18 Hard work raising Confidant ranks
*Yawn*
"Y'know Morgana, I'm starting to think that training for 10 hours isn't such a great idea."
"Are you gonna be okay, Shin?" asked the cat, with concern.
"I'll be fine. I just gotta get that juice and then... I don't know. Movies at the cinema?"
"I haven't seen the inside of a cinema before..." muttered Morgana.
"Then it's settled."
Shin's target was a drink stand in the underground walkway of Shibuya station. Said drink stand had a special offer on Sundays: a mysterious juice that improves the body.
'Guh! It's so bitter!'
Shin felt like puking it all out. However, he held it in.
"Good job!" piped in Morgana.
Even if Shin should've been refreshed from the extremely bitter taste, he only felt more sleepy. He slowly walked out of the station and went on his way to the cinema.
Buying a ticket, he chose a surprisingly comfortable seat on the middle row. The movie itself was quite entertaining, although Shin struggled to stay awake.
Midway through the movie, Shin even got a back pain. At the very least, he wasn't as sleepy as before.
"Let's just go home now." said Shin.
"Alright."
Back in Yongen, Shin was silently bearing with the back pain, when he passed by the bathhouse.
'Bathhouses are supposed to make you relax, right? It might help with this pain.' he thought
"This bathhouse smells strange. A medicinal bath, perhaps?" said Morgana after sniffing the air.
"Only one way to find out." said Shin, as he braved into an unknown territory.
And it indeed was relaxing. Shin actually fell asleep in the water. Thankfully, he woke up before the water got cold.
"You seem pretty refreshed." commented Morgana.
"Yup."
Morgana looked at Shin's towel-clad body closely.
"I feel like you're a bit taller than before."
"Huh? Really?"
"I think..."
Shin just shrugged and went to get his clothes.
"I'm all pumped now. You know what that means, right?"
"Shin..."
"Training!"
-INTERMISSION-
25th of April, Shujin Academy
Shiho could notice that there were a lot rumours going around about Shin. From the usual crime-related ones to more outrageous ones. Some of these rumours mentioned him being a gigolo, as he was seen going around in Shinjuku.
Others said that he was in a special relationship with a certain grey-haired man, since they were seen entering the same house together. While most of the boys seemed too disgusted to imagine it, a small minority of them got nosebleeds and needed to go to the nurse's office.
Like that, the unofficial 'ShinYuutaxmale' fanclub begun, with members from both genders.
The poor black-haired girl was worried about how her cru-*Ahem* friend will react when he arrives at school.
Said friend didn't give a shit about those rumours, which was rather lucky for whoever decided to spread them around.
Much like how Shiho was distressed, several others were at least somewhat concerned about these rumours.
Ryuji didn't think much of them. Rumours were just rumours, and after finding out about Ann's side of the story regarding Kamoshida, he knew better than to believe them straight away. Besides, if his friend really swung that way, he'd support him anyway.
Ann already knew the truth about Shin's reasons to go to Shinjuku, although she didn't know why he would meet a man, still, she didn't omit the possibility that he was a relative of the kid Shin is tutoring.
Kawakami heard of the rumours when she was on duty on the hallways. She'd have tried to check on Shin if it wasn't for the fact that free time was something she severely lacked.
This gossip reached even the ears of the student council president. She put aside the matter of rumours as she had to deal with bigger things for the moment, mainly the aftermath of the calling cards being plastered all over the bulletin boards a few days ago.
-INTERMISSION-
Shin had just received a message from Tae saying that the trial is prepared already, so he decided to head there, but not before visiting the Velvet Room to fuse a Mokoi, a Persona of the Death Arcana.
The boy went into the clinic where Tae handed him a glass full of blue liquid. She had him drink it in one gulp. It was both sour and bitter, and Shin had a slight difficulty breathing.
"You feel a bit dazed, hm? I mixed in some special... components. For now, I'll take your temperature and check your blood pressure. Oh, I'll also draw some blood. A few motor skill tests are in order too, though I doubt you can do those right now. Anyways, since we're in the final stages, I should stabilize the fundamental formula..." said the doctor, but she was interrupted before she could say any more.
"So you ARE here, after all." said a manly voice.
The owner of said voice was a middle-aged police officer who rudely entered the examination room.
"I'm in the middle of an examination. I told you before, officer. You'll need a warrant if you want to investigate me." said Tae, displeasure showing on her face.
"I'm here because we received a report. I'll need to see a detailed statement of medical expenses and full medical records. I bet you didn't have any time to hide any incriminating documents, huh?" said the officer, cockily.
"..."
"Must be under the orders of the Medical Chief of Staff." muttered Tae.
She pointed at the monitor on the desk.
"Here you go."
"Huh?" the officer was confused.
"This kid here is my only patient today. If you're asking about his medical expenses, I'm guessing I'm under suspicion of improper billing. But without a receipt, I'd say you've been sent on a wild goose chase."
