Chapter 35
A Little Breather
Monday, November 7th, 2016
"Come on, Futaba, it'll be good for you!"
"No!" Futaba shook her head vigorously. "Why put yourself through so much pain?!"
Futaba had always hated exercising. She was always the last to finish her laps in gym. And yet Ryuji and Ken wanted her to put herself through that again?! No thank you. Following everyone in the Palaces was enough for her, thank you.
"It's a good burn, though!" Ryuji insisted. "It'll be fun! Let us show you!"
"There's nothing that will convince me to go exercising with you," Futaba said flatly.
"Nothing, huh?" Ken raised an eyebrow. "I thought you might say something like that…"
"Using your trump card, huh?" Ryuji nudged Ken in the side with a grin. "Ready to see Futaba eat her words?"
Ken just rolled his eyes at Ryuji, before producing a poster tube. He then popped it open, unfurling the poster inside.
Futaba's eyes bugged out. It was a poster of the latest incarnation of Feathermen… A fully autographed poster.
"How did you get your hands on this?!" Futaba cried out.
Ken just raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Do you really have to ask?"
"Neeeeerd," Ryuji teased, elbowing Ken in the side which just made Ken roll his eyes in response.
"You're giving it to me?!" Futaba exclaimed but Ken quickly held it over her head, out of reach.
Cheater. Why did everyone but Haru have to be annoyingly taller than her?! And even then Haru was nearly half a head taller.
"Not so fast," Ken said. "I will give it to you… if you agree to come to the gym with Ryuji and me today."
Futaba grumbled to herself. Ken was playing dirty… But still, a completely autographed poster! She couldn't pass this up! She had to have it!
"Fiiiine," she huffed before pointing at the boys. "I'm not gonna enjoy it though!"
"We'll see 'bout that!" Ryuji said with a wide grin. "Come on, onto the Protein Lovers Gym!"
After Futaba picked out an exercising outfit, they dragged her to Shibuya, paid six thousand yen for the three of them (that could have covered the cost of a game but no, apparently they had to exercise).
"Okay, Futaba, let's start with a light jog on the treadmill!" Ryuji said with a grin. "It'll be a nice warm-up!"
"Can't we do the bikes?" Futaba couldn't help but whine. "That's sitting still!"
"Futaba, it's a miracle that you haven't been lagging in the Metaverse runs," Ken said sternly, folding his arms over his chest. "We may have a situation where we need to get away as soon as we can, and you could be in trouble if you're not fast enough."
"I'm not that bad!" Futaba grumbled out.
Ryuji and Ken just exchanged a skeptical look.
"HEY! I saw that!" Futaba puffed out her cheeks. "Ugh, you guys suck."
"Prove us wrong, then," Ryuji challenged. "You can go toe to toe with the best hackers and doing a simple warm-up will scare you off?!"
"Fiiine," Futaba groaned out before she climbed the treadmill.
"You're lucky that you've never been in a sports club, y'know," Ryuji said. "Some of the drills… they were just brutal."
"I remember those sprinting drills when I first joined the soccer club," Ken mused. "Felt like my legs were going to fall off…"
"You're not helping." Futaba grumbled out.
"Hey, we're saying that you have it easy compared to what we had to deal with!" Ryuji huffed.
"We'll focus on building up your stamina today," Ken said, his tone taking the air of a teacher. "So, I want you to keep up a jog for five minutes. I don't care how slow you feel you're going. It's just important that you don't stop or start walking."
"Okay, Coach." Futaba huffed out.
"Where'd ya even learn this?" Ryuji asked as Futaba turned on the treadmill.
"Just listening in on Junpei-san, I guess," Ken said sheepishly. "He coaches a junior league baseball team, along with his job as a gym teacher. He taught me how to play baseball back in junior high. He really loves his job."
"Huh…never thought of it like that." Ryuji sounded weirdly thoughtful. "That does seem pretty cool when you put it like that!"
"Futaba, more jogging," Ken suddenly said, his voice turning sharp. "You can listen and jog at the same time."
"Slave driver." Futaba grumbled.
Ken huffed before rolling his eyes at her. "I heard that."
"You were supposed to!"
They did a little bit of everything. Futaba felt so tired… and her muscles were burning. But at the same time… she also… felt good? Weird.
"Are we done now?" Futaba asked.
"Not yet." Ryuji grinned before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out some scotch tape and a crumpled photo of Akechi.
"…Is there a reason why you've got a picture of Akechi in your pocket?"
"Not for the reason you're thinking!" Ryuji retorted. "It's for the punching bag!"
"Ryuji…" Ken sighed out.
"He just…pisses me off!" Ryuji hissed out. "I'd find him annoying enough even without his whole 'The Phantom Thieves are evil and just as bad as crooks' attitude, but what he's planning with Ren…" He scowled. "I can't exactly punch the real Akechi so this will do."
She could see where Ryuji was coming from. They've been stressing over this operation (and the fact that a lot of the plan was riding on her abilities was so reassuring). While everyone liked to treat her like she was their kid sister, Ren always did look out for her. The idea of Akechi killing him... just made her sick to her stomach.
"Lemme at 'im, too!" Futaba exclaimed before her hands balled into fists.
Ken just pressed a hand to his forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You both can be so impossible, I'll have you know."
"Noted!" Futaba smiled cheekily.
"Don't break it or we'll have to compensate them," Ken grumbled out as they watched Ryuji whale on the punching bag. "Has Makoto been teaching you aikido or something?"
Ryuji just snickered before he gave one last punch, making the punching bag swing violently. "Nah! I'm pretty sure Makoto would be nitpicking at my technique if she was here." He then turned to look at Futaba. "Wanna give it a go, Futaba?"
"Yeah!" Futaba nodded. She let Ryuji step away, before she took his spot. She balled her fists, eyeing the punching bag. "Here it goes!" Then she swung her fist. "Ouch!" she yelped, as her hand started to throb with pain.
"Let me see." Ken gingerly took her hand, before he sighed softly. "This isn't like a pillow, you know."
"I didn't think it was," Futaba said sulkily. Ken glanced around cautiously before his hand began to glow blue. Warmth infused her hand and when Ken pulled his hand away, Futaba could feel the pain disappearing. She flexed her hand for a moment before she looked to Ken. "Thanks."
"No problem." Ken then looked to Ryuji. "What do you say about getting a snack at the diner? I think Futaba's done for the day."
"The poster!" Futaba exclaimed, clenching both of her hands into fists. "Gimmegimmegimme—!"
"Okay, okay, calm down!" Ken sighed, shaking his head.
"I think you've created a monster, Ken," Ryuji commented.
Ken just rolled his eyes in response. "Haha, you're hilarious, Ryuji."
"Don't be mad because I'm just sayin' the truth!"
But they got out of the gym, heading for the diner.
"Y'know, RenRen always said this is a good place to study," Ryuji commented, not looking up from the menu. "Dunno why."
"It's quiet, I suppose." Ken shrugged. "And he can order something to eat or drink to keep up his energy."
"Still weird..." Ryuji grumbled to himself. "But anyways...I did have fun today."
"It was...nice," Futaba grumbled out. "But—!"
"Oh, all right." Ken huffed, shooting Futaba an exasperated look. He then reached under the table, retrieving the poster tube. "You've got a one-track mind. I hope you know that."
Futaba stuck her tongue at him before she snatched the poster from him. "You know you love us."
"Hm." Ken then took a sip of his water but he didn't deny it.
"This was nice, y'know." Ryuji then heaved out a sigh, making Futaba and Ken look at him. "I just...I dunno. Stressing out 'bout Makoto's sis was getting to me." Then he scowled. "I don't even know why Makoto thinks that she's any better than the other ones we've faced."
"Ryuji..." Ken said quietly.
"I mean...! She tried to effing blackmail Boss. And all those lives she had to have wrecked, all 'cause she needed to win." Ryuji suddenly gripped the edge of the table. "I guess...I just don't get it," he said quietly. "Why Yusuke, Haru, and Makoto care so much." He then laughed, but it was flat. "I guess... I'm a shitty person... ain't I?"
"D-Don't say that!" Futaba blurted. "I... I get it." She closed her eyes. "My uncle..." she mumbled out. "He was awful to me. Sojiro probably would've been fine to let him to take care of me... if he actually did."
"Exactly!" Ryuji's eyes suddenly lowered to the table. "My old man... He was honestly super shitty. He made my mom cry so many times... He'd get pissed off and take it out on me and my mom. If he came back, said he was sorry... I could never forgive him. He's an asshole! And... he probably pales in comparison to Madarame or Okumura." He just shook his head, giving a rueful smile. "I guess Yusuke, Haru, and Makoto are just more mature than me."
"Don't say that, Ryuji," Ken said sharply. "There are some people that aren't worth forgiveness. They're nothing but scum. I know... it's complicated. But don't put yourself down, because you've seen how conflicted Yusuke and Haru felt about facing their abusive father figures or seeing how Makoto feels about her older sister."
"You're not stupid for not wanting to forgive him," Futaba said. "I would never forgive my uncle..."
Ryuji then cracked his usual smile.
"Heh… thanks guys." Then he shook his head. "I get family being important to some people but... ugh. My mom's the only family member who's ever given two shits 'bout me."
