Persona 5: Daywatch
Friday, 26 August 2016
Early Morning
Yongen, Sakura House, Futaba's Room
Futaba scrolled down the Phansite on one window, a list of results by one of her troll hunter bots in a different window alongside. She yawned, then rested her chin on her hand, braced against the desk. Time was an inconsistent enemy before, but today it crawled. Nothing interesting popped up on the Phansite, not possible requests or fires to put out. Granted, those tended to be in the afternoon.
She pulled up the group chat. [Sooo bored! Can we go kick butt and look for more shinies in Mementos? It can be like hunting rats in the sewer in every damn MMO out there.]
Makoto sent, [Morgana: One day of rest after a Metaverse dive.]
[You suck, Bastet.]
Her phone dinged and she brought up an incoming message from Mishima. [Sorry for the trouble, but could I ask you to look over the Phansite today? Ohya-san needs some help and I need to interview a couple transit workers in Edogawa-ku, then pull up some permits at city hall.]
She sent him a reply, [The Phansite will be fine, my bots are on it and they're WAY better than anybody else's.]
[There's more to managing the Phansite than just kicking trolls. A lot of people are depending on us. People who have no one else to go to, sometimes because the police say their problems are too small and others because the problems are too big.]
Ugh. Why did the Phansite creator have to be so good at guilt-tripping her? [Fine. But I can still do that and something else today.]
[Sure. Thank you,] he left.
Back in the Phantom Thief group chat, Yusuke tried to cajole the group into spending the day at the National Museum of Modern Art, but Ryuji shut that down with a hard, [Dude, that would be more boring than hanging out at home.]
[Then I shall spend the day painting as a result of what I learned on Tuesday,] Yusuke replied and logged off.
[There's no reason to be a jerk about it,] Ann texted. [Just because you skipped out on visiting the art exhibit doesn't mean the rest of us can't appreciate art.]
Makoto sent, [Morgana: Art is part of culture, and culture builds character.]
[Even the stuff between his toes?] Akira texted.
Ryuji wasted no time replying, [Dude! I'm a runner, I know better than you the feet are the most important part of the body.]
Before the hacker could adjust her perch, Makoto sent, [All of you settle down.]
A beat later, she sent, [Morgana: Futaba-chan, you were still nervous going out to Togo's Palace. Some new experiences could be good for you, but are you sure you're up for being out and about?]
Futaba tensed in her perch. Leave it to Miss Big Shot to highlight her anxiety.
Ryuji of all people was the one to change the conversation direction. [Hey, that's a good idea! You've got to go out into the city to go anywhere. Why not get a little of that and see new places by visiting the rest of us? We can all do cool shirt together.]
Hifumi joined the conversation to add, [Oh, like the senior staff playing poker night on Star Trek?]
Futaba did a little dance in her chair. Hifumi was enough of a nerd to have seen The Next Generation and remember some of the recurring elements! Maybe that meant the hacker could start deploying memes. It would be hard to misunderstand the Picard Facepalm. [That sounds like fun, actually.]
[Except not actually poker,] Hifumi added, a beat later explaining, [Everybody stopped playing card games with me at Ogawa and accused me of cheating. Some of that has been happening at Kosei after some of Mother's letters went out.]
[I find that hard to believe,] Akira texted. [You'd never cheat. The thrill of the chase is too sweet, the outcome is almost an afterthought.]
[I'm glad you understand. Counting cards is a very simple method available to everybody, and the mathematics of a 52 card deck are rather predictable.]
Futaba stared at her phone. The shogi maestra thought card counting was 'very simple'?
Ann jumped back into the conversation, [What about movie night? I haven't really been involved with clubs since coming to Japan, but in New York one club or another would have the audio-visual room reserved almost every week just for the camaraderie-building experience.]
[Sounds cool to me,] Ryuji sent.
Futaba clapped in glee. Godzilla had been out for a couple weeks, but was still in theaters. Or they could rent something. [Ready flag up!]
[Well, if Futaba is for it, far be it from me to put a damper on things,] Hifumi sent. [My house has been disquietingly empty since Mother left, but I have to get things ready to bring Papa back from the clinic, so I'm afraid I won't be able to join you today.]
The hacker frowned. So much for setting up and spying on a proper date for the two hopefuls.
Then the boy himself had to ruin things. [I think I have enough to get us all tickets at Toyo Cinema. How are you feeling about cruising Shibuya's Central Street?]
Futaba's mouth went dry and her legs felt weak. The only reason she was able to make it through the underground walkway while going to change Togo's heart was Akira clinging to her and bulling through the crowd like her own personal snow-plow. She wanted to break out, but it was suicidal for a lowbie to run into a high-level area and Marcus reminded her that aggravating a still-healing wound could make it worse.
She growled and thudded a fist against her skull twice. Why did her own heart and body have to conspire against her? How was she going to make Mom proud like this?
