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-Marukyu Tofu Household: Rise's Room-
Rise Kujikawa looks at her Yasogami school uniform, smiling but nervous on the inside 'School huh...it’s been so long. I never thought I would go back, but life has its funny ways to throw me in for a loop...'
From what she's seen so far... school in Inaba seemed like a generally pleasant and welcoming experience. Her senpai seemed to be nice enough as it was.
She did find some of the teachers to be...odd when she was taking a tour of the school (namely the guy with the nasty teeth and the weird Egyptian woman), but otherwise? seems like a nice place to make a new start.
She was hopeful that she would make new friends at Yasoinaba and make fond memories. 'Even if that weird feeling of dread still lingers around me... I'm really confident that things will be okay, with my friends around.' she giggled.
Putting the uniform down, she helps her grandmother close shop as night approaches. She took care of the back door, taking out the trash beforehand.... before turning around after hearing an odd sound '...?' she raises an eyebrow and looks at the direction of the sound. It’s hard to see thanks to the fog, however. "...Hello?" she calls out "Anyone there...? Um…Shop is closed, come back tomorrow!"
There was no response to her words. Rise began to feel a little nervous. "Geez..." she cringed. 'My Senpai were right... Inaba is really creepy at night.'
She turns back and closes the door, locking it and covering the window. Rise then double checks the front gate to make sure her grandma closed it right. "Tight as it should be..." she mumbled, eyes quickly widening as she hears the same sound from outside that she heard on the back "...Sir, I said we're closed, come back tomorrow!" she called out a little...nervous.
Again, no response. 'Is... I-Is someone stalking me?' she wondered, fear etching into her heart.
"Rise?" her grandmother called out to her. "Is everything alright?"
"Y-Yes, grandma! I think I just heard a wild animal or something..."
"Oh...yes" her grandma nods "Sometimes cats tend to mess around with the trashcans. Inaba has plenty of cats around" she giggles "Sweet little things."
"Cats, huh...?" Rise wondered aloud. She certainly hoped that was the case. Keeping that hopeful thought in mind, she figured she should head to her room, hopeful that things would feel safe there.
Ever since Rise was rescued from the fog world, or the ‘TV World’ as her senpai called it, Rise has been on-edge whenever the fog rolls out at night. She’s not sure if it’s her Persona, or something else, but she always feels like she’s being watched at night. The odd sounds and other unusual things she hears seem to be on her only.
Once when she was changing, she swears she saw a shadowy silhouette in the fog, staring dead at her.
Rise didn’t get a wince of sleep that night. She idly wondered if because her Persona is a sensor, she’s sensing things that she shouldn’t. Maybe the sounds are there, but aren’t from near her home, rather the neighbors.
It’s been 3 weeks since then. She talked to her friends. Yu, Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, Kanji, Teddie and Marie.
It was decided that Marie would watch over Rise and see if she can pinpoint the problem and help Rise deal with it.
-Okina City, 2 days later: After School-
"So where to next Marie-chan?" Rise asks excited "We still have some time ahead of us."
Marie shrugs "Wherever you want to go Tofu"
‘Why did I expect as much from you?’ Rise thought, not really minding it.
Marie is the last of the friends she’s made in her time in Inaba. She was a little off with her at first. Contrary to Rise’s general teasing, Marie has no off switch on her blunt behavior and words.
She’s as honest a person as you can find, and that shook Rise for the first few times they hung out.
"Hmmm..." Rise mused, pondering on where to go. She takes a look around. ‘Movie? Nah, we’d miss the train then. No way I’m taking a bus ride home.’ And then she saw the store that Yukiko mentioned to her once. "Hey, why not there? Croco Fur."
"Ooh, that place is nice.” Marie says, “They have a good selection."
“Really now?” A smile tugged Rise’s lips “Speaking from experience Marie-chan?”
Marie rolled her eyes “Well, yeah. I’m a regular there.”
Are you now Marie-chan? That explains your wardrobe.
“Well then-“Rise takes Marie’s hand with her own. “Care to give this lost pup a tour of the fur?”
