Annkoto - P5

Annkoto - Chapter 18: A Place I Had in Mind

Over the weekend, the Phantom Thieves successfully stole Futaba's heart. They erased the twisted cognition of her late mother, Wakaba, but they couldn't have done it without the help of Futaba and her persona.
On Monday, August 1st, the team meets up in Ren's room to discuss their next steps, to beat Medjed.

Ann: "Is she still asleep?"

Ren: "That's what Sojiro said."

Makoto: "She should wake up soon right? I would think it impossible to sleep for a full 24 hours and not be in a coma."

Ryuji: "Can't we just wake her up? We need Medjed dealt with, quickly."

Yusuke: "I couldn't agree more. Futaba must have gotten enough rest by now."

Ren: "There isn't much we can do. Sojiro said this is fairly normal for her, and the sleep is too deep that we couldn't wake her up if we tried."

Ryuji: "Now what then?"

Morgana: "We should lay low. Besides a few trips to Mementos, all of you need to act like normal students."

Makoto: "He's right. It's not like we're being spied on or anything, but the police do have their eyes on Shujin Academy. Luckily we're on Summer break now, but us Shujin students should remain cautious. From what I've heard, eavesdropping on my sister's phone calls, they are certain that Kamoshida was our first target."

Ann: "I guess that's pretty obvious. The calling cards give it away."

Ren: "It's not quite as obvious as that. Akechi told me that the police are struggling to differentiate our actions from the mental shutdown cases."

Ryuji: "They still think we're killing people?"

Yusuke: "Think about it from the viewpoint of the average citizen who knows nothing about the metaverse whatsoever. The power to change hearts and cause mental shutdowns must seem very mysterious. Why wouldn't they be connected?"

Ryuji: "I guess you're right. It doesn't help that Akechi is still bad mouthing us on TV."

Ren: "Actually, that's another part of our deal with him. The rivalry we appear to have with him boosts our popularity more than you might think."

Makoto: "Is that true?"

Ann: "Come to think of it, I have been seeing a lot of posts on the PhanSite about Akechi recently."

Morgana: "Our popularity is also what allows us to move deeper into Mementos."

Ren: "Speaking of which, we should enter Mementos this week. Mishima has offered us plenty of requests."

Ryuji: "Sounds good leader!"

...

It's Wednesday August 3rd. After a hard day of work in Mementos, Ann lays on her bed, exhausted. As she's lying there, resting her eyes she remembers something.

*Flashback*
Ann: "Makoto...Senpai..."
Makoto: "May I, Ann?"
...
Ann: "That's... not exactly what I..."
*End of Flashback*

Ann shoves her face in her pillow.

Ann (Internal): (Why did I say that? Was I really too scared?)

Ann: (It felt like it happened so quickly, I didn't know how to react...)

Ann: (But the way she asked me before actually doing it... that made me feel so warm inside. I've never felt that way before.)

Ann: (Will she ever try that again? I must have really ruined the mood for her... I've never seen that side of Makoto before, it's honestly...)
She stops shoving the pillow in her face and rests her head on it instead, looking up at the ceiling.

Ann: (That position she had me in...)
Ann blushes.

(SMS)
Ann: "Makoto-senpaiii~"
Makoto: "Yes, Ann-chan?"
Ann: "Would you like to go on a date soon?"
Makoto: "I would love to. Do you have any specific ideas?"
Ann: "Well... there is a place I had in mind."
Makoto: "Really? What kind of place?"
Ann: "It's a nice restaurant near Shibuya. Would you like to go Saturday night?"
Makoto: "I can't wait! Ah, it feels so surreal, my girlfriend asking me out on a date to a nice restaurant."
Ann: "M- Makoto!"
Makoto: "What is it, Ann-chan?"
Ann: "I like you..."
Makoto: "Well I love you Ann, see you Saturday."

Without knowing it, Ann has been kicking her feet while texting Makoto.