Chapter 21
Change Of Plans
Tuesday, September 13th, 2016
"Ken, you need to eat."
Ken just pushed the plate of food aside, shaking his head.
"…I'm not hungry," he mumbled out, reluctantly meeting Shinjiro-san's gaze. "Must be the jetlag still."
That was just… an excuse. But he just couldn't bring himself to continue eating. Not only that, but the few bites he managed to get down just tasted like ash.
Shinjiro-san just sighed, before pressing a hand to his forehead. "You know that wasn't your—"
"He died!" Ken snapped, only for guilt to flood him.
Shinjiro-san was just trying to reassure him. He shouldn't bite off his head for that. He stared down at the table.
"And just how he died… It's not exactly a Strega assassination, but it isn't pretty either," he mumbled out.
"A full on collision…" Shinjiro-san muttered, before turning back to the fridge and opening it.
He rummaged around for a moment, before pulling out a couple of onigiri. He wrapped them in plastic, before setting them on top of Ken's bento box. Probably to sneak eat if he got hungry during the morning classes.
He then looked to Ken seriously. "Look, Ken, try not to listen to whatever crap the students are gonna spout. Let them talk."
He had said… something similar right after Shinjiro-san had gained guardianship of him. One of his teachers had made an offhanded remark about how he couldn't believe that Shinjiro-san would normally want to take guardianship of someone, unless he had an ulterior motive. But Shinjiro-san hadn't cared. He had just shrugged things off. Sometimes he didn't know how Shinjiro-san just didn't care what people thought of him.
"…I'll try," Ken murmured, before he let out an involuntary yawn.
He had barely gotten any sleep last night, with the combination of the news and the major jetlag… Today was going to suck. Shinjiro-san just huffed out a laugh, smiling slightly as he looked to Ken in amusement.
"Knew that the jetlag would kick your ass," he said dryly, shaking his head. "Try not to pass out during class."
Ken rolled his eyes. Yeah, that was Shinjiro-san's style of 'parenting'. And yet… that somehow made him feel a little better.
"Duly noted," he deadpanned, before he stood up. "I better get going now, though."
The walk to Shujin felt… tense. The news seemed to have leaked out to some of his classmates, and they were discussing it, not taking care to keep their voices down.
"Did he seriously die?!"
"Who cares, man? He totally deserved it. He was gonna let Shujin down the tubes."
Ken's stomach twisted into knots and he suddenly felt the urge to vomit even though there wasn't much in his stomach. The lack of empathy… it just made him sick. Principal Kobayakawa was no saint, but…
He forced himself to stare out of the window. He just had to tune it out. What they said didn't matter…
The train ride seemed to last forever. It was a relief when the train conductor finally announced that they had stopped at Aoyama-Itchome Station. It took some squeezing to get out of the door, but it felt like he could actually breath once he was outside.
He went straight for his classroom, and he gratefully sank into his chair. He pressed a hand to his forehead. This was going to be a long day. He could feel it already.
His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it off. It was a text from Makoto, asking him to meet her in the student council room.
Ken couldn't help but frown. What was wrong? But Makoto wouldn't ask him to come see her like this, if there wasn't something wrong so…
He climbed the two flights of stairs, before finding the student council room and sliding it open. Makoto was sitting at the table, all alone. She was idly spinning a pen in between her fingers.
"Makoto?"
Makoto gave a little gasp, the pen slipping from her fingers. She then raised her head, and Ken fought the urge to wince. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked just… exhausted.
"I'm glad you could come." She wrung her hands for a moment. "…I didn't expect you to come so fast."
"I just got to the classroom when you texted me," Ken explained.
"I see." Makoto patted the seat next to her. "Come sit."
"What's the matter, Makoto?" Ken asked.
"It's just…" Makoto sighed. "They're cancelling the first morning class," she said quietly. "An emergency assembly of sorts… The teachers called the student council and informed us just now in a meeting."
An assembly…
"This is about the… incident, isn't it?" Ken asked quietly.
Makoto gave a nod. "Sis told me a little… Eye witnesses reported that he just stood there, not getting out of the way when the truck was crossing the street."
Ken felt his blood run cold. "You're not saying…"
"I don't know." Makoto bit her lip. "Sis thinks it's him committing suicide, with the stress of the investigation and the fallout of Shujin's reputation, but…"
Ken met her eyes, picking up what she was leaving unsaid.
It felt like too much of a set-up. It was too suspicious.
He completely agreed.
"What do we do now?" Ken asked quietly.
Makoto looked down at the table. "That's the thing," she answered, her voice barely audible. "I… I don't know. We'll have to talk to everyone about this after school."
Well. He was right about it being a long day. The callousness of some of their classmates was just… appalling. Their lack of caring that Kobayakawa had died, especially in a horrible way, seemed to pass over their heads.
