2026-03-09: A Sunday Drive
- Log: A Sunday Drive
- Cast: Ichika Kawase, Makoto Niijima
- Where: Tokyo Highways
- OOC Date: March 09, 2026
- IC Date: October 07, 2012
- Summary: Ichika invites Makoto to hang out--and go for a drive! They talk, and have a chance to get to know each other a little better.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Where are Ichika Kawase and Makoto Niijima going? Don't worry about that. Ichika certainly isn't.
It's a nice Sunday for a drive, and Ichika has shown up in Tokyo to try to get to know Makoto a little better. One of the things they quickly discovered that they had in common was a love of the road...
See: out on the highway, Ichika is driving her van. It's a big vehicle as those go, with a lot of space--and that makes for comfortable seating in front! It's black, with a lot of gray and black on the inside. The interior is clean, though there's a couple of boxes in there where Ichika keeps stuff.
It's late morning, and they haven't been in the car all that long; they've only just hit the highway.
"...Must've been crazy," Ichika says then, "Running into that 'Homunculus' thing. But that was smart, recording the conversation. I'd never have thought of something like that..."
But it's not the main topic she wants to get into, just a place to start. That might be clear in her voice, too.
She's in a layered tanktop short skirt and thigh-highs, with solid boots that are pretty cool to drive in. Her shorter bleach-blonde hair is still not that short, but isn't down past her butt anymore. And...
"You seem to be good at that kind of thing. Smart stuff, I mean."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto really wasn't expecting a surprise text from Ichika, inviting her out today- and given recent events and the fact that she hasn't had much of a chance to get to know Ichika- who is Ryuji's girlfriend and also Tsubasa's? She still doesn't really understand how it works and she doesn't feel like she knows them all enough to ask.
Today, she's not wearing the same casual outfit she always wears!! ...cause it's a colder day, and she's wearing a lightweight black turtleneck shirt, black winter leggings, brown thigh length boots (with her leggings tucked into the boots) and a double breasted blue jacket, that she wears proudly.
Makoto was, at least, suitably appreciative of Ichika's wheels- she did in fact asked for the full display. She may be a motorbike girl at heart, but she can appreciate a car- another of her hobbies that she doesn't tend to broadcast- on the other hand, with Ichika, it seems okay to show that side of herself. They're both girls, after all. She wouldn't mind getting a chance behind the wheel herself, but this is Ichika's chance to hit the highway.
She's also provided some onigiri- a mix of fillings, all healthy and well cooked- as her contribution to drive supplies. Indeed, she had a few more leftover than she had hoped.
"...I guess," Makoto admits, that she wasn't exactly not afraid. "It was really pissed off at me, and the way it looked at me..." She shudders a little, "It's like it didn't see me as a person. But... it's not the worst way someone's looked at me."
Still, Ichika wants to compliment her approach, and Makoto does look a little proud of the fact. "A confession is the king of evidence here in Japan," Makoto says, as if reciting an old lesson. "And if someone confesses, you want to be able to prove it." A moment later, though, she looks a little embarrassed. "...And, admittedly, I used the same trick on Ren, Ann and Sakamoto-kun when I first met them. It's how I found out they were the Phantom Thieves."
It's perhaps a little weird to repeat the story, but... Ichika's easier to talk to than lots of people, even if Makoto feels a little tense still.
After all, it's hard not to compare herself unfavourably to Ichika when it comes to Tsubasa, for example.
"I mean... I guess, but Sis is still miles ahead of me. I've got a long way to go." She sets her eyes on the road in front of them, comfortably in the passenger seat. There's no real destination, it's just a trip for a trip's sake- the sort of spontaneity Makoto doesn't tend to lean towards. "Besides, for all I might be intelligent, I know I'm still pretty naive in a lot of ways, and I'm really no good with people. You're way better at that sort of thing."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika has two partners! It's definitely unusual, and even she had to figure out the right language to use for it, which she didn't have at first.
...Ichika should be dressed for colder weather, frankly, but today was a 'be hot' more than 'be warm' day, and she's definitely glad she's in the car instead of walking around in the cooler weather like this. ...Ichika has a lot of those days...
Ichika was excited to give the full display, pointing out not only the nice interior but the potential extra seating, the space in the back for supplies for trips (like camping supplies!), and what it's supposed to be able to do. It also has a GPS in it! ...Not that they need it just now.
