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It was supposed to be a relaxing Sunday afternoon. The stress of her final exams behind her (the last she would ever take, she gleefully reminded herself), Makoto had been looking forward to taking it easy by curling up on the couch with a good book, or maybe even indulging in some mindless television watching. If she was feeling adventurous, maybe she would head over to Protein Lovers for a workout. Or do some baking.
Originally, she’d been hoping to spend the day with her boyfriend, but he’d, unfortunately, claimed to have plans for the day. Maybe if she checked in with him later, they could squeeze in a late-night takeout and movie date. This level of aimlessness was not typical for her, but a reprieve was well-deserved considering the amount of work she had just put in to complete her last semester of university.
That in mind, she was more than surprised when there was a knock at her door mid-morning. Had she made plans after all and forgotten? That wasn’t like her. After checking quickly to make sure she was presentable, a look through her apartment door’s peephole only left her even more puzzled.
“Sis?” she asked as she opened the door, unable to hide her confusion at the sight of her older sister on her threshold. Sae was the last person in her life that she expected to stop by uninvited. “What are you doing here?”
“I was asked to give you this,” she said curtly, handing her a plain white envelope. “You’re not supposed to open it until I’m gone.”
That did little to ease her confusion. “Um, okay. Do you want to come in?”
Sae shook her head, adjusting the handbag that hung on her shoulder. “No, but thank you. I need to head into the office today, and I’ve had to make enough of a detour this morning.” There was an annoyed edge to her tone, but the subtle signs of a smirk at the corner of her lips let Makoto know that much of it was for show. “Make sure you remind him that he owes me for this.”
With a curt goodbye, her sister was gone as quickly as she’d appeared. At least Makoto now had a better understanding of who was behind this bizarre interruption to her morning. That expression on Sae’s face was usually reserved for one person, and one person only.
“What are you up to now, Ren?” she murmured aloud as she opened the envelope.
Inside she found a familiar sight: a card that bore a striking resemblance to those they’d sent out in high school as the Phantom Thieves. While the colors were similar, the group logo had been replaced by intertwined caricatures of their Queen and Joker masks. The image triggered a twinge of nostalgia deep in her gut, distracting her momentarily from reading the inscription that accompanied it.
Niijima Makoto,
You have been accused of stealing hearts–rather, one heart in particular: that of your charming and handsome beau, the infamous Amamiya Ren. You must respond to this accusation by visiting the various scenes of your crimes and reflect on the damage you've inflicted on this young man’s fragile heart.
First, go to where we first met. What once felt like a prison, soon turned into a place I looked forward to visiting, knowing I could sneak a glance at or spend time with the beautiful class president.
Makoto snorted at the familiar cursive script that was etched on the bottom of the card: P.S. Don’t be mad I’m making you do this. Love you.
You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Ren, she thought to herself, rubbing at her temples as she realized her plans for the day had just gone out the window.
Although years had passed since she’d last visited, there was still something comforting about finding herself outside the gates of her old high school. Even though there were plenty of painful memories that had taken root inside this building, it was still the place where she’d discovered so much of herself and transitioned from teenager to young adult. It was where she’d come to the realization that she wanted to become a police commissioner, and where she’d met the people that would become her most treasured friends.
It was also the only place to which the clue on her first card could possibly be alluding. As she approached the front door, it suddenly dawned on her that since it was a Sunday, the school would no doubt be closed. She desperately hoped her boyfriend wasn’t expecting her to do something as drastic as break into Shujin to track down something he’d planted for her to find. After all, the clue of where they first met could be interpreted in different ways.
From what Ren had told her, the first words she’d ever spoken to him took place in the library, when he’d approached her to share a study table, only to be chased off by her hostility. It was an incident she didn’t personally remember; Ren had only reminded her of it months after they’d already been dating. But their first significant interaction had occurred on the rooftop of Shujin, when she’d accosted the group while trying to appease Principal Kobayakawa. It felt like a lifetime ago at this point–she was a completely different person now, ashamed of the priorities and actions of her younger self.
