Chapter 60: Washed-out Fireworks
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/13, Wednesday
•Akira•
The first day of the tests had come. He could see Ann nervously twirling one of her twintails and grinned at her. "{I hope you know that all-night study sessions don't work. None of that information will stick.}"
She huffed. "{It doesn't have to stick with me forever, just for exams.}"
He just shook his head.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/14, Thursday
Day two of the finals, easy as the first. He smirked as he twirled his pen between his fingers and answered each question as swiftly as they came.
Ann seemed to be struggling, but even if he wanted to help her, in such a quiet room that would be a no-go. He shrugged and reviewed his answers. She should have spent more time studying.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/15, Friday
The third day had arrived. He breezed through the questions.
As he walked out of school, Ryuji caught up with him. "Hey man, I need a break… Want to head to Mementos?"
"Ruru, last-minute studying isn't good, but you probably need it if you have any hopes of passing," he sighed.
"H-Hey, I've been doing fine! I've managed to finish every answer on the worksheet each day!"
"...That's what you should be doing, yes."
"Yeah, but before I wouldn't get them all done, and now I feel like I got most… uh, a lot of them right?"
Several of the Personas within him face-palmed.
"That is not reassuring…"
"But it's better than usual, so come on! I gotta blow off some steam so I can be ready for tomorrow!"
Morgana sighed from his seat in his bag. "Honestly, you Numbskull… Well, if it helps you focus tomorrow then we might as well."
"I suppose. All right, I'll text Yusuke to see if he wants to come along. It's a good thing we've all gone over the Mementos targets we have lined up and agreed to go after them… Ann and Makoto are good students and getting ready for tomorrow's tests."
"Man, whatever."
Ω • Ω • Ω
After he checked out Untouchable's new stock and bought fresh weaponry, as well as threw Arsène into the electric chair to get a new weapon out of him, the Mona bus made its way through Mementos, down the path of Chemdah. There were a few targets they'd taken care of on the drive down, the mood in the car lighthearted.
Skull had his feet up on the dash as he rode shotgun, laughing as he argued with Mona. Fox was in the back, sketching as always, barely paying attention as Mona reprimanded the bottle-blond for dirtying the dashboard.
He, as always, focused on driving. Every now and then he ran down a shadow, but he didn't focus too heavily on them, considering there were only four of them and that Fox and Skull didn't have much spiritual stamina.
"Oh, wait a minute… Yeah, one of the targets is nearby!" Following Mona's announcement he made sure they searched every nook and cranny of the floor until they found the swirling vortex that led to the Proto-Palaces.
"Everyone ready? Let's go." Mona leaped through and they came face to face with the abusive man's Shadow, wearing a pale blue button-up shirt and tan pants. He didn't look at all like an abuser… but the most dangerous monsters hid in plain sight, as he'd learned since becoming a Phantom Thief. "There it is. That should be the Shadow of the man named Uchimura."
"So, he is the one abusing his girlfriend?" Fox asked.
"You said that fortune-telling lady's tarot crap said she's gonna get hurt bad, right? We can't leave him like this, then."
"Right. Let's change his heart." He led them closer, internally switching Personas as his mask flashed briefly. Shadow Uchimura didn't notice them, grumbling to himself as they approached.
"Dammit… I gambled away all my money again… Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! Where is she?! Get over here so I can beat you!"
He saw Skull's eyes flash with rage, and he felt similar anger bubble up. "I feel sorry for your girlfriend that she has to deal with trash like you… It's even worse that she cares about you, for some godforsaken reason. You think beating another human being is going to fix anything, let alone your gambling addiction?"
"WHAT?! Don't you DARE lecture me! She's mine, I can do whatever I want with her! Beating her is a right that only I have! I'll have you know that she loves it, too!"
"I've had enough of this dude's shit… Let's kick his ass!" The Shadow erupted into a Fuu-ki, the same white and blue wind-using oni with a hole in its face that they'd fought in Kaneshiro's bank. "Captain Kidd!"
