~X~
~ May 11 - Café Leblanc - Early Morning ~
Third Person POV
Sojiro Sakura was in the café, doing what he usually did to have it ready for the day. Around the time the shop was about to open, he noticed something was wrong. The curry he made for Yuki was still on the counter, untouched. Maybe she forgot to eat? No, she always ate it, every day.
Did she oversleep?
Sojiro sighed and started making his way upstairs. If she did oversleep, this would be the first time that happened. Yuki always woke up and left for school on time.
"Yuki, are you awake up there?" Sojiro called out, trying to wake her up. He got no response. "I hope you are decent because I'm coming upstairs," he said.
He slowly made his way up the stairs while still calling out to wake her up, but he never heard anything in response. Finally, he made his way up and saw the empty bed.
"Well, that's strange," Sojiro commented. He noticed that the cat, Morgana, was still asleep and went to wake him up.
After a couple of shakes, the cat woke up with a stretch and a yawn. He took a look around and saw Sojiro staring at him.
"You haven't seen your owner, have you?" Sojiro asked.
Morgana took a look around and was surprised to not see Yuki. He saw her backpack by the wall and walked toward it.
"Huh, her backpack is still here," Sojiro noticed. He took a closer look around and noticed something else. "But her phone is missing."
Sojiro crossed his arms in thought. Where could she be? She didn't leave early for school. Could she be in the neighborhood? Maybe she took a walk around and lost track of time. With another sigh, Sojiro went downstairs and outside to see if he could find if she was around.
Meanwhile, Morgana was worried. He didn't know where Yuki went and she took him everywhere. The best he could do is make his way to Shujin Academy to let Ryuji and Ann know of the situation. Who knows, maybe Yuki will show up at school. After all, exams start today and she was really insistent on doing well.
With that, Morgana headed off to the train station.
~X~
~ Pyramid of Wrath - Morning ~
Yuki Emiya
"Haah… I finally made it," I panted. It took forever to get here, and the heat was not helping. But I finally made it to the town outside the pyramid.
I walked into what looked like the bazaar and took a seat under an awning. This place was busy. People were walking around, doing what one normally does at a market. What's interesting is that they look like normal people dressed in old Egyptian clothes, not at all like Shadows.
"You okay there, girl?" a voice asked.
I looked to the side to see an elderly woman. I recognized her. She works at the supermarket close to the café.
"I'm okay, all things considered. I just walked through the desert for hours," I told her.
The old woman nodded and went inside her building. She soon returned with a glass and a pitcher of water with a lemon in it. She poured some into the glass and handed it to me. "Here you go. This will help."
"Thanks," I took the glass and slowly started drinking it. I closed my eyes to relax, and at some point, I think I fell asleep.
I woke up when I felt someone shake me awake. I jumped a bit when I saw the old woman look at me with a panicked face. I also heard the sound of a commotion and things being broken.
"You need to get out of here, girl!" she whisper yelled. She glanced back and then ran inside her shop and barricaded it shut.
What the hell? I quickly got up and was about to move on when I heard someone.
"Well, well, kid. Looks like it's your unlucky day."
I turned to see four Shadows dressed in stereotypical desert bandit attire wielding scimitars. One of those Shadows had a red aura.
"Hand over your stuff," Bandit One said.
"Uh, boss? It looks like she's got nothing." Bandit Two said, pointing out my outfit of just a t-shirt and pajama shorts.
"Haah, I'm getting mugged again," I remarked. This happened back in reality just yesterday.
"Hmph, whatever. We can just sell her. She'll fetch a good price," Bandit One said.
Oh, Hell No!
I reached up to my face to rip off the metaphorical mask, but I couldn't feel what I usually felt to summon a Persona.
"That won't work," Merlin spoke up. "I temporarily closed your connection."
"Merlin!" I yelled. How can she do that!? Is it because she's in my soul? Why would she do that?
I had little time to think as the Shadows convulsed and turned into different forms.
[Lamia] Level: 26
[Isis] Level: 26
[Anzu] Level: 25
[Anubis] Level: 37
[Yuki Emiya] Level: 25
.
Hmm, I should be able to handle this despite being on Level: 25. Although, I can't use my Personas.
"Trace On."
I Traced EMIYA's bow and Altered Nihil Swords and started firing. They hit all except Anubis. Anubis dodged and fired Makouga at me, forcing me to dodge multiple spears of light. With the barrage of arrows stopped Lamia and Isis started casting Agilao and Zioga at me. Anzu boosted all the Shadows with Masukukaja then started casting Garula.
