Chapter 7
Medjed's Declaration
Saturday, July 16th, 2016
It was rather sad that exams were a break for him. Fortunately, Gekkoukan prided itself on its excellent curriculum, so Ken found the exams not being so bad as they could've been. But still, Ken's hand had cramped a bit because he was rushing to write during the essay portion of the exam.
And summer vacation was on the horizon. They would have one more week, and then that one assembly on the twenty-fifth, but after that… he would be free for a month.
Well, sorta… he still had to keep tabs on the Phantom Thieves, after all.
Though Ken had found through checking their website that they were focusing on targeting smaller criminals right now. Of course, Makoto-san might tell him if he asked, but he didn't want to broadcast that he was still following them around.
And he was still wondering when Amamiya-san would pull him aside again. He said on no uncertain terms that the previous conversation wasn't going to be the last. Ken managed to smooth things over but he could tell they still had some understandable hang-ups with him. So… it'd be best to keep his head low, so not to rouse their suspicions again. He swore that last confrontation shaved about a decade off his life.
A buzzing sound broke through Ken's thoughts, and he retrieved his phone from his bag. Shinjiro-san was probably asking him to pick up something that he missed during the last grocery store trip—
Message from: Unknown User
Ken grumbled with a heavy frown. Spam most likely.
But then he read the messages. A pit formed in his stomach.
[Unknown User]: Ken Amada, correct?
[Unknown User]: Tell me… just what is your connection to the Shadow Operatives?
Ken's hands began to tremble. How did they get that information…?
No… he had to calm down. He had to handle this rationally… pursing his lips, Ken began to tap out a response.
[Ken]: Who is this? I don't know what you're talking about.
[Unknown User]: Heh… don't play dumb. I have my sources, you know.
[Unknown User]: I also know about that group… SEES. Kinda weird how you're part of some top-secret group and still in high school.
[Unknown User]: And… you may call me Alibaba.
Crap… this was bad. No, that was an understatement. This was horrifying. Just how did they get information about SEES? That was classified information.
Ken felt cold all of a sudden. That black masked Persona-user saw his face. Was that guy stalking him? Is there any chance this was him? Or someone connected to him? Did he just endanger everyone?
"Ken?" He felt a hand on his shoulder and he instinctively flinched. "What's the matter? You suddenly got all pale…"
Ken snapped to attention, turning to see that Makoto-san was looking at him in concern.
"I-I'm fine," he quickly lied, before managing a weak smile.
When Makoto-san looked unconvinced, he hastened to elaborate.
"I guess I've been pushing myself too hard with studying. Shinjiro-san has been harping on me for working too hard a lot lately, actually." He somehow managed to muster a weak smile that wasn't completely faked.
He had to cram a bit for exams, after all. He really didn't know how Minato-san and Minako-san had handled juggling their duties as field leaders and school and more.
"I probably should get home… I'll see you at school next week, Makoto-san."
As he fumbled with an excuse, he put away with his things as quickly as he could without arousing Makoto-san's suspicions.
"Um, okay…" Makoto-san still looked puzzled, but she waved goodbye at him. "See you."
Ken nodded before hurrying out of the classroom.
He ran all the way back to Shibuya, and back to the complex he and Shinjiro-san were staying at. The elevators were taking too long and he actually started jogging up the steps. He could use the excuse he was winded from running if anyone looked at him funny.
He bolted down the hall and quickly unlocked the door. Once he made it back to his bedroom, he fell onto his bed with a groan. Just great, he cleared up one thing, then this had to happen. At least none of the neighbors saw him running like a chicken with his head cut off.
The question was… how did this happen? There was a reason why he never corresponded with Mitsuru-san outside of the penthouse.
That black masked Persona-user… how would he know about the Shadow Operatives? He would've had to working for Shido—which Aigis-san did speculate—but Shido probably kept that information to himself. Unless he has Shido pegged all wrong. No… the more he thought about it, if Mitsuru-san was a threat, some of his underlings would need to be kept informed.
Ken wasn't someone that should be on their radar! That was the point of this! But maybe he's barking up the wrong tree. Maybe the black masked attacker wasn't the one looking into him and messaging him.
But then who was messaging him and how did they dig up all this info on Ken?!
Ken pressed his hand to his now aching temple. This was just a pain…
He sighed, before forcing himself to sit up. He had to tell Mitsuru-san about this, and Shinjjiro-san too when he got off work. He sighed heavily and reached for his laptop.
Time to get this over with… stressing over what-ifs wasn't productive.
The quiet click-clack of Mitsuru typing on her keyboard was the only sound in the room. The work really seemed to never end. She sighed to herself and rubbed the back of her neck before taking a sip of water. Setting the cup back down next to her keyboard on the coaster. But then she was startled as the video call app suddenly booted up, signaling that she had a call.
Mitsuru's eyebrow raised as she saw it was from Amada... odd. Amada usually waited to call in the evening. It must be important.
Amada looked frazzled for some reason.
She greeted, "Hello, Amada. Is something the matter?"
"Mitsuru-san, I…" He looked nervous, swallowing hard before speaking. "I received a message."
"From?" she prompted.
"That's it, I just don't know!" Amada burst out, his eyes now wide with panic.
Mitsuru lightly tapped her index finger on the desk. This kind of outburst would have fit Yukari or Akihiko, but not Amada. He was quite distraught over… something.
Amada blurted out, "I… I received a message shortly after school ended. And the message asked me how I was involved with the Shadow Operatives. They knew me by name too! And even SEES!"
Mitsuru just blinked, too stunned for a split moment.
Mitsuru frowned, before inquiring, "Are you sure? Perhaps you misinterpreted things, did they mention those organizations exact—"
Amada just shook his head firmly.
"Mitsuru-san, they mentioned both, verbatim!" he exclaimed and pulled out his phone. "I don't know clearly you can see this but…"
Mitsuru squinted at the screen, her eyes then widening as she read the few messages. This was not good.
"I didn't say anything about the Shadow Operatives!" Amada continued. "Or SEES! I don't know how this happened!"
"Calm down, Amada," Mitsuru said, trying not to frown at how distressed he was.
Amada would probably take it as her being displeased with him. She still recalled how nervous he had been when he had told her about the aftermath of Kaneshiro's defeat at the hands of the Phantom Thieves.
She attempted a reassuring smile, before laying a hand over her chest.
"I promise you that I believe in you. And… I know you're not the vocal type."
Unlike Iori or Minako. But even they wouldn't betray the team in confidence to something so serious as this.
She drummed her fingers against her desk for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"There have been several attempts to hack into our archive," she mused. "Luckily, Yamagishi is very skilled in what she does and is able to protect our data. However, they must have slipped through the firewall and retrieved something regarding you."
"You've… you've been hacked?" Amada looked horrified.
Mitsuru nodded.
"But don't worry, Amada, I'll arrange for someone to look into this," she looked at him sternly. "And you are to take some leisure time today. I know from Shinjiro that today was your last exam today. You shouldn't stress yourself so much, Amada. Don't respond to those messages, and do not fret. We'll look into this. I'll keep you posted."
Amada had been working hard after all. He did deserve a break.
"I know, I know…" he grumbled; but then his expression softened. "Um… thanks, Mitsuru-san."
Mitsuru smiled at him. "Anytime, Amada. Farewell."
After Amada said his own goodbye, he cut off the connection. Mitsuru lounged against her seat, glancing at the clock for a moment. It was past 4:30. Maybe if she headed out now, she would be able to catch Yamagishi before she left for work. It was a little earlier than usual, but she was always nagged at by Minako and Yukari to relax a little. She could afford to leave work a little early for once.
After quickly organizing her paperwork and shutting off her laptop, she set off. Since she needed to get there faster, Mitsuru was able to ride her motorcycle. She had an image to preserve, after all, so she couldn't ride her motorcycle as much.
The ride was shorter than Mitsuru would've liked, but she caught Yamagishi at the right time. Yamagishi looked rather tired, but she perked up as Mitsuru approached her.
"Mitsuru-senpai? What are you doing here?"
"Hello, Yamagishi." Mitsuru smiled at her in greeting. "Do you have time to talk?"
Yamagishi blinked. "Um… sure? I was going to meet up with Junpei-kun, Chidori-chan, Akihiko-senpai, and Minako-chan for dinner, but I have some time…"
"Wonderful. But do you think we could talk at your apartment? I rather have some privacy."
"Oh, sure." She nodded.
Mitsuru took Yamagishi back to the apartment, where she was greeted by Koromaru. He then whined, rubbing against Yamagishi's leg, blinking up at her imploringly.
