Chapter 29: Living Our Lives
Kishou the Badger
Stronger than LOVE
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Chapter 29 – Living Our Lives
May 16th, Dojima Residence, Evening
It was late when Ryotaro Dojima drove back home from work. Normally he wouldn't have minded as much, as work would sometimes run late at night. It was becoming rather more common due to a string of murders on top of a bunch of other complaints too. He had mixed feelings about tonight in particular, but it was probably for the best that he didn't make a big deal out of it this year.
Because tonight was his 42nd birthday.
He didn't want to get Nanako sad over this fact. Not because she would get worried about getting him a present; monetary gifts were the least of his concerns, and he felt the rare times she would be there to welcome him home a gift many times over. He also expressed to Nanako that she didn't have to worry about gifts on his birthday several years ago.
Among many things, Chisato kept their family together and would help in so many ways; ideas for birthday presents was one of them, as well as baking cakes (Ryotaro would always buy one on her birthday, but Chisato didn't mind). Without her though, birthdays were a little sadder and less welcoming. Dojima made an effort to buy a toy and some cake for Nanako's birthday, but he sometimes wondered if she really enjoyed the toys he bought or was just being polite for his sake.
His mind wandered as he stared at his old moped leaning against the right side of the house gate, rusted and pale after being left outside in the weather. The white scooter wasn't exactly a birthday present, as he bought it after getting a scooter license behind his parents' backs. They actually bought him a bike several birthdays before that, but he had sold it recently to a pawn shop when he realized that there was no space for it. Nanako was too small for the bike herself and didn't want it anyway.
He had hoped to have a son, a younger sibling for Nanako, to give the scooter to when he was old enough. Now it was just lying there by the gate like a decoration due to personal attachment to his younger days. Maybe I can give it to Shirou if he wants it…
Walking past the scooter, Ryotaro fiddled with his key to the door and stepped inside. "I'm home," he announced on habit, as if the sliding door wasn't clue enough.
He almost immediately noticed the dimmed lights of the small room. From his left he saw Nanako and Shirou rousing from their kitchen seats. His daughter looked like she was fighting to stay up past curfew, and his nephew had one of Taiga's books in his hand that was now forgotten. And on the table was a chocolate frosted cake with the biggest, thickest candle he had ever seen lit and placed in the center.
"Happy birthday dad/Doji-nii!"
Dojima was struck with surprise, even as his daughter ran forward and hugged his waist tightly. Shirou just sat back in his seat with a smile as wide as Nanako's, but with some hint of satisfaction and pride at the cake. Ever the detective, Dojima knew right away what he was proud of. "You baked this?"
"With Nanako's help," he said, before sheepishly scratching his head. "I would have gotten you something more substantial, but it was kind of last minute when Nanako told me about your birthday."
"I'm sorry," she frowned and murmured against his leg. She was probably apologizing to both of them.
Dojima smiled and lifted his daughter to his height. It took a bit of effort, as she was growing bigger and bigger. And looking more and more like her mother… "You have nothing to apologize for. Well, except maybe staying up later than you should have tonight."
"I wanted to see you eat the cake big bro and I made for you."
"Well, I gotta admit, it looks tasty," he allowed. He'd had take-out earlier during his shift, but he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to have some dessert at this hour. "All right, let's eat. But you both have to go to bed right after."
"Yay!"
The following meal was quick yet lively. Ryotaro had eaten a lot of cakes, but this was better than any store-brand he bought before. He wasn't sure that he wanted to admit they were better than Chisato's or not, but it had been years since he'd had her cooking, and Nanako was slowly taking over for her in many talents.
"This is delicious," he complimented after a few bites. "You two did a great job."
Shirou smiled knowingly at his cousin. "I told you he would like it."
Nanako giggled. "It must be the secret ingredient!"
"The secret ingredient?" Dojima asked.
"Love, dad!"
Another smile grew on his face. It seemed every night Shirou and Nanako grew closer, reflecting a positive ambience in the house. Just over a month ago, the two could barely hold a conversation with each other for over a minute, now they were baking together and sharing secrets. It gave his wary heart relief that things at home were at least going well.
All and all, it was a fine birthday.
"It certainly helps brings out the flavor," Dojima chuckled out before picking up the remote. "Anyway, let's watch a movie or something. I haven't had a night off for a while."
"Do you have something in mind?" Shirou asked curiously, only for Dojima to shrug.
"Well, let's just flip through the channels and try to find something that we can all enjoy." Dojima wasn't expecting much to be on, and Shirou probably wouldn't mind whatever was. So really, it was Nanako's decision in the end.
Even if it was cartoons, Dojima was pretty sure he could sit through half an hour or so of that Loveline stuff she likes.
The TV came to life with the quick push of a button. And then an image appeared on the screen. It showed a scantily clad bikini girl with red pigtails smiling and playing in the water, and similarly doused in it. Oddly enough, an image of a cold, sudsy glass interrupted the montage, followed by the bikini model drinking a brand soda can. She then turned with a wink and smile to the camera. "I'm tired of diets! Enough of going to the gym. Good thing there's something even I can handle!"
Next to the girl, a stream of bubbles transitioned into the image of a soda can like the one in her hand; one with the summer sky, splashing like water, and the English words "Quelorie Magic" printed diagonally on it.
The commercial ended with a male voiceover. "Slim down this summer with the refreshing taste of Quelorie Magic."
"Ooh! That's Rise-chan!" Nanako declared with a smile, pointing to the screen before the commercial ended.
"You like her?" Nanako nodded in response to her cousin's question.
"Yeah! She's really good! I like her music, and her dances, and she's really pretty and…!"
"Okay, okay calm down." Dojima found amusement in his daughter's enthusiasm. Although he was pretty sure that in a year or maybe less she'd latch onto a new 'favorite' music artist. He couldn't find himself to be as enamored by idols.
He could appreciate the hard work they had to go through (more so than fans these days may realize), and they would have to do something right to make catchy songs. It's just that they were… well… everywhere. On advertisements, on billboards, on the coffee containers. He was pretty certain that there was an idol group having as many as forty female singers and counting, too. "God, I probably sound old."
Another commercial followed immediately after, showing clips of Risette performing in more modest yet revealing idol clothes, and singing. The music was muffled by the commercial voice over. "One Night Only!" it announced, with matching English words appearing over the concert footage.
"Risette live at Okina City!" The voice continued, as other Risette-centric images played out. "New songs! New location! Same Risette! Performing at Okina Stadium June 1st. Tickets on sale now!"
"I can't believe it!" Nanako gasped out in surprise. "Rise-chan's playing in Okina? That's so close!" Her face then fell as she looked down and grumbled out, "I wish I could go…"
"Sorry Nanako, but I don't exactly have the money for tickets." As Rise sang in slightly accented English on the TV, Dojima sighed, mumbling to himself. "The one good thing about this town was there was barely anything noteworthy about it. Things were abuzz before, but now no one's going to shut up about this."
Shirou blinked in surprise. "Why would anyone here care about an idol concert in another city?"
"…Is he serious?" If so, then Shirou was really out of touch with pop culture and kids his age. He merely shook his head, too tired to explain. "You'll find out soon enough."
<><><>
May 17th, Junes, "Special Secret Headquarters"
"The key to magic is confidence. People will always be skeptic and want to learn the secret, but anyone can be dazzled and convinced with the best tricks."
"Uh, Emiya-kun?"
"In fact, some people may wish to perform the art itself, and it's possible as long as they have diligence, an open mind to learn, and, once again, confidence."
"Earth to Emiya-kun."
"But above all else, you must always remember to-"
"Oi! Shirou!"
The magus staggered from his seat and the book in his hands slipped out onto the desk. "H-huh? What's wrong? Is there an emergency?"
The other members of the Investigation Team were exasperated by their leader's obliviousness, but none more so than Yosuke. He looked about ready to pounce on him if he said the wrong word. "Were you even listening?"
"Something about you and Satonaka helping a woman sate her sweet tooth?"
"We already went over that!" Yosuke snapped. Personally he didn't want to think much on the stakeout since it was boring and he had learned a bit too much about Chie Satonaka than he wanted to. Namely that she loved meat so much she had pockets full of gum in meat flavor. Meat. Flavored. Gum. Such a thing shouldn't even exist, let alone be called candy! At least the woman was thankful and they knocked off another ema request for Tama-chan.
Shirou flushed at his lapse of focus. He hadn't expected that a mundane book on magic tricks would be so engaging. "Then I guess I didn't. Sorry."
Yosuke all but shoved the flyer in his hand up to the red-haired teen's face. "I'm talking about the Risette concert coming up two weeks from tomorrow! She's coming to Okina City!"
The magus slowly roused himself back up and read the paper in detail. It showed a full body image of Risette in all her glory during one of her previous concerts. She was wearing a white blouse under a pink and black blazer, tied together in a pink bow and a single pink-black glove over her right hand. The lower half of her attire consisted of a matching pink skirt, complete with a blue tail sash around her waist, gray stockings, and high knee black boots. The attire was very detailed and emphasized her cute features; the copper red hair fashioned in two pigtails, brown eyes shining in the lime lights, and glossed lips curled into a smile mid-song.
Various tagline blurbs were scattered around the poster, emphasizing her "one night only" performance at "Okina Central Stadium", and of course, the premiere date of June 1st.
"You lost me again," Shirou frowned. He never really saw the appeal to idol singers, and it wasn't like she was coming to perform in Inaba.
"Dude!" cried Yosuke, dismayed at the fact that Shirou could be this clueless. "She's only like one of the most popular idols of the year, and a fresh new one at that! AND she's going to perform in OKINA! Literally half an hour away! You and Amagi-san took a train there for crying out loud!"
"But the concert won't be for another two weeks anyway."
"And you call yourself a city boy," he glared in mock disgust. "How could you not go to at least one idol concert? I mean, look at Risette! And I mean really look at her! She's such a cutie pie!"
Shirou's eyes narrowed, hesitating to say the first thing that came to mind. Surprisingly, Chie voiced it in a similarly deadpan tone. "'Cutie pie'? What are you, eighty?"
The auburn haired teen was still gushing at his poster, so he either didn't hear Chie's insult or didn't care. Yukiko, less bothered by his antics, turned to Shirou and tried to explain things clearer. "You see, Hanamura-kun's been here for less than a year, so he's probably heard of her back from his city. But she used to live in Inaba, so a lot of people here are fans. She's also a bit of a rising star among idols, since she came from a small town like ours instead of a big city like yours."
"Ah," Shirou said, finally grasping somewhat of the fan appeal. "That would explain the hype, then."
From their center food court seat, many students and teens were as enthusiastic as Yosuke about Risette's concert; some even more so as they were among diehard idol fans. Girls would gush and wish to be like Risette with her near perfect figure and melodic voice. Various MP3s were playing select tracks of her songs, blaring just loud enough to be heard outside the earbuds. And some (by which it was really two) held and showed off their Risette-themed items like trophies; dolls, t-shirts, and even dakimakuras.
Chie cringed seeing the two fanatics, and suddenly wished she had Shirou's gift of obliviousness. "Yes. That would explain the hype."
"It's a hype well justified!" Yosuke exclaimed. "It hasn't been long since her debut, but she has the makings of being immortalized in the idol industry forever! I'm talking movies, voiceovers for anime characters, the Japanese Record Awards, the whole shebang! She's just that cute! She's just that innocent! She's just that perfect!"
With a deadpan stare, Shirou casually jerked his thumb over his shoulder and pointed towards the duo hugging Risette dakimakuras. "You do realize it's just an act to get fans like you and them to buy their songs and merchandise, right?"