Though the implication that one of the girls had said—that the Phantom Thieves had targeted him…
Would he have thought the same, had he not gotten involved? The fact that he wasn't sure wasn't very reassuring… He couldn't help but sigh.
"That was a big one." Ren's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, well…" Ken glanced at his friend, before he grimaced. "Today wasn't exactly stress free."
Ren shook his head. "No kidding. I know it'd be crazy since our principal died, but… what we got was on a completely different level."
Futaba fidgeted for a moment, looking to Ren nervously.
"What should we start off with?" she asked.
"We need to talk about what exactly happened with Principal Kobayakawa," Makoto said with a wince.
"I've already seen some forums talking about it," Anne said. "People seemed to find it…"
"A spectacle," Ryuji finished for her, making a face. "So far nobody's been saying it's 'cause of the Phantom Thieves but…"
"It's only a matter of time, I assume," Yusuke sighed. "If what you described at the assembly was as bad as it sounds… somebody will come to that conclusion eventually."
"That tabloid's article doesn't help." Ken couldn't help but wince. "Dealing with that kind of pressure from the media… That would be a logical explanation to the incident."
"There are so many questions to be asked," Morgana muttered. "And… no answers."
Anne's voice began to shake. "H-Hey… A-Aren't we kinda responsible for Principal Kobayakawa's suicide…?"
"Anne, whataya mean?" Ryuji demanded.
"I mean, this whole incident with the tabloids… it happened because we stole Kamoshida's heart to begin with. Maybe if we hadn't done anything, he wouldn't—"
"No." The fierceness in Ren's voice made them all look up. "Anne, don't you dare blame yourself for this!"
He pointed at Ryuji.
"Are you going to blame Ryuji for losing his temper when Kamoshida purposely provoked him so he could break Ryuji's leg? Or Mishima for being scared to speak out, even though Kobayakawa was silencing everyone? You for trying to appease him so he wouldn't punish Shiho? Kobayakawa may not have deserved dying like that, but he covered up Kamoshida's crimes! He let Kamoshida pull that crap with his blessing."
Disgust dripped from every syllable. Personally, Ken couldn't help but feel horrified. He knew that Kamoshida had been bad, but Ren had spelled out what exactly the man had done.
"You… You're right," Anne murmured. "I'm sorry, Ren…"
Ren just squeezed her shoulder. "You didn't deserve that kind of torment, Anne," he said softly. "Nobody had…"
"Um… it's not quite suicide," Makoto interjected, causing all attention to shift onto her.
She looked a little unsettled but she pushed forward.
"Well… at least Sis doesn't think that's the case," she quickly amended. "She suspects that it was a change of heart, but there was something that bothered me. She said that Kobayakawa just suddenly stopped walking, in the middle of the road. Didn't respond to the driver of the truck that had killed him…"
Wait, she wasn't saying…?!
"W-Wait, that means…" Anne's eyes were wide. "Principal Kobayakawa had a mental shutdown?!"
Futaba shivered. "T-That does sound a lot like what happened with Mom," she mumbled out.
Her gaze then moved back to her computer. Ken moved behind her to see that Futaba had several articles pulled up on an internet browser.
"There's a lot of opinions online, though. Like… 'He deserved it'… 'covering up crimes is wrong'."
"Well that's true," Ryuji muttered.
Ren sighed. "Not the point, Ryuji."
"But the question is… why?" Morgana piped up. "Why would a mere school principal be entangled with Shido?"
"That's the million yen question, isn't it?" Ken sighed. "Shujin's reputation is rather prestigious but…"
"There's more," Yusuke interjected, looking up from his phone with a grimace. "More than one person has proclaimed that, 'Only the Phantom Thieves are on our side!' Claiming that we should replace the government itself."
The government?! That was just insane!
"H-Holy shit…" Ryuji breathed.
Ken couldn't help but shiver. This… This was frightening, if he was being honest. This was like… fanaticism. Like… when the Cult of Nyx swept through the city. Except they were the ones looked upon as saviors. Personas granted them powers that they normally could only dream of having, but… they weren't gods.
"It's not just that." Ren shook his head. "I've heard people talking about Phantom Thieves merch too. I found it tasteless and tacky at the time, but coupled with the public opinion right now…"
Ken pressed his lips together. "The Phantom Thieves are talked all over the country," he stated. "And internationally as well…"
He had found that lady saying that she wished for the Phantom Thieves to go after American politicians a bit… strange at the time, but now—it just felt unsettling.
"This is scary…" Anne murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. "W-What's going on…?"
Ren just looked at her in concern, worry in his eyes. He then blinked, and the worry disappeared. He… He was trying to hold it together, wasn't he? For them?
"Now I can't help but wonder if we're doing the right thing…" Makoto murmured.
Ken looked over at her. She… She had a point. Ren had agreed to look into targeting Shido but this was… Not to mention Principal Kobayakawa's death was looking like it was connected to Shido.
"I mean, doesn't he deserve it?" Ryuji asked.
