Chapter 28: Consequences

Ω • Ω • Ω

5/22, Sunday

DEADLINE: June 5th

DAYS UNTIL LEGAL ACTION: 14

Steal Madarame's heart.

•Akira•

"So, before I go in, any requests?"

"Hm… Well, none in particular, I suppose. Weapons have never truly caught my eye when it came to painting."

"Alright. Wait here. Don't follow anyone that offers you anything."

He's not a child.

'It's Yusuke."

…Hee's got a point, Arsène, ho.

Iwai looked up as he entered Untouchable, before looking down at his magazine. "Oh, you came at just the right time."

"What's up?"

"There's a slight change of plans. That paper bag from the other day? All yours."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You picked it up somewhere else. Nothin' to do with me. Understand? I didn't see it, didn't touch it, didn't know about it. Clear?"

"Yeah... So, catalog?" He began flipping through the book handed to him while thinking about what would make a good match for Yusuke. Shotguns were too slow, sub-machine guns were too inaccurate for his fighting style, and a grenade launcher? What kind of Phantom Thief uses a grenade launcher?

Akira paused as he looked over the pistols, thinking. They were deadly, easy enough to handle, and accurate. But he also didn't like the idea of people on the team using the same gun type. Of course thou doesn't. He smiled to himself and flipped to another page, finding assault rifles. Hmm… Well, they packed a punch, would be accurate if he kept it semi-automatic, and would be easy enough to use.

"Alright…" he picked the standard Replica AR, which from the pictures looked like a regular M4, sleek black in coloration. With that settled he looked back through the catalog. The more realistic looking the gun, the more powerful it would be, theoretically. Ignoring Mona's slingshots, of course.

He glared down at his bag. Damn not-cat still hasn't explained how that one worked.

He found one titled the 'Governance', which looked like it was modeled after an M1911A1. In the picture, it looked like it was polished silver, and there were a few more details than the one he currently had in his bag. It might be more powerful because of that, Shadows thinking it more realistic… If it worked, then he'd come back for replacements for Ryuji's Levinson and Ann's Sterlidge. Sure, he now had that other gun inside the paper bag he'd been given, but now he ccould test the theory witht three different guns.

"Yeah, I think I know what I want." Iwai set out to grab the ones he indicated, and as the shopkeeper was gone, he hesitated, hovering his hand over his bag. He could start questioning Iwai about the incredibly realistic-looking gun, perhaps see if he had a more advanced catalog with even more realistic weapons if he was ballsy enough…

But honestly, he was a bit uncertain about it. Oh, he believed that he could bullshit his way through a conversation with Iwai well enough, there was no doubt about that. But the slim chance that something went wrong…

Iwai clearly was on the wrong side of the law. Or, perhaps, in between. He realized he was being paranoid here, but he could be in real danger if the man decided to 'silence' him. And he couldn't defend himself here like in the Metaverse. Well, he could, but he wasn't sure how he'd explain vaporizing a man waving a gun at him with magic lights from his hands. That wasn't even mentioning the criminal record…

Yes, perhaps we should shelve discussing the gun with Iwai for another time…

He just sighed and nodded, paying for the models that Iwai gave him, then left. He met Yusuke outside and handed him and removed the Replica AR from his bag. "Here, quickly put this away. We can't just wave this around outside."

"I… don't think this will fit in my bag."

"Sonuva…" luckily, the model came with a detachable stock, so he began carefully unscrewing with his Blizz Dagger, not wanting to accidentally cut himself and give himself frostbite. Well, he wasn't sure if the dagger even worked in the real world, but he wasn't going to find out now.

Once they were able to fit it into the bag, they walked out onto Central Street. "So, will we be entering the Palace today?"

"No. We usually want a good couple of days of rest between each infiltration to not get worn out."

"I see…"

He clapped Yusuke on the shoulder, pushing their way through the massive crowds on the street. "Don't worry, we'll change his heart. Trust us, we may have only finished one Palace by now, but we've pretty much got it down. Just follow our lead."