The headphone-clad teen immediately pointed angrily at Shirou, unknowingly crunching the Risette poster in his other hand. "Hey! You get to play your hero fantasy all the time! Let me have mine, damn it!"
"I take it you plan to go to this concert then?"
At that, Yosuke's face slightly became more calm. He crossed his arms and slumped back into his chair. "Dunno. Tickets are going to be expensive, and I need to get them now before they are sold out. Plus…" Yosuke gave a weak chuckle. "Going to a concert ain't that much fun if you don't go with someone you know."
Shirou frowned a bit. Because he could tell that Yosuke actually really wanted to go and see this Rise idol. But the thing that was stopping him was not having anybody to go with.
"Do you guys wanna go?" Yosuke asked, his voice raising a bit in hope as he looked at all three of them.
"But what about Kanji-kun?" Yukiko asked. "He's still in danger of being the next victim."
The auburn teen brushed the concern aside with a dismissive wave. "You said it yourself that the weird Shirogane guy was following him," he explained. "And you already warned them both about the murderer. At this point, we've done all we can to help them and they'll just have to look out for themselves. I doubt something bad is going to happen between now and the concert. Shirou's guardian was on TV too and she didn't have a Shadow to fight."
Elsewhere, in Fuyuki City, specifically the Homurahara School dojo, Taiga sneezed loudly. Her kendo student, seeing this as an opening in their current match, rushed in to attempt a free hit. He would later spend the rest of the day nursing his arm regretting it.
Back in Inaba, Yosuke smiled as he pointed to his poster again. "Besides, when was the last time any of us had some fun since the school year started? The four of us hanging, listening to some pop idol music, no worries. It'll be fun!"
"Sorry dude." Chie raised her arms and formed an 'x' with them. "But I don't have that kind of money to burn. Dad cut me off my allowance after he heard from mom that I didn't study for the midterms. Besides, idols aren't really my thing."
Yosuke turned his head to Yukiko. Though she was still worried about Kanji's supposed safety, she had other responsibilities. "If it was on another day, maybe. But there's a maintenance check, a supply run, and a meeting plan every start of the new month at my family inn. And I'm not too sure about attending a concert either… sorry Hanamura-kun."
Shirou could tell that it now all rested on him. If he didn't say yes, Yosuke was probably going to be bummed out for the entire week.
"Hey! Listen! Go with him!"
Shirou blinked in surprise as he heard Pixie's voice. "Hold on a second," he told his friends, and pulled out his phone. At least this way he could talk to his Persona without looking like an idiot. So long as they didn't realize that it was already off. "What is it?"
"Like I said, go with him!"
"I don't know…"
"Come on, It's just one concert! A concert that he really wants to go to! So what's the harm in tagging along and listening to good music?"
"But I don't really don't care about this sort of thing."
"Just because you've never been to an idol concert doesn't mean that you won't like it later. Don't knock it 'til you try it!"
"But-!"
Despite not seeing her face directly, the magus could feel Pixie's pleading eyes staring at him wet and wide, and could tell that her hands were clasped together as if she were begging. "Come on! Pleaaaaaaaaaaase?"
Shirou felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he wasn't exactly sure he would even enjoy the concert. Money wasn't exactly a problem, he had his own bank account (Even if it was controlled by Fuji-nee, but she would most likely encourage going to a concert with Yosuke). But it would be rather easy if he said he couldn't, and then go and do something he would prefer doing on the day of the concert.
On the other hand, Yosuke was really looking forward to this… and he had a point that it wasn't often they had a lot of fun together. If Shirou said no, the teen would be extremely disappointed.
Considering his ideals, his choice was a rather simple one. Sighing, he conceded to the Pixie in his head before "hanging up." "All right, I'll go. Bye."
"Yay! Click."
Fighting the urge to smirk at the fey's humor, Shirou noticed Yosuke looked torn from the one-sided conversation, and already assumed the worst. "So uh, I guess that means you're busy too?"
"I'll go." Shirou smiled at Yosuke, while the teen's face morphed into one of shock. "I mean, you really want to go don't you? I don't mind tagging along."
After he said that, a wide grin then formed on Yosuke's face. "Dude, sweet!" Yosuke then pumped his fist into the air. "Alright! So we need to go and get the tickets soon! Otherwise we're going to have to deal with a line…"
<><><>
May 20th, Velvet Room
Margaret loved to read, especially historical and mythical stories of ages past. She had long since lost count of how many books she'd read, let alone how many she read twice over. It was just a fascination she had always had, to learn about the past and the beings that would eventually transcend into Personas.
The tales of Gods and their relations to man. How the vile lived and acted before they were slain. How the good triumphed and spread their morals to those who listened. How some became renowned as heroes, and sometimes becoming Heroic Spirits. Reading about these figures and more was how she passed the time, and how she also prepared herself in understanding the multitude of Personas her guest may one day use.
The ethereal beauty was alone for once, casually enjoying her day (evening? Afternoon? Time held no meaning in the Room, really) when she heard the sound of a glass door opening. Her place on "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" forgotten, she quickly looked up and was surprised to see her guest come now of all times. "Oh, Shirou Emiya. Do you have any business here?"
Shirou looked just as surprised as Margaret was, as he hadn't seated himself and looked around. "Well, I was hoping to ask Igor a few questions, and maybe create another fused Persona. Will he be back soon?"
Margaret shook her head. "I'm afraid that my Master is currently away, and I am not certain when he'll return."
The magus blinked. "He left the room? But doesn't he-" He stopped himself, as if deciding better than to be rude like the last time. "Nevermind. It's not urgent, really, so I'll try again tomo-"
"Wait."
Shirou stopped from heading back out the door, and turned to her in surprise. Margaret herself looked like she made the decision at the last minute, as if realizing something.
"This room is tied deeply to your fate. Nothing happens here without a reason, so perhaps there is meaning in us meeting here alone."
"Like what?"
"Well, do you have time to chat?"
Shirou glanced between the door and Margaret. He had intended to come for a reason, even if it wasn't the one he intended. But if fate had decided to let them talk in Igor's rare absence, who was he to argue? "Yeah, I have time," he agreed, walking back to his seat across the table.
He barely made two steps before the platinum blond woman spoke again, "I would like to ask you to sit next to me this time."
Shirou tripped and face-faulted to the floor. He quickly recovered to see Margaret staring at him, amused. "Eh? But-!"
"It's more proper for communication to be sitting together," Margaret explained. "And it might help you learn to court a woman someday," she added with a playful smile.
Flushing in embarrassment, the magus knew better than to argue with her and walked over. He still felt awkward sitting so close to a beautiful woman like her, but she certainly didn't care about his nervousness.
Meanwhile, Margaret stood up and grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet across from them. As the magus stared and remembered that there was a wine cabinet in the Velvet Room, Margaret took the well-aged wine bottle and poured them each a glass. "Champagne?"
"Oh, thank you," Shirou nodded and accepted his glass. Shirou had first noticed the feature of this limousine-like room, but was more perplexed about the two people sitting in it and their ominous warnings than to ask questions. He took a small sip of his drink, savoring its rich yet bitter taste. The drapes, the neon lights, the opera leitmotif, even the wispy fog dancing out the window screen; all of it was soothing and calming to his soul.
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while," he admitted, glancing to the attendant also sipping her wine. "But why does the Velvet Room look like a limousine? It must be impractical to do anything in this cramped car space."
"The Velvet Room is not just a domain for me and my Master," she explained. "It changes shape and form based on the guests that come here and the destiny they are to overcome. You could say this limousine is a metaphor on your long trip through the shrouded mystery of both worlds."
"I don't think this room suits me though," he said. "When I think of limousines, I think of someone who has privileges and wealth but is careless of them. It's more of a symbol of how powerful they are but are at the same time blinded by it."
Margaret glanced briefly at Shirou, and then took another sip of her wine. "I suppose that metaphor fits you as well."
Shirou frowned in confusion, but as the thought occurred to him, he felt torn and embarrassed that he insulted himself without really meaning it. He certainly had the careless part down pat. "Point taken."
"If it helps, I quite prefer the limo myself," she gestured to the wine glass cabinet in front of them for emphasis. "As there is more luxury. The room of the last guest took the form of a rising elevator. From what Theodore told me, there were only two seats and he had to spend most of the time standing. He certainly didn't mind it though."
"Who is Theodore?"
"My brother, and the assistant to the Velvet Room before me." Margaret's face fell slightly. "I would like to introduce you to him, but he hasn't been quite himself since your predecessor's sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Shirou gawked. "But I thought Igor said she was living proof of the miracles of bonds or something."
"She's not quite dead, but not quite alive either," she explained. "Perhaps you will learn the full story one day, but it's not my place to say it. I only had a passing acquaintanceship with her."
Shirou fell silent at that, trying to digest how much he learned from Margaret in just a few words. A brother? And she knew the last guest before him? His mind wandered further down those thoughts as he stared at his drink and suddenly didn't feel as thirsty.
Margaret had her own thoughts circulating. As Master Igor's assistant, she took her duties seriously, perhaps more so than her brother and sister. Theodore had grown too close to his guest, to the point that her eventual departure left him grieving. At least it was understandable. Elizabeth, however, was far less justified as she left the Velvet Room determined to rescue the girl. To this day Margaret didn't know why Elizabeth would shun her duties so readily. Had the wonders of the human world finally won out over her sister, or was it something about the girl in particular?
As much as Margaret loved her siblings, they were both too emotionally swayed by the human world of where their guests would come from. And yet Master Igor didn't seem inclined to punish or think little of them. Sometimes the Master's actions were an enigma even to her.
Perhaps it was because of how trusting he was to humans? He always provided help to those with the Power of Personas. There was no Wild Card before Kotone Shiomi, but rather a group of human friends who could all visit the room freely because of enacting the "Persona Game", and welcomed as guests that way.
Margaret could admit to having a curiosity towards humans. Maybe not to the extent of her siblings being emotionally swayed, but at least invested enough to see if the stories were true. She wanted to see if humans had enough potential to overpower gods and demons within their short lifespan. She wanted to see personally where Shirou's power would take him.
Perhaps this was why they were meeting alone like this?
"Did you know that the origin of limousine comes from a similarly named town in France?" she asked him. "The shepherds of Limousin created a hooded coat to protect them from rain, and the name stuck. Not just for the coats, but for covered coaches as well, when horses were still a popular mode of transportation."
Shirou turned and looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. "Excuse me?"
Margaret smiled softly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. You have to admit, it is interesting that the work of shepherds led to the manufacturing of stretched cars, yes?"
"I suppose so," he nodded. "It's just that I didn't think someone of your caliber would want to associate herself with me."
"I have more time to spare than you can imagine," she said in a deadpan yet gentle manner. "If we can't find common ground to converse in, maybe we can help each other through mutual benefit. Perhaps even share a Social Link."
Again Shirou stared at her in surprise. He didn't expect her of all people to put her money where her mouth was. "You must have thought long and hard for this decision."
"Actually, the way to making Social Links isn't as complicated as you may think. You've made quite a few already, so surely you understand; recurring meetings, recurring words, gradually and surely your bonds strengthen through understanding one another. But sometimes the heart can be shaken by a single action more than a thousand words could."
The magus knew there was something deep and meaningful in her explanation, but he was drawing a blank. "You lost me," he said.
Margaret's smile grew slightly from amusement, and lightly tapped her wine glass against his. "Today's meeting is much like that single action towards my heart. I wish to be entangled in your fate, and do anything you ask out of me."
