Phantom Files Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs

by sithlorde1988

The sequel to Persona 5-The Phantom Files. A few years after Ren returns home, the Phantom Thieves find themselves drawn back into the Metaverse once again out of nowhere after a mysterious app surfaces with the powers to access the Metaverse. Can the Phantom Thieves stop a mysterious new group of individuals called Monarchs? Better summary in chapter 1! BOTH STORY AND EDITS DONE!

20. Beach Chapter! Kukojima Mystery part 2

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! This chapter is one I've been particularly excited to get to, since with any luck, this will be were the traditional 'Persona beach scene' that happens in most every Persona game (I haven't played Persona 1 or either of the Persona 2 games, so I don't know if it happens in those games or not. If you're reading this and you've played those games, feel free to let me know in the reviews or in a PM if there's a beach scene in those games or not) at least once. Also, it may or may not also be where at least one of the winners of the most recent poll will run into the group, along with some other stuff I have lined up for that section of the chapter. So there's all that to be excited for.

That said, let's get the disclaimer dealt with now, while I'm thinking of it.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Taichi, Momoe, the OC Persona Malefor, and any other OCs/OC Personas that pop up in the story, all of which are created by, and thus belong to, me unless otherwise noted), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo (at least insofar as most of the spinoff games, such as Strikers, Tactica, Phantom X, the 'Arena' games, the 'Dancing' games, and the 'Q' games are concerned), so all credit goes to them, mostly to Sega and Atlus!

And now that the disclaimer is done, I think let's get on with the chapter, yeah? Here's chapter 20!

Chapter 20- Hunting the Lab! Reunions, Beach Parties, and More! Mystery of Kukojima part 2

(At the front door of an apartment building a short drive from the port of Kukojima, with Kusa, Goro, Futaba, and Morgana)

"It's been a while since we came this way, hasn't it Kusa?" Goro said to Kusa, who nodded his agreement while knocking on the front door of the apartment that he and Ren had previously shared with Taichi and Momoe, aka Ren's dad and Ren and Kusa's mother. A short time later, a familiar female voice answered the door.

"Yes? Who is it?" Kusa heard from behind the door, making him smile slightly as he spoke up.

"It's Kusa, mother. And I brought some friends." Kusa said to the voice on the other side of the door, which he knew to be the voice of his mother, Momoe. Even if he couldn't see it, he could imagine the wide-eyed look of surprise on his mother's face as she hurried to open the door.

"Kusa!? I wasn't expecting you. Come in, come in." Momoe said as the door opened, allowing Kusa, Futaba, and Goro to step inside, Morgana cutely dozing in Futaba's arms as she absently gave him head pats. After the group came inside and got situated in the living room, Momoe disappeared into the back to get Taichi. A short time later, both Momoe and Taichi were seated as Taichi spoke up.

"Heh, wasn't expecting to see the two of you, especially with Kusa's girlfriend in tow. All that we're missing is Ren and his girlfriend, and a girlfriend for Goro here, and it'd be a legit family reunion of sorts." Taichi said as Goro chuckled and spoke up.

"Funny you should say that, Taichi-san. I actually do have a girlfriend, but she's back at the port with Ren and the others since there wasn't enough room in the Ferrari for her, since it only seats at most five. And we wanted to leave some extra room in the back, to be on the safe side." Goro said with a smirk as Kusa spoke up.

"Ren wanted to come too, but he had to stay back at the nearby port with the rest of our group, since as Goro just stated, the car only seats at most four to five of us. We came as a group to do some investigating on a possible off-the-record lab that exists somewhere in Kukojima. Any chance either of you two know anything about that, Mom and Dad?" Kusa asked, ignoring the slightly confused look on Futaba's face at his addressing Taichi and Momoe as 'Dad' and 'Mom' respectively to focus on the reactions of the two he'd spoken to. After a bit, Momoe spoke up.

"Oh, you brought your whole group here? That's surprising. Maybe if your car will fit us, we'll follow you guys back to the beach and surprise Ren and Sumire, since we've not seen either of them in a while." Momoe said as Taichi spoke up.

"You said something about a research lab, Kusa? I was laid off from one of those about eight to ten years ago. Something to do with the place shutting down after the sudden disappearance of one of the directors after an experiment gone awry? I forget the details. But if it is that lab, you'll need a lot of luck to get inside, since I recall that the locals in that part of Kukojima have gotten unusually protective of the area in the past couple years. They almost act as if they had their personalities re-written out of nowhere, odd as that might sound." Taichi said, not seeing or ignoring the significant glance that Kusa and Goro exchanged at this information, both guessing this could be a potential change of heart. Futaba blinked and spoke up.

"Err, correct me if I'm wrong, Taichi-san, but couldn't that be taken for one of those changes of heart that were on the news recently?" Futaba asked as Momoe slowly nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"Good point, Futaba-chan. I do recall there being a lot of talk about that on the news, along with some up-and-coming band of masked heroes trying to make the world a better place. What were they called again, Taichi? The Testaments or something like that?" Momoe asked as a shocked Goro spoke up.

"Testaments? Never heard of them. I wonder if you might mean the Phantom Thieves? I know they've made the news a lot in the past few years, especially after the short-lived rumors of their leader's suicide, even though those rumors were later debunked by the leader in question." Goro said, not seeing both Futaba and Kusa wince at his reference to the remaining Phantom Thieves' plan to fool Goro, who had betrayed the group at the time to try and defeat Ren, by using a cognitive doppelganger of Ren to stage his demise in an attempt to fool both Goro and his then-employer, one Masayoshi Shido, into believing that Ren had died by Goro's hand.

Of course, Goro would go on to learn the truth a few weeks later while confronting the Phantom Thieves near the end of Shido's Palace. The ensuing confrontation would eventually end with two consecutive defeats of Goro by the Phantom Thieves, the latter being a particularly brutal one after Goro had, in a fit of anger and lashing out, blasted Kusa backwards into the room behind Goro after having his 'Loki' Persona shatter the staff Kusa had been wielding at the time.

The backlash of this decision would end up causing Goro to unintentionally trap Kusa behind the wall with him when he ended up throwing up a partition wall to separate himself, and an unconscious Kusa, from the rest of the group to protect them from a distorted cognitive clone of Goro that Masayoshi Shido had sent to put an end to Goro after his defeat at the hands of the Phantom Thieves.

However, what instead happened was the clone being destroyed by the unlikely last-second intervention of a slightly battered, but very much conscious, Kusa. Kusa then helped Goro escape from Shido's Palace, after which the two fought out their differences in a seemingly-abandoned part of the Metaverse, where Kusa notched a hard-fought but narrow victory over Goro.

After the ensuing conversation with Goro, Kusa and Goro both fell into a trap laid by the Shadows currently occupying the abandoned part of the Metaverse in question, ending in Goro only managing to escape after Kusa selflessly gave himself up to buy Goro time to escape and rally the others. This decision would ultimately go on to be a key factor in helping the other Phantom Thieves to break free of their actualized realities that one Takuto Maruki had given them during his short-lived stint as a Palace Ruler near the end of the Phantom Thieves' first run. In the end, however, Maruki's scheme to give the ideal masses their actualized realities was foiled by the collective efforts of the Phantom Thieves.

Back in the present, Momoe and Taichi exchanged a look before nodding as Taichi looked Kusa in the eyes and spoke up.

"Be honest with us, Kusa. Did those rumors of the demise of the Phantom Thieves' leader have anything to do with that sudden call you made to us a few years back about not believing what we saw on TV shortly before the reports of Ren's apparent death started airing? Because the timing on that lines up suspiciously well with what we know of the Phantom Thieves' reported activities about three to four years ago." Taichi said as Kusa's eyes widened at the question before he spoke up.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Dad." Kusa said, trying to play it off and gauge how much he might have to tell Momoe and Taichi. Momoe saw the look on Kusa's face and smirked as she spoke up.

"Ah-ah. Nice try, son. But I've used that same tactic myself many times long before you were born, so you can't pull one over on me. But I like that you tried." Momoe said as Kusa winced and spoke up with a reluctant sigh.

"Fine, you got me. That was connected to it, yes. I don't know if you noticed the reveals on the news that day, but they actually reported the identity of the Phantom Thieves' leader, or one of them at least. Any chance you two didn't see that report?" Kusa said as Taichi smirked and spoke up, his eyes widening as he spoke once Kusa's previous words had fully registered to him.

"No such luck, I'm afraid. We saw that report. But thank you for confirming that they were being truthful in reporting Ren as the leader of-wait, hold on. ONE OF THEM!? There's more than one leader?" Taichi said, making Kusa groan at his own slip of the tongue and speak up with a sheepish look on his face.

"Yeah, you heard me right. Along with Ren, there was one other leader for the Phantom Thieves, who eventually settled into a sort of 'second-in-command' type role. And, to be honest? You're looking at him." Kusa said, and at that moment it was hard to tell if Goro, Momoe, or Taichi had the widest set of eyes. Futaba, for her part, just smiled shyly at the reactions of the Amamiya parents to Kusa's reveal. Momoe frowned and spoke up.

"You're a Phantom Thief too!? Let me guess, are both Futaba and Goro part of the group too?" Momoe asked as Goro spoke up with a laugh.

"You are correct, Momoe-san. However, let's just say that my history with the Phantom Thieves, and especially Ren in particular, didn't exactly start off on a bright note, as I'm sure you and Taichi both remember." Goro said as both Taichi and Momoe nodded, recalling what Goro had said about his rather contentious induction to the ranks of the Phantom Thieves. After a bit, Futaba spoke up with a slow nod.

"That's true. But it's not just Goro and I who are part of the Phantom Thieves in this room. Believe it or not? This little guy's part of the team too." Futaba said, gently holding up a confused Morgana for Momoe and Taichi to see as she spoke to indicate who she meant with the 'this little guy' part of her previous remark. Taichi smiled and spoke up at that point while gently patting Morgana on the head.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that Kusa's 'Sensei', as he often calls Morgana, is also one of the Phantom Thieves. I think we can leave it at that for now, though. Shall we head down to the port and surprise your friends?" Taichi suggested as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Sure. Fair warning, though? Since the car I'm driving used to belong to Sojiro, there's a strict rule in place that only women get to ride up front. And with all apologies to Taba, I think I want to let Mom ride up shotgun this time around so she has a chance to see the car in action." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"I understand. I'm sure Morgana and I can squeeze into the backseat with Goro and Taichi no problem." Futaba said as Taichi and Goro shrugged, not able to argue the point. The group then gathered into the car to start the trip to the port to catch up to Ren and the others...

(Meanwhile, at the port, with Ren)

After stretching out a bit, Ren decided to start gathering intel on the lab. While walking around, Ren decided to browse the shops for new items, eventually buying a little of everything on offer. After a bit, Ren found a 'Goat Soup' recipe and purchased it on a whim. Once he bought the recipe, Ren noted that a distinct smell was wafting out from the entrance of the shop, making Ren shrug as he decided to try out eating whatever it might be. After a moment, Haru walked over and spoke up with a smile.

"Hey there, little bro. Ooh, is that goat soup I smell? Say, would you mind if I joined you? I've been curious about this goat soup since Mako-chan and I passed this shop earlier, you see. I've read that it's very nutritious and energizing, despite its unusual flavor. As such, I've been meaning to try it for a while now." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Knock yourself out, big sis. Nothing beats trying new stuff out with friends." Ren stated wisely as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, good point, little bro. But wow, this really does smell, how to put it? Let's go with interesting. Looks like I may have to brace myself." Haru said before speaking up with a resolved look on her face.

"All right! Haru Okumura, you can do this!" Haru said in an attempt to steel herself, before she and Ren decided to attempt eating it. Needless to say, it was not a good experience, given that Ren and Haru elected not to talk about the taste afterwards. Despite that, Ren felt a flash of inspiration as he received a 'Goat Soup Recipe' key item. After making the rounds of the shops and procuring all the items on offer, Ren spotted some locals and talked to the closest one, a cheerful-looking man.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you know anything about any research labs around here? My friends and I came here on a trip from Sapporo, you see. And we wanted to see all the sights that were worth investigating while we're here." Ren said as the cheerful man smiled and spoke up.

"Is that right? Wow, you came from Sapporo? That's crazy. I'm surprised you made it all this way. There's honestly nothing that exciting here, but I hope you enjoy your stay. Huh? A research lab, you say? I don't know anything about that. Oh, I know! How about you visit the beach instead? Yeah, why don't you go do that?" The cheerful man said as Ren spoke up.

"A beach, you say? We might check that out. Thanks for the suggestion, and for your time." Ren said before moving across the way to speak to the other local he'd seen, a man playing a guitar-like instrument his dad had once identified for Ren as a sanshin. Ren spoke up after getting the sanshin player's attention.

"Sorry to interrupt your practice, sir. That said, I was wondering if you knew anything about a research lab around here anywhere? My friends and I are here on a trip, and we were hoping to see all the sights around while we're here." Ren said as the sanshin player blinked at the question before he spoke up.

"Research lab? Oh, that place up over yonder a ways? Yeah, I have no idea. I actually quit my job and just moved here not too long ago, so I still have much to learn about this island. Supposedly, most of the deep knowledge is contained to the people who've lived in the area the longest.

From what I heard from some of the locals around here, there was a couple that used to live in a vacation home in the next town over before the husband got laid off from one of the labs out there without warning a few years ago. Something to do with budget cuts and having to lay off staff to afford everyone's salary? I don't know much more than that, I'm afraid. Oh, I know. You want to hear a little tune?" The sanshin player asked as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"N-No, that's okay, sir. And I think I know the couple you're referring to, since I'm pretty sure the guy you mentioned getting laid off is my dad. Thank you for your time." Ren said as he kept moving at that point. Eventually, Ren found what he figured to be a local standing around near a fountain, idly noting that he recognized Yusuke and Sumire behind the local in question checking out the nearby fountain. Ren then spoke up to get the soul-searching woman's attention.

"Excuse me, do you know anything about a research lab around here? My friends and I are here on a trip and were trying to figure out the best sightseeing spots to check out." Ren said as the soul-searching woman spoke up.

"Hm? You're looking for a research lab? Sorry, I'm just a tourist, same as you and your friends. Why not ask EMMA? You have a phone, right?" The soul-searching woman asked Ren, who blinked at that but shrugged as he kept moving, deciding to go check in with Sumire and Yusuke as they were nearby. Ren walked over to Yusuke and spoke up.

"How goes the investigation on your end, bro?" Ren asked Yusuke, who spoke up with a smile.

"Not that great. But this view is beautiful! The endless skies and ocean, the pleasant crashing of the waves, even the scent of fresh fruit wafting along the wind to entice one's nose. This is no mere tourist attraction. This is truly a natural paradise. And LOOK at this Shiisaa! The grandeur of its profile! The dynamism of its lines!" Yusuke said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"I see. You're really in the zone right now, aren't you Yusuke?" Ren said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. That said, it's hard to imagine something untoward could be taking place on such a magnificent isle." Yusuke said as Ren winced and slowly nodded before turning to Sumire as he spoke up.

"Hey there, beautiful. Sorry you got saddled with Yusuke this time around. I hope he's not been too much of a handful for you?" Ren asked as Sumire blinked and turned to face Ren as she spoke up.

"Huh? Oh, no, he's been well-behaved for the most part. Sorry, was distracted by looking at these Shiisaa statues! I've seen photos of them online with Kasumi when I was younger, but those pale in comparison to seeing one in person! As you can probably guess, this is my first time seeing a Shiisaa statue in real life. It's a bit unfortunate that this is one first Kasumi didn't get to share with me, but it is what it is there." Sumire said with a sad sort of sigh, making Ren smile as he reached forward to take her hand in his own and give it a gentle but reassuring squeeze of encouragement while gently hugging her as he spoke up.

"It's okay, beautiful. I know you miss your sister, but if you think about it? I feel like she's with you both in spirit, and in here." Ren said, gently poking a finger towards the spot on Sumire's chest where her heart would be, making Sumire both blush at her close proximity to Ren and smile at his kind words as she spoke up.

"Y-Yes, you're right, Ren. Thank you for cheering me up, Senpai. Oh, wow! Look how detailed these statues are from close up! And they all even have different expressions!" Sumire said with a smile as Ren nodded, letting himself look into his girlfriend's eyes for a moment. Needless to say, both jumped rather visibly in surprise when a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone not only broke the moment, but preceded Sophia speaking up.

"I've been doing research on the Shiisaa since we got here. Apparently these are divine guardians, said to stave off disasters. Apparently, the one on the right is male, while the left one is female." Sophia said as Sumire smiled proudly at Sophia and spoke up.

"Very good, Sophia. You've been doing your research for sure. I'm proud of you. Also, I didn't realize these statues were a couple. Thank you for your protection, Mister and Missus Shiisaa-san." Sumire said kindly as Sophia beamed a bit despite herself from inside of Sumire's phone before Ren spoke up.

