There was only one catch.
[10/31, The Present Day - After School]
"What do you want?" Makoto said as she growled and got up to face Akechi
"My word, Niijima… You look like a delinquent." Akechi said with a scandalized gasp, almost as if he was truly offended at seeing her.
She wasn't in the mood to deal with him. "So what?"
"Does your sister know? I would be pretty horrified if I saw my sister walking around like this…"
Something shifted inside her again, and she felt herself grow calmer. Why was she going to let this guy of all people punk her out?
Two could play at that game.
"Ha. I couldn't care less about what my sister thinks of me, but for your information, she isn't concerned at all." She said with a vicious smirk.
"Really? Oh my. Then again, I suppose it makes sense… After all, she doesn't seem to show much concern about you at the office, you know? It's almost like you're an afterthought nuisance or something that she takes care of out of societal duty."
That hurt.
It wasn't supposed to hurt anymore though. She got rid of the parts of her that cared about this.
So why does it still hurt!?
"Makes no difference to me if she cares about me or not." She lied, feeling herself slip out of that haze in her mind for a split second.
It would always be a big deal to her.
"You don't sound too sure there…" Akechi said with a smug smile.
"Tch. Whatever." Makoto was done with this asshole. She decided to make her exit, all while ignoring him as she tried to walk past his stupid self.
Akechi blocked her way out, and she narrowed her eyes on him. She was still so pissed off at Nagata for having defied her earlier that she was ready to trash someone else in his place.
"Leaving so soon, Mako-chan?" He said with a dangerous, husky tone of voice.
She wasn't amused. "Don't test my patience today, Akechi!"
Akechi laughed and took a step forward, actually making her take one back against her own will. "I see. Feisty and playing hard to get. I quite like that. It's almost as if…"
"As if WHAT? Say it!" She spat.
"Well, you say you have a boyfriend and are committed to him…" Then he looked her up and down and she felt her skin crawl with disgust. "...Yet you're showing this much skin to other men so brazenly. Now that is very scandalous of you, isn't it?"
At his disgusting insinuations, her eyes widened in fury and she snarled. "What is that supposed to mean, you bastard!?"
He took a step back but didn't seem scared of her, even though he mockingly put his hands up. "Hey, calm down! I'm just saying Amamiya might interpret this as yourself asking him to make a free pass to whore yourself out to other men. I just happen to know a love hotel right across the street."
Makoto lost it then and there. "YOU SON OF A BITCH, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
She punched Akechi square in the face, and he yelped, falling to the ground.
"You fucking bitch!" He shrieked out, fury and indignation coloring his voice as he clutched his nose.
Makoto didn't give a damn and advanced on him. She was going to murder this bastard.
She punched him over and over again. Akechi protected his face as much as he could, but Makoto had the means to make him lower his defense after she kneed him in the groin, making him let out a high-pitched yelp, and forget to guard his face.
Afterward, Makoto went to town beating him. Akechi's face would never recover from this. She only stopped when she realized how bloody her knuckles had gotten, and that Akechi had stopped moving.
Oh no…
"Akechi…? Hey, Akechi!?" She said, shaking his shoulders. Not a single response.
Makoto slowly backed away.
Oh god… Oh god did she kill him?
A dark, harsh laugh echoed out in her mind. 'Well done… Very well done! This will teach him to not mess with us. Fucking nazi!'
"No…" She echoed out. She scrambled near Akechi again and saw that he was still breathing. Makoto's eyes were wide as saucers, and she heard a shout in the distance.
"Hey! You!" Came from a harsh, male voice in the distance.
It was a police officer. She was startled as the man started to run in her direction while calling his patrol partners for reinforcements.
Makoto didn't think twice. She bolted the hell out of there.
Sae wished there was a way to strangle her boss and get away with it.
Ever since she found out he is the liaison between Shido and the perpetrator, she has been unable to stand his presence. A few dark thoughts on how to get rid of him crossed her head, but she tried to put it to rest.
What is done is done, trying to get vengeance using unjust methods would just make her stoop to his level.
She was broken out of her musings by her phone ringing. Checking the ID, she frowned. The Shujin Faculty was calling her.
She groaned, already expecting Makoto to be the reason, and took the call. "This is Niijima speaking."
"Niijima-san, we are sorry to disturb you, but we need to notify you of an incident involving your sister." The person spoke from the other side of the line.
Sae closed her eyes and counted to ten, feeling the stress getting to her already. What on earth did that girl do!?
Haru sat in a chair on Shujin's roof. Rubbing her temples as she sighed. Beside her, Ann was quietly, kindly talking to a distressed Eiko. She looked up as Ryuji and Ren arrived. The face of their leader was grave, and she sagged on her chair.
"Hey." She said quietly. They greeted one another, and Ren motioned for Haru to tell what happened, from the start.