Luckily, she didn’t have to dwell long on the possibility that her ridiculous partner might be expecting her to scale a three-story building to fulfill his playful whims. Instead, she was pulled out of her thoughts by two lively voices.
“Mako-chan! Over here!”
“Hey, Queen!”
Looking in the distance, Makoto made out two figures, one human and one cat-sized near the school gate, Morgana’s tail swishing back and forth from where he was perched carefully on Haru’s shoulder. Before even saying so much as a hello, Haru shoved a plain white envelope similar to the one her sister had given her that morning into Makoto’s chest as she approached, her smile wide. As always, Haru’s glee was contagious and Makoto quickly smiled back.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting for very long.”
“Not at all! Ren-kun was surprisingly accurate on when you would get here. I’m just so glad I get to play a part in all this–how romantic!” Haru said dreamily.
Morgana rolled his eyes. “More like annoying. Joker has always had a flair for the dramatic.”
“Don’t be so grouchy, Mona-chan,” Haru scolded him, albeit playfully, before turning her attention back to Makoto. “You’re so lucky, Mako-chan, to have a boyfriend as thoughtful as Ren-kun willing to go through so much trouble to surprise you!”
Makoto bit her lip, trying to hide her anxiety in front of her eager friend.“I definitely wasn’t expecting this when I woke up this morning. Do you know what this is all about?”
“No, he didn’t give us the details. Just that it’s a big surprise!”
“Us?” Just how many people had Ren roped into this game of his? Would she be at this all day?
Haru gave her a playful smirk. “You’ll see! Just have fun with it, Mako-chan!”
It wasn’t until they’d exchanged some more pleasantries and parted ways for the morning that Makoto withdrew the contents of the envelope. Inside, she found a card identical in design to the one she’d first received but with a different inscription.
For your next stop, go to where we had our first “date”, even though we didn’t know it at the time. Where I first started to fall for my beautiful and dorky Queen. Who knew that by agreeing to broaden one young girl’s horizons that I would end up meeting the love of my life?
Truth be told, if Ren hadn’t referenced helping “broaden her horizons”, she probably would have been at a loss as for where to go next. Having spent so much time together before officially becoming a couple, it was nearly impossible for her to pinpoint what they would both agree counted as their first “date”. They’d gone to the movies together just weeks before their mutual confession at Crossroads, and she was fairly certain that the first place they’d frequented as a couple that wasn’t Shujin or Leblanc was The Jazz Café in Kichijoji. Or maybe it had been the first time they went for monjayaki at that restaurant in Tsukishima that Ryuji had recommended.
But that little addition from Ren allowed her to zero in on her next location. Although she couldn’t possibly understand why he claimed that it was this outing of theirs that caused his feelings towards her to shift towards the romantic. Whenever she looked back on their first trip to the Shibuya Arcade, all she felt was embarrassment–at her complete naivety towards the habits of her peers, but also at the way she’d let the excitement of the moment and her competitive edge make itself known to the entire arcade, drawing attention to both her and Ren as they played through Gun About. Luckily her future partner found these antics of hers endearing rather than off-putting.
“You’re a real gamer,” he’d told her with an amused chuckle. She could still remember how her cheeks had warmed up at his gentle teasing, already easily flustered by him even though she hadn’t yet realized her growing feelings for him. “We should come back sometime, see what else you’re good at.”
She’d been clueless at the time, but looking back it was obvious he’d been flirting with her. It wasn’t the first time similar attempts would go over her head until he flat out confessed to her at Crossroads.
It being midday on a Sunday, the arcade was unsurprisingly packed. The crowds were sizeable enough that it took her a while to find anyone recognizable, but eventually, she spotted two familiar blonde heads in the corner.
