Prompt: Amagi Inn Saga - The End (Persona) (Patreon)

Summary: The final chapter to the Amagi Inn Saga. The teams from Persona 4 and 5, plus all their friends, explore the beautiful town of Inaba and enjoy their lives in the time of peace they all helped to create. Includes: Comedy, romance, and slice of life.

---

Yosuke bit into an apple as he waited in the lobby of the Amagi Inn. He had a smile on his face, and a kick to his foot as he sat down, one leg crossed over the other. His foot bounced as he bit into his breakfast once more, chewing on the sweet treat. 

The apple was pretty good. It was locally grown, part of the ‘Support Local Business’ model he had been pushing since he became the manager of the local Junes. It might have sounded dumb, but the young man really did enjoy starting his day with a local, Inaba apple. 

And he had his girlfriend to thank for that.

He used to be a bit more of a junk food addict. Sometimes back in high school, his only breakfast would be a bag of chips he finished off on the way to work. He knew it wasn’t good, but he wasn’t exactly trying to be in the best shape of his life at the time.

Course, then he joined a team of quirky teenagers on a mission to save their town from a murderer. That required some physical fitness, and Chie had volunteered herself to help him. She criticized his eating habits, which was totally unjustified considering how much she loved steak. 

She pushed him to treat his body better. To work out. Hell, she even helped him learn how to do a backflip, something he kind of abused whenever he defeated a Shadow. 

Chie also insisted on eating better, which led to him eating more apples, which led to a love for local fruits raised here in Inaba, the town that he called home. 

Yosuke had come a long way from his youth, honestly. He wasn’t proud of who he was, but he was certainly proud of how far he came. 

Yep. From a handsome, lovable teenager to a badass, skilled, super cool guy. Yosuke was pretty proud of himself.

The young man finished his apple, and he tossed the core at a nearby trash can. It flew through the air before hitting the rim of the small can and falling next to it, laying on the ground. Yosuke stared at the apple core, frowning.

He got up from his seat and walked over to the core, picking it up and tossing it towards the can. The fruit once again bounced off the rim and hit the ground.

“I…” Yosuke looked around the room. No one was at the front desk, no one else was in the lobby…

Yosuke picked up the core again and took a few steps back before tossing it once more. It bounced off the rim and fell to the ground, rolling towards his feet. He frowned, picking it up again and walking closer to the small trash can.

He aimed the apple and tossed it down, trying to slam dunk it into the bin. The apple curved at the last second, bouncing on the rim and hitting Yosuke’s knee. He swore quietly, frowning as he glared at the trash can.

“Seriously?” 

“Something wrong, Yosuke?” a voice asked, and Yosuke turned his head to find his best friend Yu smiling at him. The young man stood behind Yosuke with a calm, but knowing grin. 

”Nah,” he muttered back. He glared at the apple before turning and walking towards Yu. The other man held out his hand, silently asking for the apple and Yosuke tossed it, letting it land on his hand. “How are you doing, dude?”

“I’m good.” Yu turned around and walked with Yosuke back towards the sofa, but as they walked Yu tossed the apple core over his shoulder.

Yosuke watched it fly through the air, before it landed in the bin. “Dude. Seriously? You didn’t even look!” 

“I was on the basketball team, remember?”

“Yeah. And the soccer team.”

“Yep.”

“And band.”

“Mmhm.”

“And didn’t you act in plays and stuff?”

“And worked at the local hospital and tutored younger students,” Yu added with a nod. He and Yosuke sat down on the sofa, and the two men looked at one another.

“Dude. Where did you find the time?” Yosuke asked.

Yu shrugged in response. “Guess I’m just good at time management.”

“Man, all that, and saving the world, and getting good grades, and wooing the Detective Prince. Dude, you’re something else,” Yosuke laughed, shaking his head.

“And can you believe the hardest part of all of that was telling Naoto I liked her?” Yu inquired. 

Yosuke smiled at his friend, before blinking. “You know, you never did tell me how you finally told her. I mean, I know you two started dating in secret while we were investigating the murders, but how did you tell her?”

Yu blinked in return. Had he really never told his best friend how it happened? “Huh. Sorry. Never realized.” Yosuke shrugged, clearly not upset, but still quite curious, and Yu smiled as he thought about his answer. “It’s kind of a crazy story.”

“What else is new? What happened, you sent her a secret admirer letter? Leave something in her locker?”

“No. We were following a Phantom Thief’s trail. He had broken into Naoto’s house and stole several gadgets she had made when she was young.”

“...What?” Yosuke asked. He stared at Yu, raising his brow. “You’re joking.”

“Nope. We found several items she made before we cornered the thief. He held a knife to us, but I stood in the way to protect Naoto from him. He ended up running away.”

Yosuke’s lips parted, and he stared at Yu, as if expecting the young man to start laughing. “You’re joking, right?”

“Nope. It was a fake knife, though. Naoto made it. It was actually a radio. Anyways, she was mad at me for getting in the way of the knife, and asked why I did it.” Yu shrugged his shoulders, pausing a moment to contemplate the question. “And I was honest with her. I told her I loved her.”

“Dude…” Yosuke blinked, before leaning back in his seat. “Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“How did she react?”

“She ran away.” Yosuke’s eyes widened, and he scooted a little closer. 

“You’re shitting me. Really? She just ran off?”

“It was a big thing to just drop on her,” Yu replied. “She needed time to think it over. I got that.” Yu averted his eyes from Yosuke’s knowing stare. “That said, I was a little hurt.”

“How long did it take her to finally get back to you?”

“A couple of days… Probably some of the worst days of my life,” Yu admitted with a chuckle. “Thankfully she got back to me, and she told me that she loved me too. And now, here we are.”

Yosuke blinked, nodding his head with a look of awe. “Wow. I never knew… What the hell is up with your life, man? I saved the world too, and I don’t have stuff half as crazy as you.”

“Guess I’m just lucky,” Yu shrugged, before he elbowed his friend. “Still, you seemed to come out alright for yourself. I bet you and Chie got into some crazy stuff last night.” Yu never was the type to kiss and tell, but with Yosuke, well… He knew his friend was a bit perverted, and Yu couldn’t help but act the same with his old pal.

Yosuke blushed but grinned proudly. For as amazing as Yu’s life might have been, well… Yosuke wouldn’t have traded any of his for it. He might not have been the hero of the story, but he was more than happy to be Chie’s hero.

And last night… Heh, he could still see his girlfriend’s beautiful body in his mind. She was so hot, and he felt his cheeks burn as he imagined her legs around him as he made love to her.

“Well, y-yeah. She’s pretty great. I-I mean, last night was great, I mean-” Yosuke blushed as Yu snickered, shaking his head at the brunette’s blushing face. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Just my virgin ears burning up.” Yosuke rolled his eyes at Yu’s teasing remark, before he elbowed his silver-haired friend.

“Yeah? Well, how about you and Naoto’s night? You two do a lot of… mystery solving?” Yosuke asked, and Yu’s face turned a bright shade of red.

He looked away, blushing as he imagined his girlfriend’s large, bouncing breasts before his eyes. He felt his face burn as he tried to shake off his fantasy. “Yeah. Solved a crime or two before bed.”

“Really?” Yosuke questioned.

“Really. They were pretty tough, but… we worked together on the problem.”

Yosuke nodded his head, and Yu did the same, before the two began to chuckle. That chuckle turned to a laugh as they shook their heads back and forth. 

“Man, I love having a girlfriend,” Yosuke laughed. 

“I know exactly what you mean. It is pretty nice,” Yu relaxed in his seat as he let out a content sigh. “The kissing.”

“The hugging.”

“Naoto’s amazing to hug. The cuddling.”

“Chie’s big on cuddling.” Both men let out a happy sigh as they thought of their respective partner. 

Yosuke’s mind was haunted briefly by his girlfriend’s gorgeous body. Her figure, her muscles, her smiling face, her shining eyes, everything about her just… captured his mind. He pressed his legs together, trying to fight off his imagination as Yu fought off similar images.

Yu tried to push his mind away from the erotic thoughts. He tried focusing on something, anything, but Naoto’s shapely hips, large breasts, or plump lips… He shoved those perverse, but oh so tantalizing images from his mind as he thought of something else.

His mind wandered, and found its way on an unexpected subject: Teddie. Yes, his dear friend from the other world… It hadn’t been long since he had last seen the little bear, but still, Yu couldn’t help but wonder where he was, and how he was doing all by himself.

“Hey, dude. You okay?” Yosuke asked, tapping Yu’s shoulder.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I’m alright. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“Teddie,” Yu answered. He crossed his arms as he sighed, leaning back in his seat as he looked to the ceiling of the room. “Wish he could have been here to join in on all the fun these last few days…”

“Ah. Yeah, I get that. I miss the little furball too,” Yosuke nodded. “But look on the bright side. Can you imagine how insane things could have been if he was around? It’d be like throwing gasoline on a forest fire.”

Yu cringed, seeing the Amagi Inn burning down in his mind’s eye. That, and an angry mob chasing one poor, little bear. 

Yeah. Maybe it was for the best. 

“Fair point.”

“Plus, he’d probably end up scaring everyone we met. I mean, people in town are used to Teddie, but it’s got to be crazy coming here and finding a weirdo in a bear suit running around.”

Yu nodded his head as Yosuke scratched the back of his head. “Besides, it was Teddie’s choice to stay in the other world. I’m sure he’s perfectly happy there, and if not, he can always hop out to come hang out with us whenever he wants.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Yu agreed. “Still, I hope he’s doing okay.”

“I’m sure he’s fine, man. What kind of trouble can he get into in that world?”

---

“Ahhh!” Teddie screamed as he was chased by the scariest thing he had ever seen. 

The large, green monster roared, chasing after him as its long, wet tongue whipped through the air. The beast was long, and throbbing, and rode on a chariot as its tentacles wriggled after Teddie, trying to grab onto him. 

“I said, I was beary, beary sorry!” he desperately called out, to no avail.

“Keep chasing him, Mara!” a voice commanded. 

Teddie ran as fast as his little feet could take him. Every step gave a loud squeak as he ran, running literal circles around a large tree as Mara howled with fury. The bulbous head of Mara glistened as sweat poured down its eyeless face. Teddie screamed louder, kicking up dirt as he picked up speed, trying to avoid the quivering tendrils of the beast. 

Above the two, sitting in the tree, were three Personas. An adorable Pixie, a beautiful Angel, and a sultry Succubus, each of them as beautiful and alluring as their lore would imply. They watch the antics of the bear, smiles on their faces as they reveled in his panic and fear.

The Pixie giggled, clearly the most amused of the three. She hugged her stomach as she leaned her head back, snickering at the sight. “Look at him go! He looks like he’s gonna pee himself!” 

“Serves him right,” the Succubus smirked. “He should know better than to get so frisky with us.” The woman pulled on her leotard, before releasing it and letting the fabric snap against her large breasts. 

“I can’t see what’s happening, but I assume it’s as funny as it sounds,” the Angel chuckled, staring in the wrong direction. The Pixie and Succubus shared a glance with one another, both of them raising a brow as Teddie screamed below.

“Heel! Sit! Stop! Stay! Cease! Stop pawing at me!” Teddie shouted, small waterfalls of tears spewing from his face, leaving a pair of small rivers behind him as he went faster. 

Mara just hissed, smacking its lips with its tongue as it kept chasing after Teddie, its chariot now making loud ‘vroom, vroom’ sounds. 

“How long are you gonna let Mara chase him?” the Pixie asked, glancing to the Succubus.

“As long as his little legs will carry him.”

“He sure is fast for having such tiny feet,” the Pixie observed, before blinking. “But what’s with the squeaking every time he walks?”

“Is that what that is? I was wondering about that!” the Angel gasped. The two Personas shared a glance at one another, before looking at their blonde friend again.

“Have… Have you ever tried taking the blindfold off?”

“...”

“You’ve never thought about it, have you?” The Succubus asked, eye twitching as the Angel’s mouth hung open. 

The Angel quickly pulled at her blindfold, taking it off and looking at her friends. Both girls froze, shuddering in terror as the black, eyeless holes stared at them. The Angel was ignorant of her friends’ fears, and she gasped, beaming with joy.

“I can see! Oh, this is amazing! Thank you!” she laughed, hugging the Succubus and pressing their faces together. Their cheeks rubbed against one another as the eyeless, black abyss of the Angel’s gaze.

The Succubus let out a small squeak of fire as the Angel released her friend and looked down, pointing and laughing at the small bear being chased by the hard, thick Mara. 

“Oh, I can see the bear now too! Oh, he looks positively terrified! How amusing!” 

---

“Yeah, he’s probably fine,” Yu agreed. “Probably just napping in the sun.”

“That little guy’s living the good life, no doubt about it,” Yosuke agreed.

“Hey, you mind if I ask you a question?” asked Yu.

“Hm? Sure, shoot.” 

“How’s the dating life with Chie?” Yu looked at his friend and smiled. “I mean, how have things been? I mean, with me and Naoto usually off working cases together or living apart from everyone here… I know you can always text me stuff, but I always like hearing it personally from you. So, how have things been?”

Yosuke blinked, before grinning at his friend. Yu was an amazing guy, and the best partner Yosuke could ever ask for. The guy was caring, really caring, and it was obvious that he really wanted to know how Yosuke had been doing lately. 