"I'm gonna punch—!" The pirate Persona struck the Shadow with a bolt of lightning, interrupting its shout and sending it stumbling back. Fox was suddenly there, blade slashing out and cutting deep into the Shadow's legs as he slid to a stop behind the monster, smoothly sheathing the sword and pulling out his rifle, riddling its back with bullets.
Snarling, Shadow Uchimura spun around to swing his blade, launching Garulas toward the ice-wielder. They never got near him, Mona falling from above and transforming into his bus form, blocking each spell. He quickly hopped back before Uchimura could hit him physically with his blade, and the oni didn't get a second swipe in as he and Skull shot their grappling hooks out and wrapped them around his arm.
Mona took the opportunity, transforming back and summoning Zorro. One Lucky Punch later and Uchimura was sent to his knees. "Mrow! He's wide open!"
"Then let's hit him with an All-Out Attack!" They struck hard and fast, their cognitions warping the Metaverse around them, becoming blurs as they annihilated the Shadow. It did massive damage, Uchimura kneeling on the ground, still in his Fuu-Ki form. "Principality. Makouga."
The angel raised its staff as he summoned it, launching multiple lances of light forward. They speared through Shadow Uchimura and sent him crashing to the floor, where his body slowly melted back into his human form. They surrounded the abuser, and he glared down at him. "Now, I wonder what excuses you'll come up with to save your skin."
Their target didn't seem to have heard him, just kneeling there despondently. "I hate it, I hate it when people look at me like I'm just a bug to them… I can do better… I'm a superior human being… All the people around me just don't get it…"
"Shut the hell up," Skull growled. "You don't deserve the girl you got, but for some damn reason, she's stickin' with you. Go back to yourself, then get down on your hands and knees and make up for what you did. Then never, ever, abuse anyone else ever again."
Not saying anything else, Shadow Uchimura vanished into light, leaving behind the bud of a Palace. He grabbed it, and it formed into a warhammer. Akira looked at Skull, who shook his head, so he nodded and put it in his pocket. He'd take it to Iwai and sell it.
It was pretty clear why Skull was so angry at that particular Shadow, and wanted nothing to do with the reward given. "The right to beat his girlfriend…" Mona scowled, transforming into his bus mode. "He was really the worst of the worst to think that. Well, we changed his heart, so let's let Chihaya know when we get the chance, alright, Joker?"
"Yeah. For now, I could do with blowing off steam on some generic Shadows, after scum like that."
"I happily agree," Fox added. With that, they returned to the tunnels of Mementos and got back to hunting down Shadows.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/16, Saturday
The final day of finals had finally come as he finalized his perfect record. BOOOOOO! Discounting the… ninety-six he'd gotten on the mid-term exams. As he was leaving the school Maruki stopped him to have a chat, asking him some hypothetical questions that he could easily link back to Kasumi… Which gave him some concerns about how well Maruki understood the phrase 'doctor-patient confidentiality'.
But, once they were done, he met with the rest of his team at their hideout. Ann and Ryuji were, of course, exhausted. "Exams are finally over…"
"I can get back to actually sleepin' in peace," Ryuji groaned.
"Huh. You must have been studying pretty hard if it kept you up at night," Makoto spoke proudly.
"Nah, I was up playin' video games. Slackin' off is just too much fun…"
"I know, right?!" Ann exclaimed, not noticing Makoto's face falling deeper into a glare with every word. "I kept cleaning my room instead of studying! It might even be, like, TOO clean now!"
"You two are perfect exemplars of what escapism can mean."
Makoto dropped her anger as Yusuke chuckled, just sighing. "And I can only imagine what the result will be."
"Whatever, it's over with now. Who cares about that anymore?!"
"You will, once our scores are published and it turns out that you still failed even with all of Makoto's help," he ribbed.
Hearing Makoto crack her knuckles, Ryuji began sweating. "W-Well, I only slacked off cuz I knew her lessons were so helpful that I'd definitely pass, you know?!" The red-eyed girl said nothing, and he scrambled to change the subject. "What's real important is the Phantom Thieve's popularity! Ain't it amazin'?!"
"It kinda feels like our time's finally here!" Ann agreed.