"True. I wonder if maybe somehow one or both of them conceal some sort of secret that could help us find that lab?" Ren mused as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, that's funny. Imagine if that was true, Senpai. If I slide, let's say, this one here over, a winding stairwell leading to the lab will be revealed to us! It could happen. But to be honest? I'd say it's unlikely to happen, if only because that'd be way too cliche and predictable." Sumire said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True. I guess I'll keep looking around then. If you want, you're welcome to tag along?" Ren said as Sumire thought about it and spoke up.

"I think I'll stay here a bit longer and check out these statues, but I can swap phones with you if you want to take Sophia with you for a bit." Sumire said as Ren shrugged and nodded, swapping phones with Sumire as he kept moving. After a moment, Ren found Ann standing alone, seemingly gazing out at the ocean. Ren smirked at Ann and spoke up.

"Heh, what's this? Taking in the view, sis?" Ren asked Ann, who turned around and gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Oh hey, bro. Sorry about that. You caught me admiring the view. Truthfully, I can't help but stare at that ocean. You know, getting to take it easy in a place like this would be nice, don't you think? Hmm, I wonder what Shiho's doing today? Probably having a party for her birthday or-OH, CRAP! I forgot to get Shiho something for her birthday!" Ann said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Calm down, Ann. I'm sure we can find a souvenir here you can give her. Worst case, maybe we'll run into her while we're here and you can surprise her with yourself in lieu of a present. I'm sure she'd be okay with getting time with you as a birthday present, since you're her girlfriend and all." Ren said, lowering his voice on the last few words so only he and Ann could hear. Ann smiled at this and spoke up.

"Good point. You know, I heard there's even a great public beach nearby. I hope we have time to check it out! Particularly since if I know Shiho, that'd be the likeliest place for us to run into her, since I recall she's kind of a low-key beach fanatic. Granted, she does her volleyball a lot, so she doesn't have the most time to dedicate to her tanning, but she has at least something of a tan. No comment on if she has tan lines or not, though. Hee hee." Ann said as Ren slowly nodded and kept moving. After a bit, Ren found Haru and Makoto near the first couple of shops he'd checked out, making him idly wonder how he hadn't noticed them previously. He then approached Haru first and spoke up.

"Checking out the shops with Makoto, eh big sis?" Ren said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"That's right. We figured it was as good a place as any to start tracking leads, after all. Anyways, I came across a group of outgoing locals, so I asked them a few questions to try and get some info. They didn't say much, but once I told them I was from Tokyo, they gave me all this produce!" Haru said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which was currently in Ren's jeans pocket, preceded Sophia speaking up after Ren fished Sumire's phone out of his pocket.

"Ah, I've seen photos of those online. Those are called bitter melons, or 'goya' in Okinawan." Sophia said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Very good, Sophia. Kusa and I used to eat goya a lot when we were younger. For all that he might not look it, despite not liking seafood, Kusa has a slightly higher appreciation for fruits and veggies than most others his age. Even Sumire once mentioned how shocked she was by how healthy Kusa often keeps his diet." Ren said as Haru spoke up with a smile.

"Hee hee, that sounds like Kusa-kun, all right. And Sophia? That's right! The locals told me they were picked just this morning. Look how bright they are! I bet they're delicious. Perhaps we could try cooking something with these? I'd love to watch you work your magic, Ren-kun." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Maybe. We'll see what happens and if there's time for it, big sis." Ren said as Haru spoke up.

"Fair enough, little bro. Oh, hey! Everyone here's so friendly and cheerful. You really don't come across too many people like that in the city. But oddly enough, nobody's admitted to knowing anything about a lab on the island. Could they be less outgoing than they seem, Ren-kun?" Haru asked as Ren shrugged and turned to Makoto and spoke up.

"How's your progress on the info hunt, big sis? You get any good leads?" Ren asked as Makoto spoke up, not registering Ren's question at first.

"Hmm. Chinsuko, umibudo, irabu, and so on. What should I get as a souvenir? Hm? Oh, hi Ren! I'm sorry for being distracted right then, little bro. I should get back on track. Anyways, I tried questioning the shopkeepers, but they were all very evasive. This island isn't too large, though, thankfully. As such, we should be able to divide up and perform a thorough search, especially with how many of us there are at this point." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True. And some of us had to go elsewhere for their intel hunting. Imagine if Kusa and Goro manage to bring back reinforcements when they get back with Morgana and Futaba." Ren joked as Makoto blinked and spoke up.

"Careful, Ren. You saw what happened the last time you cracked that joke about Kusa bringing reinforcements, and that ended up turning into Goro and Sojiro joining us. But that said, there's this strange feeling I keep getting as I ask around, almost like they're hiding something." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Good point, big sis. Speaking of which, I wonder where Sojiro got off to? I've found everyone else so far except for Sojiro and Ryuji." Ren said as Makoto shrugged and Ren kept moving. Eventually, Ren found Ryuji standing near a corner, with Sojiro in tow. Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Ah, so you decided to tag along with Sojiro this time, eh Ryuji? Interesting choice. That said, what's bonkin, bro?" Ren asked Ryuji, who frowned and spoke up.

"Eh, it just happened to pan out that way. Anyways, man! I can't find even one Okinawa-style soba shop around here." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"That is a bummer, but we can hunt for one together later. Let's stay focused on the task at hand, yeah?" Ren said as a wide-eyed Ryuji spoke up.

"Good call! And uhhh, yeah, I was! I was totally gonna question some soba shop staff! Y'know, a nice bowl o' soba sounds pretty good to ya now, doesn't it? How about we grab some once we wrap up this investigation stuff." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"We'll see what happens, and if there's time. Actually, now that I think about it, Dad makes a pretty mean soba bowl. Maybe if we happen to run into him while we're here, I can see about him hooking you up with a bowl or two to try out. How's that, Ryuji?" Ren suggested as Ryuji grinned and high-fived Ren as he spoke up.

"Nice! Leave it to you to have our backs, RenRen! Hey, uh, where'd Zenkichi go? Last I saw him, he was wanderin' around out back, not long before I saw Kusa and Goro walk out of the RV, both wearing very perplexed expressions on their faces. Of course, that was right before they loaded Futaba and Morgana into the Ferrari and drove off to go do some info huntin'." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"More likely they drove off to go see if they could get any info out of me and Kusa's mom and my dad. I'm sure they'll catch up soon enough, though." Ren said as he turned to Sojiro and spoke up.

"Sorry you got stuck with Ryuji this time, Sojiro. I imagine you drew the short straw?" Ren joked as Sojiro spoke up.

"Not necessarily. I was wandering around this way to see if I could find any locals to question, and then I happened upon Ryuji and we ended up hunting for soba shops together. Truth be told, it's been a hot minute since I've had a good soba bowl. Maybe I should figure out a way to create a Leblanc-style soba bowl? Could be an interesting idea, don't you think?" Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Definitely. Though, would it be an easy dish to learn? I recall you once told Kusa and I if we added stuff to the menu, it had to be stuff we could make, since we're supposed to be able to pull our weight around the shop." Ren said sagely as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Good memory, Ren. And maybe? I'd have to look at a recipe and see what I can find." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I guess I should go look around and see if there's any other people I missed talking to." Ren said as he kept moving. As he kept looking around, he nearly jumped when his phone went off, and to his surprise, it was a private chat from Zenkichi. Ren opened it up to view it, curious why Zenkichi would be private chatting him in particular.

"Hey. I might have some intel for you. Come meet me behind the souvenir shop." Zenkichi sent as Ren closed the chat in time to hear Sojiro speak up, having heard Ren's phone go off and happening to see the private chat over Ren's shoulder.

"Sorry about nosing in on your private chat like that, but I heard it go off and was curious. That said, it looks like Zenkichi found something, Ren. Maybe you should go check it out and see what he's found?" Sojiro suggested as Ren nodded and decided to find out what sort of intel Zenkichi had gotten his hands on. After walking up around the corner past where he found Sojiro and Ryuji, Ren found Zenkichi by himself looking at a path that seemed to lead up to a giant walled building. Ren spoke up.

"What's up, Zenkichi? Just got your private chat." Ren said as Zenkichi turned and smirked at Ren as he spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, hey Amamiya the middle. Good timing. I overheard from some deliveryman that there's a really big building just this way." Zenkichi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Wow, look at that path. It looks like it goes on for a bit." Ren said as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up with a grin.

"True. My instincts tell me that this is most likely it, and we've found our lab. Sooo, are we ready to gather the others?" Zenkichi asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which Ren had in his jeans pocket still, preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Yes, I agree with Zenkichi's question? What's the plan? What would you like to do, Ren? If we're going to investigate, I can summon everyone that's in the nearby area for you." Sophia said as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"That could work, but there's still the detail that Kusa and the others aren't quite back yet. Pretty sure we want to wait for them to return before gathering everyone." Ren said as Zenkichi smirked and spoke up.

"You mean your brothers, plus Morgana and Sakura the younger? Pretty sure I saw the Ferrari pulling up next to the RV shortly before I headed up this way to investigate, though I didn't stop to confirm if it was the same Ferrari that Amamiya the youngest and Amamiya the eldest were driving. But given there's not that many cars of that type on this island that I've noticed, it's a safe bet it's probably them." Zenkichi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Oh? In that case, please go ahead and gather everyone, Sophia." Ren said as Sophia nodded and spoke up from Ren's phone.

"Okay! I got it! I'll contact everyone." Sophia said as the words 'INVESTIGATION COMPLETE!' popped up on screen at that moment before Sophia started gathering everyone...

(A short time later, near the entrance to the path Ren and Zenkichi had been talking by, with Ren, Morgana, Zenkichi, Yusuke, Ryuji, Kusa, Futaba, Ann, Goro, Haru, Sojiro, Makoto, Sumire, and Sophia)

"Is this the path to the research facility?" Yusuke asked as the group gathered together to explore the area Zenkichi had found. Makoto slowly nodded and spoke up.

"I believe so, yes. But I didn't think the building would be so massively tall." Makoto said, seemingly in slight awe at the size of the building that lay ahead of the group. At first glance, the oncoming building appeared to be at least two stories tall. After looking at it some more, Zenkichi blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Is this a sacred festoon?" Zenkichi asked in confusion. Ryuji spoke up with a frown before either Kusa or Ren could voice their confusion, not having heard the term 'festoon' before.

"Don'tcha only see that stuff at shrines an' shit? What's it don' here?" Ryuji asked as Futaba spoke up with an amused smirk.

"Ooh, ooh! I got it! They sealed a legendary yokai in there! Aah." Futaba said as Ann spoke up skeptically.

"I dunno about that, Futaba. This is a lab, though. Wouldn't we find zombies or things like that, instead?" Ann said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, sis." Ren said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"True, but how often do you see zombies in a lab when it's on an island like this?" Kusa asked warily as Goro spoke up with a nod.

"That's true. Also, let's not forget this supposed secret research lab is under Madicce's banner, so I doubt they'd be openly affiliated with such things as zombies and/or yokai." Goro pointed out wisely. Makoto spoke up with a bit of a horrified look on her face, not seeing the sympathetic looks thrown her way by Haru, Sojiro, and Sumire as she spoke.

"D-Don't be ridiculous! Uh, Ann? Futaba? You were kidding, right?" Makoto asked as Kusa spoke up.

"I think Ann was probably just asking. As for Taba? Hard to say if she was kidding or not." Kusa said as Makoto gave Kusa a wide-eyed look of surprise, but Zenkichi cut in before Makoto could reply to him.

"Enough nonsense. This lab's in the real world. Let's get going." Zenkichi said as Ann turned towards Sumire, who Ren had given back her phone, and spoke up so Sophia could hear.

"Hey, Sophia? Just to be sure, there's no Jail here, right?" Ann asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"There is no Jail on this island, uhh, I think." Sophia said as a surprised Ryuji spoke up.

"You think? I thought you smelled 'em, or whatever." Ryuji said as Zenkichi nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, Sakamoto's right. You'd mentioned before that you find the Jails based on their scent." Zenkichi said as Sophia spoke up with an unreadable look on her face.

"I am currently detecting zero scents. Unlike Sendai and Sapporo, I cannot sense a Jail here. However, that being said, there is indeed something odd about this place. I'm getting, how do I put this? I guess I'll go with 'a bad feeling' for now." Sophia said as Yusuke spoke up with a frown.

"A bad feeling, hm?" Yusuke said as Sojiro spoke up.

"I don't know a whole lot about all this AI stuff, but Sophia's been pretty on the money with her guesswork and instincts so far, not unlike how often Kusa's instincts and guesses are spot-on. So I believe in her instincts.." Sojiro said kindly as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"I agree with Sojiro. If Sophia senses something here and has a bad feeling, then we stay on our guard and see if whatever it is makes itself known, at which point we can do our best to deal with it." Sumire said as Sophia gave both Sumire and Sojiro a grateful look while speaking up.

"Really!? Thank you both so much!" Sophia said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Hmm, maybe you're picking up somebody with a grudge!" Futaba said as she gave her voice an exaggerated accent while she kept speaking.

"Y'know? Someone who's all like, 'I'm coming for youuu, Sophia!' Or something like that." Futaba said as Sophia's eyes widened in horror at Futaba's remark as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Taba? I love you and all, but do not scare Sophia like that! And if anyone's picked up someone with a grudge against them here, it's probably Goro. After all, with all apologies to him, he has a lot of people who want him dead." Kusa pointed out as Goro winced and spoke up.

"Yes, well, let's not go there, yeah? Not sure I want to think about that just now." Goro said gently but firmly. Before anyone could say anything further, Makoto gave off an involuntary shriek in reaction to Futaba's attempt at a spooky voice and spoke up.

"Eek! C-Cut it out! That's not funny, Futaba!" Makoto said, almost jumping when she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her, only to relax when she turned and saw Ryuji gently hugging her to him in attempt to comfort her and giving him a grateful smile as she laid her head on his shoulder while Morgana spoke up from Ren's bag with a smile on his face.

"Whatever's up there, we need to check it out." Morgana said as the others nodded and headed up to the hill, where they reached the building they'd seen before. On closer inspection, Ren and Kusa realized it was the front entrance to a facility. Zenkichi noticed a sign taped to one of the windows and spoke up.

"Hm? This says 'We are closed until August 18th due to prior engagements'? Welp, sure didn't see that one coming." Zenkichi said as Kusa and Goro exchanged a look, both wondering if this was what Taichi had been referring to when he said that the locals had been acting differently in the past couple years or so. Before they could voice their thoughts, Ren spoke up.

"Well, if they're closed, I guess that means we're done here?" Ren said, feeling like there wasn't much else the group could legitimately do for the situation at that point. Kusa spoke up.

"True. If they're closed, there's not much we can legally do about it." Kusa pointed out as Morgana spoke up from Ren's bag.

"That is true, Kusa. But consider this. Leaving empty-handed's no good at this point. You know, we could always just sneak in and take a look around." Morgana said as Zenkichi spoke up with a frown.

"Hey, hey, hey! Nothing that lands you in jail! Criminal trespassing'll cop you a felony. Plus, any evidence gained through a criminal act is impermissible in court. That'd make this whole trip pointless." Zenkichi said as Ryuji spoke up with a frown.

"I mean, we know, but who says they have to know we got the evidence illegally?" Ryuji said as Zenkichi frowned and spoke up.

"Trust me, Sakamoto. They'll know. Now, the sign here says the 18th, so we'll just wait till tomorrow. Easier, AND less illegal." Zenkichi said rebukingly before he smiled and kept speaking.

"Besides, once the staff is back, I can start flashing my badge and start asking questions. This place is all kinds of shady, so I'm sure I'll turn up plenty of dirt with enough pokin' around. Once I've got some evidence, I can announce the start of an official investigation, and at that point we confiscate whatever we need." Zenkichi said as both Kusa and Yusuke gave him impressed looks, the latter speaking up.

"I see. That's quite the tactical approach." Yusuke said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"True. Not to mention, it's a better plan than anything I'd have come up with, especially with as little as we have to go on. So I have to give credit where it's due. Good thinking, Zenkichi." Kusa said honestly. Futaba smirked from next to Kusa and spoke up.

"Whoa, check out the skills of Zenkichi Hasegawa: Private Eye!" Futaba said as Goro frowned and spoke up.

"First of all, who even says 'Private Eye' anymore? That said, isn't that a bit rude to lump Zenkichi in with someone as petty as a private eye, when he's a full-fledged inspector?" Goro pointed out dryly as Sojiro spoke up.

"Not to mention, Public Security is a hell of a lot more impressive job to hold than merely being some sort of 'Private Eye'." Sojiro pointed out sagely as Zenkichi nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, Sakura the elder is right. I'm in 'PUBLIC' Security, not some run-of-the-mill private eye!" Zenkichi said as Futaba merely nodded and apologized to Zenkichi, who nodded his forgiveness as Makoto spoke up.