Hifumi sent, [You don't like crowds, Akira. Futaba is even more uncomfortable in them. I know it's difficult in the biggest city in the world, but would there be a less crowded venue to take her to?]
Futaba let out a relieved breath. Akira chose well.
[Good point,] Ann conceded. [Hey, Akira. We took shelter under that theater near your place, but it didn't look like it was open then. Is renovation or whatever done?]
[I don't think it's in business. I've never even seen the lights on since my first day in,] Akira sent.
Futaba may have been sheltered at Sojiro's, but she heard him talk about the place. [Sojiro says the owners are an elderly couple. They closed the place down a couple months ago when one of them got hurt.]
[Must be killing their finances,] Akira sent. [Even in Yongen, property ownership is not cheap.]
Ryuji jumped in, [You've got a pretty rock home theater-type setup, Hifumi.] A second later he corrected, [Rocker.] Then a moment later corrected to, [Rocking. Stupid auto-correct.]
Three dots danced next to Hifumi's ID for a few seconds before she texted, [My house isn't so special, but Mother asked that I keep up my grades before she turned herself over to the police so I would feel I betrayed her last wish after her heart reformed if I just dropped cram school. And I have a lot of work to get things cleaned and ready for Papa when he's brought back. His immune system is already weak.]
[Oh, right,] Ryuji replied.
[I was wanting to get a long session in at the dojo today, could we make it after noon?] Makoto sent, receiving a chorus of 'meh's.
Akira sent, [My place is always open.]
[You have any movies rented?] Ryuji texted.
[Not today. I'd have to go to Scarlet. Any requests?]
Makoto sent, [Morgana: if Futaba-chan is feeling brave enough to explore new things, there should be enough structure for her to try a movie in theaters.] A beat passed before she added, [I'm afraid I tend to visit Cult 9 Cinema because they have more martial arts films. I don't think the environment would be appropriate for Futaba-chan.]
Futaba shrugged. The loft would've been her first choice, but part of that was it not really being a new place. Either way, she'd be surrounded by her fellow Phantom Thieves so she should have enough party bonuses to take on a new movie in a new place. As long as it wasn't in Shibuya, Tokyo transit artery. [What about your place?] Futaba texted.
A beat passed, then three dots danced next to Makoto's ID. [Sorry. Big Sis says I can't bring anybody over today. She's bringing work. She prefers to do her typing in the dining room and requires strict silence.]
[I don't have enough room for people to stay overnight,] Ryuji sent. [But there's enough space for 4 or 5 in the main room.] He sent directions to a high-rise in Setagaya-ku, almost on the border of Suginami-ku.
Ann texted, [Too far for me. My agency's been asking to book me a lot more since that shoot with Hifumi, and they want me at Arakawa-ku in the afternoon. I could use the spending money.]
Mishima-san sent, [If you're heading that way, maybe you might like a detour to the commerce district of Nakano-ku.] He posted a link to a merchandise shop with a photo of a storefront filled with intricate models from Gundam to Sailor Moon.
As the other Phantom Thieves bickered about what to do out in the city, Futaba opened up a search on the computer's web browser, and felt herself salivate. This place sounded like the holy land of nerd-dom! [Nakano sounds awesome! When do we go?]
Hifumi sent, [Sorry I can't invite anyone today, but I hope you all have a fun time.]
Akira texted, [Give me ten minutes to finish this smoke bomb, it's a little more tricky making thieves' tools when Morgana's not here. Then I'll pick you up. You guys want to rally at Shibuya, or the station in Nakano?]
Ryuji replied, [Nakano's closer.]
Noon
Nakano-ku, Commercial District
As Futaba's eyes took in treasure trove after treasure trove of memorabilia, the crowds faded away. She thought the one store Mishima pointed them to would be the one beacon of nerd figurine goodness, but the neighborhood was full of them! Shinjou had quite a few rail lines, as well as being on the end of the shinkansen, with all the accompanying trade advantages that provided, but she'd have to take to the internet and probably the darkweb to find such a selection of rare goods. For all Mom's eagerness to buy her computer stuff, she was super stingy about figurines.
Spotting the distinctive green of Sailor Neptune's wavy hair, Futaba shot through the crowd but had enough presence of mind not to press herself against the storefront's glass. "Wow! A 1994 Sailor Moon Musical commemorative figurine!"
It took a moment, but Akira shouldered through people in his typical crowd-march. "Futaba! Don't go running off like that."
Her enthusiasm swept the hacker away and she popped up on her tip-toes for a moment. "But look! Look at this! It's older than I am, but in mint condition. The little dimple in her smile, the wrinkles on the clothes."
He leaned in and scanned in a very Sojiro-like way. "We could go out for sushi several times for that price tag."
A dark-haired boy standing at the same window chuckled. "You should take a look at the Lawgiver Mark Two at the cosplay shop two doors down. That would pay for almost a month's rent."