"I have even heard people excitedly speculating about our next target. We will have to choose carefully."
"That's great and all, but we have to remember not to factor in public hype when it comes to choosing a target," he warned after Yusuke finished. "We aren't hitmen changing the hearts of every single evil person, even if they have a Palace, or people will stop fighting for themselves and rely solely on us. We target only those that can't be stopped any other way. Remember, this is all partly to inspire other people to have hope and be able to take a stand against their problems, not become the sole arbiters of justice in the world to be worshipped."
He didn't fully believe the speech was necessary, he was certain that all his fellow thieves knew that. But Kasumi's words from several days before stuck with him. He'd do his best to make sure that people didn't grow complacent and rely solely on them to fix their problems, using them like some grand wishing device to fix their lots in life.
Makoto nodded. "Akira's right. Besides, there's no need to hurry right now. We've proven our justice, and can spend some time thinking it over."
"Hold up, the most important thing right now is our celebration party!" He rolled his eyes at the faux-blond's priorities but still laughed along. "I hope you guys didn't forget. It's the fireworks festival on the eighteenth. I guess we're good meetin' up in Shibuya, so… let's say five pm!"
"You sure are on top of THESE kinds of things," Morgana sighed, speaking what he had been thinking out loud.
"Well, let's break here, then. Unless there's anything else urgent that the team needs?"
"I'm good."
"I must return to my painting."
"Actually, could we go through with what we discussed last time?" Makoto asked. What they'd discussed?
She means the trip to Shinjuku, my dear.
'Ah, thanks, Sidhe.'
You shouldn't forget a promise with a lady, Myaster!
"Sure. Let's get changed and meet there?"
She nodded at him. "Very well. I'll meet you in the train station."
After that they split up, though he didn't notice Ann looking just a bit disappointed, having wanted to spend some time hanging out. They hadn't done anything one-on-one recently, but she was sure that wasn't on purpose, and… She wasn't sure why the thought of Makoto and Akira spending an afternoon together seemed to lower her mood… But, there was always next time.
Ω • Ω • Ω
"There are so many people here…" He laughed at Makoto's expression as she took in Shinjuku, an impressive sight even during the late afternoon. "I guess this really is the biggest red-light district in Asia, huh. Apparently, this place was a hotbed for criminals and illegal immigrants before they installed surveillance cameras… I heard there were quite a few brothels as well."
"You're very well informed," he spoke. "I didn't think Shinjuku would be part of your curriculum."
"Well, I heard a great deal about it from my father. This is the first time I've actually been here myself though. Regardless, it's become far safer now than it used to be." She combed her hair back as they walked down the street, watching the various people around them. "Of course, the surveillance cameras played a substantial role in that… But it was mainly thanks to the police efforts to clean up the area. Even so, there's no way to eradicate crime entirely. It seems the operations nowadays are only better hidden…"
"Why am I getting an exposition dump on Shinjuku?" He asked no one. Makoto flushed in embarrassment, and he grinned to show he was joking.
"A-Anyways, seeing is believing, yes? Come on, let's have a look around."
"Stay close." They began walking, and even though he kept his hands in his pockets he was still on guard, just in case. You could never be too careful. Multiple men tried to start talking with Makoto, but she brushed off most of them. Except one that got a bit too invested after she'd tried to ask him a question.
Akira quickly grabbed her shoulder and steered her away. "Alright, time to go!"
"…Did we lose him? That guy was so persistent…" Makoto caught her breath. "He must have been a scout for a hostess club. Mentioning how 'his girls' get paid a lot to wear cute dresses… I just wanted to ask if any Shujin students worked there but he nearly dragged me inside with him…"
"That was dangerous, Makoto."
"For him, maybe. I thought I was going to have to knock him out… I'm glad nobody had to get hurt, though." He rolled his eyes at her words. Did she never learn that, even with training, you should never underestimate the danger an unknown could be? "Hm, I guess that's how they do it… I've learned something new today. Oh, and thanks again. It seems you have a knack for helping me out. I hope I can do the same for you someday."
"After you learn some awareness, I'm sure you'll be able to," he chuckled, all while feeling her quiet resolve and hearing the crashing of chains.
