05/03/2012, ElegantVille, Afternoon.

"I must be the only girl in the entire world squandering Golden Week like this!" Momo groans, slumping over the polished counter with a dramatic sigh, her mind drifting to visions of beach trips and festivals she's missing while toiling away at her parents' club.

Ruruko, Sona's youngest pawn, leans against the bar with a mischievous grin. "Oh, well, if my company's such a problem, I can always take my sparkling wit elsewhere!" she teases, sticking out her tongue with exaggerated cheekiness.

"Momo, how's it going with the assignments the President gave us for Golden Week?" Ruruko asks, leaning forward with a curious tilt of her head.

"I'm doomed!" Momo wails, burying her face in her hands. "Ever since Senpai Gremory's Rating Game, the President's turned into some kind of drill sergeant! It's like she's preparing us for war! Oh poor me!"

Ruruko nods sympathetically, her expression turning serious, finally. "Same here. Saji's got his Sacred Gear under control now, even if it's just for a few seconds. Tomoe's practically living at that antique shop, training under Mister Kegawa. Tsubasa's been doing martial arts since she was, like, five or six, so she's already mentally and physically prepared. And don't even get me started on the Vice-President!" she exclaims, throwing her hands up in mock despair.

"And Reya? She comes from a family of witches. Seriously, how are we supposed to measure up to them?" Momo sighs, slumping further into her seat.

"Speak for yourself, Momo!" Ruruko retorts, her tone playful yet with a faint hint of annoyance. "You're friends with Senpai Yuki, aren't you? Isn't he, like, crazy strong? He talks to Lady Leviathan like they're siblings or something!"

Momo shakes her head, her expression turning thoughtful. "I think it's not because of that, well Senpai surely is on another level. From what the President told me, Lady Leviathan is more… fixated on Senpai being the President's boyfriend."

Ruruko's eyes widen comically, her mouth forming an exaggerated 'O'.

"That's a hilarious joke! A love life? That's probably the last thing on the President's to do list!" she quips, bursting into laughter, her voice echoing through the quiet club devoid of clients.

Speak of the devil, the door to the jazz bar swings open, and Makoto walks in, accompanied by Momo's father. "Yuki! Where have you been hiding? It's been at least half a month since I last saw you!" Mr. Hanakai exclaims.

"D-Dad! Senpai!" Momo stammers, her eyes widening as she jumps to her feet. "Dad, weren't you supposed to be away for work?" she asks, her tone a mix of confusion and accusation.

"Oh, no," Mr. Hanakai replies with a chuckle. "Mr. Sitri decided to close the agency for the Golden Week, so I thought I'd spend some time in my beloved ElegantVille"

Momo pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. "And not to see your daughter, huh?" she mutters, her voice dripping with mock indignation.

Mr. Hanakai scratches the back of his head, his expression sheepish. "That's implied!" he says with a grin, trying to smooth things over.

Ruruko stands up and goes for the exit. "Well I'm going home Momo. I have also a ton of homeworks to do, so see you!".

"You two youngsters can go" declares Mr. Hanakai with a wave of his hand, his tone warm and indulgent. "After all, this is my castle."

Momo's face lights up with silent triumph, her shoulders relaxing as she finally feels the weight of the counter lifting off her. 'Freedom, finally!' she rejoices inwardly.

As Momo steps out the door, she takes a deep, liberating breath, filling her lungs with the fresh spring air. Turning to Makoto, her cheeks coloured with a faint blush, she asks. "Senpai, would you… accompany me to the Palace Sport? I'd like to practice my ice-skating."

'ICE-SKATING!?' shouts Cendrillon. 'Universe we must go NOW!'.

Makoto's ears ring for a moment from Cendrillon's sudden shout, prompting the dancer to offer an immediate apology. "Sure" Makoto replies simply, falling into step behind Momo as they head towards the town's Palace Sport.

05/03/2012, Kuoh's Palace Sport, Afternoon.

Momo and Makoto just wore the ice skates and are now ready to step on the ice. "Hanakai, why the so sudden desire to come here?" asks curious Makoto while he hears Cendrillon's excited hums in the back of his mind.

