#((precious girl Nanako always diffusing any situation!!

[tres-fidelis]

"N-No fighting Miss!" Nanako looks rather determined to stop whatever Rin is yelling about.

It happened only once in a while. The usual bout of customers needing their vehicles or other mechanical problems repaired never gave Rin any sort of problems. But sometimes, the cranky Karen reared their ugly head just to test the shop's hospitality services, as well as Rin's patience. An expensive payment, shabby adjustments or additions made under the shop's surveillance, it grew to be quite a common trend when facing displeased clients. Usually, her aunt took to mending the problem while Rin finished the dirty work. However, she found herself solo running both the house and work space today. Without any proper adult supervision in close proximity, it spelled a pending disaster should the older teen fully embrace her boiling frustration.

But a little angel came to her rescue! Brunette pigtails bounced up and down, matching brown eyes appearing innocent and worried hearing the nearby voices raise in pitch. Rin forgot about the temporary babysitting service she promised Dojima-san today, which meant even more responsibilities piled on her shoulders. Between working with clients, appeasing her current patron, and the pleading shouts from Inaba's sweetest little peach, Rin couldn't make any mistakes. It was too much all at once.

She shouldn't get angry either, especially not in front of Nanako...of all people.

"...my apologies, sir." Her fists relaxed, tension releasing from her fingers as she tucked them inside her jean pockets. "I'll take a'notha look at th' internals tah make sure everythin's fixed. Is prolly summthin' ta do wit' th' AC unit in yer car..." It didn't hurt to look over her work again, in case she overlooked one little part or section. But she never missed anything. So what happened this time around?

For the time being, Rin saw the customer off into the waiting room then turned to catch Nanako's attention. "...thought I told ya not ta be comin' in here, squirt. It's dangerous fer someone as small as ya ta be near these kinds of tools."

She could practically hear Dojima's voice tearing her ear off if he found out about this...

[snowpeawritings]

11. Waiting P.1

“Philemon seems to enjoy seeing his Wild Cards live on with their lives…”

insp.

Persona 4 Golden X FeMC!Reader

4/25/MON-Evening | Dojima Residence

"Do you even know what you're doing?"

You pay no heed to the incorporeal being as you scored the meat with the knife. The residence doesn't have a lot of cook books, probably because of Dojima's absence and Nanako's proficiency based on eggs, so you decided to wing this recipe and hope for the best.

It wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't for the being criticizing the ingredients and your methods.

"This meat isn't full. I've seen pork plumper than this."

"What is this sauce? Why does it taste so sweet?"

"What is this metal contraption that produces fire?"

The grip on your knife only worsened and you were thankful that your hands were free of marinade. The sounds of the TV droned on, reminding you that Nanako is there, sitting attentively and listening to her surroundings.

With a sigh through your nose, you placed the lunch inside the box in an ordered fashion. The ginger pork on the steamed rice was placed in a way the sauce wouldn't be marred as diced spring onions were sprinkled nicely on the pork. In two cup dividers were cherry tomatoes and leftover potato salad. It wasn't like the tonkatsu that you made before but you feel like you've perfected this recipe.

"Success...!" You congratulated yourself. The dish turned out perfectly!

Izanami hummed beside you, looking over at the lunch. "It looks... Adequate."

You let out a tired groan, something that was noticed by Nanako as she began to question what was wrong.

4/26/TUE-Lunchtime | Classroom

Once the teacher dismissed the class for lunch, you sighed as you patted yourself on the back once more for answering for your friends. It was definitely more painful to have Jiraiya and Tomoe argue over the class's heads as Izanami tried to diffuse the situation. It would've been comical if it wasn't for the fact that you had to focus on the lesson and maintain your grades.

You took out your lunch from your bag and looked around. Yosuke was chatting with one of his friends, Chie was busy trying to discreetly teach Tomoe the basic ethics of today. Maybe you should invite one of them for lunch.

A small shriek broke your trail of thought. You turned your head to see Chie cupping her face in her hands as Tomoe tilted her head to the side. From behind you, Jiraiya laughed at the girl's embarrassment as Yosuke groaned at all three of them.

You remember Kou and Akane from music club and you wondered if they were available.

4/28/THU-After School | Chinese Diner Aiya

You remember going to this restaurant with Daisuke yesterday to talk about Kou and ever since, you’ve wanted to try the Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl Challenge.

The diner was bustling as usual, the exception were the sounds of defeat of people who fell victim to the 3,000 Yen toll and with the few who triumphed over the well-seasoned meat and pounds of rice. Beside you, sitting on a stool, was Izanami, who watched the old man behind the counter yell orders above the noise.

“Chinese...” Izanami started. “I’ve forgotten the taste of baos that my husband would get me.”

You raised your eyebrow. “You have a husband?”

She nodded, though it seemed like she was unsure. “I... think so. I remember somebody whom I was close to...”

You racked your brain on your Shinto beliefs. With the spare time you had, you picked up the myths about the gods since it seemed important to know who was your partner. Before you could say something, a waiter slammed a giant bowl in front of you.

The legendary beef bowl definitely lived up to its name. The mounds of beef seemed to be endless, the mouth-watering seasoned meat suddenly made you sick. And then you remembered that there was rice underneath the protein hell pile.

You and Izanami blinked owlishly at the beef bowl, the noises in and out of the diner droned to a silent static as you seem to cower at the sight of the king of beef bowls.

