The shadows were destroyed by blasts of light, Tsukasa barely managing to dodge.
"T-That was a Makouga spell!" Morgana realized.
"And behind her… it's a Persona!" Makoto cried.
"You think this matters?!" Tsukasa snapped. "I can just deal with this myself!"
Tsukasa fired off another bolt of lightning.
Using it like a broomstick, Eiko swerved out of the way on her banner before shooting out another blast of light, scoring a direct hit on Tsukasa.
"Urk…!" Tsukasa groaned. "How are you this strong?!"
"What's wrong? Not used to people fighting back?" Eiko scoffed.
"Come on, let's help her." Makoto said.
"Right!" Morgana nodded.
Seeing them attempting to rejoin the fight, Tsukasa fired off several chunks of ice.
Morgana quickly unleashed a Garula spell, blowing the ice away and allowing Makoto to score a direct hit with a Freila spell.
"That's enough!" Tsukasa roared. "I don't need any of you alive! I can just find someone else to manipulate! Now burn!"
Tsukasa fired off numerous fireballs at them, the sheer number making it impossible to dodge.
"Marakukaja!" Eiko shouted.
They found their defenses increasing, allowing them to endure the barrage of fire.
Seeing Eiko beginning to heal them again, Tsukasa shot out another fireball aimed at her.
Eiko fired off a Kouga spell, the two spells colliding and producing a blinding flash of light.
Tsukasa shielded his eyes from the light, as it was far too bright for him to see.
When he opened them, he saw Makoto right in front of him…
Right before she slammed her fist into his face.
Tsukasa went flying across the room before crashing into a wall.
As he struggled to get up, Makoto pointed her gun at him.
"It's over." Makoto stated. "Surrender… now!"
"N-No, it can't end like this!" Tsukasa cried. "Not after I've worked so hard to get to where I am!"
Tsukasa frantically looked around the room before his eyes landed on Eiko.
"H-Hey, come on, Princess!" Tsukasa pleaded. "L-Listen, you got it all wrong! I… I never meant for any of this to happen. I-It's just that… oh! It's the Yakuza, you see! They threatened my family and forced me into this!"
"Oh really?" Eiko asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Y-Yes, of course!" Tsukasa stammered. "You have to believe me! Every second I was forced to manipulate you was like a stab to the heart! The time we spent together meant so much to me."
"That's a little hard to believe after everything you've done." Eiko replied.
"But it's the truth!" Tsukasa insisted. "Please Princess, you have to believe me? I've always been there for you, haven't I? It's cause I love you! So please, you gotta let me go…!
"Alright…" Eiko replied. "I'll let you go… on one condition."
"N-No, you can't!" Makoto cried. "He hasn't gone through a change of heart!"
Ignoring her, Eiko hopped down to the ground, carrying her banner in her hands as she walked closer to Tsukasa, a cheerfully bright smile on her face.
Tsukasa gave a wide grin. "Of course, Princess! You know I'd do anything for you!"
"Well in that case…" Eiko trailed off. "What's my name?"
"H-Huh?" Tsukasa stammered. "Y-Your name?"
"Yeah, if you really love me, you should have no trouble telling me my actual name, riiiiight?" Eiko beamed.
"A-Ah, well, I mean… come on now, don't you prefer when I call you Princess?" Tsukasa excused.
"Tsukasa…" Eiko muttered, her smile and tone taking a sinister turn. "I told you my condition, didn't I? You do remember, don't you?"
"R-Right, of course I do!" Tsukasa insisted. "Come on, you know I love you, so of course I remember your name, Makoto!"
Makoto clenched her fists in rage. She was about to take Tsukasa down herself when…
"Awww, Tsukasa…" Eiko trailed off.
"See, I told you that I-"
"IT'S! EIKO! TAKAO! JACKASS!" Eiko shouted, hitting him with her weapon again and again.
"W-Wait, hold on, I-"
"GET BENT!" Eiko snapped, slamming her weapon onto Tsukasa's face.
As Eiko lifted up her banner, Tsukasa dissolved into a black ooze before reforming back into his human form.
"S-Stay away!" Tsukasa cried. "Get away from me!"
