Chapter 7: Memories of Summer

Makoto made it a point to arrive early to the Shibuya diner. Normally this was barely an issue for her, but today was going to be different, and she wanted to make sure she got a corner booth, so there was enough room for everyone.

Today, Ryuji was bringing his girlfriend to meet the rest of them.

Somehow, knowing someone new was showing up made everything feel different, Makoto thought as she sat alone at the table. Yes, Ann had brought Shiho to join them, but that wasn't the same – Ann had known Shiho longer than she'd known any of the rest of them, except Ryuji. She wasn't sure if Ann had told Shiho about them being the Phantom Thieves, but Makoto figured it wasn't too big of a deal if she had. Ann would trust Shiho to keep the secret, so she could too.

But it did make Makoto wonder if the rest of her life was going to be like this – if she would constantly have to wonder if anyone new she became friends with, or got closer to, could be trusted to know about the past she shared with her friends. It was probably less of a big deal than she was making it out to be, because they weren't actively being Phantom Thieves anymore, but it still made her wonder.

Everybody had their secrets. Not everybody's secrets involved a hacked broadcast that had played across most of Japan to take down a Prime Minister.

Makoto smiled a little. It truly was good that they'd all stayed friends over these past few years. It would have been very strange not to have anyone to talk about those days with, or to only ever be around people who would never understand.

The sound of familiar voices reached Makoto a moment later, and she looked over to see Haru, Ann, and Shiho all walking toward the table together. The happy couple looked, well, happy as always, but Makoto immediately noticed that Haru looked nervous. She did her best not to frown. It had been a few days since Haru had fallen on her in the aikido club, and since Makoto had. . . .

Had said something she maybe shouldn't have. Of all the things to slip out. If Makoto was right, and Haru felt something toward her, then suggesting she'd been thinking about how soft Haru might be would not have helped the situation. It was easy to conclude that Haru definitely had something going on, considering how she'd reacted. But some part of Makoto had to acknowledge that she could be wrong, that she could have been misinterpreting the various things Haru had said or done over the past few weeks, and her comment could have bothered Haru in a way she really didn't want to have happen.

The two of them needed to talk, one way or another, Makoto thought as the others all greeted her and sat down. To her surprise, all three women sat down on the other side of the table, putting Haru right across from her. Makoto smiled at Haru, who blushed just a bit.

That could just as easily be embarrassment, Makoto told herself. But at least Haru wasn't upset with her. That was a good start.

"It's good to see you all," Makoto said as the three of them settled in. "Has anyone heard from Yusuke or Futaba? I wanted to get a table big enough, in case they showed up."

"Futaba can't make it, as usual," Ann said, her smile fading. "She told me she didn't do as well as she wanted on her last mock exam, so she's trying to focus on her worst subjects and really getting into them."

"I don't know how Futaba has worst subjects," Makoto said, furrowing her brow. "She told us last summer that the only thing she had trouble with was PE."

"Entrance exams bring out the worst in every subject," Shiho said, making a face that showed she didn't like any of that. "I looked over some booklets, when I was thinking about going to college."

"What did you think?" Makoto asked. If she could encourage Shiho to take up her studies again, maybe Ann would too, though–

"I think I'm not getting into any of the good colleges," Shiho said, wincing further. "But I've still got time to figure it out."

"The entrance exams were a hard time," Haru said, more quiet than usual; Makoto hoped she was just tired. "But . . . we got through them, didn't we, Mako-chan."

"We did," Makoto said, and nodded once. If Haru was still calling her that, then she definitely wasn't upset. "Haru and I spent a lot of time studying, back during our third year," she continued, looking at Shiho. "If you're thinking about going to college, I could probably help you."

"We'll see," Shiho said with a noncommittal shrug.

"There they are!"

Makoto raised her head at the familiar loud voice, and saw Ryuji striding toward their table, right alongside the tall woman from the picture he'd shown them a while back.

"Hey, everyone," Ryuji said as he reached the table, his grin wide. "Told you she could be here this time."

The woman standing next to him was clearly an athlete; Makoto would have guessed she played basketball even if Ryuji hadn't told them that she was on the team. She was taller than him, perhaps around Yusuke's height, and Makoto resisted the urge to glance down and see if she was wearing heels, as she definitely didn't seem like the type. Her black hair hung long and free, with her bangs cut in a line above her eyebrows, and she wore a basketball jersey over a simple t-shirt, along with slim-fitting pants that showed she was in good shape. Her eyes were narrow and dark, and she looked over everyone at the table, as though assessing them all at once.

"I'm Tsuruko Kato," the new woman said, and when she smiled, it looked genuine. "But you're Ryuji's friends, so you can call me Tsuruko."

The two newcomers slid into Makoto's side of the booth, and Makoto immediately felt much shorter than she was used to, with Tsuruko right next to her. But she turned a bit in her seat to try to see everyone at the table, and prepared to ask something, to fend off any awkward silences.

"Y'know," Tsuruko began, "Ryuji showed me pics of all of you, but I'm kind of amazed at two things. First is that you're all still hanging out this long after high school. My friends and I just kind of fell apart."