Ichika is open to the idea of letting Makoto drive after lunch; having a friend who also has her license is a little novel.
Onigiri!! Ichika loves onigiri.
But, "...Yes," she says. "I know that kinda look." She wonders what that 'worst' way Makoto had was, but it feels too premature to ask just yet. Instead...
"Hmmm, yeah," Ichika says, nodding along thoughtfully. Then she's surprised. "Wait, really?" A glance her way, before she keeps her eyes back on the road. "Wow. You must've been pretty sneaky about it. ...I uh, when I first met Ren-kun, I almost got them into a fight..."
It was a whole thing.
Ichika would be glad to know she as 'easy to talk to'.
"...The uhhh, the prosecutor, right?" Ichika keeps track of these details. "She's a lot older than you and in her career and stuff. It's natural you wouldn't be there yet." 'yet' being the operative word. "I won't argue that one--I'm pretty good with people. But it's not like, a natural talent or anything--I had to work pretty hard to get where I am on it. Especially talking to girls--I used to only get along with guys..."
"Speaking of getting along, though," Ichika says. "You and Tsubasa are old friends, right? I heard a little, but never like, the details. They don't talk about 'back then' all that much... Is it secret, or can I ask you about how you two met?"
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto nods. She was there for Eiji's Palace, and she saw how he treated Ichika. She can imagine Ichika's had much worse. Still... the way Kaneshiro stared at her was different from the way the Homunculus did. The Homunculus at least wanted her dead.
There's an easy, safe snack- and Makoto will be very appreciative that SOMEONE appreciates her cooking, given the amount that Sae has not been home lately-
(Indeed, on this very day, Sae Niijima is on her way to a sleepy little cafe in Yongen-Jaya. It's fine. Nothing to worry about.)
"...Yeah. It was... not the best first impression to give. Things worked out, at least, but I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd hated me after how things started off. It's still a little weird that we're friends now."
Blackmail, it turns out, might be the number one way to become a Phantom Thief.
'You must've been pretty sneaky about it.'
"...Their hideout was on the roof of the school, then the sky crossing in Shibuya. They weren't exactly subtle." Makoto's voice might sound a little harsh, but honestly, it was so easy for her to find the Phantom Thieves that it's a wonder that no one else found out first...
She does blink at the idea of Ichika and Ren getting in a fight. "Wait, really? I know she can be standoffish with people she doesn't doesn't trust, but Ren nearly started a fight with you?"
"...Right," Makoto says, a little surprised that Ichika remembered, given the state everyone was in after the fight with Tsubasa. "There's a pretty big gap between us, and Sis practically raised me. I need to be better if I'm going be able to repay her for that." There's a lot of idolization in that sentence- and underneath it, some pain, that Makoto might not even be aware she's broadcasting.
And then Ichika asks about Tsubasa and Makoto being old friends, and Makoto blinks. Tsubasa hasn't said anything? "...I mean, I don't think it's secret, it's just... it was long before they started going by Tsubasa." Before they really *were* Tsubasa. "We met in middle school, we both joined Student Council... first year, I think? They were pretty much my closest friend back then." ...honestly, possibly Makoto's only friend back then. "But... they were pretty different- I'd say things were pretty different. I was really surprised when I met them again earlier this year, before they awakened. They were so different I didn't recognize them at all, and it wasn't just because of..." Makoto trails off, for a moment, before shaking her head. "Because of the scars."
There's another long pause. "...You met Tsubasa after... the Psychotic Breakdown, right? How did you two meet?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika might understand about Kaneshiro, too--but it's not something she knows about. ...Makoto, on the other hand, saw her with Shadow Eiji, so Ichika's sure she knows about the kinds of looks she knows. But the impression they gave... Ichika hears some of the story. "I'm glad you are, though. It's nice to see how you guys rely on each other." She's starting to, too. But--
Ichika laughs outright. "Wow," she says. "That's pretty incredible. When the gang does stuff we at least stay out of the way.."
But, "Oh, they didn't start it--Me and Tsubasa almost did. See, we're heard about this big criminal at Shujin, and I decided that it was people like us who could do something about it--tough types. I figured, Haru-san seemed so nice and went there, and Shujin by the rumors had already been through so much..."