"Oh…" Momo's cheeks flush a delicate pink as she fidgets her fingers. "W-well, Saji the new Student Council secretary. I don't know if you already met him, invited me out this Saturday, so I thought I'd learn a few moves. And, well… since you're you, Senpai, I figured you might be able to help me, she admits, her voice trailing off.

'Young love!' Cendrillon chimes in, her tone brimming with delight. 'Universe, prepare yourself! I'm going to turn you into the greatest dance and skating instructor the world has ever seen!'. 'Good luck Universe' says Odin.

'That's the spirit All-Father!' says Cendrillon oblivious of Odin's sarcasm. 'Now Universe follow the flow!'.

Makoto's feet move almost instinctively, guided by the Ash Princess as he steps onto the ice, but the moment his blades touch the slick surface, he wobbles precariously, nearly losing his balance and crashing to the ground. Thankfully, Momo's hand shoots out, steadying him with a firm grip.

"Senpai?" she asks, her voice tinged with concern and a hint of amusement.

'Universe, you're wound up tighter than a coiled spring! Loosen up!' Cendrillon urges, her tone both encouraging and playful at the same time. 'You did it on purpose, right Cendrillon?' asks Makoto. 'Maybe or maybe not' replies the dancer.

Momo steps onto the ice, her feet slipping slightly as she finds her footing. She clutches the near railing tightly, steadying herself with a determined breath. "O-okay. I'm doing it. I can do this," she murmurs, more to herself than anyone else, her voice a mix of nervousness and resolve.

Momo and Makoto begin to skate, with Momo tentatively taking her first steps on the ice while Makoto struggles to keep Cendrillon from hijacking his movements like an overenthusiastic puppeteer.

'Cendrillon!' shouts inwardly Makoto as he almost fell again.

'Cendrillon, please calm down. Makoto's having a hard enough time as it is' Messiah chides.

'You're so boring' Cendrillon retorts, her voice dripping with playful exasperation as she reluctantly eases her control.

'Universe, why do you tolerate this unruly girl's antics?' Odin grumbles, his voice tinged with irritation.

'She's not hurting anyone, Odin' Makoto replies, his tone a mix of exasperation and fondness for the Persona of Cinderella, as he tries to keep his balance on the ice.

'Thanks Universe I love you too' chimes Cendrillon with a laugh.

"Senpai, I-I think I'm actually pretty good at this!" Momo declares triumphantly, her confidence growing with each glide of her skates. "It's not so bad after all!".

The two teenagers skate for a while people gather around the track watching them amazed by their talent. 'People are watching Universe! Let's show them a spectacle worth of this name!'.

'No!' Makoto cuts off firmly, unwilling to become the star of one of Cendrillon's impromptu performances.

'Pretty please?' the Persona pleads, her voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness.

But Makoto's resolve is unshakable on this.

'You must learn to accept refusal, Cendrillon' Kohryu interjects, his tone carrying his usual weight of a wise, wise grandfatherly admonishment.

"Senpai, watch this!" Momo calls out, her voice brimming with excitement as she decides to attempt a pirouette. She pushes off with one foot, trying to spin gracefully like the skaters she's seen on TV.

But then, her balance wavers. Her skates slide too far apart, and her arms flail around trying to catch something as she tries to steady herself. With a sharp yelp, Momo's legs give out, and she crashes onto the hard surface, landing with an unceremonious thud.

"Ouch!" she groans, lying sprawled on the ice for a moment, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Slowly, she pushes herself up, brushing off the frost clinging to her clothes. "Ah… I guess I still have a lot to learn about skating" she admits, wincing as she rubs her sore hip.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asks, gliding towards her. Once they reach the edge of the rink, they step off the ice and begin removing their skates.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine!" Momo replies, her voice cheerful despite the lingering ache. "At least now I know my limits!" she adds, her optimism shining through as she focuses on the bright side of her little mishap.

"And I have done what I was here for! I am sure Saji will be stunned at my abilities!" jokes Momo looking forward for saturday.

'I am sure she will rock it!' exclaims Cendrillon.