Yeah... that was pretty much the same for her. She had believed that Mom had hated her for so long but... it wasn't the truth. Mom loved her. Although, she couldn't help but wonder if Akechi was the one responsible for killing her. If that was the case...
She would never forgive Akechi.
"Well... truth be told," Ken began, "My personal feelings align with yours, Ryuji. I can understand why Makoto feels the way she does..." Ken just sighed before he shrugged. "But like you, Mom was the only one who ever really cared about me."
"Maybe we should make a 'I Have A Shitty Dad' club?" Ryuji weakly joked.
"Heh." Ken closed his eyes for a moment. "But my point is that you shouldn't feel bad or guilty that you don't want to forgive your dad, should the chance present itself."
Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Ken. I guess… I needed to hear a little pep talk."
Ken's cheeks suddenly colored. "T-That was nothing."
"Aw, you don't have to feel embarrassed!" Futaba snickered at him.
A new voice interjected into the conversation.
"Might I join you?"
"A-Akechi?!" Ryuji sputtered out, staring at him. "What are you doing here?!"
"The same reason as you, I suppose," Akechi remarked, all while smiling amusedly.
Futaba was so glad that she was sitting next to Ryuji. Speaking of Ryuji, Ken gave him a quick warning look before sliding closer to the wall to accommodate Akechi.
"So, I take it that you have been exercising based on your attire?" Akechi asked. "Though I must say, I would never think you would partake in that, Futaba-san."
"Yeah, well..." Futaba scrunched up her face, shooting Ken a look. "Someone dangled a fully autographed poster of Feathermen Rangers over my head!"
"Oh yes, how dare I make you do something that's good for you," Ken deadpanned.
"And you ended up enjoying yourself!" Ryuji huffed out. "You can't deny it!"
Futaba just turned and flicked him in the forehead.
"WHATCHA DO THAT FOR?!"
"Inside voice, Ryuji..." Ken sighed out, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"What inside voice?" Futaba quipped.
"Aw, shuddup..." Ryuji folded his arms over his chest before proceeding to sulk.
"You all are so lively." Akechi laughed quietly, holding a hand over his mouth. "I must say... you are quite the fan of Feathermen Rangers, aren't you, Futaba-san?"
"Well... yeah." Futaba bit her lower lip. "Victory especially. It kinda... gave me something to look forward when I... when I wasn't at the highest point of my life. The opening line of the intro always stuck with me. 'Death must not be needlessly feared... But it must not be needlessly wanted, either. So, face it and fight, Feathermen!' It was... one of the things that made me happy after Mom died."
Akechi was frozen for a moment. He looked…shaken. Some emotion flashed in his eyes before he closed them for a moment.
Then he pressed his lips together. "T-That's understandable. I…I'm sorry that your mother's death had…shaken you so much." He then coughed. "T-Though, it's good that you're taking some time to enjoy yourself now. I've discovered the date when Sae-san will be sitting in during court: next Monday."
The topic of Sae made Ryuji's face sour. He wasn't quite scowling but… the disapproval on his face was clear as day. And well, it's not like Futaba disagreed with Ryuji.
Akechi winced. "You… really don't like Sae-san, do you?"
"No shit, Sherlock," Ryuji spat out. "Like I get it. She's Makoto's sis. And your partner. But she's done all the shitty stuff that I hate about the police! Manipulating shit, throwing innocent people under the bus!" He then slammed his fist on the table, making the glasses rattle. "It pisses me off! And I bet that she would've condemned Ren if she was the one prosecuting his case!"
"And there's what she tried to do with Sojiro… she would've ruined his life," Futaba mumbled out.
A… weird look crossed Ken's face. "Well… Shinjiro-san did tell me something…"
Ryuji looked shocked; Futaba had to admit she also was surprised.
"Why would Shinjiro-san run into her?!" Ryuji demanded. "Tell us, Ken!"
"Okay, okay, calm down!" Ken hissed. "It's not as big as you would think. But she came into the bar that Shinjiro-san works at. She looked kinda stressed with the case. And… Shinjiro-san asked her if this was all worth it. And… Niijima-san couldn't answer."
"So, she's got a conscience, huh…?" Futaba asked. Then she mumbled out, "That's a surprise."
Ken just sighed. Well, she wasn't the one dating Makoto. Ken had a bias as Makoto's boyfriend. Unless Sae proved that she regretted threatening Sojiro…Futaba wasn't ready to forgive her.
"Well…I can understand your… gripes with the police," Akechi admitted. "And people in power, in general. As they say…power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Akechi seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"May I… share something… about me?"
"Nobody's stopping ya." Ryuji shrugged. "You like talking about yourself on TV, so I guess real life isn't any different."
"How you jest, Ryuji-san." Akechi laughed, but it sounded so… fake. "But... Thank you." Akechi then inhaled. "As I told you a few months ago, I was born out of wedlock. My mother… she had been a fresh graduate out of university. But… in her field, it wasn't the easiest to find a job straight out of university. So, she found a job so she could support herself while she tried to get a job that she did want. She worked as a secretary for an upcoming politician."
Then a bitter look crossed his face. It honestly… was a bit unnerving. She was so used to the princely media darling. Futaba felt herself scooching closer to Ryuji.
"He knew just how to manipulate her," Akechi continued. "He whispered things in her ear…things she wanted to hear. You see, she had a sister who was fortunate to find love in high school. After university, her sister's boyfriend proposed to her and they married soon after. They were quite in love…and my mother craved the same love. But he…he would never give it to her. She told him that she was pregnant…and what did he do? He threw her away like trash…"
"What the hell?" Ryuji choked out. "That…really effed up."
She never really knew her dad. But Mom…she didn't really care. Maybe…it was a blessing that Mom marched to her own beat, as Sojiro sometimes put it.
"Another politician who only cares about himself..." Ken rubbed his forehead. "Politics seem to breed that type."
"Another?" Akechi questioned.
"Uh..." Ryuji grimaced. "It really should be on Ren to tell ya but…you did share some pretty heavy shit 'bout your family. But you know that Ren's on probation for a year, yeah?"
"Ren was just walking home when he came across some politician trying to force himself on a woman." Futaba huffed. "And he got screwed over so badly for it…!"
Akechi inhaled sharply. "Is that really the case?"
"I mean, Ryuji's many things but he's not a liar!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ryuji demanded.
"But that's why Ren's a bit... bitter towards prosecutors," Ken said quietly. "Because how his court case was honestly just a farce."
"It's so effed up how he got screwed over this," Ryuji muttered.
"Power…" Futaba said quietly. "That's all it comes down to."
"Yes," Akechi agreed. "If only we could take him down."
Futaba gulped. The way Akechi's eyes burned… it scared her a little. Something told her…that Akechi wasn't referring to the politician that messed with Ren.
"Might I join you for a bit?"
Ken had to bite back a sigh. Honestly, while his backstory wasn't… what he had expected, Ken was not particularly interested in spending more time with Akechi than he had to. But there was no polite way to say no in this situation. Sometimes he wished he could be more blunt like Shinjiro-san.
Ryuji had taken Futaba home, leaving him with Akechi.
"I suppose," Ken answered, doing his best to keep his voice neutral.
"How is Niijima-san?" Akechi abruptly asked.
"Why do you ask?" Ken asked, glancing towards Akechi.
He couldn't help but feel a little irritated, especially with how Akechi had treated Makoto in the past.
Akechi winced, before he let out a heavy sigh.
"I… I know that Niijima-san is not the biggest fan of me," He said, "But… as I told her before… we do have a common ground—we both care about Sae-san. And I've only known Sae-san for two years. I can only imagine how she felt, seeing how…warped Sae-san has become."
"You're…more attached to her than I would think," Ken said slowly. "She is just your co-worker, isn't she?"
"Well… she is my coworker, yes," Akechi agreed. "But when we met… she was a bit skeptical. After all, there aren't many sixteen year old detectives running around. But… she slowly let me in. Back then, she still believed in justice somewhat. She spoke of wanting to reform the system and that… resounded with me, in a way. The justice system… it lets the downtrodden slip through the cracks. And well… she treated me kindly. Kinder than most adults have."
Was he lying? The fact that he claimed that the black masked Persona-user attacked him, and in response, Akechi had awakened to his Persona still nagged at him. He didn't know if he could trust Akechi.
"Ken-san... if I may ask," Akechi said quietly. "You've mentioned this guardian of yours before…am I correct in assuming that he's not a blood relative?"
"He's not," Ken answered. "Shinjiro-san was... well, he was a third-year attending Gekkoukan High when we met. But... he felt that the life I led wasn't healthy."
"Your..." Akechi's brow furrowed at Ken's statement. "Life? Just what do you mean?"
Ken sighed. It was only fair—he did share a lot about his family. "Back then, I was under the custody of my father's cousin, but it was really in name. He paid the bills but I probably could've fallen in a ditch for all he cared…"
"I'm sorry about that." Akechi's eyes widened at that. "After losing your parents."
Ken shrugged. "I never really knew my dad. My parents got a divorce when I was practically a baby."
"Oh..." Akechi said lamely. "But...he didn't involve himself in your life after the divorce?"
"Well…" Ken grimaced. "It's all gossip but… apparently my parents' first real conflict was over… whether or not they were ready to be parents." He shrugged. "I don't know if it's true. Gossip can be full of gibberish."