His comments were met with alarmed stares.
"He covered all of that shit, and he only cared that Kamoshida added to Shujin's rep," Ryuji argued.
"Ryuji!" Ken stared at his friend in horror. "He may not have been the best person, but he literally died two days ago!"
He hadn't even found any joy when Takaya and Jin had died on the Day of the Fall. It just felt… wrong to speak ill of someone, when their corpse wasn't even cold in the grave.
"I ain't lying!" Ryuji retorted.
"While that's true, that's…" Makoto trailed off, biting her lip. She couldn't even put words to her thoughts.
"That's enough, guys," Ren interjected. "I know that this is a bit confusing and scary, but there's a reason why we became Phantom Thieves in the first place, remember?"
That's right… They all believed in justice.
"Guys, let's get back on topic," Morgana suddenly interjected, suddenly circling around Futaba's laptop. He then nodded in Futaba's direction. "We met here to discuss the data we've obtained from Makoto's sister."
"That's true." Yusuke sighed, shaking his head. "I must confess… it had completely slipped my mind."
"It's a… mess." Futaba winced, before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "First… she's researching into cases of people collapsing suddenly. Because of that, she's looking into Apathy Syndrome."
"Apathy Syndrome?" Ken repeated. "She's still looking into that?"
"Whataya mean by that?" Ryuji asked with a frown.
"I was with Makoto once, when we ran into Niijima-san," he explained. "She inquired into Apathy Syndrome, after finding out that I'm from Port Island."
Futaba suddenly bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment.
"About that… She seems to think that Shinjiro-san is research worthy too," she said.
"What?!" Ken gasped.
Futaba just shrugged. "That's all I really know, sorry."
"But how would she know about Shinjiro-san?" Anne tilted her head. "I mean, wouldn't she have to dig into your records or something?"
"Or maybe she saw you two together at some point," Makoto mused, only for her to sigh. "Still… what is Sis looking into…?"
"She seemed to note that most of these incidents seemed to benefit one person… Kunikazu Okumura, the CEO of Okumura Foods… better known for being the owner of Big Bang Burger."
Futaba glanced back at her screen, tapping on her keyboard for a moment. She then repositioned her laptop, showing an image of a dark haired, middle-aged man wearing glasses.
"A lot of Big Bang's rivals have had some kind of scandal over the past few months. Wild Duck Burger—some employee had some nude selfies incident. An arson happened in Haneruya Foods factory. A Goodness Food driver lost control of his vehicle and killed four people."
"Damn… and that completely missed me," Ren admitted, shaking his head.
"It's not quite groundbreaking news," Yusuke remarked. "Such as that subway accident that occurred back in April. Though coupling this with the supposed rumors of Big Bang Burger overworking their employees is… concerning."
"Okumura seems like target worthy to me," Ryuji said.
He then looked at everyone else.
"What about you guys?" he asked.
Futaba snapped her laptop shut, leveling an irate look at Ryuji.
"Maybe after Shido," she said flatly. "We only looked into this, so we know what move Niijima is gonna make."
The distaste in her voice was clear. Though he couldn't blame her, with Sakura-san's remark about Niijima-san hounding him… repeatedly.
"I don't know…" Morgana suddenly spoke up.
He looked at Futaba uncertainly.
"The poll voted Okumura too… We could always go after Shido afterwards," he said.
"We agreed to look into Shido before," Ken said sharply, shooting Morgana a look. "Are you planning on going back on your word now?"
Besides that, wouldn't that be just playing into what the public wanted? Following the status quo? Wasn't that going against the Phantom Thieves?
Morgana just scowled at him. "Don't put words in my mouth!"
"Hey, hey, enough!" Anne interjected, taking a step forward. "Jeez, don't go for each other's throats."
She looked between them, frowning at them. But then she folded her arms across her chest.
"But still, from what you told us, Shido seems like the bigger evil. What do you think, Ren?"
"Jeez, thanks for putting me on the spot, Anne," Ren said dryly, before he shook his head. "But… we did make a resolution to look into Shido. We'll look into him first."
Morgana didn't look too happy at Ren's decision. He actually looked somewhat… sulky.
"…Fine," he muttered out.
"We need to uncover some more information on Shido, then," Yusuke said. "Perhaps we can discover something if we go to the Diet Building…"
"That's a sound idea, Yusuke," Makoto complimented. "Shall we set off now then?"
The Diet Building was located in a district that Ken had never visited before. The Diet Building was impressive, carved from white stone. A small flight of stairs led up to an area with pillars, also carved from white stone. The entrance was just beyond that. An iron gate surrounded the area completely, but since it was the afternoon still, the gates were open. There were tour groups congregated at the foot of the stairs.
"Hmm… we didn't think this through…" Anne mumbled, tilting her head slightly. "Even if we got inside without attracting attention, how are we going to get info on Shido…?"