"You're so spoiled," Yamagishi sighed, shaking her head. "Shinji really pampered you."
Mitsuru just laughed. "He's always had a soft spot for Koromaru."
Yamagishi put on a pot of tea, feeding Koromaru and the mother of his pups while waiting for the kettle to finish boiling water. She poured two cups and they settled on the couch.
"What's this about, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yamagishi broke the silence.
Mitsuru blew on her tea, before taking a careful sip so not to scald her tongue.
"I need you to go to Tokyo."
Confusion clouded Yamagishi's face, so Mitsuru continued.
"Amada's phone was hacked. Someone by the name of Alibaba questioned him on his involvement with the Shadow Operatives, as well as SEES. I was hoping that you would be able to discern something."
"Are… are you sure that's a good idea?" Yamagishi asked, looking hesitant.
Mitsuru took another sip of her tea before speaking again. "I understand your concerns but I have a strong hunch this has nothing to do with Shido. However, I am still uneasy."
Then she looked at Yamagishi.
"Not to mention, it'll set Amada's mind to order. He was rather… distressed when he called me. Besides…" Mitsuru added, arching an eyebrow at her, "I thought you would have been pleased with the excuse to see Shinjiro and Amada."
Mitsuru set her teacup down gingerly.
"Well…" Yamagishi just gave her an embarrassed smile.
Mitsuru just chuckled to herself. Yamagishi always held herself like an open book. To be frank, it was nice with all of the underhanded people she had to put up with her work.
Yamagishi smiled lightly. "It would be nice. So… when should I go?"
Mitsuru-san stared down at her tea, mulling it over.
She said, "I'll book you the next train ride available. So probably tomorrow… or Monday."
"Oh, but…" Yamagishi frowned, as if something occurred to her. "My work…"
Mitsuru waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I will clear it with your superiors."
She would make up some excuse. The company Yamagishi worked for depended on the Kirijo Group so Yamagishi's boss would be probably falling over himself to ingratiate with her. Mitsuru found it tiring at times but she might as well use it to her advantage.
Mitsuru let out a thoughtful hum, tapping her chin with her free hand. "You should probably stay for about… half a week."
Yamagishi had taken that moment to sip at her tea right before Mitsuru said this, and she almost choked slightly hearing her words.
"T-Three days?!" Yamagishi sputtered out; her eyes wide with shock. "What—but…"
Mitsuru held up a hand to stall her.
"You deserve it, Yamagishi. You should get a chance to enjoy some time with Shinjiro as well. I'll handle it, I promise," she insisted.
For more reasons than one… even though she understood Shinjiro's reasonings on why he would come accompany Amada to Tokyo, she couldn't help but feel bad. They had spent most of their relationship in a long-distance relationship, after all.
Yamagishi just sighed, shaking her head. "Sometimes your influence is just scary, Senpai…"
Then a soft smile formed on her face before bowing her head slightly.
"But thank you. I'll do my best to figure out who had hacked Ken-kun's phone."
"I should be thanking you, Yamagishi. But you're most welcome."
Monday, July 18th, 2016
Tokyo was packed as always. Fuuka had honestly not missed how crowded Tokyo was. She personally found it… stifling.
Though as she passed, she saw several posters plastered on the walls, advertising some kind of firework festival. Maybe she could talk the boys into coming out to see it. It sounded like it could be fun.
Fuuka compared the building to the address that Mitsuru-senpai had given her. And then again.
She started to understand Shinji's misgivings about this.
But it wasn't like they could really do anything about it… Fuuka rode the elevator to the top floor, showing a deceitful plain door in a small hallway. She knocked on the door.
"Who's at the door?" she heard Shinji say.
"I didn't invite anyone over if that's what you're asking," Ken responded.
"Probably some salesman," Shinji groused, sounding rather annoyed—you could practically see the scowl on his face.
Fuuka couldn't help but giggle at the memory of Shinji scaring away a particularly persistent salesman. She heard his footsteps approach, and the door opened.
"Look, we're not—" Then Shinji's eyes bugged out, gaping at her. "Fuuka?"
"Shinji!" Fuuka exclaimed, throwing her arms around him before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.
Shinji moved his hands to rest on her shoulders, all while leaning down so Fuuka didn't stand on her tiptoes so much. It felt so nice to be in his arms again.
Then Shinji suddenly pulled away, confusion swimming in his eyes. "Fuuka, it's great to see you, but why are you here?"
"Mitsuru-senpai arranged it, so that I could see if I could trace the identity of whoever hacked Ken-kun's phone," Fuuka explained, before peeking behind her boyfriend, completely expecting Ken to be sitting at the table or the couch. "Um… speaking of that, where is Ken-kun? I heard him talking to you before…"
"What are you talking about?" Shinji turned around, only to groan. "Where the hell did he run off to?"
She heard Ken's voice from around the corner. "Cleaning up the magazines you left all over the living room. It was a mess."
Ken entered her field of vision, giving Shinji a dry look.
"Wouldn't want Fuuka-san to see how many you have around the house, right?" He gave Shinji a pointed look, before shrugging. "Besides, I figured it'd give you a little alone time."
"Why do you always have to be a smartass?" Shinji grumbled, before stepping aside to let Fuuka come inside.
Fuuka quietly giggled to herself. Honestly, Shinji had himself to blame for that.
Fuuka then put a hand on Shinji's arm, before looking to Ken. "Ken-kun, I need to see your phone. Let's see if I can figure out just who hacked your phone."
Ken dug it out of his pocket, holding it out to Fuuka, but Shinji snatched it out of his hand.
"Not so fast," he said briskly.
Ken huffed at him with mild annoyance while Fuuka blinked at him in confusion, he looked down at her.
"First things first. Did you even eat anything yet?"
"Um…" Fuuka just clasped her hands behind her back, giving her boyfriend a sheepish look.
Shinji rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that's what I thought. Come on, I'll whip you up something first."
Fuuka tugged at his sleeve. "Can we cook together, then? I missed that."
"Just don't let the food burn," Ken muttered, shooting them a peeved look.
Shinji hissed, "What was that?"
Her boyfriend narrowed his eyes dangerously at Ken, but Ken was unfazed after four years of being raised by him.
"Oh, nothing," he said lightly, waving a hand. "Have fun, you two."
"Smartass…" he grumbled under his breath.
Fuuka couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself again.
They whipped up something they knew could be made rather quickly. Shinji suggested oyakodon. It turned out rather tasty.
Fuuka was quite proud of herself, even after learning how to cook well—it always felt like an accomplishment to her, after she had struggled for so long. The egg and rice turned out quite fluffy. But Shinji had to handle the onions. She could never avoid tearing up a lot when chopping them, even with that trick of soaking them in cold water. Shinji of course cooked the chicken to perfection with the onions too.
After they finished cooking and Fuuka had eaten her fill, she set to work.
She sat down on the kitchen table with her laptop in front of her. Shinji handed her Ken's phone and he took her empty bowl and his to the kitchen. Fuuka could hear him starting cleanup. He left her be even after he finished as he knew she'd need to concentrate.
It took a few hours, but Fuuka was able to trace the source.
She entered Ken's bedroom. He was sprawled on his stomach while reading some book, but he looked up when Fuuka stepped inside. He rolled onto his back before sitting up.
"Well… I think it isn't Shido," Fuuka began, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I… actually recognize the signature."
Ken frowned at that. "Signature?"
Fuuka explained, "All hackers have little quirks. If you know what to look for, you'll be able to pick up the hints to just who hacked it. But I recognize this hacker's signature as the same person who has tried to crack my codes protecting our data. And the same as Medjed."
"Medjed…?" Ken repeated, before his brows furrowed together. "But… I thought Medjed was that group of hackers."
Fuuka shook her head. "You weren't really in the know, with that. But Medjed was originally one person. He or she had made their appearance about… two years ago? Though from what I know, the original Medjed hacked for 'good'."
"Like how Yukari-san asked you to hack into the Kirijo Group database?" Ken asked with a wry smile.
Fuuka swatted at him for that. "Similar. But anyways, at some point, others began to take on the mantle of Medjed and soon became the group of hackers we know today."
Ken frowned again. "But what would this Alibaba want with me? And what do they have to do with Medjed? Wouldn't it make more sense to go after Mitsuru-san or Minako-san?"
Fuuka pursed her lips. That's what she couldn't figure out, unfortunately.