"Dude…" Ryuji said after she finished. "This is going too far. We gotta do something to stop her before she hurts herself or others…"
"I-It's my fault, really," Eiko said amidst sniffles. "I've been kind of a bitch to her in the past few months. We haven't talked that much ever since the day she slapped me, and sometimes I send her some taunting texts…"
Ren sighed. "Honestly, I'm just gonna say this once: You really suck, Eiko."
"Ren!" Ann said in alarm, and Haru herself frowned.
Eiko glared at him. Ren continued. "Makoto would always pretend to be fine, but I knew she was affected and hurt whenever you ignored her and pushed her away, or whenever you taunted her for no reason. We were just trying to help you. You weren't listening."
"I know, okay!? I know!" She said out loud, almost shouting. A look of regret crossed her face. "I was a gullible idiot. I just wanted someone to care for me, and Tsukasa was the first person to give me the time of day. I was just so angry when Makoto took the one thing that I thought I had away from me…I couldn't forgive her!"
Haru sighed. "Takao-chan… Feeling hurt is your prerogative, but blaming Makoto for that wouldn't change things, especially since she acted well-intentioned. Provoking her was the worst thing you could have done today. We cannot explain in detail why, but please, for your own safety, leave her be."
Eiko looked down sadly. "Okay. I'm sorry. Maybe she was right about those things she said after all… It's not like she was lying…I don't think anybody cares about me."
"No." Ren said firmly. "Makoto was wrong to say the things she said today. I'm unsure if she truly meant them either, but that was out of proportion even if she didn't. I'm not fond of you for the way you treated her either, but in this particular situation, Makoto is in the wrong."
Haru felt just as saddened as Ren. "Takao-chan, I cannot excuse the awful things you said about Mako-chan in class earlier today, just as I cannot excuse her actions either. But, I also understand what it's like to feel alone, and I'm sorry you feel like that."
"Thanks, Okumura-chan…" The other girl said, her eyes growing a little tearful again. "Sorry, everyone, I gotta go. Thanks for helping me out, I appreciate it. See you all later."
They watched as Eiko finally left the roof with a sad disposition, then shared looks.
Ann hugged herself. "Honestly, I should have stopped Makoto a few days ago when she provoked Mika…I guess I ended up enabling her with this mean girl behavior, too…"
"It's not your fault, Ann-chan," Haru said as she put a hand on Ann's shoulder. "Makoto blindsided me as well earlier today. She made me lower my guard, and I believe if I wasn't there to curb her impulses just a little, she would have assaulted Takao-chan."
"She is becoming more and more unstable," Ren spoke hollowly. "The Makoto we know would never hurt a defenseless person, whether they were being just or not. It's not who she is."
The blonde model nodded. "Yeah… Also, guys, maybe don't mention her Persona around her."
Haru saw Ren gaze at Ann sharply. "Why?"
"The same day we modeled… I asked if she could still hear Anat. Makoto looked as if she was going to be sick, but then recovered, and told me that she couldn't and that she didn't care about it…" Ann said while averting her gaze.
Ren closed his eyes. "I see. So we have confirmation that she doesn't have a persona any longer."
"Dammit…" Ryuji said. "But I guess it makes sense… She has a shadow n' shit now…"
Ann nodded sadly in response, and Haru felt as if things were only bound to get worse from here onwards.
Morgana was having a hard time locating Makoto.
After Haru had alerted them, Ren and Ryuji went to the school roof to meet up with the girls, while he was assigned to track down Makoto. The problem is, while he could technically track her by smell, he was having problems identifying her scent properly. Not to mention, he wasn't a dog!
…Well, he wasn't a cat either.
In any case, he did the best he could to consider which areas she could go after exiting school. She didn't live in Aoyama, so it must mean she most likely is around the subway station or going towards it.
Morgana hoped she hadn't taken the train yet. If she did, it was over.
Reaching the station at record speed, he started to look for her, but luck was not on his side, and Morgana's frustration only increased.
He was about to turn around and look at another platform when something peculiar caught his eye: A golden butterfly.
Morgana's eyes widened. That… That felt so familiar…
The little butterfly seemed to go unnoticed by the people surrounding him in the station. Morgana approached it, and the butterfly moved as if trying to guide him toward a certain direction.
Morgana followed it.
Ren and the others finally left the school, but on their way to the train station, they noticed quite a peculiar scene: Akechi Goro was being lifted into an ambulance.
They all shared incredulous looks, not quite believing it.
Ryuji scratched his hair, flabbergasted. "Man, did you see his face? Did someone beat the shit outta him or somethin'!?"
"Oh my god…" Ann said as she covered her mouth with her hands. "That's crazy… He is so famous, who would do something like that!?"
Ren narrowed his eyes. The timing, the place…
He glanced at Haru and saw that she reached the same conclusion.
"I think we know the answer." The Okumura heiress said with some wariness.
"Wait, what!? What the eff dude… She wouldn't do that, would she!?" The blonde questioned, startled as he caught on to their friend's insinuation.