Akechi just frowned quizzically. "It doesn't... bother you?"
Ken shrugged. "My mom always loved me. She tried to make the best of things, even if it was rough. And there were a couple hard years, after Mom died but… after I met my senpai… they gave me love. They helped me heal after my mom's death."
"You are..." Akechi swallowed hard, "Quite fortunate."
Did he look angry? Or would a better word be...bitter? But the look in his eye disappeared within a blink of an eye.
"I know I am," Ken said. "I'm very grateful to them."
"But—" Akechi hesitated for a moment, before he swallowed hard. He looked down to the ground. "I never apologized for what happened... with Takeba-san's son. I spoke carelessly."
Ken just looked at him warily. "Why bring this up now?"
Akechi looked up, a weak smile on his face.
"Well I suppose it was on my mind, with bringing up my father. Takeba-san has fortitude, for choosing to bear bastard children when she was... eighteen? And I assume the father just... deserted her."
"No," Ken snapped out.
"No?" he parroted back.
"No," Ken repeated.
He thrust his hands into his jacket's pockets to hide that his hands were balling into fists. He hated it when people made wrong assumptions about Minato-san, that he abandoned Yukari-san.
"Yukari-san's boyfriend... he was a good person. He loved Yukari-san very much... but something happened and..." Ken squeezed his eyes shut. "...His death was a tragedy," he finished quietly as he opened his eyes. "He lost his parents at a young age due to a tragic accident and... he would never abandon a child of his. Never."
Besides that, Minato-san would've had Minako-san to contend with.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you held him in high regard," Akechi murmured, making Ken look at him. "I just thought—" He then coughed. "I suppose I'm just jumping to conclusions. Though that being said, Takeba-san's children are... fortunate."
When Ken raised an eyebrow at that, he was quick to add more.
"They have their mother still, after all. And she is fortunate enough to have a well-paying job, being an actress." A sad smile then formed on his lips. "But as I was saying, I spoke heedlessly. I... I found out just how bastards were viewed in society when I was about... seven?" He closed his eyes for a moment. "Rumors spread... the children learned to avoid me because I was a bastard. I recall my mother asking what a bastard was. She didn't say anything. She just hugged me and wept."
"Akechi... I'm sorry."
He didn't know what else to say. He used to hate that phrase, often used after someone found out that he was an orphan. But sometimes all you could do was offer sympathy.
Akechi smiled weakly. "I just wish...she hadn't died with so much pain and torment. If only he had—" He then shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "No. Wishes... they're useless."
"Akechi-san?" Ken questioned.
"Ah, forgive me, Ken-san." Akechi forced a smile. "I've wasted enough of your time. You should get going. Your guardian must be worried for you."
Then he walked away. Ken just stared in bewilderment at Akechi's retreating back.
What was that about?
Tuesday, November 8th, 2016
From the little comments Anne has made to Ren here and there, Ren could guess that she hasn't had a birthday party in the longest time. Oh, her parents called to wish her a happy birthday. Shiho always made sure to get her an awesome birthday present. But to Ren…that simply wasn't enough.
This year was going to be different. They had a group of friends. Anne's seventeenth birthday was going to be a good one if Ren had anything to say about it. And besides...he had missed so many of his friends' birthdays already. He wasn't going to do it yet another time.
Not to mention that everyone deserved to have some fun after all of the stress they've had to deal with lately. A much needed distraction from Niijima's Palace. And well. The fact that Shido and Akechi both wanted him dead. But he did have to invite Akechi into this. Couldn't look like he didn't trust Akechi.
Earlier this morning, he had sent a text to everyone (except for Anne of course) to meet him in the attic of LeBlanc to discuss this.
"What is this about, Ren?" Morgana tilted his head at Ren. "And I noticed you didn't message Lady Anne about this meeting."
"That's because I don't want her to find out. Because you see..." Ren then paused for dramatic effect, earning him an eye roll from a certain someone. "It'll be Anne's birthday in four days."
"Oh!" Haru's eyes brightened. "You want to throw her a birthday party, don't you?" She then giggled, pressing a hand to her cheek. "That's so sweet of you, Ren-kun."
Akechi cleared his throat. "I understand that Anne-san has been your paramour for a while but—"
"What's a paramour?" Ryuji interrupted, cutting Akechi off.
"It means love interest," Makoto clarified.
"Though it is usually used to describe a lover of a married person," Ken said dryly, shooting Akechi a look. "Which Anne is most certainly not."
"Dude, you gotta show off your vocab or somethin'?" Ryuji grumbled out.
Ken just rolled his eyes. Ren couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well, I'm not opposed to this," Yusuke stated. "We have been stressed since well…" he trailed off, before pursing his lips. "...For weeks."
"Since Father died," Haru said before she smiled faintly at Yusuke. "It's okay, Yusuke-kun..."
Ren noticed something curious from the corner of his eye as he noticed Akechi shifting where he stood. He turned to glance at him better (albeit discreetly). Was that a look of guilt in Akechi's eyes? He was looking at everything else but Haru too.
"I'm down!" Futaba cried, before her shoulders suddenly hunched over. "Nggh... I don't have a birthday present ready for her though."
"It's okay, Futaba, we can go shopping for a birthday present together," Makoto reassured before patting the younger girl's shoulder. "How does that sound?"
Futaba's eyes lit up before she nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Thanks, Makoto!"
"And...I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you." She said hesitantly.
"Hm? What's up?" Futaba quirked a brow at her.
"Not here!" Makoto hastily blurted out. "We can talk about it later."
Huh. What was that about?
"Can we even pull this off though?" Morgana asked. "Lady Anne does deserve a nice party but...there are only four days before Lady Anne's birthday…"
"We can." Ren firmly nodded. "We've pulled off the impossible before. We've got this in the bag!"
"So...what do we have to cover?" Yusuke asked. "I must confess, I'm not too acquainted with the process."
"Food's a must!" Ryuji exclaimed before looking eagerly to Ken. "Hey, Ken! You should totally ask Shinjiro-san if he can give us a hand!"
"Well... I can try," Ken said slowly, looking rather unsure. "Shinjiro-san does get tired out from his job though, so I'm not sure. Though if Shinjiro-san can't, I can cook." Then he added in a mutter, "Never would hear the end of it if Shinjiro-san ever found out that there was only junk food."
"I could always make it a catering job," Haru mused. "Oh! I'd like to give baking a try. I can make the cake! Birthday parties always need a cake!"
For some reason, Ken paled. He looked... nervous as he swallowed hard.
"Er... Haru?"
"Hm?" Haru tilted her head. "Is something the matter, Ken-kun?"
"You know how to read a cookbook, right?" Ken asked.
Haru just blinked. "Yes?"
Why was Ken suddenly paranoid? Maybe he should pry the story out of Ken sometime…
"But man, Shinjiro-san's such an awesome cook," Ryuji said with a grin. "Dude, I haven't had his cooking in ages! It'd be awesome if you could get him to cook for us!"
"If he does agree, we should invite him to the party!" Haru said.
Morgana scrunched up his face. "Something tells me that he'll say no."
"I'll try to convince him," Ken said hesitantly.
Ren quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "Is he really that much of a grump?"
Ken just huffed. "It's like pulling teeth." Then he paused. "…Well, if you're not Fuuka-san."
Ryuji snickered. "He really is whipped."
"I still do not understand that phrase…" Yusuke stated with a frown.
"…You don't need to, Yusuke," Ken said dryly.
"Ahem!" Makoto cleared her throat, before looking towards Ren. "I suppose the rest of us should handle decorating," Makoto mused.
"I ask that I be put in charge," Yusuke announced, pointedly ignoring Futaba's scoff and eyeroll. "My eye for aesthetic is unparalleled, after all."
"Well… most of you, yes." Ren looked towards his best friend. " But I have something else in mind for you, Ryuji."
"Come on, dude. Spit it out!" Ryuji said impatiently.
Ren then grinned.
"Patience is a virtue," He teased.
"RenRen!"
"That's my name, don't wear it out," Ren quipped, before smirking at the chagrined look on Ryuji's face.
It was really too fun to tease Ryuji. Almost as fun as teasing Ken.
He then cleared his throat. "Okay, basically, I talked to Shiho a few days ago. Turns out that she was planning to surprise Anne with a visit for her birthday. So, I invited her to the party. But since I think she's most familiar with you, I figured that you'd be the best choice to go get her at the train station and bring her here."
"Didn't you visit her the most with Anne?" Makoto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well..." Ren smiled sheepishly. "Someone's gotta distract her while everyone sets up, right?"
"Oh sure." Futaba nodded before making kissing noises. "And you can get all gross and mushy with her."
"Hey!" Ren protested. "We're not that bad!"
"Uh-huh," Ken said dryly. "Sure."
"Hey, your track record isn't exactly squeaky clean!" Ren retorted. "You can't talk!"
Ken could only glower at him.
"Do I want to know?" Akechi tilted his head as both Ken and Makoto predictably reddened.
Ren smothered the urge to smirk. They really made it too easy.
Haru clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"So! What should we do for decorations? And what type of cake?" She asked.
"Well, Anne really loves roses, so it'd be cool to incorporate that in the decorations…"
Thursday, November 10th, 2016
Chie was exhausted. She loved what she was working towards, becoming a police officer so she can protect people—but sometimes the training at the police academy was just brutal. Some days she felt as wiped out as the day she had awakened to Tomoe.