"Well, if we're waiting until tomorrow, that gives us quite some time." Makoto said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up, his next words drawing smiles on the faces of Ann, Sumire, Futaba, and even both Ren and Kusa.

"Wait, do you mean what I think you mean, babe? Do we get to party all day on the beach!?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"As tempting as that is, did most of us even bring our swimsuits/swim wear? I feel like at least some of us didn't pack swim trunks and/or a bikini." Kusa said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"No worries. I saw a shop at the port that sells swim gear to tourists. If all else fails, we can most likely buy new swimwear there." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up, agreeing with Sumire's point as he spoke.

"As much as the idea of you in a new bikini is appealing to me, can you, Kusa, and Ryuji all focus for now please, Sumire?" Ren said, getting an approving nod from Makoto as she spoke up.

"He's right. We are on a case, you know." Makoto said, but was shocked by the next words out of Zenkichi's mouth as he spoke up.

"Actually, that's not the worst idea. Getting too nosy right away could get people suspicious, and we can't have that. We'd be better off trying to lay low around the tourists for now." Zenkichi said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"So, that means-!" Haru said as Ryuji grinned and finished her thought.

"We get to party!?" Ryuji said as Ann pumped a fist and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"On the beach!?" Ann asked as Morgana spoke up with a closed-eye smile, not seeing the unimpressed frowns both Kusa and Sumire aimed at him for what he said next.

"Pristine sands? Lady Ann!?" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"First of all, dial back that thirst, Morgana. And secondly, I do believe that's what Zenkichi meant. But again, how many of us even brought our swim wear on this trip?" Kusa asked as Goro spoke up.

"I'd be shocked if all the girls didn't pack their bikinis. As for the rest of us, I could see Yusuke not having swim wear. And odds are Sojiro, Ren, and Ryuji didn't bring swimwear, much like you and I didn't." Goro said as Kusa spoke up.

"True. However, I seem to recall packing your swim trunks for you when we grabbed some of your gear from the cabin before we headed to Sendai to meet up with the others. As far as Ren, Ryuji, and Yusuke go? I think at least Ryuji brought swimwear. Ren might not have brought his from home, though. And we all know how often Yusuke's too broke to afford much of anything. No offense, Yusuke, but it's true. So I doubt he even owns swim trunks." Kusa said as Yusuke shrugged and spoke up.

"Can't be mad at you when you're right." Yusuke said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Not only does everything that's been said so far sound great, but to top it all off, a barbecue!?" Futaba said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up with a rare excited look in his eyes.

"And to top that? LOBSTER!" Yusuke said as Ryuji, Morgana, and Futaba all started chanting 'LOBSTER! LOBSTER! LOBSTER!' in unison, making Sumire and Kusa sweatdrop as the former spoke up.

"Boy, it's crazy the things that will set those three off, am I right?" Sumire said in a deadpan tone as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"True. But I think we all know full well that this island ain't gonna have no lobster on it." Kusa said wisely as Futaba spoke up, not hearing Kusa and Sumire's words, her face split ear to ear in an excited smile.

"We have a winner! Let's round up the supplies before we venture forth!" Futaba said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia excitedly speaking up.

"Okay, I'll search nearby stores-or rather, nearby store. The only supermarket on the island is back on the port." Sophia said with a sweatdrop as the others all headed to the RV, excitedly preparing for the upcoming beach escapades. Unbeknownst to most of the group, Kusa had discreetly walked off ahead of the others to send a private chat to a certain couple of others who he'd swapped contact info with prior to heading back to meet the others and telling them to move the Ferrari to the beach and wait inside until he gives the signal before heading to the RV ahead of the others...

(A short time later, at a parking spot near the beach, with Zenkichi, Morgana, Makoto, Ren, Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, Haru, Goro, Futaba, Kusa, Sojiro, Sumire, and Sophia)

"Hmm. What do you guys think about here? This spot just screams 'beach party'!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Riiight, and that means you totally have to yell it, Ryuji." Kusa said with a huff as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Cut Ryuji a break, Kusa. Of course he's excited. He's out in the natural habitat of all simple-minded party animals: the beach." Goro quipped, making Kusa have to stifle a laugh as he spoke up.

"First of all, that's both incredibly mean and totally rude, Goro. Second of all, you're not wrong." Kusa said as Makoto spoke up with a shocked look on her face.

"I must admit, the water is mesmerizing around here. It almost looks dreamlike." Makoto said as Zenkichi spoke up.

"All right, seems good to me. Let's set up camp." Zenkichi said as the others all cheered and Ann yelled out as she darted out towards the water.

"BEACH TIIIIIME!" Ann said happily as she ran for the water. Ryuji ran after her, shouting as he went.

"Hey, wait for us, dude!" Ryuji said as he chased after Ann, not seeing Goro and Kusa both sweatdrop at how excitable he sounded. As Makoto ran after Ryuji, she ignored the audible snickers from both Goro and Kusa at what she said next.

"Hold on! You haven't put on sunscreen, Ryuji! Let me get that for you!" Makoto said as both Goro and Kusa actually burst out laughing, to the shock of the others. Kusa spoke up.

"Wow, I didn't see that one coming. I honestly thought Sumire would be more apt to say that to Ren than Makoto would be to say it to Ryuji. Kinda glad I didn't bet money on that, since this would've been one of the rare times I legitimately lose." Kusa said with a grin as Zenkichi spoke, trailing off a bit near the end of his words.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can't you kids at least try to behave?" Zenkichi said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"That's a losing battle, Zenkichi-san. But to be fair, this is the beach, so they're likely excited to cut loose to some degree." Sumire said sagely as Zenkichi sighed and spoke up.

"Fair. Geez, these loud-ass brats nowadays." Zenkichi said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Now you know how I felt when I first started joining this group. Your last remark? Literally me half the time Ryuji opened his mouth, or even Morgana." Goro said as the cat in question sputtered and spoke up.

"Wh-Wha!? HEY! Don't lump me in with an ape like Ryuji, Goro! At least I respect a lady's wishes most of the time!" Morgana said as both Ren and Kusa coughed what sounded suspiciously like 'bullshit!' under their breath, which no one heard, other than maybe Sojiro and Futaba, if the amused smiles on their faces was any indication. Ren then spoke up.

"Well, in any case, we're at the beach. Relax and loosen your tie a bit, Zenkichi. After all, wasn't it you who said we needed to relax a bit around the tourists to avoid suspicion?" Ren said as Zenkichi huffed and spoke up, not seeing Kusa's eyes widen at what he said next.

"Don't be stupid. I'm gonna check a few things on the camper. The rest of you go have fun." Zenkichi said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"What? People'll be suspicious of anyone with such a sour look on their face, Zenkichi. If you're gonna act like a tourist, at least fake having fun." Morgana said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Why not try relaxing for once? Remaining on edge all the time can't be good for you." Yusuke said wisely as Sumire spoke up with a nod.

"Yusuke has a point, Zenkichi-san. You need to let yourself unwind once in a while. Besides, if you constantly remain on guard, that's gonna just make you constantly angry. And that could eventually cause problems with you and Akane-chan." Sumire said wisely as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Sumire-chan is right! You can't beat this opportunity, Zenkichi-san!" Haru said as she walked off towards the beach with Yusuke while Futaba smirked and spoke up from next to Kusa.

"Mwehehe, are you really gonna let the little lady down, Zenkichi?" Futaba said before turning to Kusa and speaking up.

"I'll go on ahead and save us a spot. Don't keep me waiting too long, Kusa." Futaba said, giving Kusa a coy wink as Kusa blushed slightly but nodded as he spoke up.

"I'll catch up once everyone else gets sorted out. Also, I may or may not have a slight surprise for Ren in particular." Kusa said as Ren gave Kusa a confused look. But before Ren could voice his confusion, Goro smirked and spoke up.

"It certainly has been a while since I've had some form of relaxation for myself. Therefore, it's probably best that we rest for now, while we still can. Also, I would advise that you heed your girlfriend's words and not keep her waiting too long, brother." Goro said with a smirk as he proceeded to head towards the beach himself before Sojiro turned his head towards Kusa and spoke up.

"I have a feeling I might have a general idea of what this surprise is that you have planned for Ren. But for now, I'll let you do your own thing, Kusa." Sojiro said before turning back towards Zenkichi as he kept speaking.

"Also, Zenkichi? Morgana's right in what he said before. If we're going to try and blend in with the locals, that means you'll have to do it as well. But it's your call as to whether or not you opt to join us in the end." Sojiro said before he then proceeded to follow Futaba and Goro to the beach. After Sojiro left, Zenkichi sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh! Fine, fine, I'll take a break. But just a short one, hear me?" Zenkichi said as Morgana spoke up with a nod.

"Nyeheh! You don't seem to bothered at all over it." Morgana teased Zenkichi who huffed and spoke up.

"Shut up!" Zenkichi rebuked Morgana in annoyance before he and Morgana walked off, leaving just Sumire, Ren, and Kusa standing together, as a 'BIP' from the former's phone preceded Sophia speaking up to remind the trio she was also there.

"Take me with you, Sumire. This will be my first time in the ocean." Sophia said as Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"Really? I dunno. What if I take the phone in and it shorts out with you in it, sweetie?" Sumire asked in concern as Sophia spoke up with a smile.

"No need to worry. Smartphones are totally waterproof nowadays. Please? I know this phone can go underwater, especially since I just checked again." Sophia asked, giving Sumire her best impression of puppy-dog eyes, making both Kusa and Ren blink at how well she pulled it off. Ren then smiled fondly at Sumire and spoke up.

"Go on, beautiful. Show Sophia the ocean. I'll be right behind you once I see what this surprise is that Kusa says he has for me." Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up with a reluctant sigh, hating how easily Sophia already seemed to somewhat have both her and Ren wrapped around her finger.

"Fine, I'll be your tour guide, sweetie. Stop giving me those effing puppy-dog eyes already, Sophia." Sumire said with a pout, ignoring the laughs from Ren and Kusa to focus on the happy smile Sophia gave her as she walked off with her phone in hand to get changed into her bikini. As the duo walked past him, Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah! We're all going wild today!" Morgana said happily as he padded off. As soon as it was just Kusa and Ren, Kusa spoke up.

"I asked you to wait until the others were gone on purpose. I wasn't sure if you'd want an audience for this surprise, Ren." Kusa said, discreetly sending a private chat while Ren spoke up.

"Wait, why would I not want an audience for this-?" Ren asked, but before he could finish his sentence, his response was cut off by a pair of voices he recognized calling his name, making him blink and slowly turn towards the Ferarri, where his eyes got huge as he saw his and Kusa's mother and his father getting out of the Ferarri. Ren's jaw dropped before he spoke up in disbelief.

"Wait, what!? Mom!? DAD!? Why are you two here?" Ren asked as he walked forward to hug his mother as Taichi smirked and spoke up.

"That's easy, son. When Kusa told us you were here, I thought you'd get a kick out of us coming to see you, so we had Kusa and his friends give us a lift in the Ferrari. How none of you saw us inside the car shocks me, but I suppose youth will be youth." Taichi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I'm definitely happy to see you. We're not gonna be on the island for long though, since we're only here on an investigation at the behest of a PubSec official. Something to do with a deal where we help him and he keeps us out of trouble in exchange? Basically one of those mutually-beneficial type arrangements. You know how it is." Ren said nonchalantly. Taichi laughed and spoke up.

"Wow, my son is willingly working with a cop. Never thought I'd see the day, especially after what happened a few years ago." Taichi said as Momoe spoke up.

"Taichi, don't tease Ren. I think it's nice that Ren's trying not to let his past define him." Momoe said happily as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Umm, did you guys bring beach wear for yourselves? We were all about to go hit the beach and relax a bit." Ren asked as Taichi nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. I had a feeling that might happen, so I packed a bag with mine and your mom's swimwear and set it next to the Ferrari. If you want us to, we can go change real quick while you go change in the RV." Taichi said as Ren shrugged and nodded before heading off with Kusa to change into their swimwear. Before walking off, Kusa and Ren idly noted with amusement that it seemed as if they'd get to enjoy summer at the beach after all, as it turned out.

After everyone other than Sophia (who was an AI and therefore had no need to put on swimwear) and Morgana (who also had no need for swimwear due to being in a feline form) changed into their swimwear, the camera panned to a shot of Ann popping out of the water, smiling as she spoke up while carefully fixing the top of her red and yellow striped figure-hugging two-piece bikini back into place, not seeing Ryuji grinning and pumping a fist as she spoke.

"Wow, the water's so clear!" Ann said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up, letting the camera get a good view of his yellow swim trunks and swimmer's physique as he spoke.

"Whoa! Dude, RenRen! Okinawa's the friggin' BEST!" Ryuji said as Ren smirked and spoke up, crossing his arms over his toned chest with a clearly-defined six-pack set of abs, letting the camera briefly pan to his dark grey and black swim trunks with a white drawstring tied off to hold the trunks up as he spoke.

"Given I lived here with Kusa for years, I feel no shame in agreeing wholeheartedly with that claim, Ryuji." Ren said as Kusa spoke up with a huff, drawing most of the group's attention to his dark green swim trunks with a silver-grey drawstring that kept the trunks up, and the Roman numeral 'XXI' written on the left leg in silver lettering as he spoke.

"While you're not wrong, I feel like you'd want to amend that to Okinawa is the second best after Yongen-Jaya, since you met and fell in love with Sumire over there during that year we spent living in the attic of Leblanc together for your probation." Kusa pointed out wisely, crossing his arms over his defined physique, where it was plain to see that what had once been a still-developing set of four-to-six pack abs were now a full on eight-pack.

This was largely due to all the working out Kusa had been required to do during his tenure with the martial arts team, which had become a habit for him. Additionally, Kusa also kept up with his working out because he enjoyed keeping fit and in shape, and he knew Futaba appreciated the results too.

Sumire smiled and spoke up, drawing Ren's eyes to where Sumire was standing, smiling at the figure-hugging two-piece black bikini that Sumire had bought herself, noticing that where the chest of the top had a lot of smaller pink mini-hearts, the bottom had a lot of smaller yellow smiley faces along the butt and thighs of the bikini bottom, making Kusa smirk and speak up as he watched Sumire subtly sneak glances at the simple dark-grey and black swim trunks Ren had opted for.

"Heh, that's quite the expressive bikini you chose there, Sumire. And judging from his reaction, Ren most definitely approves." Kusa said teasingly as Ren just flipped Kusa off while nearby, Haru smiled and sipped a glass of lemonade while daintily holding up the straw with one hand, letting the camera get a good view of her modest black and white one-piece swimsuit she'd picked out, while the camera showed Zenkichi laid out near Haru working on his tan, surprisingly having foregone his suit for a pair of simple white and black swim trunks. At that point, Futaba's voice could be heard calling out from the water.

"Heeey, guys! You gotta see these fish!" Futaba said as Kusa smirked at the sight of Futaba swimming in a yellow and pink inner tube, which somehow emphasized the simple two-piece red, white, and blue bikini top and red swim trunks combo she'd opted for. The camera then panned down to underwater, where Makoto could be seen swimming around in a camoflauge-colored two-piece bikini, seemingly enjoying the ocean. Unbeknownst to Makoto, Yusuke was swimming nearby, opting for his usual habit of using his hands to seemingly frame the view of Makoto swimming, the camera showing off the simple blue swim trunks Yusuke had picked out.

Much like all the guys had, Yusuke went shirtless. However, unlike Kusa, Yusuke had a more simplified physique that was rather similar to the physiques of Ren, Goro and even Ryuji, having something akin to a swimmer's build. Yusuke then stopped as he almost started drowning in his surprise. At that point, a pair of splashes behind him heralded Ren and Sumire diving into the water next to him, the former holding out the latter's phone for Sophia to look out at the ocean, making her give a rare closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Whoa, so pretty." Sophia said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"Enjoying yourself, Sophia? Let's keep going!" Sumire said as Sophia nodded, pulling out a camera from somewhere to take 'photos' of the ocean view and the sea life.

(A short time later, on the shore of the beach, with Zenkichi, Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, Ren, Ann, Kusa, Sumire, Sophia, Goro, Haru, Futaba, Sojiro, and Morgana)

As the camera panned out to a sunset view of the beach, where Zenkichi's eyes slowly fluttered open as he heard a lot of muted snickers nearby, Zenkichi found himself unable to move despite looking up to see Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, Ren, Ann, Kusa, Sumire, Futaba, and even Goro all standing over him.

