Chapter 11
Down Time
Sunday, July 31st, 2016
Ren hadn't meant to sleep in, really. But he was just so tired after the Palace exploration. And by the time he had gotten up—nearly eleven—Sojiro was already serving a couple of his regulars. Which only meant that Ren had to find breakfast/lunch somewhere else. Too bad though, since Sojiro's curry really was something else.
He sighed to himself as he walked out of the train station.
"Ren-san?"
Ren turned at the sudden voice, seeing that it was Ken.
"Hey, Ken." Ren grinned at him, waving at him as Ken came closer. "What are you up to?"
"Just running a couple errands," Ken answered, before he shrugged. "What about you?"
"Well, I woke up late so I've gotta go buy lunch somewhere. I was thinking the diner actually," Ren explained.
"You… woke up late?" Ken repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that Boss feeds him most of the time, but since he had customers, Ren had to look somewhere else," Morgana piped up.
Then he gave Ren a disapproving look, and Ren sighed, bracing for the incoming lecture. He swore Morgana nagged at him more than his mom ever did.
"This is why I tell you to get some sleep at an early time!" he scolded.
As if he could forget. Most of the time, Morgana was dragging him to bed by 10:00, a bedtime he hadn't had since junior high.
"You've told me… repeatedly, Morgana," Ren said dryly.
"Well, maybe if it'd stick in your head already—"
"Why don't we go back to my place so I can cook you some food, then?" Ken cut off their bickering, shooting them a look. "My errands can wait another day."
Ren stared at him for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No, it's okay, Ken. It's different with Yusuke, since he barely has any money…"
"And you're in charge of our funds," Ken retorted, giving him an unimpressed look. "Shinjiro-san does the shopping on Saturday evenings, so we have plenty of food."
He had a stubborn look in his eye. He probably wouldn't take no as an answer.
Ren sighed. "Okay, okay…"
Then he rubbed the back of his neck, before sheepishly thanking Ken. It was quiet for the first few minutes, but Ken suddenly broke the silence.
"Hey," he leaned in close to Ren, keeping his voice low, "Why do you operate during the day, anyways?"
Ren stopped walking and gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"
Ken just crossed his arms over his chest. "…Ren-san, tell me. What do phantom thieves have in common?"
"Well, they leave a calling card, announcing that they're going to take something," Ren said, ticking off his fingers. "Something of value…"
Ken just raised an eyebrow at him, before walking again as well. "And when do they usually steal them?"
Ren rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… It was Morgana's idea?"
"HEY!" Morgana protested, popping out of Ren's bag. "You can really ruin your health by staying up too late!" he continued to lecture.
Then he leveled an irate glare at Ken, but Ken hardly blinked. Ren was beginning to think he had some kind of immunity to glares, given how he had a scary as hell guardian.
"Don't tell me that you stay up late to study or something!" Morgana demanded of Ken, almost leaning out of the bag.
Ren sighed, before pushing Morgana back into his bag despite his protests. He didn't want Morgana to tumble out of the bag and hurt himself.
"Okay, I won't tell you then," Ken deadpanned.
Ren just stifled a laugh as Morgana started to sputter. The people in the lobby started to stare so Morgana just slunk back into his bag. He poked his head out slightly while the people stopped looking their way, just to narrow his eyes up at Ken.
"To be honest Ken, I agree with Morgana's advice. We are only high school students after all. And we live all over the place. It's not like we all live in one apartment complex together," Ren pointed out. "How would all of us be able to sneak out and get back home without anyone noticing? Not to mention the train schedules. Plus, we'd be run even more ragged if we did it at night, like I said, just high school students."
Morgana smiled up at him in triumph and looked at Ken smugly. Ken just frowned at scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sorry… never thought of it that way. I guess I kinda forgot about the whole part where we all are spread out across town." Ken sighed.
Morgana then glared at Ken, actually causing him to flinch.
"Ren, can you let me stay at Ken's place tonight?" he grumbled. "I'm going to make him go to bed on time if he insists on bad sleep habits as a good strategy for the Metaverse and his academics."
"You'll be competing with Shinjiro-san, then," Ken deadpanned, before pressing the elevator button.
"Or maybe he's just after Shinjiro-san spoiling him with good food," Ren snickered, giving Ken a sly smile.
Then the doors opened, and they were able to step inside the elevator. Ken then took the moment to press the button for the top floor.
"He kept talking about the shrimp tempura that Shinjiro-san made him the night of the festival. The texture, how it was perfectly seasoned…."
"Hey! I'm right here!" Morgana snapped. "And that is not true!"
"Oh, that's too bad." Ken's eyes slid to Ren, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "I think we have a little tuna left from last night, but I guess if you're not that fond of Shinjiro-san's cooking, you probably don't want it…"
Ren had to fight the urge to start snickering again. Ken did have a sense of humor after all.
"That's…!" Morgana's eyes became huge at Ken's statement.
Ren had to bite down on his lip hard. Oh man, Ken already had Morgana pegged. Though, he had to admit, it wasn't that hard.
"He… may… be a good cook…" he grumbled out.
"That wasn't so hard, now was it, Morgana?" Ren teased.
