AN: While writing this chapter, I realized that "Niijima" is written "N-i-i," not "N-i" like I've been doing. I've gone back and revised the older chapters. It was a bit tedious since I didn't realize FF had "find and replace" function until I was almost done, and AO3 doesn't have a "find and replace" function (to my knowledge). And I'm sorry if anybody was annoyed to suddenly get a bunch of emails saying that story chapters updated.
On an unrelated note, should I have realized before now that the Sun Confidant is primarily available on SUNdays?
FF – Thanks NightmareKnight1 and hnh058513.
AO3 – Thank you SaulAxel.
April 23 – Saturday
Makoto Niijima's PoV
"Happy birthday, Makoto!" cheered the rest of the Phantom Thieves of Heart. Ryuji and Futaba set off party poppers too, spraying the third year with confetti.
Urano and the others had invited Makoto to Leblanc to celebrate her birthday. The bookworm had apparently come up with the idea of celebrating it a few days ago, after recalling that Sae had mentioned Makoto's birthday, and organized it with the others via text.
That being said, the party was a rather simple affair. Since they knew Makoto would be doing something with her sister later, the celebration was essential just them hanging out like normal, non-phantom thief teenagers, but with birthday presents.
Up first was Ann.
"I didn't really know that it was your birthday or have the chance to buy you a gift," admitted Ann. When Makoto opened her mouth to say that it was perfectly understandable, the blonde girl continued. "Buuut, with some help from Urano and Futaba, I was able to make you something."
Ann got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a plastic-wrapped plate. She set it down in front of Makoto and removed the plastic wrap, exposing a pound cake small enough for a single person to eat. The pound cake was almost whole, only missing a small chunk from the outside.
"I taste-tested it yesterday, so it should be good," Ann continued, a little nervous. "I hope you enjoy it."
Makoto usually maintained a strict diet for herself, one that wouldn't allow her to eat pound cake…
"So good!" exclaimed Makoto as she took a bite. "Thank you so much, Ann."
…but it was okay to splurge every once in a while. A gift from a friend on her birthday felt like the perfect time to do so.
"Victory!" cheered Urano and Futaba, high-fiving each other and Ann.
When Makoto was halfway through her pound cake, Futaba revealed her gift.
"It's a DVD copy of 'Dragon Like a Yakuza,'" explained the orange-haired girl proudly.
"Incredible!" exclaimed Makoto jubilantly. "How'd you know that I've been dying to see this!?"
After a moment, Makoto noticed how surprised the others were by her enthusiasm and blushed, realizing how excited she'd gotten by a yakuza film.
"Err… I-I mean, I've seen the poster before, and… and it'd always catch my eye…"
"You don't have to hide it," answered Futaba smugly. "I already know from your search history how often you'd check the websites of theaters showing it for when it was being screened and what the ticket prices were."
Knowing that her privacy had been violated only make Makoto feel more embarrassed.
"Nooo… Futaba…" moaned Urano in a disappointed tone. "Don't hack your friends' devices, even for a good cause."
"Why not?" challenged Futaba. "I'm just playing to my strengths!"
"Because you'll see things you can never un-see," answered Morgana, exasperated. "…Or so I've heard."
"Wait, have you looked at my search history!?" asked Ryuji, gulping.
"For her own sake, I hope she didn't," said Ann, making a disgusted face. She then became nervous herself. "But… you haven't looked at mine either, right?"
"Fiiine," grumbled the hacker. "I get it. I won't look at anyone else's search history without permission. But be prepared to get gift cards instead of actual gifts!"
As Makoto pushed away self-conscious thoughts about what Futaba had undoubtedly seen (she wasn't a closet yakuza geek!), Ryuji gave her his gift.
"It's a coupon for my favorite ramen place," Ryuji told her, unaware that she didn't usually eat ramen.
"…Thanks?" Makoto replied, trying and failing to sound sincere.
"You're supposed to get the birthday girl something she'd want, not something you'd want," criticized Morgana.
