AN: Another chapter done, this time in only (?) ten days. I'm mostly sure that's faster than usual.
AO3 – Thank you LuckyGunnerMat, SaulAxel, confusedparticle, and epikachu. epikachu, 'less stupid things' is relative, especially with Urano involved.
April 16 – Saturday
Urano Motosu's PoV
School was bit awkward, what with Takamaki sitting directly in front of me. Her anger had shifted from a heated rage to a cold one, and although she didn't speak or look at me, I could feel the pressure coming off of her.
I felt guilty about not letting her take revenge on Kamoshida, but I didn't have any intention of changing my mind. While everybody who had entered the Metaverse up until this point had acquired a Persona, we couldn't be sure that the same would be true of Takamaki – especially with the way that hatred and revenge could distort a person's heart.
When school ended, Takamaki got up and left without having acknowledged my existence once. However, I couldn't really blame her when I understood how she felt.
After all, talking with Futaba had made it pretty obvious that 'nasty adults at Wakaba's funeral' plus 'missing cognitive psience research' equaled 'the probable culprits behind the psychotic breakdown incidents.'
As a Shadow-less Persona user, I couldn't deny the hatred and desire for vengeance I felt toward those unknown men, nor that I'd be acting the same way in her position. But I couldn't just take her into the Metaverse.
…Urgh, this sucked.
Futaba Sakura's PoV
After 4 days of grueling level grinding (and some coffee bean grinding) as a waitress, Futaba was rewarded with a trip to Akihibara with Urano. The otaku district proved to be everything she'd hoped it to be and more. Futaba had an incredible time…
"Are you by yourself?" the policeman asked her as she cried. "Where did you come from?"
…until she got overexcited, left Urano behind, and found herself completely alone in an unfamiliar place.
"I… ummm…" stuttered the hacker, all of the levels she'd gained nowhere to be found.
"Did you run away from home? What's wrong, little girl?"
"Uhhh… Ah…"
"Hm, well, can you come down to the station with me for now?"
Fortunately, before Futaba had to perform that walk of shame, her savior arrived.
"Ah! There you are, Futaba," said Urano, her relief palpable as she walked over to the hacker.
"Big sis!" she cried in relief, hiding behind the bookworm's back.
"I take it you know this girl," the officer said to Urano, raising an eyebrow.
"She's my little sister," she answered.
The officer's gaze shifted between the two girls, likely thinking about how they didn't look all that similar. However, he ultimately gave a 'very well' and left.
"…Futaba, are you okay?" piped up Morgana, peeking out of Urano's backpack. He sounded just as concerned about her as Urano.
"S-sorry…" apologized Futaba, her face hot with shame. "I thought I conquered my fears… But there wasn't anyone I knew with me, so I panicked… Felt like my heart was gonna pop… I got so scared by myself… Then I just sorta curled up into a ball… Then all these people started staring at me… And the police came… And then it was all over…"
Urano gave her a hug, and Futaba felt herself calm down.
"I guess Akihibara was too high-level of a dungeon for you right now," said Urano, attempting to lighten the mood. Futaba chuckled. "If you're ever in trouble, just call me. As your older sister, I'll always come running to protect you."
"Thanks," replied Futaba as something occurred to her. A few moments ago, she'd been on the verge of tears, but now she was smiling. Was Urano some kind of key item? "I'm okay outside as long as it's with you, big sis… Please, be my key item! I'll give navigation my all and try and get better at it if you do!"
"Key item?" echoed the bookworm, confused by the term. Her gaming knowledge was apparently still at noob levels.
"It's just a figure of speech," explained the hacker. "I want you to help me get better at going outside… well… more than you already do. And in return, I'll work even harder as your navigator. How's that for a good deal?"
With her sister in her party, it would be easier for Futaba to challenge new dungeons and raise her level.
"It sounds good," answered Urano, giving a thumbs up. "Actually, that gives me an idea about your introduction to Ryuji and Makoto tomorrow."
.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
.
With the birth of the Hermit Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power…
.
Confidant: Futaba Sakura. Arcana: Hermit. Rank: 1.
.
Urgh, Futaba had forgotten about that. Was it too late to…? No, if she backed out then she'd never get better!
"All right! I'm ready for it! Let's gooooo!"
"Go where!?" responded Morgana, exasperated. "The meeting isn't until tomorrow!"