Morgana's retort was cut off by the elevator doors opening. He followed Ken down the hallway as they made small talk about school. Morgana piping in instead about how Ren was doing better on his tests compared to last time. Ren then pinched Morgana on the cheeks and his companion hissed at him. Ken stifled a laugh and told them to keep it down to not disturb the neighbors. Ken then unlocked the door and let them in. Ren slipped off his shoes, leaving them by the door, just as Morgana jumped out of his bag, before jumping onto one of the seats.
Though he had to wonder just how they could afford this kind of place, with Shinjiro-san working for Crossroads. And some other job too, but still. That second job must have been some nice job to pay himself this well.
Unless he was some high stakes gambler and made killings. Ren shook his head, and shot down that overactive imaginative thought. He didn't know the man very well but from what he has seen, that was extremely unlikely for Shinjiro-san.
Ken was already pulling out ingredients from the fridge and a cupboard near the stove. The appliances were all really nice. Ren hadn't gotten the chance to look at it the other night.
"What are you making?" Morgana asked, hopping into Ren's lap now.
"Omurice," Ken answered, before he began to chop up an onion.
Omurice, huh? Well, he wouldn't turn it down for a couple reasons. One, Ken had offered to cook for him and two, omurice was always a classic. He hadn't had it in a while, actually.
"So… what were your errands?" Ren asked, to make conversation.
Ken hesitated for a moment, before turning back to chopping up the ingredients.
"Well… I was going to the bookstore today," he admitted. "It's not a big deal, I can always go tomorrow. What about you?"
"I, uh… haven't really figured that out," Ren admitted. "Maybe work at the flower shop today. They pay me pretty well, especially if I impress the customer with the floral arrangement I put together for them."
It was honestly a really fun job. So far it was his favorite part-time job.
"The flower shop?" Ken looked up for a moment, raising an eyebrow, before turning his attention back to cooking.
He dropped the onion into the pan, which sizzled loudly when it hit the hot oil. The aromatic scent already was making Ren's mouth water.
"I have a hard time picturing you doing that," Ken remarked.
"Hey, sometimes you can't be picky," Ren said. "And it's a lot better than the beef bowl shop job I took a couple months ago… the convenience store is hit or miss, but at least the employees there are all nice."
The beef bowl job was just… insane. Not to mention if the customers bitched you out for making one little mistake. The nights he worked there… Morgana didn't have to tell him to go to bed. He would all but fall onto his bed once he got home. And it was ridiculous they refused to hire more staff and expected him to do the job of like three or four people.
"That's true," Ken said with a nod, before stirring the onions.
After a while, he dropped the chicken he had diced up into the pan, before adding some rice. While that finished cooking, he started to beat eggs in a bowl. Ren couldn't help but feel fascinated, watching him. His movements were rather fluid. It must be a recipe he knew by heart.
But then Ken suddenly spoke up with disappointment in his tone.
"Though… Ryuji-san tells me that you work for a yakuza?"
Ren gulped as Ken shut off the stove, staring at him expectantly.
"First of all, former yakuza, it's not my place to ask why but he's left that life behind! And it was to get discounts on guns and other things," he said quickly. "And he offered it to me, not the other way around!"
Ren was gonna smack Ryuji for leaving out important context. Ken however just sighed, shaking his head. He then pursed his lips together.
"If you say so," he muttered, even as he continued to frown. "Though I suppose if you've been working for him for a while, there's nothing I can really say. I hope you're being careful however."
He better not mention that he started working with Iwai just about a little over three weeks ago… It had taken him ages to work up the guts to ask Iwai about the contents in the bag.
But if Ken had this reaction about Iwai, he hoped no one will bring up his deal with Takemi, and being her guinea pig for her medicine.
Ken then turned his attention back to the stove, turning it back on to cook the eggs. A few minutes later, Ken set a plate in front of Ren, and a smaller plate for Morgana.
"Mm, it smells so good!" Morgana practically inhaled the scent, before he dove in.
"Thanks again, Ken," Ren said, before taking a bite.
Flavor immediately flooded his mouth. And it just tasted so… comforting. And the egg itself was so fluffy. Honestly… it was probably the best omurice he's ever had.
"This tastes amazing," Ren said, setting down his fork.
Ken's cheeks took a slightly pink tint as he sat across from Ren. "Thanks, it's one of my favorite recipes that Shinjiro-san has taught me, actually…"
"Omurice a favorite meal, then?"
"There's that…" Ken said with a slight smile but then his eyes softened. "But I love it because Shinjiro-san somehow managed to replicate how my mom would make it for me."
So, it had some sentimental value.
"You loved your mom a lot, didn't you?"
Ken nodded. "She… was always there for me, even though it was tough without my dad… they separated when I was pretty young, so my mom was the only parent I really knew. Shinjiro-san's been great though! Don't get me wrong."
Ren just quirked an eyebrow at him. "How much older is he?"
"He's seven years older," Ken answered. "But a couple of my senpai call him Dad as a joke, so he's always had that aura about him, you know?"
He was only seven years older? And he was willing to take care of Ken like that… Ren couldn't help but feel impressed.
Despite that Ren gave him a nod. He wasn't sure about dad energy; he'd compare the older man more to a grouchy mother hen from what he'd seen. But that's splitting hairs.
"That's pretty impressive," Ren commented. "I mean… with Shinjiro-san being your guardian."
"Yeah…" Ken sighed, his expression suddenly becoming sad for some reason. "Shinjiro-san has always looked after me."
Though he had to wonder just how young he was when he met Shinjiro-san. From Ken's last statement, it must have been for a while.