"What's wrong, Tsukasa?" Eiko whispered. "Are you afraid?"
"I-I'll do whatever you want!" Tsukasa cried. "Just please, don't kill me!"
"Oh, reaaaaaly?" Eiko beamed. "Whaaaatever I want?"
"Y-Yes! Anything! Anything you want!" Tsukasa repeated.
Makoto thought about stepping in, but decided to let Eiko handle it.
Eiko: In that case… first of all, you're going to return every cent to every single person you've scammed, got it?!
"Every cent?! Are you cra-"
"Did I stutter?" Eiko asked, narrowing her gaze.
"R-Right, every cent it is!" Tsukasa exclaimed.
"You're also going to confess to every single crime that you've committed, got it?!" Eiko continued. "Every single person you've ripped off, every single woman you've sold, every single time you've worked with the Yakuza. All of it! Unless… you'd prefer to deal with me?"
"N-No, I… I promise, I'll confess! I'll confess to everything!" Tsukasa pleaded.
Tsukasa's body slowly began to disappear, signaling his change of heart.
"Thank goodness." Morgana sighed. "I was worried there for a second."
"ALL RIGHT!" Eiko cheered. "We did it… wait…!"
Eiko suddenly started glancing around, panicking.
"What the hell did we just do?! Where the hell are we?! WHAT AM I WEARING?!"
"Calm down!" Makoto stressed. "I'll explain everything once we get out of here, ok?"
"R-Right." Eiko nodded. "Ok then."
She led Eiko through Mementos, bringing them both back to the real world.
"Thank God… back in the real world…" Eiko sighed. "Even our clothes are back to normal. Huh… that's a shame… I actually kinda liked my outfit in there."
"That… makes one of us." Makoto sighed.
"Well, we should probably start from the beginning." Morgana spoke.
Eiko suddenly tripped over herself, crawling away from the two of them.
"Ms. P-Prez!" Eiko stammered. "Y-Your cat is talking!"
"I'm not a cat!" Morgana snapped.
"And it's delusional too!" Eiko cried.
Makoto pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's just start with the most important part. You saw what happened to Tsukasa, right?"
"Yeah, what the hell was that?! He transformed into some monster, but when we beat him, he just disappeared! He… isn't dead, is he?" Eiko asked.
"No, he just… underwent a change of heart." Makoto stated.
"A change of… wait, you mean…!" Eiko gasped.
"I'll explain, but you have to keep quiet, ok?" Makoto said.
"Gotcha!" Eiko nodded.
Makoto glanced around before whispering into Eiko's ear.
"YOU'RE A PHANT-MMMHMMHM!"
"I told you to be quiet!" Makoto snapped, covering Eiko's mouth with her hand.
"Mmhm orry." Eiko mumbled, her mouth still covered.
"Maybe we should go somewhere quieter." Morgana suggested.
"Yeah… Eiko, we can talk at my house if you'd like?" Makoto suggested.
Eiko nodded, the two of them heading off together.
They only walked a few steps, however, before Makoto quickly had to catch Eiko from falling over.
"Eiko, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine. Just really tired." Eiko excused.
Makoto frowned. Eiko was likely physically and mentally exhausted after awakening her Persona.
"Are you sure you're ok? We can talk tomorrow if you're too exhausted." Makoto suggested.
"It's ok, it's ok! I promise!" Eiko insisted.
"Well… alright. Let's get going then." Makoto relented.
The two of them made their way over to Makoto's house.
"Eiko…"
"Don't talk to me, Prez. I'm in my happy place."
Makoto sighed as she watched Eiko bury herself in a mountain of Buchi plushies.
She supposed that it was a lot of information to take in at once.
"I'm in heaven, Prez!"
"That's nice, Eiko." Makoto replied. "But did you retain everything I told you?"
"I'll have to sleep on it… but I think I got the gist of it." Eiko muttered. "Persona… Metaverse… Change of Heart… Shadows… and Phantom Thieves. It's a lot, but I think I've got it."
She felt Morgana nudging her leg.
"We need to talk about this." Morgana mentioned.