It took them a few minutes to notice her as she approached, too focused on competing against each other in some racing game. They were both perched on fake motorcycles, leaning forward and staring intently at their screens as they navigated sharp turns. From what Makoto could tell from her position off to the side, it was a close race until the end, with Ann just narrowly claiming the victory with seconds to spare.
“I win!” her friend yelled out, raising both hands in the air and sticking her tongue out at Ryuji, who slumped over his own bike, defeated. Luckily for him, he was saved from further gloating as Ann finally took notice of her.
“Makoto, you made it!” Ann exclaimed as she ran over to greet her friend, wrapping her in a tight embrace which she returned timidly. Even after all these years, she wasn’t as comfortable showing any sort of affection, even platonic, in public.
Makoto nodded along appropriately as Ann brought her up to speed on everything she had been up to with school and her modeling career. Ryuji remained seated on the arcade motorcycle, only interjecting intermittently as needed, his attention mostly focused on Ann as she spoke. Eventually, though, he was the one who reminded them of why they were at the arcade in the first place.
Ryuji cleared his throat, which drew Ann’s attention. “As nice as it is catching up and all, we should probably give Miss Prez what she came here for, don’t ya think?”
Makoto repressed the urge to admonish Ryuji on his regular but inaccurate nickname for her. Despite them having both graduated from Shujin years ago, he insisted on continuing to use it. According to him, even though she was no longer class president, she still kept the spirit of one. Whatever that meant.
“Oh, right!” Ann looked excited as she dug through her purse for the next envelope. “Ren was super secretive about why he made us do this, so you better let me know what the big surprise is later!”
Makoto couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at her friend’s enthusiasm. “I promise.”
“It’s just so sweet,” Ann sighed. “I wish others would learn to be that romantic.” She gazed over at Ryuji, who pointedly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. Makoto could swear that she heard him mutter something that sounded like Damn you, Ren, under his breath.
“Well, what’s inside? What does it say?” Ann asked energetically, looking at Makoto expectantly.
“Ann,” Ryuji cautioned, not being able to hide his amusement even as he did so.
“Oh, fine. I guess it’s private,” she relented with a dismissive wave before leaning in closer to Makoto and continuing just above a whisper, “Show me later, okay?” Turning on her feet, she shifted her attention to Ryuji. “Come on! You promised me if I won, you’d get me that Jack Frost doll!”
Ryuji groaned as Ann grabbed him by the hand and began dragging him towards another section of the arcade, just managing to wave goodbye to Makoto as they disappeared into the crowd. Once her friends were out of sight, she leaned against a nearby wall to read her next clue.
Go to where we had our first kiss. I remember I was so nervous my heart was beating out of my chest and I was coated in sweat. But somehow you were more flustered than me, which gave me a strange confidence because it let me know that you really liked me too. I was in such a daze afterwards, I barely remember how I got home. All I could think about was getting to kiss you again.
Like at the arcade, the crowds were out in abundance at Odaida Seaside Park to take advantage of the weekend and the warmer weather of spring. Little had changed from her fateful date with Ren over four years prior. Despite the time that had passed, she still remembered how nervous she’d been visiting such a clichéd romantic destination just shy of a week after they’d made the leap from friends to “study partners”. It had been Eiko, the only one at the time who knew of their blossoming relationship, who had first put the idea in her head that if Ren invited her to ride the Ferris wheel with him, that it was most likely because he was planning to kiss her.
They’d spent the day exploring the park, Makoto’s gaze straying throughout the day to the looming attraction in the distance, trying to prepare herself mentally for what was to come. When Ren had suggested near the end of the afternoon that perhaps it was time to make their way to the station, she couldn’t hide her disappointment. Her change in mood had not gone unnoticed by her date.
“What is it? Not ready to leave yet?” she remembered him asking. Looking back, she realized that he’d been just as anxious as her, probably wondering if he’d done something wrong to ruin their day together. But at the time, she was too focused on her own insecurities to notice.