Ken stood up and stretched. "But anyways, when you're done do you want to check out the entertainment room?"
"An entertainment room?" Ren repeated, staring at him. "How can you even afford this?"
"It's on loan from a friend of Shinjiro-san's," Ken said with a wave of his hand. "You like BBR? You seem like the type."
Bop Bop Revolution, huh?
Ren grinned. "A game you'll definitely lose at? You are so on."
"I should've known that your virtues don't include modesty," Ken sighed, though his eyes were glinting with amusement.
Ren just smirked. "Hey, it's not bragging if it's true."
RANK UP! Adjustment Confidant has reached Rank 3.
Fusion Raid: Two party members may perform a special co-op attack when all Shadows are all knocked down.
Monday, August 1st, 2016
Since his plans for gift hunting were rather… derailed yesterday, Ken was going to be doing that today. Not that he minded too much. Hanging out with Ren-san yesterday was fun. Though with Ren-san and Yusuke-san… he had to wonder about the eating habits about the others. Anne-san mentioned dieting for her job, and there were the others' comments about her sweet tooth…
He really needed to visit the Pusemon Center at one point. Miyuki and Kaito have been begging for presents from there. But he'd worry about that later. Shinjiro-san's birthday was closer. A lot closer…
It was only ten days away and he still had no idea what to give his guardian. And it was a big milestone—he was turning twenty-five.
"Ugh, why didn't I go shopping earlier?" Ken grumbled to himself, even though he already knew the answer.
A combination of worrying about the mission, finals, and then Alibaba stuff, Futaba-san, and Medjed completely distracted him.
Shinjiro-san wasn't a hard person to please when it came to birthday presents. He was usually happy with Ken giving him something like a cookbook filled with foreign recipes. But… twenty-five was a milestone. He couldn't help but feel that he should do something more this year.
Not to mention how Shinjiro-san had decided that he needed to keep an eye on Ken because he wanted to do the mission. He needed to make up for that. Not to mention that he was starting to suspect that they may still be handling Futaba-san's Palace when Shinjiro-san's birthday came along… and Shinjiro-san was asking for time off at work so they could visit Port Island.
The thing was that he had no idea where to begin.
Ken sighed, before rubbing his temples. Well, if he got really desperate, he could always look at engagement rings, in case Shinjiro-san had missed something—
"HEEEEEEY, KEN!"
Ken just about jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice. Of course, it was Ryuji-san. It was never not Ryuji-san. But he wasn't alone. Yusuke-san was staring sternly at Ryuji for his yelling.
"Ryuji, I do not think it is prudent to destroy Ken's eardrums like that," he said flatly.
"Sorry, man…" Ryuji-san rubbed the back of his neck, offering Ken a sheepish smile. "But you really looked out of it! Like you were overthinking something."
Well, that wasn't a lie. Ryuji-san could be surprisingly perceptive.
"Well, I was certainly thinking about something," Ken sighed. "But I wasn't sure how to continue…"
Ryuji-san just cocked his head. "You prolly need some food. Y'know, brainpower!"
He tapped his temple with a grin. Ken laughed quietly and shook his head. His energy was sometimes contagious.
"And maybe you could talk to us 'bout it? It seems like it's a problem," Ryuji-san offered.
"Well, not exactly a problem…" Ken said, before letting out a huff of air, ruffling his bangs.
He couldn't help but feel a little frustrated at himself.
"Honestly, I should've started a while ago… it's nothing but my fault," he lamented.
"Hey, hey, none of that!" Ryuji-san scolded, looking uncharacteristically stern. "I mean, shit's been crazy, yeah?"
"And you shouldn't really put yourself down like that." Yusuke-san joined in the chastisement as well. "You've been busy, have you not? We all have been. Not to mention that we were concerned with exams not too long ago."
"So… lunch?" Ryuji-san nudged him. "Promised Yusuke a while ago that I'd take him out for beef bowls. Wanna come with?"
The mention of beef bowls just made him smile. It reminded him of Akihiko-san.
"Okay," he said with a nod.
And maybe Ryuji-san was right. Maybe he needed some advice for a starting point.
Ryuji-san grinned at him. "Sweet! Come on, it's not too far!"
Ryuji-san then led the two of them to a modestly sized beef bowl shop. It was pandemonium, employees trading shouts while customers impatiently waited for their orders.
"Rush hour," Ken sighed, with a shake of his head.
"How uncouth," Yusuke-san said with disdain. "How could anyone enjoy an establishment such as this?"
Guess he shouldn't mention that he really liked Wild-Duck, back on Port Island. Though part of his positive feelings had to do with the races he had with his soccer teammates after practice. Those had been really fun, especially when Koromaru joined in. But Wild-Duck had been falling on hard times, since Big Bang Burger was growing in popularity so fast. It was too bad though… he didn't really like Big Bang all that much compared to Wild-Duck.
"Hey, man, they all can't be five-star restaurants," Ryuji-san huffed, "And it's really good, I promise."
Ken couldn't help but think that Ryuji-san would probably hate dining at five-star restaurants. Especially with the tiny proportions.
Yusuke-san sniffed, looking rather unconvinced. "If you say so, Ryuji."
"Just wait until I can take you to Ogikubo, Yusuke!" Ryuji waved his arms in excitement.
"What's Ogikubo?" Ken asked.