This was made apparent to see by Morgana snickering nearby with Goro, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Ren all stifling laughs while both Makoto and Kusa merely frowned disapprovingly, not finding the prank on Zenkichi all that funny as the camera panned out to show that Zenkichi had been buried in the sand up to his neck in what was meant to be an artistic recreation of the Venus de Milo. Meanwhile, Haru was laid out nearby, working on her tan and completely oblivious to the prank being played on Zenkichi, while Sojiro had moved further along the beach to scout a place to work on his tan away from the ensuing prank on Zenkichi. Back with the others, Yusuke's next words would all but confirm that the aforementioned prank on Zenkichi was mainly his handiwork.

"Voila. You're beautiful." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up with a frown.

"Uhh, Yusuke? I dunno if Zenkichi really wants to be beautiful when he's trying to nap." Kusa pointed out sagely as Zenkichi blinked and spoke up in shock.

"Whoa. Well, it's some detailed work to be sure. Especially for a bunch of DAMNED YOUNG ADULTS!" Zenkichi said as the sand sculpture that was his body rumbled as he started getting up from the sand, making the 'Venus de Hasegawa' fall apart as he spoke up angrily.

"Get back here, Kitagawa, Sakamoto, Amamiya the middle and Takamaki! And I guess Yoshizawa, Morgana, and Sakura the younger! YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!" Zenkichi said as he chased after the cackling group in mention, while Kusa and Makoto just shook their heads and the former of the two spoke up.

"What a bunch of idiots. At least you and I know not to bury a cop like that, Makoto. Umm, but try not to be TOO rough on Ryuji for this later? I'm sure he and Yusuke were just having fun." Kusa said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Not a problem, Kusa. I understand it was a prank. But I'm making Ryuji really work for it if he wants any fun time from me any time soon." Makoto said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"Yeeeah, I really didn't need to hear that last part at all, Makoto. But okay then, if you say so. I guess we better go make sure Zenkichi doesn't rough up the others too badly." Kusa said as Makoto nodded and headed off after Zenkichi. Kusa made to follow after Makoto, but stopped short as he heard his name called out.

"Amamiya-kun the younger? Is that you!?" Kusa heard, frowning as he tried to figure out who'd called for him, before looking over towards the far entrance to the beach and having his eyes widen comically as he recognized a certain raven-haired former upperclassman of his from Shujin, smiling as he walked over to her, taking in the sight of the cream-white simple two-piece bikini she'd opted to wear that hugged her figure, which Kusa could see in the daylight was a bit more developed than when she went to Shujin, her body having filled out slightly in various places, and her figure being slightly more curved and hourglass-like. Kusa then spoke up to greet the new arrival.

"Wait, for real!? I didn't think we'd run into you so soon, Shiho?" Kusa said to Shiho, who smirked and nodded as she spoke up.

"Eh, what can I say? I heard you guys were here, so I figured that since I was here on a vacation for my birthday, why not surprise you guys? I think my roommate's here too, somewhere. But I'd like to believe that she's able to handle herself, given she's the same age that both you and Sumire were at when you both first got involved with the supernatural stuff you deal with." Shiho said sagely as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? So she's about 15 or so, then? Cool." Kusa said as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, she's 15 and a half, to be exact." Shiho said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Well, if we can find her, Ann is around here somewhere. Though I hope we're not about to find her getting detained by Hasegawa-san for burying him in the sand as a prank." Kusa said before Shiho surprised him by breaking out into a fit of giggles as she spoke up.

"Oh, no. Did she pull another 'Sand Venus' on someone? I know she did that to Ryuji once when we were all in middle school. And I heard she did the same thing to your brother when you guys took Futaba-chan to the beach near the end of the summer a few years ago." Shiho said as Kusa spoke up with a sweatdrop.

"Welll, you're not wrong. However, she wasn't the one who did the burying, so much as Yusuke having one of his 'artistic inspirations' and deciding that Hasegawa-san made for a fantastic sand depiction of 'Venus de Milo'. Luckily, I took a few pictures discreetly with my phone if you want to see. But let's go rescue your girlfriend first, yeah?" Kusa said as Shiho nodded, following after Kusa to go find Ann...

(At the same time as Kusa and Shiho's reunion, shortly after Zenkichi chased most of the group off, further down the beach with Goro and Sojiro)

A short time after Goro managed to duck in a nearby empty changing room to get away from being chased by Zenkichi like the others were, the camera panned over the beach, stopping on an open area where both Goro and Sojiro had laid out to work on their tans and show off their physiques, with Goro having six-pack abs and Sojiro having a respectable for his age four-pack, the former wearing dark blue swim trunks with the roman numeral 'VIII' on the left pocket in dark-grey lettering and the latter wearing crimson swim trunks with a black Roman numeral 'V' on the left leg, both of themselves found themselves immersed in focusing on their tans.

As a result of how immersed they both were in their tanning, neither of the two heard the sound of a third person joining them, so it was a slight surprise to Goro when he looked up and saw a young lady, probably one who was around 14 or 15 years old if he had to guess, laid out between Goro and Sojiro, presumably working on a tan of her own, while wearing a very form-fitting two-piece white bikini with silvery silk lining and lots of silvery waterproof glitter on the lining of the top and bottoms.

Goro had to make it a point to keep his eyes on the girl's striking brown eyes and not her bikini, since Goro had to admit the girl's bikini looked good on her, even if it wasn't nearly as attractive as his girlfriend Haru's. Goro then spoke up.

"Umm, not to be rude, but why did you choose to lay here, Miss-?" Goro asked, making the girl blink as she noticed Goro looking at her before smiling and speaking up.

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't think that I would be a bother if I laid down to work on my tan a bit. Wait a minute. Now that I look at you closer, it occurs to me that you look a lot like that Goro Akechi guy that Naoto-san did a lot of research on a couple of years ago. Are you related to him by chance, sir?" The girl stated as Goro's eyes widened in shock when she mentioned his predecessor's name.

"I'm afraid you've mistaken me for the wrong guy. Although he and I actually share the same first name, our last names are different. However, I can't help but notice that you're aware of Naoto Shirogane?" Goro asked to which the girl replied with a smile.

"Yup. Naoto-san is a close friend of my Big Bro. They both went to the same school in my hometown a few years ago so I was able to meet her when I was a young girl." The girl stated as Goro gave out a smirk and spoke up.

"How interesting? I didn't think you knew her when she was in her teenage years. Still, it must be quite an honor that you're acquainted with her." Goro said as the girl nodded her head.

"It is, over the time of getting to know each other she turned out to be a kind, caring, and determined woman who looks out for others. She was like an older sister that I never had back when I was young, alongside a couple of other older girls that I knew from my hometown that I can also consider to be sisters. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Nanako Dojima. I came here with my roommate Suzui-san, but she and I split up so she could go find and surprise her girlfriend." The now-named Nanako said, extending a dainty hand out to Goro, who slowly shook it and spoke up.

"Really? I didn't expect Suzui-san would be here let alone have a roommate, even though you look a bit younger than I'd figure she'd have her roommates be." Goro said as Nanako's eyes widened when she heard that the man that she had just now met knew her roommate.

"You know Suzui-san?" Nanako asked. Goro smiled at Nanako's question and spoke up to answer it.

"Although I have not interacted with her that much. I've heard a lot about her from her girlfriend as well as some other friends of mine who are currently here at this moment. That said, nice to meet you too, Miss Dojima-san. I'm Goro Amamiya. Oh and sorry to get your hopes up on possibly meeting Goro Akechi. I seem to get that a lot when meeting people, but he and I are two very different people. So please don't compare me to him." Goro said, a shockingly firm but slightly haunted look in his eyes as he spoke. Nanako, for her part, just nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, I get it. I'm sorry for bringing up a painful subject, Amamiya-san. Am I bothering you by working on my tan here?" Nanako asked as Goro eventually spoke up.

"No, it's fine. I'm not going to chase you out of here. We can share this spot like civilized people." Goro said sagely as Nanako nodded while smiling happily at Goro, both of them going back to their tanning, neither seeing the amused smirk on Sojiro's face as he observed the interaction between the two.

(At the same time, on another part of the beach, with Ren, Sumire, and Morgana)

Meanwhile, back up near the street area, Morgana walked up to Ren and spoke up, not seeing Ren and Sumire looking at the sun together as he spoke.

"Meow? Oh, the sun's setting, isn't it Ren? So, what should we do next?" Morgana asked as Ren looked down and spoke up.

"Morgana? Not now. I'm enjoying the sunset with Sumire." Ren said as Sumire blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Is there someone there?" Sumire asked before she looked down and smiled at Morgana.

"Oh, hi, Morgana-senpai." Sumire said as she leaned down to gently give the smirking cat some head pats, making him purr before both Morgana and Sumire nearly jumped in surprise when Ren's phone went off. Morgana then spoke up.

"Hmm? Hey, Ren, your phone's buzzing." Morgana said as Ren reached for his phone, and frowned when he saw it was a private chat from Zenkichi, which he checked.

"Hey, got a sec? Be ready to move once things settle down, okay? I'm sure it will all be fine in the end. However, even so? I've just got this weird feeling in my gut that we shouldn't ignore." Zenkichi sent as Ren put his phone away without replying, at which point Morgana spoke up in confusion, having hopped onto Ren's back to read the chat over his shoulder.

"Done getting ready? For what? Well, I suppose Zenkichi has his reasons for being vague. Still, I guess there's no need to be on edge the WHOLE time we're here. That said, I think I'll take the chance to go for a walk now that it's finally less crowded around here. You should relax for a bit yourself, Ren. Maybe let yourself have a bit of quality time with Sumire there. Why not go hang out with everyone else after that? Anyways, later!" Morgana said as he padded off, leaving Ren and Sumire to smile as the latter spoke up.

"Good. Finally just us two. Let's enjoy the moment." Sumire said happily, laying her head happily on Ren's shoulder as the two just stood together and watched the view of the sunset, Ren wrapping his free arm slyly around Sumire's waist while smiling as he felt Sumire's hair gently brush against his arm as she leaned into him, as she'd chosen to wear her hair down for the occasion.

While she leaned against Ren, Sumire found herself seriously enjoying the shy smile on Ren's face as he looked at her, knowing that he thinks she's much prettier with her hair down than with it in a ponytail, having heard him say it to her more than once throughout the just over three and a half years that they'd been dating. After the two leaned in for a brief kiss, they looked at each other as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"Well, now what, Ren? We've got this free time, so maybe we should go for a throwback to that Hawaii trip we went on about four years ago, even if I was moreso in Hawaii for gymnastics, and recreate that moment we shared on the beach?" Sumire said, her eyes seeming to sparkle with a slightly mischievous gleam at that moment as she recalled a particularly fond memory she had of her and Ren meeting up to spend time together on the beach in Hawaii during the latter's school trip, where they'd put sunscreen on one another and snuck off to a nearby cliffside to watch the sunset together after tanning a bit.

Granted, the Hawaii school trip in mention that this memory had happened on took place back when Sumire was still actualized into believing she was her deceased elder twin sister, Kasumi, all thanks to the 'efforts' of one Takuto Maruki to try and 'eliminate her sadness and suffering'. Regardless of this, Sumire still enjoyed the memory just the same, as it was one of the first times she'd let herself seriously kiss Ren. Ren, for his part, smiled and made to nod only to swear as his phone went off once again, this time with a private chat from Makoto. Ren sighed and spoke up.

"Give me one sec to check this and we can discuss your idea." Ren said as he opened up the private chat.

"Hello. Hope you're resting well and that this message isn't interrupting anything too important. If you have some time before dark, could you come talk to me? I have a favor to ask, but it will probably be a lot easier to explain it in person." Makoto sent as Ren closed the private chat without responding. He then looked at Sumire and spoke up.

"Sorry about that, it was a private chat from Makoto. But it wasn't important, so it can wait a bit. Shall we go find an out of the way spot to lay on together while applying sunscreen to one another like we did about four years ago during the school trip to Hawaii?" Ren said playfully to Sumire, who nodded and spoke up.

"Okay. I'll go get the sunscreen from the trailer. You go find us a spot and send me a private chat once you do." Sumire said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. I'll find us a good spot, beautiful." Ren said as Sumire smiled and kissed Ren before the two went their separate ways for the time being.

(Meanwhile, on the other side of the beach, with Shiho, Ann, and Kusa)

"Well, unless Yusuke was lying about where he last saw her, Ann should be around here somewhere, Shiho." Kusa said as Shiho nodded and the two walked towards a nearby food shop where they'd walked past Ryuji and Zenkichi without noticing. As they kept walking, Kusa's eyes scanned the area, ignoring a fairly plain-looking woman and a few excited men, Kusa eventually found Ann standing alone looking out at the sun, her arms crossed over her bikini-clad chest. Kusa then turned to Shiho and spoke up.

"There she is. She's over there looking at the sunset." Kusa said, pointing towards where Ann was standing by herself, making Shiho nod and giggle before walking over and gently covering Ann's eyes with an amused smile, making Ann blink and speak up.

"Wha? Who turned out the lights? Hello?" Ann said as Shiho giggled at Ann's reaction despite herself, making Ann give off a quiet, if involuntary, gasp after recognizing Shiho's giggle. Once Shiho removed her hands, Ann turned around and smiled as she saw Shiho and spoke up.

"Oh my god! SHIHO!? I didn't think we'd run into you here." Ann said as she gently clasped Shiho's hand in her own and pulled her girlfriend into an excited kiss, which Shiho returned with a smile, the two making out for a few moments. After a bit, the two pulled apart after coming up for air. Shiho, for her part, giggled nervously and spoke up.

"As much as that kiss was nice, Ann? I had someone's help finding you, so maybe we shouldn't be going too all-out in front of him if we can help it. Right, Kusa?" Shiho said, making Ann whip around and see Kusa nervously rub the back of his head before speaking up.

"Good point. Also, sorry for seemingly being witness to your rather eager reunion. But Shiho asked me to help her find you, so I figured I'd help her out. Wasn't expecting to basically end up witness to you two making out, but I'm not against it either. Just, y'know, don't expect me to watch if you two decide to go all the way or anything. Not only do I respect your privacy, but I don't think any of us are into voyeurism, the fact that Taba seems to like that sort of thing notwithstanding." Kusa said with a smirk as Ann spoke up.

"Eheh, my bad, bro. Didn't realize you were there until Shiho mentioned you. Hopefully you're not too mad?" Ann said as Kusa shook his head and spoke up.

"Nah, it's fine, sis. I expected you two to be excited to see each other, so I don't mind at all that your first reaction was to kiss Shiho. At least you two refrained from going straight for a home run. Not saying I'd have minded if you had, just that I'd think you wouldn't want an audience for that." Kusa said as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Considering your girlfriend made a pretty frequent habit of hitting on Ren's girlfriend, I think you're pretty de-sensitized to girl on girl stuff anyways. But, I respect that you're not trying to watch us if we were to be naughty. Then again, I have a funny feeling Futaba-chan wouldn't mind that much if Shiho and I were to go all the way in front of you, provided we let her watch too. But I'm not sure Shiho's into that sort of thing, truth be told." Ann said as Shiho blushed and spoke up.

"Ann! Don't talk about me like that. But to be fair, I'd have to get to know Futaba some more before I could say one way or the other if I was okay with her either watching, or possibly even joining, us. Also, that would assume Kusa doesn't mind his girlfriend messing with other girls on the side?" Shiho said as Kusa blushed a bit at the idea of his girlfriend having a threesome with two other girls, but spoke up after a moment.

"If it made Taba happy, I probably wouldn't stop her if she wanted to jump into bed with you two, provided all of you consented to it first. As for whether I'd join in? Considering I see Ann as a sister, probably not. Mind, I'm not going to deny she is pretty. But even then, I'm not sure how ethical, much less professional, that would be for Taba and I to intrude on you two's private/intimate lives." Kusa said, somehow managing to get his blush under control after the mental image Shiho's remark about Futaba joining her and Ann had given Kusa of the three girls all over each other in their birthday suits as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Besides, I feel like most of the others might be just a bit confused if they saw us suddenly having three and even foursomes together." Ann said sagely as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"Then again, that could be kinda fun, having the three of us take turns with Kusa-kun here." Shiho said slyly as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Uhh, if you say so? Oh, is that Ren over there? I think I'm gonna go see what's up with him." Kusa said, beating a hasty retreat at that point, amid the amused giggles of Ann and Shiho as the former poked the latter in the stomach and spoke up.

"Aww, you scared him off, Shiho. But in all seriousness? Probably just as well you did, since Kusa and I do view one another as siblings, so it'd have probably been pretty awkward for us to even look at one another in any sort of intimate way. However, I do believe Kusa would allow Futaba to mess around with us if it makes her happy." Ann said as Shiho nodded before the two fell silent and watched the sun together...

(Meanwhile, back by the edge of the shops in the beach area, with Ren)

After looking around a bit, Ren found a shop that sold some good beach-side stuff, including items like 'Whole Watermelon' and 'Shikuwasa Soda'. To Ren's amusement, he found an 'Okinawa Soba' recipe, deciding to buy it after recalling Ryuji mentioning the stuff earlier. Afterwards, Ren noted he could smell something delicious, deciding to sit down and try it. Unsurprisingly, Ryuji was also sitting at the table Ren had chosen, chuckling at him as he spoke up with a grin.