"I mean, it's kinda tough unless we happen to find him campaigning," Ryuji grumbled, scuffing his shoe before he kicked a pebble.
Futaba's hands clenched into fists. "We've gotta try still!" she argued.
"Hey, I'm not saying I'm giving up!" Ryuji protested, holding up his hands in surrender. "Jeez. Chill, Futaba!"
Futaba opened her mouth, but Ken put a hand on her shoulder.
"Futaba, he didn't mean anything by that," Ken said, keeping his voice low. "Trust me… it wasn't easy to gather enough information to unlock your Palace."
Futaba appeared mollified by that, rocking on her heels for a moment. "Hmm, I could always hack into—"
"Futaba, how many times do I have to go over this?" Ken deadpanned. "It's illegal."
Futaba just narrowed her eyes before planting both of her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, 'cause what you've been doing lately is soooo legal," she scoffed.
Ken automatically opened his mouth to retort, only to shut it. Ugh. He didn't have a counter for that.
"She's got you there," Ren teased. "But anyways… let's take a look inside. Especially since we made the commute the way here."
"This will not be an easy target," Morgana mumbled to himself as they entered the Building.
Inside the building was even more opulent. Ken couldn't help but feel like a tourist as he looked around.
"I must say…" Yusuke breathed. "I did not expect it to look so… luxurious."
"It does make sense, though, doesn't it?" Makoto asked. "I mean, this is where the elected officials decide on laws and such… I don't think there's such a thing as a plain government building."
"You do have a point there," Yusuke agreed, before he grimaced. "Though I must say, I do feel out of place here."
"I mean, tourists come here all the time, don't they?" Ryuji asked. "If Americans can come and gawk at the place, why can't we?"
Well… he had a point there.
"So this is where Yoshida worked, before he fell out of favor, huh?" Morgana said, looking up at Ren.
"Yoshida?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, he's a politician that I help out sometimes," Ren explained. "He makes really great speeches, so he's been teaching me that."
…Okay, then. That was kinda bizarre, but two of Ren's associates consisted of a doctor who seemed to give him medicine under the table and a former yakuza, so a fallen politician? Why not? Then again, Minato-san had some odd friends too. None of them had expected Tanaka of all people to show up at Minato-san's funeral.
…He had no idea why Ren would want to learn how to make speeches, though. And he didn't think he had it in him to be a politician?
"Amamiya-kun?"
They all turned as one at the familiar voice. It was Haru-san, still dressed in her school uniform.
"I… I'm surprised to find you all here," she said slowly.
"We… uhhhh…" Ryuji's eyes were wide with panic.
He didn't really blame Ryuji for panicking. They had not expected to run into anyone that would recognize them.
"I could say the same about you," Ren cut in smoothly.
"Oh… um…" Haru-san bit her lip, staring at the floor as if she suddenly had found it very fascinating. "I'm actually here with my father and—"
"Haru, what are you doing?" a sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.
A tall, dark haired man suddenly appeared what felt like was out of nowhere.
"Wait… that's…" Anne whispered.
Kunikazu Okumura.
"I-I was just speaking to some classmates, Father," she said meekly, still looking downward.
Wait. Father?!
They looked nothing alike… Though granted, he's known his fair share of relatives who looked nothing alike. Minato-san and Minako-san were the prime example, of course, being twin siblings who didn't share hair or eye color. The twins also took after Minato-san, but they still have features from Yukari-san. But these two? He couldn't see it… Okumura was sharp features and angles, while Haru-san's features were gentle and soft.
"You're an Okumura?!" Ryuji blurted out, eyes wide with shock.
…This really explained why she was so keen on hiding her surname. The Okumura family wasn't quite the powerhouse that the Kirijo family was, but it still held enough presence to turn people's heads.
"That's right," Okumura said coldly, the distaste in his voice as clear as day.
He was staring at Ryuji like someone would stare at a bug right before squishing it. His gaze seemed to be affixed on Ryuji's hair particularly.
"My daughter is above associating with people such as you," he stated, a hint of dismissal in his voice.
Ken had to fight to keep his expression neutral. What was his problem? Then again, there were some of Mitsurus-san's peers who looked down on SEES as a whole…
"Indeed. My fiancée should be careful about who she speaks with."
Joining them was a man several years older than them. At least in his mid-twenties, but Ken wouldn't be surprised if he was older. He was certainly older than Shinjiro-san. His brown hair was slicked back, and he wore an almost completely white suit.
"After all, she will be marrying a future politician."
He then smiled, a smarmy smile that prickled at Ken's nerves, before he looked over at Okumura.
"…And hopefully she'll be the daughter of a soon-to-be politician," he remarked.
"I apologize, Sugimura-san." Her voice was feather-soft, before Haru-san stared at the floor, apparently finding it fascinating. "I just… was surprised to see them here, that's all…"
"Fiancée?!" Anne blurted out. "You can't be serious! She's only…"
"You know the minimum age of marriage, Anne," Makoto said quietly. But despite that, Makoto almost seemed to recoil at that. He didn't blame her. Marriage at their age… it seemed old-fashioned, something that belonged in the last century.