“Well,” she’d began, chewing on her bottom lip and struggling to meet his eyes, “I was kind of hoping we could, um, ride the Ferris wheel? If–if that’s okay with you.”
His eyes had widened at that, probably just as aware as she’d been regarding the implications of her invitation. Despite the candor he tried to show on the outside as they queued for their ride, she still remembered how sweaty his hands felt in hers, betraying his nerves. Nerves that persisted in both of them until after they’d had their first clumsy but memorable kiss atop of the Ferris wheel and returned to solid ground. Despite her apprehension at being so high up and her worries about the structural integrity of the attraction, she could only look back at the time they spent together fondly.
Even with the large crowd, it was easy for Makoto to spot the individual carrying her next calling card. Because of his unusual height and the bright clothing he’d adorned for the day, Yusuke was easily recognizable standing near the base of the Ferris wheel. He was occupied with people-watching, forming picture frames with his hands as he swayed from side to side. She smiled at the familiar sight–some things never changed.
He was so consumed with his observations she needed to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. “How are you, Yusuke? It’s been a while.”
He straightened up at the sight of her and Makoto was thankful to see that he was looking healthy and well-fed. She worried about him when they went too long without seeing each other. “Yes it has, unfortunately. I’ve been traveling lately for this exhibit I’m taking part in. It will be a few months before I’m back in the city more consistently. But enough of that, I believe I have something for you.”
Unlike Haru and Ann, he was not one for small talk, for which she was grateful. He reached into his coat pocket and handed her his envelope. “I trust that you no longer require my presence?”
Makoto suppressed a laugh at his bluntness. “No, I do not.”
“Excellent,” he nodded. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have some things to attend to. I assume you’ll be fine getting to your next location?”
“Yes. Thank you, Yusuke.” Her artist friend bid her farewell before strolling away purposefully. She didn’t bother asking him what he was up to. Ever since he’d started experiencing more success in his artistic career, he’d been getting up to increasingly more eccentric activities. Some of which she’d rather not know about.
Makoto turned over the card in her hand to read the next inscription, a small blush forming on her face at the words that awaited her.
Where we first studied many things we didn’t have experience in yet, including our most intimate study session. I almost had to pinch myself at the time to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. As fun as that first session was, I’d like to think our studying has paid off. We’d ace any exam we took today.
She wasn’t exactly surprised Ren had used that of all things as a clue in this strange trip down memory lane. She could just imagine how amused he must have been preparing that hint, knowing how flustered and annoyed it would make her.
The location in question was the site of many turning points in their relationship. It was where they’d spent much of their time together during his first year in Tokyo when their romance had been brand new as the only place that afforded them any privacy. Now that she had her own apartment, her place had become their preferred location since they didn’t have to deal with store opening hours or the chance of being overheard by his pseudo-father figure.
But truth be told, even with her own apartment, Leblanc felt just as much like home to her. It was where she’d made some of her most cherished memories, not just with Ren but with all members of the now-defunct Phantom Thieves. Even during the year Ren had spent back in his small town, she would regularly visit the café to study or spend time with Futaba, who she helped get through her first year at Shujin. After he returned and started university himself, they'd still hold joint study sessions in the café, or she’d study while he worked, constantly spoiling her with complimentary coffee and curry, his technique improving enormously during the years spent under Sojiro’s tutelage. Not to mention the other study sessions that they’d enjoyed many times over in the privacy of the Leblanc attic.
The bells that rang as she entered the café were always a welcoming sound, being able to relax her instantly when she’d been through a stressful day. The familiar smells and scenery were like being enveloped in a warm blanket on a chilly day.
Although she was expecting to see Sojiro as she entered, she was pleasantly surprised that Futaba was also there and ready to greet her. The younger girl was the first to notice her, a delighted but cocky smirk on her features–one of the many things she’d learned over the years from her surrogate older brother. “Well, well. There you are. We wondered when you’d show.”
