Chapter 28
Good Parents, Bad Parents
Tuesday, October 4th, 2016
A crash dragged Ken out of his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, feeling disoriented. What was going on?
"Ken!" Mom rushed to his side, tugging on his arm. "Come on, honey, get up," she urged. "There's-"
Another crash, this time louder. Ken couldn't help but flinch at the sound.
Ken stood on wobbly legs. "Mom, what's going on?"
Mom bit her lip. "I don't know. But we can ask questions later. We need to get out. Now."
The tone of her voice brooked no argument. So Ken let her tow him out of his room, as the walls shook. When they reached the living room, they could see that… something broke through the wall. Glass shards flew everywhere. Ken couldn't move… he just stared in horror.
Mom didn't hesitate. She grabbed him, hugging him close as she shielded him from the shrapnel. A black gleaming monster, astride on a horse, tore through the house with no abandon. She just gasped as it pierced her in the back.
"M-Mom?" he croaked out.
Mom just gave him a pained smile even as the monster disappeared. Blood was pooling at their feet. "I… I love you," she gasped, her arms tightening around him. She slid her hand against his cheek. "I love you so much, Ken…" Her voice cracked for a moment. "You're my everything. Please don't forget that. And…" She was shaking. She suddenly coughed. "…I'm sorry."
Her grasp on him slackened as she crumpled to the floor, blood pooling from her back.
"Mom? MOM!" Ken fell to his knees, shaking her. Her blood soaked his clothes, coating his hands, but he didn't care. "Mom, wake up!"
But she didn't respond. Ken bit his lip. Was she… Was she dead? Tears stung at his eyes. What had even happened? One moment, he had his mom and another… he didn't.
"What the fuck did I do?"
Ken whipped around to see a teenager in the rubble of his house. In the dim lighting, he could barely make out the dark brown of his hair.
"There's no time for that!" Another voice, this one feminine. "We can't be held culpable for this!"
"What the fuck—did you see what I did?!"
"You killed her…" Ken mumbled. He was shaking. He could not stop shaking. "You… You killed my mom! You monster! I HATE YOU!"
Why… Why did he have to take Mom away?
Ken looked back at Mom. There was so much blood…
There was so much blood. Even though Shinjiro-san's trenchcoat was maroon, nobody could miss the blood soaking through the thick fabric.
"Why?" Ken blurted out, staring at Shinjiro-san in horror. He didn't understand… why did Shinjiro-san protect him?
"Heh…" Shinjiro-san tried to smile, but it only came out as a pained grimace. "What's with the long face? Isn't this what you wanted?"
"But I…!" Ken bit his lip. "That's not—"
He just didn't know anymore… He felt torn enough about wanting to kill Shinjiro-san in the first place. He saw with his own eyes that Shinjiro-san was a good person.
But he had told himself that his reason for living had been to avenge his mother. Nobody knew the truth… but him. He owed it to Mom, to avenge her… Especially since she had died protecting him.
"It's all right… give yourself time. Let your anger be your strength. You're just a kid… you've got your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it. Make it your own."
A blur of voices.
A coma… A very slight chance of him waking up.
It was his fault… If he hadn't been so stupid and called Shinjiro-san out for something he was conflicted on. If he hadn't been so caught up with the idea of revenge, then Shinjiro-san would be still okay…
Ken woke up with a gasp. He pressed a hand against his clammy forehead, letting out a sigh. It was just a dream…
Ken bit his lip. Ha… He didn't even have to look to know what the date was.
October fourth… Over the years, it had gotten slightly easier. But he couldn't forget what had happened. He didn't always dream of his mother's death or when Shinjiro-san almost died protecting him on the anniversary, but…
He heaved out a sigh, rubbing his face. Maybe it was a reminder… because he couldn't visit Mom's grave today. He had always visited Mom's grave on the anniversary…
His door creaked open. Koromaru squeezed through, darting over to his bed. Instead of his usual playful pounce and licking of Ken's face, Koromaru jumped onto Ken's bed by his feet. His ruby eyes were mournful as he curled into Ken's lap.
Koromaru was always good at sensing emotions.
Ken spent several moments just petting Koromaru. It was nice. It… helped calm his nerves a bit.
"Thanks, boy," he murmured.
Koromaru let out a soft whine before he licked Ken's face.
Someone lightly rapped on the door. "Ken-kun?" Fuuka-san called. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," he answered.
Fuuka-san pushed the door completely open. "Hey," she said softly, walking to stand next to the side of his bed. "How are you feeling?"
Ken shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I, um, had the dream."
Her eyes filled with sympathy. "Do you need to talk about it?"
"Not really…" Ken mumbled out, making Koromaru whine.
"Okay." She nodded, before leaning in to lightly kiss his forehead. She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You should get dressed. Shinji's calling Shujin so you can have a sick day."
"He… He didn't have to do that."
It had become routine for Shinjiro-san to do that, ever since he had gained custody of Ken. But… part of that was to visit Mom's grave. And they couldn't exactly do that…
Fuuka-san smiled. "Well, he's doing it right now. And he can't exactly take it back. Besides that, you've had a lot on your plate lately, Ken-kun. With pursuing things with Okumura, organizing that trip to Inaba… and can't forget how exams are coming up in just a couple weeks."
Ken groaned, pressing a hand to his face. "Don't remind me."
Fuuka-san just ruffled his hair. "You'll be fine, Ken-kun. You always do well in exams. But, regardless, I think a day where you can take it easy would be good for you."
"You act like I'm a workaholic."
"The way Shinji talks, you seem like it sometimes."
"You know that Shinjiro-san shit talks. A lot."
"Language, Ken-kun!" Fuuka-san's tone was scolding, but the twinkle in her eyes told him otherwise. She then shook her head. "But anyways, I'm going to let you get ready for the day. Shinji's probably starting breakfast, so I'll give him a hand."
After that, she left. Ken nudged Koromaru off his lap so he could crawl out of bed. After freshening up with a shower and his usual routine, he slipped on his favorite hoodie and a pair of jeans. He may dress properly with the school uniform for the most part, he did like being comfortable. He didn't touch his phone, though. He knew that there would be messages from everyone else in SEES, at the very least… He'd get to it eventually.
Ken then headed for the living room. Fuuka-san was setting the table all while humming a little ditty under her breath. And Shinjiro-san was pouring coffee for the three of them. It was a normal scene for them before the move but it felt like it's been years since he's seen since this, rather than just months.
"Good morning," he greeted quietly.
"Morning," Shinjiro-san answered, as he measured out sugar and cream out for Fuuka-san's cup of coffee. "Go ahead and sit down." Ken grabbed the two mugs Shinjiro-san had already poured out, setting them on the table.
Ken sat down just as Fuuka-san did. Shinjiro-san brought Fuuka-san's mug to the table before he sat down himself.
Fuuka-san let out a soft hum before she took a long sip of the coffee. She then lowered her mug. "I must admit that this pales in comparison to Sakura-san's brews."
Shinjiro-san snorted, before sipping his own coffee. "Dunno 'bout you, but I'd prefer to know how to cook over knowing how to brew coffee like Sakura."
Fuuka-san just raised an eyebrow. "Shinji, are you still mad about Futaba-chan's diet?"
