical girl too." Wolverine deadpanned. "How many forms are you going to have!?" She then asked.
Homura however pouted childishly to that. "Sorry for having a good imagination...I only made this form because Futaba wanted to see if I could." She grumbled while sitting herself down once more.
"I'm sorry, but shinobi-thief-maiden-magical girl-disciplinary committee head isn't the greatest title." Wolverine soon pointed out.
"...That is a mouthful." Homura admitted with a sweatdrop. "I'm just me in the end." She then concluded.
"Just saying, you have more forms than that monkey boy." Wolverine offhandedly remarked.
"Huh?" Homura got out in confusion. She didn't know a monkey boy. "Wait, do you mean Ryuji?" She eventually guessed, only to get silence in response. "...Hello? Hello? Aw, come on..." She called out before whining in annoyance with a pout once more.
However, she still didn't get a response, so she decided to enjoy the marathon with giddiness and gusto for the rest of the day.
(Yongen-Jaya, Bath House)
"And here we are." Haruka concluded as the two arrived, the blonde paying for the both of them as they headed in.
"..." Murasaki meanwhile said nothing in response as she looked around.
"Are we gonna see old dude wang in here?" Bebeby had to ask.
"It's women's time in the bath right now and not many women come to a place like Yongen-Jaya to bathe." Haruka however informed. "We'll be completely alone." She then reassured.
"..." Murasaki however reminded silent after hearing that.
"Murasaki-chan?" Haruka called out in concern.
"Excuse her, she's still traumatized by that hellhole of a train car." Bebeby stated.
Haruka simply shrugged in response. "That is just how city trains are." She replied as they went into the locker room. "Luckily, we can wash all that sweat and depression off you now. So, strip." She then instructed.
"..." Murasaki simply nodded as she did as instructed.
BOING! BOING!
"...They're even bigger than I thought..." Haruka noted in awe.
"Hm?" Murasaki hummed out with a head tilt before barely wrapping a towel around her body..
"Nothing!" Haruka squeaked before calming herself down. She didn't want the purplette to become more of a stuttering introvert. "M-Murasaki-chan, you're...Imu-san's younger sister, correct?" She then recalled.
"...Hai..." Murasaki responded with a nod.
"N-Noted." Haruka awkwardly nodded as she then took the girl's hand. "Let's head in." She then decided as she dragged her into the baths after stripping down as well.
SPLASH!
"Aaaaah~" Murasaki blissfully sighed out in a satisfied and delighted tone.
"See? Doesn't this feel good?" Haruka asked, glad to hear the pleased sigh.
"..." Murasaki simply sank down into the water, leaving only the top half of her head above it.
"Although, you could've left your plushie with your other things." Haruka soon pointed out.
"Like that's ever going to happen." Bebeby spoke up, wearing a towel around her body and head. "If anyone else comes in here, expect her to run." The plushie then added.
Haruka quickly looked to see the purplette's mouth still underwater and stared. "Okay, how do you do that?" She mentally wondered in awe and curiosity.
SPLASH! BOING!
The blonde soon watched as Murasaki sat up to take a breath. "This...feels really good..." She soon admitted.
Haruka in response smiled. "Good to hear that." She replied with a nod of approval.
"Why...are you being so nice to me?" Murasaki eventually asked.
"Hm?" Haruka hummed out with a raised eyebrow. "It's common courtesy, is it not?" She counter asked.
Murasaki however blinked in response. "I...I'm not...I don't-" She then stammered, however...
"It's okay, Take your time." Haruka however responded while placing a hand on the girl's head. "I just know that something was troubling you. And if you came all the way out here, you do want something to change about yourself." She assured and pointed out.
"..." Murasaki in response said nothing as she looked at the other girl before...
SNIFF! SNIFF!
She closed her eyes as she took in the blonde's scent.
Blood. Stress. Anger. Tiredness. Lust. Love. Envy. There were many more smells she could detect, but these seemed to be the most prominent ones.