“Pretty good. It’s kind of awesome dating an officer of the law, but I guess you already knew that.”

“Yeah, sometimes Naoto brings her work with her. Back to her home, or even my home.” Yu chuckled. “One time, some guys broke into my place looking for a piece of evidence she left behind.”

“Yeah, I-wait, what? N-no, that’s not normal at all!” Yosuke shouted. “What the hell, man? Are you serious?!”

“Yeah. Does Chie not do that?” 

“No! We live in Inaba, the calmest town in the world. Er, well, now it is! Dude, what the hell?!” 

“It’s fine!” Yu explained, trying and failing to calm his friend down. “Only one of them brought a gun, and I was able to get it out of his hands before anyone got hurt.”

“Wait, that just raises more questions!” 

“What kind of questions?” a voice asked, and both boys turned their heads to see an approaching trio walking towards them. 

It was their new friends, Ren, Ryuji, and Yusuke. The three young men walked over, with the blond picking at the inside of his ear.

“What’s with all the yelling, gramps? You going deaf?”

“Huh? Who you calling gramps?!” Yosuke growled, and Ryuji just smirked, laughing at the man.

“Calm down, man, I’m just busting your balls.”

Ren shook his head at his friend, before looking at the two. “So, what were you talking about, Yu?”

“Girls,” Yu replied. “Having girlfriends. That kind of stuff.”

“And with that, I have nothing to offer,” Ryuji sighed, falling onto the sofa with his two friends. 

“Heh. No girlfriend, huh?” Yosuke inquired. “Been there, man. Don’t worry, you’ll find the one someday.” Inside his mind, the brunette cheered at finally being able to say that to someone else. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji sighed. He looked at Yusuke, who was inspecting his sketchbook. “Guess that makes us the sole members of the Singles Club, huh?”

“Wouldn’t that make us a couple, and thus, not single?”

“What? N-no. Dude, that’s gay.”

“Wow. Deja vu,” Yu muttered, and Yosuke raised his brow. 

“What?”

“Three teenagers sitting around, one of them making gay jokes, the other…” Yu watched Yosuke stare at him with ignorance, and the silverette shook his head. “Nevermind. So, Ren, where’s the rest of your group?”

“The girls are off taking a bath, so we just decided to hang around here until they’re done.”

“Where’s the big guy? Kanji?” wondered Ryuji, looking around for him.

“Probably still asleep. I’m sure Rise tuckered him out,” Yosuke snickered, and Ryuji grinned.

“Dude, nice! I can’t believe how lucky he is! He’s got like the hottest girl in the world!”

“Second hottest,” Yu shot back. The other boys looked at him, and he grinned proudly. “Naoto’s the most beautiful woman there is. Not that it’s a competition, but if it was-”

“Makoto would win,” Ren shot back, grinning as Yu stared at him. “Sorry, Yu, but this time, it’s beauty before age.” 

Yu chuckled at the clever remark. “That’s cute. I’m sure it must be fun getting to first base with girls, but I prefer a woman’s touch.”

Ryuji and Yosuke glanced at one another, both equally confused as they felt the tension in the room heat up. Yu and Ren smiled at one another as they began to throw daggers at one another’s heart.

“Naoto’s got brains and beauty.”

“Makoto’s got brains, beauty, and brawn. She’s a black belt, and could probably take Naoto in a fight.”

“Ah, martial arts. Really useful in the modern age. I’d like to see Makoto even reach Naoto before she takes out her revolver and arrests her.” 

“Hard to hit a moving target. Did you know Makoto knows how to ride a motorcycle? She’s pretty amazing on it.”

“Oh? Funny, so does Naoto. She actually rode one when she used it to chase down some criminals. Makoto ever do anything like that? Without training wheels, I mean.”

“Oooh,” Ryuji laughed, and he and Yosuke listened intently as the two men continued to glare at one another, their friends caught in the middle of the firefight. 

“Well, Makoto’s done some pretty impressive stunts before,” Ren countered. “Stuff you wouldn’t even believe.”

“Mmhm. Really? Well, I’d have to ask Naoto to fact check. Cause, you know. She’s the Detective Prince.”

“Oh? That’s nice. You know, I actually had the chance to meet the Second Detective Prince, and I got to tell you, Makoto outsmarted him easily.”

“We got to meet Goro Akechi too. We weren’t impressed,” Yu said, frowning slightly at the memory.

“Perfect!” Four of the five men nearly jumped at the sudden shout, and they all turned their gazes to find Yusuke grinning in his seat. “Behold, my next masterpiece!” he declared, turning his notepad to each of his friends. 

The group marveled at the sketch he had created. They saw a black winged angel, holding a revolver in one hand and a knife in the other. The raven-like angel soared into the sky, towards a looming god adorned in silver and black armor. The masked deity stared at the traitorous angel with both respect and rage. The god even held a massive spear in his hands as lightning shot down to the ground from above.

“Thank you for your help, gentleman.”

“I… What exactly did we do?” Yosuke inquired, raising his brow. 

“Why, you were the inspiration. All four of you. I call this piece, ‘The Rebellious Angel’s Final Stand Against the Creator!’” Yusuke declared. 

“Huh. I like it,” Yu smiled. 

“It’s a bit wordy, Yusuke. Maybe work on that,” Ren chuckled. 

“Wait, how did me and Yosuke help?” Ryuji asked, tilting his head. 

“Is it not obvious? You’re right here.” Yusuke tapped a corner of the drawing, and both men leaned closer to find what he was pointing at.

A small cherub, basically a baby angel in a diaper, watched with wide, awestruck eyes at the amazing battle above him. His eyes shimmered as a small frog sat on his head.

“W-wait, am I the baby or the frog?!” Yosuke growled. 

“Dude, what the eff?!”

“I was merely looking at the scene with the mind of a painter. It seemed appropriate.” shrugged Yusuke.

“It ain’t! It’s dumb as hell!” Ryuji growled.

“Hold your tongue! Do not insult my work, Ryuji! It is glorious, and I will bring it to life as soon as we return home. ‘The Rebellious Angel’s Last Stand Against the Creator as Lesser Beings Witness the Confrontation!’”

“That’s even wordier, Yusuke,” said Ren with a roll of his eyes.

As Ryuji bickered and argued over the merits of the drawing, and of Ryuji and Yosuke’s depiction, Yu and Ren looked at one another. The two smiled, falling into an easy rhythm with one another.

“So, how are you and Makoto?” Yu inquired. 

“Good. We’re doing good. You and Naoto?”

“About the same.” Yu raised his brow as he seemingly read the younger man’s mind. “But something else on your mind?”

“Just thinking about a book Makoto told me about. One you wrote, about an adventure Naoto had.” Yu tilted his head, and Ren continued. “It was about her stopping a group of thieves trying to rob a museum. In it, Naoto was working with another police officer, and the officer got shot. Did that really happen?”

Yu nodded his head, remembering the tale well. “Yeah. The young woman was a fan of Naoto’s work and was eager to prove herself.”

“Yeah, and… and in the book, you wrote that she had aspirations to be a police commissioner.” Yu nodded his head again, and he could pick up the younger man’s usually calm nature beginning to crack.

The raven-haired man seemed so confident, so in control, that even the slightest bit of nervousness seemed to stand out. Yu crossed his arms, and he leaned a little closer.

“What is it?”

“Just hit a little close to home. For her. Makoto was pretty broken up when she read that the first time, she told me. I’m just glad she lived…” 

“I’m a writer. I won’t lie, I kind of love getting an emotional rise out of people,” Yu chuckled, but his joke quickly faded as he continued. “It sounds like this is bothering you a bit… Want to talk about it?”

Ren glanced at Yu, and he wondered for a moment, was this what it was like for his friends? A friend who constantly wanted to help, who seemed to know how to read his mind? Who knew exactly what to say or do to get under his skin… all in the name of helping him?

Wow, it was both relieving and annoying. 

“How do you do it? How do you be okay with knowing the girl you love is off doing something dangerous… without you?” 

Yu contemplated the question, and he sighed as he thought of the long nights he stayed up, desperate to hear from his girlfriend. He’d watch the news and hear how a case she had been working on led to a fight, or shots being fired, or hostages being taken. 

He would sit on the couch, watching the news reports, squeezing his phone, urging Naoto to contact him as soon as she could, even if it was just to tell him to stop worrying or that the case went as expected…

“Okay’s a strong word,” Yu finally muttered. “I’m used to standing side by side with Naoto. Facing the same things together.”

“Yeah,” Ren mumbled. “Us too. I’m so used to fighting with her, but we’re growing up, and she has one career path, and I’m… on another I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Not sure what I want to be,” Ren admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “But even if I followed her path, I know I won’t be able to protect her all the time.”

“She wants to follow a dangerous career path, huh…?”

“Police commissioner.”

“Ah… I’m sorry,” Yu apologized.

“It’s alright. You didn’t know, but what do I do? How do I deal with the idea of her running into danger by herself?”

“You trust her,” Yu answered. “You trust her to be careful, to watch herself, to know that she’s not an unstoppable fighting machine… And you trust in the other officers around her. Naoto’s been saved plenty of times before. She’s only gotten this far thanks to good friends and her fellow officers. You have to realize that even if you’re not there, she’s not alone…”

Yu’s eyes stared into Ren’s, and he gave a sympathetic smile. “And just because you’re not there, doesn’t mean you aren’t with her. Everything you help her learn and understand, everything she is, you’re a part of because you two love each other. Your love makes her stronger, and everything you two have gone through together, makes her even stronger still. Hell, she’s probably thinking of you when things get bad, because you help keep her going…”

“You… you really think so?”

“It’s what experience has taught me. Naoto’s told me that, at least.” Yu smiled as he elbowed the other boy. “It doesn’t get any easier, but you do get used to it. First time is always the hardest.”

“I just want to be there for her,” he sighed.

“Then be there for her. Emotionally. And when she asks, or needs you, physically.”

“And then catch the bad guy together?”

“Hey, whatever it takes,” Yu snickered, shrugging as the other man laughed. 

“Thanks, Yu… I’ll try to follow your advice.” 

“No problem, Ren, and hey, look on the bright side. If Naoto ever works beside Makoto, you’ll know that the best has your girl’s back.”

“You mean, the best has your girl’s back,” Ren shot back, and Yu laughed at the remark. 

“Naoto could take Makoto down with ease.”

“I’d like to see her try.” boasted Ren. And damn, now the idea of Makoto and Naoto wrestling with one another popped into the raven-haired man’s mind. He imagined the two rolling on the ground, hands grappling, breasts pressed together, lips… really close.

Okay, calm down, Ren. Show some class, moron. No need to think like a pervert when Ryuji’s around…

“Yo! I miss anything?” a familiar voice asked, and the group turned to find Kanji Tatsumi walking towards the others with a grin. He waved his hand as the others smiled.

“Hey, Kanji,” Yu greeted, as the others did the same. “Have a nice sleep?”

“Y-yeah. Sorry. Just couldn’t get out of bed, I guess,” he mumbled, and Yosuke blinked as he caught something on the man’s neck. “Tired.” His face was a rosy shade of red as he spoke, a fact most of the boys noticed.

“Tired doing what?” Yosuke asked, a knowing grin on his face as his teeth gleamed.

“Just tired with stuff! What the hell’s with the questions, Y-Yosuke?”

“He asked one question,” Ryuji observed. 

“R-really? Feels like a lot,” Kanji mumbled as Yosuke chuckled. 

“Oh, just wondering if Rise is the reason you’re so tired.”

“R-Rise?! The hell is that supposed to mean?! I don’t-” Yosuke tapped a finger against his neck, and Kanji blinked as his cheeks grew hotter.

Each of the boys followed Yosuke’s tapping, looking at the same spot on Kanji’s neck. There was a distinct pink mark on his neck, in the shape of Rise’s plump, soft lips. Yosuke snickered as Ryuji groaned with jealousy.

“Dude, no way?! You are so lucky!”

“Huh. I see Rise likes marking her territory,” Yu chuckled.

“I-I… It’s not what it looks like?!”

“Really? What does it look like, then? Cause it looks like someone was getting frisky with Rise last night. Or she got frisky with you,” Yosuke teased.

“Lucky dog!” Ryuji laughed. 

Yusuke leaned towards one side, trying to get a better angle on the mark. “What an interesting drawing. And she painted that with her lips, yes? There’s hardly any smudging. The outline is crisp and clear. It is obvious to me that Rise has a gift for art… Perhaps I should ask her for advice.”

Ren and Ryuji stared at their strange friend, the former laughing, the latter just confused. Yu chuckled and motioned the blushing Kanji to come over, patting an empty space on the sofa beside him.

“Come on and sit down. We’re just talking about guy stuff.”

“Guy stuff?” Kanji sat down beside Yu, and he stretched his arms up and behind his head. “Cool.”

Yu nodded before looking at the others. “So, Ryuji, since you seem so desperate to have a girlfriend-?”

“Desperate?!”

“It’s true,” Ren nodded, chuckling at his friend’s outburst. 

“What features are you looking for in a girl?”

“Well, hm…” Ryuji pondered the question, before grinning. “I want a totally hot babe. With an awesome body.”

“Ah. Well, that’s not shallow at all,” Yu sighed. 

“Sounds like someone else we know,” Kanji muttered, looking towards Yosuke.

“Who? Teddie?” the brunette replied, raising a brow. Kanji rolled his eyes as Ryuji continued.