"Well. He has been stalking her lately, hasn't he? So it would stand to reason that they crossed paths, and Makoto took out all her pent-up aggression on him. It happened before. I would know it." Haru said, her voice a little bitter.
Ren crossed his arms, feeling defensive of Makoto. "Haru. You know she is not fine."
Haru held up a hand. "Of course, I know. But you have to face it, Ren-kun, she is getting dangerous. You didn't see how brutally fast she was in the classroom, it made me more scared than I wanted to admit it…"
Nobody knew what to say in response.
"But still… She is my friend. I'm not saying we give up on her, but things are only bound to escalate until we can change her heart." Haru concluded a few minutes later.
Ann seemed just as frustrated as Ren did. "And what should we do in the meantime? It's not like we can fully control her behavior. Believe me, I tried."
Ryuji nudged Ann's shoulder with his. "You know guys, maybe we should back out a little bit, go easier on her. Like… It's like she is gettin' cagier n' shit the more we try to control her behavior." He told them with a deadly serious look. "We gotta help her work out her pent-up aggression in a healthy way, and also just let her speak up her mind, even if it's some unhinged stuff."
"That doesn't sound like a good idea, Ryuji-kun. She doesn't seem to know what limits are supposed to be." Haru protested. Ryuji held his hand up.
"Nah, hear me out, Haru. We gotta stop treatin' her like she is a shitty idiot with no brain n' stuff. Let's find ways to distract her, get her to have so much fun she can't really have time to think about doin' bad, crazy stuff too much."
"Oh wow… Did you think all of that stuff up on your own!? I'm impressed, Ryuji!" Ann teased him.
He didn't seem to appreciate her quip. "What the eff is that supposed to mean!?"
"Geez, calm down, It was just a joke! I think your ideas are awesome, actually." Ann said as she squeezed his bicep.
The blonde boy gaped at her and stared quite long at her hand in his arm, his face flushing. Ann realized what she was doing, and let go, blushing heavily. Ren smirked, and Haru tried to hold back a smile at their silly display.
"A-Anyways!" Ann spoke after, clearing her throat. "Yeah, maybe we should give that idea a go?"
"I do see the merits… But I admit, I don't know if that will be enough." Haru said. "What do you think, Ren-kun?"
"I honestly welcome anything at this point. Let's give Ryuji's idea a go."
Once she managed to lose the cops, Makoto hid in one of the station's empty restrooms, washing her hands off the stain of Akechi's blood.
"Tut tut, Mako-chan… You've been a bad girl!" The reflection in the mirror taunted her gleefully.
Makoto clutched the sink forcefully and leaned forward, a manic look on her face."You… You're the one causing all of this! Why did you say those things to Eiko? Why did you make me assault Akechi!?"
The reflection let out a harsh laugh. "Do you hear yourself? You're the one who did those things. The moment I let control slip back into your hands, you let it happen seamlessly, without much of my input… Face it, Makoto, I AM YOU!"
No. No, she wouldn't accept that!
"No! YOU'RE NOT ME!" She shrieked out in the middle of the restroom, startling a woman who had just entered, and swiftly left as she got scared of the deranged teen talking to herself.
She couldn't be. She couldn't be this twisted, dark person! This envious monster!
Makoto's unhinged, frantic thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a haze fell over her mind, and she felt her limbs move against her will. Her mouth curled into a smile, even though Makoto was nothing but terrified, trapped, and helpless in her own mind as she watched this other self take over her body again, just as it had been doing during the past few days.
"There. Be a good girl and submit to my will once more, Makoto… Let's be lunatics together!" She heard herself speak out loud.
When she blinked, she found that she was staring at the mirror. Huh. What the hell happened again?
Oh, right. She gave those two bitches, Eiko and Akechi, lessons they couldn't forget.
Good. They asked for it. They deserved it.
Whistling to herself contentedly, Makoto left the restroom. All those silly adventures today made her feel quite hungry. She could use some curry.
The butterfly led Morgana to one of the train platforms at Aoyama-Itchome station. As soon as it stopped, he swept his gaze around, and when he turned back, he noticed that the golden butterfly had disappeared.
That's when he spotted Makoto several steps away from him, waiting up in line as if to take the train. He sped up to catch up to her.
"Makoto!" He called out. Her gaze swept around curiously and she grinned when she spotted him at her feet. She walked to a secluded corner and motioned him over.
"Hey Mona! What are you doing here on your own?" Makoto asked as she gently picked him up and scratched under his chin very affectionately.
Morgana was taken aback and almost blissed out at the nice feeling of being hugged and petted, but he remembered his priorities and tried to wiggle away from her arms. "I was looking for you! The others are worried sick!"
Makoto continued to coo at him and pet him. "Hmm…Are they now?"
She seemed oddly relaxed, and the furs on the back of his body stood on end. There was something wrong and off about Makoto, more so than the past few days.
"Hey! I'm serious, Haru said you fought with some classmates!"