Meanwhile, the blonde herself stared in disbelief. "...Did you just sniff me?" Haruka soon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"..." Murasaki in turn blushed as she looked at the water. "Sorry..." She suddenly apologized.
"I...It's fine." Haruka reassured. "I was wearing some perfume today." She then informed.
"It's...how I understand people." Murasaki soon revealed.
"...You really are a bear, aren't you." Haruka jokingly stated, causing the purplette to blush a glowing pink as she giggled at the reaction.
"Ah, enough with this mushy crap! We're here to relax and I'd rather not talk to either of you all day." Bebeby grumbled. "Enjoy the water before some bitch comes in and ruins it." The plushie then added.
"Bebe-tan..." Murasaki whined in embarrassment.
"No, it's quite alright. Let's enjoy the silence." Haruka replied and decided. "We can talk more later after your examination." She then added.
Murasaki nodded and sank back down into the water. It really did feel nice to her.
(8/25, Evening)
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
"Hey, thanks for helping out with dinner tonight." Homura got out as she set the plates.
"I'm just surprised you even asked me in the first place." Miyabi muttered as she cut the ingredients. "I'm not exactly a chef. Most of my cooking experience is over a fire with freshly-killed game."
"Ah, Cook-nin experience." Homura remarked as she went into the kitchen to cut the potatoes for dinner. "But why did you say yes in the first place?"
"Practice." Miyabi answered without thinking, too focused on cooking to really pay attention.
"Practice?" Homura repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"U-Uh, you know, to boost morale in dark times." Miyabi stammered a little. "I found these cardboard grilling kits for cheap while I was out today. Maybe we could have a BBQ inside the next Palace." She then revealed and suggested.
"Ooh, that sounds awesome!" Homura got out in an excited manner to the idea. "Hehe, and here I was told that cooking was a waste of time from my former family." She then remarked in amusement.
"Believe me, if we figured out how to eliminate the need for food and sleep, we would've done it long ago." Miyabi pointed out. "Although, that would mean replacing all shinobi with puppets...or robots." She then realized. "...Honestly, I get the feeling how Dōgen thinks shinobi should be." She soon assumed.
"I am going to rip his dick off sooner or later so don't worry about it." Homura growled as she clenched her fists, stabbing a yukon gold with her knife.
"Excuse me?" Miyabi questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Homura immediately stopped what she was doing and blushed. "Ah, my apologies. A momentary lapse of control." She got out in an apologetic tone. "I'll rip his spine out and feed it to the dogs in Haruka's basement. That sounds better." She then corrected and stated.
"...Is this a hypothetical, or are you actually planning to kill him?" Miyabi questioned, stepping away from the stove for a minute.
"Only a hypothetical as of now." Homura answered. "You don't sound too concerned, Miyabi." She soon noticed.
"Well, it's not exactly rare that someone at Hebijo hates Dōgen guts. He's not my favorite person either." Miyabi admitted with a shrug. "It's just whether or not they have the strength and skill to take him down."
"Oh, big whoop." Homura scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "I bet I'd slice him in half before he could even realize what's happening."
Miyabi however narrowed her eyes. "Homura, don't get cocky." She soon advised in a serious tone. "He's a shinobi, so treat him as such."
"I know, but no matter what he's thinking, he's wrong. We may be shinobi, but we're human too." Homura stated. "He'll die some day, and it won't be of old age."
Ka-chunk!
"Huh?" Homura got out upon hearing the door unlock, snapping her out of her vengeful thoughts.
"I'm baaa..." Asuka called out, only to see the extra person in her apartment. "Miyabi-chan?" She got out in confusion.
"Hey, Asuka." Miyabi simply greeted. "Dinner's almost ready." She then informed.
"Hai..." Asuka slowly responded with a nod. "I'm surprised to see you here, Miyabi-chan." She then admitted.
"Me too." Miyabi replied in agreement as she pointed a thumb to the tan skinned girl. "Homura invited me over." She then simply explained.
"Homu-neechan?"
"Making dinner by myself was boring. And it's not like Miyabi was doing anything in her apartment." Homura explained with a shrug.