Just great…
[- 263 HP]
[- 235 HP]
The attacks started getting faster, and some actually hit me.
Still, I kept dodging while taking shots whenever I could. It was during this exchange of magic and arrows that I took out Lamia. This caused the rest of the Shadows to fight more aggressively, and I could not win a straight fight. Also, I have yet to hit Anubis; the Shadow dodged everything I shot his way.
I took off running in and out of streets and alleys and they gave chase, firing spells along the way. Since Isis was the last one to hit me, I cast Hellish Rebuke and she had to back off to deal with the flames. I Reinforced my legs and sped up. When I turned a corner, I immediately used Presence Concealment, jumped up on a roof, and backtracked to Isis, who was separated, while Anzu and Anubis moved forward, trying to guess which way I went.
I landed on a roof with a clear view of Isis, nocked another Nihil Arrow, and Reinforced it. A second later, I fired it. Isis had no time to dodge and was hit directly in the head, instantly killing the Shadow.
Normally, that wouldn't have killed but with the stacked bonuses from Faker Class, Sword Mastery, Archery Mastery, Reinforcement, and my Reality Marble, that's an 85% increase in damage times two for the sneak attack.
The two remaining Shadows heard their comrade's defeat and rushed back. I decided to set an ambush. Taking position on a different roof, I got another Reinforced Nihil Arrow ready and waited. Soon enough, Anzu and Anubis showed up.
I aimed and fired at Anubis since he was the bigger threat, but at the last second, the Shadow dodged, and the arrow hit and killed Anzu behind him.
Tch, oh well, at least it's a one-on-one now.
Anubis started casting Makouga over and over again. I had to jump from the roof onto different ledges and awnings while dodging until I hit the ground. I rolled and dodged as more light spears kept appearing. I dismissed my bow, Traced Elucidator and Dark Repulser, and charged at the Shadow while dodging at the same time.
Once in striking distance, I slashed at it multiple times, but it kept dodging with ease. He dodged back and cast Eiga forcing me to jump back to avoid it. Then the ground lit up beneath me and a bunch of what looked like Shinto talismans surrounded me. I widened my eyes recognizing that this was Hamaon, an insta-kill skill. I dodged to the side, past the paper, just before it activated.
Haah, I need to end this quickly but I'm not fast enough to hit it, even with Reinforcement. It's a good thing that no other Shadows are around because I'm about to do something pretty reckless that will make me pass out.
With a deep breath, I raised my right arm into the air.
"Trigger Off."
Mana burst out from me, and a chaotic ball of mana formed above my palm that then transformed into Berserker's Axe-Sword.
[STR: 133 - 1000]
[DEX: 170 - 2000]
"Nine Lives Blade Works!"
In less than a second, I moved faster than the Shadow could react let alone see. Next thing it knew, it was smeared all over the road.
[Stamina: -15%]
[You will fall unconscious.]
~X~
~ Café Leblanc - Lunchtime ~
Third Person POV
"Yes, that's correct… Thank you, Detective Date," Sojiro hung up the phone with a heavy sigh.
He had no luck looking around the neighborhood and couldn't find Yuki anywhere. The only thing he could do now was call the detective that gave him his business card yesterday.
He said he would start looking into where Yuki could be. Hopefully, it has nothing to do with that bomber. With another sigh, Sojiro went back out to look again. There was no point in opening the store today and looking for Yuki was better than sitting around and doing nothing.
~X~
~ Shujin Academy - After School ~
It took way more time than Morgana thought for him to get here. It didn't help that he wasted a lot of time on the trains, missing his stops and having to backtrack. Whatever, he needs to find Ryuji and Lady Ann. He found them hanging out in the courtyard.
"There you two are!" Morgana called to get their attention and hopped on the table.
"Morgana? We were just talkin' about you," Ryuji said.
"Where were you? And where's Yuki?" Ann asked. "I didn't see her at all today, and she was actually looking forward to getting the top score."
"I don't know where she is," Morgana admitted.
"Whaddya mean?" Ryuji asked confused.
"Well-"
"Excuse me. Would Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki please come to the Principal's Office?"
Morgana was interrupted by the Principal speaking over the PA System.
"What's that about?" Ryuji asked, a little worried.
"It… probably has to do with Yuki," Morgana said. "You two should go," He was going to explain but if his hunch is right, Sojiro already called the police and they were here to interview Yuki's friends to see if they know where she could be. Ryuji and Ann will find out then.
"What about you?" Ann asked as Morgana hopped off the table and began to walk away.