Shirou stuttered and flushed in his seat. The platinum blond attendant's words meant well, but they could also stem to more… intimate meanings. And he wasn't certain enough of her personality to determine if she was joking about that or not. But maybe, if she was so serious…
Margaret turned fully to Shirou, barely hearing him mutter something under his breath. "Hm? What was that?"
"Oh, well," Shirou smiled. "I just think I really should meet up with Igor as soon as possible."
"May I ask why you seek my Master? Perhaps I can help in some way."
"This is kind of magecraft related, and you told me yourself that neither of you are magi. I was just hoping that he would help with a hint or something."
The assistant waved her hand dismissively. "That won't be necessary. I've since been reading up on their material and theorems, so I can provide at least general feedback on the basics."
"That's perfect, actually," Shirou smiled. "My magecraft's limited to three spells anyway. Oh, and uh, do you know how to 'turn on' magic circuits?"
"I believe so. Why do you ask?"
"I actually don't know how to say this," he said, with a defeated frown settling in. "So I'll just summon Pixie and let her scream it out clearly."
He casually summoned the Pixie card and crushed it. Not a second later, the fey fluttered in front of Margaret's face, so fuming mad red that she thought steam would come out of her ears.
"He's a bloomin' idiot! For years he got the wrong method down and hasn't gotten anyone to correct him because of mage paranoia! He made impish bad magic by smoldering his own nervous system! I reiterate! HE TURNED! HIS NERVES! INTO! A CONDUCTOR!" The fey screamed at the end, deliberately pointing at the magus with each sentence. "And he needs someone to teach him the RIGHT way so he doesn't STUPID himself to death again!" Having said her piece, she glared at the embarrassed magus and cursed him one last time before leaving. "Dumbass!"
Margaret blinked. Her lips were still lightly sipping the wine in her tilted glass, and her eyes stayed wide even after she finished her drink. Then she laughed; a soft, melodic tone that seemed to follow after the soundless gulp. It was hard to believe she was just drinking and had avoided making a choking fit mid-drink. "And all this time I thought Theodore was the gullible one."
"One of these days you really should introduce us," he smiled back, in spite of his humiliation.
"Ah, I almost forgot," Margaret said softly as she placed her glass down on the table next to her. She then turned fully to the red haired magus and smiled. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I am Margaret, the one who rules over power." Again the magus stared at her in confusion, amusing her. "Of course we have been introduced before, but this is historic; you are probably the first person to be ever welcomed here by someone other than my master."
"Must be a big deal," Shirou blinked. "But what do you mean by 'one who rules over power'?"
"I suppose you have to figure that out yourself, won't you?" she coyly smiled.
And just like that, Shirou Emiya's ninth Social Link was formed, this time with the mysterious Margaret. Directly above the number "III", the center figure was a black silhouette with a round bottom and thin neck. The figure vaguely resembled a queen with a single eye, with a floating four-pronged crown above the "head". Vines stretched from the card's edge to the queen silhouette, dividing the color backgrounds of green and purple to a regal hue.
Thou art I, and I am thou.
Thou hast established a new bond.
It shall bring thee closer to the truth.
Thou shalt be blessed by Personae of the Empress Arcana.
"Now then" she said, flipping through a specific textbook that Shirou hadn't seen before. "Let us discuss the 'proper' way to awaken your magic circuits." She spared a quick glance to the magus before flipping through it again. "This is probably going to hurt."
Shirou gulped, but quickly reasoned that it was just the wine.
<><><>
May 25th, Yomenaido Book Store, After School
"Thanks for doing this for me, Emiya-kun."
The magus shrugged casually as they left the store. "I've been meaning to pick up some new material, anyway."
Things had been at a relative calm all week, but it was still busy to Shirou. He and Yosuke managed to find the stadium selling tickets, but had failed to account for the price not being within their budget. Fortunately, thanks to Shirou's respective top 10 in the school testing, Dojima awarded him an allowance with a hefty sum of yen. Enough to buy two tickets with money to spare. It was also just enough to spruce up some extra yen from MOEL and Junes to buy Nanako's ticket as well, who was just as excited to see the idol in person as Yosuke.
Just to be on the safe side though, he tried to talk and keep in touch with Kanji whenever the chance came. But the bleached haired teen would always glare and threaten him to "piss off" before leaving with the young detective in tow. Naoto "wasn't at liberty" to speak either (whatever that meant), but had assured him that aside from his increasingly erratic behavior, Kanji's life saw no abnormality.
So all that left was relaxing until the big day, now a week away. That included making a vegetable garden with Nanako, more sparring with Chie, some training with Margaret, and most recently, going with Yukiko to the bookstore when she asked him for a favor.
"Oh, you too?" Yukiko gazed toward the small bag in his hands. "What did you buy?"
"A how-to book on origami folding. I was thinking of buying some color sheets and teach Nanako later tonight how to fold."
"I see…"
Shirou saw Yukiko's eagerness morph into disappointment. While he had no Priestess Persona to gauge or read her feelings, he could still pick up certain tells from their behavior. "So uh, what about you?" he asked quickly. "What did you buy?"
The raven-haired girl brightened as she held her textbook up. "Oh, Hosoi-sensei recommended me this book about job certificates. I was lucky enough to pick the last one."
The loon with the sock puppet? He's not someone I would consider asking advice from myself. Well, better him than Yamada…
The magus knew he shouldn't think that about a teacher, especially with how the entire ensemble of faculty was unique. But if there was anyone Shirou felt deserved the boot out of Yasogami High, it was Yamada due to how often he pushed the boundaries between a flattering compliment and sexual harassment to a female student. Rather, he found himself more partial to Morooka-sensei than most. Like Shinji, he was an uptight but honest man who made his concerns well known; work hard and don't blow it. And despite being on his "shit list", Shirou always knew the answer when called and wasn't picked on nearly as hard in his class like Yosuke was. Yamada pretended to be a nice guy but was clearly leering and skirt chasing.
Brushing those thoughts aside, Shirou asked aloud, "Don't you already have a job at the inn?"
Yukiko frowned again, making the magus seriously consider a Priestess Persona in the near future. "What I do there is just practice for when I inherit it. When I was kidnapped, it was the last thing on my mind, and even my other self said that she didn't want to inherit. Deep down, I knew those were my true feelings."
Her eyes grew determined, holding her job certificate book as a beacon. "So I'm going to be more honest with myself too! For starters, I'm going to find myself a job with this book!"
What.
"And I… I'm NOT going to inherit my family inn business!"
What?
"And furthermore, when I graduate, I'm leaving this town!"
What?!
A stunned silence filled the quiet street, both teens scared to even move. Yukiko broke first, whispering to herself, "I said it."
She smiled brightly and giggled, twirling on her feet as her school skirt fluttered and turned. "I said it! I actually said it! Hehehe!"
Shirou only stared with conflicting and confused emotions. Yukiko wanted to leave Inaba? She was seriously considering it? Was this why she didn't ask Chie to go book shopping?
Yukiko calmed down, but the smile was still on her face. "So I've decided to prepare for when I live on my own, starting with a job license. Perhaps getting a start-up as an interior decorator."
Shirou couldn't think of a proper response, but she didn't notice as she continued her train of thought.
"But to get a job license I need money. And I need a job to start with to get money. I can't ask my Mother, not when she thinks I want to be her successor. If only there was a part-time job where I could make money discreetly…"
The magus recovered from his shock, mentally sighing. He was Yukiko Amagi's friend, and she trusted him for whatever reason to go shopping for a job certificate book, and admit her own feelings about leaving. He should respect her decision. He should accept that she had her own life choices, and that they wouldn't be in necessary effect for another two years.
But most of all, he should help her in any way he could, despite his feelings.
"I read at the job board up north that you can work at home making envelopes," he offered, pointing further along the district.
Her face brightened with glee. "Really? I'll have to check the board right away!"
She almost bolted for the board on the spot, but stopped to bow gratefully to him. "Thank you again, Emiya-kun. I'm not sure if I could have told anyone else what I told you right now. Especially not Chie."
The red-haired teen scratched his head sheepishly. "I admit, I was surprised to hear that, but if your heart's set on it, you have my support. And I think you'd make a fine interior decorator."
Her smile grew and even as they parted ways for the day, their hearts grew a bit closer.
<><><>
???
I have to save them. I just have to.
Two people had already died. People were already forgetting it but they couldn't bring himself to do so even if they tried. One was a caring, determined newswoman, and the other was a high school student with so much in her future.
The death toll hadn't grown at all since then, thank goodness. The young Amagi girl had cut it close, but in the end she was safe. They had to thank the Midnight Channel for its guidance, but it was still too limiting. All they could get out of it was a silhouette, but they learned where to look.
Following Amagi, two more people had been shown on the Midnight Channel. One was the lone biker woman that single-handedly stopped an ATM robber. Nothing was known about this anonymous heroine other than her hair-trigger temper, and no one had seen her since. Since she hadn't been found suspended from a telephone pole, that meant she had long left Inaba before being targeted. That was good.
The second was the punk rebel Kanji Tatsumi. The police were certainly familiar with his constant rivalry with biker gangs. Many people would want him gone. But he was never without that boy detective with the blue hat following him. That was bad.
"I have to save them," they said, alone in a dimly lit room. The sound of heavy rain was soothing, but also nerve-wracking. "No one else can save them. It's only me."
The clock on the wall struck midnight. It was time.
The old cubed TV flashed to life, a dim and hazy yellow. A new silhouette appeared, but this one had close-ups on her chest and thighs. Something about her movements was familiar, as was the swimsuit.
And then it hit them.
"Risette…" they said. "Risette is in danger."
The rest of the night was spent scribing notes furiously and searching through the internet and news through via smartphone.
The world had lost one celebrity already, and they wouldn't lose another.
"I'll save you, Risette. I'll save everyone. Everyone…"
<><><>
June 1st, Okina Stadium, Evening
Before long, the fated day of the concert had finally come. A bronze dome-like stadium might be one of the oldest looking buildings in the city. And yet it was hard to notice when the sky was dark, colorful balloons and banners were set up, and a large projector towered over it all. Stock footage of Risette's dancing and singing was shown and played in loops, along with the reminder and countdown to her concert.
Okina Stadium was miles away from the station, and the train station was crammed with the youths of Inaba rushing out. It was because of this frenzy, and a lucky break of getting home early, that Dojima drove them over in his car to avoid the hassle. Traffic on the road was still bad, but that was another story.
As the car rolled to a stop by the front entrance, Yosuke quickly unbuckled himself and sprang out of his seat. "Thanks for the ride, Dojima-san!" he said even as he ran out, making a beeline for the ticket booth.
From her seat next to her father, Nanako's eyes widened with awe. "Wow! It's so pretty!"
"Yeah, it is," Dojima agreed. He still didn't quite get the appeal of idols but this Risette had to be doing something right if fans were arriving en masse an hour early.
Brushing those thoughts away, he turned to Shirou sitting behind him. "I'll be home all night, so call me once this concert's over. You kids still have school in the morning, so don't goof off. And keep an eye on Nanako, you hear?"
"Got it, Doji-nii," was the curt nod and response.
"Guys, hurry up! We're going to miss all the best seats!"
Shirou smiled teasingly at his friend's impatience. "That's our cue. Come on, Nanako."
"Bye, Dad!"
"Have fun, and stay safe!" the detective said, and drove off once his daughter and nephew left the car.