Shinjiro-san slammed down his mug. Somehow, none of the coffee splashed out. "He let her eat whatever! No shit that she's tiny and has no energy! I mean, who the hell just lets the crap slide?!"
"Futaba's not that much smaller than Fuuka-san," Ken said, taking a sip of his own coffee. "And I've been taking the boxed lunches you've made to her."
"Someone's gotta feed her right." Shinjiro-san scowled.
Ken ignored their light banter, choosing to dig into his breakfast. Shinjiro-san had made omurice, like he always did on October fourth.
To be honest, it took Shinjiro-san several tries to perfect his omurice recipe. Not that it wasn't good the first time, but it wasn't like his mother's version. But Shinjiro-san tried again and again… In fact, he didn't perfect it until the first October fourth after his near brush of death.
He still remembered tearing up, because it was like he was tasting Mom's cooking all over again. Of course, Shinjiro-san had panicked in a very Shinjiro-san-like way, before Ken corrected him and clarified on why he was crying.
He was snapped out of his musings by a sudden sharp rap on the door.
"What the hell…?" Shinjiro-san questioned with an annoyed scowl.
"I've got it," Ken said, standing up and pushing in his chair. He was the closest to the door, after all.
He crossed the short distance to the front door, opening it to reveal Futaba… who rather looked like a drowned rat. Her waist length hair was absolutely soaked, water dripping from it. Her clothes stuck to her skin. Her dark green parka was zipped up for once, probably since the shirt she wore was white.
"F-Futaba?"
"You…" She let out an annoyed growl, before standing on her tiptoes to poke Ken in the chest. "Why are you suddenly sucking at answering your phone?!"
"I haven't checked it today," Ken said quickly.
Futaba huffed, before her expression grew… sad. "Um, l-look… I know today's not… easy for you. I… I was worried so I came to see you. Especially with how you were so worried about me because of my mom…"
Oh… He… He felt stupid.
"But… why didn't you bring an umbrella?"
Futaba grumbled out, "I kinda… forgot it… at the train…"
…That was a complete Futaba move.
"Futaba-chan, why don't you come in?" Fuuka-san quickly interjected, rising to her feet. "You must be freezing."
Shinjiro-san was already on his feet, disappearing down the hallway. He returned moments later, holding one of their larger towels. "Dry yourself off, Sakura." He approached her, handing over the towel. "Mitsuru would kill me if we ruined the flooring."
Of course he'd use that excuse.
"Thanks," Futaba mumbled, wrapping the fluffy towel around herself.
Fuuka-san tilted her head, letting out a thoughtful hum. "You're close to my size. You can borrow my clothes. We can throw your clothes into the dryer for you."
She had apparently made her mind, as she turned on her heel and strode down the hallway. Moments later, she returned with a set of clothes. Futaba took it, staring at the clothes like it was a foreign creature. A long woolen turquoise sweater, paired with black leggings. Ken recognized as one of Fuuka-san's favorite outfits when she wanted to be comfortable.
"It's so… different," Futaba said. But then she looked up at Fuuka-san. "But, um, thank you."
Fuuka-san just giggled, patting Futaba on the head. "Wow, I haven't been able to do this since Ken-kun hit his first growth spurt."
"Why do you always have to treat me like I'm a child…?" Ken grumbled.
While Futaba went to the bathroom to change, Ken looked into the fridge for the extra portion that Shinjiro-san cooked—because Shinjiro-san always made extras. He pulled it out, heating it up briefly. Shinjiro-san plugged into the electric kettle to get the water boiling for a cup of tea for Futaba. (No surprise that Shinjiro-san didn't want Futaba to drink coffee.)
Futaba returned, clad in the clothes that Fuuka-san lent her. She carried her wet clothes at arm-length.
Shinjiro-san took her clothes, disappearing down the hallway where the laundry room was. Futaba plopped into the seat next to Ken's, running her fingers through her hair before looking down at her plate.
"Thanks!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Wow, omurice! I haven't had this in the longest time!" Then she reached for the mug, frowning. "Hey, why do I get tea?" Futaba complained. "You all have coffee!"
Shinjiro-san just snorted, sitting down again. "Maybe 'cause you're tiny? Coffee stunts your growth."
"Whaaaat?" Futaba puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Shinjiro-san. "Fuuka-san's not much bigger!"
"Fuuka didn't live on a diet of instant food for two years," Shinjiro-san retorted. "I should really have a talk with your old man 'bout that..."
"There's nothing wrong with how I eat!" Futaba said indignantly.
"You did not just say that…" Ken groaned out, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Fuuka-san just laughed. "I think Shinji could write a book about that."
Shinjiro-san shot them both annoyed glares. "I can hear you, y'know."
"Stop making it too easy then," Ken said dryly.
Shinjiro-san huffed, before looking over to Fuuka-san's plate. "Fuuka, are you hungry still?"
"Shinji, I'm fine," she insisted.
"You worked overtime for a week just to take half a week off!"
"It was worth it," Fuuka-san insisted, before giving him her usual sweet smile. "I got to see you and Ken-kun after all."
Shinjiro-san immediately shut up at that, a slight pink tingeing his cheeks. Ken just snorted, taking another sip of his coffee. Typical. There was a reason why everyone else joked that there were two people that Shinjiro-san was soft for: Fuuka-san and… Koromaru.
Futaba suddenly squeaked, jerking in her seat. She banged her knee against the table, making it rattle.
Ken looked down. Koromaru was brushing against Futaba's legs, probably to beg for seconds. "It's okay, Futaba. This is just Koromaru. He's just begging for scraps because a certain someone likes to spoil him."
"That's enough, Ken-kun," Fuuka-san said mildly. "There's no need to tease Shinji like that."
"Aw, he's pretty cute…" Futaba reached down, scratching Koromaru behind the ears. "Cuter than Morgana!"
"Better not let him know that," Ken said dryly.
Futaba snickered. "I won't tell if you don't." Then she picked up her chopsticks, and took a bite. Her face lit up. "Wow! This is pretty good! On par with Sojiro's curry for me!"
She then took another big bite and began to chew furiously, making Ken sigh. "Slow down… It's not going to run away from you."
"But ish good!" she protested through the mouthful of food in her mouth.
"Why do I even bother…" Shinjiro-san groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead for a moment. He then shot Ken an annoyed glare. "Why can't you make friends with people who actually eat well?"
"Makoto eats healthy," Ken offered.
A little too well in his opinion… One time they were eating together, Makoto had offered him some of her lunch because of how he usually shared with her. He knew it was very healthy but it tasted rather bland.
"Well, thank god for small blessings," Shinjiro-san snarked, rolling his eyes at Ken.
Fuuka-san just laughed softly, before looking over to Futaba. "So, Futaba-chan, you really like Sakura-san's curry, don't you?" she asked.
"Oh, um…" Futaba looked down at her plate. "Actually… Sojiro came up with it but… Mom perfected it. I couldn't even look at a plate of curry for a while because of that…"
"…I had no idea," Ken said quietly.
"Well, it's not something Sojiro exactly advertises." Then Futaba coughed, now fidgeting. "A-Anyways, let's eat! It'll get cold if we don't…!"