“And blond. I love blonds. Super hot. With her hair done up like Risette’s! That whole twintail look? Such a smoking hot look.”

“Uh huh…”

“What about personality?” Ren asked.

Ryuji was quiet for a second as he considered. “Hmm...I want a girl with some fire. I don’t want some passive damsel I have to save all the time. A girl who can take charge, who can whip punks into shape, who isn’t afraid to get up on stage and wow the crowd! Just a girl who isn’t afraid to be a badass babe. You know what I mean?”

“Uh huh.” Yu nodded his head again. “Anything else?”

“A big rack. Ryuji likes big boobs.” Ryuji blushed and looked at his raven-haired friend, and Ren just laughed as he smiled back. “What? You do.”

“I mean, y-yeah, but what guy doesn’t?!”

“Yosuke likes them on the smaller side,” Yu admitted, pointing at his own best friend.

“Dude!”

“Also has a thing for girls in nurse outfits.”

“What the hell, man?!” 

Ren and Yu let out a laugh, while their respective best friends fumed in shame and annoyance. Eventually the former spoke, still grinning as he pointed out the obvious. 

“You know, you just described Ann.”

“What?” Ryuji blinked.

“Ann. You just described her.”

“What? No!” Ryuji laughed, his cheeks a fiery red.

“I don’t know Ann nearly as well as you three do, but… yeah. You just described Ann,” Yu agreed.

“Yep. Totally described her, dude,” Yosuke added. “Someone’s got a crush.”

“I-I do not! Me and her are just friends!” 

“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt,” Kanji muttered as Yusuke tapped Ryuji’s shoulder. 

“Behold.” Yusuke handed his friend his notepad, and all of the other men leaned closer to get a look at it.

The notepad had a clear drawing Ann on it, posing with a confident smile on her face. Her shapely figure was clear to anyone looking as she looked right into Ryuji’s eyes. 

“Why do you have a drawing of Ann?” Ryuji asked, looking at the blue-haired man.

“It isn’t a picture of Ann. Well, it is, obviously, but I only drew what you described.” Yusuke held up his pencil, flipping it between his fingers. “Does her body not fit your physical desires? She is very beautiful.”

“Oh, I… Uh… I mean, y-you got her body off. I-” Yusuke gently smacked his pencil against Ryuji’s ear, scowling. 

“Criticize my work if you must, but do not lie to my face, Ryuji.”

The other men laughed at the sight, clearly amused by Ryuji’s embarrassment. Thankfully they were kind enough to let the ribbing die there, and soon each of them fell into their own little conversations with one another. Ren spoke with Yosuke and Yu, while Kanji moved to sit beside Ryuji and Yusuke, speaking to the two younger boys.

“So… Girls with flat chests, huh?” Ren asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“Shut up, dude,” Yosuke huffed, ignoring the younger man. Besides, it wasn’t even really true. Chie might not have had the largest rack, but she certainly filled out very nicely...

“It’s okay. I get it. I don’t think girls need anything huge on them to be pretty. I like Makoto just the way she is.” Ren blushed slightly at his own comment, thinking of his beautiful girlfriend’s body. “She’s an athlete, and that’s its own kind of hot.”

Yosuke blinked before smiling back at him. “Thank you. Yu, here, doesn’t get it. It’s all about bigger is better than him.”

“Eh.” Yu shrugged, clearly unashamed of his fetish. “I have a weakness for girls with big brains, butts, and boobs.”

“Wow, you are… very honest.” Ren’s brow wrinkled, staring at Yu.

“This guy is super blunt, and pretty stoic when he wants to be,” Yosuke chuckled. “He was completely straight faced when he was crossdressing for this stupid contest back in high school.”

“Wait, really?” Ren chuckled, raising his brow.

“Hey, if I’m going to do something, I’m going to give it my all,” Yu smiled. “Naoto thought I was cute.” He gave Yosuke a gentle shove, while laughing. “And I seem to remember you joining that same fashion show.”

“Wait, really? You were crossdressing too?” Ren snickered, barely holding his laughter. 

“I didn’t have a choice! Chie made me!”

“Here, I took pictures.” Yu handed his phone to Ren, and Yosuke’s eyes widened as Ren began to go through them.

“Oh. My God. This is something else,” he laughed. “Y-you look good, Yosuke!” He held the phone up to the brunette, letting him see his younger self in the schoolgirl outfit.

“H-hey! I said, Chie made me!” 

“Did Rise make Kanji join in too?” Ren snorted, holding up the phone again to show Yosuke and Yu the dress wearing delinquent. 

“Yep. It was all revenge for Yosuke putting them in their own fashion show. They were all pretty upset,” Yu explained. 

“Huh? Wow, who is she?” Ren asked, holding up the phone to show off a beautiful blond, with bright blue eyes. 

Ryuji caught the picture from the corner of his eyes, and he quickly moved closer, gawking at the beautiful ‘girl.’ “Whoa! Who is that babe? She’s super cute!”

Yosuke opened his mouth, only for Yu to cover it. “She’s a friend of ours. Her name is Teddie.”

“Wow. Can I get her number?” Ryuji grinned.

Yu had to fight the urge to laugh. He smiled at the blond. “Maybe later. I’m sure she’d love to meet you.” 

Ryuji returned to his seat, clearly hopeful at meeting the cute blond. Both Yu and Ren looked at one another, and the two nearly broke down into two fits of laughter. Yosuke just watched the two, shaking his head.

“Man, you two are a little too much alike.”

“Birds of a feather,” Yu began.

“Flock together,” Ren finished, as his thumb mindlessly went through the phone’s album. 

He wasn’t even paying attention. He just went through the photos, finding several images of Yu, Yosuke, and the others’ crossdressing fiasco. Then Yu’s phone showed some photos of him and his friends just hanging out, enjoying the small town of Inaba.

Ren stopped going through photos, but the phone must have lagged, because it kept going, flipping through photos. He was about to apologize to Yu and give the phone back to his friend, only for the phone to come to a sudden stop on a picture.

The photo was of Naoto Shirogane, and the woman was wearing a bikini that would have made Ann blush. She had her arms crossed under her chest, pushing her breasts up her body as the small, skimpy bikini accented their already large size. Her curvy body was clear as she stood before the camera, her rosy face as noticeable as her sapphire locks. 

Ren could feel his cheeks turning hot as he stared at the beautiful, voluptuous woman’s body. His mouth hung open as Yu grabbed the phone and pulled it out of his friend’s hands. 

For the first time since meeting him, Yu’s calm nature was broken. His face was burning hot as he blushed. His cheeks and ears were red, and he was clearly disheveled as he stared at his friend.

“We will not talk about this. Ever. Got it?”

“R-right.” Ren slowly nodded his head as Yu placed a finger to his lips. The raven-haired man kept his lips shut, but his worse nature couldn’t help but utter a single phrase. “You’re a lucky man, Mr. Narukami.”

Yu blushed, but he wore a proud grin on his face as he nodded. “I know I am.”

Meanwhile, the other three boys were in the middle of their own competition. Ryuji and Kanji were talking to one another, as Yusuke quietly sketched in his book, eyeing them every now and again. 

“So, how about it? You versus me, rematch of the century?” Ryuji inquired. “I want another go at beating you.”

“Heh. Sure thing, kid. I’ll take you on,” Kanji grinned, taking off his leather jacket. He revealed his arms, flexing them, showing off his clearly muscular body. Ryuji growled, taking off his own jacket and trying to put on a similar show.

“His arms are clearly larger than yours,” Yusuke observed, moving his pencil to act as a ruler. He held it by Kanji’s arm, before doing the same with Ryuji’s. “Much bigger.”

“Shut up, dude,” Ryuji growled, standing up with Kanji and walking to another seat. 

They walked towards two chairs, with a small table placed between them. Yusuke followed, still drawing in his book. The two young men sat down, and they placed their arms on the table as they gave each other a friendly glare. 

“Ready, gramps?” the younger of the two asked.

“Born ready.” 

And the two men slammed their hands together, squeezing one another as the table began to shake with their raw, manly energy. Yusuke watched with clear curiosity and interest, witnessing the two begin to shake as they struggled to overpower the other.

Yusuke could see their auras in his mind’s eyes. He could see them using all of their strengths, and their vigor and raw passion was a spark of inspiration for the young man. He drew in his book, his pencil almost causing the paper to burn as he moved it. 

Ryuji groaned quietly, gritting his teeth as Kanji’s brow began to twitch. He huffed, nearly blowing smoke out of his nose. 

The battle continued, neither making any ground as their hands trembled against the other. A whole minute of the stalemate passed, before one of them began to move. Ryuji made his push, slowly twisting Kanji’s hand down to the table. 

“Gotcha!” Inch after violently fought inch. Ryuji fought tooth and nail for every bit of ground he was getting, and he could see Kanji’s knuckles almost brushing against the table. 

“You think so?” Ryuji’s eyes widened, and all he could do was gasp as Kanji suddenly overpowered him, and Ryuji’s hand was forced back up. It wasn’t just brought back to the start, though. It was pushed down, and Ryuji’s hand slammed against the table as the entire town of Inaba trembled from the crash.

Alright, well, maybe not the whole town. Just the inn. 

Either way, Ryuji had lost once more, and he was left humiliated and beaten as Kanji threw his hands to the air. 

“Whoo! Two for two!”

“Damn it,” Ryuji sighed, before blinking as he looked at the hand outstretched to him. Kanji smiled at the younger man, and after a moment of contemplation, Ryuji accepted his loss with grace. 

He clapped his hand against Kanji’s, shaking it with a grin as Yusuke held his drawing up. “Behold! My next masterpiece. ‘The War of Emperor and Peasant.’”

“Wait, what?!” Ryuji growled as he stared at the drawing. There was a king in black armor standing on his throne, holding his sword to the air as lightning fell from the sky to hit the very tip of his blade. 

And there was a peasant, laying down at the feet of the of the king, on his back, clearly defeated. 

“What the eff, Yusuke?! Seriously?!”

“I draw what I see,” Yusuke replied, shrugging his shoulders. “If you cannot see the truth of it, that is your problem.”

Ryuji growled, glaring at the blue-haired artist, when a voice greeted them. “Hello, Tatsumi-chan! How are you?” Both Ryuji and Yusuke turned their heads, finding a man with short black hair and dark eyes smiling at them.

The man had a simple, fairly forgettable appearance. His clothes were simple and casual, and he fixed his glasses as he looked at the two.

“Hey, Mr. Amagi… I’m alright. Y-you can just call me Kanji, you know,” he sighed, scratching the back of his head. 

“Heh. Sorry. I just remember when you were this tall,” the man laughed, placing a hand by his knee. “You were so small!”

“Yeah, I know. You… you always say that,” he sighed. 

“And who are your friends?”

“My name is Yusuke.”

“Ryuji. Uh, nice meeting you, sir,” Ryuji mumbled, awkwardly waving at the older man.

“You kids having fun? Enjoying your stay at the Amagi Inn?” he grinned, and the two teens shared a glance as they nodded their heads. 

“Good! Correct me if I’m wrong, but were you two arm wrestling? Is that still hip for you kids?”

“Um… Yeah. Really hip,” Ryuji chuckled.

Mr. Amagi laughed, oblivious to how out of touch he was with the modern world. “Well, that’s great. Well, I’ve got desk duty this morning. Please continue to enjoy our little inn.” With that he walked past the group and took a seat at the front desk as a familiar voice grabbed their attention.

“Hey, boys!” Rise smiled, and she practically threw herself into Kanji’s arms, kissing his cheek and leaving another little mark on his face. She beamed, before blinking when she noticed his slight frown. “Kanji? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. Just kind of feel emasculated.”

“Aww, well, I’ll make sure to help you feel like a man later,” Rise giggled, giving him another kiss, this time on the lips. Kanji’s bad mood quickly faded, and he held the idol in his arms, sucking on her bottom lip as Ryuji looked around. 

“And I have no one,” he sighed.

“What’s with you?” Ann asked, leading the other girls to the boys. 

“Nothing,” he grumbled, and Ann raised her brow as the other women greeted their friends. 

“Hello, Sen-mmph?!” Yu’s lips silenced Naoto, and the detective blushed as she felt her boyfriend’s lips.

She hated his kisses so much. He was such a good kisser, and she could feel her legs wobbling, knees knocking, and heart racing as his tongue brushed against her lips. One of his hands stroked her back as the other caressed her cheek. 

And just like that, the kiss ended, and he pulled away. He smiled at her as her heart pounded.

“W-w-what brought that out?” she muttered, blushing as he smiled at her.

“Do I need a reason?” he replied, winking at her as her cheeks sizzled from embarrassment.

“Y-you are absolutely shameless,” she muttered, hiding her red cheeks against his chest. Yu just laughed, holding Naoto against his body with a grin. 

Makoto gave her boyfriend a quick, gentle hug. Her cheeks were a rosy hue as they hugged one another, and Ren enjoyed the sensation, but found himself gulping when Sae turned her gaze to them.

The silver-haired woman might have known about him and Makoto, but that didn’t make her any less terrifying to the young man...

“So, what have you guys been up to?” Chie asked, sitting by Yosuke’s side.

“Just, you know. Talking about guy stuff and things.”

“Psh. More like pervy stuff,” the young woman shot back, and Yosuke just gave an ‘I’m so cool’ wink back at her, making her roll her eyes.