She nodded. "I'll be right back, Eiko."
She walked into the kitchen with Morgana.
"So, are we going to tell the others?" Morgana asked.
"We'll probably have to." Makoto answered. "I'm worried what would happen if someone outside of our group were to find out that she has this power."
Morgana nodded. "And not just that… something seemed odd about her awakening. She didn't seem to be in as nearly as much pain as the rest of you were when you awakened to your Persona."
"Then do you think it's like Haru? Where she only achieved a partial awakening at first?" Makoto asked.
"That might be it." Morgana replied. "If that is the case, it would be dangerous to bring her along."
"That's true. We'll have to be very cautious." Makoto remarked. "I guess we'll just have to see what she wants first…"
The two of them went back inside of her room, only to find Eiko completely asleep in her room.
"Um… Eiko?" Makoto called.
No response.
She tried to gently shake the other girl, but still nothing.
"Jeez, her awakening must have really taken a lot out of her." Morgana noted. "She's completely conked out."
"She nearly fell over when we were walking here earlier." Makoto recalled. "Maybe it's best that she stays here for the night."
"Would your sister be ok with that?" Morgana asked.
"She told me that she'll be staying overnight at work again. She probably won't be back until after we leave for school." Makoto said. "I'll text her brother."
Bringing out her phone, she texted Aiko so that Eiko's family wouldn't worry.
Makoto: Eiko isn't feeling 100% right now. Would you be able to pick her up, or maybe she could stay with me tonight?
Aiko: Staying with you should be fine, but did something happen?
Makoto: Yes, but she's safe, so don't worry.
Aiko: I'd still like an explanation.
Makoto: I'll tell you tomorrow. Could you tell your parents that Eiko is staying over?
Aiko: I don't think they'd really care either way, but sure.
Makoto bit her lip. That wasn't exactly reassuring.
Heading into the guest room, Makoto lay in bed and quickly fell asleep.
10/2 Thursday
By the time Eiko had woken up, she had already finished making breakfast for the two of them.
"Good morning, Eiko." Makoto greeted. "I hope you're hungry."
"Prez… what happened?" Eiko asked.
"You were so exhausted after awakening your persona. I tried to gently shake you awake, but you were in a really deep sleep." Makoto mentioned. "I was a little worried about making you walk home by yourself, so I just left you be. I hope that's alright."
To her surprise, Eiko immediately began to cry.
"E-Eiko, what-"
"I-I'm sooooory!" Eiko cried.
Eiko rushed into Makoto's arms, bawling her eyes out.
"It's ok, it's ok." Makoto whispered, wrapping her arms around Eiko. "It's all over. He can't hurt us anymore."
"B-But I… I got you into so much trouble!" Eiko whimpered. "It's all my fault, Ms. Prez! B-Because of me, you ended up getting involved with the Yakuza! A-And no matter much you tried to warn me, I wouldn't listen, and I said so many horrible things to you, and-"
"Eiko!"
"H-Huh?" Eiko stammered.
"It's ok. I forgive you." Makoto told her. "I… understand what you were going through. You wanted someone to acknowledge you, right? To make you feel like you mattered."
"Yeah…" Eiko mumbled.
"Well, let me be that person, then." Makoto smiled. "Because you're my best friend, Eiko."
"Aww, Prez!" Eiko cried, fresh tears started to fall, and started to squeeze even tighter.
I feel like… the two of us have grown much closer.
FAITH CONFIDANT: RANK 7
Eventually, Eiko calmed down, the two of them eating breakfast and getting ready for school.
"So, did it feel good?" Makoto asked as she put their dishes away.
"What?" Eiko wondered.
"Gaining all of that power… and smacking Tsukasa around." Makoto clarified.
"It felt amazing!" Eiko giggled.
"Atta' girl." Makoto smiled.
"Um… say, Prez… about the Phantom Thieves…" Eiko trailed off.
Makoto frowned. "You want to join?"
"C-Can I?" Eiko asked. "I-I know that it'll probably be dangerous, but I want to help in any way I can!"
"Well… I'd probably have to test out your abilities at some point." Makoto noted.
"Like… a test?" Eiko asked.