Ken couldn't help chuckle at her attempt to change the subject, causing her to shoot him an annoyed look. But they continued eating breakfast. Futaba was still a bit shy, but Fuuka-san managed to coax her into talking by bringing up what she was working on during work. That really brought her out of her shell, and Futaba started rattling off all kinds of jargon that Ken had no idea meant. He was happy to see that Futaba was relaxing around Fuuka-san and to a lesser extent, Shinjiro-san.
After they finished breakfast and the table was cleared, Shinjiro-san waved him away from the sink. "Go entertain Sakura," he said. "She's here to see you, not us."
So Ken ended taking Futaba to his room.
"So… what do you—" he began, only to cut off by Futaba abruptly latching her arms around his waist.
"Futaba…?"
"I'm sorry about your mom," she mumbled out, giving him a tight squeeze.
Ken awkwardly patted her on the head. "…Thanks. It's… easier when I'm with the others."
But then something occurred to him. Futaba… had become a shut-in by the time the first anniversary of Isshiki-san's death. And it was worse for her because she had thought she was the one responsible for Isshiki-san's death.
"…I'm sorry that you had to go through your mother's death anniversary all alone last year."
Futaba gave a little sniff, pulling away from him. She then took off her glasses to rub at her eyes. "T-Thanks, Ken… This year's wasn't so bad. I mean, I got on to take those posers who took the Medjed name!" Futaba then wandered over to his desk, suddenly picking up the framed picture of him and Mom. That was their last summer vacation, just two months before she died… "This is her, isn't she?" At Ken's nod, Futaba examined it closer. "…She's pretty. You look a lot like her, except for your hair and eye color. Though I guess your hair used to match hers."
Ken touched his hair for a moment. "Um… yeah. It lightened over the years. I guess the sun bleached it a bit."
Futaba then plopped onto his bed without invitation, but Ken didn't bother chastising her over it. It seemed like a little thing to quibble over. "Tell me about her, Ken. I mean, you've got to have some pretty good memories about her, right?"
Ken joined her on the bed. "Well… Mom was a pretty good cook…" he began. "But she was awful at sewing and knitting…"
He still had the scarf that Mom had knit for him, even though he had outgrown it long ago. He really did wished that he had worn it when she was alive. She had been so proud that she had finally made something half-decent too.
…He still had a lot of regrets.
But… looking back at Futaba, he knew that she was right. He shouldn't focus on the sad memories…
Hours passed by and the rain still wouldn't let up. So Futaba ended up staying for a long time. Ken didn't mind though. It was a good… distraction.
"Ugh, I hate rain," Futaba grumbled, staring outside the window. "It's just so… wet."
"Well, water is wet," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
"I'm just saying!" Futaba protested, before sticking her tongue out at him. "You don't have to be such a wet blanket!"
Shinjiro-san opened his mouth to fire back a response—surprise, surprise—when a knock sounded on the door. Ken went to answer the door, only to stare wide-eyed at the person on the other side. "M-Makoto?"
"G-Good afternoon." Makoto hastily bowed. Once she straightened up, she winced, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I-I know that you told us that you were okay and that Futaba came to see you but WHY DIDN'T YOU ANSWER YOUR PHONE ?!" Makoto suddenly latched onto his shoulders, shaking him hard. She then seemed to freeze, yanking her hands away and letting out an awkward cough. "Um… I was just… worried about you. A-And I wanted to see you."
She… wanted to see him?
He suddenly felt a sharp rap on the top of his head. "Are you gonna to just gape at Niijima or are you gonna let her in?" Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
"Wha—?" Ken whipped around to glare at his guardian. "I'm not gaping!"
"Gape, stare, gawk, take your pick," Shinjiro-san deadpanned, all while ticking off his fingers. "Your vocabulary's decent enough."
"Ugh!" Ken fumed, folding his arms over his chest. "You're impossible to deal with sometimes!"
"Shinji, that's enough," Fuuka-san chastised, before she turned to Ken. "Ken-kun, shouldn't you let Makoto-chan inside?"
"Tch, you and the other girls always side with him," Shinjiro-san grumbled as Ken stepped aside to let Makoto come in. He took her umbrella from her.
"Um… do you want to come to my room then?" Ken said. "Futaba?"
"Hmm… I'm good. Maybe later," Futaba answered, before turning to Shinjiro-san. "Shinjiro-san! I hunger! Feed me!"
"Do I look like your personal chef to you?" Shinjiro-san grumbled. "And we didn't eat that long ago!"
"You've had me bring food to the others how many times?" Ken asked, before quickly sidestepping the throw pillow Shinjiro-san chucked at him. "Come on, Makoto."
Koromaru perked up when they entered the room, jumping off the bed and crowding Makoto. Makoto let out a quiet chuckle, before kneeling down and scratching him behind the ear. Koromaru barked before enthusiastically licking her face, making Makoto squeak.
"He likes you," Ken offered, leaning her umbrella against the wall.
Makoto shot him an annoyed glare. "I can see that," she grumbled out, digging out a handkerchief and wiping the dog drool from her face. She then unzipped her bag, pulling out a folder. "I, um, copied the notes for today for you. It's nothing too difficult, but I thought you wouldn't want to miss any of it…" She then bit her lip, looking up at him. "Um… are you really okay, Ken? I know that you texted us about it hours ago but…"
"It's not just because it's the anniversary of Mom's death."
Makoto looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
Ken sighed, sitting at the edge of his bed. "Sure, my mom's death is a big part of it…" He then rubbed his face. Koromaru jumped onto the bed, resting his head on Ken's lap. He stroked the top of Koromaru's head. "I didn't go into everything about October fourth, because I wanted to tell you the entire story of what happened back in 2009… But…" He looked down at his lap. "I was completely consumed by my bitter feelings. I felt like I had to avenge her… because she died protecting me." He bit his lip. "…Sometimes I think I haven't changed much. I can be so narrowminded sometimes… Back then, I knew Shinjiro-san was a good person. But I couldn't let it go…"
"Is this about what happened before we decided to target Okumura?"
"Not completely," he answered. "I hesitated for the longest time about telling you and everyone the truth about me. And if I had kept silent and you found out…?" He let out a short, mirthless laugh. "…It would've been my fault one hundred percent, if that angered everyone else. I would've deserved it."
"You're being too hard on yourself, Ken."
Makoto suddenly took his free hand, making him start.
"You were a child when you lost your mother and you were told that it was all in your head. And to see your mother die… because of you… I can't imagine how it would feel." Her eyes then met his. "I didn't know you back then, but I know you now… You've always tried to look after us. With Futaba, especially. I know that you regret a lot due to what happened in the past but… it's shaped you into the person you are today, hasn't it?" She squeezed his hand. "…I think that's worth something."
"Makoto…" Ken breathed.
He was just… speechless. She… really thought of him in that way?
Makoto's cheeks began to turn a warm shade of pink, her face now glowing like the setting sun. "I-I'm just stating the truth, you know…" she mumbled out, suddenly fiddling with her hair. "I… I'm glad that you're holding up okay." She abruptly withdrew her hand from his, resting it on her knee. "…I know that it'll still be… difficult for me when Dad's death anniversary comes."