“So, what are we doing today?” Futaba wondered, sitting with Haru on a sofa.

“Well, if you guys don’t have anything planned, we can show you around town. Give you a tour of the wonderful world of Inaba,” Yu suggested. “The floodwater has finally receded. It’d be the perfect chance to really see the town.”

“Ooh, that sounds awesome!” Ann grinned. “I’d love to see Risette’s hometown!”

“Me too,” Shiho agreed, before glancing at Kanji. He didn’t even seem to notice her eyes on him, and yet she was blushing, looking away as her cheeks turned red. 

“Yeah! Adventure Time!” Futaba giggled, raising her hands to the air.

“Sounds fun. What do you think, Makoto?” Ren asked, looking at his girlfriend.

“Sounds like a fun time. I’m in.”

The entire group seemed ready and willing for the tour, save for one. Yukiko frowned, averting her eyes from the others as she stared at the ground. 

“I’m sorry, everyone, but I don’t think I’ll be able to come. I have work here that I need to get started on. I-”

The young woman was interrupted, though, by her father’s smiling face and warm voice. “Nonsense! I won’t have my daughter wasting her time here while she can be with her closest friends.” Yukiko looked at her father, who sat at the front desk with a smile aimed at her.

“R-really? Are you sure, dad?”

“Of course, I am!  Business has been slow the last few days. Go have fun, Yukiko! What’s that thing you kids say… Yolo?” Chie groaned behind Yukiko as Futaba cringed so hard she almost fainted. 

“Um… Y-yeah, dad.” She grinned despite her dad’s awkwardness. “Thank you so much, dad!”

“No problem, hon.” Yukiko ran to give her father a hug as the group began their journey of the one of a kind small town.

---

The group decided to begin their tour at one of Inaba’s most famous and popular spots. Junes, the supermarket ultra mall that had taken the town by storm years ago. Thankfully any fears of the chain overtaking the town had long been buried, partly thanks to the efforts of Yu Narukami and Yosuke Hanamura. 

The market had created a healthy balance between local and exotic thanks to Yosuke’s leadership as head of the store. Just outside the store, Yosuke proudly introduced the group to the local farmers market and Haru especially seemed captivated by it.

“This place is so amazing!” she beamed, standing beside Hifumi as they looked at the many vendors. “So much local produce! So many small businesses!”

“Yeah, Junes really wants to make sure Inaba’s smaller businesses can still thrive. We even ship some of the stuff all over Japan,” Yosuke grinned.

“Whoa. You know, I thought you were just the lame guy who hung around the main character, but you’re pretty cool on your own, Yosuke,” Futaba commented. “Way cooler than our Yosuke.”

“H-hey! Who the hell is our Yosuke?!” Ryuji growled, glaring at Futaba, who ignored him as she looked at some model kits a vendor was selling. 

“Yosuke-senpai!” The young man blinked, blushing slightly as Haru pulled on his arm. “This is amazing! Can you show me how you did this?” 

“I… huh? What do you mean?”

“One day, I’m going to run Okumura Foods, but I want to put an emphasis on local produce and healthier options! And this is all so amazing!” Haru beamed. “Perhaps we can work out a business strategy together?”

“I… uh… S-sure. We can work something out,” he chuckled, feeling a strange kinship with the auburn-haired woman.

“That’s wonderful!” As Haru and Yosuke smiled at one another, the others continued to explore the beautiful market. 

Yu, in particular, was happy to find a familiar face. “Naoki! Good to see you again!”

“Huh? Oh, hey Yu!” A pale faced brunette beamed as he saw Yu, waving at the silverette. The young man had just been walking by, but now he was walking towards Yu with an eager grin. “How have you been?”

“Good, good. I’m just showing some new friends around Inaba.” Yu motioned to Ren and Makoto, who both greeted the older man with quick, friendly introductions.

“Naoki Konishi. It’s nice meeting both of you.”

“I didn’t expect to find you here, Naoki. You helping your family’s business?”

“More like starting on my own. Don’t really want to get into the whole alcohol business. More of a music man now.” Noriko motioned the three to follow him, and they obeyed, walking after the young man. “My wife and I are trying to sell her band’s work.”

“Wife? You mean you and-” Yu blinked, only for his eyes to widen as he saw another old friend. “Ayane!”

“Senpai!” Ren and Makoto watched as a short woman with fittingly short hair ran to Yu, embracing the much taller man. “It’s so good to see you again! It feels like forever since we last saw you at our wedding!”

Behind the woman was a small, empty spot in the farmer’s market. Ayane had stood there with several others, and each of the strangers were holding various instruments as they looked at the newcomers. 

“Heh, sorry, I’ve been pretty busy. It’s so good to see you again, Ayane.” 

“Man, Yu, do you know everyone in this town?” Ren inquired. 

“Just about,” Yu chuckled. “Ayane, these are my friends, Makoto and Ren. I’m showing them around town.”

“Oh, Senpai, always helping people,” the short woman giggled, her cheeks a subtle shade of red. “Well, any friend of Senpai is a friend of mine! Here, consider this a gift from a friend.” Ayane and Naoki returned to their small band, and the former picked up a CD from a box they had sitting aside.  

She held it out to Makoto, who blushed as she pushed the CD back to her. “Oh, n-no. We couldn’t take it for free. That’s wr-”

“Nonsense! Besides, we’re not doing a very good job selling our music,” she sighed. “Most folks in Inaba don’t seem to like jazz.”

“Jazz?” Makoto blinked. “You play?”

“Mhmm! Several instruments! Trombone, trumpet, and I’ve even started learning how to play guitar!” 

“That is quite impressive. Do you mind if we hear a performance?” Makoto asked, and Ren gave his girlfriend a knowing glance. He knew she liked jazz. She had a love of classical instrumental music, so he smiled when he caught that little spark in her eyes. 

“Sure! Give us one sec!” Ayane beamed, walking back over to her band. 

Makoto caught her boyfriend’s silver eyes on her, and she turned to him, raising her brow. He just chuckled, and replied, “It’s just nice to see how much you’ve changed since when I first met you.”

“Huh? W-what do you mean?”

“Just seeing you talk to people. Seeing how passionate you are. I don’t know. It’s cute.”

Makoto blushed at the comment, but she smiled regardless. She brushed hair from her eyes, glancing down at her feet. “Guess you had an effect on me.”

“Guess I did.” The two lovers’ found their hands brushing against one another, before their fingers interlocked. Ren held his girlfriend’s hands as Ayane and her band began to play, and the sound was like something straight out of a jazz club. 

Makoto moved her head to the beat, smiling at the gentle symphony playing. One member of the band was playing guitar, and his fingers strummed the strings of his instrument, as a young woman’s fingers gracefully played the piano. 

The song was slow, a melody that fit the simple town of Inaba, yet had an oddly familiar feeling for both Makoto and Ren. Yu tapped his foot as he stood aside with Noriko, quietly complimenting Ayane’s skills as Noriko smiled. 

Makoto closed her eyes and allowed the music to sweep her off her feet. It reminded her of her father and his own collection of music. He had instilled his love of classical music in her, and there was just something… nostalgic about the song they were playing.

Then she felt something pull on her hand and her eyes opened to find Ren smiling at her, gently pulling on her and making her dance with him. 

“R-Ren, what are you-?”

“What? A beautiful song, a gorgeous girl in my arms… How could I not?” he asked, moving his body to the slow song. 

Makoto’s face was overcome by a shameful blush, yet she found herself smiling, holding his other hand as the two began to dance together. Neither had much experience on the dancefloor, yet they found themselves falling into a nice, natural rhythm. 

The young woman didn’t even care about the people looking at them. She didn’t care if they pointed, or stared at the couple of lovestruck teens dancing in the middle of the market. They all faded away as she and Ren danced, lost in each other’s eyes. 

One of his hands moved out of hers, and he placed it against her back, pulling her close as her face burned hot. Their lips were so close now, and Makoto hid her blushing face against his chest, holding tightly onto him as their feet moved them around. 

Yu watched the happy couple, smiling at them as the song began to come to an end. Yet even when the music faded, Ren and Makoto held one another, gracefully dancing in a small circle, clearly. 

After a moment of ambient noise from the rest of the market, Ren and Makoto looked at one another. Their lips curved into smiles mirroring the other, and they leaned in to kiss one another… when a voice was heard.

“That was a beautiful song.” 

Ren’s blood ran cold, and he retreated, pulling away from the kiss as Makoto felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Nothing like the sensation Ren gave her, this feeling made the brunette cringe as she heard her sister’s voice. 

“And that was a beautiful dance you two had.” Sae stood behind Yu, arms crossed as her ruby lips smiled at the two. There was a knowing glimmer in her eyes as she and her sister’s gazes met. Meanwhile Ren was letting go of Makoto and stepping back, clearly intimidated by the older woman.

“T-thanks, Sae,” Ren muttered as Makoto blushed, staring at her feet kicking at the ground.

Then she stood up on the tips of her toes, pressing her lips against Ren’s cheek, and both Yu and Sae’s eyes widened in surprise. Even Ren seemed shocked by the gesture, and he blinked dumbly as his cheeks became flushed. 

Yu chuckled in amusement as Sae’s eyes sharpened, and her lips tightened. “Don’t push it.” She and her sister’s eyes met once more as Makoto pouted, trying to control her scarlet face. 

---

Naoto, Kanji, Rise, Ryuji, Ann, and Shiho walked together, having found themselves in a group all their own as they looked through the farmer’s market. They saw kids running past them with soda cans in their hands, laughing and chasing one another, as Rise led the group.

“Yosuke-senpai is seriously cool for putting together this market. Isn’t it awesome?” the idol beamed. 

“Yeah! There’s so much stuff everywhere, and-ooh! Sweets!” Ann beamed, seeing a large stand selling crepes nearby. “Come on, Ryuji!” she ordered, grabbing the blond’s hand and pulling him towards the stand.

“Hey! Let go! I don’t want any sweets! Why the hell are you dragging me along?!”

“Because I want some! Come on, we’re friends, right? Cover for me!”

“What?! Shiho’s your best friend, ask her, damn it!” Ann and Ryuji fell into their usual bickering, and Shiho shook her head as she watched the two. 

She certainly wanted to avoid that, and she looked around the market for something to catch her eye. She liked sweets too, but no sweet was worth hearing Ann and Ryuji bicker for the umpteeth time.

“Are they always like that?” Rise wondered. 

“Seems a bit familiar,” Naoto muttered, watching the two.

“Mmhm,” the younger woman nodded, blushing slightly as she avoided Rise’s eyes. Shiho didn’t mean to be rude, but Ann was usually the more social and outgoing one. Without her around, Shiho found herself around many, many strangers…

Actually, worse than that, she was next to two of her own personal idols. A literal one, and Kanji Tatsumi, the skilled artisan… Handsome too.

Shiho’s face burned, and she tried to ignore her racing heart as Rise stared at her. The idol could practically read Shiho’s mind from what she knew of the young woman, and she decided to help her out.

“Hey, Shiho! Wanna see something cool?” Rise asked, and before Shiho could even answer, Rise’s hand caught her own. Shiho’s face was a blushing mess as Rise gently pulled her along, leading her and Kanji to a very familiar stand for the idol.

“W-wait! I-is this…?” Shiho looked at the small sign on the stand, and she felt her heart soar. “T-Tatsumi Textiles?!” 

“Yep! Kanji’s family’s store! They have a ton of his one of a kind, original work! Pretty cool, huh?” Rise placed a hand on Shiho’s shoulder opposite to her, and she pulled the beaming highschooler close. “All made by the gentle, masterful hands of Kanji Tatsumi!”

“Not all,” Kanji corrected. “Lots of it is made by my students.”

“Students…?” Shiho whispered, as if amazed by the idea of being Kanji’s student. Coming to his class, seeing him sitting on a desk, looming over her, smiling at her with faith and confidence in his e-eyes…

“Yeah. I hold classes back at the store. Lots of my students end up working for ma and me.” Kanji smiled at her, his light blue eyes shining as he asked, “Maybe you can join in on a class before you go?”

“Y-y-yeah. M-maybe.” Shiho blushed, and quickly moved closer to the stand, blushing as Rise giggled behind her. Kanji raised his brow, but shrugged as Shiho placed her hands on the soft material.

“I-it’s so soft… What material is this?! And this color coordination! I-it’s amazing!” 

“You clearly have a passion for this artstyle, Shiho-chan. Is this what you wanted to pursue as a career?” Naoto inquired, standing beside the young woman.

“Oh, I… I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m good enough,” she answered, averting her eyes. “I’m not sure what I want to do, honestly,” she sighed, before cringing slightly. Why the hell did she say that? Why the hell did she say that? 

She was ready for the usual response from older people. Yelling at her, telling her she didn’t have long before she grew up, telling her how she was wasting her time, and that youth was wasted on the-

“That’s alright,” Naoto smiled. “That simply means you’re still trying to find yourself. I’m almost jealous.”

“H-huh?” 

“There’s a beauty to finding your true self,” Naoto explained. “I remember when I was young. I had always wanted to be a detective, like my parents before me, but there were other aspects of myself that I struggled to understand.” Naoto glanced at Shiho, and she blushed slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk your ear off. I’m sure you’ve heard this all before.”