The trio followed in line with the crowd, both boys holding Nanako's hand so they didn't lose her by accident. Shirou felt a bit out of place seeing so many people gather in one place. A lot of teens mostly, not just warm-blooded boys but girls around his age that saw Risette as inspiration. There were also adults, but almost all of them were male.
I can only assume that Yamada is one of them.
His dark musing ended as soon as he felt a soft tug on his arm. He looked down to his cousin's frowning face. "I have to go to the bathroom."
"Now?" Yosuke groaned, just as they were steps away from the seating area. He looked desperate enough to bolt ahead of them. "But there's only a few seats left!"
"Better to go before the concert than during," he told his friend. "Besides, there's plenty of room for everyone here."
"I meant good seats! Ones where we can see Risette in person!"
"You do realize that our tickets direct us to row F, right? At least six rows beyond the stage?"
Yosuke didn't. He was more excited at the prospect of going to the concert that he just made sure the ticket he bought was kept safe and in perfect condition than to read the seat numbers. He fished into his pocket and read it for the first time, dismayed that it read "Row F, Seat 34". The best seats of any concert were up in rows A or B, where you could see or even touch the singers and idols up close if lucky enough. But at F row they'd only see her from the large screen set above the stage.
"Bu-gu-gah-Rii-zit-ta-ra-go-GA-"
"Go ahead, Nanako," Shirou smiled to his cousin, and ignored Yosuke's gibberish. "I'll wait for you outside."
At her relieved nod, the duo left Yosuke and made a beeline for the public ladies' room. Shirou watched her head inside before leaning against the wall next to it. He watched as more people passed by in eagerness, ignoring everyone else but themselves and friends they came with.
Shirou didn't notice it at first, since he assumed the crowd was mostly Okina adults and high school students, but nearly everyone was wearing Risette-centric clothes; it was either white-t's with her smiling face on the front side, or black-t's with the words "Risette Is My True Story" printed in pink on the back. Then there were decorative accessories, such as a number of girls wearing their hair in the same pigtail fashion, or guys donning hats with her picture on it. A large number of them, boy and girl, carried a different colored glow stick, ready to be broken and lit in the stadium.
The teen magus realized that everyone had changed and dressed for this occasion, besides himself and Nanako. He was still in his school uniform, and she was in her winter dress. Even Yosuke dressed for the occasion, wearing the same black-t as his fellow fans. Incidentally, he recovered from his little breakdown and leaned next to Shirou with a small scowl.
"Not going to get the best seats?" he teased.
"They take security seriously here, you know. I'd rather actually see a Risette concert than get thrown out for getting cocky."
Shirou smiled. "Yeah, that would suck." His face fell as he said, "Especially if Risette is the next target."
Yosuke's bad mood grew only sour, but for a different reason. He turned and scowled at the team leader, almost betrayed. "Dude, no. We deserve this. We've saved Amagi-san, fought off a bunch of Shadows, survived mid-terms AND got ahead in preventing Kanji's kidnapping. I'm not going to let you ruin this concert for us -for Nanako-chan- because of a hunch we can't even prove anymore."
"She was on the Midnight Channel, Yosuke."
"So were Kanji and your guardian, but they haven't been thrown in. The killer probably realized that the third time wasn't the charm for Amagi-san and is now staying low for Plan B. Or maybe cut his losses and left town, but that's just wishful thinking."
"Then why is the Midnight Channel still on? Isn't it his calling card?"
"How should I know? It's probably Teddie's place seeping through on a bad frequency or something!" It was a bad excuse, and even Yosuke didn't sound convinced. But it was also clear that he just wanted a break, and to pretend for one night that they weren't supernatural crime fighters. That they were high school students doing high school things, like attending a cute idol concert.
Yosuke groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. There was no pretense of DnD, but everyone was too fixated on the concert to pay attention. "Look, there's a time and place for these kinds of things. Risette's only going to be here for one day before continuing her tour, and this will all be a distant but fun memory., And if Risette really IS a victim, we can look into this AFTER the concert. The place is so packed that only a desperate idiot would try something like kidnapping an idol on stage, anyway."
"I'm done!" Nanako cheered, stepping outside with a hop and a smile. She quickly noticed the tense mood between the older boys and frowned. "Are you two fighting?"
Shirou smiled softly. Yosuke was right, the murder case could wait for tonight, and she should be safe for now. "We were, but we resolved it with no harm done." A bit of Nanako's smile returned, and she accepted his offered hand. "Come on, let's go to our seats."
<><><>
Backstage
"Ten minutes to show time, Inoue-san."
A brown haired man in a blue business suit glanced up from his cellphone to acknowledge the usher at the door. "We'll be ready, thanks." Minoru Inoue turned his attention back to his call before adjusting his brown rimmed glasses with his spare hand. "Yes, I'm still here. The magazine interview will be tomorrow afternoon, right after we arrive from Okina. Thank you."
Inoue spared a quick glance to his star idol, Rise "Risette" Kujikawa in her vibrant costume as her team of make-up artists applied the finishing touches on her. Her dark red hair was delicately brushed and groomed into her signature wavy pigtails. Powder and lip gloss was lightly added to her cute facial features. She was as stoic as ever, almost quiet and reserved, but Inoue knew that once she stepped on stage, she would smile and shine as her cheerful Risette persona.
He wasn't sure exactly why she requested to do her next concert in Okina City, and why so soon. But as her manager, he was able to make it work with a few strings pulled and some phone calls.
The make-up artists quickly left the room after they finished, to which Inoue patted her shoulder encouragingly. "We got a busy week ahead of us. I just got a call from Kobunsha asking to interview for one of their magazines tomorrow. After the concert tonight, we'll stay the night at a hotel suite and leave first thing in the morning."
"Mhm," she nodded, barely expressive. Inoue mentally berated himself for putting unneeded pressure on the girl, as her life was busy enough.
"Well, it's just business as usual," he tried again, smiling. "I'm sure you'll do fine." With not much else to say, the manager walked to the door, planning to leave her the few last minutes to get ready.
"Uh, Inoue-san?"
Inoue stopped and turned to his idol, glancing expectantly at him. "Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Don't you have something to say?" she smiled hopefully.
Inoue blinked. "Break a leg?"
"Let me try again," she said. "Today is kind of important, so did anything come in for me?"
Did she mean the concert, or something else? Surely not all the letters from fans recently. June 1st, a Wednesday. What else happened today…? "Oh, that's right! This actually came in just today."
Rise's eyes widened with her smile. A rare show of bubbling joy outside the stage where everything wasn't as glamorous as showbiz would imply. She held her breath, watching as her manager reached to his back pocket to pull out a partially opened envelope.
Inoue brandished the envelope like a trophy to her, grinning ear to ear. "You got the part!"
Rise blinked. "Huh?"
"The lead role to the upcoming Toei movie! It's not official yet, but the producers and directors all want you to be their heroine and are even paying for a new single just for the movie! Isn't that great?"
Hesitantly, Rise took the envelope in her hands and read the letter inside. The contents were just as Inoue told her. Another deal for Risette. Her heart sank.
"Y-yeah, that's… great," she forced the smile up as she handed the envelope back. "But, isn't it too soon to be looking into movie roles?"
"Are you kidding?" said Inoue. "Most idols dream of a chance to get this kind of break, Rise. Your music talents and public appeal have worked out so far, but you'll need something on your own to stand out from all the other idols."
Stand out? How else is there to stand out when fans and agencies want them to wear skimpy clothes? To dance around acting cute and pretend that they never even heard of sex?
Inoue saw her face fall and smiled reassuringly. "You'll do fine, Rise. Acting as a character in a movie is no different than how you take on your Risette role." The walls started to echo with the fans' cheers for "Ri-set-te!". "Speaking of which, your public awaits!"
Inoue quickly left the room, unaware of how distraught Rise was in her room. She couldn't fault him though. He was always so thoughtful and considering how to make the most of her idol career. He meant well, really, and his pep talks before and after shows usually made her feel like this was all worth it.
But today… he didn't even know.
"He didn't know it was my birthday…"
No one did, really. None of her staff team, no one from Takura Productions, not even her fans that would send her tons of fan letters or email or online posts. Her family knew, but only her grandmother sent her a letter.
"My doors are always open, if you have time to visit" she had written.
"Maybe… a break would do me good after all."
<><><>
Okina Stadium Stage
It was dark, even with hundreds of glow sticks waving in the fans' eager hands. They could only see the bright light of the performing stage where Risette was going to perform. Everyone was cheering her name, drowning out any other noise around. Not that it was stopping a certain Risette fan from complaining.
"This sucks! I can barely see the platform!" Yosuke groaned, leaning forward from his small recliner seat, with Shirou on his right and Nanako in the next one over. "Gah, why did we have to get such lame-ass tickets?!"
Nanako blinked and glanced up at her brother. "Big bro? What's a 'lame-ass'?"
"Yosuke!" Shirou glared sharply at him.
"Well they are!" Yosuke insisted. "I'm the assistant manager at the Junes branch in Inaba for crying out loud! My paycheck should be worth a B row at least!"
Nanako turned to him with wide eyes. "You work at Junes?!"
Yosuke groaned again. "Yeah, yeah I do, and it sucks major balls having to work on the holidays for chump change too." He would have said more, such as annoying co-workers and ungrateful customers. But he had a feeling that they were at the concert too, and probably sitting close by.
Nanako luckily didn't hear the auburn haired teen's mumbled curse rant due to the roar of the crowd, so she said the first thing that came to mind. "I love Junes!"
"That's nice," he said, before double-taking. "Wait, what?"
"I love Junes!" she repeated, as if happy to say it again. "I've always wanted to go there!"
Yosuke found himself smiling, as if an angel had come to commend all his hard work and grueling hours. "W-well, feel free to come in with your brother and I'll give you a family discount on topsicles!"
"Yay!"
The lights on the stage dimmed, and the chanting ignited itself into ecstatic cheering. Risette entered the stage, this time without back-up dancers, and the cameras up front caught her every move as shown on the large screen above. "Hellooooooo Okina!"
Thunderous cheers filled the stadium. Even Yosuke was swept up as he stood up and cupped his hands. "I LOVE YOU RISETTE!"
Smiling ever so cutely, the idol quickly fell into step as the music played, and sang just as lovely. The steps looked simple but she followed in rhythm and practice. Her fans waved their hands in select motions.
"Wow!" Nanako beamed, tugging Shirou's arm. "She's so pretty! Isn't she, big bro?"
"Yeah she is," Shirou nodded. He could see why many people, such as his sister and friend, would find her so endearing and popular. It was a tough job entertaining so many people at once, yet idols did it naturally for a living. This Risette looked professional and was a great singer, even though she was supposed to be a newer, younger idol starting this year.
"Thank you!" she called and bowed after the song ended. "Thank you everyone!" she called again, waiting for the applause to die down.
Rise's mind was rearing. She knew what she was doing was probably going to put months of hard work down the drain. The fans cheering reminded her how fun it used to be, and how much she loved to sing and dance for them.
But then again, it wasn't any fun to perform on your own birthday. Especially when no one even remembered it. There were many other problems, of course, but this one broke the camel's back.
"Thank you," she said a third time, calmer yet anxious. "Before I continue, I have a special announcement to make. One I think you should all hear." The crowd was now silent, hanging on her every word. Even Inoue, her manager, was watching from the backstage. Was he proud of her, really?
Rise took a deep breath, steeling herself. There was no going back after this. Thus, she allowed no pretense of being happy, which immediately caught her fans off guard. Not that any of them expected what they would hear next.