"Heheh, what a coincidence, man! I was waitin' for ya, RenRen. Obviously we gotta eat Okinawa soba while we're here! I mean, I've had some already, but I could easily down another bowl with ya. When you add in all this, uhh, what's it called? Umm, uh, is it it kore-juice-u? Whatever, the chili stuff. Anyway I could eat a ton o' this-BLUGH! I put way too much of it in my soba that time!" Ryuji said as Ren chuckled in spite of himself as he found himself enjoying Okinawa soba with Ryuji. Ren then felt a flash of inspiration. Ren then recalled a guy he'd walked past before and doubled back to speak to him, making the tanned man smirk at Ren and speak up.

"Hey there. You guys tourists? Just a heads-up, there are places on this island where swimming is restricted, so I advise you to be careful." The tanned man said as Ren nodded, before noticing a simple-looking woman and speaking to her.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Ren asked the simple woman, who nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Whew, that hit the spot! Nothing like an ice-cold glass of shikuwasu juice after a fun day in the sun." The simple woman said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Thanks for the recommendation." Ren said as he kept walking, blinking as he noticed Ann standing in her bikini nearby, though the reason his eyes were widened was the two people he saw with Ann. Kusa wasn't that much of a surprise, since Ren knew Kusa was likely going to end up hanging with Ann since it was her turn to pair with Kusa, but the real shock was seeing what appeared to be Shiho with Kusa and Ann. Despite himself, Ren blinked and walked over to the trio and opened his mouth to speak. However, right as he walked up, he heard Ann laugh as she spoke up with a closed-eye smile on her face, cutting off whatever Ren was about to say.

"Ahhh, that was great! I think I laughed enough for two lifetimes, Shiho." Ann said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I could tell. You've certainly seemed a lot happier since you and Shiho ran into one another." Kusa said as Shiho slyly smiled and spoke up.

"Now, now. Don't act like you didn't have a part to play in that, Kusa-kun. You're the one who guided me to Ann, after all." Shiho pointed out as Ren spoke up.

"Wait, Shiho!? I didn't know you were here?" Ren said in surprise, drawing the trio's attention to him as Shiho smiled and hugged Ren as she spoke up.

"Hi there, Ren! I've been here for a couple of days now. My parents let me come spend the week down here for my upcoming birthday." Shiho said as Kusa spoke up.

"Didn't you say it was today, Shiho?" Kusa said as Shiho merely nodded as Ann pouted and spoke up.

"Don't remind me, Kusa! I feel bad enough I didn't get Shiho anything for her birthday. Some girlfriend I am." Ann said as Shiho smiled and leaned up to kiss Ann comfortingly on the cheek as she spoke up.

"Don't be silly, Ann. You got me plenty just by being here. I don't think I could ask for much more than to be able to spend at least part of my birthday with my girlfriend." Shiho said as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I'm still getting used to having a girlfriend. So forgive me if I go to pieces like that from time to time." Ann said as Shiho smirked and spoke up.

"As long as those pieces look as sexy as they do now, I don't mind." Shiho said coyly as she somewhat brazenly stole a kiss from a blushing Ann, who spoke up.

"Shiho! Not in public!" Ann said before noticing Ren and speaking up.

"Ohh, umm, sorry for that display, Ren. Oh, yeah! I found this really pretty shell earlier. I thought I could string it onto a necklace as a little souvenir for myself somehow. But it turned out so nice, I want you to have it instead! Hmm, maybe I should make one for everyone else? I'm gonna go look for more shells. Shiho, you coming along? Kusa?" Ann asked as Shiho spoke up.

"I'll accompany you, Ann! Maybe we can sneak some quality time along the way too." Shiho said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Well, aren't we just a little brat today? You two go on ahead. I think I'll go head back with Ren, make sure Taba's not getting into trouble, maybe get some time in with the par-errr, I mean I'll let you two have some one-on-one time! And don't worry about your roommate, Shiho. If Ren and I find her on the beach, we'll watch over her for you if you want." Kusa said as Ann's eyes widened as she spoke up.

"Wait, did you just almost say parents!? Did your mom and dad come to the beach, Ren and Kusa?" Ann asked as Kusa nervously chuckled and spoke up.

"Ehhh, maybe? I plead the fifth." Kusa said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Kusa, you know that's not enforced in Japan. But I find it hilarious that for all that you lecture us about being careful, you were the one who outed Mom and Dad being here instead of me." Ren said as Kusa's cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment as he spoke up.

"Shut up! You say that like you haven't slipped up and outed stuff before, Ren. Or do I need to bring up the time you 'accidentally' put Ann's feelings for Shiho on blast to Ryuji?" Kusa said dryly as Ren quickly spoke up before Shiho could question what Kusa meant.

"R-Right, got it. Let's get back to the others, yeah? Have fun, ladies!" Ren said as he quickly hustled Kusa towards the other end of the beach before Shiho could question what he meant, but not before Ann handed Ren a 'Seashell Necklace' accessory and spoke up.

"Man, nothing beats the beach! I'm so glad we had a great time here, even if I don't get another chance this summer!" Ann said to Ren, who nodded as he and Kusa left Ann and Shiho to their alone time. After a bit, Ren noticed Zenkichi and Ryuji standing together, exchanging a nod with Kusa before he headed over to speak to Ryuji while Kusa headed towards the RV. Ren walked up to Ryuji and spoke up.

"Yo, what's bonkin', Ryuji?" Ren said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up with a laugh.

"Hey, RenRen! Oh man, my sides still hurt! Wasn't Zenkichi the most hilarious Venus you ever saw?" Ryuji asked as Ren winced at the irate look on Zenkichi's face as he spoke up.

"What's that, Sakamoto? You want me to show you those detainment techniques again?" Zenkichi asked as Ryuji frantically spoke up.

"No no no! No, please!" Ryuji said pleadingly, making Ren laugh despite himself. Zenkichi then sighed and spoke up.

"Sheesh, I can't believe you damn kids. Got anything to say for yourself?" Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up.

"Sorry, Zenkichi. I should've done more to stop them. But it was a pretty funny prank, even if it was wrong." Ren said honestly. Zenkichi chuckled and spoke up.

"I sure hope I'm just imagining it Amamiya the middle, but that didn't sound very sincere to me at all. Well, the sun's about to set. We should wrap up the rowdiness and get started on dinner pretty soon." Zenkichi said as Ryuji spoke up again.

"By the way. Ya know, I'm startin' to get hungry. Think it's chow time yet?" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Not yet. I'm just going around making the rounds and speaking to everyone before Sumire and I make the most of the occasion to have a pseudo-date before it gets dark." Ren said before looking at Zenkichi and speaking up.

"For real, though. Sorry about that, Zenkichi. Funny or not, we shouldn't have done that to you." Ren said sincerely as Zenkichi smiled and spoke up.

"Forgiven. But, man! Gah, my back is killing me! I shoulda been takin' it easier today, rather than letting myself get buried in sand. I'm gonna go lie down. You kids clearly have enough energy to handle the dinner prep." Zenkichi said as Ren spoke up.

"Fair, but do try not to sleep through dinner. I have a feeling we're going to have a few special guests you might want to meet." Ren said as Zenkichi blinked and spoke up.

"Eh? What do you mean by that!? Oh, whatever. Here, take this. Go buy yourself a soda or something." Zenkichi said as he handed Ren 5,000 yen, which he pocketed happily and spoke up.

"Thanks, Zenkichi. That's pretty generous of you." Ren said as Zenkichi sighed and spoke up.

"You're welcome. Ugh, dammit! PubSec playin' around in the sand with the Phantom Thieves like it's nothing. Ugh, what is this country coming to?" Zenkichi said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone, which she'd given Ren so he could let Sophia see around the beach before he went around, preceded Sophia speaking up, a rare smile on her face as she spoke.

"Whatever it may be, I have evidence of it. I took plenty of photos during our time on the beach." Sophia said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"Uhh, Sophia? I dunno that you should've mentioned that to Zenkichi." Ren said as a wide-eyed Zenkichi spoke up.

"Wha-!? No, delete 'em! You gotta delete 'em! Please!?" Zenkichi said as Ren kept moving before Sophia could reply to his question. After heading back across the beach towards the trailers, Ren's eyes widened slightly as he saw Futaba, Sumire, and his mom and dad standing together. Ren walked up and spoke up.

"Uhh, why are you four hanging out together?" Ren asked warily as Futaba spoke up with a smile.

"Yo, big bro! What's up? Oh, and what'd you think of ocean life, Sophia?" Futaba said as a 'BIP!' from Ren's borrowed phone preceded Sopha speaking up, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she smiled.

"It was amazing! There were so many fish! And shells and coral of all different colors, and patterns of light waving and shimmering through the water!" Sophia said as Futaba spoke up.

"Ooh, how neat! Glad to hear ya liked it. Ya know, everyone took me on a special trip to the beach around four years ago. I'll remember that day for the rest of my life. It's when I first formally joined the Phantom Thieves." Futaba said as Ren, Kusa, and Sumire's eyes all widened as Kusa spoke up from next to Futaba.

"OI! Ix-nay on the antom-Phay eives-Thay alk-tay around the arents-pay, Taba!" Kusa said, making Momoe chuckle as he spoke up.

"Aww, how cute. Kusa learned Pig Latin and is using it as code to try and disguise what he's saying. Too bad for him it's not gonna work, especially since I was the one who taught him that trick when he was younger. Also, you already told us that you and Ren are the leaders of the Phantom Thieves, as well as both Goro and Futaba confirming they're part of the group. Also, unless I'm wrong, I'm going to guess that Sumire here is part of the group as well. Also, was that the AI that Ren and Sumire supposedly have taken under their wing as a psuedo-daughter of sorts?" Momoe said, a mischievous smirk on her face as both Ren and Sumire's faces flushed bright red before the former spoke up.

"MOM! Do you have to put it like that!? Besides, we're still not sure if we see Sophia as a daughter or not yet! I know you're eager to be a grandmother, but be patient. It'll happen when it's meant to, and no sooner or later. Besides, I think you'd be likelier to get grandchildren from Kusa and Futaba than from me and Sumire, the way they go at it." Ren joked as this time, it was Kusa and Futaba who were the ones to blush in embarrassment as they spoke up in unison to rebuke Ren.

"REN!" Futaba and Kusa rebuked Ren as the latter kept speaking.

"Not funny, bro! Also, how would you like it if I brought up the story of the time Taba and I came over to scout the place out for a family dinner at Sojiro's request and almost caught you and Sumire doing the deed in the attic of Leblanc in the process?" Kusa said as Sumire pouted and spoke up.

"HEY! You said you wouldn't bring that up any more, Kusa!" Sumire said as Taichi chuckled at the visible tinges of pink on Sumire's cheeks as he spoke up.

"Don't be embarrassed, Sumire. Momoe and I were way worse when we were your age. I remember one time we went on a cruise ship together and-" Taichi said as Ren, Kusa, and Momoe all cut in to stop the story before it could start.

"DAD!/TAICHI! STOP!" Ren, Kusa, and Momoe all said simultaneously to rebuke Taichi, who laughed at the display of synchronicity with Sumire and Futaba. Taichi then smirked at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"Still, I gotta say, I'm proud of the two of you, Ren and Kusa. Whether you two want to hear this or not, you two did a damn good job picking the girlfriends you did. They're both plenty beautiful. Sure, Futaba-chan's a bit more on the slender and petite side, but I always figured Kusa didn't care about things like curves, weight, or size in his girls anyways. He's always been one to go by personality and/or merits rather than looks.

On the other hand, Ren tries to go for the full package where he can. And Sumire-chan is definitely that. Kind, smart, mature, and with apologies to both Ren and Momoe, incredibly sexy. Better make sure you never let that girlfriend of yours go Ren, since she's a definite keeper." Taichi said in amusement as Kusa spoke up, grinning at the subtle blush creeping across Sumire's cheeks as she smiled at Taichi complimenting her.

"Not gonna happen, Dad. Ren's more likely to put a ring on Sumire's finger than to break up with her. Then again, I suppose I have no room to talk, especially given how much I'm committed to Taba." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and laid her head on Kusa's shoulder as Sophia spoke up to remind the gathered group of her presence.

"Mmhm. That does sound like it would make for a very memorable day, Futaba. Oh, I've got it! I'll commit today to my own memory. That way, I can cherish it forever." Sophia said as Momoe smirked and spoke up.

"If you do that, make sure you commit it as the day you had your first beach trip and had the chance to meet Grandma Momoe." Momoe said playfully as Ren and Kusa both spoke up, identical horrified looks on their faces even as Futaba and Taichi both laughed at how embarrassed Ren and Kusa were.

"MOM!" Ren and Kusa said as Sumire just laughed nervously while Sophia spoke up.

"Wait, what? You're trying to get me to call you 'Grandma', Momoe-san? Wouldn't that only be factually correct if Ren and Sumire were my parents? Sure, I've caught myself almost calling Ren 'Dad' a number of times, and Sumire 'Mom' or 'Mama' a couple of times, but I don't know that either of them actually sees me as a daughter." Sophia said as Taichi smiled at Sophia and spoke up, either not seeing or ignoring the embarrassed looks on Ren and Sumire's faces as they smiled at Sophia while he spoke.

"Sophia? Here's a word of advice. Blood-related or not, the main trait of family is that they love each other unconditionally and are there for one another no matter what. I know Momoe and I did our best to instill those beliefs into both Ren and Kusa growing up. But that's on them if the lessons stuck with them or not." Taichi said as Kusa spoke up warily.

"Yeeeeeah, eheh. You did teach us that, didn't you, Dad? Good times. But in all seriousness? You know that those lessons at least stuck with me. And given how serious Ren is about Sumire, I'd say it stuck with him too." Kusa said as Ren pouted and spoke up.

"That's rich, coming from the guy who almost got blacklisted from how many bathhouses because his girlfriend has an insatiable thirst for his body?" Ren pointed out as Futaba and Sumire both spoke up with flushed cheeks.

"REN!" Futaba and Sumire both said as Kusa spoke up with a frown.

"Very funny, Ren. And for the record, it was only like 15 or so at most. And most, if not all, of those were Taba's fault for being so impatient about dragging me into the girls' sides to have her way with me." Kusa said as Taichi laughed and clapped Ren and Kusa on the shoulders while speaking up.

"Yep, that's my boys! I taught you both well, it seems." Taichi said as Sumire spoke up nervously.

"Did you, though? Because, to be honest? I'm pretty sure you didn't teach Kusa to crack jokes about milking his girlfriend like a cow, nor did you teach Ren to spank girls while taking them doggy style, Taichi-san." Sumire said dryly as a confused Sophia spoke up.

"Spanking? Milking? Doggy-style?" Sophia asked in confusion as an embarrassed and very red-faced Ren turned to look at Sophia before he spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Sophia. Those are all rather grown-up things you're too young to understand. Ask us again when you're older." Ren said before glaring at Sumire for bringing up the bathhouse encounter she and Ren had shared in Sapporo around Sophia. Futaba giggled at Ren's face and spoke up.

"Mwehehe, now who's the one getting busted for being thirsty? Anyways, let's change the subject. Welp, is it time for us to transform from Beach Mode to Barbecue Mode? I'm lookin' forward to it!" Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"Not quite yet. Give it about another hour or so, maybe an hour and a half. I still have a few others to check in with, then I believe I owe Sumire here a nice beachside date." Ren said as Sumire smiled and nodded while speaking up.

"Indeed. And we'll probably leave Sophia with Kusa while we do that, since clearly we can't trust Futaba not to show her inappropriate stuff." Sumire said, giving Futaba a mock-glare as Futaba just childishly stuck her tongue out in response, getting approving laughter from Momoe and Taichi at the sight of their sons' girlfriends playfully bantering with one another. After Ren nodded, he kept looking along the beach, eventually finding Yusuke, Haru and Makoto standing together. After reaching Makoto, Ren spoke up.

"Hey, saw your private chat earlier. Sorry it took so long to get here, big sis. I was checking in with most of the others. Once I check in with you, Haru, and Yusuke, who I didn't expect to see with you two, I just have Goro and Sojiro left to find, since Sumire and Kusa were with Futaba and some other surprise guests we had. But you'll have to wait for the dinner party later to see who I mean. If I'm right, we're gonna have around three, possibly four surprise guests for you to meet." Ren said as Makoto blinked and spoke up while Yusuke and Haru both mouthed 'FOUR!?' under their breath.