RANK UP!
Priestess Arcana, Makoto Niijima: Rank 2
"That aside… Even though this is a shopping district, there are absolutely no students around here. And definitely no Shujin students… I guess they wouldn't come in uniform either way." They began walking back to the train station before Makoto paused. He followed her eyes and saw a girl with black hair wearing the Shujin uniform enter a store.
"Do you know her?"
"That was… I used to be in the same class as her! But why is she here?" She looked at the name of the building. "'The After School Salon'…?"
"I wonder what kind of store that is."
"I'm not sure, but it seems suspicious. I'll have to ask her about it. Oh, and I'd like you to be there too, as my witness. Would that be okay?"
"I'll have to, if I want to keep you out of trouble."
She shook her head in amusement as they resumed walking to the station.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/17, Sunday
It was goddamn scorching. He really shouldn't have agreed to come to this damn summer festival. "It's sooooo hot…"
"It's as if we're walking around in an enormous sauna," Yusuke murmured. He didn't say anything to that, just eyeing the long-sleeved shirt that the artist always wore. He wasn't helping himself out wearing that…
"Whose bright idea was it to come here?"
He glared at Ryuji, feeling sweat drip down his neck. "You're the one that wanted to come."
"Don't try to act like it wasn't you," Morgana groaned, lying limp on his shoulder. The inside of his bag was suffocating, but outside of it the sun beat down on him…
"And just look at that crowd!" A female host doing some form of special on the festival was talking into a microphone in front of a camera. "Smiling faces everywhere you look! With that, let's move right into asking some of the visitors here for their comments!"
"A TV crew, hm…?"
"We probably shouldn't stand out," he sighed.
"Then let's grab our kebabs and get outta here," Ryuji grinned.
"Ah, let's interview those three."
"Uh-oh."
"Is she talking about us?" Yusuke questioned.
"What the…?"
Morgana shuffled around. "What do we do, Akira?"
"Let's just calm down… It's not the end of the world."
"Good point," Yusuke nodded. "We'll look even more suspicious if we panic now."
"Here they come," Morgana muttered.
"Aw hell…" Before he could step up and take the interview for them, so that neither Ryuji nor Yusuke did anything dumb on national television, Ryuji rolled his shoulders. "Okay, I'm gonna ham it up and make some real cringey comments so they can't use any of the footage."
He blinked. "...What?"
Ryuji turned and grinned at the camera as the host walked up and held the microphone out. "Hello! It sure is hot today, huh?"
"Oh, for sure, yeah! And if it's this hot in July, can you imagine just how insane the weather's gonna be in December?"
He, Morgana, and Yusuke could only watch in slack-jawed awe at the cringeworthy display that was ongoing.
Ω • Ω • Ω
The day wasn't a total waste. After the worst interview in television history, they went and got some food that he, of course, had to pay for, so Yusuke could afford the train ride home, and then they went to visit some stadium in Odaiba. It was a big construction site, with the building nowhere near complete.
With nothing better to do, they just… wandered around the place. "Man, can't wait for the fireworks festival… Too bad Haru couldn't join us."
"Who?"
"That's the Senpai that he has to help on Mondays for extra credit," he explained to Yusuke. "Also the girl he's got a crush on."
"Sh-Shut up, man! I don't have a crush on her!"
"So you wanted to invite her to the PT fireworks celebration for no reason?"
"Well, uh… I just figured I might as well introduce her to you guys since I'm spending every Monday with her!"
"Isn't that what you do when you get a girlfriend?" Yusuke asked in confusion.
He grinned and answered before Ryuji could. "Close, he'd normally introduce her to his parents, but I suppose we have a tight enough leash on him to count. Remember to have her home by eight o' clock sharp, Ruru-kun."
"I see… Congratulations, Ryuji."
"Eff off!"
He laughed at Ryuji's embarrassment, unable to tell if Yusuke was playing along with the joke, or taking it completely seriously.
"Hm… I had thought that you were dating Makoto. I suppose I'll have to revise my plans for a painting of the two of you."
