Sae and the girls unite to cheer Makoto up. Ren and his Queen go on an unforgettable opera date.
[10/23, The Present Day - Morning]
"Makoto! Wakey wakey!" A young, cheerful girly voice shouted in her ears.
Makoto was roughly jolted from her sleep and was almost startled out of her bed.
Some hushed snickers and giggles could be heard across her room. It sounded like Futaba, Haru and Ann were in her bedroom.
Wait, what?
"What on earth…Guys?" She asked out loud, slightly irritated at being roughly awakened, but mostly puzzled by the presence of her friends in her bedroom.
"Yup! Come on, silly, get up!" Her bestie taunted her playfully, the blonde poking on her ribs.
Makoto threw her a glare, but she was soon assaulted by a gremlin Futaba who also poked her on the other rib.
"Hey! Stop it, is this Makoto bullying day now!?" She grumped out.
In response, Haru joined the fray, and all three assaulted Makoto by tickling and poking her in the ribs. She laughed and begged for mercy, but her friends continued.
'Ooh I LOVE playing, can I play too!?' The non Anat voice begged.
'No, go away, it's too early in the morning for you.' Makoto thought, as she continued to be assaulted.
'Aww…' It whined sadly.
In response, Anat playfully revved her engine, pleased that the other voice was swiftly silenced.
"Alright girls, easy now. Poor Mako cannot resist tickling for too long." Sae told them, playfully, saving her little sis from their onslaught.
At her command, the three girls stopped, then proceeded to look like innocent angels. Makoto rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, then sat up on her bed.
"What are you guys doing here this early?
"I heard you are going to need a new dress for your upcoming opera date with Ren-kun tonight, so I offered to help you guys!" Ann said in a chipper tone.
"I volunteered to come along as well. I greatly enjoy operas and I thought I could offer an opinion or two, if you needed." Haru said with a kind smile.
"Ugh, sis… I told you we don't need to spend money like that." Makoto complained.
Sae shook her head. "Nonsense. I won't have my baby sister looking less than her best at this kind of event. I promise you, you'll enjoy it immensely. And you deserve a dress of your own."
"Totally agree, we're gonna pick the perfect one!" Ann chimed in, excited.
"Okay, fine, but… What are you doing here, Futaba? I didn't think this would be your kind of outing."
Futaba dorkily adjusted her glasses. "It ain't, but… Eh, the proxy big sis invited me along, and she promised we could browse some stuff I liked too at the mall, so I-I'm taking this opportunity to g-go outside m-more!" She rushed out, sounding slightly intimidated at the end.
"You're going to be fine, kiddo." Sae reassured Futaba gently, with a kind smile. Futaba threw her a thumbs up.
"That's really brave of you, Futaba-chan." Makoto praised her.
Futaba shyly smiled at her.
"Now, let me at least get ready if you four insist on dragging me around." Makoto told them exasperatedly.
Her fellow phantom girls and sister just laughed at her stern looks.
As soon as she got ready, they decided to hit the Shibuya Underground Mall. Since there were only five of them, Sae managed to drive everyone in her car.
Her sister seemed really quiet during the drive, her gaze a little distant and far away.
Even Futaba noticed. "You look out of it, proxy. Did something happen?"
"Maybe. I don't know? I'm still confused."
Makoto, who was in the passenger seat, frowned. "About what?"
But Sae merely sighed in response, and stayed quiet.
Now Makoto was feeling terribly curious. What has gotten her sister this flustered?
Then, her eyes widened slightly as she remembered her sister went out for a few drinks yesterday.
"Wait, weren't you out with the doc yesterday?" She asked.
Sae remained quiet. Makoto narrowed her eyes on her sister, seeing her lack of response. The others seemed to scrutinize her as well.
"Y-yes." Sae mumbled eventually, noticing all four girls staring at her expectantly.
"Did something happen?" Makoto pressed, sounding like Sae herself when she interrogated someone. It was quite ironic.
"Aren't you awfully nosy today, Mako-chan?" Sae retorted finally, recovering from her shy state and tossing a playful glare at her baby sis.
Makoto merely smiled innocently. Futaba started snickering, Ann put a hand on her chin, and Haru seemed just as curious.
"Hey, we totally don't wanna pry, especially if it's super personal and everything, but… You know, you can talk to us, right?" The blonde girl said kindly.
"Thank you, Ann-chan, it's just… I'm still trying to process it…But I promise, it's nothing bad. I'm trying to figure it out." She said while grimacing.
"Of course!" Ann responded with a bright smile.
They continued on their way to the mall with a small chatter, and Makoto decided to enjoy herself for once and not let the annoying, pesky voice in her head ruin her day.
Sae parked the car, and they all got out. She then rounded up all the girls.
"Alright girls, before we go in, we're going to meet someone at the entrance. Futaba-chan, I hope this won't be an issue for you." She said, turning to Futaba at the end.
Futaba's posture changed slightly. Sae sent the young girl a reassuring smile, which helped her relax a little.