Futaba thought she jumped her own height, and clamped onto Akira's arm. How were there so many people with ranks in ninja? "Oh, y-yeah. I almost thought it was a movie prop."
Akira chuckled and looked over at the other kid. "Hey, Kaoru-kun. What're you up here for?"
The shorter boy wiped his forehead. "Just taking in the sights. I was kinda lookin' for the RX-78NT at the gunpla place, but it would take years of allowance to afford one."
"I think I understand how Ryuji feels when I talk about Stargate now." Akira chuckled. "You two should look into part-time work. It's as close as you can get to money that doesn't keep strings on how it's spent after it's in your pocket. Not everyone gets an allowance." He shrugged. "I dunno why anybody would spend that much on some doll."
"They're not dolls!" Futaba and the sensible boy with shorter hair snapped. They shared just one beat of eye contact, then she let him go first.
"They're pieces of history, a moment of culture frozen in a snapshot of time," Kaoru said as he came alongside her.
She nodded. "Exactly!" Then rounded on Akira. "You don't get it because you're not a collector, but it's not even just about the scale-accurate representation, it's a work of art. You can feel the sculptor's soul in the detail of his work!" She tapped her boot toe on the ground. "Besides, what part-time job could I do? Def not customer service."
Kaoru shielded his eyes and gazed out into the crowds, but he didn't stand much taller than the hacker so he couldn't have been able to see far. "You guys see Dad around?"
"Not yet," Akira said, a slight narrowing of his eyes behind the magnification of his glasses. "What are both of you guys doing up here? I was starting to think Iwai-san lived down at the airsoft place."
"He takes off some days!" Kaoru scratched the back of his neck. "We were looking for gift ideas. My birthday was last month, but finances were so bad at the shop, Dad couldn't afford any more than a replacement Playstation controller. I understand, but to be honest I'd rather have a good day with Dad. I just wish he wasn't always busy with work."
Akira nodded, but then his and the hacker's phones buzzed. He got his out first, then reported, "Ann just arrived at the train station. Wanna meet her there?"
Futaba nodded and clutched his hand. "Charge on, my loyal minion!"
"Ugh, please leave the fantasy role-play to Hifumi," Akira complained, but with a roll of his eyes as if he expected it. He sent something to the group chat before returning his phone to his pocket. "Ryuji will meet us at the theater."
The hacker spared a wave to Kaoru, but she kept close when Akira paced into the crowds. She couldn't help her attention from being drawn to little animatronic kaiju or costumes of Overlord Zetta – the demon form, not the book form. Then she spotted a guy who radiated 'bad news'. Grey baseball cap, a faded-green trenchcoat reminding her of Akira's Phantom Thief form, and a gecko tattoo on his neck. Futaba tugged back against her Key Item. "Oh, crap! Yakuza, ten o'clock."
"What do we do until then?" the smug bastard said with a smirk. Akira looked, then paced around some slow pedestrians straight in the direction of her warning.
Futaba saw what he was doing and cursed. Leave it to her fearless rescuer to walk straight at the most dangerous person around. "Don't walk up on him!"
Without bothering to lower his voice, Akira riposted, "He's not so scary. Yo, Iwai-san."
The man straightened from scanning a book display. "Well, well. I expected you in a run-down alley, not a market street like this."
"We're dead. We're so dead." The hacker shot behind Akira, not caring how much like a timid toddler she might have looked. Wait, even Mister Scary knew her Key Item? She tugged on his sleeve. "Do you know people everywhere?"
Iwai looked down the transfer student's arm to the girl clutching him. "Who's the little lady?"
Akira twisted to look down at her, and she caught the flash of a smirk before he straightened to face the scary guy. "Dunno, I've never seen her before in my life."
Futaba punched her Key Item in the side. She almost felt bad about the way he stumbled back with a pained gasp and clutched the impact. Maybe she should have pulled her punch, but he shouldn't have said that!
Iwai chuckled. "Sister, huh?"
"Basically."
A moment of eye exchange passed and she felt like she missed out on a whole conversation before they blinked. Iwai adjusted the brim of his cap. "Not like I'm in a place to judge. I may have been a technical only child, but had plenty of brothers from another mother when I was growing up."
"How do you know so many people?" Futaba snapped. If she could divine the secret, maybe she could start recruiting her own following.
It took Akira a few more seconds to get his breath back, but a hand lingered on his side and he still didn't quite stand straight. "He's our arms dealer."
Iwai locked eyes with the hacker. "He's in one of his 'everything's a joke' moods today, isn't he?"
Futaba nodded.
Akira's breath still came a bit halting when he turned to her as much as he could with her having gone back to clinging to one arm. "I mean that for real. Well, it's kind of a joke." He snapped his fingers. "Right, you're still all about Goa'uld weaponry. You remember my P90?"
"Uh-huh."