Marie didn’t mind the handholding. She already learned from Rise much about her friendly affections with mostly her friends. She’s no sole exception. “Yeah, you’ll get the VIP tour.” Marie replies in obvious sarcasm. The little jab didn’t bother Rise at all, rather she leaned on Marie slightly.
"Oh, and don't try to stare too much" she winks at Marie as the two amble their way to the store “You don’t get any sneak peeks, even if you beg.”
Marie almost laughs, if her trembling lips are any sign. "Oh no, what a loss for my world." She replies back to Rise sarcastically. “I guess I can’t compliment your beauty when I see it.”
“W-wha, Marie-chan!” Rise exclaimed in a hushed voice, her cheeks tinting red as she pouts and glares at Marie “I-I was kidding! Don’t tease my poor little heart like that!”
A grin, and sharp blue green eyes gazed upon her. “And I’m supposed to be the tsundere Tofu?” she leans closer to Rise, grinning. “Then I, Mariko, humbly apologize" Marie’s tone changed to a more diligent one as the two reach the front steps of Croco Fur, "But I-“ she pokes her nose with Rise’s “Take good care of divine hearts like yours Tofu, so I hope you don't mind." She leans back and opens the door for Rise “Oh after you madame”
…Is that smoke? Yep, its smoke. Coming out of her ears.
“Y-Yeah I do-don’t mind, t-thanks…” Rise let go of Marie and made her way inside; trying to ignore the flustered emotions Marie just randomly put on her shoulders.
Stupid Marie-chan and her stupid really good flirting… It’s not like I’m falling for it or anything… I definitely don’t like it either!
Upon entering however, those thoughts went away as she was pretty famished at what she saw. "Woah..."
"Welcome" The owner and cashier smiled
"Hey Reiko-san" Marie greeted "Brought you a needy customer here." She points to Rise.
'Me? Needy?!' Rise puffed her cheeks, clearly annoyed (and Marie is definitely wrong and not right one inch about that claim) “You're teasing me Marie-chan!”
“Am I?” Marie chuckled, delighted to poke Rise’s buttons rather easy. She crosses her arms and gazes upon Rise “Who’s the one clinging to me all the way from the arcade?”
“Y-You…!” Oh, this girl! She had to bring that up! That was an accident to scare the boys away! Nothing else! …Really…nothing else…
She still has the Jack Frost Plushie Marie won for her at the crane game in her bag….
"Needy, hm?" Reiko chuckled. "I'll see what I can do for her. What are you looking for?" She questioned, eyeing Rise carefully, as though thinking she looked familiar.
"Um..." Rise pondered "Winter outfit. I’m uh, preparing in advance."
"Just that? Hm, for your physique and style... I think a white colored fur-lined jacket would suit you well." Reiko snapped her fingers. "Complete with suave brown boots. Do follow me; I've got just the thing for you!"
"Ok!" She nods to Marie “I won’t be long Marie-chan.”
Marie waved Rise off as she leans on the counter. “Yeah yeah, don’t worry about me.” With that, Rise follows Reiko while Marie waits.
Reiko shows Rise the outfit she had planned out for her -- and it was Rise's exact size, too! "What do you think? Care to try it on?"
"Sure!" Rise nods and heads into a changing room
"So..." Reiko whistles as she decides to make conversation with Rise "Are you and Marie dating?"
BAM WAM! What was that sound inside the changing room?
Rise flipped upon hearing those words and fell in shock. ‘Ow…’ she quickly gets back up and rubs her nose. Thankfully no blood as she takes a quick look in the mirror. "Wh-Whaa~?" Rise blushed at the mere implication of it "N-No, not at all! W-We're just really good friends Reiko-san!!"
A friend that understands me, sees right through me, but doesn’t judge me, rather accepts me…
A friend that is currently protecting me from something I’m not even sure is real or is just in my mind, and isn’t making fun of me for it…
"Ah I see" Reiko smiled "You two seemed close, just checking."
"…Yeah, I…" She spoke rather bitterly, quivering. Are we that…? "Th-That's actually... really sweet to know. Thank you."
Reiko chuckles a bit "You're welcome...Risette."
