AN: I got a bit delayed by schoolwork, but here's chapter 6.
FF – Thanks NightmareKnight1 and DodemGM. I hope you both enjoy how I portray Urano and Futaba's sisterly relationship.
AO3 – Thank you Korias, confusedparticle, and LuckyGunnerMat. Sorry for forgetting to mention you last chapter, but it slipped my mind.
April 9 – Saturday
Sadayo Kawakami's PoV
During one of the brief moments where she didn't have classes to teach or other work to do, Sadayo stopped by the teacher's lounge for a cup of cheap coffee. Like usual, she needed a pick-me-up to get through the day. And then another one later to get through the night.
(If Sadayo ever found a way to survive without coffee, then she wouldn't have to worry about money for the rest of her life. Sadly, that dream would never come to pass.)
As she poured her cup of energizing sludge, Mr. Kamoshida entered the room. Noticing her, he walked over to start a conversation.
The gym teacher was probably Sadayo's opposite. While she struggled to get through the day, he managed both the boys' and girls' volleyball teams and still had energy to spare.
"Hey, are you sure you should be downing coffee like that every day?" asked Mr. Kamoshida. "It can't be good for your health."
Mr. Kamoshida also had a habit of butting into others' business. He wasn't as bad as gossipy Ms. Chouno, but his overenthusiastic attitude still caused trouble from time to time. Like when he took over coaching the track team and increased their training, causing the team's star athlete to assume Mr. Kamoshida was looking down on him and get violent.
"I can't just shuffle through the day half-asleep," responded Kawakami. "Principal Kobayakawa would get on my case about 'the effect my behavior has on Shujin Academy's reputation.'"
"Yeah, he would," agreed Mr. Kamoshida, stifling a laugh. "Not to change the subject, but what's that last-minute student like? She's in your class, isn't she? So?"
Something about his questioning put Sadayo on edge.
"What do you mean?" she questioned, pursing her lips.
"I was wondering if she'd like to try out for the girls' volleyball team. Even if she doesn't have experience, we're always looking for new recruits."
…Oh, he was just hoping to improve the volleyball team. Sadayo felt a bit silly for forgetting how competitive high school coaches could get.
"Unfortunately, I don't think Ms. Motosu is the athletic type," she answered, taking a sip of coffee. "Outside of class, she always has a book in her hands. Mr. Ushimaru even said that he had to lecture her for bumping into another student because she was reading while walking."
"Never mind then," replied Mr. Kamoshida, immediately losing interest. "We've got a tournament coming up and training a new member would be too much of a distraction. Maybe afterward, though."
Sadayo went for another sip of coffee, only to find that her mug was empty already. She glanced at the clock.
"Well, it's about time I returned to my classroom," she told Mr. Kamoshida. She placed her mug in the sink. "Good luck with your tournament."
"We won't need it," replied Kamoshida confidently. "Not with my coaching skills."
Urano Motosu's PoV
After getting back home from Shujin and finishing my homework, I went to Futaba's room with three missions to complete.
First, I cleaned her room. The place had books and papers scattered over the floor, a pile of filled garbage bags, and enough dust bunnies to open a pet shop! It took a while to make the place presentable, but I just didn't feel right leaving Futaba to wallow in this mess, even if she was asleep.
Second, I grabbed the second volume of the light novel I'd borrowed from her yesterday. I'd finished the first volume at school (openly reading a light novel had probably gotten me some odd looks) and was itching to see where the story went.
Finally, I spoke to the still-asleep Futaba. I decided not to talk about her Palace or the light novel, as she'd probably want to be awake for those conversations.
Instead, I shared stories about my life before coming to live here with her and Sojiro. I talked about the hobbies my mom made me try out, festivals and school events that Shuu and I had taken part in, and, most of all, the various libraries and bookstores I'd visited. I hoped that talking about the amazing things the world had to offer would make her want to wake up and experience them herself.