Akira pointed to Big and Scary. "He's the one we got all our gun models from, even Ryuji. Even added the modifications like my P90's dot sight projector and silencer."
"Suppressor," Iwai said. "I know it's all models, but there's no such thing as a 'silent' weapon in real life, and a lot of my clientele are very particular about historical or realistic details."
Recalling all the times the runner nerded out about details to guns, Futaba nodded. "I guess Ryuji's gotta get his fix somewhere." She managed to make eye contact with Big and Scary for almost a second before shrinking back behind the transfer student. "…Sir."
Iwai chuckled. "Chill out, kiddo. I don't bite. I'm just here for business."
"I thought it was gift-hunting with your son," Akira said, pointing in the general area he last saw Kaoru.
The cheer drained out of Big and Scary. "I'm… trying. I had some business to do here, too. A couple higher-end cosplay shops distribute my wares."
Blonde pigtails resolved out of the crowd before Ann stepped out of the churning mass of pedestrians cruising the merchant lane of Nakano. "Hey, guys." Her bright blue eyes flicked to Big and Scary next to her. "Oh, good day Iwai-san."
Futaba didn't want to just dismiss the model, but Big and Scary's mention of cosplay made her wonder exactly what accessories he sold here. "Wares like the Lawgiver Mark Two?"
Ann's eyes widened. "They even have Judge Dredd cosplay here?"
"Judge what?" Akira arched an eyebrow.
Ann crossed her arms over her open-shouldered shirt. "American movie fetishizing authoritarianism. I'll bet those United Future Party jackboots love it."
Iwai tisked. "All kinds like the costumes or toys, it's just those types who think it can or should be real. Everybody else knows it's make-believe and should stay that way."
Futaba peeked out a little more from behind her Key Item. "That one was yours? That's amazing! It's sleek like a practical firearm, but has all the polish and lights of a movie gun!"
Corners of his lips turning up, Iwai adjusted his cap brim. "Just a small-time professional. I only do movie or game models when both the pay and idea suits me because there's so much out there that can't be turned into a good physical model, but every piece is more than just business. It's a professional's mark on the world."
He sounded a bit like herself when she tried explaining her custom-made code to the other Phantom Thieves. "I tote get it! Just like recoding your wifi sniffer so it works properly instead of throwing your hands in the air and saying 'good enough' with copied net code."
He gave a nod to her and Akira, then to the busty model who just joined them, and departed in the direction Akira last pointed for his son.
It took long seconds before Futaba was ready to move again, but as soon as her brain processed the past half hour, she was ready to hop on the transfer student as if he was a literal steed. "I feel like I just leveled up a hundred times! I just talked to two strangers! And that guy wasn't even so bad."
"Nice job, Futaba-chan!" Ann flashed a brilliant grin and offered a hand for a high-five.
Futaba wondered if her eyes sparkled as she clapped back with both of hers. For a beat, it felt more like Tokyo was a kiddie mat strewn with toys and she towered above it. Then her stomach growled and brought her back to the heat and pavement. "Uh, could we eat before the movie?"
Late Afternoon
Setagaya, Ryuji's Home
Futaba tapped a boot against the concrete landing, weathered by many years. Keys jingled as the runner worked at the lock for a couple seconds, then popped the door open. Makoto, having joined them at the theater and stayed when Ann went to work, was first to follow the runner in. At Akira's nudging, the hacker stepped in, with Akira closing the door behind.
A scant entryway with a closet to one side opened almost right away into what Futaba would have thought was a bomb zone. Movies, video games, manga, and numerous photos of a pudgy, dark-haired woman and a black-haired Ryuji occupied bookshelves on the left and right walls. Books rose up in stacks almost to her waist, creating towers to the clutter of binders, pamphlets, coupons, magazines, and newspapers. Three sitting cushions scattered in front of a respectable widescreen against one wall. Unlike a proper house with a division between living room, dining room, and kitchen, this one blended all three. Or more aptly repurposed one room smaller than Akira's loft for all three. A large rice cooker box served as a dining room table, based on the paper plates with dried egg and rice on them. Beyond, filing cabinets and a mini-fridge doubled as counter space holding up hot plates, plug-in kettles, and an air fryer.
"Yeah," Ryuji drawled, "Sorry 'bout the mess."
"No kidding!" Futaba blurted.
Makoto elbow-jabbed her, earning a glare. It was true, after all! Saying your house was messy was supposed to be a humble thing! At least she had the excuse of having crippling depression for a year. The class president rolled her eyes and looked over the shelves and pictures of a black-haired kid and woman. "I assume these are your mother?"
Ryuji shuffled on his feet and looked at the balcony doors instead of the photos and trophies. "Yeah. It's nothin' special."