"Sorta." Makoto nodded. "And you'll also need a codename.
"Oh, a codename! That's so cool!" Eiko gushed. "What's yours?"
"It's Queen." Makoto stated.
"Hmm… it suits you." Eiko grinned. "Hmm… What about mine?"
"Heh… if you're Queen, maybe she should be Princess?" Morgana snickered, having his own breakfast in his kitty bowl.
"Bad kitty!" Eiko scolded. "Don't make me get Makoto to bust out a vacuum cleaner!"
"NOT THE VACUUM CLEANER!" Morgana cried, his fur standing on edge from the mention of one of his greatest fears around the house.
"Please don't threaten my cat." Makoto sighed.
"Well, tell your cat not to make such a rude joke!" Eiko huffed. "Anyway, back to my codename… say, what about Witch?"
"Witch?" Makoto repeated.
"My outfit kinda looked like one." Eiko pointed out. "And I think that it sounds pretty cool!"
"Well, alright." Makoto stated. "Let's discuss some more details about your training, then.
She spent a little longer talking to Eiko before the two of us went to school for the day.
"That's… quite the story." Aiko muttered.
She had told Aiko all about what had happened with Eiko and Tsukasa, although she naturally left out the part about everything that happened in Mementos.
"Are you sure that he'll be ok?" Aiko asked.
"I'm sure." Makoto told him. "The police are already on it."
"I see. That's good. Although I think that it would be for the best if Eiko were to come straight home from now on." Aiko added. "But… why would she get involved with a man that was so blatantly manipulative?"
"I think… you should ask her yourself." Makoto said.
"… I'll think about it." Aiko muttered.
She sighed. That was probably the best she was going to get from him.
She walked off, going to class.
After classes ended for the day, she went over to Untouchable, seeing if she could get some equipment for Eiko.
After purchasing some equipment, Iwai called her over to the back.
"Did you need me to work a late shift?" she asked.
"No, it's about what Tsuda mentioned before." Iwai said. "About me being in the Yakuza."
"Right…" Makoto muttered, narrowing her eyes.
She knew the man was shady, but he was their main source of equipment, so she would have to proceed with caution…
"Heh… you've got a hell of a glare, girl." Iwai grinned.
"Is there more to the story?" Makoto asked, ignoring his remark.
Iwai nodded. "Yeah. Has to deal with Karou. Back when I was with my clan, some crazy lady came by our office with her baby. Was planning to sell it."
"Well, Yakuza are the people to see if you'd want to engage in human trafficking." Makoto quipped.
Iwai grunted. "I figured she was some junkie looking for drug money. I told her no, but she just left the baby and got out of there."
"That baby… it wasn't Karou, was it?" Makoto asked.
"I still don't know why I took him with me that day." Iwai sighed. "Somedays I wonder where I'd be if I stuck with the clan, instead."
"In jail, possibly." Makoto bluntly stated.
Iwai let out a chuckle. "You don't mince words, do you? Still… it's an uphill battle, supporting both of us off of just this shop. I still haven't told him that I was involved with the Yakuza."
"But now, you're being blackmailed by that Tsuda man from before." Makoto realized.
"I didn't want Karou to be involved with any of this." Iwai sighed. "I wanted him to have a normal childhood, unlike me. But if Tsuda starts running his mouth, people'll start treatin' Karou the same as me."
Makoto's expression softened. "It's a shame how kids are treated because of who their parents are. Before they have the chance to do anything, society already judges them."
"That's how it was with me." Iwai sighed. "My mom spent her days drinking and picking up different guys, so everyone just assumed that I was some troublemaker, and wanted nothing to do with me. The only people who did were the Yakuza. Course, turning to crime, even out of desperation, just makes people hate you more, which makes you more desperate…"
She doubted that he was the only one like that. It was ironic, in a way, how society seemed to be creating more problems for itself with its rejection of anything or anyone against the status quo. The ostracized would only feel accepted in the Yakuza, which only made people hate them more. The Yakuza, in turn, would victimize members of society, but the cries of victims would be ignored.
Despite his past, Makoto couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the man. He was trying to turn his life around, after all, and only wanted the best for his son.