"Why would you think I was dating Prez?!"
"I mean, she's the only other member of the group that you have a nickname for," he pointed out. "Plus, you have all that alone time together on Wednesdays." He gasped. "Ruru, don't tell me— Are you cheating on Makoto?!"
"I'M NOT, CUZ I'M NOT DATIN' EITHER OF THEM! AND I AIN'T INTERESTED IN THEM!"
"I find that hard to believe, with how much you obsess over women, and the various magazines you had in your room."
Ryuji was unable to reply to that, and Akira burst out into laughter.
This conversation is so vulgar…
Let boys be boys, Nega-Phoenix chuckled.
True friendship such as this surely makes the lord happy.
As they were about to leave, Yusuke unknowingly continuing to tease Ryuji, he spotted Kasumi gazing at the Stadium somberly. Feeling his protective Senpai instincts flaring, he exchanged goodbyes with Ryuji and Yusuke, before walking up to her. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
"Starr-senpai?!"
"What a pleasant surprise to see you here."
"Y-Yes. Did you come to see the stadium too?"
"Ruru wanted to check it out, so I obliged."
"Ruru…? I came for myself, I needed to give myself a pep talk."
"Is something wrong?"
"Well… Sometimes, when I'm down, I come here. Although, that doesn't really answer your question, does it?" Kasumi smiled, but it clashed with the tears that were threatening to leak from her eyes. "I know this may get in the way of your plans, but would you be willing to join me for lunch?"
"Just follow me. There's a diner that apparently everyone uses."
Ω • Ω • Ω
"Mm! That was delicious!"
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the various plates of food she'd demolished while Kasumi stretched her arms. Seriously, he knew that he could eat a lot, but that was an incredible amount, even for a gymnast. "You sure packed it away."
"I'm always like this after a meet. In all honesty, I'd like to keep going… but any more will end up harming my performance."
"So, the meet's done?" He asked cautiously, remembering those puffy red eyes she had.
"Yes. Simply put… It was a disaster. I've been feeling like I'm getting back into the flow of things, thanks to you, Starr-senpai. But when the moment of truth arrived, my body still wouldn't move in the way that I wanted it to…"
"This sounds like it's, partly, anyway, a mental thing."
"I think… that's a big factor, yeah… Something similar happened to me in middle school. But back then, I had someone by my side that kept me going." He saw the pain in her eyes.
"...Who?"
She closed her eyes for a moment, recentering herself. "I… have a younger sister. We promised each other that we'd win international gymnastics competitions together… But this spring, she… died, in an accident."
He clasped his hands together and breathed out.
"I promised her we'd take the gold for our routines across the world… But I can't stop worrying about my lack of improvement lately. I've really been throwing myself into practice, but I wonder if even that won't be enough."
"It sounds like you're doing the best you can."
Kasumi looked surprised, before smiling. "Thank you for being so thoughtful. You just keep on rescuing me, don't you?" That was all that he needed to do to 'rescue' her? How hard was she being pushed if that was all it took? "Okay, no more brooding! There are still more meets left this year. I'm going to start from scratch and train as hard as I can. Thank you so much for listening to all that! Now I feel like I've been recharged, mind, body, and spirit!"
Her stomach growled.
"...Well, at least my mind and spirit are recharged," she amended with a determined look. "The best way to stave off hunger is with some vigorous activity! I'm going to jog home— take care!"
He watched her go, half-amused, half-exasperated. He then got a text message from Mishima talking about the summer festival and Ryuji's showing on television. "Mission failed. Well, better get back to Leblanc… Although…" Before heading back, he rode the train out to the church. At the same time that Mishima had messaged him, he received two texts. One, in a private group chat of just himself, Ryuji, and Yusuke, being a picture of him dropping his smoothie after the plastic had gotten too slippery and Morgana panicking at the sight of the falling drink, and the second, a message from Hifumi about more practice.
Well, it wasn't exactly late at night, yet. He was up for a friendly game.
Ω • Ω • Ω
"Vanguard of the Togo Kingdom… go forth to the front lines! Trample upon them all!"
…This chick is crazy!