The eccentric boy smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll trust that you know what you're doing."

"Good." The sound of a beast roared through the street, and he blinked, looking around for a Shadow, before turning back to Yusuke. "Was that…?"

"Ah, I seem to be a bit hungry. Don't worry, I have emergency rations on me." He pulled out a box of pocky, shaking it happily. "It's almost empty, but it shall sustain me in the face of my monetary problems."

"…"

"…"

"...Let's go to a ramen shop. My treat."

Ω • Ω • Ω

He didn't start a Confidant after they arrived at the ramen shop, nor while eating. Perhaps because they hadn't made a deal, even after Yusuke had joined the Phantom Thieves, but it would likely come in time. It didn't bother him all too much, he didn't want incentives just to make friends with someone.

After he left it was still early in the day, so he pulled out his phone. Maybe he could hang out with Ryuji or Ann. His phone buzzed, and a notification from Maruki popped up.

Maruki— Hi! I'm doing some extra work at the school today, did you want to stop by for another session? If you aren't busy!

He paused and thought it over, before sending an affirmative. He was looking for something to do.

You— That's fine by me. I'll be over soon.

He walked to the train station, thinking for a moment whether he wanted to pick up Morgana, who'd opted to stay at the Cafè while he got Yusuke a gun. In the end, he decided it wasn't necessary, the not-cat would probably just sleep through the whole thing.

The school looked dead on a Sunday, with no students loitering around outside. There might have been a few inside, perhaps working in clubs or assisting teachers, but even then it was too empty. He was used to it, however, having visited his mother while she would occasionally do extra work on the weekends back in Onett.

He walked through the halls, eventually knocking on Maruki's door after not encountering anyone along the way. "Come in!" He opened the door and Maruki's eyes lit up. "Ah, Starr-kun! How are you?"

"I'm good. Had an alright day so far. So, still busy even on your day off?"

"Day off? Ah, I don't get many of those," Maruki laughed. "I'm usually doing more research on my days off."

"Well, if you enjoy your research then I'd say that's enough like a day off. Work you enjoy isn't work at all."

"That's a good viewpoint to have! Of course, not many people are lucky enough to find a job that they enjoy so much. What about you? Do you have any ideas of what you wish to do in the future?"

"Already with the heavy questions? I'm not sure, I have a few ideas but none that I'm certain of." 'I can't exactly be a Phantom Thief for the rest of my life. The IRS would come down on my ass trying to find out where all my money is coming from.'

Fucking IRS.

"It's not incredibly important to know now, but it is good that you have some ideas," Maruki chuckled. "And with the grades you've been getting, and your score on the exam, I'm sure you'd be able to get into any college you'd like."

"My score on the exam? I suppose as a counselor you'd know that already?"

"Huh? No— oh, I see. It's a bit different in Eagleland, isn't it?" He raised an eyebrow at Maruki, who chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Here we post exam results for everyone to see on the bulletin boards. In Eagleland, your exams are simply handed back to you, right?"

"Wait, so our results are already out?!" He shot out of his seat wildly, voice raised.

"Whoa, what's the panic?"

"I'm not panicking! I just have to see what I scored! Crap was this why everyone was talking about me so much the other day?!"

"Alright, alright!" Maruki laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "They probably haven't taken the scores down by now. Go check the board, I can wait a few minutes."

He sped out of the room and towards the main announcement board, eyes scanning the papers pinned to it at lightning speed.

"Exam grades for second years…!" He immediately found his name, the top of the grade. And he was immediately disappointed.

By all that is unholy, thy score not being a perfect one-hundred is not the end of the world.

"Goddamnit, if it wasn't for Japanese history I would have had this!"

I thought you knew a lot about history, mister!

"I do, Kodama, but apparently not enough to get a perfect score…" he clicked his tongue in irritation but looked at the rest of the papers for the second reason he'd wanted to know the results so badly. "Nijima… Nijima…"

You really don't like her.