"Oh, it's a district here in Tokyo. But the ramen is simply the best! Nothing can compare!" Ryuji-san said enthusiastically.
At least he knew that somebody else was concerned about Yusuke's diet. Or more specifically, his lack of one.
"I'll be the judge of that, not you," Yusuke stated, looking rather unimpressed.
They waited in line to order, though they had to stop Yusuke-san from ordering something that wasn't even on the menu. He felt so bad for the cashier, who looked like she was a first-year high schooler. Soon enough, they received their food, and managed to find three seats.
"Hey, man, you've gotta eat more!" Ryuji-san scolded, before reaching for the ginger and piling it in Yusuke's bowl.
"Hmm, it seems you remember my technique." Yusuke-san sounded pleased.
"Dude, that was for sushi," Ryuji-san sighed, before turning to Ken.
Ken jerked his bowl away before Ryuji-san could add any to his.
"I already have Shinjiro-san nagging me in that department," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't need you to do that too."
Ryuji just smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, man. Guess my mom's rubbed off of me."
So… Ryuji's mother was alive. And judging from that statement, he seemed fond of his mother. Ken knew better to pry, but he couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't pulled Ryuji from Shujin after Kamoshida broke his leg. Just… who would let their child be in the same school where their teacher assaulted said child?
Yusuke-san then set down his chopsticks. "Ken… what ails you? Ryuji is correct in that you looked rather… perplexed out on the street."
Ryuji-san looked over at him expectingly after he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, popping it in his mouth. Ken took a bite of food as well, taking the time to gather his thoughts together.
"Well… Shinjiro-san's birthday is coming up in about a week and a half. I meant to go looking for presents yesterday, but Ren's unhealthy eating habits interrupted that."
"Ren's what?" Ryuji-san repeated, looking rather baffled.
"He apparently relies on Sakura-san a lot for breakfast. I took back to my place and made him something. We ended up hanging out, so my plans kinda got shot." Ken answered.
"So, he missed breakfast for one morning and decided to go out to eat and you call that bad eating habits? Kinda anal man, RenRen is not Yusuke."
"I said unhealthy!"
"Same thing. And again, one morning? Dude not allowed to accidentally sleep in for one morning?"
"Forget I said anything…" Ken grumbled.
"I'm just saying, he's pretty on top of things normally. You can't really lump his eating habits with Yusuke."
"Indeed, his spending habits are also admirable." Yusuke-san said with a proud smile.
Ryuji-san scowled with disappointment. "Yeah, it's a good thing that he can't be lumped with ya in that regard either."
Yusuke-san didn't seem to register the jab as he took a sip of his tea and bite of his rice. Ken sighed and took another bite of beef. Ryuji-san shook his head and took a sip of his soda.
Yusuke-san let out a thoughtful hum after swallowing another bite of his food. "Just what are Aragaki-san's interests?"
"Cooking," Ken said automatically. "And animals."
Ryuji-san let out a guffaw. "Animals?! Didn't peg Shinjiro-san as an animal lover."
"He had cooked specifically for Morgana." Yusuke-san closed his eyes. "I am unsurprised."
"I always thought it was 'cause he felt bad for Morgana getting soaked like that…" Ryuji-san said sheepishly.
Ryuji-san scratched the back of his head with his free hand. He shoved a huge bite of food in his mouth and then gulped down some more of his soda. Yusuke-san eyed him with a rather unimpressed expression but Ryuji-san ignored it. Ken was tempted to tell him not to put so much food in his mouth, lest he choke, but he decided to hold his tongue.
"I mean, ain't that why he cooked for us?" he asked.
"Ryuji, take smaller bites and don't eat and drink so fast. You are also being far too loud with how you eat. You are a man, not a boar," Yusuke-san sighed.
"Yeah, yeah… I don't need table manner lectures from someone who has sucky feeding habits himself." Ryuji-san rolled his eyes.
Ken couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He took another sip of his water and cleared his throat.
"Some of it was leftovers from when Fuuka-san surprised us that morning," Ken said. "Though Shinjiro-san really does love to cook. It wasn't really a problem for him."
"I can taste his passion," Yusuke-san mused, before opening his eyes. "You are truly fortunate to taste that on a daily basis."
"Dude, why you gotta be so dramatic?" Ryuji groused.
"I am merely stating the truth." Yusuke-san said before finishing off his tea.
Ken just laughed. "I'll be sure to pass on the compliment to Shinjiro-san."
Ryuji-san slouched in his chair and set down his chopsticks.
"Though seriously… why are you stressing 'bout this?" Ryuji-san's forehead wrinkled. "Shinjiro-san doesn't seem the type of guy to make a huge deal outta a birthday."
Ken took another bite of rice while Yusuke-san spoke up.
"Speaking of birthdays, when is yours?" Yusuke-san inquired. "Ren is quite determined to not miss another birthday, after discovering too late that Ryuji's birthday had passed."
Ken winced. "My birthday is June 24th."
"Whaaaat?" Ryuji stared at him. "How come you never said anything?"
Ken shrugged. "It's not a big deal to me. I'm more than happy to get well wishes from the people I care about."
Honestly, it was nice to have a quiet birthday—well, during the school day, at least—for once. The girls at Shujin pointed and whispered but they didn't outright fawn over him like the girls at Gekkoukan.
