30 The 'talk'
A gentle breeze was blowing through Tokyo. Birds were chirping, dogs were playing. In this serene atmosphere, Shin was feeling hot and bothered.
The cause for his annoyance was currently holding Shin by the waist as if he was a teddy bear.
'She's like a fucking ninja. Even if I already expected this to happen, I didn't notice her.'
Saki was sleeping blissfully while holding onto him.
"Oh, damn it! Not the shirt too!" he said.
It looked like his words had stirred the girl awake. She muttered a good morning before continuing sleeping.
"Hey, don't fall asleep again." said Shin as he poked her on the face.
He continued poking her until she was up and awake. By that time, Sojiro was already preparing to open the cafe and so he shouted.
"Shin, are you awake? I'll open the shop soon, so you better come down. And take your girlfriend with you, will you?"
The teen quickly got dressed and went down the stairs. In the cafe, he could see Sojiro reading his newspaper, like usual. Normally, he would be cleaning the counter and the tables, so Shin asked.
"Aren't you preparing to open?"
"Not yet. Listen, we need to have a talk." said the older man with a serious face.
Shin nodded and sat down on one of the stool next to the counter.
"Playing with ladies' hearts can be dangerous, you know?"
Shin shook his head at that.
"Women's hearts aren't made to be broken. They're made to be loved."
"It's good you understand that. And I know you're young, but you shouldn't forget to wear proper protection. I don't think you're ready to take responsibility for what comes in case something happens."
"Don't worry. I shall take responsibility by marrying every girl I sleep with!" declared Shin, making a salute with his hand.
"..."
"Alright, enough about that. Won't your girlfriend come down too?"
Shin just shook his head.
"She isn't my girlfriend."
The bearded man frowned.
"Didn't you say-"
"She's my future wife, obviously."
"Wha-"
A shout attracted both of the men's attention. Saki was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a a blush adorning her cheeks.
"What do you mean by that? I didn't even accept that yet!"
"'Yet'? So you plan on saying 'yes' in the future, huh?" asked Shin with a smile.
"I didn't mean it like that! Let's just hurry to school!"
"Ah, school. My eternal enemy. Interrupting my fluffy time with my little wife." said Shin, annoyed.
Hearing that, Saki slammed the door of the cafe shut. Shaking his head, Shin went outside after waving his hand at Sojiro. The teen jogged up to Saki and patted her on the shoulder to slow down, as she was speedwalking at the moment.
She did eventually slow down, although she was pouting while looking away from Shin.
"By the way, how did you slip into my bed? Are you some kind of ninja?" asked the black-haired boy.
The girl regained her smile as he said that.
"My title around these parts is cold-morning-shadow raven-claw icy-eyes withered-heart burning-arrow jade-fist crow-foot invisible-rage ninja. But friends call me Gasper."
"So no one calls you Gasper, basically."
"Hmph, rude!" she said, while once again pouting and looking to the side.
'Back to the beginning already...'
The two continued to walk in silence for some more, until Shin decided to ask her something else.
"Hey, why do you act like that?"
"What do you mean?"
Shin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know, acting like a thot won't net you any friends."
Saki looked down at that comment.
"How did you know?" she muttered.
"I just thought it's weird to have such a nickname and be actually proud saying it. Your friends wouldn't have let you live it down, but thanks for confirming it."
The girl smiled sheepishly.
"I guess I couldn't have known that."
Shin took a quick look at her and felt the sad mood around them.
"Alright, listen. I don't know much about you. I don't know what kind of history you have. BUT, you own the Phansite. You deal with the mess over there. Try to filter the actual worrysome stuff posted there from the normal ones. And I'll help you make some friends. Deal?"
Saki quickly wiped away a lone tear and shook Shin's stretched out hand.
"I'll be in your care."
-INTERMISSION-
"And that's how I made a deal with the owner of the Phansite." said Shin.
This discussion was taking place on the roof of the classroom building, also known as their secret hideout. Shin had, obviously, left out some details, such as how Saki sneaked into his bed at night, and her actual name.
"You're amazing, Shin! You got in contact with the one who manages the Phansite. That's definitely going to be an useful asset." said Morgana.
"Mmhm. But perhaps we should be more discreet with our conversations. As profitable as this encounter was, it ought to bring us trouble in the future."
"Agreed. Ryuji, we're looking at you." said Ann.
"What did I do?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"You're not really subtle." said Shiho.
"Well, yeah. But-"
Suddenly, the door of the stairs tower opened, and out came Makoto Niijima. Morgana reacted fast and jumped out of sight.
"This place is off limits, you know." she said.
"We'll get out of here once we're done chatting. Anyway, what does Miss Council President want with us." said Ryuji.
"The troublemaker-turned-hero, the ex-center of gossip, one of the victims of Kamoshida's abuse and the famous transfer student."
After Kamoshida confessed, people had a better opinion of Ryuji, and some considered him to be brave since he stood up to him. Obviously, Ann wasn't really a target of rumours either, as most students were only talking about Kamoshida now.
"Great way to start a conversation..." commented Shiho.
"By the way, it seems you got to know Mr Kamoshida pretty well." said Makoto.
'Oho, he got to know my fist intimately, alright.' thought Shin.
"Not really." he said
"Anyone at this school would've interacted with him, whether they liked it or not." said the blond girl.
"Hm. I heard he used a volleyball team member to spread details about your record. Don't you hate him? Mr Kamoshida, I meant." said the brown-haired girl.
"Hate? Hate is something I'd be willing to invest my time and effort, and Kamoshida just isn't worth either."
"I see..." she muttered.
"What's all this about? My friend here is an upstanding guy." said Ryuji, frowning.
"I don't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr Kamoshida. The rumours about that odd, calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."
"Anyways, are we done here?" asked Shin.
"Yes. By the way, it has been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incidents. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all. I'm sorry to have interrupted you." she said, before leaving.
"She's onto us. That girl seems rather sharp. You should be careful." said Morgana, returning to his usual spot on the desks.
"Talk about a pain in the ass..." muttered Ryuji.
"That reminds me... Study hard. Especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that can only be solved by using your brains." said the cat.
"I guess studying won't be that hard if we think of it as phantom thief training." commented Ann.
"Man, that's so lame... I was fired up about helping people, not studying..." muttered Ryuji.
"Well, I do have a place to show you beforehand. You guys did promise to help me out with my mission, after all."
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This chapter's additional info is on... Caroline and Justine!
The twins both wear a black eye patch with the letter "V" over one of their eyes and a blue prison guard outfit. Justine has a long braid and a hat with the letters "O-Y-O-O," while Caroline has hair buns and a hat with the letters "X-M-R-N." The letters appear to spell "OXYMORON." They wear a brassard on their left arm. They also have matching black ties.
The twins appear as Igor's Velvet Room assistants. They act as Shin's correctional officers. They fuse Personas by decapitating the components with guillotines (when they become stuck during fusion accidents, they finish the job with a large chainsaw). They also convert Personas into useful items via an electric chair, as well as hang them from a gallows in order to transfer their power to another.
The Twins mistake starfish as Decarabia upon first glance.
Caroline once asked Igor if she could have a jellyfish tank in the Velvet Room before.
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Confidants:
Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2
Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 3
Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 3
Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 4
Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 5
Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 3
Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 5