"No, no," Makoto protested. "Mom died when I was very young, but I remember her teaching me the basics of how to cook and keep up the house." She reached out for a photo with the pudgy woman holding a stuffed tiger, post-dye Ryuji standing next to her and grinning ear to ear in front of an amusement park shooting gallery. Then she set it back on the shelf, her fingers lingering next to a photo of Ryuji in Shujin's track uniform. Humble plastic frames showed various parks, school fields, gyms, and school courtyard celebrations. Almost all the photos centered on a black-haired Ryuji. "It looks like you've always been very close to your mother. And clearly she took joy in your athletic wins as well. I wondered, especially lately, what Mother would have thought of the things I've done. If she'd be proud of practicing martial arts like Dad, or disappointed I didn't go out into the world and do more things like you did with your mom."
Ryuji waved down. "Eh, those ain't so much. For all those trophies I won, it's not like I can use 'em to try an' get into a better college or job to help Mom pay for the place. The counselor was pretty clear I'd be lucky to get into a trade place with assaulting a teacher in my high school record. No club wants me, an' without extra-curricular credits I ain't goin' nowhere with my grades."
A beat of melancholy nodding passed. Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Hifumi said things were a lot of the same with trying to get anywhere in the Pro Shogi Players' Association. Thanks to her mother's machinations, they all despise her as a fraud and are jealous of the fame from photo shoots she never even wanted to do."
Makoto crossed her arms in thought. Then dropped her arms. "Then we'll just have to change that. I'll have to look back at the paperwork to see what I can do about clubs, but we can start immediately to look at your study practices."
Ryuji looked more betrayed than excited. "Wha?"
Futaba could understand hating boring homework. "Um… maybe we can do that later? Akira said you have a gun collection?"
The runner's eyes almost bulged out of his head and his smile spread from ear to ear. "Oh, totally! I've been collectin' since after Ma packed and left the ol' man. I got a copy of General Erwin Rommel's P08 Luger. Or at least at the time I thought that's what his sidearm was." He dashed ahead to one of the side doors and the rest of the thieves followed him to what could have passed for a coffin hotel's bedspace but with a futon piled in the corner instead of a raised bed. Ryuji tugged off a cloth covering a pegboard on the wall just past the door. A variety of short and long guns filled out at least twenty of a well-arranged collection. "Of course, after I did some reading and found out that the Luger Model 8 was replaced by the Walther P38 in 1939, so I got that with the money Ma gave me for gettin' into Shujin…"
Friday, 26 August 2016
Evening
Shibuya, Untouchable
Akira folded up his two-person umbrella and shoved open the door as the team leader hunkered down in his leather satchel for shelter against the torrential rain. The downpour came down at just enough of an angle that despite his umbrella he was soaked from the knees down. Still, the team still had junk remaining from Kaneshiro's bank and more waited from Madarame's museum and Togo's temple. No reason to let it pile up too much.
He stamped his feet on the rubber grid-mat at the front to knock some of the water off, then paused to listen for possible other customers and heard nothing. He headed straight for the window in the grating between the customers and Iwai tapping at a laptop further back from the window.
The proprietor tapped a button, then closed his computer. "So, it's you again. No little sister?"
Rolling his eyes, Akira leaned his folded umbrella against the counter. "We're not joined at the hip. She likes taking things at her own pace."
Iwai tapped in a keystroke and closed his laptop. "Well, at least you come out of the crowd."
Akira set down his satchel so the team leader could hop out and scope out the shop. "Why, you got fans stalking you?"
Iwai moved his short stool to the window and settled down. "I wouldn't call 'em fans. Can't be one hundred percent who they're with, but at least one person's been tailing me since the weekend started." He rubbed his chin. "The timing couldn't be worse. I was hoping to wrap things up with Tsuda."
The transfer student pulled a cloth bag out of his satchel and set it in the grating window. "Is Kaoru okay?"
Iwai's lips pressed into a thin line. "I've never seen anyone tailin' him, it's me they're interested in. Can't say I'm too surprised. I sell realistic-looking gun models. Remember those cops bustin' in here with a warrant, claiming I had some serious charges? That happens a couple times a year. Or it's a person of interest for someone who does have serious charges. Pain in the ass every time." He shrugged. "Leads to a week at court and I couldn't afford that while payin' Kaneshiro's protection racket."
Nodding, Akira pulled a cloth bag out of his satchel with great care. "So that's why despite your models all being technically legal because they're not real guns, you wanted that one out of here."
"He's still suspicious," Morgana said from the forest-camo waterproof jackets.
Akira untied the cloth bag and pushed it through the window in the welded grating. "Good thing Kaneshiro's racket is gone."
Iwai pulled out gold pens, lacquerware padded by crumpled newspaper, and an ivory comb. "You come up with the weirdest stuff. Don't you know a museum director to take stuff like this to?"
"Fresh out of deputy curators," Akira said with a cheeky grin. When that just got a flat stare, the boy's grin faded. "I figured things wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows just because Kaneshiro's collectors are gone, but you're still struggling?"