"Anyway, it turns out they weren't anything like the rumors, and somehow we ended up being friends instead, once we cleared up the misunderstanding."
But Ichika did remember! "I see..." She nods. "...I get it a little; my mom's actually pregnant now..."
But she doesn't get it entirely, because she hears that pain--and it's a pain she hasn't experienced. "So you work hard," Ichika divines. "That's cool." Having a big sister like that...
Ichika thinks of her big brother, but it doens't hurt as much as it used to--it's not the same, either.
"Right. They mentioned some of it, but... You know, not everything." They were different... things were different. "I was pretty surprised to learn they were on Student Council..." Pause. "So you were close. I thought so."
"...Well," Ichika says, "I was new at Kasu, and they were in a gang. Their leader decided to make an example of me. But I could tell Tsubasa wasn't really into it. So I asked them if they really wanted to be there going after me..."
"Uhh, long story short, I kinda kicked the leader's ass and stole half her gang? And half included Tsubasa. We got to know each other a lot more later, but that's how it started."
"And you know--like. I'm not the kind of girlfriend who gets mad at my guy having other friends who are girls, right? I figured it's obvious, but just in case it isn't... i'm not going to get in the way of you two reconnecting. I hope you do."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
"...It is?" Makoto says, clearly a little surprised. "I guess that came together pretty quickly, if I'm honest. I'm not that used to having other people to rely on, I guess."
Makoto actually laughs at Ichika's recounting of how she, Ren and Tsubasa met. "Guess you can't just rely on rumours," Makoto says, and she smiles- but it's a grim smile, especially with recent rumours that could be making lives hard, and hers is the one she cares about least in this case. "...Haru really is nice, isn't she? I'd be hard pressed to find a better friend, if I'm honest- but we've been in the same school for years and didn't even talk until... everything with Kaneshiro happened."
Makoto nods. "Yeah... I believed the rumours about Ren just as much as anyone, too. Still, travelling all the way from Kasugayama to intimidate a Shujin student..."
Wait, is that part of why Sumaru students care? Because a Kasugayama boss went to deal with the delinquent of Shujin personally? ...That's... gotta be coincidence, right?
"Oh! Congratulations!" That's... that's the right thing, right? "And... you already have a younger sister too, don't you?" One who's also a persona user, but in a different way to them.
"...Sis is the only family I have left, really. I... really want to make her proud, some day. After she's sacrificed so much for me, I owe her that much. ...even if we're walking different paths right now."
It's... awkward, a bit. So much of what she and Tsubaki did was... stereotypical teenage girl stuff, as far as Makoto was concerned. That's not really stories Tsubasa would want her telling, are they? "Yeah. I owe Tsubasa for like... a third of my study techniques, at least." It's still weird to see Tsubasa Seki as a middle of the pack student at Kasu, of all schools- but given the Joker Killer, it's probably impressive that they got that far up.
Makoto's eyes do seem to widen at Ichika's story. "...No way. It sounds almost like something out of a manga. I know Kasugayama's a really different environment, but I can't imagine that sort of thing happening at Shujin." ...Indeed, the one time a fight broke out in Makoto's memory was, well. When Ryuji threw a punch at Kamoshida.
It's the next question that catches Makoto off guard- it's clear that she wasn't expecting such a thing to be thrown at her. "Tsubasa and I are just friends, anyway."
She's... not sure why she felt the need to assert that. I mean, sure, Tsubasa's a guy, but...
"...Please don't tell me this is like the whole mess with Ren. Why does everyone think if you're friends with someone who might like look a boy, people think you're dating?" It's clear for that all Makoto is trying to act like it's nothing- this is definitely taking a toll on her. "I really don't get it at all," Makoto murmurs, sagging in her seat. "...At least you know we're just friends, Kawase-san." She still feels bad about what happened to poor Arisato-san.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah. You act like you've known each other for ages, when it comes to fights especially. It took my crew a while to get like that."
But Ichika smiles back at the laugh--she knows rumors are a problem for Makoto lately, after all. "Sure can't. I should've known that." But, well, "She is. Lucky us that we get to now, right?"
It... mightbe a coincidence. Maybe. "I figured nobody at Shujin was equipped to deal with somebody that bad, or they would've already."
Congratulations! Ichika smiles. "Thanks. It's a little awkward," she admits, "But I'm happy for her. And yes, I do."