"H-Huh!?" Rise let out a small gasp. "So... you did recognize me, huh?"
"Yes, but do not worry" she says "I won't tell. A friend of Marie's is a friend of mine. Your secret is safe."
"...Thank you." Rise spoke, after a moment of silence. "I... I really appreciate that."
"You're welcome" she said "Now hurry up so Marie can see you and be surprised at how beautiful you look~”
“I don’t care what she thinks!" Rise, despite her own words, eagerly smiled, quickly finishing dressing up. She finally buttoned up her jacket, opening up the door. "S-So... how do I look?"
"...Hey Marie! get over here!" Reiko called out
"Wh-Wha--!?" Rise blushed somewhat. “W-wait what if she thinks I look ugly!?”
“Oh?” Reiko’s lips tug a smirk as she leans on the changing room door, smirking at the nervous Rise. “I believed you didn’t care what she thought?”
“…N-no…?” Rise knew she got caught in a lie but couldn’t argue back. Reiko cornered her like a rat.
Marie came over shortly after and saw Rise. She slowly looks at the girl up to down, and back to up, with Rise being incredibly nervous. "You look great Tofu."
'I knew it, I look-' Rise thought, as Marie eyed her -- only to stop when Marie complimented her. "R...R-Really!?" she gasped. "M-Marie-chan, that’s um…t-thank you…”
Marie only smiled "Well I speak the truth Tofu."
"A-Ah..." Rise gave a small blush. "Thank you. I appreciate hearing that~" Really, I do…
"Anytime" Marie smiles and nods. “So, wanna try other outfits or you good with this?”
Rise giggled. "So, I think I've totally decided on this outfit! It's cute, comfy, and warm!"
Marie smirked "Just like you then. I guess it fits." She couldn’t help to tease Rise again. It’s just too easy.
"M-Me? Comfy and warm…?" The honest response caught Rise once again, off-guard.
What do I say to that…? Jeez I swear she’s messing with my heart. Stupid flirty Marie-chan…
Able to quickly regain her composure, Rise cleared her throat "Um, thank you, Marie…” Rise spoke softly, “Is there anything you want from here?"
"Hmm..." Marie oddly enough grabs Rise's hand and has her twirl
"E-Eh Marie?" Rise twirled, but not sure why. She gripped Marie’s hand tightly as she did and stopped to stare at her. “W-what, what are you doing?”
"Well you don't have a price tag" Marie noted "How much for this one Reiko?"
"Hmm, Rise herself?" questioned Reiko. "I'm afraid her value is too high for us to list." she chuckled.
"Hmm" Marie seemed to enjoy Rise's tomato face and stuttering. "I guess I'll pay with everything I have then. Is that a deal?"
"Aaah, what's this?" Reiko chuckled. "All of it, a package deal~?"
"M-Marie!!" Rise blushed, unable to say anything else in complete surprise. Is she serious right now?!
"I'll take it" Marie playfully said as he grabs Rise and lifts her bridal style
"U-Uwahhh...!" Rise yelped loudly; cheeks red as a tomato. "Marie-chan! What are you doing?!" she screeched
"I'm afraid I can't do anything here Marie" Reiko chuckles "Come down to the cash register and we'll settle for a price...for Rise's clothing. The price on her heart is not for me to decide I'm afraid."
“Hmm, I’ll settle for a rain-check then.”
“MARIE!”
-Bullet Train, back to Inaba-
From the windows of the train, one could see Shichiri beach on the horizon, and the forest that goes on, likely all the way to Tokyo. Marie sat and leaned back on the cold chairs of the train, sighing in relief as she just lays there, eyes closed, relaxed, completely in tune and peace, bag on her side; As if there were no worries in the world for the rebel. It was almost captivating to see.
Rise certainly was captivated. She said nothing for a while, looking down at her thoughtfully. Today had shown her a lot of Marie, perhaps moreso than any other time the two hung out together.
"...You're unbelievable, you know that?"