And, while Futaba didn't wake up today, the smile on her face looked a little bit bigger than when I entered.
"Missions accomplished," I whispered as I shut the door behind me.
Morgana's PoV
Morgana felt restless. Even though he had been in Futaba's Palace yesterday, he was just itching to call in his end of the bargain with Urano. Every day he spent waiting was another day spent as a cat (which he wasn't!).
His current plan was for them to explore Kamoshida's Palace. It bothered Morgana to think that Urano was in such close proximity to such a creep. Plus, until he found somebody who was bad enough to have a targetable Shadow self but not so bad that they had a Palace, Mementos was off the table.
However, Morgana knew that he couldn't ask anything of Urano until Futaba woke up. Although the bookworm could be an impressive phantom thief when she put her mind to it, there was no chance of that happening while she was preoccupied thinking about her sister's health and the possibility that they had accidentally triggered a mental shutdown.
Morgana knew that Futaba was (probably) fine like Sojiro had said, but it didn't hurt to be safe. For Urano's sake. Because Morgana had complete confidence that the change of heart was successful and definitely wasn't terrified that they'd effectively killed Futaba.
Morgana shook his head, pushing away that train of thought and the emotions that accompanied it.
Where was he…? Ah, right.
Once Futaba woke up, Morgana would finally tell Urano about Kamoshida's Palace. He'd also ask her about the possibility of having Futaba join them, though Morgana wasn't sure how receptive the bookworm would be to the idea.
Would she be willing to potentially put Futaba in harm's way? If not, then trying to force the matter could damage their relationship. Morgana didn't want to go back to infiltrating Palaces by himself. For efficiency reason, not because it was really lonely!
…Anyway, until Futaba woke up, it would probably be best for everyone if he waited on telling Urano about Kamoshida's Palace.
Besides, Urano wasn't really in any danger from Kamoshida, not how book-obsessed and unathletic she was. She would never join the girls' volleyball team, which meant she would never have any close interactions with the pervert.
April 10 – Sunday
Tae Takemi's PoV
"Thank you for giving Futaba a check-up," said Sojiro's daughter, bowing at Tae. It hadn't been all that surprising to learn that the café owner had gotten an ex pregnant, given his occasional descriptions of his younger days.
The girl's gesture was surprising and slightly embarrassing (even if Leblanc was practically empty like usual), but it also made her feel a warm fuzziness inside. How long had it been since somebody had thanked her so sincere? Back when she was treating Miwa? Definitely not since getting labelled the Plague.
"My, my… you certainly know how to show you gratitude," said Tae teasingly. Motosu blushed, apparently realizing over-the-top her thanks had been. "I mean, all I did was examine the girl's health."
"But still…" trailed off Motosu, looking slightly guilty. "You only had to do that because I freaked out and wouldn't take Sojiro's word that Futaba was fine. I feel like I owe you one."
The way this girl was open about her emotions and opinions was refreshing. Too many people put on masks, including Tae with her feigned indifference.
Plus Motosu's expressions were cute. They reminded Tae of a pet bunny that one of her med school classmates had shown her pictures of.
"If you really feel that way, I do need a guinea pig to test this drug I'm developing," said Tae jokingly.
"Okay. I'll do it."
What face would she make this time? There was no way the girl would actually…
"Huh?" blurted out Tae. "Wait, you're actually going to do it?"
"You helped me, so why shouldn't I help you back?" replied Motosu innocently.
"…You should take some time to think it over before making a decision," Tae finally said, slightly overwhelmed by the girl's goodwill. It made Tae feel a bit bad, like she was taking advantage of Motosu. "Maybe talk to Sojiro first, too."
Luckily for her conscience, the girl agreed to shelve the subject of drug testing for now. The rest of Tae's time at Leblanc was uneventful, aside from a report on the news about one of those 'mental shutdowns' occurring in a subway conductor and causing a major accident.