"It's o-okay, I trust you!"
Sae gave her a sisterly headpat. "Thank you, Futaba-chan, you're being really brave, tell me if you feel uncomfortable in any way. Okay?"
"Roger that!" She squeaked out.
The other girls nodded in agreement, with smiles, which helped Futaba feel more confident.
The silver haired prosecutor then led the gang towards the entrance of the mall.
Leaning against the wall and reading a magazine was an unsuspecting middle aged woman. She seemed really absorbed in what she was doing.
Sae was about to call her out, but Makoto beat her to the punch.
"Auntie Maya!?" Her sister said in surprise, almost squealing excitedly. She forgot how much Makoto actually liked Maya.
The older woman put the magazine away and looked up, her eyes twinkling with mischief and recognition as well.
"Mako-chan!" She greeted her. "Look at you, darling, you're so tall now, the spitting image of your mother too!"
Makoto, who looked like a five year old again, hugged their surrogate aunt and laughed. "It's been so long!"
Maya also laughed happily. "That it has, kiddo!"
Sae smirked and approached her surrogate aunt. "Hey, Maya."
"Sae-chan! Oh look at you too, you cute ass thing." The older woman said, pinching Sae's cheeks as if she was still a seven year old. The elder Niijima huffed in annoyance, but let the older woman fuss over her. Haru and Ann giggled, but Futaba was eerily quiet.
After Maya stopped her ridiculous fussing, she turned to the rest of the girls. "And who do we have here?"
Futaba, who was hiding behind Haru, stepped out, her mouth gaping like a fish.
"Hey! I think I know you! You're my mom's weirdo friend!" Futaba squeaked out in surprise.
The older woman narrowed her eyes then she let out a tiny 'oh' in recognition.
"Wait, is that… Little Futaba-chan!?" Maya said in awe.
"Whoa, you remember my name!?"
"Of course darling! Wow, look at you, you've grown up so much!" Maya gushed.
Sae and Makoto shared looks of puzzled confusion and surprise.
"Wait a moment, you know Wakaba Isshiki, auntie?" Sae asked.
"Ah, yep. We made acquaintances several years ago, before, you know…" Maya trailed off. Futaba also looked down.
Sae pursed her lips, not sure of what to say, but Makoto bluntly saved them.
"Huh, it's really a small world then…" Her baby sister commented awkwardly.
Maya soon recovered and let out a small chuckle, ruffling Makoto's hair. "That it is, kiddo! Anyways, won't you introduce me to the rest of your friends!?"
Makoto smiled sheepishly. "Uh, right. Auntie, these are my friends Ann Takamaki and Haru Okumura. Guys, this is my auntie Maya Amano, chief editor of Coolest."
Maya looked slightly surprised at hearing Haru's name, which was understandable since Okumura Foods was big. Thankfully, she didn't make a big deal out of it and smiled in her disarming, friendly way.
"Nice to meet you girls!" She said with a wave.
"It's a pleasure meeting you, Amano-san." Haru said politely and kindly.
Ann was slightly starstruck. "Oh, same! I'm a huge fan of Coolest, by the way!"
"Really? Everyone tells me it's a magazine for freaks and weirdos, haha!" Maya joked.
Makoto and Sae both winced. Maya was ridiculous sometimes.
Ann however, didn't take offense and giggled. "I think it's unique, that is why I like it so much!"
"That's high praise, hon, thank you so much!"
"Anyways, auntie, the girls and I are hunting for a dress for Makoto's opera date tonight. I thought we could use the opinion of another expert in fashion other than Ann-chan here." Sae said playfully.
Makoto groaned. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"
"Yup!"
"Yes!"
"Ayup!"
"Positively!"
Makoto sighed, her head hanging down in defeat.
Maya snickered and started pushing a reluctant Makoto inside the mall. "Very well, Sae-chan, I accept the challenge! Come on, Little Panda, we have work to do!"
Makoto regretted letting them drag her around the mall.
While she could somewhat enjoy the occasional shopping spree with Sae (who was admittedly, a little too frivolous at times), today was absolute chaos and mayhem.
Futaba had finally come out of her shell a little, but she looked a little bored, so she pulled out her portable gaming device to pass the time. A few aisles down, Sae and Haru were engaged in a deep discussion as they showed each other articles of clothing.
Meanwhile, Ann and Maya were both doing a number on her, tossing several articles of clothing her way and forcing her to try them on.
"I thought we were here for a single dress!?" She asked, protesting.
Her bestie rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Just try to relax for once. If we came all the way here just for one dress, then the trip would be over quickly."
Makoto pouted. Her auntie Maya snickered.
"Ann-chan is right, darling. Come on, off to the dressing room with you!"
She complied, and kept trying on several articles of clothing. Nothing felt like a good fit and it seemed like a waste of time for her.
The others joined back and kept goading her into trying more and more clothing, even Futaba.
She was on the verge of murdering them, when she glimpsed a familiar face browsing the section next to theirs.