"What a vicious cycle, this all is." Makoto sighed.
"That's why I can't turn Tsuda down. I have to make the custom models he wants." Iwai frowned. "He has too much power over me."
"Well, for your son's sake, you'll have to figure out a solution." Makoto pointed out.
"Heh, you're right. Gotta stop being a weak-ass dad to Karou." Iwai chuckled. "But what about you? Now that you've heard all this, you probably don't want anything to do with me."
"We had a deal, didn't we?" Makoto smirked. "Don't try to back out now."
"Heh… you're really into your enthusiast shit, aren't you?" Iwai grinned.
She could feel Iwai's gratitude towards her.
HANGED MAN CONFIDANT: RANK 5
Iwai closed up the shop soon afterwards, and she went home for the day.
10/3 Wednesday
Why was she fretting so much over this?!
It was just a date, right?! It was what couples did!
They had already had a few lunch dates on the school roof! Those counted, right?!
So why did it feel like her heart was about to burst out of her chest?!
She tried to take several deep breaths as she made her way out of the school and over to where Ren said he would meet her.
She was the first to arrive, so she patiently waited for Ren to show up.
After fifteen minutes had passed, she began to wonder what was keeping him.
He hadn't stood her up, right?
No, Ren wasn't like that. But still…
"Maybe I'll text him…" she muttered to herself.
Right before she could do that, however, she saw Ren running towards her.
"S-Sorry I'm late." Ren gasped, short of breath. "Something came up."
"What was it?" Makoto asked.
"It was… about… you know what." Ren answered.
"Ah…"
Phantom Thief business then.
"I… also have to talk to you about something regarding that." Makoto mentioned. "Maybe we should just start a meeting and-"
"Is it urgent?" Ren asked. "Do I need to know right now?"
"Well, no, but…" Makoto trailed off.
"Then, just for today, let's just relax." Ren insisted. "I think we've earned a break, right?"
"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry if we're not able to spend that much time together like this. Just the two of us." Makoto said.
"It's ok." Ren replied. "We're both very busy, but we're together right now, though, so let's make the most of it."
"Right." she beamed. "So, where will you be taking me too?"
"I told you, it's a secret." Ren grinned.
Ren held out his hand for her to take.
"Shall we?"
She nodded. "Let's."
She took his hand and let him lead her to their destination.
Along the way, she began to wonder how well she looked. She had spent the better part of her morning making sure she looked presentable. Would Ren even notice?
"Um… Ren?"
"Yeah, Makoto?"
"D-Do I look ok?" Makoto asked.
"You look beautiful." Ren smiled.
"O-Oh! Thank you." Makoto replied. "You look beautiful too."
She immediately winced.
Shouldn't she have called him handsome?!
"Er, um, I mean…"
Ren chuckled. "Thanks for noticing. It takes me a lot of effort to be this pretty."
"R-Right…!" Makoto giggled. "Of course."
She was glad that he didn't seem to mind her social gaffes.
"Alright, here we are." Ren announced.
"Oh, an arcade." Makoto said.
"You liked it the last time we came here, so I figured we'd stop by again." Ren explained.
"Sounds like fun." Makoto smiled.
The two of them walked into the arcade, Makoto still holding onto his hand.
"So, anything you'd wanna play first?" Ren asked.
"Well…"
"Hey, Big Bro! Wanna play some Gun About with me!"
A young boy with a strange red hat approached the two of them.
As soon as he saw them holding hands, however, the young boy let out a gasp.
"B-Big Bro!"
Makoto tilted her head in confusion as she saw the young boy dragging Ren off.
"Hey, Big Bro." Shinya whispered. "Is that your girlfriend? Are you on a date?"
"H-Hey, Shinya, not now." Ren muttered.
"Ren, who's this?" Makoto asked.
"This is Shinya." Ren greeted. "We play arcade games here together sometimes."
"Oh, I see." Makoto nodded.
"I'll be right back." Ren said. "I have to go to the bathroom. You can think of a game to play in the meantime, ok?"
"Oh, of course." Makoto nodded.
As Ren left the two of them, Shinya turned over to her.