"Hey, who wouldn't want some quality ramen?" retorted Ryuji angrily.
"Clearly Makoto doesn't want it."
"Oh yeah? Then if you're such an expert on gifts, what did you get her?"
"I…" started the not-cat, faltering.
Makoto knew that Morgana couldn't have gotten her anything. After all, stores didn't sell to cats. Unfortunately, like usual, Ryuji was oblivious to how insensitive his comment was.
"We got Makoto a book," interjected Urano, attempting to draw the conversation away from Morgana's humanity (or lack thereof).
Makoto had come to realize that Urano could be oddly observant at times. She'd recognized that Kamoshida was untrustworthy after just one conversation with the man, and hadn't been swayed by the rumors about Ryuji or Ann. It was kind of impressive, the way the bookworm could pierce through the rumors and reputation and glimpse a person's true self.
"…Isn't that what you want?" responded Ryuji, throwing Morgana's insult at Urano.
"Oof!"
"I told her that too," agreed the not-cat. "Unfortunately, she was too stubborn to listen."
"Ack!"
Then again, maybe Urano was just dense. Perhaps her views weren't colored by public perception because she was too busy reading to learn what everyone else thought. The bookworm certainly wasn't aware of the rumors surrounding herself.
"Here, I guess," said a dispirited Urano, handing Makoto her gift. It was a copy of 'The Book Thief,' the same story that Urano had been reading when the two of them first met.
"Thank you," said Makoto, accepting the book with a warm smile. "I'll let you know what I think of it once I'm done."
Whether she was observant or dense, Urano had a good heart. Makoto was truly grateful to have her as a friend.
Urano Motosu's PoV
Once the mini-party ended, everyone else went home, including Futaba.
I, however, stayed at Leblanc to begin a waitressing shift. I'd actually been doing quite a few shifts lately, and not just for the money.
Because of all the Palace stuff, I hadn't actually spent that much quality time around Sojiro. Heck, the fact that I thought of him as 'Sojiro' instead of 'Dad' was pretty telling. But I didn't really know how to close the gap between us – not when Morgana and Futaba had shot down books, saying I'd get too focused on reading and forget about Sojiro.
(I couldn't even deny their argument. They knew me too well.)
The day went by like any other, at least until after closing time. While Sojiro and I were cleaning up, Futaba entered the café excitedly.
"Futaba… What's wrong?" asked Sojiro. "It's not like you to come here this late."
While my younger sister had gotten to the point where she could go between home and Leblanc by herself, she preferred to do so earlier in the day. Dangerous people came out at night, after all, and Futaba was a cute, young, weak girl.
"Look, Sojiro!" exclaimed Futaba, showing off her phone. "Uncle's bank info, transaction history, credit details… I've got tons of dirt on him!"
"…How'd you get your hands on this stuff?" asked Sojiro, frowning.
We all knew the answer, though.
"Hacking, of course!"
"Futaba!" I cried, exasperated. "We literally just had a conversation earlier about not hacking into people's private information!"
"Hey! That was about hacking into friends' information! This is completely different!"
No, it wasn't! Hacking into a bank's databases was probably worse, since it meant you were invading your uncle's and the bank's privacy!
"Uncle's in loads of debt!" continued Futaba, either unaware of or ignoring my frustration with her. "He'll never win a suit against us now that we have all this data!"
I was completely dumbfounded by my sister's outrageous idea. Fortunately, Sojiro was able to take over chastising her.
"This is a criminal offense, you idiot! There's no way we'd be able to use this stuff in court!"
"But…!" started Futaba.
"I've known all along how badly in debt he is," said Sojiro, cutting her off. "He's not gonna try and take custody back, so don't go doing stupid crap like this, okay?"
Sojiro's words were harsh, but he wasn't wrong.
"But Sojiro…! I-I only did it because of all that stuff he said to you and Urano!"
Although, that didn't mean I wasn't sympathetic toward Futaba, too. I mean, I was pretty angry about her uncle's behavior myself.