"I was taking a nap." Miyabi simply revealed in a nonchalant manner. "Now get cleaned up." She then ordered.
"Hai." Asuka responded before heading into the bathroom.
Soon enough, all three girls were at the table, with Miyabi putting down the food.
"What are we having?" Asuka soon asked.
"Steak and potatoes with a side of aspergers." Homura revealed.
"Asparagus. With lemon, olive oil, and black pepper." Miyabi corrected as she handed the sisters disposable chopsticks. "And that's only because you guys were out of eggs." She then added.
"You really wanted to make an omelet for dinner." Homura remarked. "Itadakimasu!" She then declared as she split her chopsticks.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Come on, now?" Homura sighed as she dropped her chopsticks.
"Group chat!" Asuka called out.
"What is it this time...?" Miyabi mumbled as they all pulled out their phones.
[All4Painting: Did anyone share information about our real identities?]
[SushiRoll23: WHAT!?]
[FireGirl20: GODDAMMIT RYUJI!]
[Shut7heFUp: Huh?]
[Shut7heFUp: What makes you think I had anything to do with that!?]
(...)
[Shut7heFUp: Don't answer that.]
[DarkEyeXI: It's not that hard...]
[Sweetkat06: You're not helping!]
[Road2Queen: Why the question?]
[All4Painting: I overheard someone in the city saying they're our acquaintance.]
[Negative8Degrees: Yusuke-san...]
["Negative8Degrees" has uploaded an image: "DisappointedInYou"]
[TheWildJ0ker: Did you have that prepared specifically for this?]
[Alibaba9: Talk about false rumors.]
[FireGirl20: You just gave us heart attacks over some asshat trying to get puss! Check your sources next time!]
[Shut7heFUp: But hey, at least we're famous enough to HAVE rumors like that!]
[Shut7heFUp: We might even break into the news online! Or TV!]
[TheWildJ0ker: Yeah, if we get caught.]
[Sweetkat06: Yeah...that's true...]
[Road2Queen: By the way, how did today go?]
[TheWildJ0ker: Futaba-chan nailed it!]
[Alibaba9: Yeah! I served coffee to customers!]
[TheWildJ0ker: She did good...you know, apart from the mask.]
[Negative8Degrees: I thought I smashed that.]
[TheWildJ0ker: She had a spare. Jack Frost.]
[Sweetkat06: Oh...]
[Alibaba9: I still unlocked the achievement! You can't revoke that from me!]
[Shut7heFUp: Anyways, you better get used to it fast. You can't be a Phantom Thief if you're scared of people!]
[Alibaba9: I'll try my best.]
"So proud of her." Miyabi muttered in relief as they put down their phones.
"Ugh, I really hope she doesn't bring her mask into the city." Homura groaned. "We kind of want to be under people's notice when we head into Mementos." She then added.
"Well, it's not like people don't turn their heads towards us already." Miyabi then pointed out as she jabbed her chopsticks into the Vice Leader's left boob.
"Moh..." Asuka mumbled with a pout.
"No matter how stealthy we are, it always comes back to the chest, huh." Homura lamented. "...Maybe Mirai should've come to Tokyo." She then muttered.
"But then I wouldn't have met you." Asuka however reminded, causing the tan skinned girl to pale and wince. "Aw, now it's making me think what would happen if someone else from our teams came here instead of us." She then admitted.
"Most of us are emotional messes, at least in Hebijo." Miyabi deadpanned. "I think we're the best out of all of them." She then added.
"I mean, we are leaders for a reason." Homura muttered.
"You know, I wanna know the structure of the team. Everyone's roles and shit." Miyabi soon requested. "One run through a Palace wasn't exactly informative of your chain of command." She then added.
"That's because you were being a bitch all through the pyramid and too focused on your own crap." Homura awkwardly reminded.
"Futaba is a very important person to me." Miyabi stated in a serious manner. "But can you please explain?"
"Okay, as you know, Joker and Yin are our Leader and Vice Leader respectively. Whatever they say goes." Homura began as she took a bite of her steak.