"Say, are you any good at some of these games?" Shinya asked.
"Well, I'm pretty decent at fighting games, I suppose." Makoto answered.
"Really?" Shinya asked. "Could we play a game or too, then?"
"Oh, sure, of course." Makoto said.
The two of them went over to one of the arcade machines.
"I'm a master at shooting games, but I'm pretty good at these games too!" Shinya bragged.
The two of them played a quick match together. To Shinya's surprise, she actually managed to beat him, if only barely.
"Ugh, I lost!" Shinya gasped. "There's a load of bullsh… no, no… it's fine."
Shinya shook his head, taking a deep breath.
"I'm ok. It's ok to lose." Shinya muttered to himself.
"Is something wrong?" Makoto asked.
"I used to be really competitive about everything." Shinya said. "My mom was always telling me about how important it is to keep winning, no matter what. That in order to be strong, I need to do whatever I can to win."
"I see…" Makoto trailed off.
A mindset like that…
It reminded her of Sae…
"There's… more to life than just winning." Makoto stated.
"Yeah, I know." Shinya nodded. "I realized that I was becoming a really bad person when I was thinking like that. So, I decided that I wanted to do the right thing and help people, like my idols!"
"Your idols?" Makoto asked.
"The Phantom Thieves!" Shinya beamed. "I really look up to them! I mean, I used to just think it was cool how strong they are, but now I also really look up to how many people they help. When I grow up, I think I'd want to be more like them!"
"I see. I think that's a pretty good goal." Makoto smiled.
"Thanks!" Shinya grinned. "Y'know, you're pretty good at some of these games, Big Sis!" Shinya grinned.
"B-Big Sis?" Makoto stammered.
"Yeah! Ren's like a big brother to me, so you'd be like a big sister!" Shinya grinned.
"I-I, um…" Makoto stammered, not sure what to say.
"Oh! You know, Big Bro is actually really good at the crane game!" Shinya pointed out. "I'm sure he could win you something!"
"Oh, really?" Makoto asked.
"Hold on, what am I good at?"
The two of them turned to see Ren approaching them.
"The crane game!" Shinya replied. "You can easily get whatever prize you want now, right?"
"Well… yeah, I can." Ren nodded.
"Really? Could you show us, then." Makoto asked.
"Sure he can! Just remember what I taught you!" Shinya advised.
Ren nodded, carefully operating the crane… and getting a prize on the first try.
The prize in question… was a plushie of Bugs, blood and skulls and all.
"B-Big Bro, what are you doing?!" Shinya gasped. "There's no way that she'll like th-"
"Oh, it's adorable!" Makoto beamed. "Thank you, Ren!"
"Huh… I guess she did like it." Shinya muttered. "Well, it was nice seeing you, Big Bro! I'll leave you to date, hehe!
Shinya walked off, leaving the two of them alone.
"Sorry about him." Ren chuckled. "He can get a little excitable at times."
"That's alright. He seems like a sweet kid. He must have a really reliable big brother looking out for him." Makoto smiled.
"I… guess I do see a little bit of myself in him. At least, my younger self." Ren admitted. "Anyway, there's still one other place I wanted to bring you, but we can play a few more games first if you'd like."
"Sure, that sounds great." Makoto smiled.
After spending a little more time at the arcade, Ren took her to the Seaside Park in Odaiba. Along the way, she saw Ren staring at a construction site with a serious expression before shaking his head.
She looked at the construction site herself, but didn't really find anything off about it, so she couldn't help but wonder what was on Ren's mind.
Before she could ask, however, Ren spoke up.
"Oh, hey, look over there!" Ren called out. "A photo booth! Wanna try?"
"O-Oh, I don't know. I'm not really that photogenic." Makoto admitted.
"Ah, come on, it can't be that bad." Ren encouraged. "It'll be fun!"
"Alright, alright, we can take a few photos." Makoto relented.
Ren grinned, taking her into the booth.
She could feel her nerves getting the better of her.
She didn't need to see the results to tell that she probably looked very awkward and stiff.
It didn't help when Ren wrapped his arm around her, making her even more nervous.