“N-no. Please. I want to hear,” she replied. Shiho wasn’t nearly the super fan of Naoto that Makoto and Sae were, but she found herself interested in the older woman. She was kind, and confident, and so… so pretty. And to hear that Naoto had faced her own challenges, and clearly didn’t think less of Shiho…

Well, the young woman felt a connection to the detective. Naoto smiled as she explained her past to Shiho. “I struggled with my gender. I had a hard time accepting that I was a woman.”

“Really?”

She nodded her head, and continued. “It gave me no shortage of grief.”

“Then why would you want to relive it again?” 

“Well, I suppose I want to relive the end of it most of all.” Naoto’s smile seemed to change. It was as if Naoto left this moment for a second, traveling back in time to a special memory of hers. “When I met Yu… He helped me. He helped me find who I wanted to be. Something more than just a detective,” she uttered. 

“You found true love,” Shiho gasped, in awe as Naoto’s cheeks turned a fiery crimson. “That’s so beautiful… You found the man of your dreams to whisk you away to your happily ever after!”

“Er, w-well, yes, I suppose so.” Naoto’s face was clearly consumed by embarrassment as Shiho beamed. “M-my point is, don’t be sad that you haven’t found your destiny y-yet. I’m sure you will, and i-it will be a huge relief once you do.”

Shiho giggled at Naoto’s blushing face, before a familiar pair of voices caught her ear. Shiho turned her head with the detective, spying Ryuji and Ann walking back over. Ann had a crepe in her hands, her cheeks puffed out from a bite.

“Mmm! So good!” Ann beamed, chewing the sweet, juicy treat. 

“Hey. Hey, come on! Can I get a bite, or what?!”

“I offered to buy you one if you got me one!” 

“Why the hell would I tell you to do that? The guy’s supposed to cover for the girl, dumbass.”

“That’s only if we were dating, you jerk,” Ann growled, blushing slightly at Ryuji’s words.

“Whatever. Look, can I have a bite or what? You won’t shut up about how good it is, so I’m curious now…”

“Alright, alright. Here.” Ann held the crepe out to Ryuji, and hoped he didn’t see her red face. They were sharing food together. His lips would touch the same food, the same spot, her own had. 

It would be an indirect kiss… Something about that sent a chill down Ann’s body as Ryuji leaned closer and opened his mouth.

He took a bite of the crepe, and Ann cried out at the results.

“You jerk! You freaking split it in half!”

“What dya talkin’ abut?” Ryuji replied, chewing on the food. 

“You ate like half of it!” 

“I have a big mouth,” he replied, swallowing the food. He shrugged his shoulders as Ann glared at him.

“You are such a pig.”

“Who you calling a pig, you… you…” Ryuji’s mind raced for a good insult, but what his mind ended up on was… less than ideal. “You freakin’ cougar!” 

Ann blinked, before her face burned hot from embarrassment once more and she nearly swung her hand down on his head. “We’re the same age, you dummy!”

Shiho sighed as Naoto shook her head. “I’m sorry about them,” the latter sighed.

“It’s quite alright. I’m used to antics like theirs by now, though I am curious if the end result will be the same.” Shiho was about to ask about what Naoto meant when Ryuji did something heinous.

He had a soda can in his hand, one that he had bought for himself. He walked towards the others, not bothering to look at the patterns and blankets Shiho and Naoto were by, when he opened his drink. 

The can must have been shaken violently, because it unleashed a geyser of soda from it. The small can was like a volcano, and Ryuji’s hand was about to become Pompeii, and so on reflex, the young man tossed the soda can away. 

None of the sugary sweet nectar touched his hand. A lot of it hit Naoto’s clothes, splashing against the woman’s white shirt as she shivered from the sudden chill. 

Ryuji watched as his drink fell to the ground, and Naoto’s shirt dripped soda down her body. Her eyes widened as Ann’s hand smacked Ryuji’s head.

“Ryuji, you jerk! What did you do?!”

“H-hey! This isn’t my fault! Someone must have shaken the damn can!” Ryuji scowled as he glared at Ann, before looking at Naoto. “Hey, I’m really sorry, Naoto. Let me… me… me…” Ryuji’s words broke in that instance. He said nothing as he stared at the detective, who blushed as she waved her hand in the air.

“It’s quite alright, Ryuji. Accidents happen, I-”

“N-Naoto! Cover yourself!” Rise shouted, taking off her jacket and handing it to the woman.

“What?” Naoto blinked, before glancing down at her now see-through shirt. Her dark bra was clear as day through the fabric, revealing their struggle to contain Naoto’s bosom. The blue-haired woman blinked, jaw dropping as her cheeks went from pink to a vibrant red. 

“Ryuji, don’t look!”

‘I-I wasn’t!” Ryuji squeaked, eyes shooting to the sky. “I am so sorry!”

Rise was about to throw her jacket onto Naoto when she caught Kanji’s eyes. He was staring, no doubt where, and something in Rise… cracked. She scowled for a second. 

She wasn’t mad. A pair of huge tits just appear before him, ones belonging to his former crush to boot. What guy wouldn’t look for at least a second? It’d take a will of iron not to look, and Kanji only stared for half a second before he was taking off his leather jacket and tossing it onto Naoto to hide her body.

Rise wasn’t mad. She wasn’t mad at Naoto, or Kanji, or Ryuji, or anyone. 

But she was jealous. She was very, very jealous to see her boyfriend looking at any other girl’s rack. And she would mount a counter attack once the immediate problem was solved. 

“Ann, Shiho, can you come with me? Let’s go get Naoto some new clothes inside!” Rise suggested, gently turning Naoto towards Junes. 

“I-I’m fine,” the detective muttered, only to be silenced by the idol.

“You’re fine flashing half of Inaba? Come on, let’s go, missy!”

“Ah! R-Rise-chan, stop pushing!” 

The girls let Ryuji and Kanji behind, and the two men stared at one another as the former’s soda can lay on the ground. The younger of the two popped his lips, nodding his blushing face. 

“Do you think they’re mad at-?”

“Ann is.”

“Ah… Great.”

---

Naoto was practically pushed into a changing room by her closest female friend. She stood inside the small room, taking off her wet and stained clothing. She was left to wait there as Ann, Shiho, and Rise walked away to grab her clothes to wear. 

There was a slight inkling of fear in the back of Naoto’s mind, but she brushed it off. Rise was her friend. She wouldn’t use this moment to… to do anything immature. She wouldn’t use this moment to tease the young detective.

Certainly not.

Meanwhile, outside the changing room, Rise had just finished explaining her plan to Ann and Shiho. The two looked at one another, clearly hesitant.

“A-are you sure, Rise-san?” Shiho inquired.

“Totally! Trust me, Naoto will thank us for this later.”

“Well, if Risette’s says it's okay, I’m in!” Ann grinned. “It’s just a harmless prank, right?”

Shiho sighed, but she knew she was outvoted. She put on a smile and nodded her head, following along Rise’s plans. 

The three quickly scoured the clothes section of Junes, and they soon returned to Naoto, handing her the clothes they found… fitting for her. 

When the blue-haired woman looked at the clothes given to her, they were anything but.

“Rise. Rise, no. I am not wearing this!” cried Naoto, shoving the clothes back into Rise’s arms.

“Why not? You’ll look super cute in it, and we’re all wearing matching outfits!” whined Rise, pushing the clothes back to Naoto.

“Rise, it’s pink!”

“You’ll look great in it!” 

“Rise-!”

“And the clothes are already paid for by yours truly.” Rise beamed, knowing she had her friend right where she wanted her.

“I… Fine.” Rise smiled, leaning against the door to Naoto’s changing room, only to hear a soft groan. 

“What’s wrong?”

“T-the shirt is a little… a little tight around my… my chest,” Naoto muttered, and Rise blushed, blinking slowly as she comprehended that image.

---

After helping Naoto with her particular problem, Rise watched Ann step into another changing room. Rise was about to enter her own room when she noticed Shiho standing back, her body pressed into itself, until she was a small little stick. She looked at the clothes in her hand, hesitation clearly in her eyes.

Hesitation and… something more, Rise realized, and she walked closer to Shiho.

“Hey, Shiho… You okay?”

“Huh? O-oh. Yes. I’m alright. Sorry, just… thinking,” she sighed. Rise placed a hand on the woman’s back, and she gave a sympathetic smile.

“Are you sure? You seem upset… If you don’t want to wear the outfit, you don’t have to. I just wanted to have some fun, but if you’re not comfortable…”

“I’m sorry. I-I’m sorry,” Shiho sighed, closing her eyes as her fingers dug into the clothing in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she hissed, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes as Rise’s eyes widened. She embraced Shiho, squeezing her gently.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Talk to me. Whatever’s wrong, I want to help…”

“It’s nothing.” A clear lie as Shiho fought back tears. “I’m sorry, it’s just… t-there was a guy l-last year.”

Rise recognized that tone. This was more than a man. To Shiho, this was a monster. She squeezed the younger woman, holding her close. “H-he used to talk to me about how I dressed. How… I looked slutty,” the young girl’s voice was quiet, almost silent as Rise hugged her. 

“Oh, Shiho… I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Rise didn’t know the details, but she didn’t need to. She saw what Shiho was feeling, and she saw how much weight Shiho was carrying on her shoulders. 

“You don’t have to wear the clothes. I-”

“Part of me wants to,” she whispered, her voice heavy with melancholy. “But part of me is… is scared. What if he was right? What if-?”

“Hey. Nothing you do with your life now justifies how that jerk treated you.” Rise could only stare through the keyhole into Shiho’s past, but her words still rang true for Shiho as the younger girl leaned her body against the idol.

Rise gave her a tight embrace, squeezing and smiling at her. Were it not for the memories of her past, Shiho would have probably lost it. Getting hugged and comforted by her childhood idol…? 

It was like a dream…

“He sounds like… like a terrible person, Shiho, and I’m sorry he hurt you. I really am, but nothing in your life now is a reflection of him. Nothing you do with your life will ever justify what he did to you. It’s your life to live. Your life to do with as you want. You should feel happy, and free. If you want to wear sexy clothes, then you can. If you don’t want to, then don’t. Your happiness is what’s important here…”

Rise’s kind, warm voice was just like her embrace. Encompassing and comforting. Shiho closed her eyes, wiping her tears away as she took a long, shaky breath.

“M-Maybe I’ll show a little less skin than you and Ann…”

Rise giggled in response, squeezing Shiho one more time as she nodded her head. “Fine by me.”

---

As the four girls played dress up, others of their large group had their own fun. Futaba walked with Haru, Hifumi, Nanako, Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke, inspecting more wares of the large farmer’s market. 

The orange-haired girl gasped as she found something that caught her eyes, and she ran towards a large man in a suit as Yukiko blinked. Nanako ran right after Futaba, sticking by her side as they looked at the furry suit.

“Whoa! So cute!” Futaba laughed, poking the Futaba-sized bear. “Look at this outfit! It’s like some kind of clown bear!” 

“It’s better than just a bear!” Nanako beamed. “This is-!”

“Teddie?” Yukiko gasped, seeing the familiar bear. 

“Not exactly,” Yosuke explained. “It was something some of the other workers suggested actually. I asked for Kanji’s help with it, but-”

“Hey, move out of the way!  You mind? You’re a bit older than my target demographic,” a woman’s voice groaned within the suit. “Beat it!” she ordered the two. 

“Hey! I’m way better than your target demographic!” Futaba growled, watching the bear waddled off, balloons in hand to better entertain a few tiny children. “What a jerky bear…”

“She’s nowhere near as nice as the real Teddie,” Nanako frowned. “Suit’s not nearly as good either,” she huffed, crossing her arms as she thought about how she wasn’t too old for Teddie. She’d never be too old for one of her closest friends!

“There, there. I’m sure they’re just tired from a long day’s work,” Haru comforted, patting Futaba and Nanako’s backs. “Entertaining children for so long can’t be easy.”

“I’m a children! I want to be entertained,” the bespectacled girl pouted. 

“What are these things?” Hifumi walked past the two and looked at the table’s wares, finding various items all bearing the same face or symbol. “Is this little bear thing famous here or something?” she asked, holding up a spoon with the bear’s face on the end of it.

“Yeah, sort of,” Chie chuckled. “He’s… uh… His name’s Teddie. He’s sort of the mascot here at the local Junes.”

“Teddie’s awesome! He helped save the world with my big brother and his friends!” Nanako beamed, and Hifumi chuckled at the girl’s active imagination. 

Meanwhile Yukiko, Yosuke, and Chie were quietly sweating bullets. 

“He’s a friend of ours when we were your age,” Yukiko explained quickly. “P-part of a group we were all in. He used to work at Junes all the time with Yosuke, but… this is the first time I’ve seen all this merchandise,” she commented, looking at a stuffed animal of the bear.

“Yeah. We thought it’d be a great way of earning some extra cash. This is the first week of actually showing it off,” Yosuke explained. “Teddie Merch!” he proudly declared.

“So… What is he? Like a bear or something?” Futaba asked, picking up a stuffed toy replica of the large suit. 

“Or something,” Chie nervously replied, averting her eyes as Haru looked at a box colored like the bright red and blue bear.

“I can see why he’s so popular. He’s absolutely adorable.”

“Just don’t let him hear you say that,” Chie quietly muttered. “It’d go straight to his big, fat head.”

“Yosuke, does Teddie know about all of this merchandise you’re selling?” Yukiko inquired, raising her brow as Yosuke looked away.