"Nah, man, we've gotta catch up after we deal with—"
Ken stared exasperatedly at Ryuji-san, who winced.
He then cleared his throat. "—our little problem. Ren took me video game bingeing when he found out 'bout my birthday. We should do something special!"
He poked Yusuke-san in the shoulder, giving the taller boy a playful grin.
"Yusuke's birthday won't be 'till January, so a birthday celebration should be fun!"
Ken couldn't help but feel curious. "When are the girls' birthdays then?"
Ryuji-san scratched the back of his head.
"Uhh, I dunno 'bout Makoto, but Anne's birthday is in November. Ren told me that his birthday is May 22nd." He shook his head. "Dunno why he didn't say anything."
"Could say the same thing about you, Ryuji-san," Ken said.
"Hey, it was around the time we were gonna steal Kaneshiro's treasure," Ryuji-san defended. "Felt off to just announce it like that."
"That's fair," Yusuke-san said with a chuckle. "And shows a dedication to what we do."
"Well… what we do is special to me. It makes me feel like I actually belong, y'know?" Ryuji-san rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish. "That's why… I get so excited sometimes. I don't mean to yell, but sometimes it comes out…"
"Ryuji-san…"
Now Ken couldn't help but feel bad for giving him grief about that.
"I'm sorry…"
Ryuji-san waved his hands before giving Ken a reassuring smile. "It's cool, man! I mean, you're right, I need to be more careful."
He then shook his head, his expression becoming serious.
"But anyways, about Shinjiro-san… why is it such a big deal to you?" he asked.
Ken sighed. "I guess I just want to thank him? For what he's done for me. He wasn't even twenty-one when he gained custody of me. I didn't ask him of this… but he did it anyways."
"Just why did he then?" Yusuke-san looked a bit sad at that.
That… well he obviously couldn't tell them the truth. They definitely wouldn't understand. Not to mention even if he was comfortable sharing, it was far too long of a story.
"He was there when my mother died," Ken said instead. "He felt horrible that he couldn't do anything to stop it… and he felt awful that I was orphaned… he lost his parents when he was young as well."
Ken couldn't help but cringe a little. Lying to them, even if it was half-truths, was making his stomach squirm again.
Ryuji-san's eyes went wide. "Damn… he shouldn't blame himself, though! I mean, it's not like he killed your mom!"
Ken turned away and couldn't help but wince. That just cemented they wouldn't understand. After piecing together some of the stories of the Phantom Thieves… he knew that they'd have a hard time coming to terms of the truth of his mother's death.
"It was quite altruistic of him to do so, though," Yusuke-san said, before he sighed deeply. "If only there were more people like him."
"Yusuke…" Ryuji-san looked at him sadly.
He couldn't help but feel a little confused.
"Madarame was more like a father to me than anything," Yusuke-san said, apparently catching onto Ken's confusion.
Ken sucked in a breath.
"That's terrible. I'm sorry you went through that," Ken said quietly.
Yusuke-san just smiled faintly at Ken's statement.
"I appreciate your condolences. But to the subject of the matter… I believe that Shinjiro-san will be happy to receive any gift from you." He then pressed a hand to his chest. "As long as it's heartfelt. It matters not what the gift is… but the feelings that come from the gift giver."
Yusuke-san could be so eloquent. Ken couldn't help but smile softly.
"There's gotta be something, man!" Ryuji-san exclaimed.
"I…" Ken looked down at the table.
There was… Mom's old engagement ring. It was a pretty ring, too. Ken had little interest in jewelry, like most guys, but he had to admit that it was a nice ring. And while Fuuka-san didn't wear a ton of jewelry, she was fond of pearl jewelry.
"Shinjiro-san wants to propose to Fuuka-san."
"Whoa, really?" Ryuji-san gasped, before he scrunched up his nose. "Ain't they on the young side, though?"
"Not particularly," Yusuke-san stated. "There is the belief that a woman should be married by the age of twenty-five."
Right… the whole Christmas cake concept. Personally, Ken found the whole idea dumb. You got married when you felt ready. You shouldn't feel pressured to marry to make some deadline.
Ryuji-san just scoffed. "That's so dumb. A woman doesn't magically turn into a hideous hag once she turns twenty-six!"
Ken couldn't help but laugh at Ryuji-san's blunt assessment.
"Regardless, they have been together for quite some time," Ken mentioned. "They've been dating since their last year of high school. And Shinjiro-san's best friend has been married for a year already. And another friend got married last March."
"I see, they're high school sweethearts." Yusuke-san reached for his drink. "If they've survived this far, I'm sure they'll go the distance. I only wish them the best."
Ryuji-san frowned. "But you seriously aren't going to go out and buy an engagement ring, though? That shit's gotta be expensive!"
Ken shook his head. "Not exactly. I was bequeathed part of my inheritance when I turned eighteen… And my mother left me her old engagement ring."
Possibly to sell, possibly to give the woman he wanted to marry. But Shinjiro-san wanted to propose now. He could always get a new ring if he ever found someone he wanted to marry.
Yusuke-san's eyes lit up. "So you'll give it to him, and he could always customize it a bit to suit Yamagishi-san better. That would be cheaper than buying a new ring all together."
"And you were thinking 'bout something he really wants." Ryuji-san flashed him a grin before giving him a thumbs up. "He'll appreciate it for sure, Ken."
"Thank you for helping me though," Ken said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."