"Oh, dislike is probably a bit too weak." He found her score and groaned. A ninety-six. She scored one point above his. He turned and walked back to Maruki's office, grumbling to himself. Sure, he could still hold the fact that his score had been so close over her head, but it would have been so much sweeter to taunt her with a higher grade.

Perhaps taunting the woman investigating you is a foolish idea, my master. Then again, perhaps such a thing would make for an entertaining story.

He didn't deign to respond to Ame-No-Uzume, his others Personas chuckling alongside her. He entered the counseling room and sat down with a heavy plop, causing Maruki to look at him in confusion. "What's wrong? Have they taken down the scores already?"

"No, just… not what I was expecting."

"You look disappointed, and I know for a fact you got the top score in your entire grade! Is it because you were so close to a one-hundred?"

"I suppose that's part of it…" he adjusted his glasses in frustration, "I was always top of my grade back home, but I had perfect grades as well. But ignoring the fact I only got a ninety-five… I almost outscored Nijima…"

"No honorific?" Maruki blinked in surprise. "With how polite you've been I certainly didn't expect that from you. Is there a reason you dislike her so much?"

"She's abrasive. For some reason she's awfully focused on my group of friends, I believe because she's trying to find the people responsible for Kamoshida's sudden confession, but we certainly weren't the only ones with a motive to expose Kamoshida."

"Well, it's not like you know where she is all day. Have you thought about how she might be investigating other students as well?"

"Yes, but she's especially focused on us." He thought for a moment before letting out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Do you think I could feign offense and accuse of her being racist because I'm an Eaglelander? It might work. Ann's part Eaglander too."

"I feel like that'd just make her more focused on you if anything…"

"Hm… probably. At this point I'd be open to any solution," he sighed. "Whatever, let's talk about something else. Has Ryuji finally come in? I hope he has by now."

Their conversation drifted after that, continuing for quite some time. It was an easy atmosphere, comfortable. They leisurely munched on the various snacks that Maruki had out, though he was careful not to eat too many.

"I've been getting a lot of students coming in ever since I arrived here," Maruki spoke. "To be honest, it's been… kind of a relief."

"How so?"

"That whole mess with Kamoshida was the reason I was called here, after all… they warned me a lot of students had been impacted. I knew there would be a lot of free-floating anxiety. But when I actually got to talk to everyone, I was pleasantly surprised."

"Was it not mostly about what Kamoshida had done?"

"Correct! Most of the things on everyone's minds were college entrance exams, relationship problems… in other words, typical worries for high-school students. Some did open up about deeper issues, but not the majority. Some students were still struggling with the scars from the incident, yes, but at the very least, I'm glad the ones who came to me have taken some steps towards recovery."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I don't think I should be hearing any confidential information from other kids' counseling sessions…"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Maruki chuckled awkwardly. "I definitely won't be giving out anything secret! Just, you know, general stuff…"

"Hm. In any case, I'm sure the steps they've taken towards recovery have been partially because of you."

"Well, I can only hope so! I don't think I've done much, but if I've helped even one person, then that makes it all worth it. I know I'm not the most reliable guy, but remember you can always talk to me too if something's bothering you. I am the counselor here, you know. If nothing else, I'm good at listening."

"Thanks, I'll come to yak your ear off the next time Nijima tries cornering me," he smirked.

"Haha! Well having said that, it's a little awkward that I have to ask for your help, but… you remember how I asked you to help me with my research?"

"Of course."

"I said you'd be helping with my research, but don't worry, it won't be anything too difficult or intensive. I just need you to listen to what I have to say, and work through some questions with me."

"Sounds fine to me. Did you want to get some of that research done today?"

"Yes, let's! Though, hm… Maybe I should start at the beginning, and tell you what this research is for." Maruki leaned back in his chair and smiled. "What I'm studying now is pain felt in the mind. Or perhaps more fancifully, in the heart."

Might be useful when the next girl you ask out turns you down.

'Alright, who said that?!'