This feat will be remembered through eternity.

“Izanami,” you whispered to her as you picked up your chopsticks, “make sure this lives on in the history books.”

You didn’t need to look at her to see her nod solemnly. “You will be remembered as a hero.”

You could feel the dread that the beef bowl gives but it doesn’t stop you from separating your sticks and thank the Aiya for this challenge.

> ...

“The beef bowl...” Izanami gasped. “It feels as though it’s taunting you!”

Her words fell deaf as your stomach bulged from the meat. That’s right. Just meat. You couldn’t even make it to the rice as the mountain of meat defeated your over-confidence. Still, despite the grueling defeat, you seemed to have a deeper understanding on how the beef bowl seems to be, the strategy to win the challenge has been embedded in your knowledge, and your diligence paid off to skim off most of the meat. 

“Aiyaaa!” The owner drawled out. “Looks like you failed the challenge! Too bad. That’ll be 3,000 Yen.”

You scowled at the man then the beef bowl. At least the materials you sold to Daidara covered your expenses.

4/29/FRI-Evening | Dojima Residence

“Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area.”

The reporter continued with the weather as you watched it intently. Izanami sat beside you, Nanako opposite of you in front of the table as Dojima relaxed on the couch. A steaming mug of hot chocolate was in your hands, as you refused to eat anything since you were still full from the beef bowl. You were proud to say that you’ve reached a bit of rice as you felt your stats increase.

“A thick fog is expected tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area. Anyone planning to go out tonight should take care. Now for our hourly weather breakdown...”

“More fog, huh...?” Dojima sighed. “There’s been a lot of that lately. Hopefully it’s not a sign of more trouble.”

You didn’t even need to turn around to see his eyes droop in exhaustion. You focused back on the TV only to notice Nanako holding the remote in her hands and switching the channel.

“Ah-ah-ah.” Dojima tutted. “What did I say about changing the channel without asking?”

Before she could even respond, the TV droned about Junes and it being open for Golden Week. Immediately, Nanako perked up at the commercial, singing the theme song as she seemed excited about the establishment.

Izanami chuckled at her enthusiasm. “She’s so precious.”

“Dad!” Nanako exclaimed. “They’re going to be open during Golden Week!”

He laughed a little. “I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?”

Nanako’s eyes widened as she stood up “We can go somewhere?!”

He smiled at his daughter’s enthusiasm, then turned his head to you. “How about it? Got any plans yet?”

You took a cursory glance at Izanami as she nodded her head eagerly. You nodded at the man. “No plans yet.”

“Then let’s all go together somewhere!” Nanako cheered. “Junes! Junes Junes Junes!”

You giggled at her. You haven’t seen her this happy at all lately.

However, Dojima sighed. “You’re sure you want to go Junes? We can go there anytime...”

“Let her have her fun.” You said. “Not like we can spend all Golden Week in the store.”

“Alright alright...” He relented. “Anyway, time for bed. It’s late.”

Nanako’s smile was wiped off her face when she heard that, but she immediately sprung back to life by singing the Junes theme song.

After Nanako went to bed as you bade Dojima a good night, you changed into your pajamas and went up to your room. You pulled back the curtain and looked out the window. The fog rolled in, making you barely see anything.

“The fog settled in fast.” Izanami remarked. “I know we saved Yukiko but I wonder about what will show tonight.”

You drew back the curtain, staring at the TV with a nervous expression. “Probably nothing, but we can’t be too sure.”

You sat back down on the sofa next to Izanami, heaving out a sigh at the events that happened in the castle. “Yukiko is coming back to school tomorrow so we can ask her about how she even got in there.”

Izanami watched your relaxed expression, turning her head to the TV, then turning her head back to you. “What do you think of what her Persona will be?”

You shrugged lazily. “I don’t know, but I do know that we have to show her the ropes when we have free time.”

“You don’t have to stress yourself over this.” She said softly. “There’s always time for that, you’re still young after all. There’s no shame in backing down.”

You stared at Izanami’s yellow eyes, wondering where that caring attitude came from. You... really don’t know how to respond to that.

Before you could even reply something, the TV turned on by itself. The static noises permeated the room but the screen showed nothing. Then, the TV went silent.

“Well, guess that’s that.” You said, standing up from your sitting position. You, frankly, didn’t want to talk more about the awkward self-care so you dragged yourself to your already made futon and lied down. “Night, Izanami.”

Your Persona didn’t even try to bring back the previous conversation, which you were thankful for. She sighed before settling herself on the sofa. “Night, _____.”

Persona Time

| Amagi Inn |

In the personal room of Yukiko inside the Amagi Inn, the 2nd-year girl stirred in her futon before opening her eyes to the sunlight. She let out a tired groan, feeling like her body went on a triathlon but her mind went through the bar exam. All that training didn’t seem to prepare her for the soreness in her muscles and she didn’t even do anything in the television except watch as her friends get burned.

“I should apologize for causing so much trouble...” She murmured to herself, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“O-Oh!” A meek voice gasped in surprise. “Y-You’re awake! Thank g-goodness!”

The voice immediately made Yukiko’s eyes snap open as she sat up and whipped her head to the source of the voice. When her eyes landed on a whole mess of pink, she stiffened.

3

2

1

Thump!

“Oh dear...” The Persona muttered as she watched her master faint and fall asleep again on her futon.