"About that… I've been thinking," replied Sojiro. "When push came to shove, I wasn't there to help you, and you could always stay in contact with Urano electronically… So, you know… maybe there's somewhere better for you out there…"
I groaned and facepalmed. Why was Sojiro so dense when it came to how Futaba felt about him? I'd never be this oblivious to somebody else's feelings!
"S-somewhere better…? Am I not supposed to be here…? Am I just in the way…?"
And now Futaba was depressed. Sojiro, you dummy!
"No, that's not it…" he answered frantically.
"You don't want me either, Sojiro…!?" accused Futaba.
"That's not what I meant!" denied Sojiro. "I just think it might be better, for your own sake…"
He glanced at me, his eyes pleading for help, but I turned away from him. There was no way I'd support his stupid line of thought.
"…Fine!" yelled Futaba. "I still have Urano, and Morgana, and all the others! You can just stay here and play with your stupid coffee beans!"
Sojiro and I watched as Futaba stormed out the door, undoubtedly going back home. When the jingle of the door shutting signaled that she was gone, Sojiro sighed.
"…She likes you guys way more than she likes me. Makes sense though… you're the ones who've been helping her, after all."
How was somebody as popular with the ladies as Sojiro so dense about a girl's feelings?
"…Where did I go wrong?" he asked me, snapping me out of my mental criticisms. "I really did try to care for Futaba. Look where that got me, though. I told myself she was the reason I kept making Wakaba's curry here… But deep down I think that was just an excuse to stay distant… At the end of the day, the coffee and the curry people love so much are both just… excuses."
"You might be right," I admitted. While I had said before that he and his actions mattered to Futaba, I couldn't deny that he could've done more for her. "But that's all the more reason to keep trying. After all, isn't saying that it's too late just another excuse?"
My statement left Sojiro dumbstruck. However, I didn't wait around for him to recover his wits.
"I'm going after Futaba," I said. When I was halfway out the door, I paused a looked back at Sojiro. "I'll give you some time to think things over, but you better apologize to Futaba for saying those things and clear up the misunderstanding you caused."
I saw him give a distracted nod and, satisfied, left for home.
Sojiro Sakura's PoV
Sojiro took a deep breath, then knocked on the door to Futaba's room.
"Futaba, um… can I come in?" he asked.
"Mm-hm!" said Futaba through the door.
Sojiro entered, finding both Futaba and Urano. The former was calmer now, though she had a guilty expression on her face. The latter was giving Sojiro a 'you better not screw this up again' look, which wasn't helping his nerves.
"Sojiro… I…" began Futaba. It was obvious to him that she was going to apologize for her outburst in Lebanc. However, she wasn't the one who should be apologizing.
"Look, I'm sorry about what I said just now," interjected Sojiro. "And well… if it's okay with you…"
No more excuses. He was going to tell his daughter how he really felt.
"…I want you to say here, forever."
"Forever…" repeated Futaba. Her face reminded him of a loading computer screen, as if she was processing his words.
"I know it might be more fun living with people your age like Urano," continued Sojiro. "But I'll do my damnedest to see things from your perspective. So… will you stay with me?"
"Ah…" went Futaba, turning away from him. A flash of dread shot through Sojiro, until she started laughing. "Ahahahaha! Was that supposed to be some kind of proposal? Ahaha!"
"H-hey! Quit your laughing!" protested Sojiro, still reeling from his momentary belief that Futaba was going to reject him.
Unfortunately, all his reaction succeeded in doing was make Urano join in on the laughter. Seeing his daughters entertained at his expense, Sojiro sighed.
"You're as exhausting as ever," he muttered, looking at Futaba before shifting his gaze to Urano. Inwardly, he smiled. "And you're shaping up to be the same way."
Eventually, the girls calmed down and Futaba finally answered his question.
"Hey, Sojiro," said Futaba. "I know I've caused a lot of trouble… but I really do wanna be here. So, let's keep living together."