“Don’t listen to her, she’s barely been here ten minutes,” Sojiro told her with a low chuckle. “Had to leave the place unsupervised to drag her away from her computer.”
“Sojiro,” Futaba whined, “way to sell me out!”
Makoto smiled at the friendly banter, taking a seat at the counter and instantly feeling the tension that had accumulated in her limbs from having run around the city all day. Now that she was sitting, she wasn’t sure how long it would take for her to want to stand up again.
“Long day?” Sojiro asked as if reading her mind. When she nodded, he added, “Well, the good news is that there's only one more place for you to go after here. So you’re almost done with whatever the kid has you doing.”
“Sorry your boyfriend always has to be so extra,” Futaba said, patting her hand sympathetically. “Why can’t he just tell you things straight out like a normal person?”
“I think it’s sweet,” Makoto said, feeling the need to defend her boyfriend’s antics even though she knew Futaba was (mostly) joking. While gestures like these could be tiring, especially when they took her by surprise like today, she knew the effort that Ren put into them was indicative of how much he cared for her. Even though she would sometimes bemoan his flair for the dramatic, she hoped their relationship would never outgrow moments like these. “I’m assuming one of you has my next clue?”
“Not so fast,” Sojiro said, moving towards the kitchen. When he returned to the counter, he had a plate of curry and a mug of coffee in his hands. “Kid figured you’d be tired, so he made me promise I’d feed you before I sent you on your way.”
As if on cue, her stomach grumbled at the sight of the plate in front of her. In the flurry of the day’s events, she’d forgotten to eat anything, her tiny breakfast from that morning somehow having sustained her until the late afternoon. After thanking Sojiro, she dug into her food, listening as Futaba chatted relentlessly about the various projects she was working on for university and her personal endeavors, of which Makoto only understood a portion.
By the time she finished her food and coffee, she could feel some life returning to her legs, the soreness from earlier mostly having disappeared. “Delicious as always, Boss.”
Sojiro merely grunted in response, but she knew him well enough by now to recognize that it was an appreciative sound. He rummaged beneath the counter for a moment before pulling out what was, thankfully, her final envelope of the evening. “I believe this is yours.”
After bidding both Sojiro and Futaba farewell and thanking the former once again for the meal, Makoto left the café. It was getting late, and judging from the position of the sun, she figured there was only about an hour left of sunlight in the day. Hopefully she’d be meeting up with Ren soon, so she wouldn’t be alone when it got dark.
Sighing, she removed the card from its envelope, wondering just what Ren had in store for his last hurrah of the day. This time, there was only one sentence awaiting her.
Go back to where it all began.
It had been months since Makoto had been to Crossroads. She would often visit Ren during his occasional shifts at the bar, keeping him company during school breaks or using the space to study on slower, quieter nights when classes were in session.
There was no doubt in her mind this was the place to which Ren’s last card was summoning her. So it surprised her to see that there was a sign on the front door, informing any visitors that the bar was closed. Makoto frowned.
She had just turned on her heel, ready to consider her other options, when she heard the door open behind her followed by a familiar voice. “Mako-chan! There you are!”
Makoto jumped. “Oh, Lala-san! I didn’t realize you were there.”
“No need for the formalities, honey. Come on in, come on in!”
She smoothed down her skirt nervously as she followed Lala into the surprisingly empty bar and took a seat at the familiar counter at the older woman’s request. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Um, just soda water, please.”
“How adventurous,” she chuckled. They sat in silence as Lala prepared her drink. There was an obvious grin on her face as she placed the glass in front of her solitary guest. “Here you go, honey. Enjoy.”
“Oh, um, thank you.” Makoto couldn’t help but think she was missing something important as she took the drink from Lala. The older woman was still staring at her as if she’d just told her a joke and Makoto had missed out on the punchline. “Am–am I missing something, Lala-san?”
“Look at the bottom of the glass, honey.”
Confused, Makoto followed her directions, surprised to see there was indeed something taped to the bottom of the glass. It took her a moment to dislodge the item without spilling any of the liquid inside.