But Sis... "I think that's admirable," Ichika says. "...I want to do better for my parents," she admits. It's not the same, but it rhymes.
"Tsubasa's so smart," Ichika gushes about her partner. "I'm not surprised they taught you study stuff. They know all these words, and all that math, and how to do computer stuff..."
A manga. Ichika says, "It's... kind of a different world," she says. "We have fights all the time. I'm trying to get in fewer these days, but..."
"...Oh, no," Ichika says, and shakes her head. "Sorry--I guess that was the opposite of reassuring. I didn't mean I think you're not friends, or that you're interested in them or something. I just..."
"Eiji was the kind of guy who didn't like me talking to other guys. And I've known girls like that about their boyfriends, too, with other girls."
"I just... wanted to be really clear that I'm not that kind of person."
"Nothing to do with assuming stuff about you--just not wanting people assuming stuff about me, right?"
She pauses. "But to that..."
"It's different with me; I really was with a lot of guys. I think... people just want excitement, and talking about who's with who gives them what they want. It's not really about who you are as a person--it's about how your story can be interesting for them."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
"I guess we're just on the same wavelength? I admit, we came together under... pretty desperate circumstances." Makoto continues to dance around the exact details, and Ichika might be astute enough to guess that she's not the best at sharing. Or maybe she's just not sure Ichika needs to know what Kaneshiro's plan for Makoto were.
Makoto can't stop herself laughing again. "...Honestly, outside the metaverse, if it came down to a fight between me and Ren, my money's on me. She's determined, sure, but I'd like to think that more than a decade and a dozen belts in Yoshinkan style will give me an edge." That's one of the things she can gloat about- to other girls, at least? Weird.
Or perhaps, the way Ichika talks about her family, it's one of the few living links Makoto has to her father.
"Inside the Metaverse, though... I think I'd have to give Ren that one. Just." ...But wouldn't it be fun to find out? Making sure they have the supplies to recover and then cutting loose...
"...I can imagine. The gap between Sis and I is only six years, and that still feels huge." She looks down, at the gold buttons on her coat. "...This used to be hers. I was so happy when she gave it to me, and I could finally wear it. It felt a bit like I'd managed to close some of that gap."
Admirable, huh. "...I hope so. I admit... I'm not sure how I pay her back now that I'm a Phantom Thief." ...What was her plan before, then?
"They are. Between them and Sis, I definitely had to work hard to keep up back then. When we were older, our footing was a little more equal, but that first year, s-" Makoto stops herself speaking, taking a moment to correct herself. "They seemed to have everything so together, like they had everything ready to go the second they graduated. I never realized how hard things were with their family, things just seemed... normal, to me." Makoto frowns. The idea that Tsubasa's own mother would call to have her child killed still sits ill with Makoto. "...Maybe we should change topics, though." It's a bummer enough, without Makoto dumping her feelings of abandoning her friend on the woman who was there for them.
"...Yeah. Fights don't... break out at Shujin. It's a private school, a lot of the students there are connected to someone or another, or paying out the nose." In Makoto's case, it's a little of both, right?
Ichika's reassurances at least seem to reach Makoto. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring anything up." She sighs. "Sorry. I've never really... I don't get a lot of this stuff. Relationships are just one of those things I never had time to learn about, I guess. Maybe that's why there's all these issues now."
"...I hope it's just that. I mean... Motojima-san's homunculus noticed something from before that gross feeling started coming off her. I can understand her starting a rumour just to cause trouble. But... the Homunculus isn't a person. I don't know what it gets out of it."
Makoto lets out another long sigh. "...But thanks, Kawase-san. For making things clear. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika doesn't pry into the details on that front. Desperate circumstances... "It seems that happens a lot around us," she asys. 'Us', now. "...But so far it's been possible to turn those circumstances around." She hopes that stays true.
When Makoto laughs, Ichika grins at her. "Nice," she says. "You might even take me," she offers. "I only started studying self-defense after--well, you know. But only maybe! I'm pretty damned tough."
A link to her father... that's good. But inside the Metaverse, "Just let me hang out to heal you both," Ichika offers. She then takes a turn, paying more attention to the road and less to Makoto until that's done with. The scenery is nice!
The coat.. "That's really nice," ichika says. She never did much hand-me-downs, as her older sibling was a brother ,and--well, the Kawases have money. But she can see the sntiment.