"Hifumi-chan?"
Her friend looked up, then smiled demurely. "Oh, my, I didn't expect to see you here, Makoto-chan."
"Likewise. I'm just shopping with my sister, auntie and friends." She told her.
Ann approached them, giving Hifumi a bright smile. "Hi, Togo-chan! It's been awhile."
"Oh, hello Takamaki-chan. It's a pleasure to see you here as well."
"Aw, none of that, please call me Ann!" Her blonde friend said with a small smile.
"In that case, please feel free to call me Hifumi as well." Her other friend responded, timidly but kindly.
Ann then clapped her hands and motioned for the others to approach. "I guess you haven't met the others yet!"
After another round of introductions, and dropping of formalities (at their insistence, since Hifumi was too polite), the girls decided to invite Hifumi to join their group for their day.
Her eyes had widened. "Are you sure? I don't wish to impose on you all…"
Makoto smiled. Hifumi didn't have many female friends outside of her and Ann's acquaintance, so she thought it would do her some good.
"Of course not, Hifumi-chan. You're more than welcome."
"In that case, I would love to!" She said, shy but happy.
With that, their large ensemble was completed. Maya, as the oldest, was acting like the ringleader.
"Very well ladies, I now declare the Mako-chan makeover committee open!"
Their grins were mischievous and conspiratorial, or in Sae and Futaba's cases, satanic and impish.
Makoto could almost swear she felt some sweat drop off her forehead. She was in for a rough time.
The girls, even her sister, were being lighthearted and relaxed for once. Haru, who was still mourning her father, looked really content to spend time with them, trying on some hats and recommending a few things to Hifumi, who seemed to appreciate and looked happy whenever she was included in the conversation.
Futaba, who was previously bored, even tried on some hoodies and beanies, laughing until she was red in the face when Ann found her a pair of Spongebob Squarepants sweatpants for her to try on.
Ann and Maya were having a blast, obviously, being the ringleaders. Sae was trying her best to mitigate the chaos whenever it became too much, but Maya made sure to make it even worse when her sister wasn't looking. It was honestly funny, especially when the girls roped Sae into trying some hilarious pieces of clothing as well.
In truth, she was having a good time, even if she didn't want to admit it.
"Here, I bet you'll look really cute with this. Try it on." Maya encouraged her, handing her a black, short sleeved black jacket.
"Wait!" Ann proclaimed. "We need to complete the ensemble. Hold up."
Her best friend seemed to dig something up from the several articles of clothing she and Maya picked up to try along the way. Handing her a pair of leather black pants and a white tank top, Ann shoved her inside a dressing room.
"Go on, try it!" The blonde called out cheerily.
Makoto sighed, then surrendered to their requests. Making quick work of removing her own clothes (and yes, she neatly folded them, she didn't like tossing things around haphazardly!), she tried the clothes on.
Makoto turned to the mirror, and looked at herself. Admittedly, she looked quite good. It was a bit more tomboyish look than how she usually dressed herself, but she found that she liked it.
She smiled to herself as she admired her looks. Makoto knew she was fit, she just didn't realize her figure could be so well complimented with the right clothes.
The atmosphere changed slightly, however, as her reflection smirked at her. "Makoto" put a hand to her hips and slouched a bit, with an impish, smug grin on her lips.
"We should totally adopt a more hardcore style. Can you imagine Ren-kun's face right now if he saw you wearing these tight pants around him? It makes our ass look great!" It spoke out, with taunting amusement in her tone of voice.
Makoto put a hand to her mouth in shock. The reflection, however, did not change.
Its eyes seemed to glow like molten gold for a split second, but soon, the reflection's irises went back to an eerie, brighter shade of crimson.
"I don't…How are you doing this?" She whispered, in shock.
Reflections weren't supposed to act on their own.
"What do you mean? I am you." It quipped.
She was about to ask a question when she heard a knock on the door of the dressing room. She averted her gaze to the door.
"Makoto?" Ann's muffled voice came from the other side, with a tinge of concern. "Is everything alright? I heard you talking."
"Y-yeah. I'll come out in a bit. One moment!"
Her gaze returned to the mirror, but her reflection was back to normal.
'What the hell is going on?' She thought, feeling a little spooked.
She unlocked the door, her expression still slightly perturbed, and she came out. She was also surprised to see that their group was forming a row, with Maya off to the side.
"Alright girls, the voting committee will decide. What do you think?" She asked the others.
"Looks hot!" Futaba said, giving a thumbs up.
"Wow, looks amazing on you! A ten from me too!" Ann said, with a squeal as she clapped her hands happily.
Hifumi smiled. "It's quite your style, Makoto-chan. Works so well on you!"
Haru giggled. "It's perfect for you Mako-chan. Top scores!"
Sae looked on smugly, a proud smirk on her face. "Suits you perfectly, little sis. I guess I can put up with the rebel looks a little if it fits so well." She teased.
Maya was all grins. "Well, the committee has decided. I agree with them, hon, you're gorgeous. Now, go back and change, we have many more outfits to try!