"It hasn't come up yet?" Ken couldn't help but mentally kick himself for not thinking about Makoto.
Makoto shook her head. "No… it's in November. November nineteenth, to be exact." A soft sigh passed her lips. "…I wonder what he'd think of all of this… of me…"
Makoto jolted slightly when Ken rested his hand on her arm. "I'm sure that he'd be proud of you," he said quietly. "You've talked about how hard I'm on myself, but I think the same could apply to yourself."
Makoto then sighed. "Well… I guess I'm just used to not being good enough… Especially when I look at what Sis has accomplished so far. She graduated from high school a year early… she took an accelerated program throughout university… I just… don't measure up to her."
"That's not true," Ken said sharply. "Look, Makoto, I don't know your sister too well… But… she seems… difficult to approach. She's forged her own path, and it's rather admirable. You've just picked another path than hers… It's not lesser. And you're a wonderful friend."
Makoto's eyes softened. "Thank you, Ken. I... That means a lot to me, coming from you. You mean a lot to me."
...He did?
"I'm nothing special," Ken muttered.
"You are! To me at least..." Makoto then trailed off, a bright blush on her face.
He didn't understand how Makoto had a reputation of being cold and haughty. She was kind. She sometimes stumbled when she tried to reach out to people but... she tried so hard.
"I... ah, thank you," Ken stammered out, feeling his face flush.
What was wrong with him?
Then Makoto smiled at him. Ken's heart started to flutter.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh no.
When did this even happen?! Panic started to bubble inside of him as he tried to comb through all of the times he had spent with Makoto… and he couldn't pick out the moment he had…
No… that wasn't right. He started feeling confused about her when she had pulled him out of his fear. He was just… in denial. Because he didn't want to admit it. He even avoided her about it, after what happened in Inaba… He had been just running away from his feelings.
"...Ken?"
"Ah—" Ken suddenly coughed. "It's nothing," he said lamely.
He was so screwed. He had went through this once already. And like before, the girl he had feelings for just saw him as a friend...
"Mwehehehe!"
Shinjiro leaned towards Fuuka, glancing over at the now cackling Sakura and then back at his girlfriend. "…Should we be worried?"
"Um… well, Futaba-chan is eavesdropping…" Fuuka shot the young girl a concerned look, before taking a step closer to her. "Futaba-chan?"
She looked up at Fuuka's voice. "Oh hey! You wanna hear the recording?" To add to it, she waggled her phone at Fuuka.
Shinjiro sighed, rubbing a hand against his forehead. She was giving him a headache. Why did more and more Minakos keep popping up? First Kujikawa and now Sakura… Maybe he was just doomed to be annoyed by redheads.
"I'm so gonna win the bet!" She began rubbing her hands together. Was it his imagination or were her glasses glinting? "Hehe, I can't wait!"
"What do you mean by a bet?" Fuuka asked.
"Oh!" She then ducked her head. "Wellll… last time we visited the Metaverse, Makoto was kinda staring at Ken and Ren teased her a little and egged her into trying to flirt with him. And me and Ren and Ryuji were talking about how clueless Ken was about it and we bet about when they'll get it together!" Sakura's face then broke into a wide—maniacal, in Shinjiro's opinion—grin. "And from the looks of it, I'm going to win!"
…Were they really that bored? Then again, Minako and Iori bet over anything under the sun… He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised.
Shinjiro sighed. Fuck, he needed a drink. Badly. Who knew that Ken would be so damn clueless? That was more Aki's style. But then again, back in August, Ken was all oh, I'm sure you look great in your swimsuit, Makoto! Friends totally say that to each other!
"Ah… um… I see…" Fuuka fidgeted for a moment.
At least someone else here was sane.
"Do you want in on the bet?" Sakura tilted her head. "We're betting three thousand yen each!"
Shinjiro groaned. "You…" he ground out, pointing at her, "are not allowed to meet Minako. Or Iori."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" she demanded, puffing her cheeks out at him. "And I've met Minako before!"
"Do you even remember anything 'bout her?" Shinjiro shot back.
"…Uhh…"
Sakura's sheepish smile was all he needed to know.
Shinjiro snorted. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"You can't really fault her for that, Shinji. That was over two years ago," Fuuka defended.
"…Weren't you hungry, Futaba?"
"Ken!" Sakura jumped to her feet. "Shinjiro-san is tired and he doesn't want to cook."
"Really?" Ken raised an eyebrow. "That's new. But anyways, if Shinjiro-san's too tired, I can cook you something."
Ugh, was he serious? That was a total half-assed lie.
"You're the best, Ken!" Sakura cheered, latching onto his arm. "You should make something for Makoto too!" She then shot Niijima a knowing grin.
…Yeah, Sakura was absolutely not allowed to meet Minako. Who knew what kind of havoc they'd cause.
Ken gave Niijima an almost panicked look. "Oh, um…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "If she wants me to…"
…What the fuck was that about?
"Oh nono, it's fine!" Niijima protested.
"Makoto, you should never turn down free food!" Sakura reprimanded.
Fuuka just giggled, watching the banter. "Well… this was an interesting October fourth… wasn't it?"
"Sure, if you mean a huge fucking headache," Shinjiro deadpanned.
"Come on, Shinji, it wasn't all bad," Fuuka protested.
"Well… I can't exactly complain," Shinjiro said, taking her hand. "You're here, after all."
Six years ago, Minako had told him that while October fourth had bad memories for him in the past… it didn't mean the date always had to. And... she was right. He still sometimes dreamt of the time he lost control of Castor but… he knew he wasn't that person anymore. He was happy, something he thought he shouldn't be after accidentally killing Ken's mother.
…Though it'd be nice if Ken's friends didn't give him a headache. Aki, Minako, and Iori were bad enough.
Thursday, October 6th, 2016
There was less than a week left before she was supposed to be shipped to Sugimura's. The mere thought of Sugimura having her alone in his house just made Haru's skin crawl. Who knew what he'd try to do… Oh, Haru hoped that they would be able to change Father's heart in time…
"Okay, is everyone ready to head out?" Ren asked. When everyone nodded in response to his question, he let out a thoughtful hum before rubbing his chin. "Let's see… Definitely going with Noir. Ace… and Queen."
"Hey, team senpai today!" Ryuji said with a laugh.
Ren winked at them. "I'll try to pull my weight."
Instead of Ken's usually exasperated reaction to Ren's quip, Ken just shifted uncomfortably. "Um… right."
Makoto cleared her throat. "S-Shall we get going?"
Haru blinked at the two of them, tilting her head slightly. She wanted to ask them what was wrong, but given how they were acting right now… they'd panic, wouldn't they? Futaba seemed to confirm that with how she was snickering to herself. She didn't even bother holding her hand over her mouth.
Ren shot Futaba an amused look for a moment, before he nodded. "Yeah, Queen's right. Let's head out!"
But since they knew what they were doing, racing against the timer was easier. It wasn't before long until they found themselves just a few meters away from the elite group. They were blue, though… like the ones that flanked Sugimura. What made them so special?
"Joker, are you ready?" Morgana asked, looking at him. "Be careful… this battle will be tough."