She had managed to start to doze off when she found herself being shaken awake. "Satonaka! Wake up!"
"Huh?" She blinked blearily up at her fellow trainee, one of the few women who was studying at the academy. "Is it time for dinner?"
She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Not quite. The original Detective Prince is here to see you."
"Naoto-kun?!" Chie yelped out, abruptly sitting up. "For what?!"
"I just said that she's here to see you." She then poked Chie in the forehead before shaking her head. "Might wanna wake a bit before you go see her."
Chie waved her aside with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I'll wash my face. Thanks for letting me know about Naoto-kun."
After she went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, she went to go find Naoto. Her friend was leaning against the wall, though she was surrounded by some of Chie's classmates.
"Hey, clear off!" Chie shouted, immediately breaking into a sprint. She then skidded to a stop, frowning at them. "Jeez, can't you let her breathe?!"
This earned her some grumbles but they scattered, leaving Chie alone with her old friend.
"Hello, Chie-senpai," Naoto greeted, a faint smile forming on her lips. "It's lovely to see you again."
"Hey, none of that!" Chie shook her head. "Come here!"
She didn't wait for Naoto to reply before grabbing Naoto in a tight hug.
"O-Oh!" Naoto's expression was flustered when Chie pulled away. Then she coughed, color rushing into her cheeks. "Um... shall we? We could go to the restaurant you always rave about."
Chie couldn't help but giggle. Ah, Naoto. She was better at interacting with others than compared to when Chie first met her, but she'd never jump for a hug like Rise would.
Though… what did Naoto want so much secrecy? Though she definitely wouldn't say no to beef bowls!
The restaurant was a short walk from the academy, which was part of why Chie liked going there. Since it was a weekday, it wasn't as busy as it could've been. Though to her surprise, there was someone waiting for them…
"Kanji-kun!" Chie beamed at him. "You're here too?!"
"Hey, Chie-senpai!" Kanji greeted her, a wide smile on his face. "How are ya?"
"Awesome. Can't wait to get outta here, though! How are your classes coming along?"
"The kids are so damn smart," he said. "You should've seen what Kaya-chan made the other day…!"
Naoto just smiled fondly at Kanji as Kanji continued to gush about his students.
"It's crazy how fast they learn!" Kanji exclaimed.
But before Chie could reply, the host called out, "Table for three! For Tatsumi-san?"
"Ah, that's us," Naoto said.
The three of them stepped forward and they were seated near the back of the restaurant. However, Naoto seemed more interested in looking through the menu first.
Chie watched Naoto flick through the menu, her dark blue eyes scanning the contents. She was as proper as ever, her posture perfect. Kanji definitely knew what was up, with how his eyes darted over to Naoto every five seconds. Then she suddenly set down her menu.
"So, Chie-senpai, tell me." Naoto looked at her squarely in the eyes. "You've been kept in the loop about the Phantom Thieves, haven't you?"
Chie let out a weak chuckle. "I-I mean you kinda have to be living under a rock to not know."
"That's not what I'm referring to, Chie-senpai."
Chie pursed her lips.
"Okay, I'll give." She then leaned forward. "They seemed like good kids from what you described." Then she winced. "Sorry I couldn't come back to Inaba to meet them."
"That's not your fault, Chie-senpai," Kanji said. "I mean, this is pretty damn important."
"Just a few more months," Chie sighed out before rubbing her forehead. "I really can't wait to get out of here."
Naoto just smiled at her. "I look forward to the day where you and I can work together in a professional setting, Chie-senpai."
"Hehe…" Chie scratched her cheek. "I dunno if I can keep up with you, Naoto-kun."
"Hey, don't put yourself down!" Kanji scolded. "I mean, Naoto's pretty much a genius—"
"Kanji-kun!" Naoto's cheeks suddenly reddened. "You're exaggerating!"
"It's true, Naoto!" Kanji argued, before turning back to Chie. "But anyways, don't put yourself down. You made some pretty sharp deductions back when we were in high school."
"Your intuition is truly something else," Naoto added.
"Thanks." Chie smiled sheepishly for a moment but then she leaned in close. "But what's this about the Phantom Thieves?"
Chie personally thought they were pretty cool. She could see why people were skeptical of them. But… tracking down crooks, not relenting until they saw said crooks in jail... She had to admit that the idea appealed to her. Though she was surprised to find out that Ken had joined them. Chie didn't get along with him like Ken did with Kanji and Naoto, but she liked the younger boy, even though he was so serious.
Naoto began, "Well—"
"Shido's going for their heads," Kanji interrupted.
"Kanji-kun!" Naoto gave Kanji an exasperated look.
Kanji huffed. "Stop pussyfooting around, Naoto! We'll take forever to get the freakin' point at the rate you're setting!"
Naoto just sighed softly. "Well… I suppose you're right."
"Slow down and back up! Can you please fill in some lines?!" Chie cried out.
Naoto sighed before she began to explain that the Phantom Thieves were set up to target Medjed and Okumura. And this was all a set-up for Shido to remove a growing threat. It was… despicable.
"And Akechi turned out to be a total phony." Kanji's face scrunched up in disgust. "I knew he couldn't compare to Naoto but… this is beyond even Adachi."
Akechi, huh…? Well, she knew that so many girls went gaga for him. It was weird to hear for her though, since he was still a high school student. There was always something that rubbed her wrong too. Maybe… it was how theatrical he was, talking about how he would catch criminals.
Now, there was nothing wrong with being theatrical. She was close friends with Rise, after all. But still…she couldn't help but feel that he made justice out as a joke.
"He's planning on murdering Ren-kun. He fed them a story about how he was wronged, but when they steal Sae Niijima's Treasure…they'll be ambushed and Ren-kun will be taken captive," Naoto explained. She then frowned. "Though I must admit, there always was something that nagged at me about Akechi. His 'deductions' always felt nonsensical to me."
Chie nodded. "And he always seems… intent on putting on a show. Like a big flashy distraction." She then grimaced. "Did you guys…come to ask for help or something? What can I do?"
Kanji smirked. "Well, the Phantom Thieves came up with a plan but Shinjiro-san feels it rides too much on Ren convincing Niijima to trust him. So… the Shadow Operatives want you to join in a back-up plan."
"Back-up?" Chie couldn't help but feel bewildered.
"Rise-san will be your support," Naoto stated. "You, Chie-senpai, would fit into this plan… disguised as one of Shido's police officers. Rise-san also suggested that she do a little bit of touch-up… so your facial features are masked during the infiltration."
This was unbelievable… but still, a life was on the line. And who knew if Shido would be satisfied with the death of one? Wouldn't he go after all of them?
No. She wouldn't allow it. After all, she wanted to become a police officer to protect people. There was no way that she could say no.
Chie looked at her friends. "Count me in."
Saturday, November 12th, 2016
"So, birthday girl, care to join me for lunch today?"
Anne just raised an eyebrow.
"Depends on what the lunch is, I guess," she said playfully.
Ren gasped. "You wound me, milady! Nothing but the best for you!"
"Well, there was the time you winged the recipe for Boss's curry and fed it to me."
"That was one time."
"And this is another one time too," Anne said teasingly.
"Oh, just you wait. It'll knock your socks off," Ren promised.
"I'll be the judge of it, not you," Anne shot back.
"So, you will grace me with your presence today?" Ren caught her hand, lifting it so he could lightly kiss the back of it. "I would be honored."
"You're such a dork sometimes!" Anne couldn't help but giggle.
"But I'm your dork, riiiight?" Ren drawled out.
"And don't you forget it," Anne quipped.
Ren just grinned at her in response.
"Never, my lady."
"Though you know, my birthday isn't that special," Anne commented.
"Of course it is!" Ren exclaimed. "It was the day you were born after all. Practically a holiday!"
"Forever a drama queen," Anne teased. "So, where are we going to eat?"
"The roof," Ren answered. When Anne looked at him in surprise, he quickly added, "It's okay. Makoto gave me permission."
Anne giggled. "That brings me back."
She sighed out as they headed out of the classroom. Ren carried one of those tiered bento boxes. He really did go out today, didn't he?
Back then it had been just the two of them, Ryuji, and Morgana… planning their heist against Kamoshida. It was really weird looking back to a time before that. Back when Shiho was her only friend. Back when she felt so lonely.
"Hey, you're talking like it happened years ago." Ren gave her a playful smile as they ascended the flight of stairs, leading them to the third floor. "That was barely half a year ago."
"Still, a lot has happened," Anne replied. "We started up the Phantom Thieves… we've made so many friends."
"You started dating someone who is quite devilishly handsome," Ren finished, before flashing a smirk her way.
Anne smacked his shoulder but she was unable to stop herself from laughing. Ren was playing up his arrogance to amuse her anyways.
"Ego, Ren."
"You know you love me."
"And it is quite a trial," Anne said sarcastically.
Ren just held his hand over his mouth, his eyes twinkling with humor.
"My, my, the lady has quite a sharp tongue."
Anne huffed, before rolling her eyes at him. "And you have a silver tongue, smooth talker."
"Smooth talking isn't the only thing I can do with my mouth. Shall I demonstrate?" Ren smirked wickedly as Anne found herself blushing like crazy.