Makoto let out a tiny huff, but went back inside the dressing room, carrying a few more outfits as per Maya and Ann's instructions. She averted her eyes from the mirror as she mechanically changed back.
She tried her best to not think of what had happened with her reflection.
After bullying and dragging Makoto around more, the group decided to have a little lunch break to give her sister some respite.
Sae couldn't remember the last time she enjoyed being on an outing with so many people in her life. Probably never, after all, she never had many friends.
The girls were fun company. Even Futaba had eventually surrendered to their silliness, something that gladdenned Sae as she didn't want the young hacker to feel awkward or left out.
Hifumi Togo was also a pleasant girl. She was glad Makoto had so many wonderful friends.
Maya also seemed to hit off with the girls. Sae knows that her aunt thinks she didn't notice, but she spotted the bags under her eyes. She seemed to be putting on a bit of a strong front, too, whenever interacting with Futaba directly.
She'd confront her later. Her aunt actually being past acquaintances with Wakaba opened the door to questions in regards to the woman that Sae still had. Obviously, she would never impose on Sojiro or Futaba ever again.
Maya, on the other hand, was different, so the silver haired prosecutor knew she could pull the "you know me since I was a little child" card on her.
"Seriously? Pastries for lunch?" Makoto, the health nut, complained as they settled for eating in a thematic Victorian era style butler and maid café inside the mall.
"Who is gonna say no to that? It's either this or Big Bang Burger." Futaba said.
Sae saw Haru shudder. "Please, I definitely am tired of it. Pastries are good enough for me. Maybe I'll order a latte to pair with it."
"I think this place has some charm." Maya quipped. Futaba snickered.
"I concur. It seems very cozy, and I enjoy pastries as well, it's not a problem for me." Hifumi said, with her gentle and polite disposition.
"Heh, the decor here is kinda hilarious. I'm snapping pics to make Inari jelly later."
"I'm honestly only here to eat cake." Sae said bluntly. "You cannot drag me away from here even if the earth was ending."
"Oh my god, that is so totally me right now. Look at the sweets menu! I don't know what to pick!" Ann, who was sitting beside her, spoke with excitement.
"Black forest cake." Maya and Sae echoed at the same time.
Makoto huffed. "You guys seriously need to watch out for empty calories and unbalanced macros."
Sae rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, mom, we'll eat our veggies later."
The prosecutor smirked as her baby sister huffed in response. They all behaved until the butler arrived to take their orders.
…The butler was actually Yusuke, of all people.
"Inari!?" Futaba asked out loud, utterly shocked.
Even Sae blinked.
"Oh, how very nice to see you all here. Welcome to the Queen Victoria Café. What can this humble butler do for you today, ladies?" He said, looking unfazed.
Kitagawa-kun actually looked dapper in his three piece suit butler costume and cravat.
"Since when do you have a job, Yusuke!?" Ann asked, incredulous.
"I am afraid I have only started it as of recently. I fear I have squandered much of my allowance, so this job opportunity came at a most auspicious time."
"That's…Surprisingly a great idea, Yusuke-kun." Makoto said.
Hifumi, who happened to be his classmate, giggled. "I must say, I never expected to see you quite like this, Kitagawa-kun. But it suits you well!"
"Thank you, my friends."
"Hmm, so you know this young man, huh?" Maya asked, looking curious.
"Right. Yusuke-kun, this is Maya Amano, a friend of the family and an aunt figure to Makoto and I."
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He said politely, bowing formally.
Maya chuckled. "Very nice to meet you as well Kitagawa-kun."
"Now, can I pick up your orders?" He asked.
Afterwards, they enjoyed a pretty delicious, albeit hilarious, lunch experience.
Futaba and Haru kept summoning Yusuke, who had to act as their local butler and amuse them with the roleplay of the café.
Sae thought it was a little ridiculous, but it was also funny because Yusuke seemed unperturbed by having to perform.
"Oh my god, don't look behind you." She saw Ann whisper to Makoto.
Makoto did exactly what she wasn't supposed to do.
Behind them, one of the maids glared viciously at Makoto. Sae narrowed her eyes, not liking the girl's attitude, but found that she recognized her from the interrogation.
It was the vapid girl from yesterday.
"Wait…Isn't that girl a Shujin student?" She asked.
Haru nodded, "Yes, she is a classmate of ours, Eiko Takao."
Makoto sighed. "Don't mind her. She is still annoyed at me because of what happened with Tsukasa."
"Tsukasa? Who is that?" Sae questioned.
Makoto widened her eyes. "Nobody important, just some guy she liked. Anyways, let's just finish here."
They all agreed, not in the mood to deal with the laser focused stare the girl was giving towards the back of Makoto's head.
The girls decided to do something for Futaba's sake a little. So as soon as lunch ended, they moved on to the manga and game stores.