"Oh, that wimp Nagata and Eiko? Nah. They were asking for it." She said with an amused chuckle, completely unconcerned.
Morgana gaped at her. What the heck!
"Hey, that's-" He tried to protest, but Makoto swiftly silenced him.
"Shh, be quiet. Get in the bag, my train is coming up. Hurry." She told him sternly and impatiently, shifting her mood so suddenly that he felt a little taken aback.
Morgana was scared, so he obeyed her.
"Where are we going?" He questioned after they were already inside the train.
"Leblanc. I'm hungry." She replied nonchalantly.
"Oh… Hey, at least send a message to the others so they know you are alright!" He pleaded.
Makoto snorted. "I don't understand why they are making such a fuss. You guys don't need to know where I am all the time."
"Makoto… Please." Morgana pleaded, hating having to grovel, but seeing no other way. "You know I hate begging. And I'm begging. Please? Send a message to the others!"
She rolled her eyes and brought her phone up. "Fine, fine."
He watched like a hawk as she typed in the Phantom chat, letting them know she was going to be at Leblanc. He craned his neck to make sure she was contacting the others.
She was.
"There, see? Now you can stop bitching about it. Honestly…" She grumbled.
Her tone was taunting, which deeply irritated Morgana. The Makoto he knew would never talk like this. She was being selfish and cruel, and that made him a little pissed off.
But he had to be smart about it. He decided to keep an eye on her, and not leave her side until Ren was back home.
Ryuji and Ren had finally arrived at the subway station after having watched Akechi's unfortunate trip to the hospital.
If you asked Ryuji, It was funny as shit.
Not that he is saying violence is cool and all, but damn, some people asked for it.
Haru had left much earlier with her driver, and they declined her offer of a free ride. Ann had gone with her, but Ryuji decided to stay behind and keep Renren company while he waited for news from Mona.
His phone beeped, and he took it out of his pocket.
[Phantom Rage! - The Ghost Robbers]
[Phantom Rage!: I'm heading to Leblanc, and I'm with Morgana.
[Phantom Rage!: Just giving a heads-up since he won't stop whining about letting everyone know I'm fine.
[Phantom Rage!: So there you have it.
[Phantom Rage! Has gone offline.]
"Eh, at least we got an update," Ryuji said, pocketing his phone. "So, should we go there?"
Renren looked stressed out, but there wasn't much Ryuji could do. "No, you can head home. I'll go there alone, sit down, and have a chat with her."
"You sure, dude?" He tried, just to make sure.
"Positive. I'll let Sae know she's with me. Just go home and rest. Thanks for backing me up earlier."
"No prob. See ya later, Renren."
His friend gave him a thumbs up as a goodbye, and Ryuji made his way to the platform to wait for his train.
While he did that, he considered what kind of fun activities he could do with 'Madkoto' (his personal nickname for her). Playing video games and sparring at the gym was a given, but those could only go on for so long until she was bored of it. Maybe get her to binge-watch JoJo?
Nah, that shit would remind them too much of Personas, could be a trigger and stuff.
"Damn… Maybe I should buy her a few guns and kits from Iwai and get her to shoot some shit." He grumbled.
…
Wait. What if he did do that!? Makoto had a mean ass aim in Mementos, he was pretty sure she'd dig that kinda shit.
One of his former track friends had a dad who was obsessed with airsoft, and that's how he got to know about Untouchable in Shibuya. Maybe he should convince Makoto to have some fun with that, get her to shoot some randos, and clear her head up.
Man, he was a genius. What could go wrong with that!?
While still on the train. Makoto received a call from Uncle Katsuya. She frowned but picked it up.
"Hey, uncle." She replied sweetly, not giving a damn that she was being quite loud on the train.
"Hi, Little Panda. Do you have some time?"
"I do. School is over, so I'm free for the rest of the day. What's up?"
"Myself, Tatsu, and a colleague of ours are curious about a few things that happened at Shujin. Do you mind if we come over to ask you some questions?"
Makoto frowned, not quite getting why her uncles would want to talk to her about that useless school, but she shrugged it off.
Whatever.
"Sure, but I'm not at school, nor home. I'm on my way to a café in Yongen-Jaya."
"Oh? Ah, I see, the one you and Amamiya-kun talked about… Leblanc, I believe?"
"Yeah. Do you want me to text you the address? We can meet up there, plus you get to taste the best coffee and curry in all of Tokyo." She said teasingly.
Katsu chuckled. "Sure honey. I'll meet you there."
"Sounds great, uncle. Love you."
"Love you too, Little Panda." He said affectionately, then hung up.
His request was a little weird but she figured that getting to spend some time with her uncles wasn't so bad.
The train finally arrived at her stop, Makoto got out, and Morgana yelped a little inside her bag as she rushed out carelessly.
"I'm home," Ren said as soon as he entered Leblanc.
When Ren arrived at Leblanc, he saw that Makoto and Morgana were already there. His feline friend had a look that told him everything he needed to know.