April 17 – Sunday
Ryuji Sakamoto's PoV
Ryuji met up with Urano and Morgana in Shibuya, then guided them to the alley where Untouchable (the model gun shop) was located. Oddly, when she entered the ally, Urano froze for a moment and muttered something unintelligible. She said it wasn't important, though, so they moved on to the shop.
Before entering, Ryuji tried to offer Urano some of his money for purchases. She declined, saying she had enough money from the last Palace. Ryuji had been too caught up in the life-or-death aspect of fighting Shadows to notice, but the monsters apparently dropped cash when they were defeated!
When the Phantom Thieves (temp.) entered, they asked the man behind the counter for recommendations. Unfortunately, his response wasn't all that helpful.
"…I dunno, just buy whatever looks interesting to you," said the man, barely looking up from the magazine he was reading.
"Ugh, some customer service," complained Ryuji, causing the man to sigh.
"Fine, whaddya want?" he asked them. "An automatic? A revolver?"
"Uh, automatic…?" repeated Ryuji. How bad was this guy's customer service? "Dude, why're you talkin' about cars now!?"
Urano facepalmed, and Ryuji could hear the not-cat let out a groan from within her bag.
"Ryuji, an automatic gun is one that keeps firing bullets as long as you hold the trigger down, as opposed to only firing one shot whenever the trigger is pulled," explained the bookworm, sounding annoyed. She then turned to the man. "By the way, a revolver and a shotgun would be nice. Also… umm… do you have any clubs or brass knuckles, Mr. …"
"Iwai," replied the man, giving a half-smile. "And, as a matter of fact, we carry both. The melee weapons're over there."
Iwai, as he called himself, pointed to a section of the store.
"Ryuji, can you go pick out some things over there while I speak with Mr. Iwai about his gun recommendations?" asked Urano.
"Sure."
"I'm guessin' you're the enthusiast and you roped that casual there into helpin' you?" Iwai asked the bookworm.
"More or less," she replied.
Ryuji pointedly ignored them and walked over to the melee weapons with a scowl on his face. He browsed for a bit, eventually deciding on the Hell Slugger for himself and the Delta Knuckle for Makoto. When he returned to the cash register, Urano had already selected a pair of guns, as well as some Padded Shirts, and was ready to pay.
"You sure you've got enough cash to afford all this?" questioned Iwai, skeptical of Urano's wallet.
"Even if I don't, I brought a few things I can see to make up the difference," responded the bookworm. She pulled a few gemstones out of her bag, eliciting some grumbles from Morgana about how she was giving away his precious treasures.
"Heh, you're certainly an interesting one," said Iwai, giving both her and the gems an appraising look. "Maybe someday I'll show you the real good stuff… if you got the Guts for it, of course."
"I look forward to it," replied Urano, giving a confident smile.
Urano only ended up selling half of the gems, partially to cover the purchases and partially to ensure she had some pocket change for later.
As they left Untouchable, Ryuji asked her how she knew so much about guns.
"Well, after we decided to get some for Kamoshida's Palace, I decided to read a book on the subject," answered Urano.
"Seriously?" exclaimed Ryuji, incredulous. "How'd you find the time to do that? Haven't you been busy prepping for the Palace?"
"When it comes to reading, I'll always find the time," she declared confidently.
Ryuji sweatdropped at her odd boast. In the past few days, he'd come to understand that Urano was a total weirdo about books. Sadly, this realization hadn't made her behavior any less exhausting.
Morgana's PoV
After making the purchases at Untouchable, Morgana, Urano, and Ryuji took the train back to Yongen-Jaya. Upon arriving, they met up with Makoto and walked over Urano's house.
Once there, Urano introduced her new friends to her father and brought them to her room. Meanwhile, Morgana slipped out of her bag and made his way to Futaba's room.
"They're here," announced the not-cat, making the hacker whimper. "Come on. And leave the mask behind!"
Luckily, Futaba didn't try to run away, hide, or take the weird mask despite his protests (which had all been legitimate concerns). She obediently – if nervously – followed Morgana to Urano's room, where she was finally introduced to Makoto and Ryuji.
"Ryuji, Makoto, meet Futaba," said Urano, gesturing to the girl who was currently hiding behind her. "Futaba, meet Ryuji and Makoto. I promise you, they're trustworthy."
"Wassup!" greeted Ryuji loudly, causing Futaba to flinch back. Urano, Makoto, and Morgana all facepalmed at his tactlessness.
"It's nice to meet you, Futaba," said Makoto, trying to salvage the situation. "As your sister already told you, my name is Makoto Nijima."