"We've been through a lot together," Makoto said, trying to keep it vague.

"And I've known Ryuji since middle school," Ann said, then smiled brightly. "I can tell you stories from then if you want."

Ryuji put a hand over his face. "Please no."

"Maybe later," Tsuruko said with a smirk. "And second. . . ." She looked at Ryuji, one eyebrow raised. "How are you friends with so many cute girls?"

An awkward silence, exactly the kind Makoto had been hoping to avoid, fell over the table. Makoto glanced at Haru, then Ann, and over to Ryuji, hoping any of them would give a sign about what they should or shouldn't say. When none of them spoke up, Ryuji finally cleared his throat.

"That's kind of a long story," he said. "But we can tell it, if it's not gonna be too boring."

"And now I'm curious," Tsuruko said, and leaned back in her seat. "Let's hear it."

Ryuji blew out a breath, and drummed his fingers on the table. "There was this guy, back in high school," he began. "He showed up during our second year – third year for these two," he said, pointing at Haru and Makoto. "And he had a reputation before he even got started."

"There were rumors," Makoto said, eager to pick up the story so nothing came out that shouldn't. "People labeled him as a delinquent, because he'd been accused of a crime, and Shujin was the only school that would take him in." Tsuruko raised both eyebrows at her, and Makoto nodded.

"Yeah, and that was bullshit," Ryuji said. "I met him by accident, and he was just this guy, y'know? Totally cool with everything that was getting thrown at him, even though half the school was whispering all kinds of stuff behind his back. We started hanging out, and people started giving me shit for being his friend, and then-"

"Then he helped me when I really needed to talk to someone," Ann interrupted. "It was . . . a really bad time, for both of us, because of one teacher that nobody could speak up about." Shiho leaned against her, and they moved their arms together underneath the table, clearly holding hands. "But somehow, the guy I only knew because he sat behind me in class was the first one who actually listened to me, and he helped me through it, even when things got really bad."

"I had to leave the school," Shiho said quietly, "that's how bad it was." She said nothing more, and Makoto hoped Tsuruko wouldn't press for more information.

Tsuruko looked around at all of them. "Who was this guy? And what did he even do, that people were talking shit like that about him?"

"His name was Ren," Makoto said. "And after the teacher that caused the problems was – dealt with, the principal asked me to try to figure out if he was causing trouble on campus." She paused. "I was student council president at the time."

"Damn, you were serious about that," Tsuruko said, looking at Ryuji. When he nodded, she looked around at the rest of them. "So which one of you is the genius hacker?"

"That's Futaba," Ann said. "She's studying for entrance exams, she couldn't make it today."

"And there's Yusuke, he's an artist and one of us too, though we kind of just picked him up along the way when he asked if Ann would model for him." Ryuji grinned, though Ann looked like she wanted to throw something at him. "You'll meet him someday, I'm sure, if he can get away from all the stuff he's got going on at art school."

"They'd all met by the time I started talking to them," Makoto continued. "And I learned that not only was Ren not involved in any trouble, he had nothing to do with another problem I was told to look into – some students were getting scammed, and the principal wanted answers."

Tsuruko scowled. "Your principal sounds like kind of an asshole."

Makoto let out a quiet sigh and declined to say that he was dead now. "But I learned who Ren really was, and just like with Ann, once he knew what was going on, he wanted to help. We worked out the problem with the scammers, and after that, I started spending time with all of them, because I'd realized they were the kind of people I wanted to be around."

It felt a little strange to say it like that, as there was so much of the story she was leaving out. But that was necessary. There was no way to tell Tsuruko the whole truth.

"Okay, and what about you?" Tsuruko asked, looking at Haru and smiling. "I see you sitting there quiet in the corner."

"I . . . I found his cat," Haru said, still more quiet than usual. "There's a bit more to it than that, but I found his cat, and that's how I started talking with everyone." She paused, looking down at the table. "I was . . . in a bad situation when everyone found me, mostly because of family problems, and they all helped me get through it." Haru raised her eyes, and smiled. "Even when things got worse, they stood by me. I don't think I could have done all that I have since without them."

Makoto leaned back, her eyes opening wide. She hadn't ever heard Haru say it like that. There had been so much going on with her when she joined the Phantom Thieves, both with her unwanted fiancee and her father. And Makoto wondered sometimes if Haru thought that her father would still be alive if they hadn't been manipulated into stealing his heart. But it seemed she'd worked her way through that, or maybe she'd never thought of it that way.

Something to ask about later, Makoto thought, if there was reason to.

"Wow, all that and he's a cat guy," Tsuruko said. She sounded impressed, though Makoto couldn't be sure, having only just met the woman. "But now I want to know – what'd he do that got everyone calling him a delinquent?"

"He saved a woman from getting assaulted," Ann said all at once. Next to her, Shiho curled closer, her eyes downcast. "But the man doing it was powerful, and he got Ren falsely accused of attacking him. It was – horrible, really. He didn't deserve anything of what he got."

"Shit," Tsuruko whispered. "It's weird, but now I kind of wish I'd gone to your high school. I got made fun of a ton for my height, all the time, like there was anything I could do about it." She rolled her eyes. "But I would have been right there for a guy who was falsely accused and had all those rumors going on around him. He sounds like a good guy."