Makoto, meanwhile, was busy charming Sojiro by making several jokes while he brewed her a cup. It was funny on one hand because she seemed to have taken a page out of Ren's book, but it was eerie and bizarre considering she almost trashed her classroom just a couple of hours ago.
Ren didn't know what to feel.
Upon spotting him, Makoto's face brightened up. Something about Makoto made his skin crawl these days, even if it also gave his body very interesting reactions at times.
"Hey, baby." She said, all sweetness and poison in one as she greeted him lovingly, clearly not caring about Boss and Morgana being there.
"Hey." He greeted her back. Ren felt his cheeks redden at how pretty she looked. Lately, he has been blushing like a silly little maiden for no reason… Maybe it was Makoto's hot assertiveness, and her new choice of wardrobe fitting her so damn well that got him behaving like a buffoon.
There must be a cruel god out there toying with him, he just knows it.
Sojiro threw him a questioning gaze and Ren just shook his head with a grim face.
He turned to Makoto. "Do you mind if we head upstairs for a bit?"
"Let me finish my coffee, and I'll be up in a few."
He nodded and headed to his room, Morgana in tow.
"I saw Akechi being lifted into an ambulance before I boarded the train," Ren whispered as soon as they reached his room, making sure that only Morgana was able to hear him.
Morgana looked puzzled. "What the… What happened to him?"
"He was beaten up. His face looked messed up. But more importantly, did you notice Makoto's knuckles?"
"Yeah… They look a bit swollen and red."
"And she didn't have any protective gloves on… Morgana, I think Makoto assaulted Akechi."
His friend seemed alarmed. "But why? Not that I'm a fan of the guy but…That doesn't sound right."
"If you must know, he deserved it. He made some really disgusting insinuations and all." Makoto startled them from the doorway as she crossed her arms in front of her, her gaze cold and calculating. "Also, if you're gonna talk about me, make sure it's not behind my back."
Ren wasn't going to let himself be intimidated by her. "We're not talking behind your back. We are just concerned with you. You're way out of line, Makoto… First Haru, then Sae, now this attempt on Eiko, and finally Akechi… Who is it going to be next? Futaba? Morgana? Myself?"
"Wow, you think I'd stoop so low as to hurt even Futaba?" She asked incredulously, looking genuinely hurt.
"Hey, but does it mean you'd still try to hurt me!?" Morgana asked, alarmed.
Makoto glared at Morgana, and he shut up.
Ren crossed his arms. "You've brutally assaulted people you cared about before, such as your sister and Haru. I wouldn't be surprised at this point."
Makoto narrowed her eyes. "I don't appreciate that tone. Or the accusations, mister."
"I'm just stating facts. And you need to stop with this attitude."
"Or else what ?"
He had no response for that. Morgana looked between the two of them with apprehension, almost like a kid watching their parents fight. Ren was about to say something, but he was interrupted by Sojiro popping in for a second to tell them that some customers were looking for Makoto.
"We'll be down in a moment, Boss," Ren told the older man, who watched the two of them warily as he noticed the clear tension in the room.
After Sojiro left, Makoto gave Ren a patronizing gaze and wrapped her arms over his neck, her mood whiplashing as she ignored the very important points he was trying to make earlier. "Let's not fight, hon. I hate fighting with you."
Ren sighed and adjusted his glasses while she clung to him like a lazy, needy cat. "...Alright. I won't fight with you, but I need you to stop with your aggressive behavior, at the very least."
"I'll think about it…" She whispered, then grinned maliciously as she approached her mouth to his ear. "...If youact like a good boy for me."
Ren decided then and there at that moment that he needed some holy water from the church in Kanda to stop the temptations of the devil from wreaking havoc upon his soul.
Flushing and hearing Morgana gag behind him, Ren pecked Makoto on the lips to placate her, then disentangled himself from her arms. "Fine. Let's just go, before Boss comes up here again."
Yu entered the cozy café, with his wonderful fiancee in tow. Despite the stoic face she was maintaining, he could feel she was happy to be by his side.
He tried hard not to grin openly. Good old Naoto.
The Suou brothers had small, barely imperceptible sly smirks, but the brothers knew better than to tease Naoto, too. Yu was pleased that they seemed to respect her and defer to her intelligence and skills, despite having seniority over her. Naoto herself had confided to him that she admired the detectives and was looking forward to working with people more experienced than her. In other words, she was secretly fangirling over Katsuya-san's pristine track record, even though she was the most famous and accomplished detective of all of them.
He was glad and excited to work with them as well. He thinks Uncle Ryo and Katsuya-san would have been best of friends.
"I like this place already. Looks cozy and inviting." He commented with a smile.
"Heh, I'm glad to hear it," The older gentleman behind the counter responded. "Welcome to Leblanc…And that is quite the crowd, too."
"Ah yes, my apologies… Are you Sojiro Sakura?" Katsuya-san asked as he stepped forward, bowing slightly.