"Some specific examples include the pain of someone saying hurtful things to you," Maruki continued, "or being separated from those you love… maybe this would be clearer— pain defined by abstracts, like trauma or stress."

"I see. Therapists already exist to help people through that very pain, but it's not as though there's a miracle cure, or that everyone can be helped by them."

"Right. Bodily, physical pain can be thought of as something necessary. An autonomic response to injury, illness, whatever. But what about pains felt within one's heart? That pain isn't born from any tangible problem in our bodies, right? It's something strange and immaterial. I guess it goes to show there are still a lot of mysteries in our hearts and minds. And I.. well, I want to learn more about these internal, psychological pains."

"Wow. Well, it's certainly a good goal to strive toward."

"Thanks! Now, this is my question to you… when do you truly feel pain in your heart, Starr-kun?"

When does he feel pain in his heart, huh? He could think of something. Yeah, he definitely could. His hands clenched, eyes hardening. "When someone betrays me."

Hm.

"I see…" Maruki looked at him for a moment, his face serious as he studied him. Whether he found what he was looking for or not, he nodded and looked up. "Yes, I can sympathize there. Sometimes, all it takes is one betrayal for intense trust to turn into intense pain. It can be rough. It doesn't feel good to struggle with pain in your heart. But with that in mind, how about the pain of a broken heart, then?"

"Is that comparable to a betrayal?"

"In some cases, it certainly could be. After all, that pain is only born because we fall in love, right? Do you have any thoughts on this kind of pain, Starr-kun?"

"I've never felt a broken heart, but that's mostly because I've never asked anyone out. But… I think that it could be used for the seed of new love. When a forest burns down, it makes way for new life, doesn't it?"

"Haha! I didn't take you for a poet! But it's a wonderful sentiment, a very positive way of looking at it! Internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Though, some say it's always coupled with other feelings. And I agree, of course. I think that's a fair assessment. Though personally speaking… I'd think if pain can be avoided, it should be. Maybe it shouldn't exist at all."

"I have to disagree there, Maruki-sensei. Pain helps people get stronger. Sure, some people may never be able to move past it, whatever the source was, it might always hurt them… but in other people, it hardens them, and they can keep moving forward, and look back confidently that it made them better as a person."

"..." Maruki stared at him, saying nothing. "...I see. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Your wound. If you don't mind me asking. Were you able to move on from your betrayal?"

His teeth clicked together when he closed his mouth, a small burst of anger filling him before he shook his head. "I do mind you asking about it… And I'd rather not speak of it. But no. Not yet, anyway."

Silence reigned for a moment. Maruki closed his eyes and hummed, and Akira stared at him. He blinked, and a thousand-limbed god reached towards him for that single instance, before Akira's eyes opened and it was gone.

There was another beat before Maruki opened his own eyes and smiled. "Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect," he spoke, moving past the small awkward tangent, "and in a way, they're far more complex than physical injuries. That's why I'm doing this research. To save people who are suffering from internal pain they keep holding onto. You helped me realize that again. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it."

"Thanks to you, I think I'll better be able to articulate my thoughts today." His smile was already genuine, but it became just a touch wider, gratitude clearly flowing from him. He smiled back.

Chains crashed, and a bond strengthened.

RANK UP!

Councillor Arcana, Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

"Alright, I think that'll do for today. Hm… uh, why do I feel like I'm— Ah, your mental training!" He raised an eyebrow at Maruki and crossed his arms, a small smirk forming. "Oh, uh, no, I didn't forget about our promise, of course! I'll teach you tricks for mental discipline, and you help me with my research! Just like we decided, right?"

"Right."

"Now then, how about this…" They began speaking again, losing track of time, Discussing his mental acuity, and how he could improve his focus. Eventually they parted ways for the day, and he slung his bag over his shoulder as he left Shujin.

Mister, isn't he a therapist? You can probably talk to him about your betrayal fear thingie!

'Thanks, but no thanks. I'm good.'

As long as it does not distract from thy current objective. And avoiding Niijima as well.