"There's someplace I need to go," Morgana said. "Meet me at this address when you're done here," he told Ryuji and Ann an address in Meguro City, and with that, he took off.
Ann looked at Ryuji with a questioning stare; his response was a shoulder shrug, saying he didn't know what was happening. The duo then stood up to head to the Principal's Office. Morgana did hint that they would get some answers there.
When they entered the office, they saw Principal Kobayaka and a middle-aged man wearing a khaki-colored trench coat over a white dress shirt, gray slacks, and black leather oxfords
Ann and Ryuji's worry increased because this unknown man looked like a stereotypical detective.
"Ah, here they are," Principal Kobayakawa noticed their entrance and turned to face them. The detective did the same except he was studying the two. "Students, this is Detective Makoto Date. He has some questions to ask you."
Ryuji and Ann tried to hide how nervous they were. Their minds were running with a multitude of bad scenarios for why this detective was here. They had already been questioned about Kamoshida, so there should be no reason to ask again unless they figured something out. And that worried them.
Date noticed this and spoke. "Don't worry. Neither of you is in any sort of trouble," he reassured. He then turned to Kobayakawa. "Principal, do you mind if I use your office?"
"No, go right ahead. I will step out to give you privacy," Kobayakawa said.
"That would be appreciated," Date nodded in thanks.
Kobayakawa gave a slight bow and left.
"Please, take a seat," Date motioned to two chairs next to each other. Ann and Ryuji slowly took a seat, and Date leaned on the principal's desk. "So, I heard you two are friends with Yuki Emiya."
Ann frowned, wondering what the detective wanted with Yuki. Ryuji narrowed his eyes and seemed to put his guard up.
Date easily noticed this. "Oh, you don't need to worry. I've known Yuki since she was nine. Her… foster father is a friend of mine."
As intended, that admission did lessen their suspicion. "Why are you askin' about her?" Ryuji asked.
"Well…" Date didn't know how to say this gently, so he decided to be blunt. "She's been reported missing."
"What!?"
"Yuki's missing!?"
The two shouted in surprise, realizing that was why Yuki wasn't at school. This must be the important thing that Morgana said they would learn. What could've happened to her? Why is she missing?
"Yes," Date nodded, taking note of their reactions. "When was the last time either of you saw her?"
Ann blinked. "The last time I saw her was yesterday, during lunchtime," she automatically answered. Her mind was still reeling from this news.
"Me and Yuki went to a gym yesterday to train," Ryuji answered. " I left around… 5 pm? She still stayed a little longer, said she wanted to train more."
"Where is this gym located?" Date asked.
Ryuji answered, and Date wrote it down in his notepad. Date asked a few more questions, like if anything unusual happened recently, if there are any other classmates Yuki talked to, or if they can think of any reason for her to disappear. Ann and Ryuji answered they had no idea.
With no more questions, they could go.
The two made their way out of the school together.
"Damn, the hell's goin' on…" Ryuji grumbled.
"I have no idea," Ann said. "Although there is that address, Morgana told us to go to."
"Oh yeah! I forgot." Ryuji put the address into his smartphone's GPS app. "Let's see here… Huh, looks like it's an address in Meguro."
"Well, let's go," Ann said, and the two walked off to the train station.
~X~
~ Emiya Residence - Meguro City - After School ~
"Uh… is this the right place?" Ryuji asked in disbelief.
Because in front of the two was a huge six-story house. Tokyo has an incredibly dense population. So they try to maximize space to fit the most people they can by making many apartments and houses pretty small. Seeing a house this big in Tokyo was very surprising.
"So, what do we do?" Ann asked, looking around. "I don't see Morgana anywhere."
"Maybe we just knock on the front door," Ryuji said. "I mean, he did ask us to come here."
"You don't have to do that. I'm right here," the voice of Morgana called out.
Ryuji and Ann turned in the direction of the voice to see Morgana walk through the bars of the gate that led to the house.
"Hey, Morgana," Ann greeted, and Ryuji nodded. "So, what are we doing here?"
"I'm assuming you two already know Yuki is missing," Morgana asked, and the two nodded. "Well, I was here to see if she was here."
"Why would Yuki be here?" Ryuji asked, perplexed.
"Well, she kind of… lives here?" Morgana slowly admitted. Yuki never said she was going to keep this a secret from the other Phantom Thieves. So, it should be okay to tell them.
…He hopes.
Ryuji and Ann blinked at that information. Yuki lives in a big place like this?
"For real? But she told me she was livin' in the attic space of a café," Ryuji asked, confused.
"It's… a long story. And it's not my story to tell," Morgana said. "If you want to know, you'll have to ask Yuki when we find her."