"That I don't know. But if you keep working hard, I think you'll find a way."
But them... Hmm. Ichika doesn't bat an eye at almost saying 'she', since Makoto doesn't actually do it. well,not just for that. "They hide that kind of thing," Ichika says, as if that abssolves Makoto of not knowing. "But sure, we can. Thanks for telling me a little anyway."
Paying out the nose... "At Kasu High," Ichika says, "Most people have given up on you if you're there. ...But the students care about each other, even when things get rough sometimes. You know? Nobody smokes at Kasu High. I thought about picking it up, but the Death Boss doesn't let anybody do it, so it never seemed worth the trouble."
She considers Makoto's apology. "It's fine," she says. "Relationships..."
She considers. "They're important to me. Romance, yeah--but also just... friendship. Getting to know somebody, who they are... It tells you more about who you are, too."
"But we've all got a different pace for stuff like that. Maybe if I'd paid less attention to boys and more attention to books, I'd be really smart, too."
She smiles. The onigiri is still good...
She doesn't smileabout the Homunculus, though. "I dunno," she admits. "Maybe it wants to feel like it's a person? Do person stuff. ...Otherwise, why bother trying to take over sombody's life?"
It's obviously unacceptable, though.
"...You're welcome," Ichika says. "Obviously I don't have to say the same thing about Ryuji-kun," she says. "You've known him longer than me." Pause. "Well, that's true of Tsubasa too... but I think you get what I mean. It would be even weirder to do it like that."
"But, ah..."
"You know, if you want.... You can call me Ichika. I don't mind."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
"Yeah..." Us, huh. Us is a pretty nice word, too. "We have to make sure that keeps happening. We still have that Alibaba person wanting us to change a heart..." Futaba Sakura. The name still makes her think it's someone connected to Sojiro, but she and Ren will be investigating that soon enough. It kind of feels like every change of heart will be a matter of life or death, to an extent.
"Ha. I'm sure that will go down great. Kasugayama's Thorn Boss vs Shujin's Iron Fisted Student Council President! A match scheduled for one fall, tonight on LLPW!" Makoto seems comfortable to laugh at herself with that. "Kobayakawa would probably have a heart attack."
Ichika offers to be on healing duty, which causes Makoto to raise an eyebrow. "Seriously? I mean..." Makoto looks out the passenger window for a moment. "...Honestly, I was mostly joking." ...Not to mention, that rage that overcame when she and Phoenix fought in Eiji's Palace... what if that happened again?
Things were definitely tight for the Niijima's for a while there, even with a police pension. Things aren't now, but Makoto still treasures those little sentiments. "...Yeah." ...though how much of that distance has closed, after all? To Makoto, it just seems to have gotten wider.
Her phone, with it's metaverse navigator app, feels like a lead weight in her bag.
Makoto nods, after a moment. "...I guess I'm not sure what stories are okay for me to tell. Everything about that year that Tsubasa had to leave is still kind of a mess in my head." She's using euphemisms again, but really, Tsubasa leaving was but one terrible even in that one year period that started with her father's death.
The environment at Kasugayama, though, seems to cause Makoto pause. "...Shujin's students... most of them will care about a few friends, but the student body as a whole? They just don't want trouble, or anyone making trouble. The Student Council is..." She pauses for a moment. "...Insular. But... so many people are only in it for themselves." Makoto was one of them, too. "It sounds nice to have students who care about each other, even if it feels like the rest of the world doesn't. At least you're not alone."
Makoto, however, listens as Ichika talks about her view on relationships. It's... important to hear how someone else puts it, to her, even if she feels like she should be taking notes. Still, something bothers her slightly- and someone else's issues are always easier than their own.
"Knowledge isn't all there is to being 'smart'- and it's something you can learn. Maybe we could have a study session some time, if that's something you want to be better at?" After all, it sounds like Ichika feels she has her own issues about her intelligence.
"...Maybe. Either way, we can't just let it be." ...She still wants to beat the damn monster's face in, herself, but if it was that easy...
"I mean..." Has she known Tsubasa longer than Ichika has? It feels like she's only just met the real Tsubasa at all.
"...Right." Makoto says, realizing that she's done it again, been too formal for too long. "Sure. Ichika it is. And it's fine for you to call me Makoto too."