"It's still wrong!" Anne protested.
"You'd do well to watch your tongue, girl," Sugimura snarled out, before leering at her. "Pretty looks can only get you so far."
"And you'd do well to keep your eyes off of Anne," Makoto snapped.
Anne looked ready to add that, the fury in her eyes plain to see. But then Ren stepped forward, partially blocking Anne from view as Sugimura wouldn't stop looking. He didn't blame Ren for that. Ren's eyes were narrowed dangerously.
"You know, it's polite to look at someone's face when speaking to them," he said. His voice was light, but there was a hint of steel in his tone. "But of course you don't need to be reminded that, right?"
"Yeah!" Futaba interjected, hands both clenched into fists. "If you're happily engaged, you shouldn't be looking at Anne like that!"
Haru-san seemed to cringe ever so slightly at Futaba's words. God. Their past conversations made all too much sense. She admired Mitsuru-san, for being a single woman, yet being able to hold her power confidently. She wanted someone's heart to be changed, be it her father or her wonderful fiancé. Or maybe even both. They both seemed target-worthy. Big Bang's profits… were they all for just launching their CEO into politics? Maybe he shouldn't have dismissed Okumura as a target so quickly…
"Listen here, you little brat…" Sugimura hissed out, narrowing his eyes. "Someone obviously was remiss when you were to learn manners!"
"Could say the same to you!" Ryuji quickly jumped to Futaba's defense, glowering at Sugimura.
Makoto drew Futaba away, tugging her closer as if she was afraid of what would happen if she let the man too close to Futaba.
"Excuse us," she said, her voice cool and polite. But her eyes were filled with barely veiled disdain. "We were preparing to leave when Haru-san approached us."
She glanced at Ren for confirmation, who didn't look too happy, but he reluctantly nodded.
"…See you at school, Senpai," Ryuji mumbled out.
"…I'll see you," she murmured.
They hastened away, but nobody spoke until they returned back to the penthouse.
"…He's just like Sensei."
Anne bit her lip hard. "Yusuke…" she whispered.
"It's disgraceful!" Yusuke spat out, anger smoldering in his usually cool gray eyes. "I'll admit that I know Haru-san not too well, but from the looks of it, she's a daughter that any man would take pride in and that vile man would seek to sell her off to the highest bidder like that?!"
"And the guy…" Futaba scrunched up her nose. "I think he's in his late twenties. That's just…"
"Is he really engaged to her?" Morgana piped up. "She's in Makoto and Ken's year, right? You're all teenagers. She can't get married."
"Not… exactly," Makoto said with a wince. "According to Japanese law, girls sixteen or older can marry with parental permission. The age requirement is slightly older for boys, though. I believe it's eighteen."
"Which is totally sexist," Anne grumbled under her breath.
"Mitsuru-san was betrothed when she was our age too," Ken said. "She eventually kicked her fiancé to the curb, but for a time… she had intended to go through it. For the sake of the Kirijo Group."
Futaba looked up, blinking in surprise.
"First time I've heard of that."
Ken looked to her in exasperation.
"You were eight when Mitsuru-san broke off the engagement."
"But… But that's wrong!" Morgana suddenly protested, a fire lighting up in his bright blue eyes. "She obviously doesn't even like him. Why is her father trying to force her to marry someone she doesn't love?!"
Oh, Morgana… He was still so naïve.
"Because he's obviously an abusive piece of shit," Ryuji spat out. "He's just using her as a tool, like what Madarame tried with Yusuke!"
Ren huffed, ruffling his bangs. "Now… I'm not sure who to target."
He gestured at Futaba's laptop with a frown.
"Okumura being voted to the top… the whole reveal that he wants to be a politician… Gotta say, I'm just a little suspicious."
"Big Bang's profits…" Ken said slowly. "It could be just funding for his campaign. Maybe that's why he's so eager to expand."
"We need more information," Makoto sighed, shaking her head. "We can't decide if Okumura is worthy of being a target but if he is…"
"Maybe he could lead us to some info on Shido," Ryuji offered. "I mean, he's gotta be in certain circles, if he's looking to be a politician. It'd be easier than just running around like headless chickens. "
"I never thought about that!" Futaba's eyes went wide. "But yeah, I think this could work."
"Okay, let's divide up the work, then," Ren said.
His voice took on an authoritative tone, as he touched his chin.
"I'll take Morgana and visit the Big Bang place on Central Street tomorrow. Futaba, I want you to dig up on more info about Okumura. Yusuke, can you help her out with that?"
Futaba and Yusuke nodded, and Ren flashed them a smile of thanks. Then he turned to Ryuji and Anne.