"I see. Oh, right. Could I consult you on something, little bro?" Makoto asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Sure. What's on your mind, big sis?" Ren asked as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"So, here's the thing. You might think this is a bit childish, but hear me out. Since we're at the beach and all, I think I'd like to try suikawari. You know, the game where you split a watermelon while blindfolded and dizzy?" Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? That's not that childish at all, big sis. If anything, that sounds kinda fun. But, um? Maybe give us a bit of heads-up before hand so we can keep Sumire's phone a safe distance away so the watermelon doesn't damage either the phone or Sophia." Ren said wisely. Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Yeeah, I didn't really think about that. But that's fair. Also, really!? All right! W-Well, umm, to be honest? It's not like my family ever took a day at the beach together, so I didn't actually get to do it growing up at all." Makoto said as a 'BIP!' from Ren's borrowed phone preceded Sophia speaking up, a content smile on her face.

"Oh? Splitting a watermelon, you say? That sounds fun. I would like to watch." Sophia said as Ren spoke up.

"From a safe distance, Sophia. I don't think you want to accidentally damage the phone you're in if Makoto splits the watermelon too wildly. This phone might be waterproof, but I don't know if it's food-proof." Ren said wisely. Makoto blinked and spoke up.

"G-Good point, little bro. And yeah, Sophia? I'm happy to hear that." Makoto said as Sophia spoke up with a nod.

"I understand your point, Ren. I'm sure you and Sumire will take the appropriate precautions to ensure both my safety and that of Sumire's phone while Makoto busts that big, juicy melon open." Sophia said as both Ren and Makoto's eyes widened as the former spoke up while looking at Sophia.

"Um, Sophia? Watch your word choice, please? Stuff like what you just said can have multiple meanings, meaning someone could've heard that and taken it out of context, very badly." Ren said as Sophia blinked and cocked her head to the side slightly in confusion inside of Sumire's phone while she spoke up, before her eyes widened mid-sentence as she realized what Ren was alluding to.

"Oh? OHH! Sorry. I didn't think about that. But, annnnyways! I'm more than happy to watch. And I'm happy to help with preparations, if you like. You will need one watermelon, and-" Sophia said as Ren cut her off mid-sentence by speaking up.

"Probably a blindfold. Or do people not blindfold themselves to hit melons? I thought I recalled that being a thing people did when hitting watermelons?" Ren asked as Makoto nodded and spoke up, a wince on her face as she spoke.

"No, you're right. People do use blindfolds. Mind, that's usually moreso for pinatas than watermelons, but they do use blindfolds for both. So we'll need something to cover my eyes. I guess I'll also need a big stick of some sort? You know, now that we've started the actual planning, I'm beginning to get a bit nervous, little bro." Makoto said as Sophia spoke up before Ren could crack the joke he'd had about Ryuji helping Makoto soothe her nerves as only he can.

"Is that so? Perhaps you should warm up as much as you feel necessary in the Jail first before taking your skills to the fruit. Once you've split enough Shadows, a watermelon won't affect your nerves at all." Sophia said as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Um, Sophia? I don't usually split them, but a warm-up does sound like a good idea. Maybe I should file a request before I go pick up a watermelon. Sorry if this is silly, Ren, but I hope you'll oblige me." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Sure thing, big sis. You know I'm always here for you if you need me." Ren said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, little bro. I know you've got my back. Hey, but I hope Zenkichi-san isn't too upset with us for that prank we played on him earlier." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I don't think he's angry at any of the girls, aside from maybe Futaba and Sumire. But I think he's mostly irate with myself, Morgana, Yusuke, Ann, Ryuji, and both Futaba and Sumire. So I think you're safe." Ren said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Good point. Anyway, today has reminded me a lot of our time at the beach four years ago." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"True, but I'd like to think this time was a lot nicer since other than Zenkichi playfully chasing most of us around the beach for burying him in sand, there were no real tempers flared. Whereas when we did this before, I seem to recall that both Ryuji and Kusa's tempers flared a lot, along with Morgana's to a point. Speaking of Morgana, I haven't seen him since he headed off for a walk earlier." Ren said as Yusuke spoke up, drawing Ren's attention to the yellow hat and blue un-zipped hooded sweater Yusuke had on.

"Ah yes, our trip with Futaba to the beach. Not to mention, our time in Hawaii, on your school trip." Yusuke said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"If I recall correctly, wasn't that the trip where Ren and Sumire both elected to sneak off and spend time together near the end of the trip, assuming Ann wasn't exaggerating when she mentioned that the next day? Hee hee. Anyways, it was pretty soon after that Hawaii trip that I got to know you all. Even so, I never could've imagined we'd all share an RV as we traveled cross-country on a mission." Haru said as Yusuke spoke up in shock.

"Indeed. Has it really been almost four whole years since that trip? I wonder where we'll be in another four years, to be honest." Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"Hopefully still in touch, to be honest. I mean, I might see about moving to Yongen-Jaya permanently after this vacation, but even so, who's to say we won't have some or all of us fall out of contact again like what happened briefly with both Goro and Kusa?" Ren pointed out as Yusuke chuckled and spoke up.

"Heheh, no need for such concern. I vow, here and now, to never miss a single payment on my cell phone bill." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up with a wince.

"I see. I didn't think you could afford a cell phone, but I guess I was wrong on that. Well, good for you, I suppose." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Pretty sure Hifumi is paying for the bill so Yusuke can focus his money on art supplies and food. She makes enough with her pro shogi career for it, at least. Luckily for Yusuke, Hifumi's mom approves of her dating Yusuke, so she's also willing to support the two to some extent." Ren said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"I can see that. After all, Yusuke-kun and Togo-san are so adorable together. Remind me to share the photo Mako-chan sent me of Yusuke-kun and Togo-san cuddled together on the beach during the school trip to Hawaii four years ago next time we're all in a group chat together. And there's no need to worry if we do ever lose touch with one another. Provided we know where each of us lives, we'll all just come over and visit in person. Hee hee, I cannot wait! But I know I'm personally looking forward to the future, both my own and everyone else's, too." Haru said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I agree. Let's not forget to meet up every so often, yeah? That way, we can always keep each other up to date on the changes in our lives." Makoto said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. And when the time comes, I'll be awaiting a serving of your legendary curry, Ren." Yusuke said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, I agree with Yusuke-kun. Yes, your curry recipe, along with your love for Sumire, are two things that I hope never change." Haru said as Makoto looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Hey. The sun'll be setting soon, little bro. Should we start getting dinner ready?" Makoto asked Ren, who spoke up with a smile.

"Not quite. Give it like another hour or so. I still have to go check in with Goro and Sojiro, and then find Morgana if I can. After that, I owe Sumire a date, then we can start dinner." Ren said as Makoto nodded her understanding as Ren made his way back to the trailer, blinking as he stopped mid-step on noticing Goro and Sojiro laid out side-by-side, seemingly having dozed off together while tanning.

To Ren's confusion, he noticed a younger-looking woman with the two, and this woman seemed to be around 14 or 15 years old if Ren had to guess. Ren then noted the flowing brown hair with dark pink highlights on the tips and pseudo-strawberry blonde streaks on top. Ren thought about it, and idly wondered if this girl might be the roommate that Shiho had mentioned coming to the beach with. Ren then walked over and spoke up to wake up Goro and Sojiro.

"Heh, is the middle of the beach REALLY the best place for a nap, you two?" Ren asked, making Goro and Sojiro both blink as they sat up, both noticing Ren as Goro spoke up.

"Oh, hey Ren. Is it really that late?" Goro asked. Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Nah. You two were only out for a couple of hours at most, probably an hour and a half or so if I had to guess. It's almost sunset, so there's still a little while longer before dinner, but if you need to stretch your legs and wake up, now's probably the time. Once I finish talking to you and take Sumire on the date I promised her, we'll be eating. But more to the point, who's the young woman laying out to work on her tanning in-between you and Sojiro? I don't remember seeing her before?" Ren said as Goro spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, you mean Dojima-san? Apparently she came here with Shiho earlier. Then she decided to lay down between Sojiro and I and work on her tan. She's not bothering anything, so we let her be. But we should probably wake her so she doesn't sleep too much and end up staying up all night as a result." Goro said as he then gently shook Nanako and spoke up.

"Hey, Dojima-san? Wake up. You fell asleep by accident, and it's almost dark." Goro said as Nanako slowly opened up her striking brown eyes and looked around before smiling at Goro as she spoke up after yawning slightly.

"Oh, thank you, Amamiya-san. I didn't realize I'd dozed off. I guess that's how relaxing this beach is. And, umm? Thank you for not trying anything funny while I was asleep." Nanako said as Goro sputtered and spoke up.

"Trying anything-? HEY! I resent that. I might have been single for the longest of my friend group, not counting Morgana, but I'm not the type to take advantage of a lady like that. Besides, I have a girlfriend already, so I have no reason to try anything with you. Not to say that you're not cute, because you are. Just that you're a bit young for me. What are you, like 13 or 14 years old at most?" Goro asked as Nanako pouted and spoke up.

"HEY! I'm 15 and a half, thank you very much. Also, I was being polite when I said that earlier. Oh, and your friend with the beard? He seems really nice. I saw him watching us earlier, but he just nodded at me and told me to enjoy myself before seemingly taking a nap." Nanako said before noticing Ren and speaking up.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry for being rude. Nice to meet you, mister. I'm Nanako Dojima." Nanako said as Ren spoke up with a smile.

"That's quite all right, little one. I'm Ren Amamiya. Goro here is technically my older brother by a little over a year, but he doesn't act like it at times." Ren joked as Goro spoke up.

"Very funny, Ren. Remind me to give you a hard time like this the next time you introduce a girl to the rest of the group." Goro said while pouting as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"You're funny, Amamiya-san the elder." Nanako said to Goro as she turned to Ren.

"And it's nice to meet you too, Amamiya-san the younger." Nanako said to Ren, who chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, it's weird hearing someone call me that instead of my younger brother." Ren said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"Be fair, Ren. It's not often people see you hanging around without Kusa, so it's an easy mistake to make." Goro said as Ren spoke up.

"Very funny." Ren said as Sojiro spoke up.

"At least you three get along, so that's something, right? You said it was almost dinner?" Sojiro asked as Ren nodded and Sojiro spoke up.

"I see. I suppose I should get up and go walk around a bit and stretch my legs then. You can join me if you like, Goro and Dojima-san." Sojiro said as Goro spoke up.

"I think I will join you, Sojiro. I dunno if Dojima-san has that luxury?" Goro said as Nanako spoke up.

"I'll pass this time on joining you two, Amamiya-san the elder and, uhh, I'm sorry. Who'd you say you were, sir?" Nanako asked Sojiro, who chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? Sorry about that, little lady. I'm Sojiro Sakura. I'm basically the oldest member of this group. And what Goro and Ren appear to have failed to mention is that their younger brother Kusa is dating my daughter Futaba." Sojiro said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Thanks for the offer, Sakura-san the elder, but I'll pass. If he doesn't mind, I might spend some time getting to know Amamiya-kun the middle a bit instead." Nanako said as Ren blinked and spoke up warily.

"I'd love to spend time talking with and getting to know you, Dojima-san. I really would. The thing is, I already promised my girlfriend Sumire a date and she's been waiting a while as it is. Maybe if you're still around after dinner, we can hang out then?" Ren said as Nanako smiled and nodded before speaking up.

"That's fine. At least you're honest. I guess in the meantime, I'll find some way to keep myself occupied then?" Nanako said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Tell you what, Dojima-san. If you want, you can accompany me back to the RV my group is sharing, and I can introduce you to mine and Goro's brother and both his girlfriend Futaba and my girlfriend Sumire, and maybe Kusa and Futaba will hang out with you, if they're not tied up hanging out with our other guests." Ren said as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"That sounds good. As long as I make sure Suzui-san knows where I am, that should be fine." Nanako said happily as Ren nodded while Goro and Sojiro took off walking down the beach. While heading along the beach to guide Nanako to the RV, Ren and Nanako managed to dig up two pieces of treasure that were identified as the 'Sea Glass' and 'Natural Pearl'. After putting the treasures away, Ren reached the RV with Nanako in tow. Sumire spoke up after noticing Nanako following behind Ren. *1*

"Welcome back, Ren. Who's this?" Sumire asked as Ren spoke up.

"Ah, right. Sumire, Kusa, Futaba, Mom, Dad? This is Nanako Dojima. Her roommate is Ann's girlfriend, Shiho Suzui. For now, she's tagging along with me since I told her I'd introduce her to you guys and see if any of you wanted to hang with her while Sumire and I go on our date. Dojima-san? The two redheads are Futaba Sakura, Kusa's girlfriend, and Sumire Yoshizawa, my girlfriend. The smirking man on Futaba's right is my younger brother, Kusa Amamiya. And the elder couple on Kusa's right are mine and Kusa's mother, Momoe Amamiya, and my dad, Taichi Amamiya." Ren said as Nanako's eyes widened as she saw Kusa and Sumire and spoke up in awe.

"Whoa, no way. Your little brother is the 'Kung-Fu Dragon', and your girlfriend is the up-and-coming gymnast, Sumire Yoshizawa? That's so cool!" Nanako said as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"Mwehehe, you have no idea how much Kusa gets embarrassed whenever someone asks him about his nickname. For someone who's considered a martial-arts prodigy, Kusa is surprisingly humble when he wants to be. Of course, I might find that to be one of his most adorable qualities, but that's beside the point, isn't it? Anyways, nice to meet you, Dojima-san." Futaba said coyly as Kusa merely stuck his tongue out childishly at Futaba, getting giggles from both Nanako and Sophia, the latter from inside of Sumire's phone. Sumire, once she finished laughing at Kusa's rare moment of childish immaturity, shyly smiled and spoke up, her cheeks pinking at Nanako's mention of her having a reputation as an up-and-coming gymnast while she spoke.

"I had no idea I had a reputation as a gymnast already. That's nice. Granted, Kusa's usually the one with the reputation." Sumire said as an amused Kusa spoke up with a wry smirk.

"Welcome to the world of fame, Sumire. As long as you make sure yours doesn't get out of hand like mine has more than once, fame isn't that bad. But if you don't handle it properly, it can be fleeting and fickle. Also, I take it you're a fan of martial arts to know that nickname? Either way, nice to meet you, Dojima-san." Kusa said sagely. Ren smirked and spoke up.

"While that is true, unlike Kusa, who has a reputation on the martial-arts circuit, poor Sumire, due to still struggling to get her big break as a gymnast, lacks anything even remotely resembling a reputation. Isn't that right, Kusa?" Ren said to Kusa, who huffed and spoke up.

"Very funny. But anyways, go on and take your girlfriend for that date. Just make sure you're not too close to the trailer if you two decide to fool around. If nothing else, wouldn't want impressionable little eyes and ears able to see and/or hear that, I'm sure." Kusa said with a smirk, ignoring the twin pouts aimed at him by Nanako and Sophia, even if the latter did so from inside of Sumire's phone. Ren nodded and turned to Sumire.

"Ready to go, beautiful? I did pick us out a pretty good spot." Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. I got the sunscreen, I got towels for us to lay on, and I have a Senpai to love on." Sumire said, giving Ren a coy yet playful/flirty wink as she said the last bit, making Ren blush slightly but nod as he took Sumire's hand and the two walked off after Sumire handed her phone to Kusa so he could watch over Sophia. Once Ren and Sumire left to start their date, Taichi turned to Kusa, Futaba, and Momoe as he spoke up.

"Well, it sounds like dinner is coming up. However, I believe that Kusa mentioned to Momoe and I when he came over here a few minutes ago that it was Suzui-san's birthday? If so, maybe we should go see if that guy Momoe knows is working the sweets shop so he can give her a cake on the cheap?" Taichi said as Momoe shook her head and spoke up.

"I think he said he was taking the summer off. But he might be working? We can go find out." Momoe said as Taichi nodded and turned to Nanako, Futaba, and Kusa.

"You guys coming with?" Taichi asked as Futaba and Nanako nodded, though Kusa shook his head and spoke up.

"Nah, I think I'll stick around here a bit and take in the view of the sunset, maybe take a walk around the beach and see how the others are faring or something. You go have fun, though." Kusa said as the others nodded and left without him, leaving Kusa there, with only Sophia for company, since he still had Sumire's phone on him. Kusa then walked around to check on people, figuring he could let Zenkichi get some rest inside the RV...

(Meanwhile, in a rocky outcropping on the far side of the beach, with Ren and Sumire)

"Here we are, one out-of-the-way rocky outcropping. And it even has a nice view of the sky to boot." Ren said as Sumire smiled, setting down the two towels she'd brought next to one another, laying them out under the big rock that arced slightly, perfectly concealing her and Ren from view. Afterwards, Sumire smiled as she pulled out the bottles of sunscreen she'd brought, setting them both on a nearby rock as she picked up one bottle, squeezed some onto her hands, lathered them up, and smiled at Ren as she spoke.