Iwai paused photographing the laquerware. "I took up model customization and surplus crap because I was good at it, but it's never been the most profitable business. Remember what I said about trolls online spreadin' rumors about my work bein' knockoffs?"
Now a frown spread over Akira's face. "Yeah."
Iwai re-stacked laquerware bowls and cushioning newspaper, then began on a stack of plates. "He's still hard at work. I wanted to avoid using a computer because I was always afraid of gettin' in big trouble if it got hacked. Money was getting pretty tight a few years ago, and Kaoru convinced me to open up online custom orders. Saved my ass a couple times since then, but I'm down almost exclusively to foot traffic."
"And pretty much the only foot traffic you're getting is us," Joker summarized.
Iwai set aside a plate. "I have more customers than just you… but yeah, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep paying rent for the shop. After Kaoru graduates middle school, we may have to move somewhere rent is cheaper. 'Course, that'll mean I'm gonna have to start rebuilding my commercial rep and he'll have to start all over socially."
Akira pulled out his phone and opened the group chat as the proprietor photographed the rest of the trinkets. [Hey, Futaba-kun. There's a troll harassing Iwai and decimating his online business. Do you think you'd be able to take care of it?]
While waiting for her response, he haggled over the value of the junk before slipping away the yen notes.
It wasn't until he reached the door before the hacker responded. [I could look into Gun-san's troll. Which site is he on?]
Akira half-turned back to the proprietor. "Where's the troll bothering you?"
"Twitter, Facebook, Mixi, Instagram," Iwai said as he shifted back to his laptop. "Seems like every time it comes up in conversation, Kaoru's found it happening on another social media. I have no idea how he keeps things straight, much less notices stuff about me."
After sending an update, Futaba responded, [Those are all the biggest in Japan. I'd need a suspicious amount of information. Then I'd need at least a day to trace the trolls' home node. I kind of want to join you guys in Mementos tomorrow, so I don't want to start a project like that when I should be trying to go to sleep. It was super fun going to Nakano with you guys today, but I need to crash.]
[Fair enough,] Akira replied. And given that his solution was a hacker, he couldn't very well bring it up to the proprietor. The door opened, the downpour greeted him, and he clicked his umbrella open.
Saturday, 27 August 2016
Late Afternoon
Mementos Lobby
Hifumi held open the steel utility room door as the track star hauled himself up, the hacker over his shoulders. Both girls sweat after the heavy day with numerous Shadow ambushes, but the smaller girl dripped and her skin was still flush from over-exertion. Hifumi helped him lower the hacker to the ground as the rest of the Thieves trudged into the lobby.
Once Futaba was down, Ryuji passed her an energy drink and slouched against the wall as if today had not been a strenuous marathon. Hifumi was tempted to follow suit, but Mother beat into her that a lady must always be graceful and dignified. She took a sip of some canned tea Akira bought for her. The honey soothed a throat parched not just from hours of exertion but shouting down Shadows. Hifumi couldn't help it, she got swept up in the moment in the Metaverse. As unnerving as this place was, the theatrics were so freeing.
Morgana waited as Makoto fastened another of Takemi's medicated bandages on his arm, then flexed. They'd have to wait a while for those to take effect. In the mean time, he turned to Futaba-chan. "Shadows always react to the weather, it's a wide-scale impact on human cognition. Most days don't have this many ambushes. However, as fast as you've adapted to your Persona, I'm concerned about how fast you're tiring out.
The shogi player couldn't help but notice how unladylike Futaba's sitting position was with her legs sprawled out. "'Cause you guys are runnin' all over the place!"
Rolling his eyes, Ryuji finished smearing medicated ointment on his leg. "Dude, you were flyin' in your Persona the whole time."
"Please," Hifumi piped in to head off an argument among two of the most energetic of a very dynamic group. "Oracle-chan, how much physical exercise have you been getting? You remind me a little of myself when I tried out for Kosei's hurdle race team."
Ryuji un-rolled his pant leg down. "Whoa, you're a runner, too?"
Hifumi cringed. "I… tried to be. I didn't make the cut." She returned focus to the slight girl in a circuitry-patterned jumpsuit. "Were you on your middle school's hurdle relay, or some other team?"
"Ick, no. Bekku was vice captain of the girls' track club and she treated everyone like crap. I didn't have to join a sport club, so I didn't."
Yusuke nodded. "Understandable."
Ryuji looked like his eyes were attempting to merge with his skull mask. "Whaaat? You guys're missin' out. Track especially is where it's at!"
Having folded up his crossbow a while ago, Morgana scratched his chin. "Well there's one straightforward avenue of improvement. You need to exercise. Not only will it improve your general physical health, as you come to understand the strength of your own body your cognition will improve."
"They got treadmills in Protein Lovers' Gym," Ryuji suggested. "If you can't have a strong body, how you gonna have a strong mind?"
Futaba rolled her eyes. "Phooey."