"I'm quitting. After this concert, I'm leaving Takura Productions and retiring from idol showbiz."
May 16th, Dojima Residence, Evening
It was late when Ryotaro Dojima drove back home from work. Normally he wouldn't have minded as much, as work would sometimes run late at night. It was becoming rather more common due to a string of murders on top of a bunch of other complaints too. He had mixed feelings about tonight in particular, but it was probably for the best that he didn't make a big deal out of it this year.
Because tonight was his 42nd birthday.
He didn't want to get Nanako sad over this fact. Not because she would get worried about getting him a present; monetary gifts were the least of his concerns, and he felt the rare times she would be there to welcome him home a gift many times over. He also expressed to Nanako that she didn't have to worry about gifts on his birthday several years ago.
Among many things, Chisato kept their family together and would help in so many ways; ideas for birthday presents was one of them, as well as baking cakes (Ryotaro would always buy one on her birthday, but Chisato didn't mind). Without her though, birthdays were a little sadder and less welcoming. Dojima made an effort to buy a toy and some cake for Nanako's birthday, but he sometimes wondered if she really enjoyed the toys he bought or was just being polite for his sake.
His mind wandered as he stared at his old moped leaning against the right side of the house gate, rusted and pale after being left outside in the weather. The white scooter wasn't exactly a birthday present, as he bought it after getting a scooter license behind his parents' backs. They actually bought him a bike several birthdays before that, but he had sold it recently to a pawn shop when he realized that there was no space for it. Nanako was too small for the bike herself and didn't want it anyway.
He had hoped to have a son, a younger sibling for Nanako, to give the scooter to when he was old enough. Now it was just lying there by the gate like a decoration due to personal attachment to his younger days. Maybe I can give it to Shirou if he wants it…
Walking past the scooter, Ryotaro fiddled with his key to the door and stepped inside. "I'm home," he announced on habit, as if the sliding door wasn't clue enough.
He almost immediately noticed the dimmed lights of the small room. From his left he saw Nanako and Shirou rousing from their kitchen seats. His daughter looked like she was fighting to stay up past curfew, and his nephew had one of Taiga's books in his hand that was now forgotten. And on the table was a chocolate frosted cake with the biggest, thickest candle he had ever seen lit and placed in the center.
"Happy birthday dad/Doji-nii!"
Dojima was struck with surprise, even as his daughter ran forward and hugged his waist tightly. Shirou just sat back in his seat with a smile as wide as Nanako's, but with some hint of satisfaction and pride at the cake. Ever the detective, Dojima knew right away what he was proud of. "You baked this?"
"With Nanako's help," he said, before sheepishly scratching his head. "I would have gotten you something more substantial, but it was kind of last minute when Nanako told me about your birthday."
"I'm sorry," she frowned and murmured against his leg. She was probably apologizing to both of them.
Dojima smiled and lifted his daughter to his height. It took a bit of effort, as she was growing bigger and bigger. And looking more and more like her mother… "You have nothing to apologize for. Well, except maybe staying up later than you should have tonight."
"I wanted to see you eat the cake big bro and I made for you."
"Well, I gotta admit, it looks tasty," he allowed. He'd had take-out earlier during his shift, but he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to have some dessert at this hour. "All right, let's eat. But you both have to go to bed right after."
"Yay!"
The following meal was quick yet lively. Ryotaro had eaten a lot of cakes, but this was better than any store-brand he bought before. He wasn't sure that he wanted to admit they were better than Chisato's or not, but it had been years since he'd had her cooking, and Nanako was slowly taking over for her in many talents.
"This is delicious," he complimented after a few bites. "You two did a great job."
Shirou smiled knowingly at his cousin. "I told you he would like it."
Nanako giggled. "It must be the secret ingredient!"
"The secret ingredient?" Dojima asked.
"Love, dad!"
Another smile grew on his face. It seemed every night Shirou and Nanako grew closer, reflecting a positive ambience in the house. Just over a month ago, the two could barely hold a conversation with each other for over a minute, now they were baking together and sharing secrets. It gave his wary heart relief that things at home were at least going well.
All and all, it was a fine birthday.
"It certainly helps brings out the flavor," Dojima chuckled out before picking up the remote. "Anyway, let's watch a movie or something. I haven't had a night off for a while."
"Do you have something in mind?" Shirou asked curiously, only for Dojima to shrug.
"Well, let's just flip through the channels and try to find something that we can all enjoy." Dojima wasn't expecting much to be on, and Shirou probably wouldn't mind whatever was. So really, it was Nanako's decision in the end.
Even if it was cartoons, Dojima was pretty sure he could sit through half an hour or so of that Loveline stuff she likes.
The TV came to life with the quick push of a button. And then an image appeared on the screen. It showed a scantily clad bikini girl with red pigtails smiling and playing in the water, and similarly doused in it. Oddly enough, an image of a cold, sudsy glass interrupted the montage, followed by the bikini model drinking a brand soda can. She then turned with a wink and smile to the camera. "I'm tired of diets! Enough of going to the gym. Good thing there's something even I can handle!"
Next to the girl, a stream of bubbles transitioned into the image of a soda can like the one in her hand; one with the summer sky, splashing like water, and the English words "Quelorie Magic" printed diagonally on it.
The commercial ended with a male voiceover. "Slim down this summer with the refreshing taste of Quelorie Magic."
"Ooh! That's Rise-chan!" Nanako declared with a smile, pointing to the screen before the commercial ended.
"You like her?" Nanako nodded in response to her cousin's question.
"Yeah! She's really good! I like her music, and her dances, and she's really pretty and…!"
"Okay, okay calm down." Dojima found amusement in his daughter's enthusiasm. Although he was pretty sure that in a year or maybe less she'd latch onto a new 'favorite' music artist. He couldn't find himself to be as enamored by idols.
He could appreciate the hard work they had to go through (more so than fans these days may realize), and they would have to do something right to make catchy songs. It's just that they were… well… everywhere. On advertisements, on billboards, on the coffee containers. He was pretty certain that there was an idol group having as many as forty female singers and counting, too. "God, I probably sound old."
Another commercial followed immediately after, showing clips of Risette performing in more modest yet revealing idol clothes, and singing. The music was muffled by the commercial voice over. "One Night Only!" it announced, with matching English words appearing over the concert footage.
"Risette live at Okina City!" The voice continued, as other Risette-centric images played out. "New songs! New location! Same Risette! Performing at Okina Stadium June 1st. Tickets on sale now!"
"I can't believe it!" Nanako gasped out in surprise. "Rise-chan's playing in Okina? That's so close!" Her face then fell as she looked down and grumbled out, "I wish I could go…"
"Sorry Nanako, but I don't exactly have the money for tickets." As Rise sang in slightly accented English on the TV, Dojima sighed, mumbling to himself. "The one good thing about this town was there was barely anything noteworthy about it. Things were abuzz before, but now no one's going to shut up about this."
Shirou blinked in surprise. "Why would anyone here care about an idol concert in another city?"
"…Is he serious?" If so, then Shirou was really out of touch with pop culture and kids his age. He merely shook his head, too tired to explain. "You'll find out soon enough."
<><><>
May 17th, Junes, "Special Secret Headquarters"
"The key to magic is confidence. People will always be skeptic and want to learn the secret, but anyone can be dazzled and convinced with the best tricks."
"Uh, Emiya-kun?"
"In fact, some people may wish to perform the art itself, and it's possible as long as they have diligence, an open mind to learn, and, once again, confidence."
"Earth to Emiya-kun."
"But above all else, you must always remember to-"
"Oi! Shirou!"
The magus staggered from his seat and the book in his hands slipped out onto the desk. "H-huh? What's wrong? Is there an emergency?"
The other members of the Investigation Team were exasperated by their leader's obliviousness, but none more so than Yosuke. He looked about ready to pounce on him if he said the wrong word. "Were you even listening?"
"Something about you and Satonaka helping a woman sate her sweet tooth?"
"We already went over that!" Yosuke snapped. Personally he didn't want to think much on the stakeout since it was boring and he had learned a bit too much about Chie Satonaka than he wanted to. Namely that she loved meat so much she had pockets full of gum in meat flavor. Meat. Flavored. Gum. Such a thing shouldn't even exist, let alone be called candy! At least the woman was thankful and they knocked off another ema request for Tama-chan.
Shirou flushed at his lapse of focus. He hadn't expected that a mundane book on magic tricks would be so engaging. "Then I guess I didn't. Sorry."
Yosuke all but shoved the flyer in his hand up to the red-haired teen's face. "I'm talking about the Risette concert coming up two weeks from tomorrow! She's coming to Okina City!"
The magus slowly roused himself back up and read the paper in detail. It showed a full body image of Risette in all her glory during one of her previous concerts. She was wearing a white blouse under a pink and black blazer, tied together in a pink bow and a single pink-black glove over her right hand. The lower half of her attire consisted of a matching pink skirt, complete with a blue tail sash around her waist, gray stockings, and high knee black boots. The attire was very detailed and emphasized her cute features; the copper red hair fashioned in two pigtails, brown eyes shining in the lime lights, and glossed lips curled into a smile mid-song.
Various tagline blurbs were scattered around the poster, emphasizing her "one night only" performance at "Okina Central Stadium", and of course, the premiere date of June 1st.
"You lost me again," Shirou frowned. He never really saw the appeal to idol singers, and it wasn't like she was coming to perform in Inaba.
"Dude!" cried Yosuke, dismayed at the fact that Shirou could be this clueless. "She's only like one of the most popular idols of the year, and a fresh new one at that! AND she's going to perform in OKINA! Literally half an hour away! You and Amagi-san took a train there for crying out loud!"
"But the concert won't be for another two weeks anyway."
"And you call yourself a city boy," he glared in mock disgust. "How could you not go to at least one idol concert? I mean, look at Risette! And I mean really look at her! She's such a cutie pie!"
Shirou's eyes narrowed, hesitating to say the first thing that came to mind. Surprisingly, Chie voiced it in a similarly deadpan tone. "'Cutie pie'? What are you, eighty?"
The auburn haired teen was still gushing at his poster, so he either didn't hear Chie's insult or didn't care. Yukiko, less bothered by his antics, turned to Shirou and tried to explain things clearer. "You see, Hanamura-kun's been here for less than a year, so he's probably heard of her back from his city. But she used to live in Inaba, so a lot of people here are fans. She's also a bit of a rising star among idols, since she came from a small town like ours instead of a big city like yours."
"Ah," Shirou said, finally grasping somewhat of the fan appeal. "That would explain the hype, then."
From their center food court seat, many students and teens were as enthusiastic as Yosuke about Risette's concert; some even more so as they were among diehard idol fans. Girls would gush and wish to be like Risette with her near perfect figure and melodic voice. Various MP3s were playing select tracks of her songs, blaring just loud enough to be heard outside the earbuds. And some (by which it was really two) held and showed off their Risette-themed items like trophies; dolls, t-shirts, and even dakimakuras.
Chie cringed seeing the two fanatics, and suddenly wished she had Shirou's gift of obliviousness. "Yes. That would explain the hype."
"It's a hype well justified!" Yosuke exclaimed. "It hasn't been long since her debut, but she has the makings of being immortalized in the idol industry forever! I'm talking movies, voiceovers for anime characters, the Japanese Record Awards, the whole shebang! She's just that cute! She's just that innocent! She's just that perfect!"
With a deadpan stare, Shirou casually jerked his thumb over his shoulder and pointed towards the duo hugging Risette dakimakuras. "You do realize it's just an act to get fans like you and them to buy their songs and merchandise, right?"