Ryuji and Ann decided that they would do that and moved on. "So, what are we doing here?" Ann asked.
"Wait, is she here? Do the cops know about this place?" Ryuji asked.
"No, they don't. And I don't know if she's here. I can't get in and Yuki is usually the one that lets me in," Morgana explained. "You two will have to knock and ask if she's here."
Ryuji and Ann looked at each other, nodded, and went through the gate to the front door. Morgana hopped up onto Ann's shoulder. "Can you tell us about the other people living here?" Ann asked as Ryuji knocked on the door.
"Well-" Morgana started but was interrupted when the door opened.
The front door opened to show an elderly man dressed in a butler's uniform. His eyes quickly flicked to Morgana and stared at the cat for a second before they returned to Ryuji and Ann. "Good afternoon. How may I help you?" the butler greeted.
"U-Uh…" Ryuji went to speak, but stuttered, not expecting to see a butler. They are not someone you would normally expect to see.
"Hi, we're friends of Yuki from school," Ann said. "Is she here?"
"I apologize, but Lady Yuki is not here," the butler answered. However, he seemed to notice the disappointed and worried looks on their faces. "If I may ask, why are you searching for her? She should have been at your school, as exams are this week."
"She should've been, but she wasn't there," Ryuji answered.
"Tell him she's missing," Morgana informed them.
"Yeah, um… I'm not sure if you know, but the police came after school to talk to us. They say she's missing. We were hoping to find her here," Ann explained, letting her worry show on her face.
"...I see," is all the butler said. "Would that be all?"
The three Phantom Thieves looked at each other on what to do.
"I guess… this is all we can do here," Morgana said.
"No," Ann turned to answer the butler. "Thanks for your help."
"Have a good day," the butler replied and closed the door.
Ryuji and Ann, with Morgana on her shoulder, walked back out through the gate.
"Well, now what?" Ryuji asked the cat but he remained silent.
"Morgana?" Ann spoke up.
Morgana sighed. "Sorry, just thinking. Let's check her usual hangouts. I'll tell you where to go."
The three of them went off to the train station to continue their search.
~X~
~ Pyramid of Wrath - Night ~
Yuki Emiya
"Ugh…" I groaned as I regained consciousness.
It felt like I was laying down on something soft, most likely a bed. Damn it. I can't wait for the point when I can use Nine Lives Blade Works without passing out.
"You are awake," someone said in a monotone voice to my side.
I slowly opened my eyes and turned my head to the side to see Shadow Futaba standing about a meter from the bed.
"...Hi?" I simply said.
"Hello. I normally do not entertain visitors, but I could not ignore it when you were attacked by the Shadows," Shadow Futaba said.
"You saw that?"
"Yes. I had intended to send my guards to help, but you had already dealt with them," Shadow Futaba tilted her head to the side. "Speaking of that, I saw you use magic without a Persona. I did not know that was possible."
I slowly sat up and had a small mental debate about what I should reveal to her already know. In the end, I decided to be a bit forthcoming because if I lie and say I don't know what she was talking about, she'll find out I did lie once she joins the Phantom Thieves and it would hurt her trust.
I guess I should tell her about the magical world, too. She saw me use magecraft. …Which reminds me, I'll probably need to tell the other Phantom Thieves as well. There's no way I can hide something as big as the rifts for long.
Haah, problems for later. For now, I have to finish this quest Merlin put me on.
"Yeah, uh, normally I'm not supposed to talk about this, but since you saw there's no point in hiding it. Magic exists. There's a whole magical world out there hidden from the rest of the world." I said.
"I see," was all Shadow Futaba had to say.
"You… don't seem too surprised," I observed.
"It is because of where we are," she said.
"Huh?"
"If a cognitive world can exist, then it is not so farfetched to believe that a magical world can exist as well," she said.
"Cognitive world… You mean this place is a Palace?" I questioned. There's no point in hiding the fact I know what this place is.
Shadow Futaba's gaze on me became sharper. "You know of Palaces?"
"Hah… it's kind of a long story."
"We have time."
"I suppose we do," I said. "You know, I just realized, I never introduced myself."
"I already know who you are, Yuki Emiya," Shadow Futaba said.
"Really… Well, I don't know who you are," I tilted my head.
"Hm, it would be polite…" Shadow Futaba seemed to be thinking something over. "Yes, indeed. I am the Ruler of this Palace. I am the Shaodw of Futaba Sakura."
I nodded. "Sakura… Any relation to Sojiro Sakura?"