"Futaba…"
"Sorry for not saying that sooner," continued Futaba. "Oh, and… thanks for taking in someone as horrible as me."
Sojiro's gaze flickered to Urano, recalling their previous conversation. If he was being open with Futaba, then he still had one question left.
"…Are you sure I'm good enough?" Sojiro asked Futaba. He needed to hear it from her mouth, or he wouldn't be able to accept it.
"I wouldn't want anyone else," declared Futaba.
"Heh, no hesitation…" chuckled Sojiro. He could practically feel the smugness radiating off Urano as she shot him an 'I told you so' look. "Don't come complaining to me if you regret it." Sojiro paused. "Actually, I'm not gonna let you regret it. If you ever need help, just tell me. I might not be graceful… but I'll be there to protect you. And you can stay with me for as long as you'd like. Forever, if you want."
"Mm-hm, I will," responded Futaba, grinning. "…Forever." She turned to Urano. "I can't wait to keep living with you too, Big Sis!"
"Me too," replied Urano, her smug smile replaced with a joyful one.
Their heartwarming family moment was quickly interrupted, though, when Futaba got an alert on her phone about a 'livestream' – whatever that was – and shooed him and Urano out of her room.
"I was such a fool…" Sojiro told Urano in the hallway. "My whole life, I've taken the easy way out to avoid these kinds of conflicts. I didn't stand up for Wakaba when I knew something was off… and, let's face it… I would've treated you like a second Futaba, keeping my distance while you were drowning in grief."
"But you won't anymore, right?" responded Urano cheerfully.
"No," agreed Sojiro. "I won't make up excuses to take the easy way out anymore. Maybe, instead of all that coffee crap, I should've been teaching you not to make the same mistakes I did."
"How about both?" offered Urano, prompting him to chuckle.
"Sure," accepted Sojiro. "Still… I feel like I managed to put a lot behind me today. Thanks, for making me realize what's really important in life. What I said to Futaba about living here forever… I want you to know that it applies to you, too."
"…Thank," replied Urano, growing bashful. She scratched her cheek, just like Sojiro did whenever he felt embarrassed. "I'll keep it in mind."
.
Rank Up!
Confidant: Sojiro Sakura. Arcana: Hierophant. Rank: 5.
Sae Niijima's PoV
"I'm back!" announced Sae as she finally returned home from work. "Sorry I'm late, Makoto."
Even after spending several straight days at the prosecutor's office, she still wasn't able to get back home until well after sunset. Sae hadn't even gotten the chance to get a gift for her sister's birthday.
"It's no problem, Sis," answered Makoto. "How were things at work?"
Sae stifled a groan, thinking about the main reason she had to stay so late.
"I've been put in charge of the mental shutdown investigation," she told Makoto, grimacing. Her sister winced at the statement, confusing Sae, but she brushed it off. "If it weren't for the fact that nobody has a clue who's causing these shutdowns or how, I'd be glad to be getting such a high-profile case. As things are, though, I might just have to pray to Lady Luck that it doesn't becoming a career-ending stain on my record."
"I'm sorry… that sounds terrible," said Makoto. She put a comforting hand on Sae's shoulder. "It's not fair that your entire career could be ruined because you just happened to be assigned a bad case."
"That's just how the adult world is," Sae told her. She didn't bother to correct Makoto – to tell her that she likely received the case because she was a woman in a man's world. "But enough of that. I have tomorrow morning free, so is there anywhere you'd like to go? It'll be my gift to you this year."
"Really, Sis?" asked Makoto, uncertain. "Aren't you tired from work?"
"I can manage," replied Sae. She might have to take a nap in lieu of lunch tomorrow, but her little sister's birthday only came once a year.
"Very well, then," said Makoto, trying to sound mature. However, Sae could see the way her eyes lit up. "A few possibilities do come to mind…"
The sisters spent some time discussing where to go. Once they finished, Sae took a quick bath, collapsed onto her bed, and surrendered her weary body and mind to a dreamless sleep.