"Let's kick some ass," Ren declared, before turning to Haru. "Noir, fire a warning shot."
"Not going for subtlety I see…" Yusuke remarked.
"I mean, we're gonna fight 'em, anyways," Ryuji pointed out. "Might as well go in with a bang, yeah?"
"Skull…" Ken winced. "I think you got the saying wrong…"
"Be careful, guys!" Anne exclaimed.
"How about a kiss for luck then?" Ren asked, giving her a charming smile. "I could always use some more luck."
Anne rolled her eyes at him. "Uh huh. I'm sure."
Haru couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at their little exchange. Anne had mentioned that they had been dating for about a month and a half when they had visited Inaba. She couldn't help but wish that she had met Ren a month or two sooner…
Not that it really mattered… they were happy together, and that was the important part.
Haru shook her head. She had to focus… She pulled out her grenade launcher and pulled the trigger. The ground shook as the bomb exploded, scattering the robots. But then two larger robots—like the chief manager robot they had fought during their last visit—lumbered into view, out of nowhere.
Haru just stared with horrified eyes. They… they had trouble with just one of the chief manager robots. And there were two now?!
"Crap," Ren muttered under his breath, before twisting around to face the others. "Everyone, I need you on board with this fight!"
"Understood!" everyone else exclaimed.
"Dance, Hecate!" Anne cried out, her Persona coming forth and hitting their enemies with a red light.
"Okuninishi!" Ren followed up with summoning a samurai-like warrior, who thrust his sword forward. A red aura shimmered around them for a moment, and Haru could feel strength coursing her veins.
Yusuke summoned Goemon, which then blew his pipe. Ice suddenly crystallized and Morgana summoned Zorro to whip up a powerful gale to send the ice spell rushing towards the robots.
Ken used the moment they staggered from the attack to launch a light spell, and Ryuji had Captain Kidd add to the attack. The stream of lightning intertwined with the golden light, making it crackle with electricity as the spell slammed into its targets.
"Keep them on the defensive!" Ren commanded. "If you're using single attacks, focus on the big ones!"
It was… chaotic. Haru switched from both gun attacks and psy spells, occasionally using her axe when the robots came to close.
Milady sent the robots flying with a Psio spell, allowing Makoto to nail them with a Freila spell when gravity sent them crashing down. The attack destroyed two of the robots, but two more just stepped forward in their place… like they were just waiting in the wings to come forward.
"Ugh!" Ryuji groaned. "You've gotta be kiddin' me!"
"Less complaining, more fighting, Skull!" Morgana shouted back at him.
"Doesn't mean I can't get annoyed 'bout it!" he fired back.
"Panther, look out!" Futaba's voice suddenly echoed in their minds.
Haru looked over to see that one of the larger robots had lumbered over to Anne, its arm crashing down on her.
"Arhabaki!" Ren shouted, a hint of desperation tingeing his voice, tearing off his mask. The stone statue blocked the robot's swing. Anne took the opening to summon her Persona, which unleashed a torrent of dazzling flames, engulfing the entire force of robots. "Panther, are you okay?" he asked.
Anne nodded fiercely. "Yeah! Thanks for the save, though."
Ren grinned at her. "Anything for you."
"Care to pass the baton, Panther?" Makoto called out to her.
"Right!" Anne nodded before dashing over to her. "Do it, Queen!"
Haru's eyes drifted to the larger robots. Their gun attacks hardly fazed them… It seemed like they were barely chipping at the robots.
"Guys!" Futaba suddenly shouted. "I know that Joker wants you to focus on the larger robots but be careful! The smaller ones…"
One of the said smaller robots tottered over to where Ryuji and Morgana stood. It then… twitched, before self-destructing. The blast knocked Morgana skidding backwards. Ryuji just stumbled backwards but that didn't stop him from letting out a stream of cuss words.
"…Explode," Futaba finished belatedly. Then she gasped. "Queen, look out…!"
Ken dropped his spear before he tackled her out of the way of the blast, his hand cradling the back of her head to shield her from the brunt of the force. They stared at each other for a moment, before Makoto stammered out a thanks.
Haru was… confused. Very confused. What had even happened between them?
"Noir!" Yusuke's shout snapped her out of her thoughts. Another robot self-destructed, the blast sending her stumbling backwards. Then one of the larger robots swung his arm. "GOEMON!"
Goemon intercepted the blow with his pipe. Haru quickly aimed her grenade launcher at the robot, firing it. The blast caused it to stagger back.
"Let's stop you in your tracks," Yusuke murmured.
Ice crystallized on the ground, creeping up on the robot's feet. Ken cut in with another light spell, and Makoto quickly followed up with a nuclear spell. The blast was strong enough to send the robot teetering backwards.
"Any weaknesses, Oracle?!" Ryuji demanded.
"Ghh…" Futaba made a frustrated sound. "I can't sense any, sorry! It may be just one of those annoying suckers that don't have any!"
"That's okay!" Ren said. He twirled his knife in his hand for a moment. "Oracle, I want you to see if you can figure out any attack patterns they have, okay? Mona, try to knock the larger robots with Miracle Punch!" Then he ripped off his mask. "Astraea!"
A woman clad in a sparkling silver cloak appeared. Her dark hair was as black as the night sky, making the golden stars in her tresses stand out. She carried a golden staff with a milky white orb, laurels intertwined around the orb. She pointed her staff at Morgana, a yellow light engulfing him for a moment.
"Good idea, Joker!" Futaba complimented. "Hopefully Mona will land a critical hit now!"
"Keep the robots back," Makoto suggested. "They can't hit us with that blast, if we keep our distance."
"Yeah, good idea." Ren nodded. "Panther, hit 'em with everything you've got! Noir, I want you to help her out with your gun attacks. Ace, you too, but heal us up if necessary! Skull, Fox, Queen, I want you to focus on the larger ones! Critical hits can help us so much!"
"Understood!" they all cried at once.
It was chaos as they launched their attacks. Haru could feel her legs trembling as she kept up the gun attacks. They were a bit stronger than her magic spells, but they drained so much energy out of her. It was a relief when the familiar aura of Ken's healing spell wrapped around her, infusing a warmth in her as the spell restored her energy.
Zorro then darted forward, slashing with his rapier for a moment before… sucker punching the robot. The force knocked it down, causing the ground to shake violently.
"Nice, Mona!" Anne complimented.
"Hehe, what did you expect?!" he crowed. "Pretty impressive, right, Joker—"
He was cut off by Ren breezing past them, taking a running jump, and scrambling up on the second robot. He was looking for something?
"Dude!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Are you nuts?!"
"Joker, what are you DOING?!" Anne shouted, the fear in her voice completely palpable.
"Control panel… control panel…" Ren muttered under his breath, twirling his knife in his hand. He was somehow clinging on with one hand, despite the robot's attempts to shake him off.
"Joker, that's too dangerous!" Haru exclaimed. "There has to be another way!"
"I've got this!" Ren yelled back at them. "Don't worry about me!"
Ken just pressed a hand against his face. "Don't worry about me, he says…" he muttered. "Why am I not surprised about this…?"
Yusuke sighed wearily. "This is Joker we're talking about…"
"Everyone, focus!" Makoto said sharply. "Keep the others at bay! We can manage that at least!"