"I don't really use my rank often though. Only when we need to separate into two teams." Asuka soon revealed. "And I'm mostly in a supporting role. I keep everyone fighting no matter what."
"You as Serpent, Fox and Skull are our powerhouses, the enforcers." Asuka continued. "You're in the frontlines first and draw aggro away from our physically weaker members."
"...Sounds about right for me." Miyabi admitted with a nod.
"Panther and Mona, meanwhile, stay in the back and try not to get hurt." Homura added, already chewing on some asparagus. "Mona is our healer, and Panther is our disrupter. Messing with Shadows with spells and status ailments."
"Morgana strangely has the best healing spells besides Asuka." Miyabi had to admit.
"Lastly, Queen and Widow are our advisors, our strategists. Essentially our second-in-commands when we have no idea what to do." Asuka concluded.
"Noted." Miyabi breathed out. It suddenly occurred to her that she should've written it down, but was too relaxed and hungry to really make an effort to do that.
"Now, this isn't a rigid structure. We can shift roles if the situation calls for it, but that's how we generally have it since we started." Asuka soon revealed and explained.
"Wait, you forgot me Sis." Homura got out. "What's my role?" She soon asked.
"Oh, sorry!" Asuka got out in realization. "Um, enforcer." She soon answered.
"We have four enforcers then." Miyabi pointed out. "You've been going by two per role the entire time." She then noted.
"Well...uh..." Asuka got out as she tried to think. "Oh, I know. Skull and Serpent are our tanks, Yang and Fox are our powerhouses. The former draws away attention, the latter overpowers the enemy through sheer force." She then answered with a proud smile.
"That's better." Miyabi replied in approval. "Having a little organization is never a bad thing. But a chain of command doesn't mean anything if someone can't pull their weight...including me."
"How is your training going?" Homura had to ask.
"Pretty well. I can do 75 reps without coughing out a lung now." Miyabi answered with a frown. "Still, if I'm only barely scraping by beating people like Queen in spars, I need to get even stronger." She then got out in determination.
"...You sparred with Makoto?" Homura repeated as she processed this information.
"Yeah, and?" Miyabi got out, not really seeing why this seemed to shock the girl. "I wanted her help in getting my body back to normal...and she's a damn good fighter...for a civilian." She soon explained and confessed while rolling one of her shoulders with a slight wince.
"For a civilian. Makoto is one of our best fighters." Homura scoffed before glaring at the woman. "Sure, she's still not anywhere close to shinobi but...I'm glad she'd have my back if we were in a real fight." She then declared.
"She's certainly faster than a normal civvie." Miyabi mumbled under her breath, rubbing her cheek a little. "She could be a shinobi if she wanted to." She then admitted.
Homura in turn smirked. "I thought the same thing." She replied in agreement.. "But I understand that she doesn't want to be one. I think she's getting into some sort of law enforcement role, even if she's not following her sister's path anymore." She then revealed.
"It is too bad, but I guess what you're doing is the next best thing." Miyabi then admitted.
"Yep. I just started teaching Skill Cards in my training." Homura soon revealed. "They were taking it well the last time I did it...although I could do without all the screaming." She then admitted.
"You've been training the civilian Phantom Thieves well, Homura." Miyabi noted with a nod of approval.
"When Akira pays me." Homura corrected. "I'm more of a hands-off teacher. The others text me if they ever need any tips." She then explained.
"They'd grow a lot faster if you did it for free." Miyabi pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's kinda my only stable source of income and have you seen what everyone uses as weapons? I don't know anything about whips or...well, maybe just whips." Homura responded before looking a little sheepish. "Besides, you have a job." She then reminded.
"What do you do, anyways?" Asuka meanwhile asked in a curious manner.
"I...serve clients." Miyabi answered, her eyes shifting away from the roommates.
"Ah, secretary." Homura assumed. "Ugh, I would not survive sitting behind a desk for more than two hours." She soon admitted with a groan. "Does it at least pay well?" She then asked.
"It's adequate." Miyabi replied. "I won't be worrying about food. Hell, maybe I can buy a luxury product every once in a while." She then got out.