April 24 – Sunday
Futaba Sakura's PoV
Futaba and Urano spent the morning in the latter's room, reading books that they had recommended for one another. To nobody's surprise, this had been Urano's idea. However, it did give Futaba the opportunity to broach a certain subject.
"Last night got me thinking," began the hacker. Her sister didn't notice, forcing Futaba to block the pages of the book Urano was reading with her hands before repeating herself. "…Sojiro probably wants me to go back to school. But online classes are better for studying! I wouldn't even have to leave the house."
"Is that really what you want?" asked Urano, recognizing that Futaba hadn't just brought up the subject to complain.
"…No," admitted the hacker. "I really do wanna go back. Do you think I'll be able to?"
"If we work together," replied Urano confidently. "After all, I did promise to help you with this sort of thing."
"Yeah…!" agreed Futaba, feeling reassured by her key item. "I… I'm gonna do my best!"
Between Kamoshida's Palace and the stuff with her uncle, the hacker had actually forgotten about her sister's promise. Whoops!
…Hmm. Promise… promise… Oh!
"I should make a promise list!" declared Futaba, jumping to her feet. Seeing Urano's confusion, she explained the concept and reminisced on the fond memories of her mother. "…Actually, when you agreed to take me to Akihibara if I spent a few days waitressing at Leblanc, it felt just like a promise list."
"Alright!" said Urano, feeling motivated after Futaba's explanation. "And when you complete the promises, I'll make sure to reward you!" She paused. "…So, what goals are you setting for yourself?"
"I don't know!" replied Futaba cheerfully, matching her sister's energy. "Let's brainstorm!"
"…All done!"
One brainstorming session later, the girls had come up with several promises.
First, go somewhere with lots of people. Getting used to big crowds was key.
Second, go to school. Futaba wanted to see what the inside of a normal high school looked like. After the perverted castle version, this one should be a cake walk.
Third, learn about her generation. She definitely needed more info…
Fourth, have a normal conversation with a stranger her age. Futaba could handle that.
…
…And fifth, be okay without Urano around. Because whenever Urano grumbled about her mother – be it the woman criticizing her daughter's bookworm tendencies or forcibly having them try a new hobby – she wore a smile.
Urano wouldn't be staying in Yongen-Jaya forever, and Futaba didn't want the bookworm to be worrying about the hacker's self-sufficiency when she left. So before then, Futaba would become a strong, independent woman!
.
Rank Up!
Confidant: Futaba Sakura. Arcana: Hermit. Rank: 3.
Urano Motosu's PoV
Despite our planning, we decided to hold off on actually fulfilling any of the promises today. Or rather, Futaba claimed that she needed some time to 'mentally prepare herself.' I was fine giving her a few days, but if she took too long, then I'd have to…
…Actually, how would I punish… err… incentivize Futaba to follow through on her promises? Take away her laptop? Have Sojiro give her more shifts at Leblanc? Make her exercise?
Well, whatever. The point was that Futaba and I weren't doing anything today, which meant that I had a free afternoon. And I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.
"Here you go," said Doctor Takemi, handing me a cup of medicine. "I made various adjustments to the previous drug, based on your trial results."
The medicine's smell made me shudder. Memories of the disgusting previous drug flashed through my mind, vivid enough that I could still recall the taste.
Urgh, I really don't want to do this! Why am I doing this?
"All right, drink it down in one gulp," Doctor Takemi told me.
…Because waiting for Kamoshida to confess was starting to get to me. I had no idea if stealing his Treasure actually worked, or if Kamoshida would return to school and begin abusing students again. By helping Doctor Takemi with her medicine, I could at least feel like I was making a difference.
I drank the medicine. Once again, its flavor was so awful that I passed out.
"…Ah, your reaction to it is absolutely perfect. You feel a bit dazed, hm? Yes, I mixed in some special… components."
Yeah, Doctor Takemi was definitely a sadist.
That was my first thought after waking up. Fortunately, I'd learned from last time and kept my opinion in my head.