"Yes. Can I help you?"
"I'm Katsuya Suou, and this is my brother Tatsuya. Beside me are my colleagues, Detective Yu Narukami and, of course, Detective Naoto Shirogane."
Sakura-san's eyes widened, especially after hearing such a famous name. "Heh, It's an honor to meet you all, detectives."
After a few more rounds of pleasantries, they all sat down in a booth. Sakura-san approached them directly, his gaze inquisitive.
"What brings you here, detectives? I hope there has been no trouble with my business…" He muttered cautiously.
"Our apologies if it seemed that way, Sakura-san. We're merely here to check out your establishment since my lovely nieces recommended it to us. And of course, I'm going to meet the youngest here." Katsuya-san explained.
"Oh, nieces?" Sojiro asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Yes, Sae and Makoto Niijima." Tatsuya-san replied.
Sakura-san's eyes widened. "Well… I'll be damned. Yes, I know those girls. The elder one is especially stubborn."
Tatsuya merely chuckled. "Indeed. That's our Sae-chan."
"You're in luck, gentlemen. The young one is upstairs with the kid. I'll be right back."
They nodded gratefully as the man went to alert the niece. Yu read the menu and was surprised to find that they served curry.
"Huh, curry with coffee? Maybe I should try that out." He mumbled out loud.
Naoto leveraged a puzzled eyebrow at him, and Katsuya cleared his throat.
"Well, Makoto says it's a great combination. We could all give it a try?"
They nodded, and Sojiro returned just in time for them to make their orders. Soon, they saw a young woman and a young man descend from the stairs, a cat in tow.
Katsuya-san's eyes widened as he kept his gaze fixated on the cat, his posture a little stiff. Yu was going to ask him if everything was alright, but his attention was swiftly drawn away as he sensed something rather peculiar coming from the young man beside the detectives' niece.
Ren observed the room's occupants cautiously. He already met Katsuya and Tatsuya Suou, Makoto's uncles, and could honestly say he was a fan of both. But he stared a bit longer at their other two companions until his eyes widened.
Wait, he knew that woman… She was famous as hell in his hometown. That was Detective Naoto Shirogane, the actual Detective Prince that Akechi tried too hard to copy.
She zeroed her gaze on him, but he maintained his perfect poker face. She, too, had an excellent game face. The platinum-haired man beside her seemed concentrated on studying his face, though. Ren narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. There was something about this guy, too… Not so dissimilar to how he felt with Amano-san and even Tatsuya-san when he first met them.
He was about to open his third eye to give it a check when Makoto promptly dragged him forward to greet and meet the others.
Tatsuya-san had a kind, quiet smile on his lips. "Hello again, Amamiya-kun, Mako-chan."
"Hello, Tatsuya-san, Katsuya-san." He replied politely to his girlfriend's uncles. Makoto, too, eagerly greeted her youngest uncle with a grin.
Katsuya-san, who seemed to have been in a trance before, snapped out of it and greeted him as well. "Hello Amamiya-kun, Makoto. Allow me to introduce my companions to you both. This is Detective Naoto Shirogane, and her fiancé and colleague, Detective Yu Narukami."
"A pleasure to meet you, Niijima-san, Amamiya-kun." The Detective Prince spoke, and her fiancé nodded, also muttering his greetings.
Makoto watched on with a calculating gaze as her uncles introduced their companions. The Shirogane woman was clearly sharp.
"Sup." Makoto said, her intonation slightly bored. Detective Shirogane's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, and Uncle Katsu frowned at her rudeness.
Ren stepped into the conversation, putting out all his charm. "The pleasure is ours, Detectives Shirogane, and Narukami. I heard much about you, as I just happen to hail from Inaba."
"Oh? That's a pleasant coincidence." The woman replied, even though her tone of voice was rather calm and unfazed.
The Narukami guy and Ren had a staring contest, but eventually, the older man chuckled and started to talk about Inaba. Makoto droned them out and glanced to the side only to see Uncle Katsuya remove his tinted glasses, as he warily watched Morgana.
She frowned at that scene in particular but ultimately shrugged.
"That's a cute kitty, Amamiya-kun… Is he yours?" Her uncle asked after there was a lull in the conversation.
"Hey! I'm not a cat!" The little fella said in protest.
Makoto chuckled at Morgana as she picked him up fondly and scratched him under his chin.
"Yeah, his name is Morgana. He is a huge complainer, aren't you Mona-chan?" Makoto teased him.
"Makoto! You're not helping!" He whined.
Katsuya, who was closer to Makoto in their seating arrangements, cautiously reached out and started to tentatively pet Morgana.
"Whoa, hold on a minute! I don't like dudes petting me, that's… Oh! That hits just the spot!" The little idiot said, as he protested at first but soon relaxed again.
"What a cute little fellah," Katsuya said happily as he petted Morgana to his heart's content.
Makoto grinned at her uncle. She bet this was a first for him.
…Hm. Something felt off about that.