"Hmm?” Marie opened one eye and turns slightly to stare at Rise “How so Tofu?" Marie asks
"Well...you're more of a tomboy than Chie-senpai, but somehow you manage to be more feminine than her too. But more than that... nothing bothers you, does it? You just do what you want, and don't care what anyone else thinks or does."
"Pretty much." Marie's answer is a rather simple one. "It's how I live.”
"... I envy you; you know." She lifts her legs and holds them together to her chest, using the knees as a pillow to rest her head. Rise isn’t her happy self, rather she looks a lot more jovial, her eyes no longer shining. "All my life, I've had people telling me what to do... or what not to do. Even the audition wasn't my idea, but my aunt's. Accepting this job was the first decision I ever made for myself. And I've been trying to get more and more of my own freedom, but it's a hard thing when you work in an industry like this one."
“Wear this, pose like that, sign autographs, tours, exhibitions…” Rise sighed, the exhaustion felt through her expression and eyes. “It’s like I’m some sort of doll, one of many in the industry. It sucks. Its why I left. It got too hard for me to keep track of things. I feel like I was losing myself, and for the sake of selfish people.” She shook her head, eyes closed. “I didn’t want that. When I joined, it was to make friends.”
“You mentioned it before.” Marie raised her arms to her chest, hands joined together. “It sounds pretty similar to slavery in some regard.”
“Might as well be.” Rise couldn’t help but answer that with a bitter smile. In a way it was the truth.
"But you Marie-chan... no one could ever keep you chained down."
“And there lies the envy?” Marie eyes Rise curiously. Rise slightly nods. “You wanna be like me then?”
“Wha-no.” Rise almost laughed at the idea. “I mean, you’re super cool Marie-chan, don’t get me wrong.” She assures as much, “But…” her smile, despite seemingly happy, Marie could tell it has pity. Pity for herself. “I wish…I could have that kind of freedom in my life.” She lets out a long hefty sigh. “Even now, after announcing retirement, people still want to bother me. It’s annoying. I can’t believe they followed me all the way to Inaba. Freaking fanboys…”
“Oh yeah, Phones told me about that. One guy tried to climb the post near your place.”
“Don’t remind me.” Rise wanted to forget that. “What a creep. Glad the police dragged him out like the dog that he is.”
“That’s offensive to dogs everywhere Tofu.”
“Oh, you know what I mean Marie-chan.” Rise snapped at Marie, pouting.
“…Yeah, I do, sorry.” Marie said sighing. “Trying to crack a joke. It got kinda tense in here.”
Rise couldn’t deny that. She lay down her legs again, hands on her lap as she stares at them. “Yeah I…kinda made the conversation go in a crazy detour.” She pats her belly. “I’m hungry now…you think I should cook when I get home?”
Marie shrugged “I dunno, can you cook?” she pauses “Asides from Tofu that is.”
“Pretty sure I’m not as bad as Yukiko-senpai.” Rise remarks with confidence (and ignoring the Tofu jab).
"Red?” Marie raised an eyebrow. “I…think Phones said her cooking was straight out of Yomi or, something like that. Is it that bad?"
The idea of Yukiko being some sort of evil cook made Rise chuckle. “W-well, I haven’t tried it. But Yu-senpai did. All he told me was ‘Never again will I try that demon girl’s cooking.’"
Marie raised an eyebrow. “Uh, wow. That sounds pretty bad to me.”
“I know right? Rise winced. "What does she put in her cooking? Maybe she needs some spice to kick it up?"
"I sincerely doubt spice would help with that."
"Spice helps me with my meals, though!" Rise stated confidently. “My Tofu’s the best tofu in Inaba. Ask anyone!”
"You mean the ONLY Tofu." Marie joked, ignoring Rise pouting at her.
"Hey! I will let you know that Tofu is an amazing meal!"
"I never stated otherwise. Just correcting your plural to a singular~"
"S-Still!" Rise huffed, crossing her arms as she turned away from Marie, jokingly acting more upset than she really was. "I figure that if spice makes tofu good, though... it can make all sorts of food good!"
“Hmm…” Marie pondered that. "Well-“she raises one finger. “It depends on the food, and spice alone doesn't necessarily make all foods good. I mean I wouldn't put spice on ice cream."