"Hee hee, guess I get to lotion you up first, Ren." Sumire said as Ren nodded, laying out on the red towel Sumire had chosen for him, smirking at the black stripes along the red towel, noting that it struck him as vaguely similar to the patterns on a lot of the group's calling cards. As he got comfortable, Sumire giggled as she let herself enjoy running her hands along Ren's chest to apply the sunscreen to his body, even taking a moment to rub some on his exposed legs and shoulders.

After she finished applying lotion, Sumire walked out and leaned over to use the sea water to rinse the excess lotion off of her hands. Afterwards, she walked back over to Ren and spoke up, not seeing the amused smile on his face as she spoke from having gotten an ample glimpse of her butt as she bent over to rinse the lotion off her hands.

"Well, guess it's your turn now, Senpai. Make sure you get lotion everywhere you can reach, yeah?" Sumire said as Ren nodded, lathering up his hands before carefully and eagerly massaging the sunscreen into the bare skin of his girlfriend's exposed back, smirking as he noticed she'd playfully untied the back of her bikini top to give Ren better access to her back and shoulders, which Ren gratefully massaged the lotion into, eventually working his way down to rub lotion on Sumire's legs and calves, resisting the urge to rub lotion on the exposed parts of Sumire's butt.

However, Ren did take the opportunity to playfully straddle Sumire's butt while getting sunscreen on her, eventually getting up to rinse his hands off, but not before yelping in surprise as he felt Sumire's hand deftly reach up to spank him playfully as he got up. After he got back, Sumire turned around and fixed her top as Ren laid next to her, laying her head on Ren's shoulder as the two looked up at the sky. Sumire smiled as she spoke up.

"Wow. The view is so pretty. I half expected it to be somehow different now that we're seeing it as boyfriend and girlfriend, rather than as close friends tap-dancing around their feelings. But it feels almost the same as when we saw this in Hawaii almost four years ago, if not better." Sumire said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. But I still say I'm blessed, since I have a sexy woman like you as my girlfriend. And I wouldn't give that up for anything." Ren said as he leaned down to steal a kiss from a giggling Sumire, who returned the kiss and spoke up with a smile.

"I thought that was my line, Ren. After all, I got lucky enough to have a hot, caring, and kind-hearted man like you as my boyfriend. What more could a girl want? The fact that you have an incredibly toned and gifted body is just the icing on the cake." Sumire said as she looked into Ren's eyes before smirking impishly while she kept speaking.

"You know, I'm pretty sure no one could see us if we stay behind that big rock there. So in theory, we could easily get away with sneaking a quickie if we keep it relatively quiet, since I think I recall Kusa saying Ann and Shiho were having quality time somewhere near this spot. Then again, if I'm right, they'll be too busy with their own thing to worry about us hopefully." Sumire said as Ren grinned and spoke up huskily.

"Oh? Are my ears working correctly? I think I just heard you imply you wanted to try sex on the beach. Was that what you just said, Sumi?" Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"What do you think, Ren? Of course I want to ravage you on the beach. The idea that we could get caught just makes it more thrilling, I think. Besides, I owe you a late birthday present anyways since we missed your birthday last month." Sumire said as Ren thought about it and nodded while speaking up in an excited and aroused tone.

**M-RATED CONTENT STARTS HERE. IF YOU DON'T LIKE READING LEMONS AND/OR ADULT SCENES, SKIP AHEAD TO THE SECTION MARKED **END OF M-RATED CONTENT** NOW, UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND READING SUCH THINGS, IN WHICH CASE YOU READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! M-RATED SCENE STARTS NOW!**

"I'm down for that if you are, beautiful. Now c'mere." Ren said as he got up and sexily straddled a blushing Sumire's waist while leaning in to kiss her passionately, which she eagerly returned, her hands hungrily running themselves all over Ren's chest, trying to caress as much skin as possible. Eventually, Ren leaned in to gently but lovingly suck on Sumire's neckline, making her moan appreciatively as she leaned back to give Ren better access to her neckline, subconsciously licking her lips eagerly, anticipating the antics she and Ren were about to get up to. After a bit of lightly sucking on Sumire's neckline and collarbone, leaving at least one mark on Sumire's collarbone, Ren smiled at Sumire as he spoke up.

"Heh, sorry. Felt like doing that. Now, what say we start getting some of that off of you? It looks so constricting and warm on you." Ren said huskily, suggestively rubbing Sumire's shoulders and making her blush as she nodded, reaching behind her back to eagerly un-tie and toss aside her bikini top, letting her ample breasts fall free for Ren to enjoy, making Ren grin happily as he moved his hands down to cup Sumire's breasts, gently caressing each of the exposed mounds of flesh and massaging them lovingly, drawing many pleased yet throaty moans from Sumire, who leaned back and let Ren lavish attention on her, her eyes focused firmly on the prominently visible bulge in Ren's swim trunks.

After Ren spent several long and enjoyable minutes lavishing attention on each of Sumire's breasts, Ren then smirked as he looked into Sumire's eyes as if asking permission, and when Sumire merely gave a meek but agreeable nod to Ren's unspoken question, Ren eagerly hooked his hands around the top of Sumire's bikini bottoms, sliding them easily down her legs and tossing them over to land next to her bikini top, leaving her totally naked in the light of the brilliant orange twilight skies behind Ren and Sumire.

Once Sumire was naked, Ren wasted no time in carefully running his hands along Sumire's inner thighs, carefully massaging every bit of exposed skin, and getting even more approving moans from her along with the occasional mewl or two of delight, during which his hand would occasionally slip down between Sumire's thighs to graze the slightly damp folds between her legs, making Sumire moan out happily whenever she felt Ren's fingers brush against the nub between her legs. Once Ren saw the pleading look on Sumire's face, he nodded to her unspoken question, gently using his hands to spread her legs out a bit and give him access to her slightly moist entrance, which he lowered his mouth onto and slightly kneaded the folds of with his teeth playfully, making Sumire whine slightly as she spoke up.

"Reeen! Don't tease me like that, dammit. If you're gonna feast on my womanhood, just eat me already!" Sumire said in a husky yet almost commanding whisper, getting a nod from Ren, who slid his tongue easily into her entrance, tracing circles on the inner walls of Sumire's womanhood, getting very husky and appreciative moans from her as he ate her out. As he went to work on satisfying Sumire, she giggled as she saw the increasingly prominent bulge in Ren's boxers, speaking up teasingly.

"You know Ren, it's only fair that since I showed you my body, you can return the favor and show me yours." Sumire said slyly, making Ren smirk and nod as he used his free hand to easily slide his swim trunks to his ankles, after which he slipped them off his legs, catching them in one hand and over-hand tossing them down next to Sumire's discarded bikini, letting his massive erection fall free for Sumire to freely admire, which she did, slyly smirking as she kept speaking.

"Turn that lower half around and let me pleasure you like you're pleasuring me." Sumire said as Ren merely nodded, wordlessly shifting his legs so that his erection was dangling over Sumire's face, making her giggle happily as Ren lowered it to her eye level, letting her eagerly lean up to press a cute sort of butterfly kiss to Ren's tip, making him shudder in a mix of euphoria, arousal, and delight, and causing him to give off an involuntary moan which caused his tongue to stroke Sumire's inner walls, making her also moan.

For a while afterwards, the only sounds that could be heard was the occasional moans of ecstacy and euphoria as Sumire and Ren went to work servicing each other's private parts. Eventually, Sumire shuddered as she felt her walls start to shake a bit, moaning as she spoke up, not caring that her tongue was stroking Ren's cock while doing so, which she'd taken into her mouth at some point during her and Ren's intimate exchange.

"Ooh, fuck me. That feels amazing, Ren. I think you've got me close!" Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Good, I'm doing my job right, then." Ren said as Sumire nodded, eagerly wrapping her tongue around Ren's shaft as she happily sucked on it like a particularly enjoyable lollipop. After a bit, Ren grunted as he felt his length twitch in Sumire's mouth and he spoke up.

"Oh hell yes! Keep that up, Sumi! I think I'm close now too." Ren said, having resorted to using both his tongue and fingers to stimulate his girlfriend's womanhood at that point. Sumire smiled and nodded, before giving off a very involuntary moan as she felt herself arc backwards, smiling euphorically as she spoke up.

"Reeeen! Yeeeeessss! I'm comin', Senpai!" Sumire said, crying out Ren's name in a mix of ecstacy, euphoria and delight as she felt herself get driven over the edge by the combined efforts of Ren's hands and tongue, ultimately feeling herself release inside Ren's mouth, as he'd wrapped his entire mouth over her womanhood in anticipation of her climax, smiling as he felt Sumire's juices squirt into his mouth over and over, letting him get a taste of the subtle hints of cinnamon and bento flavoring that was Sumire's release, making him smile as he dutifully lapped up every bit of her juices. Not long after swallowing every bit of her release, Ren spoke up with a grunt as he felt his cock twitch again.

"I hope you've got me aimed where you want me, beautiful! I think I'm gonna blow!" Ren said as Sumire giggled, sliding Ren's entire length into her mouth in time for his release to shoot out, load after load of cum shooting down the back of her throat, which she eagerly took in and swallowed every drop of dutifully. After Ren and Sumire both finished their respective releases, they panted slightly before collapsing on top of one another, both smiling ear-to-ear despite being slick with sweat from the efforts they'd just exuded. Ren then looked into Sumire's eyes and smiled as he spoke up.

**END OF M-RATED CONTENT. STORY RESUMES HERE IF YOU SKIPPED THE PRECEDING LEMON. CONTINUE READING FROM THIS POINT. STORY CONTINUES NOW**

"Heh, I have no idea what I was expecting, beautiful. But that was incredible. Sorry we're not going all the way just now, but I feel like we might want to save some of our energy for later. But still, I have to say. You look so unbelievably sexy right now lying there in your birthday suit panting from sucking me off like the sexy seductress you are." Ren said as Sumire giggled, smirking at the blush that crossed Ren's face from seeing her breasts jiggle around from her giggles while she spoke up.

"True, but this is only for you, Ren. You're the only man I act like this around. And that's because you're the man I love with all my heart." Sumire said as she laid her head on Ren's chest, making Ren smirk as he spoke up.

"I see. As much as I could get used to this, we should probably head back soon, since the sun's starting to set and the others are probably getting antsy waiting on us to get back for dinner." Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Ren. Y'know, we should take a picture laying together like this on your phone, so you have a dirty photo of us to get off to in an emergency. Also, I like the idea that you have a nude photo of us together on your phone." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but if I'm keeping it, I'm putting my arm over your nipples, since only I get to see those. Well, me and everyone who was at Ann's birthday party a bit less than four years ago. But most of them aren't gonna be that apt to want to see those again." Ren said huskily as Sumire nodded her understanding, draping an arm over her breasts as Ren got his phone and took a photo of himself and Sumire laying together in their birthday suits. Afterwards, Ren saved it and put a lock on it so only he could see it, before handing Sumire her bikini and getting his swim trunks while he kept speaking.

"As sexy as it would be to streak back to the RV, we should probably get dressed, if only for the sake of not scarring the others and/or exposing Sophia to non age-appropriate stuff." Ren said as Sumire nodded and the two got dressed before gathering up the towels and sunscreen and heading back to the RVs...

(A short time later, in the Sapporo Jail with Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Crow, Violet, Draconis, Seeker, and Pendragon)

While fighting some enemies in the Sapporo Jail for a request a short time later, both Mona and Seeker hit level 43, the level-ups giving Mona access to the passive skill 'Wind Boost', making him smirk as he spoke up.

"HA! Now I'm even more charming!" Mona said as Seeker spoke up.

"Sure you are, Mona. Luckily for all of us, Zenkichi was willing to keep our guests company while we slipped off to deal with these requests. Good job on the new skill, though." Seeker said happy, making Mona nod approvingly as Diego acquired 'Wind Boost'. But that wasn't all, as the level-ups also gave Seeker a new move in the form of the support skill 'Marakunda?', making Seeker smile as she spoke up.

"New skill acquired! I'd like to try it out soon." Seeker said as Violet spoke up.

"I'm sure you'll get your chance soon enough, sweetie. I'm proud of you for getting that skill, though." Violet said as Seeker beamed, smiling happily ear-to-ear as Pithos acquired 'Marakunda?'. After the battle, Joker swapped out Mona and Seeker for Skull and Fox, sending Mona and Seeker over to Group C, where Skull and Fox had been working with Queen and Pendragon.

A short time later, after defeating some stronger Shadows while doing requests and hunting for Treasure Demons to raise up extra yen for the group, the ensuing EXP gains lifted Crow, Draconis, and Pendragon to level 43. Most surprisingly of all, the level-ups gave Crow a new skill in the form of the heavy-tier Almighty skill 'Megidola' for Hereward. Crow smirked and spoke up.

"Well, well. What're the chances I get to the next level of Almighty power before Draconis does? Not bad at all, if I do say so myself." Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"Shut up! You didn't beat me to it by THAT much, I'm sure. However, congrats on the new skill, Crow! That's a very much deserved upgrade for Hereward that you just got right there!" Draconis said with a smile as Crow nodded his agreement as Hereward acquired 'Megidola'.

(A while later, back in the real world, inside the RV with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Goro, Sumire, Kusa, Sophia, and Sojiro)

After doing some requests, Ren gathered the rest of the Thieves in the RV while Zenkichi kept the guests entertained. After turning in the request 'Beachside Blast', Makoto spoke up in surprise.

"Incredible! Whoa, look at this watermelon! Looks like I've got my hands full, all right. Now I need to make sure I can crack it open cleanly so everyone can have some." Makoto said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Care to get started, then? Oh, wait. But, what about the stick?" Sophia asked as Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Uhh, good question. And speaking of which, I have something to say about that. When I was fighting Shadows in the Sapporo Jail, I realized something. Rather than wield a weapon I'm not as familiar with, like a stick, I figured my fist might give us better results, even if I have to wash the fist in question afterwards." Makoto said before her expression turned much more determined as she spoke up.

"And now I'm nice and warmed up, thanks to that Jail excursion we just undertook. I feel like I could split it right down the middle now!" Makoto said as Sophia spoke up with wide eyes, and what appeared to be a look of mixed awe and respect on her face.

"Whoa! So bold, Makoto. Truly impressive and admirable." Sophia said as Makoto nodded before turning to Ren and speaking up.

"If I manage to break it into acceptable pieces, would you help me pass them out to the rest of the group? Of course, you can claim the best pieces for yourself and Sumire first if you do this, Ren. After all, you put the most effort into helping out with my request." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, but if we do this, we should make sure to have enough for everyone, not just the thirteen of us. After all, we have five guests to think of, four if we exclude Zenkichi due to being an ally rather than a guest." Kusa said sagely as Sumire nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Kusa has a good point. It would only be fair to have enough for everyone if we're divvying it up." Sumire said as Makoto nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Okay, that's a good point, Kusa and Sumire. Ren, I'll let you know when I'm ready. Sophia, count my spins for me when it's whacking time, all right?" Makoto said as Ren and Sophia nodded their agreement. A short time later, Makoto successfully split the watermelon open evenly, which was then split up into eighteen pieces, one for every member present (with one put aside in the fridge to give to Sophia the next time the group headed into the Metaverse).

Once that was done, Ren decided to get started cooking up some of the new recipes he'd gotten recently. To start out, Ren decided to cook up the 'Sapporo Takoyaki' Goro had given him the recipe for. As it turned out, it was easy to make since it only required 2 'Salmon' ingredients and 2 'Tuna' ingredients. Soon enough, the trailer smelled like high-quality takoyaki, making Goro smirk as he spoke up.

"Ahh, I recognize that scent. You decided to take a stab at that recipe I gave you, didn't you Ren?" Goro asked as Ren nodded and Goro spoke up.

"I must say, that smells rather delectable. It seems that you were blessed with most of the cooking talent out of yourself, me, and Kusa-san." Goro said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, fair is fair. I got most of the gaming and martial-arts skills anyways, and Goro over here got most of the suaveness and charisma." Kusa said as Goro slowly nodded before frowning as he spoke up.

"Yes, true. I got most of the-HEY! Was that an insult!?" Goro asked as Kusa grinned and spoke up.

"Not at all, Goro. I was complimenting you. Don't get your panties in such a bunch, man." Kusa said as Ryuji and Ren exchanged amused looks before both of them lost it and burst out laughing at Kusa's remark about Goro not getting his panties in a knot. Haru frowned at Kusa and spoke up.

"Um, Kusa-kun? I know that was a joke, but can you at least try not to poke so much fun at Goro, please? He's just trying to do his best." Haru said from next to Goro, who smiled appreciatively at her and gently pressed a kiss to the back of Haru's hand in a rather gentlemanly manner, making Haru blush prettily at the gesture as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, are you blushing, Haru-senpai? It's not a crime to have your boyfriend love on you, you know." Sumire said as Haru spoke up.