Fuuka sighed, before admitting, "I don't know. But I only brought up Medjed as an example, not related to this mysterious texter, at least I hope they aren't. But anyways… I don't think that this is connected to Shido or his network, so you don't have to worry about that."
Ken nodded in understanding. "I see… I guess I freaked out about nothing after all."
Fuuka placed a hand over Ken's, gently rubbing her thumb over the top of Ken's hand.
She reassured, "It's not nothing. You had good reasons to be worried. And besides, it gives me a good excuse to see you."
Ken let out a little grumble as Fuuka gave him a light hug, but he didn't pull away.
Fuuka however couldn't help but frown in concern now. She pulled him back slightly to look at Ken more seriously, but still worried.
"You should still be careful. We don't know what this person is after, why they singled you out, if they are alone or work for someone." Fuuka couldn't help but hold onto his shoulders a little tighter. "And there is still that rogue Persona-user that attacked you too. Please… just—"
She trailed off, biting her lip. She had been frightened when Shinji had told of her about that mishap. Even though Shinji had reassured her that Ken was perfectly fine, aside from a few scrapes, but Fuuka had been unable to get a wink of sleep the following night. The idea of losing Ken because of a rogue Persona-user… terrified her.
Ken suddenly spoke up, interrupting Fuuka's ruminations. "I know, I understand Fuuka-san. I promise I'll be more careful."
She let out a sigh and gave him a warm smile, which he returned.
"And you will be sure to not push yourself too hard?" Fuuka pushed lightly.
Ken grumbled with a smile, "Yeah, yeah. You and everyone else keep saying that. But I will."
Fuuka laughed lightly. "Then maybe you should listen."
"Fair enough…" Ken chuckled.
She let go of his shoulders finally and relaxed her posture a bit more. She shouldn't let herself get so tense; it could bring Ken unnecessary worry.
"Are you going to come up for Shinjiro-san's birthday then?" Ken inquired.
"I… I don't know," Fuuka admitted. "I'd like to, but I don't know how much we should push things. Though Shinji was talking about coming back to Port Island last time we video called… we'll have to see, Ken-kun."
Then she squeezed his hand before giving him a smile.
"Now… how about we have some fun tonight, hmm?" she suggested.
Ken blinked owlishly at her before uttering, "Huh?"
"I saw some advertising about a firework festival on my way here," Fuuka explained. "I thought it'd be fun to go. What do you say?"
Ken looked at her blankly. "I guess… but good luck convincing Shinjiro-san."
"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard to do."
Fuuka then shrugged. Shinji's been dragged to festivals before by Minako, after all.
"Only because you have him whipped," Ken mumbled out.
"I-I do not!"
"Just a little more… and done!" Anne showed Makoto the mirror with a flourish. "What do you think?"
Makoto just smiled, admiring her reflection—showing her wearing a yukata.
Makoto turned, looking to Anne. "You did a great job. I don't think I could have dressed up without your help, Anne."
"It's no prob!" she said cheerfully, flashing Makoto a thumbs up. "But come on, we've gotta get a move on. The boys are probably getting impatient."
"You mean Ryuji," Makoto quipped, drawing giggles from her friend.
Anne said lightly, "You know him so well already. Ryuji said he wanted to eat some food and play some games before the actual fireworks too."
It really was a good thing she lived in Shibuya.
While it was hard to hurry with their yukatas, they did their best. And then she tripped over a crack.
"Anne!"
"Ow…" Anne moaned, before she pushed herself up. Nothing seemed to be torn at least.
"Takamaki-san?"
Makoto helped her up, and Anne turned to see it was Amada-senpai who had called out to her. He was dressed casually but he looked nice. He wore a dark blue polo shirt with an orange collar, placket, and cuffs, a pair of white pants, and orange tennis shoes.
He wasn't alone either, accompanied by an older couple. They looked like they were both in their mid-twenties.
Amada-senpai frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"
Anne waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Guess that wasn't the most graceful move…"
"Yeah, it was kinda hard to miss that," the older man said dryly.
"Shinji, don't be rude," the older woman scolded, before kneeling to her level.
She gently pulled Anne to her feet by taking both of Anne's hands. She was on the petite side. Anne was certain she might be about six inches taller than her. But she had managed to pull her up somehow. She then handed Anne an embroidered handkerchief. Anne wiped at her face, wincing at the amount of dirt rubbed on the cloth.
"Is my yukata okay still?" Anne asked anxiously, twisting around to get a better look.
This was a gift from her parents. And she would hate for it to get ruined.
"Miraculously," Makoto reassured, before she looked curiously at the older man and woman.
"This is my guardian, Shinjiro Aragaki," Amada-senpai introduced, catching onto Makoto's silent question. "And this is his girlfriend, Fuuka Yamagishi."
"It's nice to meet you. You must be Ken-kun's classmates, right?" She smiled warmly.
Fuuka-san was pretty in that delicate kind of way. Her light sea green hair was smoothed back into a single long braid, and her bangs looked so soft. She had a rather serene smile. But despite her almost fragile frame, there was an air about her that somewhat reminded her of Makoto, for some reason. She really wasn't sure why she got that impression.
Her outfit was pretty cute. She was wearing a lavender top with a darker purple star pattern and a long white skirt, paired with brown sandals.
Makoto nodded. "Though schoolmates would be a better way to put it. I'm in Ken's class, but Anne is a year younger than us."
"Niijima, huh…?" Shinjiro-san turned his gaze on Makoto.
Shinjiro-san was a bit… imposing, if Anne was honest. He and his girlfriend seemed to be on opposite sides of the spectrum when it came to looks. Fuuka-san had a fair complexion, while Shinjiro-san was tan. His thick, dark brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and honestly… there was something intimidating about his gaze. He was dressed rather casually, only wearing a black shirt, a pair of maroon pants, and simple black and white sneakers. For some reason, he was carrying an umbrella. But he almost seemed like he was glaring… or maybe he always looked like he was grumpy when he actually wasn't?
Though… was he really Amada-senpai's guardian? He was so… young. And the way Amada-senpai had talked, it seemed like his mom died a while ago.
"Yes…?" Makoto looked taken aback by his question.
"It's nothing," he quickly dismissed. "Ken just mentioned that you were the student council president."
"…Oh."
There was something odd about him. But maybe he just didn't know how to socialize properly. But she felt like her and Makoto were being scrutinized for some reason. He didn't mention anything to her but he gave her a sort of glare expression too.
Did he not like them or something? He was kind of hard to read.
"Is it just the two of you?" Fuuka-san asked.
"Oh no, we were going to meet up with a couple friends before… Anne tripped," Makoto said with a wince.
"Sorry about that…" Anne said sheepishly.
But then an idea struck her.
"Hey, would you like to come with us, Senpai? I'm sure the boys won't mind."
She didn't know much about him but… she couldn't help but wonder if Amada-senpai was a little lonely. It was rough moving to a brand-new school. She knew from experience. Besides, she felt her gut was right and he wasn't a bad person. Maybe if he hung around them more, any doubts that were had about him could be dispelled. They did suggest to Ren they should get to know Amada-senpai more before making any major decision with him.
"Er… well…"
Fuuka-san interjected, "That's a good idea actually! You really should spend more time with people your age, Ken-kun."
"Fuuka-san!" he complained, a whine ever so slightly present in his voice, as his cheeks reddened.
Anne couldn't help but giggle. He was just… so composed most of the time. So it was kinda funny to see him get embarrassed like this.
"She's not wrong," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
"Like you can talk, Shinjiro-san," Amada-senpai fired back, glowering at him.
"Yeah?"
Amada-senpai just huffed in response, "Sometimes I wonder how you and Mitsuru-san didn't kill each other when you started to live at the dorm."
"Now, now, that's enough," Fuuka-san scolded, even though her voice remained mild. "Come on, Shinji, I think I saw a takoyaki stand. Let's get one and share!"
Without warning, she pulled on her boyfriend's arm and dragged him away—quite a feat, seeing that he was over a head taller than her. She barely reached his shoulder actually…
Though maybe Shinjiro-san just let her. She couldn't imagine being that much shorter than your boyfriend though. Anne would like to kiss someone without craning her neck so much.
"Well, I guess she… took the choice out of your hands." Makoto said slowly.
"Oh, that's fairly tame actually," Amada-senpai dismissed, before offering them a sheepish smile. "Uh… should we get going then?"
Anne nodded. "Yeah!"
They led him to the agreed meeting spot and Ryuji was the first to see them.
"Finally! What took you so long?!" he complained.
"Why do you have to be so impatient?!" Anne shot back.