"R-Ren!"
"I was just thinking of kissing you." Ren sounded scandalized as he pressed a hand against his chest. "What were you thinking?"
"You're awful," Anne grumbled out, still feeling the heat in her cheeks.
Ren just smirked at her before kissing her quickly. "Am I?"
"At this rate we're never going to get to eat lunch, you know," Anne pointed out.
But she didn't mind entirely. Ever since they had the plan, they had been up to their eyeballs with work and school. She hadn't been able to have any alone time with him and well… it was her birthday. If it was any day that she indulged herself, it'd be today, right?
A grin just broke across his face. "I'm fine with it. Are you?"
Anne reached up and grabbed him by both lapels of his blazer, pulling him down and kissing shortly but fiercely. She pulled back, raising an eyebrow.
"That good enough for an answer?"
Ren just raised an eyebrow back at her, but then he smiled. "More than enough, my lady."
As soon as school got out, Ryuji made a beeline for the train station. Ren had texted him, saying that he'd be distracting Anne for about an hour or so. Suzui had gotten the okay from her parents to skip the afternoon classes so she could ride the train to Tokyo.
Though finding her in this crowd would probably be a pain in the ass. Black hair didn't exactly stand out around here.
"Sakamoto-kun!"
As if thinking about her summoned her, Ryuji turned to see that Suzui was waving at him. She then pushed her way to him.
"Suzui!" Ryuji greeted, before looking at her up and down for a moment. He let out a low whistle. "Damn, the countryside did ya good."
She looked… really happy. She was smiling so much and she practically radiated confidence. He was glad that she was healing from the shit that Kamoshida had done to her. Suzui really just got caught in the crossfire, a way for Kamoshida to get to Anne.
But he was rotting in jail now. And Suzui seemed happier, just from looking at her.
But Suzui huffed, raising an eyebrow. "I see you haven't changed at all, Sakamoto-kun."
"W-Wha?" It then hit Ryuji that it might look like he was hitting on her. He started to wave his hands. "N-No, I was just saying you look great! I-I'm not hitting on ya! U-Uh, not that you don't usually look great!"
Then he realized that Suzui was laughing.
"Calm down, Sakamoto-kun, I was just teasing." Her brown eyes were twinkling now. "Shall we?"
"Y-Yeah!" Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. "We're holding the party at LeBlanc where—"
"Amamiya-kun lives," Suzui finished. She then smiled sheepishly. "Anne's told me a lot about Amamiya-kun. Like it's kinda ridiculous how she didn't notice that she had a crush on him."
"She's pretty crazy about RenRen," Ryuji laughed. "You should've seen the look on her face when he basically said 'yeah, I like you'."
But then Suzui's expression grew serious. "He treats her right, doesn't she?"
"Yeah!" Ryuji nodded. "Totally! She's got him whipped, I'll tell ya. And sometimes they just can't keep their hands off of each other!"
Suzui nodded, a smile curving at her lips.
"I'm glad. Because if Amamiya-kun ever hurts her…" Her face suddenly hardened, making Ryuji gulp a little. "He's dead meat."
Damn… He didn't expect Ren to get this kinda threat, with Anne's parents being constantly abroad. Wait, did they even know about Anne and Ren?
Ryuji coughed. "So how have you been doing, Suzui?"
"Me?" Suzui blinked before shrugging. "Nothing special, really… I've made some friends. My school's nice." Then she spread her hands in front of her. "Usual school stuff."
"No volleyball club?"
Suzui winced. "No… I don't think I'm ready to go back yet."
"When you're ready, you should totally go for it. Your school's team would be lucky to have ya! Anne mentioned that you wanted to wreck Kamoshida's record as an Olympic champ. You can totally do it!"
Suzui smiled. "Thank you, Sakamoto-kun. I appreciate it."
"Any time, Suzui."
"Shiho." When Ryuji blinked at her in surprise, she continued. "It really was a shame you and I never talked that much, especially because our best friends are dating."
Ryuji just shrugged. "It's cool. I mean we're talking now."
"Mm, I suppose but…" she trailed off for a moment, looking serious. "I never got the chance to thank you."
"Huh? For what?"
"Anne told me how angry you were after finding out what Kamoshida… did to me."
Ryuji fell silent after that for a couple of seconds. This wasn't exactly a topic you wanted to dive into casually. He awkwardly cleared his throat, trying to think of what best way to approach it. Not exactly like it was his strong suit.
"Ah, I didn't do much just… it's cool. I mean anyone should be mad. You deserve better… but uh… anyways… I mean since our best friends are going out, let's not be so formal and shit. You should call me Ryuji then." Ryuji grinned at her. "But anyways, let's get ya to LeBlanc! You're in for a real treat, I'm telling ya. You remember Ken?"
"He transferred here in June, didn't he?" Shiho asked.
"Yeah. His guardian practically catered the party. He's an amazing cook! It's better than most of the restaurants out here!"
"That's a tall order," Shiho remarked as they stepped inside the train.
"You'll see!" Ryuji grinned at her. They managed to snag some seats together. "Boss—Ren's guardian—makes some pretty damn good curry too!"
"Not coffee?" Shiho raised an eyebrow.
Ryuji grumbled to himself. "I don't like coffee. It tastes so bitter and… gross. Soda all the way!"
"You sound like a little kid, you know," Shiho teased.
"Yeah, yeah, so Anne tells me." Ryuji huffed out.
The rest of the train ride passed by with Ryuji asking Shiho questions about her school. And Ryuji was more than happy to give Shiho the full story on how exactly Ren and Anne got together.
"Annnd here we are! LeBlanc!"
"Wow." Shiho's eyes went wide. "It's…smaller than I would've thought."
"Dunno what you were expecting, Shiho." Ryuji then grabbed the doorknob, pulling it open. "Hey, look who I brought!" he called out.
He then stepped inside as Shiho followed after.
"Hey there, kid," Sojiro said to Ryuji. When he turned to notice Shiho, he gave her a small smile. "You're Shiho-chan, right?"
"It's nice to meet you." Shiho quickly bowed before turning everyone else with a smile. "It's nice to see you all again… and well, meet a few of you."
"A pleasure, Suzui-san." Yusuke bowed. "Anne has spoken highly of you."
"Likewise, Shiho-chan." Haru then blinked. "That's okay with you, right?"
"Of course, Senpai," Shiho reassured before her eyes fell onto Akechi. "Wow. Anne really is friends with the famous Detective Prince now."
"As Yusuke-san has said, it's a pleasure, Suzui-san." Akechi swept a bow as well, but it seemed more for… show than politeness. "I'm glad to see that you have become much… happier away from Tokyo."
"Thank you, Akechi-san." Shiho smiled, though Ryuji noticed it was more polite. Her real smile was a lot nicer.
"Oh, and this is Futaba!" Ryuji introduced, gesturing to her. "She's Boss's daughter!"
Futaba looked like she wanted to say something but then she let out a quiet whimper. She then latched onto Ken's arm, her eyes wide. Probably because Ren wasn't around.
"Oh, Futaba-chan, it's okay!" Haru soothed, rubbing Futaba's arm. "Shiho-chan is Anne-chan's best friend… there's no need to be scared!"
"Suzui-san is perfectly nice," Ken added before untangling himself from Futaba's grip.
"Girls clinging onto you… what a shocker," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
Ken glared at his guardian. "Shinjiro-san, do you have to put it so… so weird?"
Shinjiro-san just snorted. "But am I lying?"
"I… you…" Ken then huffed, a slight blush in his cheeks. "…Shut up."
"There wasn't much to do," Makoto said. "We set up the decorations, we have the food, the cake—"
Shinjiro-san and Ken both winced at that, making Makoto glare at them.
"Are you going to tell me what has you so hesitant?"
"You don't want to know," they droned in unison.
"It'll be fine!" Makoto huffed. "Haru worked hard on the cake! But anyways, as I was saying… we do have everything ready. We just need Ren to bring Anne here."
"Sweet, that means I can get a helping of—OW!" Ryuji glared at Shinjiro-san as he rubbed the back of his head. "Why'd you hit me?!"
"He got me too," Futaba huffed out, pouting for a moment.
"Shinjiro-san, please don't hit my friends," Ken deadpanned. "They're not Akihiko-san."
"Not my fault that they want to stick their hands into the food," Shinjiro-san grumbled. "Aki, Minako, and Iori may act like little kids but they don't stick their hands in the serving platter."
"Guess he never lets you lick the spoon, huh?" Shiho asked teasingly.
"Not a chance," Shinjiro-san deadpanned before he shot Ken a look. "Remind me again why you convinced me to come again?"
"But you deserve it, Shinjiro-san!" Haru spoke up, her hands clasped together. "You were kind enough to agree to cook for us, after all!"
"Wha…?!" Shinjiro-san froze, pink creeping into his cheeks. Then he coughed, quickly looking away. "It was nothing, Okumura."
Yusuke tilted his head. "Why are you flustered?"
"Shuddup, I'm not embarrassed!" Shinjiro-san quickly fired back, fiercely glaring at Yusuke but as usual Yusuke didn't even bat an eye.
"Riiight…" Ken drawled out, giving his guardian a doubtful look. "And you'll give up on lecturing Akihiko-san on his diet too."