“No…”

“Yosuke!” Nanako pouted. “That’s not fair! You can’t use his likeness without his express permission! That’s illegal, and Big Sis could arrest you for that!” 

“E-easy, Nanako!” Yosuke couldn’t take seeing Nanako’s disapproving stare on him. It was like a million knives being thrown at him. “I promise I’ll tell him as soon as he gets back. I-I’ll pay him in topsicles!” 

“That doesn’t seem like a good legal contract,” Hifumi commented.

“Trust us. He’d probably like that more than money,” Chie retorted with a sigh. Hifumi raised her brow, but shrugged as Futaba picked up a Teddie doll. 

“So where does the suit come from? I mean, is that what Teddie looks like?”

“Here, maybe this will answer your questions.” Yukiko took her phone and handed it to the three girls, and they stared at the bizarre photo. 

It was of Yu’s group happily standing together, smiling at the camera with wide, eager grins… and a bizarre bear suit standing amongst them, small arms raised to the sky.

“Uh, no. That just raised more questions,” Hifumi commented, tilting her head.

“Oooh! I get it,” Futaba smiled. “He’s a furry.”

Yukiko, Chie, and Yosuke shared a glance with one another, before Yosuke scratched the back of his head. “Er… Yeah, sure.”

“Man. So weird… But hey, I guess if he’s happy, good for him,” Futaba commented. “Weird fursona too.”

“What’s a furry?” Haru inquired, only for Futaba to pat the older woman on the head.

“Oh, Big Sis Haru. So innocent.”

Nanako just sighed, deciding perhaps that Futaba’s answer would have to do for now. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder how her furry friend was doing now…

---

“Waah! This is not how you should treat a bear as soft as me!” Teddie shouted as he was held in the air with a long rope tied around his body. 

“Hold him still, Mara,” the Succubus ordered, holding a bat in her hands. “I’m going to see if this pinata has candy in it!” 

“Ahh! No, no, no, no!” Teddie screamed as Mara pulled on the rope, lifting Teddie a little higher up.

“I’m so glad I have eyes to watch this,” the Angel grinned, staring at the scene with her empty eye holes. Pixie just groaned, clearly avoiding even looking at her friend.

---

Eventually the group began to regroup. Futaba stood out in their large group, holding a Teddie stuffed animal toy Haru had bought for her. She looked it over with a smile, finding the bear cute if nothing else. 

The orange-haired woman didn’t catch Chie and Yukiko whispering about how it was easier to like Teddie if you just knew him for his cute appearance. 

“Thank you so much, Haru!” Futaba beamed, smiling at Haru as the older woman smiled. 

“No problem, Futaba. You deserve a souvenir for this trip.” Haru replied, smiling back and giving her diminutive friend a pat on the head. 

Their group soon found Kanji and Ryuji, smiling at the two men. “Yo,” Yosuke greeted. “Where are the girls at? Thought they were with you.”

“They were, till Ryuji spilled his drink all over Naoto. Last I saw, they went off to go help Naoto find a change of clothes,” Kanji explained. 

“You spilled your drink on Naoto? I wonder if Makoto would be upset for you insulting her idol like that,” Hifumi chuckled, glancing at Ryuji, who blushed at the comment.

“I didn’t mean to! You girls are totally overblowing this! It was just some soda on her! K-kind of made her shirt see through, which was kind of awesome, but I didn’t know that would-”

“What’s this about my girlfriend?” a familiar voice asked, and Ryuji let out a loud scream as he jumped, almost falling over as Yu popped up behind the blond. 

“W-where the eff did you come from?!” 

“I was around.” Yu glanced at Kanji, and the giant of a man felt a shiver of fear running down his body. “Kanji, what happened to Naoto?” Yu’s calm voice only sent another shiver down Kanji as he muttered an answer.

“Uh… R-Ryuji spilled soda on her shirt. It got all wet…”

It didn’t take Yu long for him to remember that his girlfriend was wearing a white shirt. He frowned as he turned his eyes back to Ryuji, and Ren chuckled as he and Makoto walked over, Sae following behind them.

“Hey, are we in time for Ryuji’s execution? Oh, we should probably wait for Ann. She’d definitely want to see this,” the man joked. 

Ryuji glared at his best friend, before his and the others’ attention was diverted by a small commotion. They all turned their heads, and it was like something right out of a movie. Four beautiful angels walked forward, catching the attention of everyone as their light shined down upon the common man.

Rise led the four, wearing a pink and white ensemble that matched her perfectly. Her short skirt showed off just the right amount of her legs, and her top made sure to expose her midriff, showing off her dancer physique as she greeted her adoring fans. 

Her pink top clung to her body, accenting her chest, and while she wasn’t the largest, she moved with such confidence and grace that many men were swept away by her beauty. She blew a kiss to the ground, making some men, and even a few women, cheer at the idol that called Inaba home.

Kanji saw this, and while he found himself staring at Rise as her long hair swayed behind her, he couldn’t but… but frown, just a bit. He was jealous. Why the hell were people looking at his girlfriend? His girl… 

But holy hell… His girl looked amazing. She swayed her hips as she walked towards him, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“Hey,” she greeted, and without another word, she kissed her boyfriend, letting him taste her strawberry flavored lips as his eyes widened and his arms wrapped tightly around her figure. 

Ann moved with similar grace and confidence as Rise. She was a model after all, and this was just another runway to her. She walked forward, smiling as her hips swayed in the tight jeans around her legs. 

Her clothes showed less skin than Rise, but it also gave off a healthy view of her cleavage, something Ann was always pretty proud of. She smiled as people admired her body, and she winked at the crowd, before she moved her body towards Ryuji.

She showed off her new crimson tank top to him, beaming as her hand motioned to the single word written on the shirt in bold, black letters. 

‘Panther.’ 

“What do you think, Ryuji? Pretty amazing, huh?”

Ryuji stared at her… and shrugged, turning his eyes away from her. “Eh. I guess it’s alright.”

“W-what?! You guess?” Ann frowned, before she rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Why do I even bother with you…?”

Then there was Shiho, and she was possibly the shyest of the group. She wore a white and dark blue ensemble, with a navy colored shirt on her body, unbuttoned just enough to show off her fair skin and just tease the sight of her cleavage. 

That little bit of exposure was enough for her, apparently, because her blue skirt clearly had white stockings under it, squeezed tight against her slender legs. She wore her simple outfit well, pulling subtly on the white vest she wore.

She might not have had the raw sex appeal the others had, but she was a beautiful young woman, a fact that even she was beginning to realize. Despite so many eyes on her, she smiled, blushing slightly at the attention.

Ann flashed a smile to her best friend. The blond gave Shiho a thumbs up as Naoto walked past the two and stood before her boyfriend, a scowl on her rosy face.

Yu… Yu was experiencing a blood shortage problem for his brain. He blushed as he looked at Naoto, who avoided his eyes as she stared at the ground.

“T-this was not my idea,” she mumbled, kicking at the ground as Yu gulped.

The silver-haired man stared at Naoto, gawking at her beautiful appearance. She was stuck wearing a light blue blouse that really didn’t cover her body that well, especially her tits. Her breasts fought against the buttons holding her as she pulled on the clothes, trying to make them cover her exposed belly. 

Her skirt was a similar shade of blue, but with pink stripes that Naoto loathed intensely. Her own legs were covered in dark, black stockings, accenting them as she finally looked up at Yu.

“S-Senpai, please, s-stop staring,” she mumbled, blushing as he fought to control his wayward eyes. He kept looking at her breasts, a fact that Naoto clearly noticed. 

“S-sorry. You’re just… r-really gorgeous.”

The woman gulped, hugging herself and rubbing her thighs together as she felt… hot. Her Senpai’s eyes on her. His thoughts sinful and hungry for her. Could this get any worse?

That was when one of her buttons popped, bouncing against Yu’s body, and exposed her skin. The button was followed by two more of his comrades, falling to the ground, revealing her pale, flawless skin to his silver eyes.

Naoto swore vengeance on Rise, as Yu’s nose began to bleed slightly. 

“Poor man,” Ren chuckled as Makoto and Sae cringed at the humiliation of their idol. The raven-haired boy continued to find amusement of the situation, before he realized something.

“Hey, where’s Yusuke?”

“Who cares where Inari is?” Futaba replied, but as if a magic spell had been cast, the blue-haired artist began to approach the group, holding something in his hand. “Oh, hey Yusuke, we were looking for yo-oooh! Whoa. W-what happened?”

“What?” Yusuke blinked, clearly perplexed by his friend’s confusion.

Futaba blinked, before looking at the ‘thing’ in Yusuke’s hands, and ‘thing’ was right. It was like something out of a horror movie. A monster of a hundred, trillion limbs with a hundred eyes and a thousand mouths.

Perhaps an exaggeration, but not by much.

“Dude, what the hell?” Ryuji shuddered.

“Holy freaking crap,” Kanji mumbled. 

“What?” Yusuke repeated.

“What the hell did you do to Teddie?!” Yosuke shouted.

“Hm? You mean my next project? I found myself fascinated by the design of this creature, but it was clear to me that it needed some changes to be as aesthetically pleasing as I believe it could be.” 

He held his Teddie doll up, revealing the many limbs and eyes he had stitched or glued onto the toy. The beast was like a monster, with cotton sticking out from the various pieces all forced together. It was almost impossible to see the original Teddie doll Yusuke had purchased.

“It took several purchases for spare parts, but I believe I am almost ready.” Yusuke glanced at Futaba’s own doll, and smiled. “Ah, Futaba, may I-?”

“Stay away from me, you monster! I won’t let you hurt him like you hurt my Feathermen!” 

---

After the commotion at the market, the group decided to explore the streets of the small town. It wasn’t easy moving as one unit, but they made due for now, following after one another as Yu led the group with Naoto by his side.

Despite the woman’s frustrations and shame regarding her attire, she still wore the outfit. She played it off as if it would have simply been too much effort to go back into Junes, but honestly? Some small part of her liked having Yu’s eyes on her like this…

She would catch him staring at her breasts and legs, and even her ass. He’d stare at her with a mix of awe, love, and fear, as if what she made him feel was almost too much for him to withstand.

It was nice… and it was something that Shiho could almost understand, because the young woman kept looking at Kanji, silently wondering if he would like how she looked now. 

Did he think she was pretty? Did he think she was sexy? Did he think she was… cute? Shiho smiled at those questions, but she couldn’t help but feel an inkling of fear.

Did he think she was a slut for dressing like this?

Rise seemed to read Shiho’s mind, glancing at her, before she pulled on Kanji’s arm. “So, Kanji, how do I look?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… g-good. Y’know, you look… good.”

“Aw, Kanji! You’re so sweet!” Rise laughed, beaming with pride. “And what about Shiho?”

“Huh? What about her?” he asked, trying to keep his voice down as said girl followed behind Rise and him.

“How does she look, Kanji? It’s okay, you know I won’t be upset at anything you say. I want you to be honest,” Rise requested, slowing down her pace so she and Shiho were side by side. The younger girl blinked, before blushing as Rise embraced her, posing with her as Kanji looked them over. “Isn’t she idol material?”

Shiho’s eyes widened at that comment. Her? An idol? No, that wasn’t possible. Not her. She couldn’t imagine anyone thinking she was pretty as Risette…

“I-I mean, y-yeah. I could see her being an idol,” Kanji muttered. He looked away as his cheeks turned a rosy red, and Shiho felt a rush through her body.

It felt… nice to be seen as pretty. By a real man, like Kanji. By someone as good and kind and sweet as him. It felt good. It felt right. 

Shiho found herself overcome with her blush. It covered her ears, neck, and cheeks as she stared at the ground. Just imagining Kanji’s eyes on her was enough to overwhelm her as the man blushed. 

Rise smiled though. She knew what the younger girl was thinking, and she truly hoped that Kanji and her could help…

Meanwhile, Chie was glaring at Yosuke’s, who’s eyes were clearly on things other than her. Specifically the very pretty Rise, Ann, Shiho, and Naoto. The young officer scowled, staring at her boyfriend’s wandering eyes…

She walked behind him, watching him like a hawk as he spoke to Haru, and Chie’s insecurities plagued her mind once more. Her eyes darted between the two as they laughed at some joke Yosuke made. 

Haru was younger and prettier. Did Yosuke want to upgrade? Drop her for a younger, prettier, girlier girl? Did Yosuke want a woman with bigger breasts?

Well, screw him! H-he could go to hell…

Yosuke suddenly came to a stop and Chie walked right into his back, nearly falling over. She groaned, and she was ready to cuss at her so-called boyfriend, when a familiar voice greeted the group.

“Hey, uncle!” Yu shouted as Chie’s blood ran cold. 

Dojima, her boss, walked over to the group with a smile on his face. Beside him was a woman Chie was only vaguely familiar with. Eri Minami was yet another friend of Yu Narukami’s, and she walked beside Dojima as the two approached Chie and the others.

Naoto was currently hiding behind her boyfriend, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. No doubt she was trying to hide her outfit...

“Who’s this?” Ren asked, raising his brow. 

“Name’s Ryotaro Dojima. I’m Yu’s uncle.”

“Eri Minami. Nice to meet you all,” the woman smiled. “My, Yu, you certainly have a gift for making friends. It must be that kind soul of yours,” she giggled, looking at the small crowd of teenagers and young adults. 