"Hey, it was worth it, in my opinion." Ren approached them.
And per their suggestion, he wasn't wearing his glasses. Anne's breath caught in her throat. He looked… really handsome without them.
Not that he wasn't before… but she never really took a good look at his eyes whether here or the Metaverse. She knew he had grey eyes, but… she couldn't help but notice how gorgeous they were. He was definitely handsome but she was wondering why she never really noticed that about him before.
He'd… actually make a pretty decent model. She could hear Kamiya-san right now offering him his list of several agencies that would love to pick him up and then follow up with asking if he'd pose for a few photos with some of his girls. Plastering her and Ren on some bench and telling them to drape their arms over each other; she could practically hear him saying "But don't forget to smile!"
"You girls look beautiful," he added, but he was looking straight at Anne.
Anne quickly looked away, trying not to blush at his compliment. "Haha! You're such a flatterer, Ren."
What is she doing thinking about him modeling with her all of a sudden?
"Why is Amada-san with you?" Yusuke asked.
Thank goodness Yusuke was here to distract her from the weird train of thought she was on all of a sudden. She lightly smiled to herself and shook her head. She gave a more cheerful smile toward Amada-senpai, hoping he'd feel welcome.
"Oh, well…" Makoto shifted nervously. "We ran into him earlier and invited him to spend some time with us. That, and his guardian kinda left him to his own devices, so…"
At the mention of Amada-senpai's guardian she suddenly remembered his girlfriend and she still had her handkerchief. Anne felt a little embarrassed, she'll have to make sure to return it soon. If they don't run into her again maybe she can just give it to Amada-senpai to return it to her.
"That's not a problem to me," Ren said with a smile. "We were gonna ambush you at some point anyways."
"Huh?!" Amada-senpai looked taken aback, his face growing a little pale.
Ren burst out laughing. "Kidding… maybe."
"Ren, stop picking on him." Anne tried to hold back a giggle.
"Okay, okay. I will for now… so, what do you wanna do first?" Ren asked.
"FOOD!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Come on, man, I'm starving!"
Nobody objected, so they went to hunt for the food stalls. Anne wasn't super hungry but… festival food. It was just the best.
"There's so much food!" Morgana gasped. "Can I eat all of it?!"
"Cool it Morgana." Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Just because you aren't like regular cats and can eat regular people food doesn't mean you have the size of a regular person stomach."
"I am not a—!"
"Would you both not start arguing this soon into celebration?" Makoto chastised.
Anne giggled as Ryuji and Morgana pouted but kept quiet, while Makoto shook her head before turning to a pamphlet.
Yusuke looked mournfully at the okonomiyaki stand. "Alas, if only I had more than a hundred yen…"
"You… what?" Amada-senpai looked startled. "You only have a hundred yen on you?!"
"Well, I did have to pay for the train ticket…"
"And you didn't think to bring enough for the festival and the train?" Amada-senpai said shocked.
"I see Amada-senpai is slowly learning about Yusuke being a literal starving artist." Ren shook his head.
"Literal starve—Amamiya-san, is this another one of your jokes or… never mind, doesn't matter." Amada-senpai grabbed Yusuke's arm. "Come on, I'll pay."
"Oh, that's not necessary, Amada-san…" Yusuke began.
He retorted, "I'm making it necessary."
Then he let out a little sigh, shaking his head.
"Seriously, you have to take care of yourself…" He then suddenly blinked before he muttered out, "Good grief, I'm really turning into Shinjiro-san…"
Anne giggled and shook her head. Ken's guardian must be a softie deep down then, because he sure didn't act like it to her, but if what Amada-senpai is implying then it sounds like he's just the tough guy with a soft center type.
She then happily taking a bite of her cotton candy. It was so good. She beamed as it quickly dissolved in her mouth.
Ryuji asked with a scowl, "God, how can you eat that crap? It's literally just sugar on a stick."
Anne stuck her tongue at him, "So? It tastes good."
She pointedly took another bite. Ryuji rolled his eyes at her but Anne didn't care.
"Ryuji does have a point, Anne. Every time I see you eating, you're eating some kind of sweet. It can't be healthy. Not just for your heart and weight, but also your teeth," Makoto said with a frown.
Anne pouted. "I'm at a healthy weight! Plus, I brush every day, floss, and even use mouthwash! Besides, it's a festival! Who comes to a festival to think about healthy food?!"
Ren pointed out, "Some people just have a lot of metabolism. I guess Anne is just one of them. Though…"
He nudged her in the side, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Maybe I could help by eating some of it?" he suggested.
Anne rolled her eyes at him. "Sheesh, you don't have to ask me like that."
"Really eager for it, eh, RenRen?" Ryuji said, as Anne held out the stick to him and Ren gratefully took a bite.
Ren's tongue darted out to lick the stray strands on his lips. "Mm… it's really sweet."
"I say you're more into getting an indirect kiss from Anne." Ryuji snorted.
"W-Wha…?!" Anne sputtered. "T-That's not it at all! Sheesh, Ryuji!"
"Don't 'sheesh' me!" Ryuji said. "Tell her RenRen!"
"Honestly, you three…" Makoto sighed, pressing a hand against her temple.
Ren shrugged. "It's good, what can I say? It's really sweet."
"What's really sweet?" Amada-senpai and Yusuke had returned, Yusuke happily eating an okonomiyaki.
"That sugar on a stick Anne's been chomping on," Ryuji snorted.
"Just how many calories is in that?" Makoto wondered, her eyes on the cotton candy. "Maybe the vendor will have a nutrition menu…"
"Makoto, not again!" Anne laughed.
"What do you mean, again?" Amada-senpai asked, looking confused.
Anne explained, "I took her to get crepes once. She kept pestering the crepe shop for the nutrition menu and got all offended when they couldn't offer her one."
"It's protocol to have one!" Makoto protested, as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
Amada-senpai shot her an amused glance. "I never thought you'd be someone like that."
"Is it so wrong to be concerned about my health? Besides, you were the one pestering me to not skip lunch the day we met," Makoto grumbled.
Amada-senpai huffed. "There's a difference from telling you to eat when you're obviously drained to you demanding the nutrition values of a crepe."
"You…" Makoto huffed, obviously grasping for a retort.
"Amada-san does have a good point, though," Yusuke said.
"Yusuke!" Makoto protested.
"What? I'm just stating my observations."
"Guess it's pick on Makoto day," Ryuji snickered.
"We have to give you a break every now and then, Ryuji," Morgana quipped.
"Aw, shuddup!"
After they diffused Morgana and Ryuji's budding bickering, they were able to get some free samples from a couple stalls... Yusuke especially.
Ren, Amada-senpai, and Makoto grabbed some takoyaki and shared it with the rest of the group. Anne went and got some shaved ice for herself and gave one to Yusuke since he expressed interest in one. She got herself a strawberry flavored one, and Yusuke a mango flavored one. Ren managed to sneak in some karaage to share with Morgana. Ryuji meanwhile scarfed down a beef skewer.
After they finished eating, they went to scope out the games. They were missing some of the typical games, like the water balloons and the goldfish scooping game, but they had most of them.
"Hey, check out the masks!" Ryuji exclaimed. "There's even a fox one, perfect for you Yusuke!"
"Hmm… the quality is horrible," Yusuke decided. "Mine is far superior."
"Kitagawa-san, that's rude," Amada-senpai whispered to him, before shooting an apologetic glance at the vendor.
"They have so many different ones though," Ren noted, before keeping his voice low. "Guess that fits us in a way, huh?"
Morgana then stuck his head out of Ren's bag. "Hey, where did Makoto go?"
Anne looked around, scanning for Makoto's yukata. "Oh, I see her!"
She pointed at the shooting game booth. As they came closer, Ren could see what prize she was after.
"Got your eye on the Buchimaru plushie?" Ren teased as they approached.
"Dude, you like Buchimaru?" Ryuji asked incredulously.
"S-So, what if I do?!" Makoto stammered out, her face turning red. "Maybe I was just testing my shooting skills a-and this is a notoriously difficult game—"
"I'll give it a shot."
Anne stared at Amada-senpai calmly sliding a five-hundred-yen coin across the table.
"You sure you just want one try?" the vendor asked, raising an eyebrow. "Another five hundred and you'll get two more."
"I'll be fine," Amada-senpai dismissed, picking up the rifle.
He then narrowed his eyes, before firing. The bullet shot out, knocking down the huge Buchimaru plushie with no effort.
"Damn, he's a good shot," Ryuji muttered to Ren. "I never would've pegged him for that."