'Well, she's not following us right now,' he rolled his eyes. 'And I'm smart enough not to blurt out anything incriminating while she's around.'

And what of Sakamoto-Kun? Ame-no-Uzume questioned.

'…well, her grudge against me is keeping her away from him. She won't be cornering him anywhere, anytime soon.'

You just jinxed us.

'No, because that's not real. Anyway, we should be focusing on the Palace. With five members, as long as we use our time wisely and keep our afternoons free, we can take down that Museum with no problem.'

Ω • Ω • Ω

5/23, Monday

DEADLINE: June 5th

DAYS UNTIL LEGAL ACTION: 13

Steal Madarame's heart.

•Ryuji•

Oh, he was dead.

Not because his mother would kill him, she'd just be disappointed, though that was probably bad enough on its own.

It was because Akira was gonna effin' kill him. Damn, he should've really taken his advice and studied…

"Are you listening, Sakamoto-kun?"

"Yeah, yeah, I am." Ushimaru just glared at him, crossing his arms.

"I wonder sometimes, especially considering that abysmal exam score. You were accepted here for your exceptional track and field performance, Sakamoto-kun. After…" His homeroom teacher grimaced. "That incident, your academic scores are barely enough to let you scrape by."

"Like I've been told a hundred times before," he grumbled quietly.

"Then perhaps you should have listened those other hundred times," Ushimaru snapped. "If this keeps up, you'll be gone before the end of the year. So, as I said before, I've assigned you an extra credit assignment that you can complete after school hours. This should at least make up for your homework and test scores."

He grimaced but accepted his fate. "They're not going to be every day though, right?"

"Maybe I should make them every day if you're going to complain about it."

Ryuji shut up.

"Now, for what you'll be doing. A third-year was recently given permission to access the rooftop to set up a garden, where she'll be growing plants and vegetables. Every Monday after school you'll be her assistant, and she'll be reporting directly to me on whether you show up to help, so don't even think of skipping out!"

He sighed but nodded. He didn't know anything about gardening, but wasn't it just dumping some seeds in dirt and watering them? How much help would he really be giving? Well, Ushimaru did say 'she' so maybe he'd just be carrying dirt up to the roof.

He should be able to do that pretty easily. And if he got it done quickly, then maybe whoever he was supposed to help would let him go early in the day and their Palace explorations wouldn't have to be put off!

Maybe he wouldn't be dying after all!

"Alright, fine, I'll do it."

"You didn't have a choice either way," Ushimaru spoke gruffly. "Either way, with this you'll probably barely pass thanks to the extra credit. However, you still need to raise your actual grades. Which is where the next part comes in. You'll be receiving tutoring sessions every day after school on Wednesdays."

"What?!"

"You heard me correctly, so I won't be repeating myself. I hadn't planned this myself, just the extra credit, until another student came to me with the idea. She said she'd be happy to assist you with raising your grades as long as you put the effort in. I liked the idea, and made it mandatory as well."

"Oh come on! Who the hell was it?!"

There was a knock on the door, and Ushimaru nodded at it. "That would be her. Come in!"

He stood up to glare at whoever was going to enter, before paling as the student council prez entered the room. She smiled at him, but even he could tell that it was more predatory than kind. "Hello, Sakamoto-kun."

Yeah, Akira was definitely killing him.

Ω • Ω • Ω

"You fucking WHAT?!"

"Akira! Akira, calm down! Don't kill him!" The only reason his neck wasn't being throttled was Ann physically holding Akira back. Sure, he wasn't really struggling that hard, but his stance alone really showed his anger.

"I don't know, maybe the Numbskull could use a good whack to the head." Morgana glared at him, his tail flicking in anger. "We told you to study for a reason! Now there are two days in the week where we can't enter Palaces, and you're trapped in a room where Niijima can just interrogate you for as long as she likes!"

"It's not like I thought this would be the problem that came from me not studying! I thought it'd be, like, angry shouts from the teachers or something!"