Maya watched on with a fond smile on her face as little Futaba - what a pleasant, albeit bittersweet surprise for her to encounter the girl - kept dragging her friends to see otaku culture novelties and trinkets.
Sae-chan had a carefree smile on her face, as Futaba was showing her something about a game to her. She remembers young Sae carrying her gameboy around religiously, as a little child.
"She looks happy, doesn't she?" Makoto muttered beside her.
"Which one of them?" Maya quipped.
"I was talking about Sis, but might as well be both."
Maya looked at Wakaba's child contemplatively. She imagined the guardianship had gone to Wakaba's relatives.
She wondered what happened to Sojiro Sakura.
"Futaba seems skittish at times. I know she is a shy child, but still…" Maya said, with concern.
Makoto scoffed. "Where were you, then, when she needed you? When sis and I both needed you? It's a bit late now, don't you think?"
Maya's eyes widened at her niece's harsh words, then hung her head down, in shame and regret.
She was right, after all.
In her obsession with finding justice for Wakaba, she actually ended up pushing others away. And now, it seems like she has missed a lot.
History always repeated itself.
'Something is amiss with this one.' Artemis warned her. 'Her head is clouded by an eclipsed Moon.'
At her persona's comment, Maya swiftly stared at Makoto.
Her surrogate niece's eyes were resentfully fixed on Sae now. She observed her and felt a strange shift in the atmosphere.
Their eyes met. Makoto's eyes were eerily red. Behind her, a small golden butterfly flickered in and out of view. Maya stared transfixed at it, until it disappeared, and it was just her and Makoto in a suspended time and place.
"I see." She started, not liking the implications one bit. "What are you?"
"I am thou." It responded through her niece.
Now, where has she seen this before…?
"...I'm sorry for not being there enough for you guys, Mako-chan. Forgive me." She whispered, hoping her voice would snap her out of it.
Makoto blinked several times, confused. "What? Forgive you? What for?"
Maya sighed. It was as she had feared.
That was not Makoto.
"Nothing, Mako-chan. I must be going senile. Come on, let's join the others."
Makoto stared at her surrogate aunt.
Wait, she had said something weird without being aware of it again, didn't she?
"Come on." The other woman said again, this time more chipper, already recovered from their exchange. "Let's go and look for a dress!"
Makoto groaned. Right, they still didn't find a dress.
For the rest of the afternoon, they went from shop to shop, debating on colors, style, cut and fabrics.
Her heart wasn't in it.
"At this rate, I'm fine with anything… I don't think there is a perfect dress out there." Makoto said, after they paused a bit on their search. Futaba looked bored again.
"Let's think positively. We'll find it. I just know it." Maya said with a supportive grin.
"Okay."
In the end, they did find it. A beautiful, navy blue dress, with a modest but flattering cut.
Her mouth curled into a smile.
"It's lovely." She said, finally seeing something she liked.
The others cheered.
Sae approached her with a smug grin. "It seems, ladies, that our quest is finally over."
They paid for the dress, and the whole gang finally made their way out of the mall, happily chatting to each other.
Hifumi said her goodbyes first.
"Thank you so much for inviting me to your group outing. I had a lot of fun."
Makoto beamed at her. "It was really nice, Hifumi-chan."
Ann looked excited. "Hey, why don't we exchange numbers? Or maybe make a chatroom, just us girls? We can plan more hangouts, or just share fashion opinions. You have amazing tastes too, Hifumi-chan, I'd love to pick your brain!"
"Thank you, Ann-chan, that sounds great!" Hifumi said, looking happy at being included.
The others agreed and they exchanged numbers. Hifumi left, and the phantom girls entered Sae's car. From the passenger seat, Makoto listened in on her aunt and sister's conversation.
She frowned.
"Keep an eye on Makoto. Something seems amiss with her."
Sae studied her aunt's face. She looked worried sick for Makoto, but was doing her best to mask it.
"Don't worry, I already am. But before you go, I'd like some clarification as well."
Maya crossed her arms. "If you're going to ask about Wakaba, that will have to wait."
Sae narrowed her eyes. "Why is that?"
"Things are not what they look like. We'll talk about this later, in a better time and place. I promise." Maya said firmly, but gently.
"Very well. Thank you for spending the time with us today, auntie. It was lovely."
"Likewise, Sae-chan." Maya responded, finally relaxing.
Sae entered the car, and after another round of goodbyes to Maya from the girls, she drove away to Yongen-Jaya.
Aa the black sedan left, a gold butterfly flickered in and out of view. The butterfly landed on her palm. She stared at it, transfixed.
Ten years ago, Maya wrote an article about eight missing children. The thing is…
…Makoto was one of them.
It meant Wakaba had another viable candidate for her cognitive experiments, even if the chances were slim, and she was reaching for a connection where none existed.
So, the question remained. Was Makoto Wakaba's secret volunteer from three years ago?
Was she… Or that shadow of hers…The perpetrator of…?
No!
She couldn't be.
The mere thought, the mere possibility, crushed her spirit, her eyes tearing up with bitterness and frustration, not wanting to believe Mi-chan's girl would become a villain like that.