"My idea isn't so bad, huh?" Ren whispered back.
"You shouldn't discuss this when he's right there," Morgana scolded, though he looked rather uneasy.
The vendor grumbled to himself, before fetching the toy and handing Amada-senpai his prize.
"Marvelous!" Yusuke crowed, somehow having whipped out his sketchpad from… somewhere.
He held it up, showing a quick sketch of Amada-senpai firing the rifle.
He gushed, "That determination… that focus! It'll be a wonderful drawing!"
"Uh…" Amada-senpai blinked at him, looking rather bewildered even as he handed the plushie to Makoto. "…Thanks?"
"You get used to Yusuke after a while," Ren chuckled, patting the older boy's shoulder.
Anne giggled again as Amada-senpai just looked confused. The older boy just sighed and shook his head.
"Though I'm surprised you're such a good marksman," Morgana said.
Amada-senpai suddenly looked awkward, averting his eyes. "Well… I was taught by a friend. She likes shooting games and she gave me a few tips."
"T-Thank you, Ken," Makoto said, before squeezing the toy tightly to her chest. "It's so soft…"
Ren glanced up and Anne noticed he was looking at the darkening sky.
"Hey, we probably should try and get good spots. I think it's almost time for it to start," Ren suggested.
They headed off, but they had barely got to see any fireworks before the downpour ruined it. They quickly scrambled to find a place to find a shelter, but of course, everyone else had the same idea. Anne was wringing out her yukata, trying her best to squeeze out the water.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and heard Makoto lightly say her name. She looked up at Makoto, wondering what she needed before she awkwardly motioning behind Anne.
Ren, Ryuji, and Yusuke were all playing the innocent, but she wasn't fooled. They all had faces of kids with their hands caught in the cookie jar and pretending they weren't trying to steal. Amada-senpai was shaking his head in disapproval.
"Jeez…" Anne sighed, rolling her eyes. "I guess I should be glad that someone wasn't trying to get a look."
"Honestly…" Makoto sighed as well, shaking her head too.
"Looks like you need help there," Ryuji mumbled teasingly.
Anne felt irritation bubble up as her face twisted into a scowl. She moved past Makoto to grab Ryuji by the shirt as she glared daggers at him.
"Oh, you wanna help? Go in there and buy a towel then!" she chastised, giving him a light shake.
Yusuke and Ren were smart enough to keep their mouths' shut about obviously getting a good look at her leg, Ryuji however… he was such a little kid sometimes. Always pushing it. He could be so annoying sometimes.
Anne let go of Ryuji as she noticed Amada-senpai chuckle to himself. He composed himself and coughed awkwardly when he noticed Anne watching him.
"Sorry… you both remind me of friends of mine," he said with a polite smile, only to do a double-take and look past Anne. "Haru-san?"
A girl with short curly hair turned at his voice. She was a bit on the short side, about half a head shorter than Anne.
"Oh, Amada-kun!" She waved at him, before stepping closer to them and shutting her umbrella. "I didn't know you were going to the festival."
Amada-senpai admitted, "It was… a last-minute thing. Are you with your family?"
"Well, my father couldn't make it, so I just went on my own. But um… who are your friends?" she asked politely.
"Oh, well, most of them go to Shujin actually…"
They quickly introduced themselves, and she, in turn, introduced herself as Haru. She was rather polite, but in the demure kind of way. Though the fact that she wouldn't give her surname struck Anne as rather odd. But hey, it took all kinds of people, right?
But then her phone rang. She pulled it out from the small bag she carried.
"Hello, Father."
Though she couldn't quite make out what he was saying… the voice sounded angry for some reason.
"F-Father, I was just speaking to some schoolmates…" she protested weakly.
Then she paused to hear what he had to say, and then she sighed. She pursed her lips together.
"Yes, Father…" her voice was barely audible. "Thank Sugimura-san for me…"
Her father must have been extremely strict and overprotective or something.
"I… I have to go," Haru said quietly. "My father thinks it's best I get out of the rain."
Ryuji blurted out, "Hold on a minute! Just what the hell did your old man say to you!?"
"Ryuji, you shouldn't—" Yusuke began, but Ryuji cut him off.
"Like hell I don't!" he retorted.
But then he turned to Haru, his eyes filled with concern.
"Listen, if your dad is being a shitty asshole to you, you should really report him to the Phan-site. Maybe they could change his heart."
"Ryuji—" Makoto began sternly, but Haru interrupted.
"It's okay. I know that he means well, Niijima-san." Haru bowed at Ryuji before giving him a soft smile. "I appreciate your concern, Sakamoto-kun. Thank you. You're very kind, but… it's not what you think."
She then walked off, entering the black car that pulled up to the curb for several minutes.
"Seriously, what the hell?!" Ryuji snapped. "Her old man seemed awful from that one conversation! Oi, Senpai, you know her last name? Maybe we can find something!"
Amada-senpai just shrugged. "Your guess is just good as mine. She only gave me her first name."
"Holy shit what if her dad is mafia too—"
Yusuke gave him a stern look. "Ryuji, don't jump conclusions. You have such a hyperactive imagination…"
"Well, I have to admit that Ryuji's got a point." Morgana popped his head out of the bag. "The whole situation around her seems off… but Yusuke is right. We can't jump to conclusions."
"Ken!"
They all turned their heads at the call. Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san came into view, both protected by the rain with the umbrella Shinjiro-san carried.
"Oh, you're soaked!" Fuuka-san immediately began to fuss over Amada-senpai, standing on her toes to run her fingers through his dripping hair.
"Fuuka-san, stop fussing. It's just a little water." Amada-senpai sighed.
"Yeah, but that 'little water' can get you sick," Shinjiro-san deadpanned before handing the umbrella to Amada-senpai. "Here, you and Fuuka share the umbrella. Good thing our place isn't that far."
Amada-senpai glanced at everyone else and back to his guardian. "Actually… I was thinking maybe we could let them take shelter for a little bit? Until the rain dies down."
Fuuka-san tilted her head slightly. "Well, in that case, you should share the umbrella with someone else. You are all so soaked…"
"Mm… in that case…" Amada-senpai looked at Makoto. "Do you want to share the umbrella with me, Makoto-san?"
Shinjiro-san glanced at Amada-senpai with eyebrow raised. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"W-What's that supposed to mean?!" Amada-senpai demanded before his cheeks started to turn pink. "Her yukata is white. She shouldn't be getting wetter than she is already."
He just smirked, looking away. "Nothing."
"Ugh, forget it," Amada-senpai huffed, before handing the umbrella to Makoto. "You share with Takamaki-san. I'm going on ahead."
"H-Hey, wait up, Ken-kun!"
Makoto wiped her bangs off with her now damp cloth as she followed the group into the rather nice apartment complex.
"This is seriously where you live?!" Ryuji was unabashedly gaping at well—everything.
"Ryuji, don't stare. It's rude," Makoto whispered, nudging him.
"But have you seen—"
"Ryuji, I have eyes too."
They went up in the elevator, riding up to the top. Shinjiro-san then unlocked the lone door, revealing an airy room, that seemed to blend a living room, dining room, and a kitchen all in one.
"Ken, go change out of your clothes," Shinjiro-san said absently. "You'll get sick."
She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous he would be able to get into a change of clothes. If only she knew this was going to happen, she could have packed some extra clothes.
Makoto rubbed her arms, shivering a little, watching Ken disappear down the hallway. Her yukata was sticking to her skin rather uncomfortably. Fuuka-san pursed her lips together when she looked at them, her eyes filling with sympathy.
"Shinji, where do you keep the towels?" she inquired, turning to her boyfriend.
"Cabinet right by the bathroom."
After thanking him, Fuuka-san went down the hallway. A few moments later, she returned, carrying a pile of neatly folded towels.
She said, "Here. We can't really offer a change of clothes, but… You should at least be able to dry yourself a little."
"We'll just have to withstand it for a while," Anne said, accepting a towel, rubbing it through her hair. "Thank you."
The others gave her their own thanks, before gratefully taking a towel. Fuuka-san smiled at Makoto when she took a towel, and unwittingly, Makoto smiled back. She couldn't explain it but… she felt a draw to the woman. Like they had some kind of connection.
"So… what do you two do as a living?" Yusuke asked.
"Hm?" Fuuka-san turned to look at Yusuke. "Oh, well…"
She paused, before letting out an embarrassed laugh. She then gave them a sheepish smile.
"…I just realized that I never got your names," she admitted.
"Oh, my name is Yusuke Kitagawa," Yusuke introduced himself with a low bow.