"Let me at him." He yelped and tried to use the table in the center of the school's courtyard sitting area to keep Akira away as he finally got free of Ann, calmly marching around it towards him. She just sighed and shook her head as they danced around the table.

"Come on, dude, it's not like I'll blurt out that we're the Ph— uh, what we do in our free time during our 'study sessions!' I can be subtle!"

"Ryuji, I'm not saying this to be disparaging, you are the dumbest person we know. To be fair it's only barely since Ann is at least good at English—"

"Hey!"

"—You know it's true, Kitty Woman, so Niijima not being able to manipulate you into revealing something is the least likely thing I've ever heard!"

"Come on, don't you trust me?"

"I trusted you to study!"

Yusuke, who Akira had called and put on video chat when he'd told everyone there was something important he needed to tell the whole team, finally spoke up. "Personally, I don't see it as too big of a deal."

"Yusuke, this is clearly a big deal. After all, this is preventing us from… completing our next objective."

Yusuke sighed over the phone. "You were the one who said we do not simply jump into Palaces so we do not get worn out. Having two dedicated days a week where we can't enter is no trouble at all, with that in mind. Though I did wish to enter today."

"See, Aki, it's not—!" Akira finally caught him and put him into a headlock, eyes literally glowing. Akira placed his hand on his head, and a pulse of energy caused his hair to puff out as he jumped from the electricity. "Hey!"

"There. Since Yusuke said it's fine, and he's the one who's most invested and the one tied closest to our current objective, you're getting off light. But we will be studying for all future exams. Even if we have a Palace deadline closing in on us, you will not avoid it. And Yusuke is taking your place on the vanguard team. Four people are chaotic enough in battle, I don't want to see how bad five would get."

"Fine, fine…" he pulled away from Akira and ran his hands through his hair, wincing at a small static shock. Well, at least he hadn't magic'd the hair dye out… could he do that? Whatever.

"I thought that attack was just used for blowing things up?"

Morgana shrugged at Ann. "Doesn't he have to say the attack name? Maybe he just let out some magic."

"Psychic energy."

"Tomato to-mah-to."

"Shouldn't we go get some food before lunch ends?"

Ω • Ω • Ω

By the end of the day, his hair was still staticy. He grumbled as he walked out of the school, looking for the girl he was supposed to help. Ushimaru had said she'd be waiting outside for him, and if he even thought about leaving without helping blah blah blah.

He quickly found her, standing next to a cart with several bags on it right by the door. Probably a lot of dirt. Or some other gardening crap. She was checking all the bags so she wasn't facing him, but he could see she was wearing a pink sweater and white tights with stars on them. "Yo, you supposed to be who I'm helpin' out?"

Her brown, fluffy hair bounced as she turned to him, and he felt a jolt when he saw her. She was cute as hell! Maybe there'd be some upsides to this after all! "Oh, hello!" She smiled and his heart skipped a beat. "You're Sakamoto-kun, right? It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Uh, yeah. Same here. I wasn't told your name, so, uh…"

"You can just call me Haru-senpai," she beamed.

He nodded, "So… what do you need help with?"

"Oh!" She clapped her hands together, stepping to the side. "Well, if you could help me bring all these up to the roof, then that would be much appreciated!" He nodded and stepped closer, bending down and grabbing several bags.

"Alright, let's— Hrk?!" He strained, legs wobbling as he struggled to stand. This shit was heavy!

"No, no, don't try to lift too many at once!" She pat him on the back and looked at him in worry, causing his face to flush. "You could hurt yourself, Sakamoto-kun! Take them one at a time, and make sure to lift them with your legs."

"Okay, alright." He took one of the bags and stood. It was still way heavier than it looked, but at least it was manageable. Haru-senpai took one as well, and his eyes widened slightly at how swiftly she lifted it. Sure she wasn't lifting it easily, but she was clearly pretty tough. "Wow."

Haru noticed him looking and blushed. "I've carried lots of bags of fertilizer, I suppose I'm used to it by now."