"Ryuji, Anne… can you look into who exactly this Sugimura guy is and why Okumura could be making Haru-senpai marry him? Ken, Makoto… I want you to talk to Haru-senpai tomorrow."
"Wait. Why us?" Ken frowned.
"You were the one to recognize her, at the festival," Ren pointed out. "Plus you're her age. She might be more comfortable talking to you two over anyone else."
"All right… I suppose that makes sense." Makoto bit her lip before nodding.
She probably was a bit nervous, after the whole thing with Futaba…
But… if it wasn't for Haru-san… Would he have agreed to look into Okumura would be for the better? Weren't the supposed reports of overworking enough?
"So, we're decided then?" Anne asked, her expression determined. "We're going to look more into Okumura?"
"I'd say so, yeah." Ren nodded. "Okay, that's all for today, guys."
Today had been just… a blur. Makoto couldn't help but feel overwhelmed…
First it had been dealing with the aftermath of Principal Kobayakawa's death. Then it was them switching targets completely. And Haru-san…
Hearing Sugimura's words and watching his eyes linger on Anne made Makoto's skin crawl. And the thought of her classmate being married to such a man was just… sickening.
She had only been vaguely aware of her classmate before. But nobody should be forced into marriage like that…
The juniors had slowly trickled out. Ren and Futaba were walking Anne home, before heading back to Yongen-jaya, while Yusuke and Ryuji departed together.
But Ken… Makoto looked over at her friend, whose eyes were glazed over as he stared out of the window.
"Is… something the matter?" she asked hesitantly, walking over to him.
Ken then seemed to snap out of it, his eyes flickering to Makoto.
"It's… It's…" He shook his head, before wrapping an arm around his torso. "…I feel a little… selfish."
"Selfish?" Makoto echoed, frowning at him. "What do you mean?"
"Haru-san—her father's treatment of her… That's what pushed me into rethinking Okumura as a potential target."
"Ken, you're just concerned," Makoto said. "About Shido. He's aiming to become Prime Minister… he orchestrated Futaba's mother's death…"
"Mitsuru-san is also afraid that he wants Aigis-san," Ken said abruptly.
Honestly, it was bizarre. To think that a robot could be a Persona-user. But the Kirijo Group had managed it. But if Shido knew of Personas and Shadows and Black Mask worked for him… having a robot under his command would benefit him. A robot could withstand more damage than a human can.
"Aigis-san once had her will stolen from her. Forced to turn against us."
Ken sighed before sinking into a chair at the dinner table.
"If you recall from the story I told you, that had led to the death of Mitsuru-san's father. I think… if she had to go through that, it would destroy her."
"Ken, you're not selfish for wanting to take down Shido," Makoto said, gently touching his shoulder.
When he didn't respond, Makoto bit her lip. What could she do, to help him feel better about this?
"You're just worried about your friend. And Shido… he's a man that must be stopped. You're not selfish, for putting that above what the public was voting for. We're not mercenaries or attack dogs that the public can just set on public enemy number one. That's treading dangerous territory."
To her relief, Ken smiled.
"I suppose you're right… I just felt that I was selfish because seeing how Okumura treated his daughter is what made me reconsider things."
"Forcing his daughter into marriage, to an awful man like that…" Makoto couldn't help but frown. "…To tell you the truth, I had been sure that I didn't want to marry not too long ago."
"What changed your mind, then?" Ken asked.
"Just a mix of things, I suppose." Makoto shrugged. "Though I'll admit seeing Ren and Anne helped contribute to this… I'm starting to see why people say that love can move mountains. Your senpai… they've been together since high school, haven't they?"
"I know it's rare but… it's not exactly common for you to go through the tribulations that Persona-users do," Ken said, his expression becoming pensive. "You can't exactly share this kind of things with just anyone."
Hmm. She had never thought of it that way. But… it made sense. Even seven years later, they were still friends. Not many people could boast of having a tight friendship with their high school friends.
She… hoped that the same would apply to them, in the future.
But then Ken's expression suddenly darkened.
"I think Morgana hates me," he said quietly. "Or… more that he really resents me for some reason."
She had noticed that too. Morgana had seemed really riled up when Ken had reminded him what they had promised after Ken had revealed the truth to them. But… she had a theory why.
"I think he's jealous of you," Makoto told him.
"Jealous of me?" Ken frowned.
"Ken, think about it," Makoto said. "You reveal that you've had your Persona for seven years. Before you had showed up, he was our main healer. You've had insight on Personas and Shadows that none of us have. Morgana has been caught off guard, especially after Futaba took over being our guide."
"I guess… that makes sense," Ken said slowly. "What am I supposed to do, then?"
Makoto sighed. "I have no idea. Not challenge Morgana so much?"
"I suppose…" Ken grumbled. "We'll have to handle this… some other time."
He then rose to his feet, before turning to look at Makoto.
"…Though, how do you want to handle Haru-san?" he asked.
