Persona 5 x persona 4

chapter 35

December 9th Friday

The atmosphere was warm at the Amagi Inn. Yu was surrounded by all the people he cared about. It had been a good day all around. Yosuke had put the party together in record time, pulling in most of the people the Investigation Team cared about and more than a few people from their time at Yasogami High School. Yu had already made his rounds, chatting with most of the guest but he wanted to let Yukiko shine as it was her birthday. Currently, he sat next to Ren as the teen talked to Mariko Kasumi. For not knowing more than half the people at the party, Ren quickly made fast friends with people. The true gift of the wild card. However, Mariko or rather Marie had seemed to take the greatest interest in him. Yu was waiting for the right moment to reveal who Marie was but for now, he'd just let Ren believe he was talking to the town weather reporter.

"... Living in the attic above a coffee shop? Doesn't seem all that comfortable." Marie shook her head.

"It's not that bad and it has its perks. Free coffee whenever I want." Ren explained.

Marie had changed so much since he first really met her in the velvet room all those years ago. Long gone was the naïve, introverted young girl he first met; now she was confident to the point she was openly sharing her poems with people. With the age of social media, she often shared them online much to the glee of her weather girl fans. No longer were they depressing but filled with hope and inspiration. The land in and around Inaba flourished due to her and it's prosperity only brought the already tight-knit town closer together.

Yu looked from Ren and Marie to notice Kou and Chie making their way towards him. Shifting, Yu got up from his seat to greet them. Chie had a serious look on her face as Yu caught her eyes shift to Rise on the other side of the room. Yu didn't need any of his detective skills to quickly deduce what was going on. Kou who had been dating Chie these past three years offered Yu a warm welcoming smile. He was another success from Yu's relationship advice after he left to study abroad; he learned that his place was truly in Inaba. With his family and Chie. Chie who always thought Kou had a thing for Yukiko was surprised when he suddenly asked her out but quickly warmed up to the idea of dating him.

"Yosuke is in the lobby," Chie said simply.

"Kanji looks like he might explode. Poor guy... Probably best to give him some of that Narukami wisdom." Kou informed, his eyes darting towards Naoto who was talking with Naoki Konishi.

"I'll see what I can do. See you guys in a bit." Yu nodded before looking towards Ren. "I'll be right back. Ren, do me a favor and try and see if you can keep Rise here in the room."

A confused look appeared on Ren's face. "Yeah sure."

Marie looked towards Rise. "Ummm... That shouldn't be too hard." Something about Marie's look didn't sit well with Yu after all Rise and Marie didn't always get along the best.

Yu didn't have time to ponder what scheme Marie might put into practice to keep Rise in the room. Kanji needed him and he wasn't about to keep him waiting too long. Excusing himself, Yu moved out of the room heading down the halls of the Amagi Inn to the lobby. The sound of heavy footfalls could be heard before Yu stepped into the lobby. Kanji was there pacing the length of the room as Yosuke leaned against the front check-in counter; Yukiko's dad sat behind the counter a twinkle of amusement flashing in eyes.

"Yu! I don't know 'bout this man..." Kanji's voice was shaky as he stopped his pacing to give Yu a frantic look. "I mean... She could say no..." There was a mounting dread in Kanji words, unwarranted but still there.

"Kanji, stop and breathe," Yu commanded in a firm voice before looking towards Yosuke. "How long has he been like this?"

Yosuke shifted the two garment bags he had been holding to look at the clock behind the counter. "About seven minutes."