"...True," Rise admitted, glancing at Marie with a smile. "But wouldn't that be an interesting sort of ice cream?"
"Uh...not really? I mean I'm down for sweet and sour but sweet and spicy is not really my thing."
"Really?" Rise's pout returned. "I guess I'd better learn how to cook some more things, huh... I don't think you'll like eating tofu forever."
Marie nods in agreement. "Not that tofu is bad, but yeah the same thing over and over does tend to get tiring after a while."
"Hmm..." Rise contemplates this for a moment. "...Maybe I should try learning how to make some eggs then? Yeah... rice and omelets!" she cheered. "A simple fan-favorite meal."
"Sounds good."
"I'll try cooking some for you soon, ok?" she giggled. "It's the least I could do!"
"Huh?" Marie blinked at that. “Hey, you don’t have to cook for me.”
“Well, I want to.” arms crossed, Rise huffs as she stares at Marie “And you are going to eat it, and you are going to enjoy it.”
Marie stared at Rise, incredulously, eyebrow raised. “What are you, my girlfriend now?” Marie states sarcastically.
“…I….” Rise froze at the word girlfriend. She stared at Marie, wide eyed. Not that she meant such an implication.
But for some reason, she didn’t mind at all.
“…I’m…gonna…be over there…yeah…” Rise scooted away from Marie, needing to be away with her thoughts. Marie stared, confused, head scratching as she sees Rise curl up
“Uh, you ok Tofu?”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”
Marie didn’t really buy it, frowning, but not wanting to bother Rise. She just steals glances occasionally, just to be sure she’s ok.
No Rise Kujikawa, you are SO not ok…what is wrong with me…? Marie-chan as my girlfriend…?
…Why do I like the idea…?
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-Yasoinaba Train Station-
The usual nightly fog had settled in. Visibility is quite low, and not the streetlights help much with finding your way around the town.
Would certainly explain why the streets are so devoid of people and animals.
Seeing the fog, Rise quickly shriveled in place, holding her shopping bag tightly "Um, Marie..." Rise shyly called her friend. "Can you please walk me home tonight?"
"Uh, sure." Marie nods, with Rise taking her hand with hers rather quickly. “Tofu?” Marie could tell something was up. Rise’s holding her hand pretty tightly.
"Thank you..." she mumbled, leaning on her as they walk to her house.
“…You’re welcome.” Marie figured it had to be fog. ‘Still not over it…’ she shook her head and walked alongside Rise, into the foggy town of Inaba.
With every step, Rise felt more anxious, afraid that something would just come out of the fog and attack Marie and her. Having Marie by her side greatly eased her that fear.
I’m sure Marie-chan would protect me. She’s freakishly strong…I’d be safe in her hands.
…Yeah…I’d be safe at any time huh…
The walk was quiet. Perhaps not pleasant, but thankfully nothing bad happened as Rise and Marie arrived at the former’s home.
“...Marie." Rise smiled as she lets go of Marie’s hand, though part of her didn’t want to let go. "Thanks for... um..." she blushed, looking away from Marie rather shyly. “…” She quickly leans forward and presses her lips on Marie’s cheek. "Thank you for everything."
“Huh?” out of all the things Marie expected Rise to do, a kiss wasn’t one of them? “Tofu?”
Rise is quick to open the door to her home, and turns to stare at Marie, smiling. “Hey um…call me soon, ok? I enjoyed today. Really.”
“…” Marie nods, and smiles at Rise. “I will. You take care now Tofu. See ya ‘round.”
“Yeah…see ya.” Rise quietly closes the door and locks it. She drops her bag and sighs, leaning on the door. She clutched her beating heart, seeing Marie fade into the fog. “…See you again Marie-chan…”
Girlfriend…Marie…my girlfriend…I…
Rise recalls all of today’s events, and the ones from days, weeks prior. Seeing herself be happy, enjoying her hangouts with Marie, feeling so carefree, happy…
Warm and safe on Marie’s hands. Reassured, trusted… Desired.
I wouldn’t mind you being my girlfriend Marie-chan…