The curry that gives INSPIRATION

Shin was moving around in the kitchen as he was cooking. He was deep in thought even if he was skillfully making curry for himself.

'I need Futaba...' he thought.

The red-haired girl was necessary for his plans. He had big plans regarding Shido, but he couldn't quite tackle those all by himself without the girl's hacking skills.

Of course, he wasn't idle either. He'd been slowly learning on that subject for some time now, but he wasn't even near Futaba's level.

He had sent Morgana off with some task, and Sojiro went out to buy some more ingredients, besides the ones he had for curry. Since it was so popular, the man had quite the stock of the ingredients for curry.

Shin put the place of curry on the counter and sat down to eat. While he was munching through the delicious meal, he was struck with a sudden idea. He sat up and went to the shelves full of coffee beans. Near the upper right corner, among a few jars full of special coffee beans that Sojiro kept for special occasions, was a small device.

Said device was aimed at the tables , but it was placed at an angle where it would be almost impossible to be seen unless someone was carefully looking through the jars, like Shin did.

"Hello, my little voyeur. Normally, I would've berated you for peeking on others like that, but now's not the time. If you've read my messages, you should know who I am. It'd be nice if we could chat a little." he said.

The boy waited a little and checked his phone, but he had no new messages. He sighed.

"What a pity. I had hoped we could strike a deal. I suppose we won't need this camera anymore." said Shin, and begun to slowly crush the camera in his hands.

After a visible crack appeared on the lens, Shin received a message.

Alibaba: Stop that!

Alibaba: That camera was expensive!

Alibaba: What deal were you talking about before?

"Ah, now we're talking. You see, I find myself in need of someone with talents such as yours. There are a few people of interests I'd like you to keep tab on. Of course, you'll be paid. Whether you want money or just a change of heart in someone bad, I can do it."

Alibaba: ...How much do you pay? And about that 'change of heart' thing...

"We can begin with 30.000 Yen per day. As for the other thing, do you have anyone you don't like because they're too greedy? Or envious? People that are just too arrogant for their own good? If you know any unsavory people like that, I can make them change."

Alibaba: 30.000?! Who are these people that you want me to check out?

"The first target is a man named Junya Kaneshiro. He's in the mafia, so take caution when investigating."

Alibaba: Mafia, huh? Makes sense you'd pay that much. But what do you have with this guy?

"He's involved in the drug trafficking business and he also blackmails and extorts high school students. But the police can't catch him. I'd like it if you could gather as much dirt on him as possible and anonymously send it to the police."

Shin had to wait as Futaba seemed to be thinking of a reply.

Alibaba: Why are you doing all this? What's your goal here?

"To take down a dirty criminal. What more of a reason do I need?"

'You're safe now, Makoto.' thought Shin, mentally fist-pumping.

Alibaba: I've heard enough. I'll help you with this, but I still expect that money in my account.

'With that settled, I should get back to eating my curry.'

-INTERMISSION-

Shibuya Central Street, Untouchable Airsofts.

Shin had come to meet Iwai to talk about his swords. They were long overdue.

"Listen, kid. There was a problem with the shipment. I heard that the driver had one of those "mental shutdowns" that everyone's talking about now. Real pity. He was a damn good deliverer."

"So when are they gonna arrive?" asked Shin.

"It's gonna take a few days. When that driver died, the cargo with him got smashed too. They've been scrambling to recover from that since it was really expensive, but they'll pull through."

At that moment, Iwai caught sight of a pair of police officers outside his shop. Panic briefly flashed through his eyes, but he kept his calm and collected demeanor on the outside. He bent down a bit and grabbed a bag from under the counter.

"Hey, hold onto this. Don't open the bag. Come back tomorrow." he said and gave Shin the paper bag.

The black-haired teen didn't say anything and quickly placed it in his bag, which was a rather smart choice as the cops decided to enter the shop immediately afterwards.

As good cop and bad cop were interrogating Iwai, Shin slipped out of the shop unnoticed.

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This chapter's additional info is on... Pixie!

According to the local folklore of southwest England, pixies are small mischievous creatures that inhabit the countryside and woodlands that like to play pranks on humans. Depending on the tale told, pixies can vary in size from tiny enough to fit in the palm of a human's hand to the size of a small child, although they are always a good deal below the size of an average human. They can be portrayed with or without wings, and over the years have taken on many traits usually associated with fairies, often leading to the common misconception that they are one and the same.

Pixies are sometimes said to be born in much the same way as humans, however some tales tell that they are humans transformed through misdeeds or magic. They play pranks on humans such as stealing their belongings, throwing things or calling out their names. They may also steal horses during the night and return them by the morning with tangled manes. While pixies usually don't cause any real harm, it is said that if someone follows the voices of pixies, they will never return.

Pixie is the first Persona of the Lovers Arcana and appears as a Shadow in the fourth scripted battle of the game, titled as "Beguiling Girl." During the same battle Pixie becomes the first additional Persona obtained by the protagonist.

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Confidants:

0. Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2

I. Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 3

1. Takuto Maruki (The Councillor) - Rank 1

II. Makoto Niijima (The Priestess) - Rank 2

V. Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 3

VI. Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 7

VII. Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 6

IX. Futaba Sakura (The Hermit) - Rank 1

XIII. Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 4

XVIII. Saki Yoshiko (The Moon) - Rank 2

XX. Sae Niijima (The Judgement) - Rank 1

Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 7