“A key?” she asked as she inspected the thin metal item. Looking up at Lala, she saw that the older woman was smirking at her. “I don’t understand…”
“I’ll let him explain.” Lala pointed off to the side and out of view from the bar, from where a familiar figure emerged. She could only describe Ren as smug as he made his way up to her, resting his elbows against the counter so they were face to face. Lala hid her smile behind her hands as she stepped out from behind the counter. “I’ll give you two some space. Have fun, kids.”
“Thanks, Lala-san.” Ren waved at the woman as she disappeared into some back room. He turned to look at Makoto, who was now more confused than she’d been when the day first started. “You got here a lot quicker than I expected. Impressive. Made me remember why I love you so much.”
Makoto placed the key on the table and took a sip of her drink. She was parched from running around the city all day. “This–whatever this is–is so ridiculously convoluted, even for you.”
“Yeah, well, it’s been over four years now. I need to get creative if I want to keep up the element of surprise.”
“And just what is that surprise?” Makoto pushed the key to Ren’s side of the counter. “I’m assuming it has something to do with this, but I’m still confused.”
He picked up the key and twirled it between his fingers, avoiding her gaze. “If I was a cruel man, I’d make you guess.”
“But I also know you’re a smart man, and you probably recognize how tired I am after playing your little game all day. And I’m sure it wasn’t in your plans to end today with a very cranky girlfriend.”
Ren laughed at that. “Touché.” He stood up straight now, showing her that he was done goofing around. Makoto watched carefully as he reached over and grabbed one of her hands, turning her wrist upwards to place the key in her palm. With his other hand, he closed her fingers tightly around the small metal object. He kept her hand clasped in both of his, rubbing his thumb in slow movements against her skin. She leaned into the contact.
Ren chewed on his cheek, a sure sign that he was nervous. “The reason I did all of this...is because I want to ask you to...because I think it’s time we move in together.”
Makoto inhaled sharply. It was something they’d discussed in passing, but they both knew that it made sense for propriety’s sake that they remain in their respective living situations. But Ren had given more than serious thought to the idea, based on the planning that had gone into today’s activities.
Ren shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he waited for an answer. “Well? What do you think?”
“You did all of this...just to ask me that?”
He blinked. “I guess I did.”
She knew her boyfriend well enough from their many years together to recognize that he was extraordinarily nervous at the moment, hanging on her every word and gesture. If she wanted to, she could use this opportunity to toy with him and reverse their usual dynamic. But when he looked at her like that, with an expression that was hopeful yet frightened, she wanted nothing more than to reward him for what was surely an impressive amount of effort and coordination. “Well, I think...there’s a lot of logistics that we still need to discuss...but maybe once the school year’s over and my graduation has passed, we can start looking for a place together?”
Ren exhaled in relief. He moved to pull her into a kiss which required him to lean his entire body across the counter to reach her lips. When he moved away, Makoto grabbed onto his shirt to keep him in place for just a little longer.
Upon parting, she noticed that Ren was still holding the key. “What exactly does that open?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s an old key. It was more about the symbolism, you know?” Makoto rolled her eyes.
“Are you two kids done with your heart to heart?” Lala peered her head out from around a corner. “Am I allowed back into my bar yet?”
“Yes, Lala-san,” Ren replied with a laugh. “And thank you for letting me borrow the space for a couple of hours.”
“My pleasure, darling,” she cooed. “Watching you kids be this adorable keeps me young. Hopefully, I’ll still be here when you have a little one to bring in for a visit.”
“Lala-san!” Makoto exclaimed, bringing a hand to her mouth as she felt her cheeks heat up at the insinuation. Ren laughed, but she could see a similar hint of red around his ears.
“Maybe one day,” he said softly, looking straight into her eyes with a gentle smile.
“Yeah...one day,” she repeated, mirroring his expression.
But for now, they would take it one step at a time.