The boys introduced themselves as Ken returned to the living room. For some reason, he was carrying a pile of clothes. "I noticed that you guys were really soaked, so I figured that I'd lend you a change of clothes while you're here."
Though… what he was wearing… was a bit of a surprise. He was wearing a simple tee shirt and a pair of sweats. A hand towel was draped around his shoulders to catch the water droplets that occasionally dripped from his hair. They were very normal pajamas but… Ken seemed so… put together.
"Sweet! Thanks, Senpai!" Ryuji cheered.
"It's still so weird to hear people call Ken that," she heard Shinjiro-san murmur to his girlfriend.
"Oh, wait, not that one, Sakamoto-san. That's for Kitagawa-san since he's a bit taller than me."
"Dude, enough with the formalities!" Ryuji complained.
Shinjiro-san snorted. "You're barking up the wrong tree. Ken doesn't do casual."
"So says the man who still calls Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun by their last names still," Fuuka-san lightly teased.
"Hmph."
"And excuse me for wanting to be polite," Ken said dryly.
"He still uses your first name though!" Ryuji continued to complain.
"Well, not entirely," Anne commented, glancing at her. "He calls Makoto by her first name."
Fuuka-san just giggled, reaching to ruffle Ken's hair. "He's always been a polite boy. Even when he was only eleven years old."
"Fuuka-san, you know I hate that!" Ken complained, quickly darting out of her reach.
He was… pouting. It was rather adorable, with that moody frown of his. It was just… endearing.
"Aw, but you have such soft hair…"
"You do?" Anne asked. "Let me feel!"
"What did I just say?" Ken huffed, even as his cheeks turned pink. "I'm not a dog!"
"My fur is velvety soft, Lady Anne!" Morgana chimed in.
"Jeez, you brought your cat?" Shinjiro-san demanded. "Did you even feed him yet?"
"I was planning on it?" Ren offered.
"Tsk… excuses," Shinjiro-san grumbled, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Give me a sec."
He then moved to the kitchen, grumbling to himself.
"You should really get changed though," Fuuka-san said to the boys. "The bathroom is the second room down the hallways."
"Oh yeah…"
"My thanks again, Amada-san," Yusuke added.
Then Fuuka-san frowned. "Hey, Ken-kun, why did you grab so many?"
"Oh, well… I was thinking…" For some reason, Ken's face reddened a bit. "I think the girls have to be more uncomfortable since their yukatas have to be sticking to their skin, and since you're a lot shorter than both of them, I thought…" He looked away, unable to finish the sentence.
When Makoto picked up one set of clothes, a pleasant scent drifted from it. Now that she thought about it, Ken did wear cologne.
"Thank you, Ken," she said. "It was very thoughtful of you."
"Thanks, Senpai!" Anne chirped, happily picking up the other set of clothes. She saw Fuuka-san pick up a towel and begin to rub down Morgana, earning some happy purrs from the feline.
They waited for the boys to return from changing before heading for the bathroom. It was a relief to strip out of her soaked yukata and to properly dry herself. The tee shirt hung on her frame loosely, so Makoto ended up tying it at the end to fit her a little better. The sweats had an elastic band, so she just pulled on the drawstrings to fit her.
By the time they got back, the table was covered with food.
"Uh… what is this?" Anne blinked owlishly at the table.
"It's called food," Shinjiro-san deadpanned. "You eat it."
Fuuka-san sighed before admonishing, "Shinji, don't be rude. Honestly, and you complain when Ken-kun sasses you."
She folded her arms over her chest. Shinjiro-san grumbled in response.
"You only have yourself to blame," she said flatly.
"Tch…" was all he had to offer as a comeback.
Ryuji leaned over to Ren, whispering, "Wow, she's got him whipped."
"Fuuka-san uses a whip on Shinjiro-san?" Yusuke frowned, tilting his head. "Why would she do that?"
"Dude, it's an expression."
"What is it referring to, then?"
Anne lightly bopped all of them on the back of the head with the back of her hands.
Anne hissed, "That's enough, you three! Jeez, don't talk about that kind of stuff when they're in earshot!"
Ren frowned with a light glare. "Why am I getting singled out, it was mostly those two?"
Morgana just snickered in Ren's lap. Ren flicked him in the nose in response. And Morgana glared up at him.
Makoto held back a giggle at her friends' antics.
"Um… but we did eat a bit at the festival," Makoto said slowly, as a way to distract herself.
"Yeah, and since when do festivals offer you healthy food? And probably not very filling," he scoffed.
"Well… he has a point," Makoto murmured.
He then sighed. "Besides, I'm guessing the fireworks festival was a way to celebrate the end of exams, yeah? But the storm ruined it. It's not much, but…"
"You're a good person, huh?" Anne noted.
Shinjiro-san looked rather taken aback. Makoto blinked. Were his ears turning pink?
He stuttered out, "I-It's nothing. Just… just eat as much as you want, alright?"
The food all looked really tasty. It was impressive how quickly he whipped this out while they were all changing. He must have had some of the dishes prepared in parts to making cooking quicker. Makoto sometimes did that when she had exams coming up but knew her and her sister would be too busy for dinner, and take-out several days in a row was out of the question. No nutrition in that.
"Hey, why do you have some shrimp tempura on this tiny plate?" Ryuji asked.
"It's for the cat. Morgana, right?" Shinjiro-san asked.
Morgana bristled at being called a cat, but he jumped on the table and took a little nibble.
"So good!" he purred out.
Makoto caught that Shinjiro-san was smiling at Morgana lightly. He masked it quickly when he noticed eyes on him.
Makoto pretended to not notice, looking away and smiled to herself. So he was one of those types. Gruff but actually has a soft center.
"Uh… he likes to eat at the table," Ren said sheepishly. "That won't be a problem, right?"
"Well, considering that our dog always gets Shinji to give him the best cuts…" Ken gave his guardian a dry look. "…Not really."
"You try and say no to that face," Shinjiro-san retorted.
Well that just outright confirmed he was tough on the outside but soft deep down, he might as well admit it at that point.
"Did you all not move out here?" Makoto inquired.
Their various comments made it seem that Fuuka-san didn't normally live here.
"Oh no, I live on Port Island," Fuuka-san explained. "Shinji and Ken-kun living here is… temporary. Shouldn't be more than a year."
"So… you'll be moving back?" Makoto asked hesitantly, feeling her heart sink for some reason.
Shinjiro-san shook his head. "No, we'll probably stick it out here until Ken graduates. There's no reason to go through another transfer. It's just a pain in the ass."
"A long-distance relationship, huh? That must suck." Anne winced.
Fuuka-san laughed lightly. "It's not so bad. We video call a lot, at least twice a week. And we did this before, actually. I studied at Tokyo U after I graduated from Gekkoukan. My major was computer science."
"Is that so?" Yusuke blinked at her. "Forgive me, Yamagishi-san, but you don't seem like the type…"
Fuuka-san giggled. "No, it's okay. I get that a lot."
Makoto could see what Yusuke meant though. She could see Fuuka-san as a nurse or a teacher possibly.
"You must be really smart if you got into Tokyo U though," Makoto said in awe.
That was her first choice in university, actually. Probably for most people, but… it was the university Sae attended as well. It made Makoto want to get accepted there as well.
"What do you like to do, though?" Fuuka-san asked.
"Oh, a lot of just about everything," Ren said with a shrug. "And hanging out with my friends."
"Reminds me of a certain someone I know," Shinjiro-san muttered.
Makoto quirked her head slightly and thought, "Hm? Someone like Ren…?"
"I model," Anne piped up. "It started as a casual thing, but I realized that it's something I really should take more seriously!"
"One of our friends is a model as well," Fuuka-san said. "Though you'll probably recognize her more from her acting career."
"Who is it?" Ren asked.
Ken raised an eyebrow. "I assume you know of Yukari Takeba?"
"Dude…" Ryuji gaped at Ken. "You know Yukari Takeba?!"
"Yes…?"
He just grinned. "She's so hot."
Ken wrinkled his nose. "Can you not talk about her like that?"
"Dude, do you have eyes?!"
Makoto sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"She's also like an older sister to me," Ken deadpanned.
She should probably switch the topic from Yukari Takeba for his sake.
"Any other famous senpai you have?" Makoto said in a more half joking manner.
He hesitated for a moment. "No."
Shinjiro-san came from behind her; he took her and Ryuji's empty plates.