"Hey, no prob, man!" Ryuji-san slung an arm around Ken's shoulders, all while grinning. "What are friends for? But now that's settled, wanna hang out with me and Yusuke for the rest of the day?"
Friends. Ken had to fight the urge to grimace but he bit that down. They were all so nice but he only kept lying to them.
Ken forced himself a smile. "Um, if you don't mind."
"Nonsense." Yusuke-san smiled. "Someone will have to help me rein in Ryuji, regardless."
"Hey, don't talk like I'm not here!" Ryuji-san huffed. "If anyone needs reining it's you! Mr. spending all my budget on chocolates without checking if Anne's family would say yes!"
Ken was distracted from his thoughts as he blinked up at the two in confusion.
"I'm… missing some context."
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
The bookstore on Central Street was a lot neater than Bookworms. But still… they didn't seem to have what he was looking for…
"Ken?"
Ken whirled around to see that it was Makoto-san.
"Oh, hello, Makoto-san," he greeted, before his eyes flickered to the book that Makoto-san was holding. "What are you buying?"
"Oh, this?" Makoto-san adjusted her grip. "It's just a bestseller from America. I buy books in English to practice reading English."
She winced, before giving a little sigh.
"English isn't my strong suit," she admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Well, English isn't exactly an easy language," he sighed.
"I don't even know why we even need to study it, unless you plan on studying English as a major," Makoto-san mused before her eyes slid over to Ken. "Though, what are you looking for today?"
"Well, I was looking for books… about helping someone with depression," Ken admitted quietly.
Then he glanced around. There were only a few people in the bookstore today, but he didn't want anyone eavesdropping.
He kept his voice low. "I know that you've pulled off miracles, but I think it won't be enough. It'll be a good first step, but I want to see if there's anything else we can do to help with Futaba-san."
"Ken…" Makoto-san's eyes softened, and she touched his shoulder for a moment. "That was thoughtful of you. Honestly, it never occurred to me. But what you're saying makes sense… Futaba-chan will still retain her personality. We probably will have to take steps to help her afterwards. It's kind of you to be already thinking of helping Futaba-chan like this."
Ken felt his cheeks flush. "It's nothing really."
Then he gave a little sigh.
"Though I haven't really found anything on the subject…" he mumbled out.
Makoto-san pursed her lips, her expression turning pensive. "Hmm… maybe they'll be due a shipment soon. You should check again another day. Though, have you looked around for books that you'd want to read for fun?"
Ken shook his head. "I have a few books that I still need to finish reading, so I'm good in that regard."
"Oh, I see." Makoto-san nodded.
He still remembered how she ran out that day after they left Futaba-san's Palace when they first arrived. Something about it was bugging her. She kept her lips sealed tight. Yusuke-san seemed to know what to say to help her a bit, and Anne-san seemed to help comfort her. They were probably both helping each other.
He got a better idea of why Anne-san was so upset, but not Makoto-san. Not that anyone wouldn't be upset for Futaba-san's situation. But this…seemed almost personal.
He wasn't sure to ask her what bothered her though. It's not like she was a close personal friend of several years. He tried asking her about it a few days ago in private but the words to his question just wouldn't come out.
He wasn't sure why it was so much easier to open up to Ren-san and Anne-san a little bit of why it affected him personally, than asking Makoto-san why it did for her.
He was distracted from his thoughts when Makoto-san spoke up.
Makoto-san nodded. "Do you want to get lunch then?"
"Oh sure," Ken agreed.
Makoto-san smiled. "Just let me pay and we could go find a place."
She pressed her index finger against her lips as she thought.
She asked, "Have you eaten at LeBlanc yet? The curry is quite delicious. You would think that coffee and curry is an odd combination, but it's actually quite delicious. The coffee Boss brews is excellent, as well. Oh, unless you're a tea person…"
"I like both," Ken answered. "Shinjiro-san wouldn't let me drink coffee until my first year of high school, so he'd brew me low caffeinated tea for the mornings."
Makoto-san just laughed, before heading for the counter. "He sounds a bit like Sis. She'd chide me when I was younger for drinking soda… saying that there are so many preservatives in it."
Shinjiro-san probably had her beat though, he imagined.
Makoto-san paid for her book, which she then put away in her bag, before they headed for the train station. Since it was somewhat early for lunch, they managed to get seats instead of being sandwiched between people. Which was honestly a relief. It'd be awkward to have to stand so close to Makoto-san.
"Hey, Ken?"
"Hm?" Ken turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Anne lately?" she asked tentatively. "I think I did something to upset her…"
Well, considering the last time Anne-san was upset at Makoto-san… he didn't blame her for being a bit concerned.
"I haven't seen her since we entered Futaba-san's Palace last time," Ken stated. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know, it's just… strange." Makoto-san frowned, before halting in her steps. "She texted me out of the blue last night… asking if we were friends… and saying that I could tell her anything…"
That was strange. And somewhat unlike Anne-san.
"When was the last time you saw her?" he asked.
"Ah… two days ago, I believe? We went out for crepes… Anne was really happy, since the crepes with extra crème were regular price…" She shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought you'd have more insight than me."
"You've known her longer than me," Ken pointed out.
"Yeah, but—" Makoto-san sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind. Maybe I should just ask Anne straight out…"
Did Makoto-san not tell Anne-san about why she ran off that day right after they left Futaba-san's Palace? He'd assume if she'd open up to anyone about that, it would be Anne-san. Maybe that's why Anne-san was upset?