Sojiro, finally having noticed Morgana in the room, sighed and looked at Ren sternly. "Kid, what do I always tell you about letting the cat come down here when there are customers?"
"Sorry, Boss. Come on Morgana, up to the attic with you!" Ren said as he ushered the cat upstairs, who obeyed despite his grumblings.
"Amazing… He seems so intelligent." Katsuya said with awe, clearly having liked Morgana.
"Sometimes, too smart for his damn good," Sojiro grumbled, as he started to serve their orders.
Makoto grinned at her uncles and the guests' reactions to the excellent curry at Leblanc.
"This is incredibly delicious, Sakura-san! The texture is perfect and the flavors seem so well balanced." Katsu, who was a curry enthusiast, complimented eagerly.
"They're scientifically measured and tested, Uncle Katsu," Makoto said with a grin.
"Really? That's amazing."
Sojiro had a nostalgic look on his face. "Quite. The woman who made this recipe was a genius."
"My sincere compliments to her, Sakura-san," Yu said with a smile.
Sojiro nodded, his face pensive as he returned to his task.
Makoto observed as they all enjoyed the food and coffee with enthusiasm. Beside her, Ren seemed stiff and a bit nervous.
She had no idea why he was so nervous. Everything was perfect.
"Makoto." Her uncle Tatsuya started after they were finished, down to just sipping on their coffees. "I hope you don't mind if we ask you and Amamiya-kun a few questions about Shujin… More specifically, the rumors of those Phantom Thieves."
Beside her, Ren tensed, but she caught his arm ever so slightly.
She was going to prove to him she can protect them. The Phantom Thieves were HER Masked Circle. Nobody, not even her beloved uncles and his friends, can touch or harm what is hers.
"Of course, uncle. Ask away." She prompted him with a small, lazy smile.
Shirogane narrowed her eyes, and Narukami also seemed keen on hearing her out.
"Well, we heard those Phantom Thieves first appeared here in Tokyo after they changed the hearts of Shujin's Volleyball Coach, Suguru Kamoshida." Uncle Tatsu spoke out. "Since you're Student Council President, do you remember anything?"
"Yes, I do." She replied calmly. "Principal Kobayakawa pestered me to investigate them, after all."
"What the… Why would he put a teenager on a task such as this?" Katsu questioned, looking annoyed on her behalf.
She shrugged. "He was like that, refusing to do his job and putting me up to it. To my greatest shame and disgust, I spent a good portion of the year being his sycophant. Tch. That guy contributed nothing to society if you ask me."
Her uncles shared a look with her abrasive tone, whereas Shirogane was piercing Makoto with her gaze.
"Anyways, I digress… You asked if I remember anything. Well, Kamoshida was a sex offender, yet n obody did anything to stop him, especially not the parents, faculty, or even the principal. This went on for quite a while until one day, a myriad of calling cards appeared… And Kamoshida completely changed his personality overnight. He confessed everything. Quite frankly, I was shocked since I wasn't aware he was a predator. In the end, I just chalked the Phantom Thieves thing up as a juvenile prank."
Shirogane put a hand under her chin. "Interesting. Do you recall people of interest? Places? Names? Even anyone remotely related to Kamoshida. Such as potential victims?"
"No. Nobody was speaking about this. The only victim that was publicized was Suzui-san. I don't know anything else about this case, and this is all I can contribute."
All four detectives studied Makoto's face for a hint of deception. In the end, Katsuya merely nodded, "I see. Thanks anyways, honey."
"If you don't mind me asking uncle… Why are you all so interested in this topic? Is this about the bounty on those Phantom Thieves?" She questioned this time, narrowing her eyes.
Shirogane snorted. "I'm sure there are better ways to make money than trying to catch those Thieves the way the police are proposing… But no. We are merely curious, is all. Wouldn't you be, if you worked as a detective? This and the Mental Shutdown Cases are fascinating…"
Makoto didn't buy it for a second. "Right. Those. Are you investigating on Sis' behalf, uncles?"
"Somewhat. Sae is aware we are poking around for clues on the mental shutdowns, but so far, we don't have anything conclusive." Tatsuya responded cautiously.
"I see."
"And you, Amamiya-kun? Anything you would know about this since you go to Shujin as well?" Katsu inquired when the silence settled over them.
"No, Katsuya-san. I just transferred and didn't know anyone around here. It wasn't until much later that I made friends with Makoto. I just wanted to keep quiet for my probation." He responded.
Her oldest uncle seemed sympathetic, especially since this reminded him of Grandpa Suou's unjust imprisonment. "Ah, of course…"
"Hm… Probation, Amamiya-kun?" Shirogane asked, her eyes inquisitive.
Ren seemed to shrink in on himself ever so slightly, but Makoto boldly grasped his hand and took over the conversation. "Some asshole tried to assault a woman in front of him, and he intervened. Since the guy was drunk out of his mind, well… He fell, injured himself, and blamed Ren."