"He is my guardian," she answered, and I nodded. "So, how do you know of Palaces?"
~X~
Basically, I told Shadow Futaba an abridged version of my Phantom Thief journey.
Some background on myself, about my first day at school and in Kamoshida's Palace, about Kamoshida himself and what led to us stealing his Palace's Treasure, about the formation of the Phantom Thieves and how I somehow showed up here with no access to my Personas and no way out.
Shadow Futaba kept quiet and just listened, and when I finished, she spoke. "That was a very interesting story. Though I do have one question."
"What is it?"
"Do you find it strange? All of a sudden, one day you receive a mysterious app on your phone that takes you to the Cognitive World?" she asked. "Did you not question where it came from?"
"Of course, I found it weird," I replied. "But remember, I met Morgana, and he had a lot of answers to my questions about the Palaces and the Cognitive World."
"I do not believe you heard my question correctly. I was not asking about the Cognitive World. I was asking about the app that allowed you to travel to the Cognitive World," Shadow Futaba clarified. "You have no idea where it came from. Did you not try to find out?"
Actually, I do know where it came from. 'Igor' gave it to me as part of his game, but I can't come out and say that because I have no way of explaining how I know the things I know. So, I schooled my features and lied.
"I don't know where it came from, and I don't even know where to start looking to find out where it came from," I said.
[Lie Sucessful]
"Hmm, very strange."
"Yeah."
"Well, until we figure out a way to send you back to reality, I invite you to stay as my guest. I believe you may be able to help my other self."
"What do you mean?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"My other self is very lonely, partly because of her own choice, but mostly because of her experiences. You are new, a breath of fresh air in this dried-up world. Any influence on me will affect my other self and vice versa. Your positive influence on me will bleed to my other self and hopefully, that will help her."
Huh. Futaba's Shadow is actively seeking help for her other self? This may actually make it easier for me to change Futaba's heart instead of stealing her treasure. Although, if I recall correctly, the treasure wasn't actually the problem. It was the Cognition of her mother, Wakaba.
"Sure, I don't mind helping. After all, in a way, we're sisters now," Shadow Futaba blinked when I said that. Her eyes showed confusion. "Well, Sojiro is your guardian, and I assume your adopted father?" I asked, and she nodded. "Well, he's also my guardian and my foster father. So, obviously, that makes us sisters."
Shadow Futaba blinked some more and looked to be thinking it over. Then, I think I saw a ghost of a smile on her face. "Indeed."
I smiled in return. "So, I told you a bit about myself. I'd like to hear about you. Then... Well, I don't know. What do you do for fun?"
~X~
~ May 12 - Pyramid of Wrath - Morning ~
Huh, never thought I would be watching a Naruto marathon in someone's mind.
Shadow Futaba and I have been watching a marathon of the entire Naruto series in a rather cozy Egyptian-style room. Right now, we're at the second stage of the Chunin exams. We plan to go all the way up to the most recent Shippuden episode (which I think are the filler episodes that happen after Madara activated Infinite Tsukuyomi), but I highly doubt we're going to get that far.
While watching, Shadow Futaba had questions about magic, so I told her a bit about the magical world, mostly about the different wizarding schools around the world and the subjects the schools teach. Still, when I tried to get Shadow Futaba to open up about herself she usually stalled. A bit annoying, but I didn't try to force her. And now my patience finally paid off.
In order to tell her story, she decided to show me the murals. Although the order she showed me was in chronological order as opposed to the game, which showed from the most recent to the earliest.
As the memory echoes of the last mural died down, I found that I had my fists tightly clenched, and I glared at the mural. "...What the hell was that?" I whispered dangerously low.
"Excuse me?" Shadow Futaba asked.
"Why the hell did they read the suicide note blaming a child? Why did they do it in front of you and all of your relatives? Especially, when you were traumatized because you witnessed it," I spoke in a deceptively calm voice. I was anything but calm right now. I really want to find these people and kick their collective ass. "And then your relatives just… go with it and dump all the blame on you. I wonder if reading the suicide note was deliberately set up so you would take the fall for the whole thing."
Shadow Futaba looked at me questioningly.
"Do you remember when I told you I was homeless for a few months when I was eight? Well, that all started when the proprietor of the orphanage died, and some new people bought the land. Those people were shady as hell, and they kicked everyone out as quickly as possible. No one looked for foster homes for us or found a new orphanage for us. It wasn't long before the caretakers upped and left, and the new owners threw us on the street," I sighed heavily as I recalled this point in time.