The headphone-clad teen immediately pointed angrily at Shirou, unknowingly crunching the Risette poster in his other hand. "Hey! You get to play your hero fantasy all the time! Let me have mine, damn it!"
"I take it you plan to go to this concert then?"
At that, Yosuke's face slightly became more calm. He crossed his arms and slumped back into his chair. "Dunno. Tickets are going to be expensive, and I need to get them now before they are sold out. Plus…" Yosuke gave a weak chuckle. "Going to a concert ain't that much fun if you don't go with someone you know."
Shirou frowned a bit. Because he could tell that Yosuke actually really wanted to go and see this Rise idol. But the thing that was stopping him was not having anybody to go with.
"Do you guys wanna go?" Yosuke asked, his voice raising a bit in hope as he looked at all three of them.
"But what about Kanji-kun?" Yukiko asked. "He's still in danger of being the next victim."
The auburn teen brushed the concern aside with a dismissive wave. "You said it yourself that the weird Shirogane guy was following him," he explained. "And you already warned them both about the murderer. At this point, we've done all we can to help them and they'll just have to look out for themselves. I doubt something bad is going to happen between now and the concert. Shirou's guardian was on TV too and she didn't have a Shadow to fight."
Elsewhere, in Fuyuki City, specifically the Homurahara School dojo, Taiga sneezed loudly. Her kendo student, seeing this as an opening in their current match, rushed in to attempt a free hit. He would later spend the rest of the day nursing his arm regretting it.
Back in Inaba, Yosuke smiled as he pointed to his poster again. "Besides, when was the last time any of us had some fun since the school year started? The four of us hanging, listening to some pop idol music, no worries. It'll be fun!"
"Sorry dude." Chie raised her arms and formed an 'x' with them. "But I don't have that kind of money to burn. Dad cut me off my allowance after he heard from mom that I didn't study for the midterms. Besides, idols aren't really my thing."
Yosuke turned his head to Yukiko. Though she was still worried about Kanji's supposed safety, she had other responsibilities. "If it was on another day, maybe. But there's a maintenance check, a supply run, and a meeting plan every start of the new month at my family inn. And I'm not too sure about attending a concert either… sorry Hanamura-kun."
Shirou could tell that it now all rested on him. If he didn't say yes, Yosuke was probably going to be bummed out for the entire week.
"Hey! Listen! Go with him!"
Shirou blinked in surprise as he heard Pixie's voice. "Hold on a second," he told his friends, and pulled out his phone. At least this way he could talk to his Persona without looking like an idiot. So long as they didn't realize that it was already off. "What is it?"
"Like I said, go with him!"
"I don't know…"
"Come on, It's just one concert! A concert that he really wants to go to! So what's the harm in tagging along and listening to good music?"
"But I don't really don't care about this sort of thing."
"Just because you've never been to an idol concert doesn't mean that you won't like it later. Don't knock it 'til you try it!"
"But-!"
Despite not seeing her face directly, the magus could feel Pixie's pleading eyes staring at him wet and wide, and could tell that her hands were clasped together as if she were begging. "Come on! Pleaaaaaaaaaaase?"
Shirou felt like he was between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he wasn't exactly sure he would even enjoy the concert. Money wasn't exactly a problem, he had his own bank account (Even if it was controlled by Fuji-nee, but she would most likely encourage going to a concert with Yosuke). But it would be rather easy if he said he couldn't, and then go and do something he would prefer doing on the day of the concert.
On the other hand, Yosuke was really looking forward to this… and he had a point that it wasn't often they had a lot of fun together. If Shirou said no, the teen would be extremely disappointed.
Considering his ideals, his choice was a rather simple one. Sighing, he conceded to the Pixie in his head before "hanging up." "All right, I'll go. Bye."
"Yay! Click."
Fighting the urge to smirk at the fey's humor, Shirou noticed Yosuke looked torn from the one-sided conversation, and already assumed the worst. "So uh, I guess that means you're busy too?"
"I'll go." Shirou smiled at Yosuke, while the teen's face morphed into one of shock. "I mean, you really want to go don't you? I don't mind tagging along."
After he said that, a wide grin then formed on Yosuke's face. "Dude, sweet!" Yosuke then pumped his fist into the air. "Alright! So we need to go and get the tickets soon! Otherwise we're going to have to deal with a line…"
<><><>
May 20th, Velvet Room
Margaret loved to read, especially historical and mythical stories of ages past. She had long since lost count of how many books she'd read, let alone how many she read twice over. It was just a fascination she had always had, to learn about the past and the beings that would eventually transcend into Personas.
The tales of Gods and their relations to man. How the vile lived and acted before they were slain. How the good triumphed and spread their morals to those who listened. How some became renowned as heroes, and sometimes becoming Heroic Spirits. Reading about these figures and more was how she passed the time, and how she also prepared herself in understanding the multitude of Personas her guest may one day use.
The ethereal beauty was alone for once, casually enjoying her day (evening? Afternoon? Time held no meaning in the Room, really) when she heard the sound of a glass door opening. Her place on "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" forgotten, she quickly looked up and was surprised to see her guest come now of all times. "Oh, Shirou Emiya. Do you have any business here?"
Shirou looked just as surprised as Margaret was, as he hadn't seated himself and looked around. "Well, I was hoping to ask Igor a few questions, and maybe create another fused Persona. Will he be back soon?"
Margaret shook her head. "I'm afraid that my Master is currently away, and I am not certain when he'll return."
The magus blinked. "He left the room? But doesn't he-" He stopped himself, as if deciding better than to be rude like the last time. "Nevermind. It's not urgent, really, so I'll try again tomo-"
"Wait."
Shirou stopped from heading back out the door, and turned to her in surprise. Margaret herself looked like she made the decision at the last minute, as if realizing something.
"This room is tied deeply to your fate. Nothing happens here without a reason, so perhaps there is meaning in us meeting here alone."
"Like what?"
"Well, do you have time to chat?"
Shirou glanced between the door and Margaret. He had intended to come for a reason, even if it wasn't the one he intended. But if fate had decided to let them talk in Igor's rare absence, who was he to argue? "Yeah, I have time," he agreed, walking back to his seat across the table.
He barely made two steps before the platinum blond woman spoke again, "I would like to ask you to sit next to me this time."
Shirou tripped and face-faulted to the floor. He quickly recovered to see Margaret staring at him, amused. "Eh? But-!"
"It's more proper for communication to be sitting together," Margaret explained. "And it might help you learn to court a woman someday," she added with a playful smile.
Flushing in embarrassment, the magus knew better than to argue with her and walked over. He still felt awkward sitting so close to a beautiful woman like her, but she certainly didn't care about his nervousness.
Meanwhile, Margaret stood up and grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet across from them. As the magus stared and remembered that there was a wine cabinet in the Velvet Room, Margaret took the well-aged wine bottle and poured them each a glass. "Champagne?"
"Oh, thank you," Shirou nodded and accepted his glass. Shirou had first noticed the feature of this limousine-like room, but was more perplexed about the two people sitting in it and their ominous warnings than to ask questions. He took a small sip of his drink, savoring its rich yet bitter taste. The drapes, the neon lights, the opera leitmotif, even the wispy fog dancing out the window screen; all of it was soothing and calming to his soul.
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while," he admitted, glancing to the attendant also sipping her wine. "But why does the Velvet Room look like a limousine? It must be impractical to do anything in this cramped car space."
"The Velvet Room is not just a domain for me and my Master," she explained. "It changes shape and form based on the guests that come here and the destiny they are to overcome. You could say this limousine is a metaphor on your long trip through the shrouded mystery of both worlds."
"I don't think this room suits me though," he said. "When I think of limousines, I think of someone who has privileges and wealth but is careless of them. It's more of a symbol of how powerful they are but are at the same time blinded by it."
Margaret glanced briefly at Shirou, and then took another sip of her wine. "I suppose that metaphor fits you as well."
Shirou frowned in confusion, but as the thought occurred to him, he felt torn and embarrassed that he insulted himself without really meaning it. He certainly had the careless part down pat. "Point taken."
"If it helps, I quite prefer the limo myself," she gestured to the wine glass cabinet in front of them for emphasis. "As there is more luxury. The room of the last guest took the form of a rising elevator. From what Theodore told me, there were only two seats and he had to spend most of the time standing. He certainly didn't mind it though."
"Who is Theodore?"
"My brother, and the assistant to the Velvet Room before me." Margaret's face fell slightly. "I would like to introduce you to him, but he hasn't been quite himself since your predecessor's sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Shirou gawked. "But I thought Igor said she was living proof of the miracles of bonds or something."
"She's not quite dead, but not quite alive either," she explained. "Perhaps you will learn the full story one day, but it's not my place to say it. I only had a passing acquaintanceship with her."
Shirou fell silent at that, trying to digest how much he learned from Margaret in just a few words. A brother? And she knew the last guest before him? His mind wandered further down those thoughts as he stared at his drink and suddenly didn't feel as thirsty.
Margaret had her own thoughts circulating. As Master Igor's assistant, she took her duties seriously, perhaps more so than her brother and sister. Theodore had grown too close to his guest, to the point that her eventual departure left him grieving. At least it was understandable. Elizabeth, however, was far less justified as she left the Velvet Room determined to rescue the girl. To this day Margaret didn't know why Elizabeth would shun her duties so readily. Had the wonders of the human world finally won out over her sister, or was it something about the girl in particular?
As much as Margaret loved her siblings, they were both too emotionally swayed by the human world of where their guests would come from. And yet Master Igor didn't seem inclined to punish or think little of them. Sometimes the Master's actions were an enigma even to her.
Perhaps it was because of how trusting he was to humans? He always provided help to those with the Power of Personas. There was no Wild Card before Kotone Shiomi, but rather a group of human friends who could all visit the room freely because of enacting the "Persona Game", and welcomed as guests that way.
Margaret could admit to having a curiosity towards humans. Maybe not to the extent of her siblings being emotionally swayed, but at least invested enough to see if the stories were true. She wanted to see if humans had enough potential to overpower gods and demons within their short lifespan. She wanted to see personally where Shirou's power would take him.
Perhaps this was why they were meeting alone like this?
"Did you know that the origin of limousine comes from a similarly named town in France?" she asked him. "The shepherds of Limousin created a hooded coat to protect them from rain, and the name stuck. Not just for the coats, but for covered coaches as well, when horses were still a popular mode of transportation."
Shirou turned and looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. "Excuse me?"
Margaret smiled softly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. You have to admit, it is interesting that the work of shepherds led to the manufacturing of stretched cars, yes?"
"I suppose so," he nodded. "It's just that I didn't think someone of your caliber would want to associate herself with me."
"I have more time to spare than you can imagine," she said in a deadpan yet gentle manner. "If we can't find common ground to converse in, maybe we can help each other through mutual benefit. Perhaps even share a Social Link."
Again Shirou stared at her in surprise. He didn't expect her of all people to put her money where her mouth was. "You must have thought long and hard for this decision."
"Actually, the way to making Social Links isn't as complicated as you may think. You've made quite a few already, so surely you understand; recurring meetings, recurring words, gradually and surely your bonds strengthen through understanding one another. But sometimes the heart can be shaken by a single action more than a thousand words could."
The magus knew there was something deep and meaningful in her explanation, but he was drawing a blank. "You lost me," he said.
Margaret's smile grew slightly from amusement, and lightly tapped her wine glass against his. "Today's meeting is much like that single action towards my heart. I wish to be entangled in your fate, and do anything you ask out of me."