"Not unless you count the time Aki bodyguarded for Mitsuru for an event and he sarcastically said his credentials included him wrestling a bear," Shinjiro-san said dryly. "The media really had fun with that…"
"I don't think Minako-san is ever going to let that go…" Ken said with a sigh.
Fuuka-san began to laugh, until her eyes drifted to the living room. Then her eyes turned as wide as saucers, and she hastily stood up.
"Fuuka?" Shinjiro-san looked confused as she rushed into the living room. "What's wrong?"
The TV had been playing, though the volume had been turned down so they could talk.
"To the Phantom Thieves causing an uproar in Japan: Do not speak of your false justice. We do not need the spread of such falsehood. We are the true executors of justice."
"W-What? Who is that?" Makoto sat up and thought in shock.
"What the hell?" Ryuji uttered.
"However, we are magnanimous. We will give you an opportunity to repent your ways. If you agree to a change of heart, we will accept you as our own. If you reject our offer, the hammer of justice will find you."
A change of heart… who was this?
"We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil."
"Was that… was that what Mishima was talking about?" Morgana breathed.
"What about Mishima?" Ryuji asked.
Shinjiro-san turned around, quirking a brow at Ryuji.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Shinjiro-san demanded.
She could understand his confusion, no one but Morgana brought up Mishima. So that would sound random. Not like regular people could understand him after all.
"I… n-never mind, it's nothing." Ryuji ducked his head.
Yusuke coughed a little as he sat up. Attention now drawn to him instead of Ryuji.
"It's getting late though," Yusuke said slowly. "I believe we should go now, before the trains stop running."
"Are you sure?" Fuuka-san looked bewildered.
It was Ren's turn to stand up now as he turned to Fuuka-san and Shinjiro-san.
Ren said, "Yeah, I agree with Yusuke. We should head back. My guardian will give me hell if I'm late…"
Makoto decided to speak up as well. "Anne and I live in Shibuya, so we'll just head home together."
She bowed her head at Shinjiro-san.
"But thank you for the meal, Shinjiro-san. It was delicious."
The whole group gave slight bows to their guests, Ryuji's a bit more awkward than others. Yusuke, Ren and Ryuji changed back into their clothes which were damp but seemed to dry off a little.
Makoto reluctantly changed back into her still wet yukata and after Anne had finished dressing. She wished it dried a little more when they hung it up. She was now lamenting she wasn't wearing casual clothes like the guys; they weren't fully dry but at least their clothes weren't as uncomfortable.
When they headed out the apartment building Morgana and Ren briefly talked about what Mishima told them about Medjed. The group grew quiet after they went their separate ways, but not before promising to talk more tomorrow.
The two girls headed back to Anne's apartment first. It was quiet on the way back, and Makoto barely registered Anne's goodbye.
Medjed had declared war on them. Just how were they supposed to tackle this?
Thursday, July 21st, 2016
Despite Fuuka-san's reassurances that Alibaba had nothing to do with Shido, but… but the messages would still occasionally trickle in.
What do you know about Wakaba Isshiki? The Shadow Operatives knew about her research about cognitive psience… I need to know!
You know how the Phantom Thieves steal hearts, right? I need someone to be targeted. Can you do it? They don't seem willing to fulfill my little request.
Ken sighed to himself, staring at the most recent messages. Just what was Alibaba after? Wakaba Isshiki… pricked at his memory for some reason. He couldn't help but feel it was important. And cognitive psience… that sounded familiar too.
Wouldn't that be connected to the Metaverse? They talked about cognition during their jaunts in Kaneshiro's Palace.
Maybe he needed to talk to Makoto-san about this. Besides that, it was a bit… worrisome, with the statement Medjed had released a couple days ago.
And as if his thoughts had summoned her, Makoto-san had appeared in his sight. Talking to some boy in a tan peacoat. She didn't look very happy to see him though.
Then he came closer… and saw just who he was. Chin length, almost shaggy brown hair, bangs curling down near his right eye… reddish brown eyes…
"Oh. Him." Ken rolled his eyes.
Ken tried not to grimace.
He had nothing against Goro Akechi, even though he couldn't help but wonder why exactly he was so happy to give frequent interviews instead of actually looking into the mental shutdowns, like he was supposedly doing. But it was annoying when people told you repeatedly that you look like Goro Akechi.
Or hear people give constant praises how he's even better than the previous Detective Prince. No offense to Akechi-san. But that did not endear him to the guy in the slightest when he's met Naoto-san.
Though he supposed that wasn't fair. After all it wasn't like he was saying that he was better than Naoto-san. Just his fans and the media. And sure, the new Detective Prince rubbed him the wrong way with the press tours he seemed to go on but he doesn't know the guy. And maybe the tv interviews don't show him in a true light. After all, you can't believe everything you see on TV.
He sighed to himself, swallowing his annoyance. He needed to be fair.
"I hear your sister has been going around, investigating into cognitive psience," Akechi-san was saying.
Makoto-san's sister was a prosecutor… why would she be looking into that?
Makoto-san narrowed her eyes, noticeably stiffening. "Sis doesn't really like discussing cases with me."
"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense." He cupped his chin in his hand, in deep thought. "She probably should be consulting experts, after all."
Ken couldn't help but feel his eyebrow twitch but he already told himself he was going to be fair. Maybe Akechi-san just didn't realize how… rude that sounded.
Ken pointedly cleared his throat, before smiling slightly at Makoto-san. "Good morning, Makoto-san."
"Oh, Ken!" Makoto-san's eyes lit up, her lips curving into a smile. "Good morning."
Akechi-san turned to look at him. "Oh, who is this, Niijima-san? A friend?"
"Why yes," Makoto-san said coolly, her voice clipped when she looked at Akechi-san. "This is Ken Amada. He's recently moved to Tokyo."
"Really…"
For some reason, Ken felt uncomfortable with Akechi-san's eyes on him. Something about his eyes felt familiar. But then he shook that thought off. He seen the guy on TV more than once before, of course he would have seen his eyes. Maybe he was more tired than he thought.
But what was weirder, Akechi-san was looking at him as if there was a sense of familiarity too. He looked him over up and down and just flashed him the same smile he always wore on TV.
Akechi-san laughed. "I could have sworn we've met before! Have you been to Tokyo before you moved out here?"
Ken shook his head, frowning. "Not that I know of. I think you're mistaking me for someone else."
What kind of question was that?
"Strange, I can't help but feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Maybe you have one of those faces." Akechi-san then pressed a hand to his mouth, stifling a chuckle. "But are you sure we never met? Do I not seem familiar? Aside from seeing me on television, I suppose. More and more people have been asking me for interviews, after all."
Okay, he was a bit aggravating. And a bit of a braggart. This was the guy they were saying surpassed Naoto-san? Why did it seem like he was mocking Ken for some reason? He felt like there was some inside joke he wasn't aware of.
Ken held back sarcasm slipping into his voice, "Pretty sure I'd remember meeting someone as famous as you."
"Fair enough. I just couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu seeing you is all." Akechi-san waved off.
The weird part… Ken actually kind of agreed with him. He got a weird feeling seeing him as well. But it made him feel uncomfortable for some reason. But maybe that was because his bias he was trying to hold back. He wanted to be fair… but this guy was rubbing him the wrong way no different than on TV.
"Are you done, Akechi-kun?" Makoto-san looked rather annoyed herself, with her lips pursed together as if she was stopping herself from making a comment. "Don't you have an interview to catch?"
Akechi-san politely laughed, "As a matter of fact, Niijima-san. I do. People are curious what I have to say about the whole Medjed incident, with the challenge they made to the Phantom Thieves."
He then shrugged, before spreading his hands. Ken grumbled to himself. He was acting rather pompous. How irritating.
He then mused, "Though, I suppose Medjed does have a point… the Phantom Thieves are making a mockery of justice, after all."
Ken narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat.
"You've made it perfectly clearly that you think that the Phantom Thieves are nothing more than criminals themselves on your various interviews. You don't have to repeat it," he said dryly.
He tilted his head at Ken. "And I suppose you believe that the Phantom Thieves are better than law enforcers?"
"They get things done at least," Ken retorted before he narrowed his eyes at Akechi-san. "While you've been running off giving who knows how many interviews."
Makoto-san's jaw dropped, and he swore he saw her eyes bug out.
"My, you're a blunt one, aren't you? " Akechi-san laughed again. "The Phantom Thieves are vigilantes at best. Arrogant ones, at that. But I can understand why you'd come to your conclusion."
Makoto-san noticeably stiffened at his statement—not that he blamed her.