"Growing up with the Yakuza, and being homeless without any help, made me distrust authority figures. Hah, maybe even for adults in general," I sighed. "My point is, this whole thing seems a little fishy. Something is strange about a bunch of shady guys in suits coming and reading a supposed suicide note to the grieving, traumatized daughter. At best, it's inhuman," I glared at the mural. Specifically, at the ones in suits. "At worst, well, there is magic in the world. And this Cognitive Pscience your mother was studying… The fact that there is a way to enter this world…"
"A person's Shadow is basically their subconscious. A human can't live without that."
I looked Shadow Futaba dead in the eyes as I said that, hoping she would catch on that I was implying, that someone killed her mother's Shadow. From the slight widening of her eyes, it looked like she did.
[Charisma] has leveled up.
After a while, Shadow Futaba looked at me with a sorrowful smile. "If only someone had said that at the time… Perhaps, Futaba and I would not have gone down our downward spiral. There were times when even I thought that I had killed her. Not directly but…" she sighed.
"I don't think anyone would've made the connection. From what you said, Cognitive Pscience is a very recent field of study, and it didn't really go anywhere until your mother started researching it. I bet there's only a handful of people who really know about the Metaverse…" I'm pretty sure it's only Shido's group that knows.
"Hmm. As I said earlier, while a part of me thought I killed her, another part of me knew the truth, that she did not hate me. She did not commit suicide because she hated me. And with what you implied…" she stared at me. "Are you certain about what you said?"
"I have no proof, but with a bit of deductive reasoning, it's the most likely conclusion," I said.
"Hmm, I do not how you came to that. Were you a detective in a past life or something?" she asked.
"'Or something' sounds about right," I shrugged. In my past life, my father was a detective. He taught me some of the skills he learned.
"Well, regardless of that,"Shadow Futaba's eyes flicked to the mural. "My other self is still drowning in grief and self-loathing caused by those monsters in suits, and the greed and hatred of her relatives. They were jealous of Wakaba's success and used Futaba to steal her inheritance."
I huffed and crossed my arms, annoyed to hear that such people exist, "Hey, so spending time with you like this… You sure it's helping your other self?" I asked, trying to change the subject and hoping to take my mind away from Futaba's past.
"It is," Shadow Futaba nodded. "In fact, I can feel that the changes are happening faster than I thought they would. You seem to have a very high Charisma level."
I can tell she was referring to video games in general when she said that, and not a reference to the SYSTEM. Still, that did make me pause for a second. My Charisma is not that high. It's only on level nine.
"So… back to watching Naruto?"
~X~
~ May 14 - Shibuya Station - Early Morning ~
Morgana
Morgana poked his head out of Lady Ann's bag as he felt the train come to a stop. For the past few days since Yuki went missing, he's been living with Lady Ann. He could stay at Yuki's house in Meguro but he wanted to keep in close contact with Ryuji and Lady Ann in case any Phantom Thief business came up.
Morgana and Ann heard a loud yawn coming their way. They turned to see it was Ryuji.
"'Sup you two," He paused and then let out another big yawn. "Sorry, I ended up pullin' an all-nighter when I realized today was the last day of exams."
"You stayed up studying?" Morgana asked, a little surprised.
"Eh, for 'bout an hour. Then I got bored and started playin' some video games," Ryuji shrugged. "Next thing I knew it was morning."
"Ah, that's more what I was expecting," Morgana nodded.
At that moment it was Ann's turn to release a big yawn.
"Hah, look who else is yawnin'," Ryuji chuckled.
"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line," Ann said.
"Impressive Lady Ann. You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know," Morgana couldn't help but use this chance to throw a verbal jab at Ryuji. It's always so fun to rile him up.
"Huh!? Don't give me that crap. Your brain's tiny compared to mine," Ryuji fired back.
"Size is meaningless when there's nothing inside," Morgana teasingly said.
"Will you two please shut up?" Ann groaned. "You're going to make me forget everything I memori- Huh?"
Ann quickly turned to look behind her, forcing Morgana to keep his balance from the sudden movement.
"What is it?" Ryuji asked. "You see a groper or something?"
Ann stared off before she turned back around. "No, it's nothing," she shook her head.
But to Morgana, she didn't sound so sure. He noticed Ann had a worried look on her face.
The train arrived and they got on. Luckily for Ann, there was a seat open, so she took it and placed her bag, with Morgana in it, on her lap. Ryuji stood right by her, holding onto the overhead handrail.
"Oh, I just remembered," Ryuji spoke up, getting Ann and Morgana's attention. "We've been talkin' about sneakin' into the police station."