“Something like that,” the silverette replied, as Nanako ran past him to embrace her father. “But what are you two doing together? People will talk, you know,” he teased, chuckling as Dojima shook his head.

“Very funny. Eri here was just looking for advice on what to do with Yuuta.”

“He’s getting to that age where he clearly knows what dating is… and unfortunately, he’s actively pursuing it,” Eri sighed. “I’ve caught him flirting with girls his age, or even older.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. He used to be so innocent,” Yu sighed, giving Eri a sympathetic smile. 

“I’m sorry to say that I don’t have much advice to give, Eri,” Dojima replied. “Nanako here isn’t even allowed to date until she’s twenty one.”

“Dad,” Nanako sighed, rubbing her cheek against her dad’s chest.

“Alright, alright. Twenty two.”

“Dad!” 

“Who are your friends, anyways? Seems like every time I’m looking at you, you’ve added to your collection,” Dojima commented.

Ren chuckled, catching a familiar vibe from the old man as he introduced himself. “I’m Ren. My friends and I were just hanging out with Yu’s group. He wanted to show us around, and we were happy to come along.”

“We hope we aren’t imposing on your nephew,” Makoto added, bowing her head.

“Oh, it’s quite alright,” Dojima chuckled. “Yu has always been a helpful sort. Just as long as you’re all staying out of trouble.” His eyes zoomed in on Ryuji, and the blond frowned as Dojima gave him a bit of the ‘evil eye.’ “And make sure you stay away from any rude boys, alright, Nanako?”

“I know, dad,” she sighed, pulling out of his arms with rosy cheeks.

“Alright, alright. Just remember. I’m a cop, and I know how to make it look like an accident.” Dojima was clearly joking, yet he eyed the group all the same, watching the blue-haired Yusuke closely before smiling. “And Chie, how are you?”

“Huh?” Chie froze up, before she stood up straight, doing her best to look imposing and brave before her superior officer. “Good! I-I’m good, sir! D-don’t mind me!”

Dojima chuckled in response. “Calm down, Chie. You’re free to spend your day off however you want. I’m just asking as a friend, not your boss.”

“Oh. R-right. I’m okay,” Chie sighed, trying not to look at her smirking boyfriend. 

“Good. Though, that said, when you come back into the office tomorrow, we need to talk about some muggings. Nothing serious thankfully, and no injuries, but we need to start on it first thing tomorrow.”

“Muggings?” Hifumi repeated. 

“Should we be worried?” Makoto inquired.

“No, no. He’s just one man, and he hasn’t even been seen for the last couple of days. Perfectly logical he left town, but I still want to let my best officer know.” Chie beamed at that last comment… She wouldn’t lie.

“Y-yes, sir! No problem!”

“Good. I’m glad. Well, we don’t want to keep you kids, so why don’t you all keep going? Have fun in Inaba. It’s an amazing little town, with quite the police force protecting it,” he added, glancing at Chie, who blushed slightly. 

“Yes, sir! Best police force in the world, sir!”

“Calm down, Chie,” Dojima smiled, before he bid the group farewell.

“Eri, I’ll come by later to check Yuuta. Maybe I can help him deal with his raging hormones.” said Yu to the older woman. Eri smiled in relief.

“Would you? Thank you so much, Yu! What a relief. I’m sure you’ll be able to help him calm down… I just don’t want him to grow up to be a pervert or anything...”

“Yeah. Don’t want two of those,” Chie huffed, glancing at her boyfriend. He noticed her, raising his brow. 

“What?” Yosuke’s question fell on deaf ears as Dojima and Eri began to walk away, leaving the group. 

Naoto breathed out a size of relief, stepping out from behind her boyfriend with a sigh. She was relieved that her colleague didn’t see her like this. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if-

It was at that moment one of the buttons on her shirt popped off again, falling onto the ground. Naoto squeaked, blushing as she quickly jumped behind Yu, hiding herself as her face was consumed by more scarlet shame.

“Damn it, Rise…”

---

Despite the fun they were having, it was eventually agreed that it would be better if they split up, even if it was only for a bit. The group soon went their separate ways, few of them actually having a plan, and Ryuji began to frown as he realized he had accidentally followed Ann to the lucky shrine in the park.

He glared at her and she glared back as the two stood in the entrance to the small park. Neither said anything as they both looked down the path.

“So… Ren told you about the lucky shrine inside too, huh?” Ryuji asked. 

“Actually, Rise told me.”

“Gotcha… So, what exactly do you need the luck for?” 

“None of your business. What about you?”

“Who doesn’t like good luck? Besides, I heard another local say this place grants wishes, and I’d love that.”

“Course you would,” Ann huffed, rolling her eyes as she started walking. Ryuji followed behind her, walking with her until the two saw something bright in the middle of the small park. “Whoa, no way…”

“I-I heard it was a shrine, but I wasn’t expecting the whole place to look like heaven or something!” 

The shrine was completely golden, as if it was made and molded from the stuff. It shone in the light of the sun as the two walked under the golden torii gate leading to the shrine. Ryuji brushed his hand against the golden substance, feeling how cold it was as Ann struggled to pick her jaw up from the floor. 

“T-this is amazing!”

“How the hell is this place even like this?! I-I mean… This is gold! Freakin’ gold!”

The two came to a stop as they found where they were supposed to make their wish, yet neither seemed sure of how they would go about it. Ann blinked, still taking in the shimmering scenery as Ryuji looked around.

“Wish there was a monk or priest or something to tell me my wish got through.” Ann was about to retort, no doubt ready to make fun of her friend, when she heard a soft growl.

Her eyes widened as she and Ryuji turned around, finding a strange fox glaring at them from where she stood. The fox’s orange fur was bright, but there were unmistakable grey hairs beginning to sprout all over the fox’s body. 

There was also a large, sharp scar on her face as well, like something out of a warrior’s own skin. Finally, the fox had a noticeable apron on its body, so small it actually worked well for the beast. 

The fox looked at them, clearly growling at the two as they stared at it. The two looked at one another, before looking back at the fox.

“W-what do we do?” Ann asked.

“It’s just a fox. Maybe we can just scare it away?” Ryuji suggested. He looked at the fox and shouted, “Hey! Go away!” 

The fox dashed a few feet closer closer, and both Ann and Ryuji took a step back. The fox made another growl, and the two stepped back until their bodies bumped into the shrine. 

“Look, there’s just one of him and two of us.”

“But what if it has rabies?” Ann shot back. “Look, I’ll just call the others and-”

She started reaching for her phone, only to stop. The young woman, like Ryuji, was a Phantom Thief. They had lived lives of danger, facing monsters and demons and horrible villains. 

While Ann was happy to embrace a normal life, there was something else in her now, born from her time as a warrior. A sense of her surroundings, a feeling in her bones connected to her health and safety. 

Months of fighting monsters had just prepared her for it, and when she heard a quiet thud behind her, she looked around, catching movement out of the corner of her eye. 

“Ryuji, look out!” she screamed, grabbing her friend’s arm and pulling him closer, away from a man sneaking up on them.

The man wore a ski mask to hide his face, and dark clothes all over his body, but what was clear as the afternoon sun was the knife in his hand. Ryuji’s eyes widened as the fox moved forward, standing between the couple and the man.

“Huh? Whoa! W-who the hell are you?!” Ryuji stumbled back, before he blushed as he felt his arm bump into something soft. That was definitely Ann’s boob. He tried not to think about it as he and Ann stared at their attacker.

“Look, just give me your money, and you won’t get hurt!” the masked man ordered, glaring at the two as he held up his knife. 

The fox stood between the two and him, growling and snapping its jaws. It lunged forward biting into the man’s leg, and he let out a loud scream. He kicked at the fox, and the fox was knocked onto the ground, whimpering from the blow.

“Ah, fuck!” the man growled, glaring at the fox as Ryuji ran forward. 

“Now’s our chance!” Ann’s eyes widened as Ryuji ran forward, and he swung his fist forward, decking the man. The man didn’t go down, though. He was a big fellow, almost as big as Kanji, and he stood his ground as he tried kicking Ryuji away.

The man’s foot connected with Ryuji’s gut and he fell back. “Punk kid!” He stabbed at the air, barely missing Ryuji. The young man’s sleeve was cut, and Ann could see the barest hint of blood.

She was a Phantom Thief, after all. With or without a Persona, she swore an oath to help people, punish evil, and to protect her teammates. Ann’s hand grabbed the man’s knife, and Ryuji quickly kicked the man’s knee. 

The man fell to his knees, and Ann twisted his hand, making him drop the knife. She then delivered the finishing blow, slamming her knee into his face. She might have underestimated her own strength, because there was a crack as the man’s nose was broken, and blood gushed from his nostrils.

“Ahhh!” 

The man fell to the ground as Ann and Ryuji stood over him. They were panting, shaking as they looked down at the man. He groaned in pain, holding his bent nose. The fox walked forward, growling at the fallen mugger.

“Y-you okay?” Ryuji questioned.

“Y-yeah. I-Ryuji, your arm!” 

“Huh?”

The two looked at Ryuji’s sleeve, and the cut under his jacket. He was bleeding, and Ann grabbed at his arm. “We should get you to a hospital or something!”

“It’s just a cut. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re bleeding, you idiot!” 

“Yip.” The two looked at the scarred fox between them. With the man on the ground and bleeding, the fox seemed much friendlier. She stared at the two, before running off, leaving the two to watch over the mugger.

The fox returned in less than a minute, and it held a leaf in her mouth. She dropped the large leaf at Ryuji’s feet, and began to rub her snout with a paw. 

“Are… are you telling me to rub the leaf on the wound?” 

“Ryuji, it’s a fox. Not a doctor,” Ann sighed. 

“But look! That’s totally when she’s saying!” Ann raised her brow as Ryuji picked up the large leaf. The fox rubbed her snout again, and Ryuji looked at the girl. “I’m going for it.”

“Ryuji, it is a leaf in the middle of the wild! You’re gonna get it infected, stupid!” 

The fox ‘yipped’ again, as if to argue with the young woman. Ann watched with concerned eyes as Ryuji rolled up his sleeve and pressed the leaf against his arm. He felt a slight sting, before he lifted up the leaf. 

To his shock, the cut was gone, leaving behind only a slight stain of blood. “Whoa… What the hell?! Is this fox magic or something?!” 

“Yip,” the fox replied, as if saying ‘or something.’

---

Ryuji and Ann watched as Naoto and Chie took care of the mugger. The young officer called in a couple of other cops to drag the injured man away, while Yu, Futaba, and Haru talked to the Fox. 

“Thanks for helping my friends,” Yu smiled, as Futaba played with the fox, grabbing at her paws like she was a toy. 

“Hey, Haru! What does the Fox say?!” 

“I don’t know, Futaba. What does it say?” Futaba sighed at her ‘big sister’s’ lack of memes as the Fox turned her head to Yu. 

“Yip.”

“Wait, what about me having to pay you back for healing services? I haven’t asked you for healing in years!”

“Yip.”

“Well, then ask Ryuji to pay you back,” Yu sighed. 

“Yip.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll pay you back…”

Ryuji and Ann, meanwhile, watched the mugger being taken away with smiles on their faces. The beautiful girl sighed, rubbing her head. 

“Man, can we get a break?”

“Once a Phantom Thief, always, I guess,” Ryuji grinned.

“You sound almost happy about that.”

“Hey, who doesn’t love being a hero?” Ann felt her cheeks warm slightly as she stared at her friend, before she sighed and looked away. 

“You were pretty brave back there. Stupid, but brave.”

“Thanks, I guess…” Ryuji avoided her eyes, his foot twitching against the ground as he took in a deep breath. “Thanks, by the way. For helping me take that guy down.”

“Like I was going to let you fight him alone.” Ann glanced at the shrine the two were standing by. “Want to make our wishes?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, nodding his head as he and Ann stepped forward. They shared a glance with one another, before looking back at the shrine. They closed their eyes and quietly began to make their wish as Yosuke watched his girlfriend arrest the mugger.

“Good work. Glad you finally caught that guy,” he complimented, but Chie didn’t bother turning to look at him. She kept her eyes straight, and it didn’t take a genius to realize Chie was ignoring her boyfriend. “Did… I do something wrong?” 

“I don’t know. Why don’t you go ask Haru and her little friends?”

“Huh?” 

“That sounded a lot more clever in my head,” Chie muttered, sighing as Yosuke crossed his arms.

“Chie, talk to me. What’s going on? What’d I do now?”

“N-nothing,” she replied, avoiding his stare. 

“Chie.”

The young woman scowled as Yosuke interrogated her. She was a police officer. Shouldn’t she be the one interrogating him? Shouldn’t she be better at not crumbling under his stare?

Damn it. Years ago, she never would have thought that Yosuke could get her to crack like this, but maybe that’s what being in love was. Crumbling under the other person’s stare.

“Chie,” he repeated, and she huffed.

“I heard you!” 

“Are you mad at Haru or something?”

“No. Yes… No!” she sighed. “I don’t know…” She kicked at the dirt, glancing around to make sure no one was listening to them. “It’s just…” She eyed Ann, then moved her eyes to Naoto, then to Haru. She mumbled something under her breath, and Yosuke raised his brow.

“Chie…”

“Everyone’s so pretty. A-and they’ve got… You know,” she sighed, motioning to her chest. “And here I am-”

“Being a badass hottie?” Chie’s face lit up at the comment, and she swung her leg in a weak and clumsy kick.