After the broadcast, Tae saw a heartbreaking look on Motosu's face that any doctor would recognize – the look of a person who had experienced the Death of a loved one. It seemed that there was more to Sojiro's daughter than Tae had realized.
Sojiro Sakura's PoV
"It was nice to see you again," the elderly couple said to Urano as they got up to leave Leblanc.
Sojiro smiled. A lot of customers had been asking where his 'new waitress was' the past few days, so Urano had been getting comments like that her whole shift.
"Thank you," she replied with a smile. "Have a good day."
As the door closed, leaving him and Urano alone in the cafe, Sojiro decided to give his daughter a short lesson.
"When you run a shop, you get all sorts of customers," he told her. "Knowing their personalities is absolutely vital. That's what being in food service is all about."
"Know their personalities…" murmured Urano, nodding at the Kindness Sojiro showed his patrons.
His words didn't just apply to food service, though. But Sojiro didn't feel like he was close enough to Urano to give her life advice just yet, so it felt less awkward to frame it as such.
He heard the jingle of the door opening and turned to greet his latest customer.
"Welco–" Sojiro started, freezing at the sight of Futaba's scumbag uncle. "You…"
"Hello there," greeted the man with fake friendliness. "It's been quite a while, Sakura! I heard you opened a shop, so here I am! It wouldn't have hurt to mention it to me though."
The scumbag's eyes scanned Leblanc, pausing on Urano for a moment before continuing.
"Huh, you've got a real nice location here. Right by the station and everything. You're even doing well enough to employ a waitress."
"Your order?" asked Sojiro, stepping in front of Urano. He wasn't going to pretend that he didn't hate this man.
The scumbag continued to talk for a bit, before commenting that he would 'be back again soon' and leaving. Although, in Sojiro's opinion, 'never again' would've still been too soon.
"That guy was really suspicious," stated Urano bluntly, making Sojiro chuckle.
"You've got a good eye," he praised, making her smirk. "But I wouldn't be too worried about him. Instead, while the café is quiet, we should focus on coffee. I did say that I'd teach you how to brew it."
"I'm ready to learn," she responded, a determined look on her face.
"Alright then. One of the most important things to know is bean types…"
As luck would have it, no other customers showed up before closing time. Sojiro was able to teach Urano the basics of brewing coffee and bond with her completely uninterrupted.
.
Rank up!
Confidant: Sojiro Sakura. Arcana: Hierophant. Rank: 2.
Futaba Sakura's PoV
Futaba woke up to the smell of curry. Her stomach rumbled with a familiar post-hibernation hunger. She immediately went downstairs to eat.
When Futaba entered the dining room, Sojiro and Urano stopped eating and looked over at her. She ignored them, walking over to the curry and serving herself a plate.
"It's good to see you up again," said Sojiro, smiling.
"Futaba, you're okay!" exclaimed Urano. She jumped out of her seat and tackled Futaba into a hug.
"My curry!" she cried, narrowly able to keep the food from spilling off of her plate.
"Ah, sorry," apologized Urano, letting go. "I'm just glad to see you awake. I have so much I want to talk with you about."
"Can it wait until after I eat?"
"Of course."
For the first time in years, Futaba was able to eat her mother's curry recipe. It was just as delicious as she remembered, and the fact that she was eating it alongside her family made it better than any of those meals she'd eaten alone in her room.
"Ah, it's so clean!" cried Futaba as she, Urano, and Morgana entered her room. She'd been so hungry upon waking up that she hadn't even noticed the mess was gone. "Why!?"
"I cleaned it," answered Urano. "I thought you'd appreciate waking up to a clean room."
"I had to get Urano's attention whenever she got sidetracked reading something she was supposed to be cleaning," interjected Morgana, deadpan.
Huh, so that mascot character from her Palace really was Morgana. It still remained to be seen whether he was actually human, though. Probably not.
"Anyway," stated Urano, changing the topic. "How are you feeling now that your heart has been changed? Is there any lingering guilt about your mother's death?"