"It would be good for you," Hifumi said. "We could start a routine together. Mother arranged a personal trainer for a while, but that just focused on strength and flexibility so I could hold a pose for the photo shoots she had planned. I could use some practice with cardio as well."
Futaba-chan finished off her water bottle, then turned to Akira with a wide smirk on her face. "I think someone else would be more interested in helping you with cardio."
Hifumi felt her face burn and she forgot to breathe for a beat as Akira sputtered, and his mask only seemed to highlight his blush. She wondered if her own face was as red. Futaba cackled with delight and Ryuji joined right in with his own chuckle. Makoto ignored the lot of them and checked the artist, who stood toe-to-toe with Shadow swordswomen in red several times.
Yusuke took on a subtle inquisitive expression. "Why? Has he attempted hurdle racing as well?"
Already sitting next to him, Ann leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
The painter said, "Ah."
Hifumi swallowed another gulp of tea and brushed at her face as if that could wipe away the heat suffusing her body from the thought of sex.
Ryuji gulped a mouthful of his own sport drink, his eyes on the hacker. "You 'member the sprints they made everyone do in middle school? Shujin ain't got a proper track, but I can send you the parks nearby I practiced at."
After he regained control of his breath, Akira took a drink from his thermos. "You guys remember the evasive tumble I showed you? That may be too advanced for Oracle, but the athlete who taught me might have good ideas for how to get Oracle up to speed."
The Phantom Thieves finished reviewing the half-dozen requests they'd tackled, some of the names discovered from other Shadows today, then wrapped up general plans. As they stretched and got up to go, Ann was the first to call "Me first!" on the first back-cracking from Akira. A beat passed before the runner waved goodbye and trotted off, then the artist took his turn with the future chiropractor. Makoto and Futaba both went before Hifumi felt the heat fade from her cheeks and mustered the courage to walk up to the boy she wanted to share much more than a night with. Just like the first time, she doffed her cape, turned her back to him and crossed her arms high against her chest.
Akira wrapped his arms around her, a brief moment of blissful warmth before he tightened and lifted, arching his back. Her own popped, and when he set her down she felt lighter on her feet but disappointed when he withdrew his arms.
When Hifumi turned, he was still flexing an arm through a wide circle. "You've done a lot for us, but what about you?" She swallowed, fighting to keep from mumbling or blushing. "You were on the vanguard all day, you can't pretend you're not as battered or strained as the rest of us. There's got to be something one of us can do."
She caught Ann pause on the stairs, glancing over her shoulder at them, before smiling and heading up.
Akira looked even more tense than when he trudged in from the ladder well. "I'm used to fighting." He wasn't lying, he was fierce as an oni but fluid as a raging river. There was something about him that clicked when the battle was on. Like his life in the streets of Tokyo was the mask he struggled to hold and battling Shadows was the reality he lived and breathed.
Hifumi reached to take his far shoulder and pull him a bit closer. What kind of life could make a person more comfortable in the middle of a fight than out of one? "You shouldn't have to be." An idea came to her and her other hand came to rest at the hollow of his neck and she pressed with her thumbs.
He shot away as if her touch burned.
Hifumi didn't bother to hide her frown. Again she thought of her conversation with Ann when she first voiced her suspicion that he had a broken bird fixation. Dihya rumbled within, but even before awakening to her Persona she had never been the type of person to resort to tears. Only the most despicable person used tears to compel other people. She thought things steadied between them when they rallied to fight in Mementos, but what if he was only able to set complications aside for a fight? Hifumi lowered her hands and took in a deep breath, even though she couldn't nail down her plan for the conversation. "Joker, don't you want there to be an us?"
"I…" He wouldn't meet her gaze. He won't even face her. "I just… I don't want to make Mother's mistakes."
She settled her hands on his shoulders to angle him at her, though he still avoided her eyes. This felt too much like one step forward, one hop back. "You can't reject everything about her."
He tensed under her hands, though his grey eyes bored into her with the intensity of a lightning storm. "I want to do all those things, but… I'm not ready to… How can I even be a good father if I don't know what that is?"
Hifumi boggled. "Joker, I'm not asking you to go that far." Yet. "Do you think I want to be a mother right now? I haven't even graduated high school. I'm definitely not ready for that yet. But that doesn't mean I have to be afraid of every step leading up to it, no matter how distant. I haven't even been to your place. And you haven't even stayed overnight at mine." She let a hand drift down his waistcoat, though the chance to feel his chest soured by the way his eyes dropped from hers.
His blush spread and he looked further away.
Despite herself, her hand still on his shoulder tightened. Her jaw set and she felt herself draw in breath and start with more force than her higher order thinking knew was wise, "I like kissing. I want to do it, a lot. I want to go on dates and feed each other strawberries and do everything with you. But if you don't even want to touch me…"
His hands clapped against her hips, hard, neither drawing her blissfully close, nor pushing her away. His face was deep red under his mask. "God… Hifumi, you don't know what I can do when I'm not in control. I've hurt people before. There's a reason I'm not bitter about being convicted of assault, I've done it. I don't know if I can stop before—"
"Do you trust me?"