What Ryuji is talking about is that he got it in his head to try and sneak into a police station. The Phantom Thieves quickly ran out of leads in their search for Yuki. Ryuji, in a sleep-deprived state, suggested sneaking into the police station where Detective Date works and trying to look up the case file. See what the police have. That conversation never got far, but it seems Ryuji wants to try it if he's bringing it up.
"You want to bring that up now? On a quiet crowed train?" Ann said, pointing out that they could be easily overheard.
"I think it's a stupid idea," Morgana said, ignoring what Ann said.
"Well, I know we don't got a lot of options-" Ryuji started.
But Morgana cut him off. "Haah, look, security at a police station is very strong. We may have completed one heist but you two are still in training. Also, the files are on a digital database. All of this means we'll need a hacker, who knows what they're doing, to get inside, get past security, and hack their way in. We don't have anyone like that. It's not worth it."
"Ugh, I know that," Ryuji groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "But we gotta do something to find Yuki. I'm tired of sittin' around, doing nothing."
"Look, I want to look for her too, but not by doing dumb things like what you thought of," Morgana said.
"I don't see you comin' up with anything!" Ryuji retorted.
"Guys, don't start again," Ann interjected before they could get started on another argument. People were staring at them. "Can't we just go see Detective Date and ask what's going on with the investigation?"
The other two thought it over.
"Yeah, I guess we could do that," Ryuji grumbled.
"It doesn't hurt to ask," Morgana nodded.
Ann took a breath and turned to Ryuji. "Look, I know you want to find Yuki as fast as possible, I do too. But you can't take your anger out on us."
"Haah, I know, okay? I'm just… frustrated," Ryuji tried explaining. He was never good at talking about his feelings, so he stopped to think. "Yuki's been a good friend. After what happened last year with the track team and Kamoshida… and how the team turned on me when it got disbanded. And with Kamoshida makin' me an outcast… Becomin' friends with Yuki was easy. Kamoshida outed her bein' raised by yakuza, so, we were fellow outcasts. Not to mention, Yuki is easy to get along with. She just has this… I don't know how to put it. There's just somethin' about her that draws you in. I don't know what it is but I just know, that no matter what, she's got my back. And that's nice to know.
And that's why I really want to find her. 'Cause, if she's got my back, I need to watch hers.
…
Ann and Morgana just stared at Ryuji. They both knew how tough it was for him to express his feelings. And for him to do so in this manner…
"Wow. That was deep, Ryuji," Morgana said.
"Yeah, it was," Ann spoke next. "And… I know what you mean when you said there's something about Yuki that draws you in. I've felt it as well."
"And me three," Morgana added.
"Good. So, you guys understand," Ryuji smiled.
And with that, a silence fell on three.
'Wow, it's only been a month and the three of us already feel so close to Yuki,' Morgana thought. 'Yuki, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope you tell them about your other life. I don't know what stopping you, but whatever it is, I hope you come to know the Phantom Thieves will have your back.'
~X~
~ Aoyama-Itchome Station - Early Morning ~
"Oh my god... That guy got off the train, too," Ann stammered when she saw someone while the group was going up the escalator.
Morgana poked his head out of the bag. "Who is it?"
"The tall one, thin, dark blue hair parted to the side, white shirt, around our age, and staring right at me." Ann turned back forward and hastily whispered.
"I see him," Morgana spotted him just getting on the escalator.
Ryuji took this moment to release another big yawn and subtly looked back and spotted the guy.
"Right, come on," Ryuji walked past Ann to the top of the escalator, and she followed.
…
As the stalker reached the exit onto street level, he looked around and spotted Ann standing still with her back facing toward him. He started walking forward. Just before he could get too close, Ryuji got in between them, glaring at the stalker.
The stalked look confused before his face shifted to a neutral expression, and his head slightly tilted to the side. "Is there something you want?"
"Huh?" was Ryuji's confused response. "You sure this is him, or were ya just self-conscious?" he asked.
"Yes, it's him!" Ann pushed past Ryuji and pointed at the stalker. "And you! That's my line! You're the one stalking me!"
"Stalking you? That's outrageous," the (not-) stalker denied while brushing some hair out of his eyes.
"I know you've been following me for days now!" Ann protested.
"That's because…" before the stalker could start, he was cut off by a car honking to get their attention.
Everyone turned toward the street to see a black car pull over. The back window rolled down to reveal an older man in faded back and yellow robes. He had white facial hair, and his white hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
"My goodness. I had wondered why you left the car," the man had an amused smile. "So, this is where your passion lead." he then chuckled.