"No," replied Futaba honestly. "But I am angry at those nasty adults who made that fake suicide note."
Noticing the confusion on their faces, Futaba explained what she had remember with the help of her Shadow self.
"Those jerks!" ranted Urano. "I'll do anything I can to help you track them down and get payback! There will be a bloody carnival!"
"Dial it down!" cried Morgana, attempting to control the bookworm's rampage. "If we really find them, we can just make them confess to their crimes by changing their hearts. There's no need for a bloody carnival, whatever that is!"
Futaba, while she definitely snickered at the duo's comedy show, also found their support comforting. She was glad that they were on her side.
Once Urano calmed down, she began asking about what Futaba would be doing from now on.
"The school year just started, so you could probably still join," said the bookworm.
"I think I'll just stay here," said Futaba, wincing at the word 'school.'
Morgana narrowed his eyes at her.
"Hey Urano, I'm starting to think that Futaba's suicidal tendencies and her shut-in tendencies were two separate issues."
Futaba winced again, a fact that the bookworm didn't miss.
"It looks like our work isn't done," said Urano sighing. She gave the shut-in a determined look. "Don't worry Futaba, we won't stop until you can go anywhere you want!"
The shut-in was suddenly much less glad that Morgana and Urano were on her side.
"W-wait!" exclaimed Futaba, terrified. "I'm not ready to go outside! A travel quest is too high-level for me!"
Urano looked at her in confusion. Futaba blushed at her use of gaming terms.
"…I wasn't asking you to go somewhere public," said the bookworm after a pause. "I know that overcoming fears takes time."
"Oh," went Futaba, embarrassed for a different reason now.
"For now, I was just thinking about having some in-person conversations with you," continued Urano. "I actually started reading some of your light novels so that we could have something to talk about."
Futaba spent a few seconds thinking about Urano's idea.
"Yeah, that sounds good," agreed the shut-in. "Which one did you start reading?"
The ensuing conversation went on for a while. Futaba was surprised at how much progress Urano had made in the series in such a short time. And, when they ran out of non-spoiler things to discuss and Urano returned to her own room (Morgana, disinterested, had slipped out earlier), Futaba was actually a bit sad to see her go.
Fortunately, her sister had promised that this conversation was only the first of many.
Igor's PoV
When the Trickster arrived, the quieter warden told her to stand up straight and listen closely. The human responded with yet another flippant comment, oblivious to the true magnitude of her disrespect.
"First off… I'd like to begin by congratulating you," he said. "You freed the heart of a frenzied girl and saved her from her haunted past. Another step has been taken to rehabilitation… You are progressing quite nicely."
His words weren't wholly truthful. As the louder warden praised the Trickster in her customary 'tsundere' way (why did such a peculiar trait appeal to humanity?), he mused over the deviations from the chosen path.
"You have encountered allies who share your aesthetics, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come… your rehabilitation shall soon begin."
The Trickster should have discovered the Castle of Lust first and banished its Ruler. Instead, she liberated the Ruler of the Pyramid of Wrath. It was… inconvenient for his later plans. As expected, the Wild Card was different from a mundane human, albeit barely.
"You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin. That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."
Tomorrow, the Trickster's pilgrimage would return to the chosen path. Her insignificant deviations would prove trivial in the long run.
"I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper… I have high hopes for you."
His final statement was spoken with complete sincerity.
.
Rank up!
Confidant: Igor. Arcana: Fool. Rank: 3.
AN: For Kawakami's PoV, I decided to try and give an average person's perspective of Kamoshida. I also tried to make Igor sound haughty by having his PoV use big words, never refer to anyone by name, and not include anybody else's dialogue. How did I do?
Next chapter will begin Kamoshida's Palace, and it will be different. Yeah, Morgana and Igor both jinxed themselves.
Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 2), Igor (Fool, Rank 3), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 2).