“S-shut up…” Yosuke embraced his girlfriend, squeezing her as he kissed the top of her head.

“What? It’s true. Chie, you’re my girlfriend, and I love you. Nothing’s going to change that.”

“But Haru-”

“Just wanted to talk to me about supporting small businesses and local shops. We talked about sending stuff to Okumura Foods so she can have more locally made stuff.”

“Oh. T-that makes sense,” Chie muttered. She glanced at the ground, then at Yosuke. “So you don’t plan on leaving me for a younger girl?”

“Only if that younger girl was a younger version of you.”

“You jerk,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. She had a smile on her face, though, and she gave him a light kick to his leg. “Better not. I’ll fight me to the death for you.”

Yosuke laughed at his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her head. “Love ya, Chie.”

The girl’s face burned with embarrassment as she smiled, nuzzling against him. Her voice was quiet, but still very genuine as she uttered, “Love you too.”

---

“Man, this town is so quiet compared to Tokyo,” Morgana commented as he walked along the sidewalks of Inaba. 

His friends had all left to explore the small town, and Morgana had followed to have his own adventures. He walked around, listening to the quiet sounds of nature and the locales talking to one another. 

It was a nice town, but Morgana wasn’t sure if there was anything really for him. Then again, outside talking to his friends in Tokyo, what did Tokyo have to offer?

Really good sushi, for one.

Morgana licked his lips, wondering if Inaba had sushi half as good as the stuff in Tokyo. Where could he get some of that good-?

Uh oh.

Morgana came to a stop as he looked at a dog that had turned a corner. It stared at him, watching him as the black cat gulped.

“L-look, let’s not do this. I mean, it’s a cliche, right? We-”

The dog panted, a wide, happy grin on its face. He shot forward at Morgana, and the cat screech, turning and running away from the beast. Morgana took off running as the dog chased after him, beaming with joy as he followed this little black cat. 

Morgana ran and ran, until he wasn’t around any small shops or even many people. He found himself by a riverbed, still being chased by this stupid dog.

“Leave me alone! Why are you even chasing me?! Stupid mutt!” Morgana growled, before one of his paws tripped on the ground. The cat fell to the ground, rolling around, until he came to a stop. “Ow…”

The cat watched as the large dog loomed over him, his black fair eating the sunlight above. Morgana trembled, watching his dark eyes pierce right through Morgana’s very soul… 

“I-I’m warning you! I’m a Phantom Thief, and I-”

The dog licked Morgana’s face, leaving a long trail of saliva on his fur, before walking off, tail wagging back and forth. 

“I… What?” Morgana blinked, before sighing as he laid on the ground. 

“Well, what are you doing here, little one?” Morgana lifted his head up, and he saw a strange looking guy staring at the cat.

The man was fishing… at least, Morgana thought it was a guy. They were wearing a red, white and yellow jacket and with a similarly colored hat. It looked a lot like some kind of uniform, but Morgana couldn’t guess for what. 

The man was eating lunch, sitting on a nearby bench as a bento box sat on his lap. The man smiled, brushing some dark grey hair from his eyes as two scarlet orbs stared at him.

“Aren’t you a peculiar little creature,” the man commented, his voice rather light, almost feminine. 

Honestly, looking at him, maybe he was a she instead? Morgana was ready to just shrug it all off and walk away, when the androgynous man held up a piece of food with their chopsticks.

“Do you want some sushi?”

Or, maybe Morgana would make a new friend. 

The cat quickly scurried to the stranger, smiling as they offered the cat some of their delicious food. Morgana quickly scarfed it down, moaning at the delicious taste.

“Tuna! So good! Mmm!”

“I’m glad you like it,” the stranger smiled. “Here, you can have the rest. I have to admit, while I do like most human food, I’m not very big on tuna. I just keep trying after Narukami suggested it.”

Morgana wasn’t really listening, focusing on chewing up the delicious meal. The stranger smiled, and reached down to pet the cat’s back. 

“Mmm! Thanks so much for the food!” Morgana spoke through a mouthful of fish. “This is so yummy!”

“My pleasure, little one.”

Wow. 

It was almost like this person could actually understand Morgana. 

Ha, yeah right.

---

The group ended up debating how they wanted to end this perfect day. They talked about movies, about a big dinner at a restaurant, about so many options, but one thing ended up standing out from all the rest.

The beach.

And now, Naoto and Yu sat on the beach with their friends, listening to their laughter and cheers as they watched the sun set. 

“Do you remember when we came here, all those years ago?” he asked, sitting by her side.

“I do. We were so young. It feels so long ago,” Naoto replied, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“I love you.” 

He kissed her head, and she lifted her head up to stare into his eyes. She was blushing as he smiled at her. She glanced behind him, making sure their moment was still at least somewhat private, before she leaned forward to kiss his lips.

Yu was shocked to feel her play the dominant one this time. Her arms wrapped around him, her tongue licking his lips, her breasts pushed against his body. Yu embraced his lover, holding her tight as their tongues danced with one another. 

The kiss was intense, but it didn’t even last a minute as Naoto pulled away, saliva linking their mouths. She smiled as she stared into his eyes.

“I love you too. Now and forever.” 

Yu grinned, and he took off his jacket, handing it to Naoto to better cover her body. The clothes Rise had gotten her continued to fail to cover as much as Naoto would have liked, so she appreciated the gift, taking it from him.

“You looked really good by the way.” Her cheeks burned hot as she chuckled, 

“P-perhaps I’ll… I will, um…. I-I’ll wear this again. W-when it’s just us?” she muttered, staring into the ground as Yu blushed, feeling his blood rush downward. 

“Y-yeah. That’d be nice.” 

“Awww. That’s cute,” Futaba commented as she and Haru spied on the two. 

“It’s so beautiful. What an amazing love story!” Haru commented. 

“I wish someone would kiss me like that,” Futaba added, before glancing at Haru. She smiled, and Haru blinked as the shorter girl’s smile became something truly, truly evil. “Smooch! Smoochum, smoochum!”

“What? Futaba, I don’t-hey!” Haru blushed as Futaba tried wrapping her arms around Haru. Futaba puckered her lips, kissing the air as Haru giggled, running from her friend. 

“Smoochum, smoochum, Haru!”

“I-I don’t know what that means!” the older woman laughed, running from her friend as Futaba gave chase. 

The two laughed together as Ren shook his head, cooking dinner with Makoto by his side.

“They seem to have gotten closer,” he commented with a smile.

“Indeed. I’m glad to see it,” Makoto agreed, nodding her head. “Maybe that’s part of the magic of Inaba. Finding bonds with people, making them stronger… Whether it’s romantic or otherwise,” she commented, glancing at Yusuke and Hifumi.

The young man was drawing in his sketchbook again, drawing the beautiful sunset as Hifumi sat beside him watching. 

Neither Makoto or Ren knew what was going through their heads. They didn’t know how the two felt about one another. Maybe it was romantic. Maybe they were just friends, but there was no doubting that the two were close. 

They watched Ann and Ryuji, caught in yet another argument as they walked by the water, feeling the cool liquid wash over their feet. When the tide came closer, reaching up to their knees, Ann splashed the water, hitting Ryuji with some of it.

The man shouted in shock, before grinning, and mounting a counterattack. The two splashed one another, laughing as Ren and Makoto watched. 

“We have to come here again,” Ren commented, looking at his girlfriend.

“I’d like that. I mean, honestly, Inaba’s the kind of place I’d want to spend my retirement, honestly. Just a small town to rest in, to let the days go by…”

“With your handsome, devilish husband.”

“With my…?” Makoto blushed, and even Ren’s cheeks were a little red, but they were nowhere near the brunette’s. Her cheeks were burning as she looked at him, mouth hung open. “W-w-w-wha….?”

“Fish looks almost cooked. Yu’s pretty good at fishing. Almost as good as Miss Kawakami.” He inspected the fish over the hot fire, smiling.

Makoto didn’t reply, only blushing as Rise, Kanji, and Shiho sat nearby. “Gaah! I’m so cold,” Rise huffed. 

“M-me too,” Shiho shivered.

“Well, with outfits like those, what were you thinking was gonna happen?” Kanji asked, raising his brow, only to blush as Rise laid her head on his shoulder.

“Kanji, warm me up!” The idol glanced at the younger woman and she grinned. “Come on, Shiho! Cuddle up! There’s enough Kanji to share.”

“W-what?! N-no, I couldn’t-” Rise grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled, making Shiho fall against Kanji’s warm body. 

Shiho’s face was all red as she laid against him, feeling his hard muscles, yet warm, soft flesh. She trembled, feeling his body press against hers as she pulled away.

“I-I’m good!” she squeaked, feel her face burning hot with embarrassment. Rise giggled, as Kanji watched the dark-haired girl.

He said nothing as he took off his jacket and handed it to Shiho. He placed it on her himself when she didn’t take it, trying to wrap it around her body.

“Here. You can keep this. I got like a dozen of them back home.” 

Shiho said nothing, feeling the warm jacket hug her body like Kanji’s arms could. She blushed, biting her lower lip as she hugged herself with the jacket that was far too large for her.

“T-thank you.”

Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko chuckled at the sight, and Rise soon joined in as Kanji and Shiho blushed. The gentle giant just shrugged, pulling Rise closer against his body as the others had their laugh. Shiho didn’t mind. 

She had an awesome new jacket. 

“Lucky,” Ren muttered, before he glanced at their hovering security guard. Sae smiled at him, yet her red eyes watched him like a hawk. He would have loved the chance to have Makoto on him, kissing and holding him…

But he didn’t have a death wish. 

Makoto began handing out food as the others all joined together, sitting around the fire. The silver-haired man, the savior of Inaba, and leader of the Investigation Team grinned as he began to make a toast. 

“To friends,” Yu declared, holding up his drink.

“To hot boyfriends! Whooo!” Chie shouted, holding up her own drink. An alcoholic drink.

“What the? Chie, where did you get that?!” Yosuke growled.

“Yukiko and I bought some!” 

“To hot boyfriends!” Yukiko declared, beaming as her rosy face swayed slightly. “Wait… I don’t have a boyfriend, Chie!” 

“Too bad!” the brunette laughed. 

“Better stay away from that this time,” Yu commented to his blushing girlfriend. “Unless you want to make out with Rise again. I promise not to take as many pictures this time.” Naoto elbowed her boyfriend, blushing up a storm as he chuckled.

“To family!” Nanako beamed, holding up her soda. 

“To Inaba!” Ann cheered.

“To more adventures! Next time, you guys gotta come down to Tokyo! We’ll show you around!” Ryuji grinned. 

“To today! It was a great day,” Shiho beamed, snuggling into her new jacket.

“To tomorrow. May we always have each other,” Ren grinned, and his friends all cheered as they held their drinks up high.

Compared to the last dinner they had together, this was a much calmer, easier affair. The drunks were contained to just Yukiko and Chie, and any lewd or inappropriate suggestions they made were quickly shot down or controlled by the others.

The fish tasted good, the drinks were delicious, and life was good as Ren and Makoto rested their bodies against one another.

They were happy, but for them one thing would have made this already amazing night even better. If they could just have the chance to-

“Sae-san, can I ask you a question?” Nanako inquired, sitting beside the older woman.

“Oh? Of course.”

“I want to be just like you when I grow up! Can you tell me how I can grow up to be in law like you?” 

“Y-you do?” Sae asked, actually blushing at Nanako’s sweet nature. “I-I can certainly try. There are many pitfalls that I can help you avoid…”

“Really? Tell me all about it!” Nanako beamed. 

Ren smiled at the young girl’s sweet nature, before he noticed something else. Nanako had her back to him and Makoto, and she was motioning to the two. Nanako was motioning for them to move, to leave the group while Sae was distracted.

The others were preoccupied with their own conversations. Now was the best chance…

Ren almost laughed. Nanako was a shockingly observant and smart girl despite her young age. He had to make sure to thank her later… 

Without another word, Ren grabbed Makoto’s hand and pulled on it. The brunette blinked, blushing as she and Ren stood up and began to walk away. They left their friends behind for a moment, any who did see her clearly didn’t mind them leaving, and the happy couple snuck away to find somewhere private.

Ren and Makoto smiled at one another, both blushing as they walked on the soft sand together. Their hands were interlocked as they grinned, both feeling the rush of young, untamed love within them. 

As soon as they were far enough away, Makoto kissed her boyfriend, gently sucking on his bottom lip as his hand slid down her back, squeezing her butt. They kissed one another, tongues wrestling as they giggled and laughed with one another. 

“I love you,” she whispered, staring into his silver eyes.

“And I you. Someone seems a bit handsy. Was perhaps someone a little pent up today?” he teased, and she rolled her eyes as she kissed his cheek. 

“Maybe. I love Sae, but even I was getting tired of her watching us.”

“Remind me to thank Nanako for being a great wingman,” he laughed, as she gently pushed him down onto the sand. 

Their lips met once more as she laid on top of him, rubbing her body against his, letting her breasts rub against his chest. His hands continued to play with her butt, squeezing and rubbing it as she shuddered in his hands. 

And as Teddie walked home flat as a pancake, and Morgana took a nap in the lap of a goddess, the beautiful town of Inaba said goodnight to Makoto and Ren, hoping they would find their way back here again.