He blinked, but the blazing intensity in his eyes faded as confusion wrinkled his forehead as his eyebrows rose behind his mask. "Hifumi, you're not the problem. I want to be with you, in every possible meaning of the phrase. But Mother used people like toys. I—"
She slid up her hand into his frizzy hair, enjoying what little she could from the soft feeling as his gaze dropped from hers. "I trust you. I believe in you. If you can't see what you're worth just by looking at yourself, look at the man I want to be with. Brave and funny and doing everything he does with his whole heart. In a sea of duplicitous, selfish people, you're there to offer a hand and more to anyone."
His mouth twisted as he refused to let himself smile, and at last he let go of her hips.
Her patience, strained from hours in Mementos, snapped. She spat out a short breath and he stepped away as if afraid she'd strike him. Her shoulder blades pinched together. "Is it so hard to ask for you to take some initiative? I don't want to be the girl pushing her boyfriend into everything!"
Akira's frown grew. "Well I don't want to push anything too far!"
"Too far?" Hifumi felt her chest rise as she pulled in a deep breath. "Is too far—?" She bit her tongue and stepped back before she could launch into a viperous, emotional tirade. It felt like vices squeezed on her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not up for something requiring mental acuity right now. I don't want to make a move I'll regret later. Getting Papa situated took a lot out of me." She turned and stepped out.
Akira's hand snagged her wrist. "Wait."
All it would take was one tug and she could be on her way, but she stopped. Despite hydrating after the fighting, her head still pounded and she wanted to sleep until tomorrow. "I'm tired, Akira-san."
He hesitated a long moment, then let go and stepped closer, his eyes on hers. "I'm sorry. Do… you want to come over tomorrow?"
The confident plop of leather boots descended the stairs, Makoto trotting into view a moment later. "Panther was…"
Dead silence suffused the lobby and the three Phantom Thieves looked at each other, tension thick in the air.
"Go ahead," Akira gestured his red-gloved hand at the president in black leather.
Makoto looked like the last time she realized Hifumi sprang a pincer attack and she took a step back, her heel hitting the step, and her hands rose. "Oh, I can come back if you two are having a disc—"
Narrow eyes flicking to the longcoated boy, Hifumi straightened her cloak on her shoulders. "No, Rider-san. We were done. Please go ahead."
Makoto swallowed. A beat later she lowered her hands. "A-all right. Panther asked about a shopping trip, but I couldn't remember when your shogi title match was. Shouldn't that be coming up?"
Hifumi cringed. "Oh, no. It's Wednesday and I haven't been practicing!" She could feel pulses of pain in time with her heartbeat wrapped around her head and she clutched the offending skull. "Urg. And I won't even have the chance on Tuesday, they're holding a hearing in court and I need to be there to testify on behalf of Mother."
Makoto gave a pitying smile. "I can always tell Ann to reschedule. You've been more than busy with everything going on with your mother. Akira has more experience than I do, but would you like me to join you for practice tomorrow?"
"Oh, I wouldn't want to take away plans you already—" Hifumi fretted. There was no way she didn't see the sparks flying when she trotted down the stairs and the last thing the shogi player wanted was to pressure a new friend—
"It's no trouble," Makoto said.
Akira stepped closer, raising his hand for a beat but drawing back before touching the shogi player. "We've practiced after Mass before. You want me to text you the directions?"
Makoto nodded.
Hifumi felt a warm thrum in her heart. It was such a breath of fresh air when Akira came to be with her, as welcome as his generous friends were it sometimes overwhelmed her. She bowed. "Thank you so much for your consideration." She looked up to the boy himself. "Can we finish things tomorrow?"
Disappointment writ across his face, but his shoulders drooped a bit less as if having an answer, any answer, gave him the strength to carry on. He gave a smile that felt more a show for Makoto than reassurance for her. "After Mass? Oh! I think there's a retired shogi federation member in the parish, maybe I can ask Father Sugiyama to hold him so you can practice?"
So willing to give, now there was the man she fell for. She nodded and they went their separate ways in peace before using the Nav to return to the real world.
AN: By some counts, Tokyo is the biggest city in the world by population at 39 million people in the urban area, with the second place Delhi coming in at 31 million.
In Royal, Futaba is the one who introduces Akira to Nakano. However, she's explicitly a shut-in afraid of going out. It felt jarring for her to be showing him around to new spots in Tokyo. However, some of the events there fit nicely into Daywatch with the theme of tying additional characters together.
Judge Dredd's makers described it as a satire of authoritarianism, critics and audiences had mixed reception. I don't have strong opinions on the film, but it's a good place to work in another reminder of Shido's political party so the stage is set a little better than the game which did very little to indicate the threat of his party.