Shirou stuttered and flushed in his seat. The platinum blond attendant's words meant well, but they could also stem to more… intimate meanings. And he wasn't certain enough of her personality to determine if she was joking about that or not. But maybe, if she was so serious…
Margaret turned fully to Shirou, barely hearing him mutter something under his breath. "Hm? What was that?"
"Oh, well," Shirou smiled. "I just think I really should meet up with Igor as soon as possible."
"May I ask why you seek my Master? Perhaps I can help in some way."
"This is kind of magecraft related, and you told me yourself that neither of you are magi. I was just hoping that he would help with a hint or something."
The assistant waved her hand dismissively. "That won't be necessary. I've since been reading up on their material and theorems, so I can provide at least general feedback on the basics."
"That's perfect, actually," Shirou smiled. "My magecraft's limited to three spells anyway. Oh, and uh, do you know how to 'turn on' magic circuits?"
"I believe so. Why do you ask?"
"I actually don't know how to say this," he said, with a defeated frown settling in. "So I'll just summon Pixie and let her scream it out clearly."
He casually summoned the Pixie card and crushed it. Not a second later, the fey fluttered in front of Margaret's face, so fuming mad red that she thought steam would come out of her ears.
"He's a bloomin' idiot! For years he got the wrong method down and hasn't gotten anyone to correct him because of mage paranoia! He made impish bad magic by smoldering his own nervous system! I reiterate! HE TURNED! HIS NERVES! INTO! A CONDUCTOR!" The fey screamed at the end, deliberately pointing at the magus with each sentence. "And he needs someone to teach him the RIGHT way so he doesn't STUPID himself to death again!" Having said her piece, she glared at the embarrassed magus and cursed him one last time before leaving. "Dumbass!"
Margaret blinked. Her lips were still lightly sipping the wine in her tilted glass, and her eyes stayed wide even after she finished her drink. Then she laughed; a soft, melodic tone that seemed to follow after the soundless gulp. It was hard to believe she was just drinking and had avoided making a choking fit mid-drink. "And all this time I thought Theodore was the gullible one."
"One of these days you really should introduce us," he smiled back, in spite of his humiliation.
"Ah, I almost forgot," Margaret said softly as she placed her glass down on the table next to her. She then turned fully to the red haired magus and smiled. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I am Margaret, the one who rules over power." Again the magus stared at her in confusion, amusing her. "Of course we have been introduced before, but this is historic; you are probably the first person to be ever welcomed here by someone other than my master."
"Must be a big deal," Shirou blinked. "But what do you mean by 'one who rules over power'?"
"I suppose you have to figure that out yourself, won't you?" she coyly smiled.
And just like that, Shirou Emiya's ninth Social Link was formed, this time with the mysterious Margaret. Directly above the number "III", the center figure was a black silhouette with a round bottom and thin neck. The figure vaguely resembled a queen with a single eye, with a floating four-pronged crown above the "head". Vines stretched from the card's edge to the queen silhouette, dividing the color backgrounds of green and purple to a regal hue.
Thou art I, and I am thou.
Thou hast established a new bond.
It shall bring thee closer to the truth.
Thou shalt be blessed by Personae of the Empress Arcana.
"Now then" she said, flipping through a specific textbook that Shirou hadn't seen before. "Let us discuss the 'proper' way to awaken your magic circuits." She spared a quick glance to the magus before flipping through it again. "This is probably going to hurt."
Shirou gulped, but quickly reasoned that it was just the wine.
<><><>
May 25th, Yomenaido Book Store, After School
"Thanks for doing this for me, Emiya-kun."
The magus shrugged casually as they left the store. "I've been meaning to pick up some new material, anyway."
Things had been at a relative calm all week, but it was still busy to Shirou. He and Yosuke managed to find the stadium selling tickets, but had failed to account for the price not being within their budget. Fortunately, thanks to Shirou's respective top 10 in the school testing, Dojima awarded him an allowance with a hefty sum of yen. Enough to buy two tickets with money to spare. It was also just enough to spruce up some extra yen from MOEL and Junes to buy Nanako's ticket as well, who was just as excited to see the idol in person as Yosuke.
Just to be on the safe side though, he tried to talk and keep in touch with Kanji whenever the chance came. But the bleached haired teen would always glare and threaten him to "piss off" before leaving with the young detective in tow. Naoto "wasn't at liberty" to speak either (whatever that meant), but had assured him that aside from his increasingly erratic behavior, Kanji's life saw no abnormality.
So all that left was relaxing until the big day, now a week away. That included making a vegetable garden with Nanako, more sparring with Chie, some training with Margaret, and most recently, going with Yukiko to the bookstore when she asked him for a favor.
"Oh, you too?" Yukiko gazed toward the small bag in his hands. "What did you buy?"
"A how-to book on origami folding. I was thinking of buying some color sheets and teach Nanako later tonight how to fold."
"I see…"
Shirou saw Yukiko's eagerness morph into disappointment. While he had no Priestess Persona to gauge or read her feelings, he could still pick up certain tells from their behavior. "So uh, what about you?" he asked quickly. "What did you buy?"
The raven-haired girl brightened as she held her textbook up. "Oh, Hosoi-sensei recommended me this book about job certificates. I was lucky enough to pick the last one."
The loon with the sock puppet? He's not someone I would consider asking advice from myself. Well, better him than Yamada…
The magus knew he shouldn't think that about a teacher, especially with how the entire ensemble of faculty was unique. But if there was anyone Shirou felt deserved the boot out of Yasogami High, it was Yamada due to how often he pushed the boundaries between a flattering compliment and sexual harassment to a female student. Rather, he found himself more partial to Morooka-sensei than most. Like Shinji, he was an uptight but honest man who made his concerns well known; work hard and don't blow it. And despite being on his "shit list", Shirou always knew the answer when called and wasn't picked on nearly as hard in his class like Yosuke was. Yamada pretended to be a nice guy but was clearly leering and skirt chasing.
Brushing those thoughts aside, Shirou asked aloud, "Don't you already have a job at the inn?"
Yukiko frowned again, making the magus seriously consider a Priestess Persona in the near future. "What I do there is just practice for when I inherit it. When I was kidnapped, it was the last thing on my mind, and even my other self said that she didn't want to inherit. Deep down, I knew those were my true feelings."
Her eyes grew determined, holding her job certificate book as a beacon. "So I'm going to be more honest with myself too! For starters, I'm going to find myself a job with this book!"
What.
"And I… I'm NOT going to inherit my family inn business!"
What?
"And furthermore, when I graduate, I'm leaving this town!"
What?!
A stunned silence filled the quiet street, both teens scared to even move. Yukiko broke first, whispering to herself, "I said it."
She smiled brightly and giggled, twirling on her feet as her school skirt fluttered and turned. "I said it! I actually said it! Hehehe!"
Shirou only stared with conflicting and confused emotions. Yukiko wanted to leave Inaba? She was seriously considering it? Was this why she didn't ask Chie to go book shopping?
Yukiko calmed down, but the smile was still on her face. "So I've decided to prepare for when I live on my own, starting with a job license. Perhaps getting a start-up as an interior decorator."
Shirou couldn't think of a proper response, but she didn't notice as she continued her train of thought.
"But to get a job license I need money. And I need a job to start with to get money. I can't ask my Mother, not when she thinks I want to be her successor. If only there was a part-time job where I could make money discreetly…"
The magus recovered from his shock, mentally sighing. He was Yukiko Amagi's friend, and she trusted him for whatever reason to go shopping for a job certificate book, and admit her own feelings about leaving. He should respect her decision. He should accept that she had her own life choices, and that they wouldn't be in necessary effect for another two years.
But most of all, he should help her in any way he could, despite his feelings.
"I read at the job board up north that you can work at home making envelopes," he offered, pointing further along the district.
Her face brightened with glee. "Really? I'll have to check the board right away!"
She almost bolted for the board on the spot, but stopped to bow gratefully to him. "Thank you again, Emiya-kun. I'm not sure if I could have told anyone else what I told you right now. Especially not Chie."
The red-haired teen scratched his head sheepishly. "I admit, I was surprised to hear that, but if your heart's set on it, you have my support. And I think you'd make a fine interior decorator."
Her smile grew and even as they parted ways for the day, their hearts grew a bit closer.
<><><>
???
I have to save them. I just have to.
Two people had already died. People were already forgetting it but they couldn't bring himself to do so even if they tried. One was a caring, determined newswoman, and the other was a high school student with so much in her future.
The death toll hadn't grown at all since then, thank goodness. The young Amagi girl had cut it close, but in the end she was safe. They had to thank the Midnight Channel for its guidance, but it was still too limiting. All they could get out of it was a silhouette, but they learned where to look.
Following Amagi, two more people had been shown on the Midnight Channel. One was the lone biker woman that single-handedly stopped an ATM robber. Nothing was known about this anonymous heroine other than her hair-trigger temper, and no one had seen her since. Since she hadn't been found suspended from a telephone pole, that meant she had long left Inaba before being targeted. That was good.
The second was the punk rebel Kanji Tatsumi. The police were certainly familiar with his constant rivalry with biker gangs. Many people would want him gone. But he was never without that boy detective with the blue hat following him. That was bad.
"I have to save them," they said, alone in a dimly lit room. The sound of heavy rain was soothing, but also nerve-wracking. "No one else can save them. It's only me."
The clock on the wall struck midnight. It was time.
The old cubed TV flashed to life, a dim and hazy yellow. A new silhouette appeared, but this one had close-ups on her chest and thighs. Something about her movements was familiar, as was the swimsuit.
And then it hit them.
"Risette…" they said. "Risette is in danger."
The rest of the night was spent scribing notes furiously and searching through the internet and news through via smartphone.
The world had lost one celebrity already, and they wouldn't lose another.
"I'll save you, Risette. I'll save everyone. Everyone…"
<><><>
June 1st, Okina Stadium, Evening
Before long, the fated day of the concert had finally come. A bronze dome-like stadium might be one of the oldest looking buildings in the city. And yet it was hard to notice when the sky was dark, colorful balloons and banners were set up, and a large projector towered over it all. Stock footage of Risette's dancing and singing was shown and played in loops, along with the reminder and countdown to her concert.
Okina Stadium was miles away from the station, and the train station was crammed with the youths of Inaba rushing out. It was because of this frenzy, and a lucky break of getting home early, that Dojima drove them over in his car to avoid the hassle. Traffic on the road was still bad, but that was another story.
As the car rolled to a stop by the front entrance, Yosuke quickly unbuckled himself and sprang out of his seat. "Thanks for the ride, Dojima-san!" he said even as he ran out, making a beeline for the ticket booth.
From her seat next to her father, Nanako's eyes widened with awe. "Wow! It's so pretty!"
"Yeah, it is," Dojima agreed. He still didn't quite get the appeal of idols but this Risette had to be doing something right if fans were arriving en masse an hour early.
Brushing those thoughts away, he turned to Shirou sitting behind him. "I'll be home all night, so call me once this concert's over. You kids still have school in the morning, so don't goof off. And keep an eye on Nanako, you hear?"
"Got it, Doji-nii," was the curt nod and response.
"Guys, hurry up! We're going to miss all the best seats!"
Shirou smiled teasingly at his friend's impatience. "That's our cue. Come on, Nanako."
"Bye, Dad!"
"Have fun, and stay safe!" the detective said, and drove off once his daughter and nephew left the car.