"That may be the best solution." Ken offered her a smile that he hoped was encouraging; he wanted to cheer her up.
Ken pushed the door open, allowing Makoto-san to step inside. She gave him a smile of thanks before walking inside the café. Though she abruptly stopped short.
"Sis?" she gasped out.
The woman looked up at Makoto-san's voice. "…Makoto?"
She was rather beautiful. She had the same elegant, yet stern air that Mitsuru-san often carried herself with. She had long steel gray hair, her bangs swept aside, and her eyes were red, albeit a darker shade than Makoto-san's. They seemed to have a tint of brown to them, whereas Makoto's eyes were a deeper red.
Though when Makoto walked up to her, Ken could see the resemblance between the two sisters, especially in their facial features.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, um, I ran into a friend earlier and I invited him out to lunch…" Makoto-san said awkwardly, suddenly looking nervous.
"A friend?"
Makoto-san's sister's eyes widened when they fell on Ken. Then she coughed, clearing her throat.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to stare. Something about you reminded me of Akechi-kun somewhat. I don't know if Makoto has told you this, but he's my partner."
Ken had to refrain from cringing right then and there. But he needed to be polite.
"Oh, I met him before actually. Though… I'm curious to what about me reminds you of him," Ken said instead.
"Not sure… forget I mentioned it." Makoto-san's sister waved it off.
"Sis, this is Ken Amada," Makoto-san introduced. "He moved out here in June. And Ken, this is my older sister, Sae Niijima."
For some reason… her eyes narrowed on him the moment Makoto addressed him. Ken couldn't help but feel confused. What was that about? But still, he needed to be polite.
Ken bowed his head. "It's nice to meet you, Niijima-san."
"Likewise, Amada-kun," she said coolly. "Tell me, where do you come from?"
"Tatsumi Port Island," he answered.
"Port Island…" she repeated, her expression thoughtful. "That's quite far from here. Though isn't that where the Apathy Syndrome phenomenon occurred back in 2009?"
"Apathy Syndrome?" Makoto-san echoed, sounding rather puzzled.
How… did she know about that? Most people had forgotten that it even existed, a result of how the Dark Hour disappeared. It blurred out people's memories, despite how prevalent it had been. While there were government records about the Dark Hour… how did a civilian know about that?
But then Ken realized she was staring at him.
"I… uh… maybe? I was just a kid in 2009," Ken quickly tried to sound confused by her question in hopes of sounding ignorant.
"Is that so?" She folded her arms over her chest, her eyes scrutinizing.
Ken suddenly felt very small, like she was examining him with a microscope. She was a prosecutor, wasn't she? She would probably be very good at sniffing out lies then…
"Are you done grilling my customers now?" Sakura-san groused, leveling a stern glare at Niijima-san.
As Niijima-san turned to shoot Sakura-san an irate look, Ken gave a soft sigh of relief.
Sakura-san then huffed, "It's bad enough that you've been tryin' to interrogate me for days now—"
"Days?" Makoto-san repeated, though her expression was more… resigned.
Niijima-san scowled at him. "If you would just tell me what I need to know—"
"I told you all I know already!" he hissed out, his face starting to redden with anger. "Get out of my shop! Quit obstructing my business!"
Though… he could only think of one thing that she could be after… Akechi had mentioned that she was looking into cognitive psience for some reason. And if they were partners, maybe they were both looking into the mental shutdowns. The two incidents were extremely similar after all. That would also explain her interest in Apathy Syndrome as well.
Niijima-san's scowl deepened, but then she glanced at Makoto-san before sighing.
"…Fine." She stood up, setting down a one-thousand-yen bill on the counter. "I have work to do anyhow. Keep the change."
"Sis, wait—!" Makoto-san bit her lip. "What have you been asking Boss? He just runs a coffee shop…"
"It's just something pertaining to my work…" Niijima-san sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Don't worry about it, Makoto. It's… complicated."
"But—" Makoto-san then cut herself off, her shoulders slumping.
Ken couldn't help but frown. He didn't like seeing her so… dejected.
She looked up at her sister. "Okay… are you staying at work overnight again?"
But then Niijima-san's expression softened ever so slightly.
"I'm sorry… but yes. I have too much on my plate right now…" She then stroked the top of Makoto-san's head for a moment. "Don't stay out too late today, okay?"
"All right," Makoto-san relented with a sigh.
Niijima-san nodded, pleased at Makoto-san's answer, before opening the door and stepping outside.
Ken frowned at the look of Makoto's face. It was a mix of concerned, upset, and just… resignation. He put a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to jolt her back to reality.
"I'm sorry, Ken… I just—"
"There's no need to apologize," Ken cut her off. "Your sister… her actions are pretty—"
Brazen, in all honesty. The fact that Sakura-san seemed angry with her was rather telling.
"…Bold," he finally said, not wanting to upset Makoto-san.
She looked up to her sister if he recalled correctly. A horrible thought crossed Ken's mind. Was Makoto-san touchy because of those voices in Futaba-san's Palace? Was her sister… no, surely not. She seemed pushy, but Futaba-san's palace implied at the very least she was being verbally abused by others. He hardly knew Makoto-san's sister, it wouldn't be fair to make assumptions just because she was a bit on the officious side.