"Ooh, I know exactly the place where you can treat yourself." Asuka soon informed and offered.
"Eh, I'd rather find my own spots." Miyabi however turned down the offer. "But I'll come to you later if I have some money burning in my pocket." She added with a small smile.
"You know, you're actually quite nice. We should hang out like this more often." Homura admitted. "If only Yumi-senpai was here to join us..." She then sighed.
"Have you tried calling her?" Miyabi pointed out the obvious solution.
"Yeah, but she wasn't responding until right now." Asuka responded. "I wonder what's keeping her so busy..." She muttered as she looked at the info broker's online status.
"I mean, her debut is coming up soon." Homura muttered.
"Debut?" Asuka and Miyabi repeated with raised eyebrows.
"She hasn't told you guys yet?" Homura realized. She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "You know what, I'm gonna keep it a surprise. It's not my responsibility to say." She soon decided.
This however caused the other two girls to become confused and curious as they raised their eyebrows. "...Eh, probably not that important to really worry about." Miyabi mumbled under her breath. "Yumi's probably got it." She then decided.
"I just hope she isn't overworking herself..." Asuka sighed before taking a bite of her dinner.
(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)
THUD!
"U-Uuuggghhh..." Yumi groaned as she flopped onto her futon, her muscles finally able to relax after all day practicing.
But, in the end, it was worth it.
After all the waiting, after all the practice...she was ready to face the world as Yuki Yumi.
At least. She hoped.
It was quite hectic and it felt like her first days of training all over again. They had moved from the studio to the empty stadium where her debut was taking place and it was...a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. Apparently, the stage had some sort of advanced computer system that automated the lights and stage effects, responding to certain song lyrics or musical instruments. All too complicated for her to understand but it sounded cool.
Still, it allowed her to practice on the real thing for a bit before being forced by her manager to go home as she looked like she was about to collapse.
"I guess it was like this for Rise-san when she first started out." The light gray haired girl assumed. Actually, it might have been even tougher. The newer policies and the relaxation of rules were only put into place more recently, long after she moved on. "Once I debut, things will be much different." She then muttered before rolling over to stare at the ceiling of her depressingly small apartment.
Things had really changed for her since coming to Tokyo. Starting her information network, meeting her new friends, becoming a Phantom Thief, changing the world...and now becoming an idol.
"I can't wait to see Ojii-sama's reaction." Yumi breathed out with a smile. "I promise that this will change the world. Cuteness is justice!" She then declared, raising her arms into the air...right before falling asleep, ready to embrace whatever tomorrow would bring.
(Hebijo Base)
"D-Did you need so many needles?" Murasaki mumbled as she rubbed her arm.
The blonde in response nodded as she took off the pair of glasses she was wearing. "Blood sugar levels are a serious matter, given the amount of junk in your diet Murasaki-chan." Haruka stated in a serious manner. "Not many people can live purely off sweets. And not for very long too." She then added in a concerned manner.
Meanwhile at Gessen, Minori let out a sneeze...right on her grandfather's comatose body. "S-Sorry, Jii-chan..." She mumbled as she then wiped his face off.
"I eat pizza and ramen." Murasaki quietly informed.
Haruka however sighed as she shook her head. "Still not any better." She responded as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's just a wonder that you aren't halfway to a heart attack yet." She then added.
"I only eat when necessary." Murasaki however got out.
"She went three whole days without eating once because she got into an anime!" Bebeby meanwhile chimed in.
"B-Bebe-tan..." Murasaki mumbled as she covered the plushie's mouth.
Haruka's eye immediately twitched to that. "It seems your sister has barely done anything to try and help you out." She soon accused in disapproval.
Murasaki however shook her head in response. "No, it's my fault." She muttered. "Everything is my fault..." She then added in shame with a frown.
Haruka frowned but didn't say anything. It was obvious that if she asked why, she'd just shut herself away again. "I don't believe that, but...I think someone else better than me can convince you." She soon stated and revealed.
SNIFF! SNIFF!
"Hm..." Murasaki hummed out after taking a whiff.