The hacker replied with a shy nod.
"Okay, so let's go over the plan for today," stated Urano enthusiastically. "First, as originally planned, we'll be talking and getting to know one another better until lunchtime. Sojiro's making curry, which is delicious."
Morgana noticed Futaba smiling at the thought of Sojiro's curry, not that he blamed her. It always smelt great, to the point where the not-cat had actually gone to Urano and convinced her to bring any leftovers from today into the Palace with her tomorrow.
(He'd been hoping that she'd slip him some while it was fresh, but the bookworm was worried that his feline form wouldn't be able to consume it safely.)
"After we're done eating, we'll be going to the Gigolo arcade in Akihibara," continued Urano. "It'll be a good way for us all to bond and have fun before we buckle down and infiltrate Kamoshida's Palace."
Urano had come up with the idea to visit the arcade after yesterday's debacle with Futaba, having noticed the place during their trip. In addition to the stated reasons, visiting the arcade was part of the hacker's anti-shut-in training.
Also, as Morgana had pointed out to the bookworm after she came up with the idea yesterday, the shooting games would give her an opportunity to improve her horrendous aim.
"Does everybody understand our schedule?" finished Urano, unsubtly glancing at Ryuji.
"Yes," stated Makoto confidently.
"…Yeah," muttered Futaba, still nervous.
"Hey!" shouted Ryuji, offended. "Don't treat me like an idiot who needs an explanation for everything!"
"Says the monkey who thought the clerk at the model gun store was talking about cars," snarked Morgana. Ryuji opened his mouth to yell at the not-cat, only for Urano to interrupt.
"Speaking of model guns," she said a bit forcefully. "Makoto, I was able to get you what you asked for."
The bookworm pulled the revolver and brass knuckles out of her bag and handed them to her upperclassmen. Incidentally, Ryuji had already moved the shotgun and bat into his bag.
"Thank you," replied Makoto. Trying on the brass knuckles, she threw a few punches experimentally then smiled. "Yes, these will do nicely."
Privately, Morgana thought she kind of looked like a yakuza. Not that he was stupid enough to say that out loud.
"Wow, you kind of look like a delinquent," observed Ryuji.
Fortunately for the idiot, his statement made Makoto more embarrassed than angry. The conversation ended up shifting to more mundane subjects after that. Everybody making attempts to bring Futaba into the conversation, some more successful than not ('the weather'? Seriously, Makoto?).
By lunchtime, the hacker was able to speak normally – normally for her, that is – with the rest of the group.
Mission accomplished!
Makoto Nijima's PoV
Makoto had never been to an arcade before. The quintessential honors student, she'd usually spend her free time studying or frequenting places with better reputations, like movie theaters or karaoke bars.
Nonetheless, Makoto ended up having a great time. She played a shooting game alongside Urano for a while, imagining the enemies' faces to Principal Kobayakawa's. The bookworm tried her best at the game, but soon grew frustrated by failure after failure.
The girls became so engrossed that the two of them didn't even realize how loud they were getting until Morgana told them. Makoto and Urano, reddening as they finally noticed all of the stares they were getting, decided to take a short break from the game.
Ryuji and Futaba took over, with Morgana staying to watch, so it was just the two of them.
"You know," began Makoto. "It's a bit refreshing to go somewhere I don't normally frequent. I feel like I've broadened my horizons a bit."
"Yeah," agreed Urano. "Even though I keep losing, it feels like I found a new side of myself. And sure, she's competitive and a sore loser, but she's still a part of me…"
"I…" started Makoto nervously. "Hey, do you think you could help me continue to try out new experiences?"
Urano gave her a curious look, prompting her to explain.
"The student council must be responsible for understanding the student body they serve. I feel like there's always been a disparity between my tastes and the taste of my peers, and… recent events… have made it clear just how little I know about my fellow students. A-As people, I mean! Not in a surveillance way!"
"Sure, I'll help," answered Urano. The bookworm then grew sheepish. "But, are you sure you should be asking me? My interests (books) are also different from those of a normal girl."
"Yes," replied Makoto. "It'll be reassuring to have you by my side, trying out these new things with me."
"It's less embarrassing if you're not the only one making a fool of yourself, huh?" joked Urano, giving a wry smile as she glanced over at the arcade game they had just been at.
"T-That wasn't what I was thinking at all!" cried Makoto, flustered. She wasn't trying to use Urano to divert negative attention. "It's just nice to know that I'm not alone. Plus, I think that if we expand our knowledge, then we can come up with more ideas for the team."