Finally, the photos stopped, Makoto letting out a groan when she saw them after exiting the booth.
Her eyes were super wide, and her mouth was curved into a nervous expression.
And that was BEFORE Ren decided to wrap his arm around her.
She could hear Ren trying, and failing, to stop his laughter.
"Heheheh… you really aren't photogenic, are you?" Ren chuckled.
"B-Be quiet!" she stammered. "You just distracted me!"
"Am I that charming?" Ren smirked.
"Ugh… you're incorrigible." Makoto sighed, her face heating up. "Was this where you wanted to bring me?"
"Actually… I was hoping to bring you there." Ren said, pointing up above.
Following his gaze, she saw that he was pointing to a Ferris wheel.
"I-I see…" Makoto trailed off.
"Err… if you don't like heights, we can do something else." Ren offered.
"N-No, no." It's fine." she insisted. "I mean, I'm a little nervous, but I still want to try it."
"Alright. Let's go then." Ren smiled, leading her to the Ferris wheel.
She just had to relax. She would be fine.
She was not fine.
"A-Are we sure this is safe?" Makoto stammered. "It won't start leaning if we stay on the same side, will it? And there's this creaking sound I keep hearing…"
"Relax, Makoto." Ren said. "It'll be fine."
They were so close… just the two of them in such a small space…
It really was unfair how she was the only one flustered.
Maybe…
"It's… um… starting to get a little chilly recently." Makoto whispered. "Maybe to warm up, I could, um…, lean into you… just a bit."
Ren didn't reply, and for a moment, she was worried that she had overstepped.
When she worked up the courage to glance over at him, she saw that his face was beet red.
How cute!
"Are you flustered… Renren?" Makoto giggled.
She didn't think it was possible, but Ren's face turned even redder.
She was starting to see why Ren liked teasing so much.
As confident and collected as he normally was, it was surprising, and a little comforting, to see that he could be just as nervous as she was.
Maybe his teasing was a way to distract him from his nervousness. That seemed to be what was happening to her right now, at least…
"Uh…"
Ren's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"I guess… it is a little cold." Ren admitted. "So maybe…"
Makoto smiled, scooching a little closer before leaning on his shoulder.
"This is nice." She whispered.
"Y-Yeah…" Ren muttered.
Trying to regain his cool, Ren attempted to tease her back.
"You know, you don't have to make an excuse." Ren smirked. "You can just tell me what you want."
Makoto gathered her courage, even as her cheeks reddened.
"In that case…" Makoto whispered.
She moves her head closer to his, their faces inches apart.
"… I really want to kiss you." Makoto expressed.
She felt triumphant as she heard his breath hitch.
"Is that ok?" she whispered into his ear.
Not trusting his voice, Ren simply nodded his head.
She leaned in… closer…
Closer…
Closer…
*Creak*
The Ferris wheel creaked, causing her to panic, bumping her head against Ren's and…
"Umm… Makoto." Ren said. "I think…
"… We missed." Makoto finished, sighing.
Only the very edges of their lips had touched. Not exactly what she would consider a kiss.
"Well, practice makes perfect… right, study partner?" Ren chuckled.
Despite her embarrassment, she managed to give a small smile. "Yes, I suppose so."
Once again, she leaned in closer, this time managed to meet his lips.
A few seconds later, they parted, staring into each other's eyes.
Neither of them said a word, their expressions saying all that needed to be said.
The sound of the door of their passenger car opening startled both of them.
"O-Oh!" Makoto gasped.
"I… I guess the ride's over." Ren realized.
"Well… we could always ride it a few more times." Makoto suggested.
"Yeah… sounds good." Ren smiled.
After they had ridden the Ferris wheel a few more times, Ren walked her to the trains, and they parted for the day, both of them happy to have spent some time alone together.
Still in a slight daze, Makoto made her way home for the day.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 9
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 8
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 8
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 7
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 7
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 7
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 8
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 7
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 6
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 6
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 6
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 5
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 5
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 5
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 6
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 5
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 6
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 4
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 7
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 4
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 4
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 6
THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 5
THE COUNCILOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 7
Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 82.7%