Total chunnibyou.
He moved a piece, and she immediately scoffed. "You think to protect yourself with that paltry defense? Hahaha… Useless! Awaken, dragon! Let your shadowy hellfire consume them all! Dark Inferno Rook!"
"As the one bound to hell itself, do you truly think your dark inferno will stop my men?" He swiped his hand across his face to adjust his hair, then clacked a pawn forward.
Oh god, Myaster's infected.
Several moves later, Hifumi shook her head. "Can you hear them? The wailing of dying soldiers, echoing throughout the battlefield… With an incompetent king, a soldier cannot show his true bravery! Time for you to suffer!"
"My men will fight to the last, to tear even the gods from their thrones in heaven. I may not be a proper king, but they believe in me all the same."
I… Do not know how I feel about this.
Principality, shh, it's getting good.
"At last, everything is in place… My right-hand trembles as I release my full power! I summon forth the forbidden move that shall bring your end… Ultimate Excalibur Attack!" She paused. "Check."
"Then I'll just make the hill of Camlann run red with both our blood, let the once holy blade of Clarent run you through!"
Ugh…
Once the game was finally finished, with her victory, of course, she sighed. "Ah, I did it again…"
"What, your speeches?"
"It's an embarrassing habit I have… During a match, I, um… I tend to get very aggressive. It's as if I assume the role of a queen of a kingdom…"
"Don't feel too bad about it. It's an interesting quirk."
"I-It is? You're a strange one, indeed. My father had me do image training exercises when I was younger, to help me learn the rules. I gradually began to view the shogi board as if it were my own kingdom… I had fun coming up with stories and strategies, for my, um, subjects… However… I've heard that people make fun of me on the internet."
"Just because of your quirk?"
"People think that I'm weird, or that I'm an otaku, or that I'm just crazy… I mean, I can't blame them… Certainly, I think I'm weird too."
"Oh, don't worry about them. Who cares what they say? I was certainly getting into it myself, wasn't I?"
She laughed lightly. "That's true. Your positivity is… A welcome relief. I may be able to learn more from our matches than I originally thought."
He smiled back, feeling their bond grow.
RANK UP!
Star Arcana, Hifumi Togo: Rank 2
"Well, that will do for today." He nodded at her words and stretched himself out. As he was getting up, she spoke again. "Oh, there's something I wanted to mention… Do you read weekly magazines…?"
He thought back to a certain magazine he'd bought after he'd overheard Ann talking about being a model on April twelfth and had hidden in his room. "Ah… Not really. Fashion magazines, sometimes?"
Wahaha!
I take it back, thou art not entering heaven.
He's a healthy teenage boy, I believe this is expected.
'All of you shut up…'
"Really? Um, anyway, I'm doing a photo shoot for one…"
He studied her expression and his lips quirked into a smile. "But you don't want to, right?"
"You're quite perceptive. I thought you'd be surprised if you saw it on the newsstand, so I wanted to let you know beforehand. In all honesty, I'm very reluctant to do it…" She steadied herself and nodded. "But… If I can draw more attention to shogi, maybe the sport will become more popular. At least, that's how I'm justifying it to myself… I have an interview scheduled for tonight as well, so let's end here for today."
He said his goodbyes and returned to Leblanc, falling into a deep sleep once his head hit his pillow.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/18, Monday
The day of the fireworks festival. He'd been getting messages throughout the day from the group chat excitedly discussing the event. He even started to get pretty pumped up when he saw the messages that the girls were coming in yukata. It was just a shame he didn't own one himself, but coming without his glasses was enough of a change of pace, he supposed. He spent more time with them on than he did off.
Makoto's reaction when she learned they were fake was amusing, too.
Unfortunately, his excitement had died some when Mishima texted him about some news online. The dark-haired boy didn't give him a lot, likely because Mishima didn't know too much about what was happening himself, but what Mishima did discuss with him was concerning… An insane group preparing to declare war on the Phantom Thieves? That was going to be trouble, he was sure of it.