Urano considered her proposal for a few seconds, then answered.
"Eh, why not? It could be fun. Besides, I'm used to that sort of thing anyway, what with how many times my mom has made me join her in her latest hobby."
.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
.
With the birth of the High Priestess Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power…
.
Confidant: Makoto Nijima. Arcana: High Priestess. Rank: 1.
.
Makoto would have liked to continue talking with Urano, maybe decide on their next destination, but something caught her attention. Not wanting to spoil the bookworm's fun, she pretended she needed to use the restroom (please let her act not have been too terrible) in order to tackle the problem by herself.
"Stalking your fellow students isn't appropriate behavior, Takamaki," chastised Makoto, crossing her arms in disapproval as she walked over to the girl in question.
Takamaki had been hiding behind a change machine, spying on the Phantom Thieves (temp.). Well… 'hiding' might be a bit generous, considering how much she stood out. Makoto honestly felt a bit embarrassed that she hadn't noticed the girl sooner.
"I didn't stalk you," retorted Takamaki, offended. "I was on my way back from a modeling job and just happened to see you guys going somewhere. I thought it might be related to punishing Kamoshida, but clearly I was wrong. Right now, you aren't doing anything about Kamoshida."
Makoto stared down Takamaki, searching for any signs of deceit, but found none. The girl was being honest, though her judgmental tone annoyed the student council president.
"Indeed," said Makoto curtly. She chose her words with caution, not wanting to reveal any important information. "We're just taking a day to get to know one another better and have fun before we begin carrying out our plan."
"Good for you," grumbled Takamaki. "Not everybody can lounge around like that."
'I'm being victimized by Kamoshida and Suzui is fighting for her life in the hospital, yet here you are enjoying yourself.' Takamaki's venomous sentiments came across very clearly, irritating Makoto.
"I'm truly sorry about what Kamoshida has done to you and Suzui…" started Makoto, irritated by her critical tone. "…But you should know that you two aren't the only ones who've suffered because of an evil adult. So stop acting like we have no idea how you feel."
Ryuji got his leg broken, his reputation tanked, and his future ruined by Kamoshida. Futaba's mother was killed for her research into cognitive psience, then Futaba herself was blamed for everything at the funeral. Urano's childhood friend died in a psychotic breakdown-induced subway accident, almost certainly caused by the same people who killed Wakaba. And Sae and Makoto lost their father in the line of duty.
Makoto left Takamaki to stew on her words, going over to the punching machine she'd noticed earlier. She suddenly had a lot of anger she wanted to vent.
"…Still, we need to be careful about Takamaki following us again," mused Makoto as she left the other girl behind. "Perhaps we could…"
Shinya Oda's PoV
Shinya had a lot of experience playing Gun About. He'd faced and defeated countless opponents, earning himself the title of "The King." Yet, in all of his time gaming, he'd never witnessed somebody as terrible at Gun About as the high school-age girl before him now.
"How'd you score zero points?" asked Shinya incredulously when the girl's latest solo round ended. "Seriously… Unless you're doing it on purpose, that shouldn't be possible!"
"Urgh," winced the girl. However, she still paid the machine for another round.
"Come on!" he complained. "I came here to play Gun About, not to watch someone fail at it over and over again!"
"I'm sorry, but all of the other shooting games are busy and I need to train," responded the girl. "If you really hate waiting, though, you can join me."
Shinya would've normally rejected her offer without hesitation. But, with school started back up and classes in full swing, he had less time than usual to play Gun About. Moreover, he'd caught sight of how much spare change the girl had when she paid for her latest round, and there was no way she'd burn through it all before he had to go home.
"Fine," said Shinya grumpily, putting some coins into the 'Player 2' slot. "If nothing else, this'll be a good handicap for me."
"I wish I could say you were wrong, but…"
Surprisingly, the girl ended up not being useless.
She started off as dead weight, failing to defeat even a single enemy. Shinya got so frustrated that he began yelling at her about what she was doing wrong, which caused the girl to yell back about how harsh he was being.
However, even as she complained, the girl following Shinya's advice and improved noticeably. By the end of the round, she had actually become an okay player. Shinya told her as much.
"It's thanks to you," replied the girl. "Strictness and swearing aside, your instructions were very clear. Would you be willing to give me more lessons in the future?"