"Philemon… If you are somehow responsible here, then I will never forgive you for this."
She crushed the butterfly in her hand.
[Eiko Takao Makoto Niijima]
[Eiko Takao]: I saw ️️you ️at t mall w/ dat bimbo bestie of urs and some other floozies 2day
[Makoto Niijima]: Don't call them names, they're all great girls. And among our group was in fact my big sister and surrogate aunt.
[Makoto Niijima]: I would have invited you to join us if you weren't giving me the cold shoulder, you know?
[Eiko Takao]: Whatever just so we're CLEAR I 100% dont want u back
[Makoto Niijima]: Okay.
[Makoto Niijima]: But I'm always a message away. Just reach out to me whenever you need anything.
[Eiko Takao]: Wow u talk like ure the bigger person how typical of t goody2shoes prez
[Eiko Takao]: U bitchslapped me silly like I was some dumbass hussy I hate you
[Makoto Niijima]: For what it's worth, I'm sorry I did that. I just had to knock some sense into you. But I actually do miss you, Eiko, believe it or not.
[Makoto Niijima]: My buchi-bestie ️3.
[Eiko Takao]: I don't wanna be buchi-bestie w/ u ever again k? Bye!
Makoto shook her head. She hoped they could mend their friendship someday.
Putting her phone aside, she turned to the other girls. They were in Futaba's room, since she needed to get ready for her date with Ren-kun. Sae was on Leblanc, likely bickering with him at this very moment.
Before her, Ann and Haru grinned like sharks. Futaba, who was busy sitting in front of her PC, turned around and cackled at the nervous look on her face.
"Please, go easy on me. I'm not really a fan of makeup, and I think my hair is way too short to need an elaborate style."
"Oh, don't worry, Mako-chan. We will only do what you feel comfortable with." Haru promised sweetly.
"I'm here for moral support. And also, because y'all just invaded my room." Futaba chimed in.
Ann gave her a thumbs up, and started arranging and assorting the makeup supplies. Then, she clapped her hands in excitement.
"Let's get started!"
Sae sat across from Amamiya, drumming her fingers in the counter of Leblanc as she watched him fail to properly readjust his poorly tied bow tie. Sojiro was out, having a smoke.
Okumura-chan had generously and discreetly sent her driver Koichi to bring the little clown a rented, proper black three piece suit so he didn't end up embarrassing himself by donning his school uniform for a formal date.
"May I?" She offered, seeing that the result was still crooked.
He sighed. "Sure."
She reached out to his neck, semi strangling him, and expertly started to untie and restart the process of properly tying it. Morgana watched on with a snicker, as Ren glared down at Sae.
"There, that's better." She said.
Fixing his tie reminded her of the times when she used to do this for her father, back when they had a better relationship.
"Gee, thanks for not strangling me too much." He said dryly, after.
She rolled her eyes.
"Now, Witch, how do I look?" Ren asked her, with a cocky grin.
She snorted. "Passable. The slicked back hair makes you look like an asshole, though."
Ren sent her a taunting grin in response. "But I bet your sis is gonna love it."
She sighed, not really in the mood to bicker with him. Her mind was starting to drift back to Takemi senpai's kiss on her cheek, again.
In the back of her mind, Leviathan chuckled at her predicament again.
So as to not think of her woes, Sae decided to ask Ren of something that had irked her earlier today. "Amamiya. Who the hell is Tsukasa?"
Ren blinked at her words, then finally snorted. "A sleazy motherfucker with shitty looking hair. Why do you ask?"
"Earlier, when I was out in the mall with the girls, we saw Makoto's… Peculiar friend, whom I happened to interrogate the other day at Shujin. Honestly, the girl sounds like a massive airhead, but that is beside the point. The thing is, Makoto is dodging the subject of this Tsukasa fellow, after she accidentally mentioned it."
He seemed pensive, but then shrugged. "That might be because the fucker works at a host club, and we had to go on a silly undercover quest in Shinjuku to get Eiko to drop that bastard, as he was clearly trying to take advantage of her."
Sae narrowed her eyes and growled. "Explain. Now. "
The girls admired their handiwork.
"You look gorgeous, Makoto." Ann said with a small, all knowing grin. "Ren won't know what hit him!"
"That's right." Haru said, just as mischievously as Ann, then turned to Futaba. "Futaba-chan, can you go and fetch Sae-san and Ren-kun? I believe it's time."
Futaba gave them a salute, then dashed out of her room.
Makoto looked at herself in the mirror, in utter disbelief. It seems like she wasn't always the awkward tomboy, she could actually look pretty feminine and refined with some effort, after all.
She smiled a little, but it faltered as she still felt paranoid with her former mirror experience.
'Don't worry. I don't need mirrors when I just live in your head now. I am thou!' The voice taunted.
Her smile vanished.
"And then I said: 'I'll be your study partner.' and she looked at me with moon eyes, and the rest is history." Ren finished with a smug grin.