Shinjiro-san looked like he wanted to retort but Haru then spoke up again.
"I was actually thinking that since this is essentially a catering job, I should pay you!"
"It's a birthday party!" Shinjiro-san argued. "It's practically nothing!"
"People hire caters for birthday parties," Haru pointed out. "And if your cooking is as good as I've been told… you really should be paid for this."
"Big parties!" he emphasized. "This is nothing!" Shinjiro-san then whipped around to face Ken. "What the fuck did you tell her?!"
"Hey, Ken didn't say anything like that!" Futaba jumped in. "We were just talking about it!"
"Are they usually like this?" Shiho whispered to Ryuji.
Ryuji just turned to her with a grin. "Yeah, we can get pretty crazy, huh?"
"It's lively at least," she giggled.
"Hmm… I'd say fifteen thousand yen would suffice for your services." Haru was already pulling out her wallet, opening it up. "It'll more than cover the costs..."
"F-Fifteen thousand?!" Shinjiro-san's eyes practically bugged out. "Are you crazy, Okumura?!"
Haru tilted her head. "Twenty thousand then?"
"That's not what I meant!" Shinjiro-san snapped.
"There's no need for you to be insulting because Haru shocked you," Yusuke stated with a frown.
"To be fair, it is rather… unexpected," Akechi stated.
"There's no fucking way I can accept this, Okumura!" Shinjiro-san protested. "I've cooked too many times for get-togethers to start getting paid for this!"
"I assume that you never asked for payment from Mitsuru-san…" Makoto mused.
"She's tried," Ken deadpanned. "Several times."
But then Haru's face fell.
"B-But…you've worked so hard…" she said softly, "It's only fair that you get something out of it."
"You the type to make ladies upset?" Sojiro called to Shinjiro-san, eyebrow raised. "Didn't think you were."
"Okay, fine!" he snapped out. "Just… stop giving me those teary eyes!"
"Of course!" Haru brightened immediately before handing Shinjiro-san a wad of yen bills.
"Are you serious?" Shinjiro-san grumbled before he stuffed them in the pocket of his coat.
"No takebacks. Right, Haru?" Ryuji called out.
"None at all!" Haru confirmed cheerfully, nodding furiously enough that her curls bounced up and down.
"Honestly…" Makoto sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sure that you could've persuaded him in another way."
"Whatever works, right?" Shiho commented with a laugh.
Ken looked amused as he looked at the grumbling Shinjiro-san.
"Guess you're soft for a certain type of girl, huh?"
This earned Ken a scowl. "Don't know what you're talking about, Ken."
"Uh-huh. I'm sure." Ken then scoffed. "You really suck at hiding it, Shinjiro-san."
"Isn't that a bit… impolite to act in such a way?" Akechi frowned at Ken. "You are speaking to your guardian, after all."
"Huh?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "What are ya talking about?"
"You…you're talking back to Aragaki-san," Akechi said slowly. "Isn't that…disrespectful?"
Shinjiro-san just shrugged. "Ken knows that if he gives me shit, I can give it back to him."
"O-Oh, I see." Akechi then coughed. "Though I must say, you are rather…young to be a guardian, are you not?"
"Yeah, and what's your point?" Shinjiro-san deadpanned. "I don't see how that's your business, Akechi."
"Forgive me but the only situation similar to yours is Sae-san and Niijima-san and I know that they're sisters… I was just curious about yours."
"I don't care to share my business so don't poke your nose into it," Shinjiro-san said flatly.
"Shinjiro-san!" Ken exclaimed.
"Blunt as ever, I see," Sojiro said dryly.
"I'm just telling you how I see it," Shinjiro-san huffed.
Ryuji's phone suddenly buzzed.
Message From: RenRen
[RenRen]: We're getting off the train to Yongen rn
[RenRen]: Everything's ready, yeah?
Ryuji shoved his phone in his pocket. "Kill the lights! Ren's coming with Anne!"
"Huh, that's weird. Why is LeBlanc closed?"
Ren winked at her before pushing the door open. "I may have asked Sojiro to close the shop down for the day."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Anne trailed off, frowning.
Why was it dark? She didn't think Sojiro would turn off the lights.
Then the lights flashed on, blinding Anne for a moment.
"SURPRISE!"
Anne just stared, her jaw dropping open. "A-Are you serious?!"
Ren just grinned at her. "Happy birthday, Anne."
"Yeah, happy birthday!" Futaba cheered, bolting towards her and giving her a tight hug.
Then a familiar voice called out, "Happy birthday, Anne!"
The world seemed to freeze.
"S-Shiho?" Anne stammered out.
Shiho just smiled brightly at her. Her real smile. Anne hadn't seen it in forever. "Did you really think I'd forget your birthday?"
"SHIHO!"
Anne lunged for her best friend, grabbing her in a tight hug.
"Hey yoursel," Shiho chuckled out.
"You seriously took the train all the way to Tokyo?!"
"Well, I didn't take a plane." Shiho quipped, before her eyes softened. "I missed you, Anne."
"Shiho…" Anne sniffled out. "I've missed you so much too!"
"I've seen some of your photoshoots too!" Shiho said. "You look amazing."
"Thank you, I—"
Anne felt her face redden as her stomach growled. Loudly.
"You didn't eat after school, I'm guessing." Sojiro gave her a wry smile.
"I knew there was going to be a lot of food, is that a crime?" Ren defended.
"I should've known something was up when you wouldn't let me get a crepe…" Anne grumbled out. "And you kept going on and on about me deserving nothing but the best today."
"Well, you do," Ren said.
"Do they always do this?" Shiho stage whispered.
"You have no idea," Ryuji grumbled out.
"Hey, I heard that!" Anne cried out.
"Well… we're kinda guilty of that." Ren admitted.
"Ren!"
"You two are just… impossible," Makoto sighed, shaking her head.
But they eventually settled down and sat down to eat. Shiho paused as she took a bite. She then swallowed.
"Okay, Ryuji-kun, I see what you're talking about."
"See?!" Ryuji's face broke into a grin. "What did I tell you?!"
"I stand corrected." Shiho smiled before taking another bite.
"Mm, it really is delicious!" Haru sighed. "Oh, I should've given you some more money, Shinjiro-san."
"Don't even think about it," Shinjiro-san said flatly.
"It's a miracle that you got him to accept some money to begin with," Ken muttered.
Ren shot him an amused look. "Are we going to get an explanation?"
"There's not much to tell," Yusuke stated. "Haru wished to pay Aragaki-san. When he refused, she was upset by it and Aragaki-san told her to just give him the money."
"Why are you making me out as a pussy?!" Shinjiro-san demanded.
"I mean…that's kinda what happened," Ken said dryly.
Shinjiro-san just glowered at him but as usual, Ken didn't even blink. "Shut up, Ken."
"What a great retort, Shinjiro-san."
"Ken, be nice," Makoto chided, nudging him in the side.
For some reason, Akechi caught Anne's eye. He was looking at both Ken and Shinjiro-san. And he was… frowning for some reason.
Did the way Ken spoke to Shinjiro-san bother him so much? Anne was used to the way they bickered but… maybe it looked different to an outsider? No… her intuition told Anne that it wasn't so simple. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly.
When they finished eating, Sojiro then pulled out a beautifully crafted cake from the refrigerator. White frosting was expertly spread across, with various roses placed on top. In the center was a small red cat decoration. Though Ken and Shinjiro-san looked at the cake uncertainly, like they were expecting it to explode or something.
Makoto crossed her arms over her chest, leveling an annoyed stare at both Ken and Shinjiro-san. "Are you planning on telling us what exactly has you paranoid?"
"No…" They grumbled out in unison.
"Ahh, I can't wait to try it!" Anne beamed.
"I hope you like it, Anne-chan." Haru beamed back. "It took me three tries to get just right…"
"Aw, you didn't have to put in that much effort!"
But Sojiro lit the candles and everyone sang happy birthday. Looking at all the faces around her… Anne couldn't help but feel her heart swell up with happiness.
Last year, she had been utterly miserable. But now… she had so many wonderful friends and well… Ren. Although she did wish they didn't have Akechi plotting to kill Ren for his boss looming over their heads.
"Make a wish, Lady Anne!" Morgana exclaimed.
Please let Ren survive the plan, she prayed before leaning over and blowing out the candles.
After that, Shinjiro-san took over and cut up the cake to serve it to everyone. And the cake was so good! The cream was whipped to perfect, the delicious strawberry flavor flooding her mouth with every bite. And the cake's texture… it was divine. Anne was in nirvana.
"Are you going to start purring?" Ren teased her lightly.
Anne weakly swatted at him. "Shush. You've got Morgana for that."
"Lady Anne!" Morgana cried out. "That… That's just unfair."
"Then what's this, huh?" Anne asked teasingly, before beginning to tickle Morgana under his chin.
"Nggh, stop that, Lady Anne!" Morgana cried out before squirming away.
"I heard purring," Ryuji snickered out.
"Your cat sure sounds indignant, Amamiya-kun." Shiho quirked an eyebrow at Ren. "And right after she—"
"She?!" Morgana practically squawked out.
"Morgana's a boy, actually," Ren corrected, shooting him a stern look.
"Oops, sorry." Shiho giggled weakly.
"What do you expect from a name like Morgana," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
Morgana glared as Ryuji started to snicker at Shinjiro's comment.