Her boyfriend regained his composure, halting the rest of Makoto's colored retelling, looking slightly irritated with her. "Yes. I was unjustly imprisoned. I don't expect you to believe me, detectives, but that was the case. Chief Dojima and Officer Satonaka from the local police station were kind enough to me, but once I was transferred temporarily, the time at Juvie was not the best for me."
Narukami seemed to trust Ren's words. "I believe you. Ryotaro Dojima happens to be my uncle, and Satonaka is a personal friend of ours. I'm sorry this happened to you, though."
Ren smiled with genuine gratitude. "Thanks, Narukami-san. And I'm sorry I can't contribute more to your questions."
"That's alright, kid. You were both helpful enough." Katsu said with a sigh, then turned to his brother and colleagues. "I guess we should be going, hm?"
"...Yes. I believe this is all." Shirogane replied.
They paid for the food and coffee, singing praises to Sojiro and politely giving their goodbyes. Makoto saw Ren relax a bit, and she waved to both her uncles.
However, just before they left, Detective Shirogane turned around. "Oh, one more thing…"
Makoto and Ren both perked up.
Shirogane's eyes were calculating. "Do any of you know a boy by the name of Yusuke Kitagawa?"
Sojiro perked up, and the moment he did so, it was over. The eyes of Shirogane were expectant.
"I don't," Makoto replied simply, unfazed.
"...No," Ren mumbled, subtly glaring at Makoto.
Boss was smart and looked at both her and Ren as if to gauge if he should aid them in the lie or not.
He sighed and made his choice. "Can't say I did… Why do you ask?"
Shirogane shared knowing looks with Narukami, then turned back to Sojiro. "That unsuspecting painting you have over there in that wall… It looks similar to Madarame's famous painting, Saiyuri, the one he plagiarized from Kitagawa's mother, and confessed to doing so publicly."
The entire room froze. Her uncles, Narukami, Shirogane, Sojiro, and Ren seemed to be in suspense, unsure of what to say or do in their stalemate. But the moon always orbits around the Earth, and for Makoto, time never stops.
"Detective!" She started with a devilish grin. "That is just a fake. After all, since when does the original Saiyuri have a baby in it?"
Outside of Leblanc, the quartet started to slowly walk away towards the main streets.
Yu was the first to break the silence as they walked. "That Amamiya kid… I just got a 'vibe' from him."
Naoto threw her fiancé a well-aimed eyebrow. "Of what kind?"
"The 'I've been to the Velvet Room' kind," Yu responded.
They all remained silent, especially Katsuya who seemed to have an intense look on his face.
"What do you think about Makoto's testimony?" Tatsuya asked.
"Forgive me for saying this but, there is something rather strange about your niece that I can't quite put my finger on. She was acting cynical the whole time." Naoto muttered.
Tatsuya sighed. "I know. That's not really how she usually behaves… My Persona reacted to her the other day."
Naoto turned to him, surprised. "Oh? Did it?"
"Yes. But it has spoken to me in riddles and whispers. I can't be sure why. Maybe because Makoto and I always had more affinity with one another, just as Katsu and Sae-chan have more affinity with each other."
"Hmm, I see," Naoto spoke while measuring his words. "She definitely lied about Yusuke Kitagawa. Sakura-san and Amamiya-kun gave the game away with the look on their faces."
Tatsuya looked and felt unhappy at the thought. "She did. When she came to Sumaru with Sae a few weeks back, she told me she had a friend called Yusuke, though I cannot be sure if that is the same person."
The look on Naoto's face told everything. "I bet my money it is. What do you think about this, Katsuya-san?"
Katsuya ignored her, rubbing his chin in contemplation, his tinted glasses fogging up as he seemed off in his own head. Yu snickered and Naoto seemed puzzled at his actions.
"Hey! Earth to Katsu!" Tatsuya called out, exasperated. "Shirogane-san asked you a question."
His brother finally snapped out of his trance and turned to the rest of the group.
"Oh? My apologies, Shirogane-san. Can you please repeat the question?" Katsuya asked, his face flushing red with embarrassment for his inattention.
Naoto blinked. "Of course, but if you don't mind me asking first… What has gotten you so distracted, Detective?"
Katsuya adjusted his tinted glasses, his face deadly serious. "Morgana. I got to pet him for a little bit."
Tatsuya couldn't believe his brother. "Seriously? This isn't the place or the time for that."
Katsuya shook his head. "You didn't get it. Think about it. Morgana is a cat."
An awkward pause ensued.
But then, Tatsuya blinked, finally catching on. "...Oh."
Shirogane was confused, and a little impatient with their reactions. "Of course he is. And? "
Katsuya stared at Naoto and Yu both. "I am allergic to cats. Including, shall we say, supernatural ones."
Naoto narrowed her eyes. "...I see now."
The oldest man in the group nodded solemnly. "Indeed. Morgana simply did not trigger my allergic reaction."
To be continued…