"Is my perfume that appealing?" Haruka wondered out loud.
"No, just...finding something that isn't yours." The purplette corrected. "Is it...Akira Kurusu?" Murasaki soon guessed.
Haruka nodded. "He's the closest thing to a therapist a shinobi could have." She responded. "You're here to find him, right?"
"Mmhm." Murasaki hummed out with a nod.
"Well, you won't find him by just waiting in here." Haruka pointed out with her hands on her hips. "I think. Homura-chan might use this hideout for training..." She then muttered under her breath.
"But...I'm scared..." Murasaki mumbled her confession in a nervous manner while her body shivered.
"I know." Haruka got out in a softer tone. "And I won't say you shouldn't be. Meeting new people always is and facing whatever is troubling you is never easy, but true courage comes from fear. Being afraid of what happens and then doing it anyway." She soon stated in a wise tone.
"..." Murasak soon fell silent once more.
"In any case, you have a clean bill of health, Murasaki-chan. Not quite the physicality we expect from the average shinobi, but still better than an Olympian." Haruka soon informed in a more professional manner. "You aren't used to the texture and taste of fruits and vegetables and that results in your gagging. Eating more should be an easy solution to that problem." She then revealed and instructed.
"Easy?" Murasaki repeated.
"I could inject apple juice into your veins." Haruka pointed out. "Or give you suppositories." She then added. She had a few at home that needed human trials...
"That's...I'm fine eating normally." Murasaki got out with a blush.
"If you say so. You just have to keep eating healthy from now on though and you'll be better in no time." Haruka replied and instructed. "It's getting late. I need to wake up early tomorrow for work." She then informed and explained.
The purplette nodded in response, though still felt a little sad. "Haruka-san...can I ask you something before you go?" Murasaki suddenly began.
"Sure." Haruka replied with a nod.
"Can...Can you come again?" Murasaki soon requested with a blush.
To that, the blonde smiled. "I'll see if I can, Murasaki-chan." Haruka replied while rubbing her head. "But I do have my duties as a doctor, so I may not be around much." She then reminded. "Not to mention that promise..." She soon mumbled.
"I'm going to be here for a while." Murasaki quietly reminded. "And...I'm not the most...extroverted person." She then mumbled out.
"So I hear." Haruka replied. "Nevertheless, I'll do my best. Oh, and I'll give you a care package of fruits you can eat. I heard you can make sweet ramen if you're feeling adventurous. Oh, maybe even take you to the gym." She then reassured and offered.
"Thank you, Haruka-san." Murasaki got out before bowing to the woman.
Haruka nodded before giving the girl a quick hug, surprising the purplette. "No problem. Have a good night, Murasaki-chan. And no staying up too late." She replied and instructed.
The purplette waved the older girl goodbye as she left the hideout to head home. "She...she was different from Onee-chan..." Murasaki thought, unintentionally smiling.
"Yeah, but you notice how she smelled?" Bebeby spoke up. "Hoowee! She's a bundle of stress, jealousy, lust and some other thing I can't quite put my paw on." The plushie then added.
"She still treated me nicely..." Murasaki mumbled. "More so than...them..." She then reminded.
"STOP THINKING ABOUT THEM!" Bebeby angrily ordered.
"Ah!" Murasaki yelped out. "Th-Thanks." She mumbled.
"I just didn't want you to go all moody. You're less fun that way." The plushie stated. She then did a double take as her googly eyes went over the garden. "...Okay, I swear, those things are growing right in front of us!" Bebeby soon declared.
"Eh?" Murasaki got out in confusion
"Ah, whatever. It's just beansprouts. Get ready for bed so you spend all day inside again." Bebeby grumbled.
"..." Murasaki meanwhile said nothing as she went to change for bed, hoping she'd find the will to go out by herself tomorrow.
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- Natural (Level 4)
Elegance- Gentlewoman (Level 4)
Understanding- Motherly (Level 4)
Whew! Done! Shorter chapter this time. Only four more chapters until the beach episode!
UknownHero signing off, my friends!