Sae covered her face with both her hands, and her shoulders shook silently as she tried to contain her mirth, until genuine peals of laughter burst out of her.
"P-Please tell me this is just another one of your stupid jokes." She asked amidst fits of laughter.
Boy, he sure loved telling this story.
"True story."
That set her off again, until she was red in the face. "That was terribly dorky. She absolutely fell for it, didn't she?"
He was all smug. "Well, I'm her handsome boy now, what do you think?"
Sae finally stopped laughing, and he saw her face go from amused to slightly annoyed. "Ugh, I don't wanna hear it, this story was absurd enough. Now, where is this Tsukasa asshole nowadays?"
"No idea. He's probably a low level Yakuza." He told her, giving her his honest opinion.
Sae crossed her arms. "If he is grooming teenage girls, then I must get rid of him."
Ren put a hand on his chin. "By all means. Believe it or not, the dick doesn't have a mementos match. He's so mediocre he does that stuff without having any strong opinions about it."
Her expression was shark-like. "That's perfect. I'm going to make his life hard the regular way. And by regular, I mean tossing him inside a cell and throwing away the key."
"Jesus Christ have mercy on him and his stupid hair when you get your hands on his ass, Satan." Ren quipped.
"Phrasing, Amamiya." She scolded him.
He just smiled innocently.
The doorbell above Leblanc chimed as the door opened, and Futaba's head peeked in.
"Guys, come on, Makoto is ready."
Oh. That was their cue. He felt slightly nervous, even though he had no reason to, so to mask it, he put on his best game face.
He and Sae both followed Futaba outside, crossing paths with an amused looking Sojiro.
"Hoo boy. Good luck, kid." The older man said, clapping him on his back, before entering Leblanc again.
Approaching the Sakura residence, Ren spotted Haru talking to her driver, giving him some instructions.
He and Makoto both protested the offer to borrow her expensive ride to and from the opera house, but she put her foot down and said they deserved to enjoy nice things sometimes, and that she really wanted to share this with her friends.
Guilted into accepting it, both he and Makoto resigned to their fate. In exchange, Sae offered to drive Haru and Ann back home, since she had already been carrying the girls around town on their shopping quests all day.
Sae pulled out a pair of tickets from her purse and handed them to him. "Here. Make sure to not lose it, Clown."
He leveraged an eyebrow at her as he pocketed the tickets. "Thanks, Satan."
"You're welcome."
The door to Sojiro's home opened, and out came Makoto. His eyes widened, in awe of her beauty.
Her dress complemented her figure so well, and her face had just a little bit of makeup - not too much, just enough to really enhance her gorgeous features. She looked perfect, and Ren felt his mouth go a little dry.
She smiled shyly at him, and he approached her, kissing her hand. "You look positively radiant, my Queen."
She giggled. "And you look quite dashing and handsome as well, my Joker."
'Arsène, I'm going to need your help here to not make a buffoon out of myself tonight, friend.' He thought, hoping for some advice.
'Leave it to me, my good sir.' his persona cheekily replied. 'You'll be the most perfect gentleman prince. I am thou.'
They spent some time looking at one another like a pair of idiots, with Haru and Ann giggling on the side. Sae cleared her throat.
"Alright, off with the two of you, you better not miss it." She scolded them.
Ren snapped out of it, and rolled his eyes, but offered his Queen his arm. She took it, her cheeks dusting with red. It was really cute how shy and self conscious she was acting.
"Go on. Have a good time." Sae told them, as they left.
He and Makoto both smiled at her.
"We will sis. Thank you."
Down in Sumaru city, four people sat in front of a table at a certain hotel's upscale restaurant.
Detectives Katsuya and Tatsuya Suou stared at one Mitsuru Kirijo, and her companion, the famous Detective Prince.
"Gentleman, meet your new investigation partner." Kirijo said with a calculating smirk.
"Detectives, it'll be a pleasure to work with you. I hope we get along." Said the detective in question.
"Likewise, Detective Shirogane." Katsuya replied. "We have much work to do."
Naoto Shirogane nodded, confidently. "Let's do our very best to swiftly track down the Phantom Thieves. Time is of essence."
Makoto was vibrating with anticipation as Koichi, Haru's driver, dropped them off at the opera venue, and so, they entered the New National Theatre.
This was the first time she was going to watch an opera, and with Ren-kun by her side to boot, so she was sure it was going to be a lovely and memorable experience no matter what.
Of course, she researched everything she could about it, but stopped herself before she ruined the surprises.
"This is going to be very interesting! Turandot is technically an unfinished opera." She rambled as they orderly joined the other spectators on their way to enter the concert hall.
"Really?" Ren-kun asked, staring at her with twinkling eyes. She blushed, but didn't feel self conscious as she knew he adored her random moments of info dumps.
She nodded "The ending was completed by Franco Alfano first, but since then, several other composers have attempted to finish it. I believe the one we are going to watch tonight is using a more modern revision."