"And I'd be worried too if Shinjiro-san was overworking himself like your sister is," he added, to try and reassure her.
Makoto smiled softly. "Thank you."
"Though kid…" Sakura-san began, "I didn't know you were from Port Island."
There was an… odd look on Sakura-san's face now.
"Oh, well… I thought it wasn't relevant." Ken shrugged.
Did Sakura-san know about the Shadow Operatives then? He made a mental note to ask Mitsuru-san if the name Sojiro Sakura sounded familiar to her, he was close to Futaba-san's mother after all.
Sakura-san looked at him carefully for a moment before he shook his head. "What can I get you today?"
"It's kinda hot…" Makoto-san said, "So can we get iced coffee with your curry today?"
"Coming right up." Sakura-san nodded, before heading for the kitchen to prepare their curry.
They then sat at the closest booth, though Ken noticed that Makoto-san still looked rather despondent.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ken asked carefully.
Makoto-san was silent for a long time, long enough for Sakura-san to come out and serve them their drinks. She waited til he left back to continue on his curry before she spoke up.
"My sister… she was always rather… brilliant, if not a prodigy. She became a prosecutor at the young age of twenty-two. But… Dad died not long after."
"That's… rather impressive," Ken said. "Though… I didn't realize that you lost your father a few years back… that must have been hard on her. To be so young, and to now take care of your little sister."
Makoto-san smiled sadly, and nodded. "Sis… she handled it the best she could. She started chasing after promotions so she could support us both. But…"
"You don't approve I'm assuming, of how much she's pushing herself to get there, or what she's doing to get those promotions?" Ken guessed.
"A… little of both." Makoto-san reached for the sugar and cream, mixing in one of each, before taking a sip. "She's become so… aggressive during her investigations lately. She's been working herself so hard to get promotions."
He had… heard of bad things about the court system. It was greatly skewed towards the prosecution. Though he hadn't realized just how complicated their relationship was. He had thought it was more Makoto-san not wanting Niijima-san to worry about her. It sounds like she rather admired her sister but also was disappointed in her.
"In all honesty, I was a little jealous when I got to see what exactly Shinjiro-san was like."
Ken's head shot up at that, and Makoto-san just let out a self-depreciative laugh.
"It's silly but… I wish that Sis was a little more like him. It's pretty obvious that he cares about you."
"That's not true."
Makoto looked up at him in shock.
He hastily added, "Not about Shinjiro-san. But your sister. I think she does care… but she doesn't show it very easily. If she didn't really care… why would she tell you to not stay out too long, I saw the way she looked at you, there was a soft expression in her eyes before she left."
Not to mention that she had all but patted her head. He just… didn't think that a sister who viewed taking care of her younger sister as a duty would do things like that. He felt guilty for his previous thought about Makoto-san's sister regarding how Makoto-san reacted to Futaba-san's Palace. He didn't know the woman; he shouldn't be quick to thoughts like that.
Makoto was quiet for a moment.
"I didn't think of it in that way," she admitted. "I just…"
She sighed, absentmindedly stirring her coffee with her straw.
"I just wish there was a way for us to become close again. She was a lot older than me, but she'd always indulge me when I wanted to play 'police officer' when I was a little girl," she said with a wistful smile.
Ken couldn't help but smile at the mental image of a little Makoto-san barging into Niijima-san's bedroom and begging her to play. She must have been a cute little girl. Though Makoto-san had wanted to be a police officer like her father when she was young. He wondered if she still wanted to.
"You'll find a way." Ken gave her an encouraging smile.
"Thanks, Ken." Makoto-san gave him a smile of her own.
She really had a nice smile... Ken couldn't help but feel warm, looking at it.
But then her expression grew serious. "Though first… we have other matters to deal with."
"Like maybe actually eating your meal?" Sakura-san's irritated voice cut through the air. "Sheesh… at the rate you two are going, it's gonna get cold."
They looked down, and sure enough there were two plates of curry in front of them.
Ken couldn't help but smile a bit at that. Yeah, he was definitely cut from the same cloth as Shinjiro-san.
"S-Sorry!" Makoto-san stammered out, her cheeks turning red. "We just… got caught up in our conversation."
"Yeah, I can see that," Sakura-san said dryly.
"Oh, I'm so embarrassed…" Makoto-san sighed as he walked away.
"It's okay. I mean we're still paying him," Ken said lightly.
Makoto-san giggled. "I suppose that's true."
Ken just smiled, glad that he succeeded in cheering her up.
However, Makoto-san was right… They had Futaba-san to worry about first. Not to mention Medjed, considering that it took time for stealing the target's desires to set in.
He hoped that they would go back soon, so they could finish the Palace faster…
I've always wondered why the Phantom Thieves never operated at night, since their whole shtick, is y'know… being a group of phantom thieves, and considering that SEES was only able to explore Tartarus during night… I thought it'd be amusing for Ken to point this out.
And the mention of Shinji making omurice like Ken's mom had made it comes from the Weird Masquerade. I know it's not quite canon, but there were some cute moments, especially with Shinji and Ken. I thought that moment in particular was really cute, so I thought I'd include it.
Edit Notes (6/25/24): Some extra dialogue in the confidant scene. There was also some expansion on Makoto, after discussing with my beta, to give her more spotlight and more of the big sister role she takes on with Futaba. thank you again to my beta angelrin89!