Makoto winced. She didn't want this to end up like the disaster that was their first time with Futaba. "Well… I think we should probably find her during lunch. Invite her to eat lunch with us?" she suggested tentatively. "Maybe… sorta as an apology for making a scene like that…?"
"That's a great idea." Ken smiled at her. "Don't worry about lunch. I'll make it for tomorrow. And…"
He suddenly reached out and touched her wrist. Makoto's breath caught in her throat. It just… was surprising. It had completely caught her off guard.
Ken then smiled at her.
"Just relax, with Haru-san. I think part of the problem with Futaba was that you were trying to force things. You've spoken to Haru-san just fine before. You'll be fine."
Looking into Ken's eyes… she actually believed it.
Wednesday, September 14th, 2016
The bell rang shrilly, signaling the beginning of lunch. Makoto caught Ken's eye before they both stood up.
"Where should we look for her?" Makoto murmured to him.
She scanned the sea of the students, hoping to find a flash of light brown. At least Haru-san's hair was fairly unique with how curly it was, making it easier to seek her out.
"Let's try for the entrance to the roof," Ken suggested. "I think she spends a lot of time there…"
"Amada-kun? Niijima-san?"
Their heads turned to see Haru-san was standing not too far from them, her hands clasped behind her back.
Speak of the devil…
She looked nervous, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"D-Do you have time to speak today?" she stammered out.
"We'd love to," Ken answered.
That made things easier…
"Thank you so much." Relief flooded her face. "Let's go to the roof, then…"
So they went up the roof. Ken pushed the door open, leaning on it to keep it open and allowing both Makoto and Haru to step forward.
"What's this about, Haru-san?" Makoto asked, attempting a friendly smile.
She just had to keep it natural. Don't force it…
Haru-san bit her lip, before she bowed low at the waist. "I-I just wanted to apologize to you and your friends. For my father's behavior…"
"Haru-san, you're not your father," Ken interjected. "You don't need to apologize about that."
Haru stuttered out, "B-But…"
"Haru-san, believe me when I say I know the feeling," Makoto said gently. "I've… I've been compared to my older sister too many times."
"I suppose that makes sense…" Haru-san said. "Thank you for your time…"
"Why don't you join us for lunch?" Ken suggested.
That was smart of Ken, making it look that it just struck him.
"I made this to share with Makoto, since she often forgets to make lunch for herself, but there's plenty for a third person," he said with a small smile.
Makoto huffed, before nudging Ken in the side. He just had to bring their first conversation up. Not that Haru-san knew that had been just one time, but it was a good cover to invite her to lunch.
"Ah…" Haru-san frowned. "I-I don't know… I should really watch my figure…"
Wait, what? Makoto glanced over at her form. Haru's figure looked fine to her. Though… that might not be her own thoughts. Makoto wasn't the gambling type, but she'd bet good money that Sugimura had told her this…
"You're fine the way you are," Makoto quickly reassured her. "And besides that, you may pass out if you don't eat anything."
Haru-san just blinked before a small smile appeared on her face.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" she asked rhetorically.
"I believe you know the answer to that already," Ken said with a wry smile.
Haru-san then smiled, before she giggled, a pretty sound almost like tinkling bells.
"Fair enough. Very well, then."
They sat on the ground, before Ken opened the lid. Several pieces of tonkatsu sat on a pile of fluffy white rice. Tucked to the side were a few pieces of tamagoyaki. There was shrimp tempura, croquettes… There was also a salad, with dressing drizzled on top.
"Wow…" Haru-san's eyes were as wide as saucers. "You cooked this, Amada-kun?"
Ken rubbed the back of his neck, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. "It's nothing too fancy. You should see some of the things Shinjiro-san can make."
"Don't sell yourself short," Makoto said. "Everything looks good."
Haru-san let out a happy hum, before accepting the pair of chopsticks Ken passed her.
"I have to agree with Niijima-san. I don't know how to cook at all." But then her expression grew sad. "…Though I suppose I should start learning, since I'm to be a wife soon…"
"Haru-san…" Makoto began.
"Niijima-san, don't. Please." Her bottom lip trembled.
Makoto's heart cracked, seeing the sight. She looked so unhappy in that moment. She wished she could do something to keep Haru-san far away from both her father and that vile Sugimura.
"I… I'm a daughter of the Okumura family. I have duties to my family…" she said in a halting voice.
"But marriage?" Ken questioned. "You won't be an adult for at least another two years… You should be allowed to find yourself before even considering marriage."
"It's kind and thoughtful of you to say that but…" She bit her lip, before saying softly, "It's just not the same."
"You should be allowed to choose someone you love," Makoto protested. "It's not fair for your father to betroth to someone…" Makoto trailed off.
She… didn't know how to phrase this eloquently. She wished she could find a way to better express herself.
"You shouldn't have to concern yourself with marriage at this age," Makoto said gently.