Ken had to fight to not roll his eyes. Did he really say that? Really? He could not talk about arrogance, not with how he acted like he was the high authority. Though the public's opinions of him didn't exactly help.
"For what? Stating that they'll make their targets confess—something that they do end up doing." Ken shrugged. "They're just fulfilling their promises."
"And we're really late for school now!" Makoto-san suddenly interjected, grabbing his arm. "Come on, Ken, we don't wanna be late."
"Hold on a moment." Akechi-san spoke up.
Makoto-san winced but halted from pulling Ken away.
Akechi-san held out his right hand, obvious wanting to hand shake. Ken couldn't help but quirk a brow at him.
"Quite rude of me to hold this whole conversation and not properly introduce myself, you already know who I am, but it would feel rude not too," he said politely.
Ken sighed internally but he shouldn't be rude. He pulled away from Makoto-san before he took Akechi-san's hand and shook it.
Akechi-san flashed another smile. "Goro Akechi. And I must say, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Amada-san. I apologize if we got off on the wrong foot, but talking with you has been most interesting. I do hope we'll run into each other again."
"Of course…" Ken said diplomatically. "Nice to meet you as well. Sorry if I came across as curt."
"Nonsense… I found it quite valuable. Hearing the opinions of those who sympathize with the Phantom Thieves gives me much to think about for my investigations." Akechi-san waved off as he let go of Ken's hand. "But I must be off, I kept you both long enough."
Makoto took his arm again and just gave Akechi-san a slight nod as a goodbye, before dragging Ken away and into the train that would take them to Shujin. Once they arrived, she pulled him aside, before she smacked his shoulder.
She scolded, "What were you thinking? Do you want people to talk about you? You have to be socially inept to not know how popular Akechi-kun is, right now!"
"He rubbed me the wrong way," Ken muttered.
Makoto-san just let out an exasperated sigh, before pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Honestly…" she muttered. "L-Look, I appreciate you defending the Phantom Thieves, but… you didn't have to."
"I did it because I wanted to. Besides, he was being rude to you, wasn't he?"
Makoto-san sighed, a weary look on her face.
"It's just… in his nature," she muttered. "For as long as I've known him."
"Have you known him for long?"
Makoto-san's forehead wrinkled as she thought.
"Not as long as you think. Akechi-kun only started becoming really popular in this last year and he was paired with my older sister for investigations. I became acquainted with him when I would bring lunch to my sister. She…"
Makoto-san winced, pursing her lips together.
"She has a tendency to forget lunch when she's deep into a case."
That was right… since Makoto-san's older sister was a prosecutor, she would need a detective partner. Though he had to wonder just how old Makoto-san's sister was.
"I only talked to him a handful of times. Sometimes she'd invite me to have lunch with them for a short bit before I had to head out. One time he came by while we were having dinner. I was alone with him for a short bit when she excused herself to go get changed. I guess they had a break in some case," Makoto explained.
She then looked down at her shoes and sighed while they continued walking.
"And they were gone before you know it. I… will admit he always rubbed me the wrong way too. Not just because the few conversations we had, where he was a bit… much. But… it's nothing, I'm not hear to whine about family life."
Ken frowned at that. It sounded like her sister spent more time with Akechi-san than with her. He should probably switch the subject to distract her mood.
And anyways… this was a good chance to talk to Makoto-san, right? It was early in the morning, so they didn't have to worry about the annoying gossips rampant in Shujin. (Seriously, why were they so obsessed with gossiping…)
"Makoto-san?"
"Hm?"
"There's something I want to talk to you about," Ken mumbled out before he could get cold feet.
When she looked at him, questions in her eyes, he spoke again.
"I… I think I have a clue for the target you've been looking into. The one Alibaba has offered you."
Makoto-san's eyes turned as wide as saucers. "Hang on, how do you know that?"
Ken explained, "For some reason… Alibaba reached out to me. Last Saturday, to be exact, but they have been sending messages to me every now and then…"
Makoto-san gave a little gasp, her eyes wide. "What kind of messages?"
"Well… the most recent one asked me if I… I knew how to steal desires," he said softly, then his voice became more nervous, "They seem unsure if you'll fulfill the request. It… kind of creeped me out that they knew—I knew—who you all were. I never blabbed to anyone like the police or online!"
Makoto placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I believe you. This further confirms whoever they are must be watching us closely."
"That's not remotely unnerving," Ken said sarcastically.
"It's just so… vague," Makoto-san confessed. "We don't know if we should, or if we should trust them. So we haven't really made many moves to try to contact them further."
She sighed, stroking her chin for a moment.
"I'll talk to Ren during school and organize a meeting with everyone… we should talk about this in private."
They all met in the student council room, Makoto-san made all the arrangements. Ken had to admit she was impressive from pulling all this off and making certain no one would see anything suspicious.
Are you for real?!" Sakamoto-san was gaping at Ken. "You can't be serious, man!"
Kitagawa-san leaned against his seat, drumming his fingers on the table.
"Just how did Alibaba discover all of our identities? Why would they go to Amada-san first? It came as a shock when Ren received the first message, but it makes sense as he's our leader," Kitagawa-san said, looking rather puzzled.
"Maybe Alibaba had a reason to go to Amada-senpai first…" Takamaki-san gazed at Ken, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Maybe Alibaba didn't want to reach out to us at first. Look at how they seem to be holding their cards tightly to their chest."
"Perhaps it's because he's not a Phantom Thief. An outside party that is aware of us and we were in contact." Morgana hopped out of Ren's bag.
"Yes, but that's most unsettling, that means they must be watching us closely, but from where, and when?" Kitagawa-san said with concern.
Amamiya-san nodded. "I guess that makes sense. People are always speculating about what we do is right or wrong… so someone in contact with the group but not part of the group makes sense to approach. But I agree with Yusuke, that is creepy. How did they find out that fact about Senpai? And our identities as well. They even got me and Amada-senpai's numbers."
"Yes, that is the part that troubles me a lot. How Alibaba was able to contact you both…" Morgana said, before sitting down, curling his tail around himself. "They must be a master hacker or something. Similar to Medjed."
Sakamoto-san huffed. "Dude, did you not see the stunt that Alibaba pulled? Alibaba hit the entire school while trying to show off to Ren his abilities."
"Though, it seems like Alibaba considers you an honorary Phantom Thief somewhat." Makoto-san looked thoughtful, before looking over to Amamiya-san. "You did bring up the idea before…"
Ken blinked and stared at the whole group who looked in deep thought.
What idea?
"I did…" Amamiya-san said with a laugh, before his eyes swept over to his friends. "Well? What do you guys think?"
Takamaki-san shrugged with a smile. "Well, Amada-senpai seems like he's being dragged into things no matter what… I think you were right, Ren."
"I agree," Kitagawa-san pronounced.
What was going on?
"You know what I think," Makoto-san said with a smile.
Think about what?! Will someone tell him what exactly was going on?
"He's capable." Morgana nodded. "And he hasn't ratted us out yet or tried to flee the country. I feel that should be worth pointing out."
For some reason Ken felt nervous and wasn't sure he was liking where this was going or not.
"Well, he did save our asses with Kaneshiro…" Sakamoto-san grinned. "I had my doubts about him, but I think… I dunno, I feel like I was wrong about you. You're pretty alright, Senpai."
Amamiya-san stood up from his chair. And Ken couldn't help but feel like mentally swallowing a rock in his throat that wasn't even there. He felt more nervous by the second, even with all the friendly smiles around him.
"Amada-senpai, will you join the Phantom Thieves?"
I know that the fireworks festival didn't include food and games, but after researching a bit, food and game stalls are usually set up during these kinds of events. So I changed it, because I really did wish that the Phantom Thieves got to actually have some fun, instead of the rain ruining the show.
So… Akechi. I know there are a lot of headcanons floating around that Ken and Akechi will become good friends in PQ2, but they won't be in this. Why? Because while their backgrounds and motivations to become a Persona-user are very similar… their actual personalities are very different. Akechi gives off a front of being a people's person, even though he tends to rub some people the wrong way sometimes with his attitude. Ken is more serious and tends to be drawn towards down to earth characters as friends (Akihiko, Shinji in the movies, Naoto and Kanji in PQ/Ultimax, and etc.) So it's really a personality clash (in the beginning). However, their relationship is rather complicated and I'm looking forward to delving into it.
But thank you again to everyone else who has been showing support for this story! It sometimes really blows my mind to see that people really like this.
Edits (5/19/24): Mostly embellishments throughout the chapter and some changes were made to reflect some previous edits. Thank you to angelrin89 for betaing!