"Grrr! Shut up, Ryuji!"
"How about we do presents now?" Makoto quickly interjected, shooting Ryuji a look.
Knowing her, Makoto probably suggested it because she was afraid Ryuji would start arguing with Morgana. In front of Sojiro and Shiho. All in all, a good call.
"Me first, me first!" Futaba cried out, before snatching up a thinly wrapped present. "Happy birthday, Anne!"
"Aw, thanks, Futaba!"
Anne accepted the package, eagerly tearing into it, revealing…
"Whoa!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Ain't that the new Pusemon game?!"
"Wait a second…" Ken frowned. "I thought it was coming out next week."
Futaba just cackled. "Don't underestimate me, Ken."
"Oh, good grief," Shinjiro-san groaned.
Ken sent Makoto an exasperated look. "Weren't you accompanying her?"
"You do realize you said that in front of Akechi, yes?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow at Futaba.
Akechi just laughed. "Come now, I don't see a harm to it. You did pay for it, yes?"
"Duh! I'm not a thief." Futaba held Ren's gaze and he had to bite his lip so he wouldn't start laughing.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Shiho tilted her head.
"Well, RenRen did steal Anne's heart," Ryuji snickered.
"RYUJI!" Anne cried out, feeling her face burn.
Ren certainly didn't help. He just grinned.
"Guilty as charged."
Shinjiro-san just grimaced. "That was awful."
"You kids…" Sojiro sighed out.
"You really do sound old when you say stuff like that, Sojiro." Futaba snickered.
"Hey, watch it, Futaba!"
"But anyways, you like portable consoles a lot, right?" Futaba asked eagerly. "I thought it'd be fun if we played together!" Then she hesitated, her shoulders hunching over. "Uh… if you're not too busy…"
Anne gathered her in a hug, making her squeak. "I'd love to play with you, Futaba. Thank you!"
"Lady Anne, you probably should select the next present," Morgana suggested.
Ryuji gave her a set of workout clothes—somehow, they were nice. And to add to that, Ken gave her a recipe book that he had hand bound, filled with recipes for sweet substitutions. And then Haru gave her a box filled with assorted premium chocolates, which made Ken shoot her an exasperated look. Makoto gave her a pair of aikido gloves, with the offer of teaching her some of the martial art. Akechi had purchased her a scarf, though Anne had to admit that it was welcome. Ever since she had awakened to Carmen, Anne felt the cold more. Shiho had made her a scrapbook, and somehow had gotten ahold of pictures of her and her friends. And Yusuke had given her…
"Oh… wow," Anne breathed out.
It was a painting of her and Ren. They stood before a reflection of water, but in the water's reflection, you could see an image of Joker and Panther.
"How long have you been working on this, Yusuke-kun?" Haru asked. "It's simply exquisite."
"I can't accept this as just a present…!" Anne protested.
"You can and you will," Yusuke stated. "I… I know that I haven't always acted so courteous to you, Anne. But you were the first to understand my feelings of… Madarame. You started the chain reaction. You've always been so kind and understanding. This is simply my thanks to you… and you are part of the reason why I've realized the true meaning of art."
"I… I am?" Anne asked dumbly.
"Yes, do you not recall? Ren described you as his ideal of beauty. And the way you described the Sayuri. It truly opened my eyes."
"'Ideal of beauty', huh? Wow, Anne, he's a keeper," Shiho teased, nudging her in the side.
"So please… accept this as my humble thanks," Yusuke stated.
"This is anything but humble…" Morgana grumbled out.
"It really is a beautiful painting," Makoto offered. "You should hang it in your room."
"Okay…" Anne then looked to Yusuke, mentally vowing to herself that she would make it up to Yusuke… somehow. "Thank you, Yusuke. It really is beautiful."
"Now you're making me look bad, Yusuke." Ren reached into his pocket, drawing a slender white box. "But… here you go, Anne." He gave her a tender smile. "I know I've said it a million times today but… happy birthday."
Anne took the box, opening it to reveal a gold necklace with a sakura pendant. The petals were a paler pink gemstone, while the center was a brighter pink, almost magenta gemstone. Dangling at the bottom was a smaller golden sakura blossom.
She couldn't help but gasp. This was just simply gorgeous.
"Uh…" Ryuji scratched the top of his head, "shouldn't you have gotten a rose necklace? It's kinda Anne's thing."
"Well… when I was looking for something to get you, I wanted to get you something that would remind me of the day we met," Ren explained. "Do you remember, Anne? The sakura trees were in full bloom, but with the rain, they were raining petals like crazy. When you noticed me, you reached out and pulled out a petal from my hair. And then… you smiled at me."
"You remember that kind of detail?" Shiho raised an eyebrow. "That's impressive, Amamiya-kun."
"Meeting Anne… really changed my world." Then Ren jerked his head towards Sojiro. "Especially since he was such a jackass to me when I first came here."
"Hey!" Sojiro glared at him. "Sheesh, can you blame me though? I didn't know what to expect!"
"I believe the first reaction would be… being polite?" Ken quipped.
"It's okay, you can say 'not bein' an asshole'," Ryuji snorted out.
"Your treatment of me really was different than the rest of the students at Shujin, Ken," Ren laughed.
"Do they truly treat you badly?" Akechi asked with a frown.
"They still think I'm a crazy delinquent so…"
Akechi looked shocked. "How can you be so blasé about their poor opinion of you?"
She guessed it came as a shock, since Akechi was once again the media darling.
"Their opinion doesn't matter. I know whose opinions do." Ren answered simply. But then he looked towards Anne. "But anyways. I just wanted to give you a reminder of the day we first met. You really mean so much to me, Anne."
"Ren-kun…" Haru's voice was filled with awe. "That… that's so thoughtful. And romantic…"
It really was. She was… speechless.
"Ren, I…" Anne quickly rubbed at her eyes. She then said softly, "This… this means a lot. More than I can ever say."
She then held out the box and gave him a small smile.
"Will you put it on me?"
He gave her a nod with a gentle smile in return. Ren fastened the necklace around her neck, before brushing her hair away from her neck.
"Beautiful," Ren breathed out, which only made Anne blush.
"Okay this is definitely getting too mushy for me," Shinjiro-san deadpanned. "Sheesh. And I thought Aki could get gross."
Sojiro snorted. "Anything you'd like to do now though?"
"Video games!" Futaba cried out. "I brought my M64 so let's play Nario Party!"
"Sounds good to me!" Anne said with a grin. "Though that's really retro," she couldn't help but comment.
"Hey, that's a classic!" Futaba argued.
"Can we really manage it with so many people?" Haru wondered aloud.
"We'll take turns," Ren said with a wink. "So, how about it, Akechi? Ready to be schooled?"
Akechi just smiled thinly. "Do not think I'll go down so easily."
"Might as well crack open a bottle while these kids go wild." Sojiro laughed. "Care to join me, Aragaki?"
"Yeah, I could use a drink. Too much craziness here," Shinjiro-san deadpanned.
"You know you love us, Shinjiro-san!" Ren called out to him.
Shinjiro-san just gave him an annoyed look. "Just go and play your video games."
The party lasted until evening. They played video games, card games, board games… Anne couldn't think of the last time she had just spent time with her friends and had fun. There was Destinyland but… that had been ruined so easily.
Though speaking of that, she was honestly a little glad that Akechi got called by the police department and he was forced to leave early.
"Hey."
Anne looked up to see Shiho settle next to her in the booth seat with a cup of coffee.
"Hi."
Shiho smiled slightly.
"You really do seem happy, Anne," She commented. "When I left, I felt awful but…I should've known I was leaving you in good hands."
She sounded almost wistful… sad. Did she… think that Anne had replaced her?
"You will forever be my best friend, Shiho." Anne turned and gave her a sideway hug. "I'm happy with my friends. They can be weird sometimes, but… I wouldn't trade them for the world. But you are still my first friend. Nobody will ever replace you."
She didn't think she could ever express how much Shiho meant to her.
"Aw, Anne…" Shiho then nudged her in the ribs. "You can be so sappy sometimes."
"Shut up!" Anne cried out, feeling her cheeks warm. "I'm trying to be sentimental here!"
"Sentimental, huh?" Shiho mused. "Fancy vocabulary. Has Amamiya-kun been tutoring you?"
"S-Shut up," Anne grumbled out.
"He treats you well, though, doesn't he?" Shiho's expression was serious. "If not, I'm afraid I'll have to kill him. I'll get him with a volleyball to the face and then…"
"Jeez, are you seriously going to give Ren the shovel talk?!"
"Nothing but the best for my best friend," Shiho quipped.
"Sheesh…" But Anne straightened up. "But to answer your question, Ren is an amazing boyfriend. He makes me feel beautiful, inside and out."
"You really are, Anne." Shiho then seemed to hesitate. "Hey, do you know why I came up to you that day?"
"Because you really thought my painting sucked?" Anne asked.
"Well…there was that," Shiho said with a giggle before she sipped at her coffee. "But I was curious. You seemed so lonely, but you bore the weight of gossip. You carried on. So, I wanted to get to know you. The way we first started talking wasn't the best icebreaker, but it helped us becoming friends. So I never regretted it. Getting to know you… it really was the best thing that could've happened to me." Then she smiled. "So… happy birthday, Anne. I'm glad that you were born."