The trio followed in line with the crowd, both boys holding Nanako's hand so they didn't lose her by accident. Shirou felt a bit out of place seeing so many people gather in one place. A lot of teens mostly, not just warm-blooded boys but girls around his age that saw Risette as inspiration. There were also adults, but almost all of them were male.
I can only assume that Yamada is one of them.
His dark musing ended as soon as he felt a soft tug on his arm. He looked down to his cousin's frowning face. "I have to go to the bathroom."
"Now?" Yosuke groaned, just as they were steps away from the seating area. He looked desperate enough to bolt ahead of them. "But there's only a few seats left!"
"Better to go before the concert than during," he told his friend. "Besides, there's plenty of room for everyone here."
"I meant good seats! Ones where we can see Risette in person!"
"You do realize that our tickets direct us to row F, right? At least six rows beyond the stage?"
Yosuke didn't. He was more excited at the prospect of going to the concert that he just made sure the ticket he bought was kept safe and in perfect condition than to read the seat numbers. He fished into his pocket and read it for the first time, dismayed that it read "Row F, Seat 34". The best seats of any concert were up in rows A or B, where you could see or even touch the singers and idols up close if lucky enough. But at F row they'd only see her from the large screen set above the stage.
"Bu-gu-gah-Rii-zit-ta-ra-go-GA-"
"Go ahead, Nanako," Shirou smiled to his cousin, and ignored Yosuke's gibberish. "I'll wait for you outside."
At her relieved nod, the duo left Yosuke and made a beeline for the public ladies' room. Shirou watched her head inside before leaning against the wall next to it. He watched as more people passed by in eagerness, ignoring everyone else but themselves and friends they came with.
Shirou didn't notice it at first, since he assumed the crowd was mostly Okina adults and high school students, but nearly everyone was wearing Risette-centric clothes; it was either white-t's with her smiling face on the front side, or black-t's with the words "Risette Is My True Story" printed in pink on the back. Then there were decorative accessories, such as a number of girls wearing their hair in the same pigtail fashion, or guys donning hats with her picture on it. A large number of them, boy and girl, carried a different colored glow stick, ready to be broken and lit in the stadium.
The teen magus realized that everyone had changed and dressed for this occasion, besides himself and Nanako. He was still in his school uniform, and she was in her winter dress. Even Yosuke dressed for the occasion, wearing the same black-t as his fellow fans. Incidentally, he recovered from his little breakdown and leaned next to Shirou with a small scowl.
"Not going to get the best seats?" he teased.
"They take security seriously here, you know. I'd rather actually see a Risette concert than get thrown out for getting cocky."
Shirou smiled. "Yeah, that would suck." His face fell as he said, "Especially if Risette is the next target."
Yosuke's bad mood grew only sour, but for a different reason. He turned and scowled at the team leader, almost betrayed. "Dude, no. We deserve this. We've saved Amagi-san, fought off a bunch of Shadows, survived mid-terms AND got ahead in preventing Kanji's kidnapping. I'm not going to let you ruin this concert for us -for Nanako-chan- because of a hunch we can't even prove anymore."
"She was on the Midnight Channel, Yosuke."
"So were Kanji and your guardian, but they haven't been thrown in. The killer probably realized that the third time wasn't the charm for Amagi-san and is now staying low for Plan B. Or maybe cut his losses and left town, but that's just wishful thinking."
"Then why is the Midnight Channel still on? Isn't it his calling card?"
"How should I know? It's probably Teddie's place seeping through on a bad frequency or something!" It was a bad excuse, and even Yosuke didn't sound convinced. But it was also clear that he just wanted a break, and to pretend for one night that they weren't supernatural crime fighters. That they were high school students doing high school things, like attending a cute idol concert.
Yosuke groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. There was no pretense of DnD, but everyone was too fixated on the concert to pay attention. "Look, there's a time and place for these kinds of things. Risette's only going to be here for one day before continuing her tour, and this will all be a distant but fun memory., And if Risette really IS a victim, we can look into this AFTER the concert. The place is so packed that only a desperate idiot would try something like kidnapping an idol on stage, anyway."
"I'm done!" Nanako cheered, stepping outside with a hop and a smile. She quickly noticed the tense mood between the older boys and frowned. "Are you two fighting?"
Shirou smiled softly. Yosuke was right, the murder case could wait for tonight, and she should be safe for now. "We were, but we resolved it with no harm done." A bit of Nanako's smile returned, and she accepted his offered hand. "Come on, let's go to our seats."
<><><>
Backstage
"Ten minutes to show time, Inoue-san."
A brown haired man in a blue business suit glanced up from his cellphone to acknowledge the usher at the door. "We'll be ready, thanks." Minoru Inoue turned his attention back to his call before adjusting his brown rimmed glasses with his spare hand. "Yes, I'm still here. The magazine interview will be tomorrow afternoon, right after we arrive from Okina. Thank you."
Inoue spared a quick glance to his star idol, Rise "Risette" Kujikawa in her vibrant costume as her team of make-up artists applied the finishing touches on her. Her dark red hair was delicately brushed and groomed into her signature wavy pigtails. Powder and lip gloss was lightly added to her cute facial features. She was as stoic as ever, almost quiet and reserved, but Inoue knew that once she stepped on stage, she would smile and shine as her cheerful Risette persona.
He wasn't sure exactly why she requested to do her next concert in Okina City, and why so soon. But as her manager, he was able to make it work with a few strings pulled and some phone calls.
The make-up artists quickly left the room after they finished, to which Inoue patted her shoulder encouragingly. "We got a busy week ahead of us. I just got a call from Kobunsha asking to interview for one of their magazines tomorrow. After the concert tonight, we'll stay the night at a hotel suite and leave first thing in the morning."
"Mhm," she nodded, barely expressive. Inoue mentally berated himself for putting unneeded pressure on the girl, as her life was busy enough.
"Well, it's just business as usual," he tried again, smiling. "I'm sure you'll do fine." With not much else to say, the manager walked to the door, planning to leave her the few last minutes to get ready.
"Uh, Inoue-san?"
Inoue stopped and turned to his idol, glancing expectantly at him. "Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Don't you have something to say?" she smiled hopefully.
Inoue blinked. "Break a leg?"
"Let me try again," she said. "Today is kind of important, so did anything come in for me?"
Did she mean the concert, or something else? Surely not all the letters from fans recently. June 1st, a Wednesday. What else happened today…? "Oh, that's right! This actually came in just today."
Rise's eyes widened with her smile. A rare show of bubbling joy outside the stage where everything wasn't as glamorous as showbiz would imply. She held her breath, watching as her manager reached to his back pocket to pull out a partially opened envelope.
Inoue brandished the envelope like a trophy to her, grinning ear to ear. "You got the part!"
Rise blinked. "Huh?"
"The lead role to the upcoming Toei movie! It's not official yet, but the producers and directors all want you to be their heroine and are even paying for a new single just for the movie! Isn't that great?"
Hesitantly, Rise took the envelope in her hands and read the letter inside. The contents were just as Inoue told her. Another deal for Risette. Her heart sank.
"Y-yeah, that's… great," she forced the smile up as she handed the envelope back. "But, isn't it too soon to be looking into movie roles?"
"Are you kidding?" said Inoue. "Most idols dream of a chance to get this kind of break, Rise. Your music talents and public appeal have worked out so far, but you'll need something on your own to stand out from all the other idols."
Stand out? How else is there to stand out when fans and agencies want them to wear skimpy clothes? To dance around acting cute and pretend that they never even heard of sex?
Inoue saw her face fall and smiled reassuringly. "You'll do fine, Rise. Acting as a character in a movie is no different than how you take on your Risette role." The walls started to echo with the fans' cheers for "Ri-set-te!". "Speaking of which, your public awaits!"
Inoue quickly left the room, unaware of how distraught Rise was in her room. She couldn't fault him though. He was always so thoughtful and considering how to make the most of her idol career. He meant well, really, and his pep talks before and after shows usually made her feel like this was all worth it.
But today… he didn't even know.
"He didn't know it was my birthday…"
No one did, really. None of her staff team, no one from Takura Productions, not even her fans that would send her tons of fan letters or email or online posts. Her family knew, but only her grandmother sent her a letter.
"My doors are always open, if you have time to visit" she had written.
"Maybe… a break would do me good after all."
<><><>
Okina Stadium Stage
It was dark, even with hundreds of glow sticks waving in the fans' eager hands. They could only see the bright light of the performing stage where Risette was going to perform. Everyone was cheering her name, drowning out any other noise around. Not that it was stopping a certain Risette fan from complaining.
"This sucks! I can barely see the platform!" Yosuke groaned, leaning forward from his small recliner seat, with Shirou on his right and Nanako in the next one over. "Gah, why did we have to get such lame-ass tickets?!"
Nanako blinked and glanced up at her brother. "Big bro? What's a 'lame-ass'?"
"Yosuke!" Shirou glared sharply at him.
"Well they are!" Yosuke insisted. "I'm the assistant manager at the Junes branch in Inaba for crying out loud! My paycheck should be worth a B row at least!"
Nanako turned to him with wide eyes. "You work at Junes?!"
Yosuke groaned again. "Yeah, yeah I do, and it sucks major balls having to work on the holidays for chump change too." He would have said more, such as annoying co-workers and ungrateful customers. But he had a feeling that they were at the concert too, and probably sitting close by.
Nanako luckily didn't hear the auburn haired teen's mumbled curse rant due to the roar of the crowd, so she said the first thing that came to mind. "I love Junes!"
"That's nice," he said, before double-taking. "Wait, what?"
"I love Junes!" she repeated, as if happy to say it again. "I've always wanted to go there!"
Yosuke found himself smiling, as if an angel had come to commend all his hard work and grueling hours. "W-well, feel free to come in with your brother and I'll give you a family discount on topsicles!"
"Yay!"
The lights on the stage dimmed, and the chanting ignited itself into ecstatic cheering. Risette entered the stage, this time without back-up dancers, and the cameras up front caught her every move as shown on the large screen above. "Hellooooooo Okina!"
Thunderous cheers filled the stadium. Even Yosuke was swept up as he stood up and cupped his hands. "I LOVE YOU RISETTE!"
Smiling ever so cutely, the idol quickly fell into step as the music played, and sang just as lovely. The steps looked simple but she followed in rhythm and practice. Her fans waved their hands in select motions.
"Wow!" Nanako beamed, tugging Shirou's arm. "She's so pretty! Isn't she, big bro?"
"Yeah she is," Shirou nodded. He could see why many people, such as his sister and friend, would find her so endearing and popular. It was a tough job entertaining so many people at once, yet idols did it naturally for a living. This Risette looked professional and was a great singer, even though she was supposed to be a newer, younger idol starting this year.
"Thank you!" she called and bowed after the song ended. "Thank you everyone!" she called again, waiting for the applause to die down.
Rise's mind was rearing. She knew what she was doing was probably going to put months of hard work down the drain. The fans cheering reminded her how fun it used to be, and how much she loved to sing and dance for them.
But then again, it wasn't any fun to perform on your own birthday. Especially when no one even remembered it. There were many other problems, of course, but this one broke the camel's back.
"Thank you," she said a third time, calmer yet anxious. "Before I continue, I have a special announcement to make. One I think you should all hear." The crowd was now silent, hanging on her every word. Even Inoue, her manager, was watching from the backstage. Was he proud of her, really?
Rise took a deep breath, steeling herself. There was no going back after this. Thus, she allowed no pretense of being happy, which immediately caught her fans off guard. Not that any of them expected what they would hear next.
"I'm quitting. After this concert, I'm leaving Takura Productions and retiring from idol showbiz."