Puella Magi Megami Tensei

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Why not a sheep?" ~ Pixie

"...My first thought for you would be a koala, because your name kinda sounds like the word koala..." You rub your chin, "...But they're pretty stinky and super gross, so they're right out."

"They're also stupid as hell," Yuki adds, "So there isn't any overlap between her and koalas. Maybe a cat?"

"No, cats are definitely tsundere." You shake your head, glancing down at Gouto, "No offense."

"All taken, but whatever." Gouto sits down, "How about... Uh... A fox? Like, a kitsune."

"Mm..." You think about that, but it just doesn't fit in your mind, "...Good idea, but no. How about...?"

Then, it hits you.

The reason you can't pin down what kind of ears would work for her...

...Is because wings fit so much better!

"What about wings?" You offer excitedly, "Like a swan's wings! Big, puffed out, white wings!"

"On her head?" Gouto asks.

"No, on her back!" You giggle a little, "Like, if anyone could pull off a look like that, it's gotta be Kohaku! I can see it now...!" You make a square with your fingers, keeping Kohaku dead center, "Kohaku, sitting alone at the shore of a pond or a lake, her wings stretching behind her, catching the moonlight as she stares out to the other side of the water... And then, some bad guys show up! And she beats them with her Light magic!"

Gouto grumbles, "There it is."

Yuki nods, "Yeah, that's a pretty good picture you've painted."

Kohaku herself is staring at the ground for some reason. What's got her so nervous all of a sudden?

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Denser than a neutron star.

"...Eh?" You glance down to Kohaku, "Kohaku? You alright there?" You tilt your head, "What's got you all blushy and nervous?"

"I--?! I'm not blushing, I... Um, I...!" Kohaku stares up at you... Weirdly. That's the only way you can think to describe it.

"...What's with that look?" You tilt your head the other way.

You can see concerning amounts of disappointment in Gouto's eyes, and you can sense Yuki's paradoxically calm frustration.

"...What's with those looks?" You turn to Yuki and Gouto, who has hopped up on the counter.

Yuki sighs, "...It's nothing, forget it." He grumbles as he checks the rice, "...A few more minutes on that."

"Look, hun, that ain't for me to tell. I mean, I could, but I'm not gonna." Gouto explains as his tail twitches.

"...Did you just call me "hun"?" You ask, genuinely dumbfounded.

"Yep." Gouto grins at you, "But don't feel bad. I called your mom that, too."

Before anyone can muster up a comment about that, in comes Raido. He nods at you, picks up Gouto, and sets him on the ground.

"Man, I can't lay anywhere in this house!" Gouto complains as he stretches out on his back.

Raido, immediately disregarding what Gouto said, peeks over your shoulder at the curry. "Smells good." He says.

...Throughout all of this, Kohaku still hasn't replied. Nor has she stopped blushing.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Ah, you're back." Sojiro Sakura, Persona 5

"Oh, Raido!" You nod to him, "While you're here, Dad wanted to talk to you! Last I checked, he was in the--?"

"Oh, he's here already?" Raido asks, "Good. I was starting to think he got stuck in traffic."

"Wait, you knew he was coming out?" You ask right back, "And you never thought to tell me?"

"...I thought Mom and Dad would've." Raido explains by not explaining at all.

"Yuki, can you believe--?!"

"Yep." Yuki replies, turning the stove off, "He was like that back home, too. Speaking of not communicating, can we talk about all the times where the problem could've been solved in five minutes tops if you just talked to someone about it?"

"Ouch. Called out again." Gouto commentates, "Quick, Raido! Call him out on something!"

"At least I can pull off the color blue...?" Raido shoots back, completely confused by his automatic response.

Yuki gives him a look of confusion right back, "...What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, it was a nice surprise for both of us." Raido sighs, "Need any help with that?" He points to the pots of curry and rice.

"No, I was just gonna lift 'em both until I end up dropping one, then blame you for not wanting to help me." Each of Yuki's words drip with venom as he takes a pot off the stove.

"...That felt a little personal." Raido says.

"It was." Yuki agrees, "You were kind of a dick in my world." Without elaborating further, he marches off to the dining room.

Raido, after shaking his head and sighing, takes the pot of curry and follows Yuki.

Kohaku shoots you a nervous glance.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Glad I'm not that guy."

"Hey, Kohaku..." You mutter to your companion, "...Was I ever that passive aggressive?"

"N-No, you were just..." Kohaku's gaze falls downwards, suddenly finding the floor to be more interesting, "...Rather, um, passionate about some things. Like, you talked really loud and were constantly shaking or touching Shoji and I."