"Shiho…" Anne sniffled out before hastily wiping at her eyes. "Why do I always cry with you around?"
"Hehe. They're happy tears, at least," Shiho commented, even as she fished out a handkerchief and handing it to Anne to dab her eyes with. But then her dark eyes suddenly sparkled with mischief. "So… how far have you gone with Amamiya-kun?"
"S-Shiho?!"
Shiho smiled mischievously. "Ryuji-kun told me all about how you two got together."
"He did what?! RYUJI!"
"Someone say my name?" Ryuji poked his head from the attic. He then paled as he got a better look at Anne. "Uh… Anne?"
"You…YOU…!" Anne fumed, jumping to her feet and slamming her hands on the table. "Don't you have anything better to tell Shiho?!"
Just…ugh! Seriously?! Was he planning on blabbing it to more people?!
"Hey, she asked and I answered!" Ryuji cried. "It's not my fault that you were completely blind to how Ren had the hots for you."
"Annnd I think you've said enough," Ken said dryly, his head appearing as well. "Come on, we were packing up anyways."
"Grr…" Anne plopped down, unable to stop herself from pouting as Ryuji hastily disappeared. "It's not like you've been embarrassed about how you started dating Makoto…"
"Shinjiro-san's already embarrassed me about it. To both you and my senpai." Ken just rolled his eyes, before cracking a wry smile. "You'll live, Anne."
"Jerk…" Anne muttered under her breath.
Shiho just patted her shoulder. "Aw, it's okay, Anne. It's cute in a way."
"Of course you say that." Anne folded her arms over her chest. "You don't have a potential boyfriend waiting for you back at your new school, do you?"
"Well…" Shiho hesitated. "Not right now. I don't think I'm ready to jump into the dating game just yet." Then she abruptly stood up. "But speaking of dating… I'd totally get it if you want to spend some time cozying up with Amamiya-kun. We can spend the day together before my train leaves tomorrow evening."
"What do you think we're gonna do?"
Shiho just gave her a little smirk. "Oh? Should I ask him?"
"No! Of course not!" Anne shouted. "There's nothing to know, okay?!"
"Sure, Anne." Shiho's skeptical tone and expression said it all. "But I'm okay to stay at your place, right?"
"Of course, of course!" Then Anne's shoulders hunched over. "Um… you really don't mind if I…?"
Shiho snickered at her.
"Of course." She then winked before standing up. "I'll catch you later, Anne."
She thanked Sojiro for the coffee before heading for the door. The rest of her friends trickled down, the games all packed up.
"Today was wonderful," Yusuke announced, before bowing at Sojiro. "Thank you for your kind hospitality, Boss."
"And thank you for the wonderful food, Shinjiro-san," Haru chimed in. "It really was delicious! I actually feel—"
Shinjiro-san gave her a flat stare. "No."
"Jeez, why are you so resistant?" Futaba grumbled out.
"It's not worth the money Okumura wants to give me," Shinjiro-san said. "It's not like the stuff you find in a five-star restaurant!"
"You hate the five-star restaurant fare," Ken pointed out.
"That's not the point!"
"But anyways…" Yusuke cleared his throat. "We really must be going. I believe we've overspent our stay. Again, thank you Boss. And to you, Shinjiro-san."
"Yeah, it really was great!" Ryuji chimed in. "Man, I can't believe that we ate everything."
"I can, with that bottomless pit you call a stomach," Morgana snickered out.
"Ugh, shuddup, Morgana!"
Ken then turned to help Shinjiro-san to pack up, but Makoto grabbed him by the sleeve. "Um, actually… Ken, can we talk real quick? In private?"
"Mwehehe…" Futaba suddenly snickered, watching them step outside of the café. "So she's giving it to him, huh?"
Haru tilted her head. "Give what?"
"Makoto felt that she should've given Ken something for his birthday since he bought her an expensive gift during their first date," Futaba explained. "She had a gift idea but she needed my help to do some adjustments."
"What kind of adjustments, may I ask?" Yusuke asked.
"Just messing with the watch mechanics so they'll vibrate if the other of the set is close enough. I was able to manage to get the signal to half a kilometer, but Makoto wanted it done as soon as possible."
Sojiro then cleared his throat. "But since the party's over, I think I'm going to just close shop." He gave Ren a smarmy grin, and Ren just shrugged helplessly back at him. "Come on, Futaba."
Futaba nodded. "Let's bring Morgana with us. I don't think you wanna be in here tonight, Mona."
Morgana sighed and grumbled out, "Yeah you're right."
Ryuji, Yusuke, and Haru followed suit, and once Ken and Makoto came back, they left with Shinjiro-san. Leaving her alone with Ren.
"Hey." Ren took a seat next to her.
Anne leaned her head against Ren's shoulder, letting out a content sigh. "Hi."
"Good birthday?" Ren asked, sliding his arm around her waist.
"You didn't have to make a big deal out of you, you know," Anne told him. "You organized the whole thing, didn't you?"
"I did," Ren insisted. "Birthdays are important and we're going to do this for Haru to when her birthday rolls around next month. And well…I know that you had pretty lonely birthdays growing up."
"Oh, Ren…" Anne sighed out. "You know I'll really have to do something special for your birthday next year. Eighteen's a big year in a lot of countries too."
"Really? That feels kinda weird."
"Not really. You're eighteen when you finish high school and then head off to university. You step away from your parents and start being independent." Anne then winked at Ren. "So, just wait until next May! I'll knock your socks off!"
"Heh." Ren closed his eyes for a moment, an amused smile spreading across his face. "I'll be the judge of that."
"Though…it was nice," She admitted. "Today was… really fun. It was a nice break after stressing over the plan and Akechi-kun so much… you know?"
Ren just looked at her sadly. Guilt was clear in his eyes.
"Sorry I just… Damn!" Anne squeezed her eyes shut. "Why?! I want to hate him for what he's doing, for being so gleeful about the idea of killing you." A tear slid down her cheek. "I hate that we have to rely on this plan that could have us slip somewhere and we're toast and y-you'll…"
"Anne. It's okay to be scared." Ren reached up, brushing a tear from her eye. "Honestly I'm a little bit too," he admitted. "And… I'm angry at Akechi for all this. He said what he told us was a sob story but I can't help but wonder if there's a grain of truth in it. Being angry at injustices… that I can understand. But he chose his path. I won't forgive him for this."
Anne bit her lip. When Ren put it that way, it sounded so simple. But…Anne couldn't help but feel that she was being silly.
"It's stupid," Anne muttered out, "We're not even done with Makoto's sister's palace and I'm already such a mess…I don't know if I can just walk away and let you be captured… I'm… I'm not strong enough."
"You are anything but weak, Anne," Ren said seriously. He drew her to him, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "You were strong, even under Kamoshida's thumb. And once you awakened to Carmen…" He let out a low whistle. "And there's how you always hold us together where we're losing our shit." He then shook his head. "Honestly… you kept me sane after the fallout with Okumura."
"Ren that's nothing, I…"
"It is," Ren contradicted. "To me, especially. You may underestimate yourself, but I never will… your support means everything to me, Anne. And I don't intend to break my promise."
Anne giggled weakly. "You really do know how to make a girl feel special, you know."
Ren then smirked. "I know."
"Ego!"
"Though…I really do owe you the last part of your birthday present."
"S-Seriously?" Anne sputtered out. "Ren, you organized a birthday party for me, you got me a beautiful necklace…what else do you have up your sleeve?!"
He really did not make things fair.
"It's your seventeenth birthday," Ren stated, before he cracked a grin. "So, I owe you seventeen kisses."
"Are you serious?" Anne couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Completely." Ren was still grinning. Then he leaned in close, giving her another forehead kiss. "That's one." Then one cheek. "Two." The other cheek. "Three…"
Anne giggled. "You're such a dork, I swear…"
"You know you love me," Ren snickered at her. "Now, come here. I owe you fourteen more kisses."
Annnd finally done! I apologize for the wait. This chapter was giving me a really hard time and it went through a couple of rewrites, and then midterm season hit.
The updates may slow down a bit for a while.
Though onto some points of the chapter… I really do think the lack of Futaba and Akechi interacting was a missed opportunity. I also wanted to go into more of Akechi's backstory because I feel we didn't get enough of it in canon. Anne's birthday party was more for fluff, but I also wanted to cover more of how both Ren and Anne feel about the upcoming operation. And I wanted to love on Anne some more. I really do adore her.
But next chapter will wrap up Sae's Palace! I'm debating on having another chapter after it dedicated to the preparations leading up to the heist, but we'll see. Either way, I'm really looking forward to writing taking Sae's Treasure!
And regarding Scramble: it looks better than i thought because i told myself i wouldn't get it due to me losing interest fast with Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors. But as for a possible fic on it, maybe. I've been considering writing something. But a fic probably wouldn't happen until I'm done with the main fic and at least halfway done with the PQ2 fic. (And y'know it needs to come out to the West. Can't read Japanese.)
And once again, thank you to my good friend, angelrin89 for betaing this chapter! Though it's funny, we got to talking about our ideas for Akechi's backstory while I was working on this chapter and a LOT of our ideas coincided with each other. I suppose great minds think alike lol. But anyways, enough babbling from me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!