Haru shook her head. Makoto was right… Ren was being stubborn about this, but the least they could do was play keep away with the other robots.
They used the same strategy that Ren had proposed earlier, but Ryuji, Yusuke, and Makoto focused on the one robot that Ren wasn't on. Captain Kidd was essentially like a battering ram, slamming into the robot repeatedly. Goemon caused shockwaves to ripple through the air with his powerful physical attacks.
But the larger robot was stubborn. It kept pushing forward, even through Makoto's nuclear attacks. But then a whip coiled around its arm, tugging it backwards.
"Not… on my watch!" Anne ground out, even as she was dragged forward. She then yanked at her whip with both hands, all while digging in her heels, making the robot stagger backwards.
Captain Kidd crashed into the robot moments later and Morgana nailed it with another Miracle Punch.
"Gotcha!" Ren exclaimed, before using his knife to pry off the panel. A moment later, Haru heard a loud zap! Ren jumped off, landing with a roll, as the robot twitched, falling forward. He leapt to his feet, pivoting to face them. "Everyone, let's go for an All Out Attack!"
They lunged forward and went… well, all out on the robots. Haru couldn't help but imagine that the robots represented everything wrong… Everything they had seen… what Father viewed his workers as, how he viewed her… She put everything in every last swing of her axe.
When they were through, all of the robots were just scraps of metal. Haru wiped the sweat from her brow… That was… an intense fight.
"Damn… that was a tough one," Ren groaned, sinking to his knees. "I'm not looking forward to the fight with Okumura if his elite robots were giving us a tough fight…" Ryuji grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his feet. "Thanks, Skull." He then looked towards the doors. "We should get going now though. The way's clear."
"Wait. There's one more thing…" When Ren looked at her quizzically, Anne suddenly smacked Ren upside on the head. "WHAT WAS THAT STUNT?!" She completely bypassed yelling, skipping right to shrieking. Haru couldn't help but wince… Anne really had a pair of lungs on her. She was surprised that her eardrums weren't ringing.
"Ow!" Ren rubbed the spot she hit him. "Jeez, Panther, that hurt!"
"Well, you gave me a heart attack!" Anne huffed, hands on her hips as she glowered fiercely at him. "That was completely reckless!"
"Yeah but—" Ren then faltered when he caught sight of the look on Anne's face. He then hung his head. "…Sorry, Panther. That was a stupid move. I just thought it'd help us win faster, that's all…"
"And he actually admits it…" Ryuji waved a hand at them, a knowing grin on his face. "Just hurry up and kiss and make up already!"
"SKULL!" Anne's face immediately turned bright red, before one of her hands clenched into a fist. "That's… YOU…"
"It's true, though, riiiight?" Ryuji taunted with a smirk.
Yusuke sighed wearily, shaking his head. "Sometimes I can't help but think that you have a death wish, Skull…"
"Shut up!" she snapped at Ryuji, completely ignoring Yusuke's comment, before letting out a growl. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Anne lunged for him, but Ren caught her around the waist and hauled her backwards with little effort. "Come on, Panther, Skull's just messing around."
Anne glowered at Ryuji but she slowly nodded. Ren cautiously released her. "But anyways… let's getting going. We're not accomplishing anything just standing there."
"Though… that fight…" Makoto said slowly. "It seemed that Okumura has countless people in the wings…"
"Are you truly surprised?" Yusuke inquired, fiddling with the hilt of his katana. "Big Bang Burger is always hiring. It seems that when one worker steps down…"
"…Another will be there to replace it," Haru finished, just barely able to keep her voice from trembling.
She couldn't help but feel so… ashamed. She had concealed her surname at school so not to get preferential treatment from her classmates but… She had never been ashamed to be an Okumura… until now. She just… didn't know how far Father had gone.
"Come on." Anne put a hand on her arm. "Let's keep going!"
Haru forced a smile. "…You're right."
Ren led them towards the door, but when they stepped through, Futaba gasped. "What the…?"
"Fuel addition has increased output! Incinerator throughput has reached 270%!"
Haru dropped her axe, making Ryuji yelp. Her hands flew to her mouth, as they watched a conveyor belt dump a robot inside the incinerator.
No… why…
"The employees…" Yusuke breathed. "They're being dumped inside the incinerator…"
"All of the employees then…" Ken said. "They're being turned into…"
"Fuel for the company…" Makoto finished for him.
Ren tensed up. "And that means… what's running the company is…"
"People's lives…" Haru said softly..
She… She felt so disgusted with herself. She had been living in the lap of luxury. Her fine clothes, the food she ate, her education… they were all paid for with the lives of her father's workers. Their lives fueled the company. Why hadn't she questioned it before? Why did it take this long for her eyes to be opened?!
Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. She peeled off her mask, angrily wiping at them.
She… She couldn't forgive Father for this. When had he crossed the line? When had he decided that nothing was too much? Didn't Father see how wrong this was?!
And the employees were just trying to survive. And Father… he abused that. Just like how he had abused her.
"Noir…?" Yusuke asked.
"It… It's nothing." Haru stared mournfully as more and more robots were dumped into the furnace. Her heart gave a painful squeeze as she watched their bodies sink under the lava. "…I cannot allow my father to continue with this. I will make him atone for what he's done…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I… I cannot forgive my father for this!"
"Noir…" Anne said softly.
"What… What makes him believe that he has the right to do this…? That money in his pocket should be placed above innocent lives… people who just wanted to make a living!" Haru shook her head, kneeling down to pick up her axe. "Let's go! We must change his heart!"
Ken was disoriented… for more than one reason.
He had to admit that the air shafts had been cool. At first. But after spending fifteen, twenty minutes wandering around… he was over it. Beyond over it.
And then there was Makoto.
After he had gotten over his crush on Minako-san during the sixth grade, girls had barely been on his radar. The fact that girls only seemed to notice him after he joined the soccer club only made him want to ignore them. And yet somehow, he had fallen for Makoto without him noticing. How on earth did that even happen?
Not that it mattered… if Makoto was to like someone, it'd be Ren. Of course, there was Anne head over heels for him and Haru also seemed to be taken with him as well. It seemed to be a Wild Card thing…
Could he just… not feel this? He hated feeling all jittery and flustered from just looking at Makoto.
…They needed to fight some Shadows already... The adrenaline of battle helped him forget about his jumbled up emotions.
They landed in the area where they had started… but a Shadow was lurking about. Ren actually groaned aloud when it spotted them but he grabbed his knife, slashing right in the Shadow's face.
The Shadow split into three… Scathachs? Wasn't that… one of Minato-san and Minako-san's most powerful Personas? If he remembered right, they also used it in one of their fusion spells…
First Arhabaki and now Scathach? What was next—them fighting Norn?
"Any ideas on weaknesses, Ace?" Ren asked.
"Er…" Ken rubbed his chin. Crap, what was Scathach's weakness? He couldn't remember… Minato-san and Minako-san really had too many Personas… Did Scathach even have a weakness? "It was pretty strong… it might not have a weakness."
"This one's average, though," Futaba piped up from her vantage point inside of Necronomicon. "Right around you guys' strength!"