Haru-san's smile was wobbly. "Love is merely a benefit for marriages involving the upper class. Not… everybody is fortunate enough to find love at a young age."
For some reason, she looked between both of them.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Ken asked slowly.
She just blinked at them. "…Aren't you two dating?"
Makoto choked on the piece of tonkatsu she had chewing on. She coughed several times before she finally caught her breath. Her face felt as hot as a furnace.
"W-We're just friends!" she all but shouted out.
Her eyes darted to Ken, whose cheeks were slowly growing redder and redder.
"I-I'm not sure where you got that misconception, Haru-san—" he began.
"You cook for her," Haru-san pointed out. "She also wanted to room with you back in Hawaii. There was also the time I saw you together on the roof-"
"Those are all just coincidences!" Makoto exclaimed, her cheeks still hot.
At this rate, she might have to find a bucket of water to dunk her head in. Goodness, she was starting to feel that she could fry an egg on her face.
"And was I supposed to just throw Ken to the wolves?! All they care about is flirting with Ken…" The last part came out as a grumble.
She really hated how the girls never seemed to get the hint. Ken had zero interest in any of them, but they couldn't get it through their skulls. Not to mention that their interest in him was just… superficial. They didn't even try to get to know him…So of course she had to step up…
"If you say so…" Haru-san didn't looked convinced at this, though. "But… I have duties to my family. Duties to my father. I can't just ignore that… That's why I agreed to marry Sugimura-san. It's… It's a mutual benefit for both of our families."
A benefit… It sounded so cold. Haru-san just seemed resigned to things. She… She was just keeping her head down.
"What about your duty to yourself?" Ken asked. "You deserve to be happy, Haru-san… Do you want to marry Sugimura-san? Because your father can't force you to say I do. You have your own free will… you don't have to tie yourself to Sugimura-san if you truly don't want to."
"Free will…" Haru-san repeated, her voice filled with wonder.
Makoto couldn't help but feel sad for her. It seemed so out of reach for Haru-san.
"I… I don't know," she finally admitted, her voice breaking. "I don't know what I want, Amada-kun…"
"You deserve the chance to figure that out. It's not fair for your father to decide your future for you like that," Ken said gently.
Haru-san bit her lip, before she shakily stood up.
"I'm sorry but I should go. I'm… I'm so confused…"
She then smiled weakly, before thanking Ken for the food. She then hastily left the roof and the door slammed behind her.
Ken sighed. "Duties, huh…?"
"That's just… that's just not fair to her…" Makoto said. "She seems like a kind girl from what I've seen. She deserves someone who thinks the world of her."
"Yeah, I can imagine the life Sugimura would put her through." Ken shuddered. "…It's not a pretty image. And… everyone who marries deserves to marry for love."
"They do," Makoto agreed.
Love…
Not… everyone is fortunate to find love at a young age.
And… Haru-san thought… they were in love?
Makoto's cheeks began to burn again at the mere thought. That was… that was…
…What? Why couldn't she finish that trail of thought?
She snuck a look at Ken, who seemed to be looking at Tokyo's skyline. A comfortable silence had fallen between them. She would be lying if she said that she didn't find Ken attractive. She had always thought if she was to choose a romantic partner, she'd prefer someone who was both smart and could defend themselves easily.
But… there was so much more to Ken than that. He was kind. She didn't think that she could forget how he had invited to eat lunch with her, when they had been strangers, as he noticed that she had no lunch on her. Ken had done it without thinking. He cared about Futaba's wellbeing too, after they delved more into her past. He never hesitated on comforting her, when she was stewing on her insecurities. And… and there was what happened just a few nights ago.
He had told her that he was scared of being hated over his secrets…
And she had told him that she could never hate him… She could never… because she…
Makoto's fingers curled around the hem of her skirt as she gazed at Ken.
It was the exact opposite.
She had never realized it. Somehow, it had become completely natural for her to feel happy to be by his side. She wouldn't be able to pinpoint when exactly she had fallen for him but…
All she knew was that she did have feelings for him. She… She wasn't ready to label it as love, but… She felt something for him.
And to think, just a couple weeks ago, Ren was telling her that she'll find someone to love someday.
But… Ken wasn't interested. He didn't want to date… at all. That much was obvious, with how he constantly cringed at the other girls' attention on him. Maybe she could have pushed herself to do something about it, but she wasn't going to press it if Ken didn't want a relationship. Their friendship was just too important to risk that.
And… they had more important things to worry about. Romance should be the last thing on her mind. Okumura was shaping up to be someone they should target, in her eyes. They would have to see what the others had discovered…
I got really inspired for this chapter. The muse just kept flowing. So… quick update!
Noir will make her official appearance in just a couple chapters~
But Makoto was the first to figure things out since love has been on her mind with dealing Eiko.
Thank you for the support though! It's been just a little over half a year since I had first uploaded the story, and it still blows my mind to see the support for this story.