As Doctor Takemi talked about the tests she wanted me to perform to measure the medicine's effects, a police officer entered the examination room.
"Oh, so you are here," spoke the officer in a haughty voice.
Takemi narrowed her eyes at the man.
"…I'm in the middle of an examination," she said. "I've told you before, Officer. If you want to investigate me, you need to show me a warrant.
Yikes! These two really didn't like each other.
The officer demanded to see all of Doctor Takemi's records because of a report he received, smugly commenting that she wouldn't have had the opportunity to hide any incriminating documents.
"…Must be under the orders of the Medical Chief of Staff," muttered Doctor Takemi, confusing me. Why would a fellow doctor do something like that to her? Did he have some sort of grudge? "Here you go."
I had to stop myself from snickering at the officer's dumbfounded expression.
"This kid here is my only patient today," she said, gesturing to me. "If you're asking for her medical expenses, I'm guessing I'm under suspicion of improper billing? But without a receipt, I'd say you've been sent on a wild goose chase."
"Wh-what's going on here?" exclaimed the officer, no trace of his former confidence remaining.
"You're being manipulated," said Doctor Takemi bluntly. "That 'report' is fictitious."
"What!?" cried the officer. He looked at me angrily, though I couldn't tell if his rage was directed at Doctor Takemi or whoever made the report. "Hey, you! What're you doing here!? You don't seem to be sick… Are you up to something illegal!?"
Serious? I felt exasperated by the officer and his attempt to grasp at straws.
"Have you never heard of physical?" I retorted, scowling. Then, feeling vindictive over the officer baselessly accusing me of being a criminal – I mean, I was technically a thief, but he had no way of knowing – I continued. "You should count yourself lucky that you didn't burst in here five minutes earlier, otherwise we'd be reporting to your boss about a peeping tom."
Doctor Takemi and I gave the officer withering looks. He sputtered, insulted and embarrassed by my accusation, but there was no way for him to salvage the situation. Recognizing thing, he finally left, grumbling one last comment as he did so.
"So infuriating… but I'd expect nothing less from the 'Plague.'"
With the officer gone, Doctor Takemi sighed.
"I'm so over this…"
"I agree" I said. "That guy was a huge jerk."
Doctor Takemi smiled at that.
"I think we're going to get along just fine."
I returned her smile, though I still had a question.
"So, what was that about?" I asked. Did Doctor Takemi have to deal with harassment like this often?
"It's nothing to worry about," she answered. "I'm sure it was my former superior who made that false report. He's just trying to put pressure on me by having the police investigate me and my practice."
"So he's also a huge jerk, then," I stated.
"Yup!" went Doctor Takemi, popping the 'p' with a smirk.
.
Rank Up!
Confidant: Tae Takemi. Arcana: Death. Rank: 2.
.
"Anyway, I need to draw some blood. There'll be some minor anemia, but…"
Doctor Takemi returned to her tests, trying to put the officer's actions behind her.
The old me, the me before coming to Yongen-Jaya, probably would've followed suit. She would've gone, 'well, it all turned out okay,' and buried her nose in a book.
But I was no longer able to avert my eyes from ugly realities. Not after seeing how much pain could be hidden away under the surface – Futaba and Sojiro's strained relationship, Makoto's fears about being useless, and Ryuji, Ann, Shiho, and the sports teams all suffering under Kamoshida… and those were just the ones I knew about!
So, I asked Doctor Takemi another question.
"That officer… why did he call you the 'Plague'?"
She paused for a moment, frowning. In her head, she was probably debating whether to shut me out or answer my question.
"…I've been blacklisted by the larger medical community," she finally said, resuming her tests as she spoke. "They call me the Plague… due to a grave medical error I made. This goes back to my old job… I used to work at a university hospital in the city. I was never actually convicted of anything, but I'm still considered a pariah in the medical industry."
Oof. That's…
My discomfort must've been showing on my face, given what Doctor Takemi said next.