Mishima was so motivated to keep looking into it, that he'd even declined the invitation to the fireworks festival. And he'd just been complaining about not being invited to the summer festival the day before…
He was a handful…
"It's sooooo hoooot…" His lips quirked into a smile. Leave it to Ryuji to distract him from his brooding.
"I feel like I'm being baked," Morgana muttered from his bag.
He bounced said bag up and down. "Baked Morgana with some butter… Found a new favorite meal."
"Shut up…"
Ryuji ignored them. "Those girls are way too late…"
"It must be taking time for them to put on the yukata."
"Yusuke… I get it's probably hard to put on, but in that case, I'd have started getting ready earlier so I could be on time."
"Not everyone's a stickler like you, Aki."
"Being on time isn't 'being a stickler'… What does that even mean?"
"Ryuji, Akira, why aren't you two wearing one?"
"I'm from Eagleland, remember? A yukata isn't exactly part of my normal wardrobe."
"I just don't got clothes like yukata." Ryuji looked him up and down. The one Yusuke wore was very deep blue in color, the same shade as his hair, with a yellow sash. "But man, you look way too normal in that."
"People often say that to me."
"Ah, by the way… The exams…"
Morgana grinned like… Well, like the cat that got the canary when he heard Ryuji speak with so much uncertainty. "I bet you got a big fat F on them!"
"H-Hey! No way I did that bad!"
"How badly did you do on the previous exams?"
Ryuji looked away.
Morgana began laughing, while he sighed. "Ryuji—"
"Dude, I know I did way better this time around! No way I failed any of them! Probably!"
He facepalmed. Well, he wasn't going to bother getting angry this time around if Ryuji lost them even more days. He'd let Makoto handle that. He wondered what she'd do to him… Whatever she choose, it wouldn't be pretty. Especially after she spent so much time tutoring.
Movement drew his eye, and the instincts that were starting to build up from their multiple Metaverse expeditions had him turn to see two women that were distinctly not Makoto or Ann approaching. One wore a pink yukata with a similarly colored flower in her light hair, while the other wore a black yukata with a blue sash and rose in her dark brown hair.
"Are you going to the fireworks festival?"
Yusuke nodded at the pink one. "That's correct."
"Us too!" Black Yukata spoke, looking towards Akira. "Wanna go together?"
It took Ryuji less than a second to lock in on what was happening. It seemed he was only able to think quickly when it came to girls. "Are we… getting hit on?"
"C'mon," Pinky spoke. "Let's go together!"
"Do you happen to be a model? You look great in that yukata."
"Waitin' around's a pain, so can we just go with these chicks?"
He ignored the two as he raised an eyebrow at Ryuji. "And what about the ladies that we're supposed to be going with?"
"Ah, don't worry 'bout that! Come on, the ratio of guys to girls is a bit off, but we can do somethin' about that later…"
"That's enough," Yusuke finally spoke. "You're disgracing your yuktata. You should be more aware of your womanhood." The two women stared, glanced at each other, and after Pinky subtly shook her head, they walked away.
"How could you?!" He rolled his eyes at the agonized wail let loose from Ryuji. He didn't get the chance to snark at him, though, as Ann suddenly spoke up, announcing her arrival.
"Why don't you go after them, then?"
Makoto smiled, but it was a cold one. "So, those are the kinds of girls you like, Ryuji."
"Uh, well, that's…"
While Ryuji floundered, he didn't bother saying anything, simply trying not to stare too obviously at Ann. She hadn't done her hair up any differently, and her makeup was as simple but effective as usual. But... There was just something about her in that yukata caused his heart to skip a beat. It was like she had some aura about her that drew the eye.
She caught him looking. Don't stare so obviously next time, dumbass. 'Fuck you.' Ann just smiled, before going back to teasing.
"You know, Yusuke's such a pretty boy, but he is really missing out because of what he says. And with how flirty Akira can be, I figured you'd be all for it."
He shrugged. "They weren't my type."
"Yeah, cuz your type is An— Oof!" Ryuji gasped for air as he elbowed his stomach, smiling sweetly.
"Well, you two are much more likable because you stay true to your ideals," Makoto nodded. "Unlike somebody I know."