"Sumire-chan, you have a point. But still, it's still new to me, having a man actually want to shower me with affection and not just be using me for an arranged marriage." Haru said honestly as Goro spoke up.

"We'll get you used to it together, Haru. I promise you that. In time you'll see that I'm nothing like that pathetic pissant Sugimura. For one, I don't go around kicking cats into walls in order to assert my dominance. And for two, I would never dream to comment on a lady's weight like he did to you, Haru." Goro said as Haru smiled, leaning happily into Goro's chest, both Goro and Haru ignoring the indignant sputter of 'HEY! Was that 'kicks cats into walls' bit of your last comment aimed at me, Goro!? I'll have you know, I'm NOT a cat!' that Morgana uttered from Ren's bag as Ren noted that the Sapporo Takoyaki was a hit, and he should keep the leftovers for later.

After he put the leftovers away, Ren decided to make 2 of the 'Kyoto Curry' that he'd gotten the recipe for while staying the night at Zenkichi and Akane's house. As if summoned by the smell of the familiar curry, Makoto spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"All right! Oh, I remember this. It's the curry we made at Zenkichi-san's place the other night. The Kyoto-farmed veggies really do add flavor, don't they?" Makoto asked as Ryuji spoke up with a grin.

"Oh, yeah. For sure, babe! Also, Akane was super-stoked about it, huh?" Ryuji said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, why don't you teach Zenkichi how to make it sometime, Ren? Then we can have him cook it for her!" Futaba said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"With all apologies to you Ren, do you really think that Zenkichi might want to learn a cooking recipe from someone he probably considers a kid?" Sojiro asked warily as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I understand, Sojiro. And I wouldn't dream of forcing him to learn. I might ask him if he wants to learn sometime, but if he says no, I'll leave it at that." Ren said, smiling as he saw that the Kyoto curry was a big hit with the group. Ren noted he should save the leftovers for later. Once that was done, Ren cooked up some Goat Soup. After he finished, Morgana's eyes widened as he spoke up in horror.

"GYAAAAAGH! Hrgh!? What's this noxious odor!?" Morgana asked as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you hadn't experienced this yet, Mona-chan. It's the goat soup Ren and I ate earlier today. The smell does linger for quite a while, though." Haru said as Makoto spoke up.

"True. Regardless, it's still delicious, and it goes down surprisingly smooth." Makoto said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yes. Though the smell is indeed strong, the taste is rather mellow. I wouldn't mind starting every day with a heaping, healthy portion." Yusuke said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Uh, Yusuke? Please don't." Morgana said as most of the others nodded their agreement. Ren frowned and noted that while it didn't have nearly the reception the rest of his recipe attempts had, the goat soup still seemed to go over all right with the group. Ren shrugged, figuring he could probably share the leftovers with Sumire later, since she seemed to not mind it that much. After he cleaned up the goat soup, Ren made the last new recipe he had on hand, or the 'Okinawa Soba' recipe he got for Ryuji. After serving it up, the rest of the group eagerly smiled as they enjoyed the soba. At one point, Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile and a giggle.

"Hee hee hee! MMMM! This Okinawa soba's soooo gooood! The clear, savory broth, goes perfectly with the fat-speckled meat in a perfect pairing. It's impossible to stop eating!" Ann said as Ryuji frowned at Ann's remark. Ann noticed this and spoke up.

"Huh? What's wrong, Ryuji? You're not gonna eat?" Ann asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Nah, I'm gonna eat. It's just that, I mean, it's called 'Okinawa' soba, right? So I thought it's better to eat it somewhere hot and sunny, with sweat runnin' down my face!" Ryuji said as Haru, Sumire, and Makoto all scrunched up their noses in disgust at this and spoke up.

"EWWW!" Haru, Sumire, and Makoto all said together as Sumire spoke up.

"Can you keep that type of description to yourself while we're eating, Ryuji-senpai?" Sumire asked with a frown as Ryuji spoke up.

"Sorry, my bad. Know what? I'm gonna go eat outside!" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"In front of our guests? We should've really offered them some of this food Ren's cooked so far." Kusa pointed out wisely. Ann spoke up, not noticing both Kusa and Goro stifling laughter at what she said next.

"Good point, Kusa. Also, wow. Are you seriously for real right now, Ryuji?" Ann said before she giggled and kept speaking.

"Well, in any case, it's clear to see this man's a real ramen buffoon." Ann said as Goro and Kusa looked at each other and both of them lost it at that and burst out laughing at Ann's remark. Eventually Goro calmed himself enough to speak up.

"Ha, you said 'buffoon', Ann-san. That's funny." Goro said as Ryuji pouted and spoke up.

"HEY! I'm not a buffoon." Ryuji said while crossing his arms and pouting. Ren smirked at this while noting that the Okinawa soba was a big hit, and maybe he should save the leftovers for later. Afterwards, Ren finished putting all the leftovers away and spoke up.

"Good, that's the last of the leftovers dealt with. I suppose now would be a good time to tend to our guests, yeah?" Ren said as the others nodded, heading out of the RV in a single-flle line to address the quartet of guests sitting outside with Zenkichi, all of whom looked up as the group filed out of the RV. Kusa then spoke up while looking at the quartet of guests.

"First of all, sorry for keeping you all waiting so long. We had some stuff we had to address in private, but that's all sorted out. But before all else, we're thinkin' of having a barbecue to make the most of being on the beach. Any of you that want to are welcome to stay and join in. But I understand if any of you have things to do." Kusa said as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"I can't speak up for you and Ren-kun's parents, but I know that Dojima-san and I are more than willing to stick around for a barbecue." Shiho said with a smile as Nanako smiled and spoke up after nodding her agreement of Shiho's words.

"Definitely! I haven't gotten to partake of a barbecue in a couple years now. So I'm definitely up for staying." Nanako said as Taichi spoke up.

"Momoe and I don't have anywhere to be, since we already dealt with what we needed to do earlier." Taichi said as Momoe spoke up.

"Agreed. Oh, but Taichi? Come help me get the surprise for the birthday girl out of the car?" Momoe said as Taichi nodded, not seeing Goro, Haru, and Makoto exchange confused looks as Kusa spoke up.

"Oh? You got something for Shiho? How'd you know it's her birthday today?" Kusa asked, making everyone's eyes other than Ren, Kusa, Ann, Sojiro, Zenkichi, and Shiho widen at what Kusa had said. Momoe nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Since I heard Dojima-san mention her birthday being today, me and Taichi, along with Dojima-san and Futaba, headed into town to pick up a cake for the birthday girl. Hopefully we picked out a cake type she likes." Momoe said before leaving briefly with Taichi, returning a few minutes later hauling a black-marble chocolate cheesecake between them, making the eyes of Kusa, Ann, and Shiho all widen as the latter spoke up.

"Holy crap! Is that actually a marble-chocolate cheesecake!? I've wanted to try one of those! Thank you so much, Mister and Miss Amamiya-san." Shiho said as Taichi spoke up with a chuckle.

"Now, now. Kusa and Ren said they practically see you as a sister, so you can call the two of us Taichi and Momoe if you like." Taichi said as Shiho smiled and spoke up.

"Ahh, I see. Thank you, Taichi-san. You and Momoe-san can call me Shiho then, if you like. That said, I appreciate what you and Momoe-san did for me a lot." Shiho said as Goro and Kusa lit the 22 candles for the cake, since it was Shiho's 22nd birthday, after which the group all pitched together to sing 'Happy Birthday' to an embarrassed, but grateful, Shiho. *2*

To everyone's surprise except Nanako's, it turned out that Nanako was actually a very good singer. After Shiho took a breath, she made a wish. And to her surprise, the candles were all blown out in one go. Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Yay! That means whatever you wished for should come true!" Ann said as Shiho slyly smirked at Ann and spoke up.

"You know full well what I wished for, Ann. But I can't say in front of polite company, not just out of superstition." Shiho said as Nanako tilted her head to the side slightly and spoke up.

"Ohh, right. Is Takamaki-san the girlfriend you told me about, Suzui-san?" Nanako asked innocently, not seeing the many sets of widened eyes that her words got. Eventually, a kindly-smiling Momoe was the first to speak up.

"Ohh, yeah. Now that I think about it, Ren, Goro and Kusa did mention how one of their friends was into girls and had a girlfriend. Was that you, Takamaki-san? Don't worry. Taichi and I don't judge people for those sorts of choices. We prefer to go off of their merits as a person or their character, rather than whatever life choices they make." Momoe said reassuringly to a blushing Shiho, who simply nodded as Ann spoke up.

"Yeah, fine, you got me. I like both genders, and Shiho is my girlfriend. So thank you both for making Shiho's birthday that much more special." Ann said as Taichi spoke up.

"You're welcome, Takamaki-san." Taichi said as the cake was set out while the group started setting up for the barbecue, leaving Ren to frown as Sumire saw this and spoke up.

"Ren? What's wrong?" Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Most of us are here. But based on a quick mental head count I took of everyone, I can't help but notice that Morgana is unaccounted for. Do you think he went for a walk after we got back from the RV?" Ren asked Sumire, who spoke up.

"Hmm, that's odd. Now that you mention it, I don't see him anywhere either." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Maybe he did go for a walk then. Even so, I don't want him going too far. Should we go look for him?" Ren asked Sumire, who nodded as she spoke up.

"I agree. The two of us, and maybe Sophia if she wants to help us find Morgana, can look for him while the others set up the barbecue." Sumire said as a 'BIP!' from her phone preceded Sophia speaking up with a concerned look on her face.

"Morgana's not back yet? I'm sure he can take care of himself. But I can try and help track him if you want." Sophia said as Ren and Sumire nodded, after which the three decided to slip off to the beach to look for Morgana. They thought they'd gotten away unseen, but they failed to account for the frown on Kusa's face as he saw them go, though he made no move to stop them. As the majority of the group set up for the upcoming barbecue/impromptu birthday party for Shiho, both Ren and Sumire headed off to try and see what was up with Morgana, with Sophia in tow...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And yep, both Shiho and Nanako linked up with the rest of the group, along with a surprise appearance by Taichi and Momoe! Who saw that coming? Hopefully very few did, since I wanted it to be a surprise. And wow, I fit quite a bit into a just under 25k word chapter (before this A/N's length is factored in), between the exploration of the port, the infamous beach scene, and even a check-in with Momoe and Taichi. I even threw in surprise appearances by both Shiho and Nanako for funsies! And yes, because I can, I made Shiho's birthday 8/17 in this story for plot reasons.

Also, I have no clue if she has an established birth date or not. If so, feel free to let me know in the reviews or via PM and I'll credit you for the information in a future A/N. That said, next chapter will likely be the previously mentioned barbecue/birthday party for Shiho, and some extra tense stuff leading up to the Okinawa Jail (which as a heads-up? There should be at least a few change-ups to this Jail compared to how canon Strikers did it). But you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what I mean by that.

But as a bit of a preview for the next chapter, there may or may not be a surprise Awakening in it as one of the new Phantom Thieves gets their Persona. But you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see who it is, and what their Persona, Phantom Thief attire, and possibly even their code name are. So there's that to look forward to.

In all seriousness though, thank you as always to everyone who keeps supporting the story thus far, and has favorited/followed the story so far! And even to those who reviewed and/or PM'd their feedback/suggestions/input/constructive criticism, thank you! Your input is much appreciated as I enjoy hearing from my readers, so keep making your thoughts/opinions known, either in a review or through a PM if you don't want to review. I appreciate hearing from my readers either way. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Legit not even joking, I had no idea until playing through the beach sequence while typing out the chapter you could even do this, but apparently there's two spots on the beach you can 'examine' with the circle button (or the equivalent button thereof on your controller, if you're playing Strikers on a system other than the PS4/PS5, such as the Switch, PC, or Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S, assuming it got released on all those consoles) to get materials you can sell for a decent bit of cash (I believe the Sea Glass and Natural Pearl go for a bit over 5,000 yen combined, so that's a nice little free pick-up if you take the time to look around the beach for them), so make sure you remember to check for them if you play through Strikers ever. Not that I advise using this as a strategy guide, since there are actual guides you can look up online for the game. This is purely an adaption of the plot of Strikers.

*2* - I set Shiho's age to 22 in this story since canon Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal didn't go too in-depth on Shiho's age that I can recall, even though I swear I recall there being a part in Royal where someone said that Shiho is a third-year. But regardless, she's not older than 23 since she and Ann went to a lot of the same schools together growing up, several of which Ryuji also happened to go to.

I believe this thanks to one of Ryuji's comments to Ren and Morgana about having known Ann since middle school in Royal (and I presume also vanilla Persona 5, but as I've not played vanilla Persona 5 myself, I can't say if that's the case for sure or not. Feel free to correct me if that's not true and I'll credit you for the information in a future A/N.) during the hot-pot party scene prior to the third Palace of the game. But if there is a spot where Shiho's actual age is listed, feel free to let me know and I'll correct her age as well as credit you for the info in a future A/N.

PHANTOM THIEF LEVEL LISTINGS AND ALLY LISTINGS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 20

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 47 Current Personas: Raoul (Level 30), Orthrus (Level 42), Jack-O'-Lantern (Level 27), Jack Frost (Level 30), Naga (Level 46), Mitra (Level 35), Ganesha (Level 47), Okuninushi (Level 47), Queen Mab (Level 47), Valkyrie (Level 47) Equipped Persona: Okuninushi Persona Moveset: Psio (Psy), Tempest Slash (Physical), Matarukaja (Support/Buff), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Dodge Nuke (Passive), Dodge Wind (Passive), Makouga (Bless), Psy Boost (Passive)

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Seiten Taisei Persona Moveset: Zionga (Elec), Headbutt (Physical), Tarukaja (Support/Buff), Attack Master (Passive), Mazionga (Elec), Rebel Soul (Passive), Swift Strike (Physical), Shock Boost (Passive)

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Diego Persona Moveset: Garula (Wind), Diarama (Healing), Mediarama (Healing), Magarula (Wind), Wind Boost (Passive), Recarm (Healing), Masukunda (Support/Debuff), Dodge Elec (Passive)

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Hecate Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Dodge Ice (Passive), Fire Boost (Passive), Soul Thief (Passive), Maragion (Fire), Matarunda (Support/Debuff), Marin Karin (Ailment), Diarama (Healing)

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Kamu Susano-o Persona Moveset: Bufula (Ice), Speed Master (Passive), Taunt (Ailment), Knockdown Style (Passive), Vicious Strike (Physical), Tempest Slash (Physical), Mabufula (Ice), Dodge Fire (Passive)

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Anat Persona Moveset: Freila (Nuclear), Defense Master (Passive), Marakukaja (Support/Buff), Mafreila (Nuclear), Diarama (Healing), Flash Bomb (Physical), Mediarama (Healing), Sledgehammer (Physical)

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 44 Current/Partner Persona: Lucy Persona Moveset: Psio (Psy), Psy Boost (Passive), Evil Smile (Ailment), Triple Down (Gun), Technical Adept (Passive), Amrita Shower (Healing), Mapsio (Psy), Gun Boost (Passive)

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 47 Current Personas: Al Azif and Albus Equipped Persona: Al Azif Persona Moveset: Analysis (Passive), Moral Support (Passive), Active Support (Passive), Moral Boost (Passive), Active Boost (Passive), Moral Boost EX (Passive)

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 43 Current/Partner 'Persona': Pithos Persona Moveset: Kouga? (Bless), Marakunda? (Support/Debuff), Diarama? (Healing), Makouga? (Bless), Mediarama? (Healing), Bless Boost? (Passive), Divine Grace? (Passive), Recarm? (Healing)

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 44 Current/Partner Persona: Ella Persona Moveset: Kouga (Bless), Dodge Curse (Passive), Diarama (Healing), Bless Boost (Passive), Heat Wave (Physical), Makouga (Bless), Tempest Slash (Physical), Recarm (Healing)

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Malefor Persona Moveset: Agilao (Fire), Garula (Wind), Mediarama (Healing), Rising Slash (Physical), Sukunda (Support/Debuff), Vicious Strike (Physical), Megido (Almighty), Almighty Boost (Passive)

CROW (Goro) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Hereward Persona Moveset: Eiga (Curse), One-Shot Kill (Gun), Maeiga (Curse), Deathbound (Physical), Rakunda (Support/Debuff), Mudo (Curse/insta-kill), Megidola (Almighty), Curse Boost (Passive)

PENDRAGON (Sojiro) - Level: 43 Current/Partner Persona: Kohryu Persona Moveset: Psio (Psy), Assault Dive (Physical), Concentrate (Support/Buff), Mediarama (Healing), Mapsio (Psy), Evade Nuke (Passive), Spell Master (Passive), Psy Boost (Passive)

ALLIES: Zenkichi, Shiho, Ichinose, Akane, TBA, TBA, TBA