"…Does that scare you?" she asked seriously. "Participating in clinical trials by a doctor like that?
I could feel the weight behind her question. My answer would shape the future of our relationship; whether it progressed, halted, or collapsed entirely.
Not sure what to say, I thought back on all my experiences with Doctor Takemi. After considering everything I knew about her, I came to a conclusion.
"I don't mind, Doctor Takemi," I told her. "I trust you."
When I first offered to be her 'guinea pig,' she'd told me to take some time and think things over. And that was despite the clinic trial being so important to her that she agreed to sell medicine to me in exchange for my participation. Doctor Takemi might've made a mistake in the past, but I could tell that she was too good of a person to do so again.
"…You are one strange kid," replied Doctor Takemi, chuckling. "Well, that's fine. Being ostracized had enabled me to focus on my own research and development. Regardless, I look forward to working with you. I'll be sure to add some additional 'medicine' for you, my little guinea pig."
.
Rank Up!
Confidant: Tae Takemi. Arcana: Death. Rank: 3.
.
"By the way," added Doctor Takemi. "Getting called 'Doctor Takemi' feels overly formal for a tiny clinic like this. Considering how much you're helping me out, I don't mind if you just use my name."
"Okay then, Takemi," I responded with smile.
"…ute," she whispered.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Nothing important."
Toranosuke Yoshida's PoV
Toranosuke was delighted when Miss Motosu showed up for another of his speeches. She thanked him for his previous advice about believing in herself, saying that while her group was still waiting to hear back about the final results of their school project, she felt proud of the work she did.
The politician could tell that Miss Motosu was lying about the 'school project' part, but he didn't think he should pry. She didn't have the air of a villain or a victim, so he figured it would be fine for him to adopt a wait-and-see approach for now.
Nonetheless, once he finished speech, he decided to ask the girl a few questions in order to better understand what sort of person she was.
Q: Why do you want to become a politician?
A: To improve myself.
This one wasn't a surprise, given their previous conversations. Though it did make Toranosuke a bit happy to know that, even though she had overcome her insecurities and completed her 'project,' Miss Motosu wasn't resting on her laurels.
Q: What kind of politician do you want to be?
A: I don't know yet, but I won't become one of those shady ones who takes advantage of their position to help themselves.
A good answer. Should she pursue politics, Miss Motosu would undoubtedly become known as a woman of strong conviction and morals.
Q: If you joined the Diet, what would be the first thing you do?
A: I would visit the National Diet Library. It's Japan's national library, and one of the largest libraries in the world! A true holy ground!
…Toranosuke honestly didn't know how to respond to this answer, especially since Miss Motosu was the most enthusiastic that he'd ever seen her be while giving it. But he did learn more about who she was, so he didn't regret asking the question.
.
Rank Up!
Confidant: Toranosuke Yoshida. Arcana: Sun. Rank: 2.
.
After giving her some advice on diplomacy, Toranosuke bid Miss Motosu farewell. Although, he had a good feeling he'd be seeing her again at his next speech.
AN: I realize that I could've done a better job foreshadowing Makoto's birthday. By which I mean doing more foreshadowing than Sae offhandedly mentioning Makoto's imminent birthday and Urano thinking of Futaba, Ann, and Makoto for her pound cake plan (the end of Chapter 12) but not having Makoto there with any explanation given. Live and learn, I guess.
By the way, in regard to Yoshida's thoughts on Urano's second answer… He has no idea just how renowned the Saint of Ehrenfest and her kindness will become. (Hartmut & Clarissa: "Praise be to Rozemyne!")
Confidants: Morgana (Magician, Rank 4), Igor (Fool, Rank 3), Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant, Rank 5), Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot, Rank 4), Tae Takemi (Death, Rank 3), Futaba Sakura (Hermit, Rank 3), Makoto Niijima (High Priestess, Rank 1), Shinya Oda (Tower, Rank 1), Caroline and Justine (Strength, Rank 1), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun, Rank 2), Ann Takamaki (Lovers, Rank 1).