"Fertilizer? I thought this was dirt…"

"Do you… not know anything about gardening, Sakamoto-kun?"

"…No."

"Well, I can teach you as we go! I'm sure you'll grow to love it!" He nodded and followed as she walked to… the stairs. He glared at them as Haru started climbing, arms already beginning to tremble from the weight, and now he had to climb up a whole bunch of stairs towards the roof?! They didn't have some kinda elevator?!

Akira walked down them as he started climbing, locked eyes, and grinned at him. "Have fun, Ryu!" He clapped him on the shoulder, and he nearly dropped the bag.

"Oh, screw you!" Akira just smirked and waved over his shoulder, walking out of the school.

Asshole.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

"At least he's actually doing the punishment," Ann sighed. "If he tried skipping out on that, I don't know who'd kill him first. You, or Ushimaru-sensei."

"Oh please. I wouldn't kill him, I'd make him wish I'd killed him." They both laughed at that, walking into the park once more. With Ryuji in his 'detention' he put off the Palace Infiltration for the day, and since he had enough medicine and equipment, well, why not spend some time with a comrade?

I believe you simply wish to go on a date with the fair lady.

'Zip it, Uzume.'

They eventually ended up near where they'd practiced 'strengthening Ann's heart' the last time they were there, and he slipped his bag onto the ground as he sat on a fence, Ann gasping and pointing at the lake.

"Oh, look at those ducks over there! They must be a family!" He glanced over his shoulder and chuckled at the sight, while Ann smiled and breathed in the air. "This place seriously feels amazing, it's not even that far from Shibuya, but it feels so different here."

"The feel of the big city is pretty distinct from that of the countryside. Even a park like this can make everything feel so much… fresher than the concrete and glass jungle."

So very different from the Japan I once called home, Uzume murmured.

"You said you're from a small town, right?" Ann sat next to him and began swinging her legs. "Onett?

"Right. It's by the eastern coast, a lot different from Tokyo. It's quiet, you basically know everyone and everyone knows you… and you can walk through town without choking on fumes or exhaust."

"Definitely sounds more serene than Tokyo," Ann giggled.

"Well… Not really. We kind of have the world record for most roadblocks in any city or town."

"What?!"

"Yeah… Captain Strong kind of goes overboard sometimes. They'll set up roadblocks for pretty much anything. Almost none of them even affect anyone though, everyone's so used to it that we all know a dozen different routes to wherever we need to go in town when they set one up. Even the elementary schoolers."

"What about when someone needs to leave town?"

"I don't think they've ever set up roadblocks that prevented anyone from getting in or out unless there was some kind of crisis… oh! Apparently, when my dad was younger there was a time when crazy amount of roadblocks were set up… It was probably around the day of the Great Catastrophe since he said he was… what, thirteen, fourteen? He had to battle the police force or something to get to leave," He chuckled. His dad never did go into too much detail with that story. Probably didn't want him trying to fight Captain Strong.

"Your dad was barely a teenager around the Great Catastrophe? Then he'd be about… like mid-thirties, right now? And you're sixteen!? Your dad's young!"

"Is that what you got out of the story about him fighting a bunch of cops?" he questioned with a laugh.

"Well, I was obviously going to ask about that next! I just had to get over that first fact!"

"Suuuure you were."

She whacked him on the shoulder and shook her head. "I can't tell if Onett or Tokyo is stranger. In Onett there's all…" She gestured vaguely, "that, and here there are tons of people and tons of stores, yet there're still duck-filled parks. It has everything… but it feels like I can't understand any of it. It's honestly kinda scary."

"Well, I get what you mean. I see so many people every day on the way to Shujin, but I don't recognize any of them. I travel through metal tubes filled with a hundred strangers and nobody acknowledges each other. Compared to home, it's… frightening, in a way."

"It's got to be even worse for you since you just moved here. When I first moved here, I had a super tough time adjusting. It's so crowded, and everyone walks really fast… almost like they're angry or something. Even at school, I was only ever the 'foreigner.' Nobody ever knew me, and all they did was spread rumors."