…What. Not even one of the stronger Shadows? This was just too strange…
Then again, they'd probably be in trouble if this Scathach matched the power of Minato-san and Minako-san's Scathach…
A ring of fire exploded from one of the Scathachs, fanned by the gust of wind produced by another of the Scathachs.
The last Scathach was suddenly in front of him, slashing at him several times before knocking him down with one final jab. Ken stumbled backwards, the back of his head hitting the wall hard enough so that he saw stars.
"Ace!" Futaba shrieked. "Come on, get up!"
Ken's hand clenched around his spear, blinking several times as he struggled to move. But his muscles just refused to listen. Ugh… He felt so dizzy…
He looked up with blurry eyes to see that a Scathach was hovering above him, a flame dancing above her palm.
"JOHANNA!"
The Scathach was knocked away with a blue blast. Makoto then charged forward on Johanna, slamming Scathach with such a force that she was sent flying. He was vaguely aware of Haru summoning Milady.
Makoto then dismounted from Johanna, hurrying over to him before she dropped to her knees. She helped him sit up, her hands lightly resting on his shoulders, leaning in close as she scrutinized him. And suddenly, he was dizzy for more than one reason.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm… I'm okay," he managed to spit out. "Thanks, Queen."
"I'm glad." She then slid her hands off of his shoulders, moving one of them to grasp his hand and pulled him up with her. "Come on," she said over her shoulder. "We have Shadows to fight."
They rejoined the fight and in the end, Ren managed to convince Scathach to join him. Ren ended up swapping him out for Morgana, but Ken had no complaints. It gave him a reason to hang back.
Ren had talked to him about not ignoring Makoto, after they had hung out last week, so he knew that he couldn't keep fobbing her off with lame excuses. And Ren was right… it wasn't fair to Makoto either.
He just… had no idea how to handle this sudden influx of feelings.
"I think we deserve a little break after this whole…" Ren waved his hand, sweeping the area, "…maze. So let's head back to the safe room and chill for a little bit. We need to breathe."
Since they were back where they had started, the trek back to the safe room didn't take long. Ken was just relieved to sit back down. He felt drained… more drained than he had initially realized. He didn't mind Morgana taking over. He could until Ren decided that they should head back.
His eyes suddenly drifted over to Makoto. She was stretching… working out the kinks in her body. Sometimes he forgot just how toned Makoto was-
Argh, he needed to stop it! Ken suddenly felt the urge to introduce his face to the table. What was wrong with him?! He may be attracted to Makoto, but that didn't give him the right to stare…
Logic dictated that he try and get over these overwhelming emotions, like he had with Minako-san. But… something in him balked at the idea. Was it really a bad idea to try and go for it…?
Ken rubbed his temples. What was he thinking? Of course it'd be a bad idea! It wasn't at all like the case of Ren and Anne. He honestly felt like logic and emotion kept yanking him back and forth. It was giving him vertigo.
"Heeeeey, Ace!" Ryuji's exuberant voice snapped Ken out of his ruminations. "Wanna see some pictures of Shoyu?!"
Shoyu… that was what Ryuji had named Koromaru's puppy. As promised, Fuuka-san had brought a puppy with her during her recent visit.
Meeting Ryuji's mother had been… interesting. He wasn't sure what he was expecting Mrs. Sakamoto to be like, but he didn't expect her to open her mouth and a thicker Kansai accent than Labrys-san's to come out. She had been very nice, though. He could see where Ryuji had picked up some of his mannerism from, though.
Ryuji rambled on and on about his new puppy as he scrolled through the pictures on his phone. Shoyu seemed like a bit of a troublemaker, but Ryuji had energy to spare to deal with him. A good match. Though who knew that Ryuji would be so… doting?
…Then again, you probably wouldn't expect that from Shinjiro-san.
That was when Anne came over, sighing over Ryuji's pictures. She even snatched Ryuji's phone out of his hands so she could get a closer look, forcing Ken to step in.
But with Ryuji's attention on Anne, he was left brooding in his thoughts again. Ken just sighed, before his eyes drifted over to Makoto again. He felt pathetic. Utterly pathetic.
"So." Ren had taken Ryuji's spot next to him, a glint in his dark eyes.
"So…?" Ken echoed.
Ren's shit eating grin was on his face. "So… when did you realize that you like Queen?"
"W-Wha…?" Ken felt his face flush. His hand wrapped around the shaft of his spear, like it was an anchor. "O-Of course I like her," he stammered out. "She's my friend."
"Hm." Ren tilted his head, a devious light entering his eyes.
"…What's that for?" Ken glowered at Ren.
"So do you stare at all of the girls like you do to Queen? Not sure how I feel about that, if you do that to Panther."
"That's—" Ken felt his face burn even hotter. He squeezed his spear even tighter as he glared at Ren again. "Why do you have to put it like that?!"
Ren just smiled innocently. "Well, do you?"
Ugh! Why did Ren have to be like this?! He was just telling himself not to stare at Makoto and Ren just had to point it out. Ken was snapped out of his thoughts by the sudden sound of wood cracking. Ken looked down. He had to stamp down the urge to swear. Profusely. He had cracked the shaft of his spear. How did that happen?!
"Huh." Ren tilted his head, a knowing smirk on his face. That little shit. "Good thing I swapped Mona in before all of this. And I always upgrade weapons before we take on the Palace ruler."
Ken glowered at him. "Shut up, Joker."
"You know it's true," he said in a sing-song voice, before leaning in close. "You know… someone wise once told me… you should take what happiness you can. Pretty solid advice, right?"
"That's… you…" Ken was floundering. He knew that he was floundering. "This is different, okay?!" he hissed out.
Ren just smirked, leaning back in his seat. "Clarify for me, then."
"S-Shouldn't we get back to the exploration?" Ken stammered out. "W-We can't stay here forever!"
He was not ready to talk about this. And not to Ren, of all people. Ren was a good friend but he was a little shit. He sure wasn't going to give Ren some ammo…
"Fine, fine, I suppose you're right." Ken let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. But then Ren leaned in close. "…But you know you need to talk it out sometime, right? You can't keep it bottled up or you'll explode."
"…I'll keep that in mind, Joker."
It had taken a long time but… they had finally done it.
Haru gazed at the hazy orb, which according to Morgana, represented the Treasure… the physical manifestation of her father's twisted desires.
Though she wasn't sure what exactly the factory had been "building"… That really bothered her. Not to mention the mental shutdowns… That was rather worrisome, as well.
But… that meant she would have to face her father. Her flesh and blood. She had such a difficult time connecting the despicable man whose sins were on display in this Palace… to the father she remembered.
Could she really do it…?
"Noir?" Makoto gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to get going…"
"R-Right!" Haru forced a smile. "You're right, Queen…"
Over Makoto's shoulder, Yusuke's eyes met hers. She could see the sympathy swimming in his gray eyes.
They slipped into the safe room they had found near the Treasure, before Ren activated the app once more. They were whisked back to the real world.
"So… when will we be sending the calling card?" Ken asked.
Ryuji pounded a fist into his palm. "Yeah! Okumura's got a lot of explaining to do!"