Ren smiled at her. "I'm sure it's going to be amazing, no matter what, as long as I'm by your side."
Makoto beamed at him, her gaze tender. He kissed her hand in response.
Footsteps echoed off the quiet, almost deserted streets, as a certain lone figure approached the premises of the National Diet building.
He adjusted his trench coat, pulling out a smoke. The area he was in was secluded enough for him to do this unidentified.
Calmly, he lit up his cigarette and started smoking, face impassive. Time seemed to stretch indefinitely, but in truth, it was only some meager ten minutes.
Tossing the remains of the cigarette on the ground and stepping on it, the figure pulled his phone, and activated the metanav.
He had a job to do.
That night, Goro Akechi had gotten aboard a ship, and amidst the myriad, shady figures there, he sought an uncooperative, certain someone's shadow.
She didn't know what she was expecting, but it was even better than she had imagined.
When Sis described operas as memorable and unforgettable experiences that you felt with the soul, and not just with your hearing, Makoto made several scenarios in her mind, but she never expected it to be this capturing.
The opera had three acts. She and Ren had already experienced the first act, halfway done with the second, soon to enter the third. Despite the language barrier of the Italian lyrics, the storytelling was still quite captivating and absorbing.
Anat hummed in the back of her mind, pleased with the experience. She was sure Ren and Arsène were feeling the same, as her dear boyfriend was just as absorbed as she was.
They continued to enjoy the performance.
Shido's cronies were an interesting, maggot-like bunch. Instead of developing palaces, his inner circle was so entrenched in this conspiracy that their shadows eventually left mementos and joined in the collective, hive-mind state of the other shadows in Shido's palace.
He didn't know if it was something their shadows did out of worship for Shido, a will for self preservation, their lack of individuality, or all of the alternatives.
All which disgusted him, regardless. They were worse than feeble sewer rats.
Goro continued to navigate in the gargantuan ship, determined to follow through with his plans.
Makoto was absolutely enthralled with the Aria playing out in front of her.
Ren-kun seemed just as mesmerized. Their eyes met briefly, but lovingly, brimming with emotion and awe.
Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o, principessa
Nella tua fredda stanza
Guardi le stelle
Che tremano d'amore
E di speranza
It was simply magical.
Goro immediately sneered as he spotted the shadow of the vermin known as Nobuaki Ishikawa.
"Director. Have you reconsidered your stance on moving away?" He asked, hoping for a different answer that would facilitate his plans.
"No. My place is here. I only live to serve Shido-sama." The shadow spoke, while sitting behind a desk in a cognitive version of his office, hands in front of his face.
Goro stared at the disgusting bootlicker, then pulled out his gun. He and Shido no longer had any use for this man, either way.
"Then tonight, director. Nobody will sleep… Nobody, except for you."
He unceremoniously shot the shadow, dead on the center of its forehead.
The head of the shadow fell down and hit the desk with a thud, its golden eyes wide, rolling to the back of its head, body twitching slightly.
Goro waited for it to stop twitching. He switched his masks, and finally summoned Robin Hood.
Goro didn't always have his two personas. For some reason, Robin Hood was his first, and the subject of Wakaba's research interest until one fateful night, he chose to kill her, and woke up to Loki in the process.
"Samarecarm." He spoke coldly.
The shadow revived, but the director's shadow now had blank, zombified eyes, instead of the usual gold.
A few months after he had gotten rid of Wakaba, while he was still exploring the extent of both of his persona's powers, Goro had learned a trick to time the death of the shadows to his liking.
First, he had to kill the shadow, either with his own hands, or Loki's. Then, revive it with Robin Hood's assistance.
For some reason, once dead, a shadow cannot stay revived for long. The spell lasts for a variable amount of time, and he had to sense with Robin the right potency of the revival spell to last up until a specific time.
Once the time ended, the death was sudden and brutal, as the body had already started the end of life process days - or hours, depending on how he had chosen to orchestrate it - before the timer ended.
Interestingly enough, unlike shadows, he knew for a fact the effect of a revival was permanent on a persona user. He had watched the Phantom Thieves perform it with no repercussions, after all.
In the case of the director…If his predictions were mathematically correct, he will permanently die around November 20th.
Plenty of time for him to realize his gamble.
"Now. You are already a dead man. Goodnight, director. Enjoy the rest of your miserable, pitiful life, while it still lasts."
He left the Metaverse. Outside, he stared at the mesmerizing, late October night stars, unexpectedly bright in this part of town.
Since he couldn't make the Ishikawa rat manifest a palace, he had to go through with his other pet project instead.
He had no other choice. He had to bet everything he had in this gamble, and then double the bet, no matter the consequences.
"All or nothing now." He whispered, determinedly, walking alone, out into the cold night, with starry skies above him.
Dilegua, o notte! (Vanish, o night!)
Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! (Set, stars! Set, stars!)
All'alba vincerò! (At dawn, I will win!)
Vincerò, vincerò! (I will win! I will win!)
To be continued…