"W-What's going on here?"
"You're being manipulated. That so called 'report' was fictitious. It's nothing but an attempt to harass me." said Tae, calmly.
"What!? Hey, you, what're you doing here!? You don't seem sick... Are you up to something illegal?"
"Stress problems." replied Shin.
"It's because of his entrance exams. I have some drugs that help with relaxation. Is there anything else? As you can see, I'm quite busy here."
The man clicked his tongue.
"You're infuriating, you know that? Hmph... I'd expect nothing less from the "Plague."
The officer left with the same hurry he entered.
"I'm so over this..." muttered Tae.
"Harassment?" sighed Shin.
"It's nothing to worry about. I'm sure it's just my former superior who made the false report. You eavesdropped on our conversation the other day, remember? He's trying to put pressure on me, using the police to investigate me and my practice. But all of that aside, I still need to draw some of your blood. Don't worry, there will be a mild anemia, but it's only temporary."
"Alright."
"Since you're so healthy and all, I'll draw more blood than usual."
"It's only natural."
"..."
"By the way, did you get taller recently? You're not taking any stimulants, are you?" asked Tae
"As if! I've been working out, though."
"I see... Well then, please lie down. You can go home once I'm done."
-INTERMISSION-
"Now then, since you're gonna be working in my store, I'll need to hammer home the basics... You know what I'm talking about, right?" asked Sojiro.
When Shin returned from the clinic, Sojiro asked him to help him out with the cafe. As he didn't have anything else to do, and because he also had a Persona of the Hierophant Arcana on him, Shin accepted.
"Making coffee, I suppose." replied Shin.
"Mmhm. It's good to see that you understand that much. This store's not the busiest around, but I'm really particular about how we do things here. And I'll kick you out no question asked if you serve a bad cup, you got that?" said Sojiro.
"Let me tell you, the boss definitely does things right with his coffee. It goes so well with his special curry, I can't help but order the set meal every time." said a gaudy woman sitting at a table.
"What can I say, each of my regulars gets an experience tailored to them."
"Can you tell me the key to that wonderful flavor, boss? I'd like to make some at home sometime." asked the woman.
"Sorry, that's a trade secret. You're free to try and guess based on the taste though." said the bearded man.
"Cheapskate. Keeping secrets from me even though you know your food's already stolen my heart..."
"How about a nice desert then? It's only 300 Yen."
After the woman left, Sojiro continued his lesson.
"When you run a shop, you get all sorts of customers. Knowing their personalities is absolutely vital. That's what being in food service is all about."
At that moment, the familiar sound of the door opening was heard. Sojiro turned to greet the customer, but he stopped short seeing his face.
"You..."
"Hello there! It's been quite a while, Mr Sakura! I heard you opened a shop, so here I am! It wouldn't have hurt to mention it to me though. You've got a real nice location here. Right by the station and everything." said the man.
"Your order?" said Sojiro, frowning.
"No small talk? That's cold. But this smell... Sure brings back memories! You're still making that curry, huh? I guess you haven't gotten over her yet..."
"Your order, sir?" said Shin, stepping forward to get closer to the man.
"Is he a part-timer? As pushy as the owner, huh? I just stopped in to say hi today... but I'll be back again soon! Bye."
The man immediately left.
"I don't know where he caught wind of this place. And why did you step in?" asked Sojiro, grimacing.
"He was annoying."
"..."
"I guess you have an eye for some things, after all. Anyway, you better keep on learning the bean types. You're not gonna be of any help to me if you can't pick up the ABCs sometime soon. Besides, ladies love a man who knows his coffee. This isn't such a bad deal for you."
"Fair enough." said Shin, shrugging.
"Either way, I'll teach you right. That way I'm gonna be able to sit back and relax while you work."
"How nice."
Sojiro looked at the clock placed on the wall.
"It's that time already? Let's start closing up. And no slacking off, got it?"
After that, Sojiro left and Shin closed the cafe. The teen went up to the attic and did his usual routine before going to bed.
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This chapter's additional info is on... Captain Kidd!
William Kidd was a Scottish pirate and privateer in the 17th century. His early career was spent in the Caribbean, where he aided the besieged English colony of Nevis by ransacking the attacking French. In recognition of his actions, the King of England awarded him a letter of marque, granting him legal protection so long as he remained loyal. However, during a voyage to the Indian Ocean, his crew plundered a neutral ship without his knowledge, branding him an outlaw once more. Eventually, he was captured and sent to London, where he was tried and executed.
As time went on, Kidd's reputation as a pirate became the stuff of legends and folklore, with many tall tales being told about his adventures, most famously involving him burying plundered treasure to protect it from his greedy associates.
Captain Kidd is one of the few demons in the series based on a historical figure, rather than a figure from mythology or folklore.
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Confidants:
Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2
Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 1
Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 2
Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 2
Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 1
Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 2
Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 3