"My apologies, Sensei," the boy slightly bowed to the man sitting in the car. He then turned back to Ann. "I saw you in the car, and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei. But thank goodness I caught up to you."
"Okaaay…" Ann raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Ryuji just looked on, equally confused.
"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please won't you-," the boy started dramatically.
"W-Wait a minute-" Ann tried to interrupt. This was sounding like a confession.
But the boy charged forward, past her words. "-be the model for the next art piece!?" he stepped forward and swiped his arm across dramatically.
"...Model?" Ann was stumped because she was expecting something else.
"All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else," the boy said theatrically. He seems to be a rather theatrical kind of person.
"This man is highly suspicious!" Morgana protested.
"This sounds like a recruit for some shady business," Ryuji added his two cents.
"Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" the boy pleaded.
"Hold your horses! Who are you anyways?" Ryuji stepped in between the boy and Ann as he was getting too close to her.
"Oh, where are my manners?" the boy immediately stepped back. "I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa," Yusuke stepped forward toward Ann while also absentmindedly shoving Ryuji out of the way. Ryuji moved back and glared at him, annoyed at the shove. "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place."
"Huh!? You mean that Madarame?" Ann's eyes widened in shock. "The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?"
"The very same," Yusuke confirmed. "That was him in the car earlier."
Morgana blinked. Madarame… he's heard that name before. He looked at Ann. and he saw she remembered the name as well.
"Yusuke! It's time to get going," Madarame called from the car.
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there," Yusuke called back then turned back to Ann. "Madarame-sensei will be having an exhibition at the department store near the station starting tomorrow. I'll be there to help on opening day. Please come by." he handed her a ticket, then looked at Ryuji. "I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you one too," he curtly said.
"Uh, could I get one more? I have a friend who's interested in art," Ann quickly said. Ryuji and Morgana shot her a questioning look.
"Sure, here you go," Yusuke handed her another ticket. "Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow, and you could give me your answer in regard to being a model."
Yusuke walked to the car and entered it. The car then took off down the road, and the two humans and the cat watched it go off.
"That guy's as easy to read as a book…" Ryuji muttered as he watched the car leave.
"We should head to the exhibit. If you remember, Nakanohara's Shadow mentioned Madarame. This is an opportunity to do some investigating. And there's no way I'm leaving that Yusuke guy alone with Lady Ann!" Morgana said.
"Yeah… right. I know we're lookin' for our next heist, but we don't have our leader," Ryuji painfully pointed out.
"Ah, right," Morgana flinched. Yuki was a great leader. Things ran smoother when she was in charge. …And he misses her. "We'll… figure something out. It's not like we're going into a Palace yet."
"Crap, look at the time! We're going to be late!" Ann shouted when she checked her phone. She took off running with Morgana.
Ryuji sighed and ran after her.
~X~
Social Links:
? - -̴̢̾̅̚͜͝ͅ-̶̨̙͉̗̈̈́͐͝͝-̴̖͎̯̦̝͔̔͠-̵̡̈͋̓̓͒̕͝ (Phantom Thieves of Hearts) - Rank 1
0 - F̵͎̓ơ̷̥o̴̥̐l̸̫̍ (Igor) – Rank 3
I - Magician (Morgana) – Rank 2
V - Hierophant (Sojiro Sakura) – Rank 3
VI - Lovers (Ann Takamaki) – Rank 2
VII - Chariot (Ryuji Sakamoto) – Rank 5
XIII - Death (Rei Emiya) - Rank 2
XIV - Temperance (Artoria Pendragon) - Rank 2
XVII - Star (Issei Hyoudou) - Rank 3
XX - Judgement (Takayuki Yagami) - Rank 1
~X~
Author's Note:
Well… this took forever to come out.
I said it would come out at the end of January, but a combination of work burnout, writer's block, and Life got in the way.
As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.
(Preview)
"Wait, Ryuji. Remember, I said not to- "
"Is it true Madarame's plagiarizin' stuff? He's abusin' people too, yeah?"
"Damn it… I told him- Ugh. I wish Yuki was here. She'd be able to keep this idiot on his leash."
(x)
"Haah, this is your reality, Futaba Sakura. You're in Sojiro Sakura's house, and this place will be your tomb."
Candidate found. Beginning navigation.
"Huh?"
(x)
"INTRUDER! YOU DARE DEFILE THE PHAROH'S TOMB!"
"Oh shit…"
(x)
"You will not take the girl, outsider! She is the key to King Arthur's return!"
I looked to my left, at Artoria standing by my side.
"I told you so."
"I know. It was just hard to believe."