You scratch the back of your head, "...Oh. Uh, sorry about that, by the way."

"Don't be," Kohaku says automatically, "I liked it when you--!!!!!" She suddenly clasps her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening to dinner plates.

"...I don't mind being bumped around when it's you and Shoji." Kohaku tries again.

"As long as you two are okay with it, I guess." You shake your head, following Uncle Raido and Yuki into the dining room with silverware in tow.

When you enter, you find them sitting down at the table with some space between them. The air seems somewhat somber as neither initiate any conversation.

...This doesn't stop you from placing the silverware around the table. Now seems like a pretty good time to talk to Raido and maybe Yuki, but you can't think of any--!

"Oh, right!" You smack your forehead, "I've got a letter for you, Uncle!" You produce the letter and hand it to him.

"...? Thanks." He takes it, looking over the conspicuously blank envelope before opening it. With deft hands, he takes the actual letter out of the--?

(INT ROLL: 15+10)
(KOHAKU INT ROLL: 16+??)
(YUKI INT ROLL: 6+??)

Several polaroid pictures fall onto the table. You and Kohaku get a good look at the contents of the photographs, for better or for worse.

Each photo depicts the woman from the antique shop, Michiru, in a provocative pose, with lipstick marks in some of the corners. In every single one, she has a calm and confident smile, even when she's barely... Um, dressed. In the one that landed in front of you, she is using what appears to be a Compendium to cover--!!

Raido quickly gathers all of the photos from the table, stuffing them back into the envelope.

Kohaku is as red as a beet.

You don't know what to think.

Yuki glances over, apparently finished staring off into space. "What's got you all looking so shocked?" He mumbles.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Why is she like this...?" - Raido, about Aunt Michiru

You turn to your uncle, who is currently reading the actual letter while keeping the envelope full of Michiru's pictures behind it. "So, Uncle, is there something we should--?"

"No." Raido hastily responds, "There isn't anything you should know about anything involving this."

"Are you and her gonna get married?" You nudge him, "She seems to be super in to you!"

"Look, Michiru is--!! Our relationship is our business!" Raido interrupts again before adding, "N-Not that we've ever had anything like this!"

You glance at the letter in his hands.

(INT ROLL: 16+10)

You can read it pretty easily, actually. The letter says...

To my most special customer,

I hardly ever see you any more, Raido, let alone hear from you. You don't call, you don't text, you don't email, you don't even write. It's almost like you're avoiding me, and that would just break my little heart. You used to come over almost every day back when you still worked with your sister (bless her heart!), and I got a say, hun... Those were the best times of my life.

I know you've been busy since then, but I've found something that might interest you. Something we should discuss... Face to face, maybe after a drink or two. I'm sure you've noticed the... "Attachments" by now, but if you haven't, take a little peek~. Consider it a little bit of encouragement...

Swing by, and I'll fuse you up so many demons that your whole world'll spin (hopefully, it'll spin you upstairs, so we can have a little more fun~!). Have fun cracking this little old case, Detective Boy.

Forever yours,
Michi~

...Ah.

Raido stares you right in the face.

You stare at him right back.

"We are not talking about this." He says to you.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "I, for one, welcome my new aunt!"

"I mean, she told me that she fused demons for you and Mom!" You argue a little, "Weren't you ever gonna introduce us?"

"Oh, this is about her...!" Yuki grins, "You know, Uncle, the loops that you two actually became an item were the only times I ever saw you happy. Maybe you should head on down to Michiru's."

"You hear that, Raido?" Gouto joins in, "When you get Michiru on your arm, you're happy!"

"Raido, please don't tell me you just left poor Michi all alone!" Kohaku joins in, which surprises everyone in the room, "You should give her a chance!"

"Y-Yeah!" You agree, quickly recovering, "I mean, worst case scenario is you two aren't--!"

"Okay, fine!!" Raido shouts.

Silence fills the room as no one is sure how to proceed.

Raido takes a deep breath, and sighs, "I'll do it."

Kohaku almost congratulates him, but he begins again.

"On two conditions." Raido looks you dead in the eyes, "One; This stays between us. No outside help, no bringing in more people. Two; You all have to help me do this. If I'm suffering through this, I'm making you all go through this, too. Capiche?"

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "How?"

"Do we even need to do anything?" You ask your uncle, "Considering what's going on in there," You point to the envelope, "I'm pretty sure all you need to do is take the blinders off and get over there."

"It's not about getting there!" Raido refutes, "What the hell am I even supposed to say to her? Am I supposed to wear something formal?"