"He really is," Makoto said, then leaned back and managed to catch Ryuji's eye behind Tsuruko. She made a gesture over her face with one hand, like a mask, and gave him a serious look. Ryuji shook his head. Good. He hadn't told her anything. "I'm sure he'd be here now, but he lives too far away," she added.

Then, Tsuruko's serious look faded all at once, and she elbowed Ryuji in the ribs, just a little. "I knew you were up to something big back in high school, but you wouldn't tell me!"

"It wasn't a big deal!" Ryuji laughed, then shook his head. "All I did was make a new friend and stand up with an old one," he said, gesturing to Ann. "And things just kind of spiraled up from there."

"Sounds like you did some good, though," Tsuruko said.

Makoto smiled, watching as the two of them bantered and Ann and Shiho joined in. There was something nice about all of this, she thought, something weirdly touching about Tsuruko seeing good in Ryuji even if he hadn't been trying to be that way himself. It seemed like Tsuruko would fit in with them well enough.

She glanced toward Haru, and saw she was watching the two couples, her eyes going from one to the other. What was she thinking about, Makoto wondered. She remembered again how Haru had asked her not long ago if she was interested in anyone in the aikido club, and how she'd thought she didn't have an answer.

Could she have an answer for Haru now? Could she-

Buzzes and beeps rose from four phones at once all around the table, and Makoto reached for her phone at the same time as Haru, with Ann and Ryuji close behind. There was a new message in the Phantom Thieves group text, from one of their missing members.

YUSUKE: My friends, I must express my regrets once more that I am unable to join you all today. However, I come to you with excellent news. My academy is holding an event at Destinyland next Saturday, and I can secure some additional admissions to the park. Who among you is interested?

"That's your artist guy?" Tsuruko asked, looking down at Ryuji's phone. "He always talk like that? I feel like I'm reading a play."

"Yeah, that's him," Ryuji said, grinning. "He's just like that."

FUTABA: curse your timing, inari

FUTABA: i've got a mock exam that day, can't miss it

FUTABA: i want to goooooooooooooo

"And that's the hacker," Tsuruko said. "She types fast."

"But we haven't been to Destinyland in forever!" Ann said, looking thrilled. "We should totally go!"

"I'm in," Shiho said. "I don't think I've been there since I was a kid."

Makoto looked to Haru again. Their last trip to Destinyland had ended poorly, perhaps even traumatically for her. But she was smiling, so it seemed that she was fine with the idea. Makoto made a mental note to ask her about that too, just in case she wasn't as fine as she looked.

MAKOTO: How many passes do you have, Yusuke? There are six of us here, and we'd all like to go.

RYUJI: yeah, is it cool if Tsuruko comes? she wants to meet you.

YUSUKE: I'm not certain who that is, but she's welcome to join us.

"You didn't tell him about me?" Tsuruko glared at Ryuji.

"I told him!" Ryuji gestured at his phone. "Maybe I didn't tell him your name? But you'll get it when you meet him, he might have just forgot."

ANN: Looks like we've got a full group! How do we get our passes?

YUSUKE: I'll handle that, and meet you at the gates. Until then!

FUTABA: so jealous

FUTABA: soooooooooooo jealous

Well, this was going to be interesting, Makoto thought. A day at Destinyland with everyone, and with things between her and Haru . . . undetermined and potentially awkward. She would have to make it a point to talk things over with Haru before the trip. Though she had to admit, she still needed to think things over before then, to truly figure out what she wanted and how she felt.

But . . . as little as she'd been seeing Haru recently, Makoto doubted she'd be able to figure herself out if she didn't get a chance to spend more time with the other woman. Fortunately, she had a plan to amend that.

After a meal filled with banter and old stories and occasional shouts, the group of them filed out of the diner, heading into Shibuya. Makoto stepped up next to Haru as they reached the streets and pulled her aside.

"Mako-chan?" Haru asked, a blush coloring her cheeks again.

That was really cute, Makoto thought. And if she was thinking that, she definitely needed to ask about this. "I was wondering," she began. "The aikido club's going out drinking after Friday's meeting. It's something they do once or twice a month, just to a small bar that caters to groups. Do you want to come?"

Haru looked more determined than Makoto had seen her in a very long time, and Makoto tried not to let the surprise show on her face. "Yes," Haru said at once, "though only if you're coming. I . . . I don't have much experience with alcohol, and I don't want to go drinking without someone I really know there."

Makoto did her best to give a reassuring smile. "You don't even have to drink. I usually only have one or two myself, just to socialize. But I'll definitely be there, if you want to come."

"All – all right," Haru said, looking up at her, still seeming quite set on this. "We'll do this on Friday, then."

Makoto smiled to herself as the two of them rejoined the rest of the group. That had gone more easily than she'd thought, and Haru seemed very interested in spending some time with her, one way or another. Hopefully things would go well with the club and they'd have a good chance to talk.

And maybe, Makoto thought, she could finally figure some things out, both about Haru and for herself. Friday ought to be interesting.