"And it kept up even until we dealt with Kamoshita, huh?"

"Well, at least the rumors switched from being about my looks to being about me 'dating' him." She scoffed, shaking her head. "You know, I even considered dying my hair black to match everyone else. But that was when Shiho first talked to me. The first thing she'd ever said to me was in one of our art classes, and I… wasn't doing too well. She took a single look at it and just said, "Takamaki-san, your painting sucks!"

He snorted, holding a hand in front of his mouth. "Alright, that's just hilarious. How bad WERE you?"

She pushed him lightly, "Laugh it up! Anyway, I thought she was just making fun of me like everyone else was, but that wasn't her intention. According to her, they were so bad that she just HAD to tell me! Pretty mean, huh?"

"I can't exactly comment, considering the rocky start of our friendship."

"Guess so! Still, that was the first time someone here had talked to me without mentioning my looks. We sorta just grew closer after that… and Shiho's been my very best friend ever since. Ah, that's not why we're here though! There's something else I want to talk to you about!"

"Shoot."

"Remember what I told you the last time we came here? About that female thief in the anime I used to watch? Well, I thought of something!"

"Oh, god save us all."

"Alright, quit it with the dramatics!" He dodged her push, grinning as he scooted along the fence. "Now listen up! You know how the villains in those shows are always going on about world domination? Well, even when they get beaten by the heroes every time, they never give up. That must mean they have really solid hearts…" He bit his lip to prevent himself from asking if she was going to try and take over the world next. "And that's why I'm going to try and learn from them!"

"Well… I suppose it's a good idea."

"Right? So, I've decided…" She stood up, throwing a hand forward and winking at him. "I'm gonna star in action movies!"

I am not quite sure the fair lady has the skills necessary for the world of theater.

Well, that would be entertaining in its own right, would it not, Madame?

A true enough statement, I suppose, Arsène-san.

He stared at her, opening his mouth to comment, before shrugging. Well, if it was what she thought was best, he'd also do his best to support her. "Good luck with that. I'll be rooting for you the whole way."

"Thanks! Your support really helps! Alright, I'm gonna make this my ultimate goal for the future! You know, I've never really thought much about what I wanted to do with my life, but now I have an objective! And that only happened because of you, Akira! Thanks!" He smiled, a light blush dusting his face at her enthusiasm and happiness.

"Of course. But you know, you'll have to focus a bit less on your modeling if you want to do acting full-time. Though, I'll of course do my best to lend you a hand along the way."

"Yeah, I wouldn't really be able to do my modeling… But it'll be alright! Nothing can stop us if we put our minds to it!" They nodded at each other, and he could practically feel her heightened motivation, chains crashing within his mind.

RANK UP!

Lovers Arcana, Ann Takamaki: Rank 4

He didn't care for the increase in rank, ignoring it. It may not have been the most productive day, with them being unable to enter the Palace but… Spending some time with a friend wasn't really a waste.

He was still angry with Ryuji though.

Ryuji sneezed, dropping a bag of fertilizer down the stairs. "Aw, man!"

Alright, chapter done!

So, I'm pretty sure that it's said multiple times in the story, but Shujin is a pretty good school. Allegedly. I could buy that with Kamoshida's gold medal status bringing the school's own status up, but then you've got Ryuji and Ann who go there and struggle academically. Sure, Ryuji could have gotten in with a track and field scholarship, but after Kamoshida breaks his leg, he can't fall back on that. And as far as I can recall, Ann doesn't have any type of scholarship. Being fluent in English probably wouldn't be enough to keep her afloat… Or, it barely would.

In any case, in this story, that means there are consequences for Ryuji, who skipped out on studying sessions with Akira and Ann. Extra credit assignments with Haru on Mondays, and 'studying' sessions with Niijima on Wednesdays. That might affect future events. Or not. Won't know till those parts are published!

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!