"Don't worry, guys, it'll be soon," Ren reassured, with a confident smile on his lips. "Two days tops. I just need to upgrade our equipment and make sure we're all stocked up on medicine… Don't worry, Haru. We'll make sure your father regrets every action he's made."
Haru bowed her head. "…Thank you."
"We're getting so close!" Morgana exclaimed, his eyes burning like blue fire. "We'll be one step closer to our goals after this…!"
"Calm down, Morgana," Anne scolded. "We have to take things one step at a time…"
"I know, I know! But imagine what this will do for us!"
"Settle down…" Makoto chided. "It's getting late, anyways… We should all head back home…"
Oh… that was right… She didn't realize that evening was approaching so quickly…
But even so, after bidding farewell to her friends, Haru found herself gazing at Okumura Foods' HQ. It was big. It felt so impersonal.
And yet… could she really accept sending her father to jail? Was it right for her to decide…? And if Father was arrested… what would happen to the employees? There was so much she was so unsure of…
"Haru?"
Haru flinched at the sudden hand on her shoulder. She whirled around to see it was Yusuke. "Yusuke-kun!" she gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. "Y-You startled me!"
"My apologies, Haru." Yusuke quickly bowed. "I did not mean to frighten you. I just thought… you could use a listening ear."
Haru looked down, ashamed. She was just a couple months shy of turning eighteen. She was a school year above Yusuke. Yusuke and the other juniors should be looking up to her as someone to lean on…
"..I don't think Father will be home," she murmured. "Let's go there."
"As you wish."
The walk home was quiet. She honestly didn't know Yusuke that well. She knew that he was a scholarship student of Kosei High, he was formerly Madarame's student, and… he struggled with bills and was constantly hungry.
"Why don't you sit down?" she prompted. "I'll make us some tea."
She was trained in tea ceremony, but she saw no need in that. So she set a tea kettle to boil. She sorted through the types of tea they had while she waited for the water to boil. Once the tea was hot enough, she poured it in two porcelain tea cups.
"These tea cups seem to be handcrafted," Yusuke remarked, before gently blowing on his tea and taking a careful sip. "Mmm… this tea is exquisite."
"Thank you, Yusuke-kun." Haru looked down at her own tea. "My mother's parents gifted them to her when she and Father got married."
"What happened to your mother?" Yusuke inquired.
Haru bit her lip. "…She died in childbirth. When I was four, she became pregnant again… and my little brother had been stillborn. I don't have many memories of her, but I remember that Mother was gentle and kind…"
Yusuke's eyes widened. "I… I'm so sorry, Haru. I didn't mean to rehash that…"
"It's okay, Yusuke-kun." Haru smiled to reassure him. "I don't remember much of her… it's difficult to mourn someone you hardly remember."
"…I can relate to that." Yusuke set down his cup. "I haven't really discussed it but the Sayuri… It was actually a painting of my mother… with me as an infant. Madarame's Shadow revealed that he let her die… and it was an atrocious crime, I cannot deny that… However, I felt Sensei's betrayal, his façade as a kind and benevolent man being a lie… more sharply than him being responsible for my mother's death."
"…How did you accept fighting him? I can't deny that seeing all of Father's crimes has made me want to see him atone but… I…!" Haru closed her eyes. "Part of me wavers… I can't help but feel weak about that… For still feeling affection towards him."
"…I was blinded by Sensei's actions," Yusuke said. "I did not want to admit what I already knew. It took me having to face his Shadow to realize just how much I was lying to myself. You are not weak for feeling affection towards your father still, Haru… Not everything is black and white, unfortunately." He then smiled at her. "…But you don't have to shoulder the burden alone, Haru. We are here for you."
Haru looked into his eyes. "T-Thank you, Yusuke-kun… I needed that reminder…"
"Any time, Haru." He then reached for his satchel. "…May I show you something?"
"What is it?" Haru frowned.
Yusuke's hand dove into his satchel, pulling out his sketchbook. He flipped through it, apparently searching for a specific drawing. "Ah, here we are."
He handed it over to her. Haru took it and looked down. She couldn't help but gasp.
It was a colored sketch… of her. Her as Noir, her axe on her shoulder… with Milady in the background. Milady's artillery was pointed at some unseen enemy. The detail was incredible. Blue flames encircled them, reminiscent of when she awakened and when they transformed into Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse.
"Is this… really me?"
"It is." Yusuke nodded. "I recently developed my passion for art once more… but you… stoked a fire in me. You were truly a sight to see… you shed all of your inhibitions. You were determined to fight… Don't lose heart, Haru. You may hesitate… but we'll be here to reassure you."
"T-Thank you, Yusuke-kun…" Haru looked down at the sketch. "I can't believe you drew this… mostly from memory! That's just amazing."
"The moment you awakened was seared in my mind. It was truly incredible." Yusuke gently eased the sketchpad out of her hands, before tearing it out. "Keep it, Haru. I think looking at it will remind you that you are both Haru Okumura and Noir. They're both sides of you."
"Yusuke-kun…" Haru breathed. "Thank you… Thank you for everything."
His gentle reminder… the beautiful sketch…
"It's nothing, Haru." Yusuke shook his head. "I merely saw a friend in need. It's nothing more than what I should do." He then stood up. "Thank you for the tea, but I really should get going… I'm afraid that I'll miss the train if I dawdle too much."
Haru grabbed his sleeve. "Give me a moment, please," she requested. She then reached for her bag, pulling out her wallet. She dug through it, rifling through it.
"Haru, you don't need to pay me-"
"You didn't need to talk to me…" Haru said, pressing several two thousand yen bills in his hand. "…But you did. You reassured me. Just let me do this... Let me help you, Yusuke-kun… in the way I can."
Yusuke let out a soft sigh. "…Very well, Haru. As you wish."
"And again, Yusuke-kun… thank you."
She could do it… she could face her father. She was going to make him atone for his crimes… So many people have suffered under his hand. It was nothing more than her duty.
ASTRAEA
History: Astraea is the Greek goddess of justice, purity, and innocence. Astraea, the celestial virgin, was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age, one of the old Greek religion's five deteriorating Ages of Man. According to Ovid, Astraea abandoned the earth during the Iron Age. Fleeing from the new wickedness of humanity, she ascended to heaven to become the constellation Virgo. Astraea also means star maiden.
Level: 42
Affinity: Bless, Support
Blocks: Bless
Resists: Psy
Weakness: Curse
Spells: Kouga (innate), Mediarama (innate), Rebellion (innate), Makouga (level 44) Amrita Shower (level 46)
So… consider this my late Mother's Day chapter. It discussed a lot about parents in general. I knew from the start that I wanted to cover October 4th when the time came but I didn't expect it to span so long. And of course, there's Okumura in the latter half of the chapter.
And I truly believe that we had a lost opportunity by not having Yusuke empathize with Haru. There's more of an emphasis on Madarame over his mother, after all, and they're the only Phantom Thieves with a father figure who are Palace rulers.
We're reaching the end of Okumura's arc soon! Next chapter will involve the confrontation with Okumura.
And… with the PQ2 videos floating on the web, I'm seriously considering a side project of Ace in the Hole's version of PQ2. It wouldn't be a full on adaption, like this, but it'd be a series of oneshots. Would anyone be interested in reading that?