Whenever somebody had asked Shinya this before, he'd turned them down. Teaching always seemed like too much work. But he'd ended up having a good time training this girl. And, based on how quickly she improved with just a little guidance, she actually had more potential than most.
"…Eh, why not?" answered Shinya. He could always stop if he got sick of it. "Although… hmm… if I'm going to be helping you, I should probably be getting something in return."
That was the sort of thing his mother would say. His time was valuable, so he should be compensated for it.
"…Like money?"
"Nah, more like favors." His allowance was good and arcade games were cheap, so he wasn't really hurting for cash. "I can't actually think of anything I want right now, though, so let's just say that you'll owe me one. I'll cash it in once I think of something."
"Sure, but I might decline if your request is too unreasonable," replied the girl.
"Fair enough."
"Ah! By the way, my name is Urano Motosu."
.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
.
With the birth of the Tower Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power…
.
Confidant: Shinya Oda. Arcana: Tower. Rank: 1.
Toranosuke Yoshida's PoV
"…apathy that permeates society is a direct result of negligence by our government and the media," declared Toranosuke, doing a bit of pre-speech… well… speaking. Nonetheless, the politician stopped when he noticed a rare glimmer of attentiveness among the sea of apathy that his speeches usually garnered. A high school-age girl, from the look of it.
"You're listening quite attentively," Toranosuke said to the girl. "Are you interested in politics?"
"Not exactly," answered the girl. "I was hoping to learn about being a better leader and thought that listening to a politician might help."
Her answer was a bit odd, but he could see the logic behind it. Being a leader was part of a politician's job.
"I see," said Toranosuke. "However, while us politicians are leaders, we aren't all good leaders. Are you sure you want to be learning from me?"
The girl was almost certainly unaware of his reputation as No-Good Tora.
"You seem like a good person," she replied. "I mean, when you were handing out flyers a few days ago, you were polite to some guys even after they started insulting you."
Ah, right… Toranosuke had met this girl before. She was one of the people he'd handed out flyers to on Monday. It made him smile a bit to know that his efforts hadn't been pointless.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to him.
"You're a student, right?" Toranosuke asked. The girl nodded. "Well, certain regulations prevent me from offering a job to a student, but perhaps you could learn some things if you attended a few of my speeches, Miss…?"
"Urano Motosu," answered the girl.
"…Miss Motosu, then. I'm Toranosuke Yoshida, by the way. I used to be a member of the Diet… but no longer. In the past twenty years, I've lost seven straight elections. If that doesn't bother you, then hopefully I can count on your help immediately."
On the sunny side, Miss Motosu ended up agreeing to hold a sign for Toranosuke during his speech. On the cloudy side, he was heckled relentlessly by the audience.
Despite this, he thanked Miss Motosu for her efforts. He also asked her for her opinion on the speech.
"You got heckled a lot," she replied bluntly.
"…Oh, don't worry about that," Toranosuke told her. "Such as I am, I'd like to believe that I'm capable of giving a moving speech. However, there are times like today when the audience has a difference of opinion on a topic. Some feel I should concentrate on getting elected before I worry about others. Do you agree?"
"No," decided Miss Motosu after considering it for a few seconds. "Even if I don't agree with somebody's message, I'd rather listen to them than to somebody who's just pandering for votes. Ah, but I did agree with your speech today!"
"Thank you," chuckled Toranosuke, amused by her hasty clarification. "It's encouraging to know my message has won you over. Besides, I've grown quite accustomed to those types of reactions. Although… I don't quite know if that's a good thing. Regardless, no matter what they say, I must continue on…"
"…Say what you think and don't worry about what everyone else thinks, huh?" muttered Miss Motosu to herself, making a wry smile. "Business as usual, I guess…"
Raising her voice, she then addressed Toranosuke.
"Mr. Yoshida, I think I can learn a lot from your speeches. So, when is the next one?"
Toranosuke smiled. Miss Motosu seemed like an insightful young girl. Perhaps he should try asking for her impression of his next speech, too…
AN: Do you know what's funny? I didn't plan to start Makoto's Confidant this chapter until when I started writing her arcade scene. I remembered she had an event in an arcade, checked it to use as reference material, and realized that it was the Confidant's first rank. Lucky coincidence, huh?
Anyway, infiltrating Kamoshida's Palace begins next chapter. Expect some skipping around through the Palace.
Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 3), Igor (Fool, Rank 3), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 2), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 3), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 1), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 1), Makoto Nijima (High Priestess, Rank 1), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 1).