"Dude, you're overthinking this!" Yuki groans, "Just wear something casual, march your happy ass over there, and speak from the heart! It is not as hard as you're making it out to be!"

"And how do you know that?" Raido counters, crossing his arms.

"How do I-- What the fuck--!! You told me to tell you that!" Yuki points at Raido with his entire arm, "The second I told you "hey, there's a time loop that only I seem to remember", you sprinted over to Michiru's and I didn't see you again for a week--!"

Yuki stops speaking.

"...Just go talk to her." Yuki mutters.

Raido stares at him in pure disbelief, "...A week?"

Yuki stares at the ground, "Don't forget that Charm Nullifier, by the way." He adds sheepishly.

"...What is "Charm"?" Kohaku asks, looking like she's dreading the answer.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] She cray-cray?

"I mean, I don't know how it works, I've only been hit with Berserk." You try to explain, "But from what Grandma demonstrated, I think it's like mind control via making you like the caster more than your allies. Other than that--?" You stop.

Kohaku doesn't reply, seemingly thinking of the same thing you are.

"Yuki?" You ask calmly, "Please tell me he's not gonna need that for the reason I'm thinking of."

"Either she's gonna use Marin Karin on him to get him to "do this properly", or she's gonna use it on herself to try and remove all of her inhibitions." Yuki stares you dead in the eyes, "It's honestly fifty-fifty, according to Michiru."

"...That's a thing?" You ask, a mix of confusion, revulsion, and curiosity brewing in the back of your head.

"Hey, she's a demonologist first." Yuki puts his hands up, "She told me she wanted to see and feel how it worked."

Everyone stares at him.

"...What? She made me help her get with Raido a few times." Yuki stairs the curry, "Anyhow, we should probably call the others in here for dinner. No one likes cold--?"

"We're talking about this after dinner." Raido says firmly, "Also, never bring that up again without my say-so."

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Dude, just go talk to Michi." ~ Ryoko

"Wasn't planning on it," You tell him, "It's not really our story to tell."

"I... Um, I won't either." Kohaku agrees, "Your love life, relationships, and stuff like that should be yours to share at your own discretion."

"I might." Gouto adds, "Haven't decided yet."

"You're not helping, Gouto." Yuki grumbles.

"I ain't trying to." Gouto curls up on the chair he hopped into, "You're overthinking this. Walk in, talk to the dame about the letter, and see where the cards fall from there. It's not rocket science, I should know."

"...Wait, you know rocket science?" You ask.

"No, but I was the first cat in space." Gouto grins at you, "And I was the first cat to fight demons in space."

You and Kohaku stare at the black cat in complete and utter shock.

"...Highlight of your life, huh?" Raido grumbles.

"Yep. He was like this in my world, too." Yuki nods his head, picking up a plate from the table to serve himself, "He really liked hanging out with the Fourteenth."

"S-So, back to the point," You say, happy to bring this conversation back into the land of sanity, "How about talking to Grandma and Grandpa? Or Dad?"

"No." Raido firmly states, "I'll just... Go over there after dinner." He takes his plate, and portions out some food for himself.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] BREAKING: LOCAL DETECTIVE MISSING FOR SEVEN DAYS

"Uh..." You glance around the room nervously, "...Good luck...?" What are you really supposed to say about this situation? While the mention of Charm magic isn't exactly comforting, at the end of the day, it's Raido's choice whether to pursue Michiru in such a way or not. You won't say you exactly trust his judgement, but he's a grown man.

"Yeah, good luck, man." Yuki mutters, sitting down, "...Maybe bring a Bead or two..."

Kohaku sits down, realizes she hasn't set her plate yet, and immediately gets up to do that.

...With a slightly stiff turn, you exit the dining room to tell everyone that the curry is ready--?

"...So at this point, I was coming up to the end of my patience," Grandma, who has taken Yuma's seat, explains her story, "So I grabbed Haruki by the collar and froze his sword to the wall. He said that was cheating."

"Well, it was!" Grandpa puts his hands on his hips, "You don't see me slinging spells around, do you?"

"That's because you can't." Grandma replies with a slight chuckle, "And I'm not going to limit myself based on what my opponent can do."

Arisu waves to you, wearing a new dress adorned with frilly ribbons.

"Welcome back!" You wave back, "Yo, Yuki and I made some curry! Get it while it's--"

Yuma and Kyoko race past you in an instant, with Dad jogging behind them. Arisu hesitantly follows, Grandma and Grandpa hot on her heels.

"...Hot." You finish.

Shoji gets up off of the couch, "...So, you saw the red and green blurs, right?"

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