Before Ryuji could defend himself, Morgana piped up. "I heard that Ryuji's pretty much failed his exams."
"Oh?"
"Mona, you little—!" Ryuji grabbed Morgana and began mussing up his fur, and the not-cat yowled as he began scratching and biting the bottle-blond's hands. Akira simply stood there deadpan as his bag bounced around.
Ann sighed. "Hey, it's gonna get crowded if we don't get going."
"Agreed."
Ryuji let go of Morgana with a glare, and they began walking to the festival. Unfortunately, it seemed they were late, as the sounds of fireworks could be heard in the distance. Central Street was so crowded that he barely had room to breathe as they forced their way through, Yusuke squeezing against his right shoulder, and Ann his left. They tried to get closer to the site, but it was all for naught, and they had to settle for what little they could watch over the buildings.
"I see that Eagleland is still number one when it comes to fireworks."
Thou can't judge when thou canst barely see them.
Ann jumped, trying to get a better look at the distant explosions, before letting out a gasp when she felt a drop of water. "Uh-oh."
"Mrow!" Morgana let out a quick yelp of his own when water splashed on his nose, before burrowing into his bag. Those few drops quickly became a downpour, beginning to soak into their clothes.
"Why now…?"
Within just a few minutes lightning was flashing as the group hurried to find some cover. Considering they were right by his convenience store job, they ran over so that he could grab the spare umbrellas he kept in his locker. Why do you have multiple umbrellasss?
'Never know when you need more than one.'
Stopping under cover they took a moment to try and dry themselves as best they could before entering the store. It was a futile effort with just how drenched they were, but still. He clapped the side of his head to try and get some water out of his ear as Morgana shook himself off and Ryuji squeezed his shirt dry.
Makoto used a handkerchief to pat her hair down, and Ann followed Ryuji's example of squeeze-drying her kimono. At an almost silent signal, the three boys eyed her exposed thigh, and as soon as Makoto began to let her know about her admirers, they all turned their heads in the complete opposite direction to stare innocently up into the cloudy sky.
"Oh come on!"
"Looks like you need help…"
She grabbed Ryuji by the shirt and began shaking him. "Then why don't you go buy me a towel already, huh?!"
"I'm going to take this opportunity to grab my umbrella," he smirked. He walked inside as loudspeakers announced a sudden flood warning, and the cancellation of the fireworks show. "No duh," he rolled his eyes. He grabbed the two umbrellas he had and walked back outside, just in time for Ryuji to grab one and jog off into the rain. "What the—?"
"He said he spotted someone he knew," Makoto explained with a shrug.
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Ryuji•
"Hey, Haru!" She looked surprised when she saw him half-running, half-limping over. Aki's umbrella wasn't that good, but considering it was one of those cheap convenience store ones, that made sense.
"R-Ryuji?"
Oh wow, she looked really cute in that pink yukata… He shook his head and grinned. "I wasn't expecting to see ya here! I thought you said you'd be busy today? Ah well, you should totally meet my friends! They're—"
Before he could get closer, some asshole in a black suit that he hadn't noticed shoved him away. "Step back."
"Wha— What the hell, man?! What's your deal?!"
"Ryuji, it's alright!" Haru looked nervous for some reason. Was this guy threatening her? Wait, there were some other guys dressed just like him, one of them holding an umbrella above Haru's head.
"Okumura-sama, we must be going. Your father wouldn't want you out in the middle of a storm."
"Okumura-sama?" He asked, voice clearly confused.
Haru shook her head. "Ryuji, don't worry. I have to go, but I promise that we'll speak more the next time we see each other."
"Uh… Alright, yeah. Let's do that." She beamed at him, and he felt his face heat up a bit before she got into the— holy crap was that a limo? The men in the suits closed the door for her before they got into the front seats and drove off. He watched them go, scratching his head. "…Huh."
Some more ranks, a small Mementos visit, new weapons, and the summer festival and fireworks festival. Not much to say here, I'm more excited for Alibaba's next appearance than anything else.
Though, Ryuji learning Haru's last name early might change some stuff up later…
But in any case, let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!