2026-03-08: Here's a Tip
- Log: Here's a Tip
- Cast: Makoto Niijima, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Student Council Office, Shujin Academy, Aoyama-Itchome, Tokyo
- OOC Date: March 08, 2026
- IC Date: Saturday, October 06, 2012
- Summary: Makoto is busy handling submitted paperwork for the various clubs on campus. Kazusa comes by to drop something off for the rhythmic gymnastics team, and Makoto takes the chance to press her on a recently-started rumor... and then to provoke the Homunculus. Heated words are exchanged, and a trap is sprung.
(|=================== Shujin Academy - Classroom Building ====================|)
-==================================================== Tokyo/Aoyama-Itchome ====-
Shujin Academy is split between its main classroom building, which faces the
back streets of Aoyama-Itchome, and its practice building out back. The
classroom building is a grim concrete building with sleek glass doors, three
stories tall, with classrooms for the third years on the ground floor, second
years on the second, and first years on the top. The faculty office is on the
second, and the student council room and the library on the third. Vending
machines dot the hallways here and there, and the bathrooms are kept clean. Its
front gates are wrought iron with a circular design, and a stylized clock on the
eastern wall informs students just how late they are.
The foyer is lined with glass cases proudly displaying trophies earned by its
top students, and just past them is the school store, though the yakisoba bread
there is almost always sold out. Billboards across the school announce various
articles and notices of interest. Past there, the walls are gray and white, the
floors are wooden, student lockers line the walls, and the sliding classroom
doors sport diamond windows. The classrooms themselves are rather more sober,
with simple desks and chairs for the students and a taller desk at front before
the chalkboard for the teacher. The windows to the outside seem simple, and even
have yellow curtains that can be pulled shut, but are lined in a diamond pattern
to prevent shattering. We wouldn't want our students to escape, now would we?
There is a fenced-in roof, but the door to it displays a sign stating students
aren't allowed. Despite this, it isn't locked, so nothing stops anyone from
hanging out there anyway--at least, not until they get caught. Oddly, there's
also several small planters there too for growing flowers and vegetables.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
For a large percentage of the Persona-using community, there is a terrible pitched battle occurring today.
But for Shujin Academy, it's Student Council Paperwork Day- the deadline for any funding requests, equipment requests, meet permission requests and all that other stuff that the school faculty aren't dealing with. On the upside, Student Council is efficient at this- but the sports clubs have been under significantly more scrutiny since everything with Kamoshida.
Still, as far as Makoto's concerned, the requests have trickled away for most of the afternoon, and she's had to leave a few meetings early for various reasons of late. "Kato-kun, Nishino-san, you two have been here for a few hours now. I think things are wrapping up, why don't you take a break?"
"Are you sure, President?" Nishino- a second year and as of this year vice president- asks. "There could be a sudden rush!"
Makoto shakes her head. "I'll give you both a call if I need any help, but it should be fine. Most of the clubs who had events announced have already turned up."
"Come on, Nishino-chan," Kato- a methodical, if unobtrustive second year and student council treasurer- gives her a smile. "You know the President's going to insist. Let's take advantage of her kindness."
As Nishino and Kato leave, though, Makoto can't help but overhear their murmurings as they leave. "Hey, Kato-kun... Do you think it's true, about Niijima-san and the transfer student?"
"...I mean, she did miss those meetings... And you know what she's like..."
Makoto frowns as her fellow student council members get out of hearing range. Apparently, staying quiet and ignoring the situation isn't helping, as she had hoped. She pulls out her phone, and starts typing.
>Even the student council are talking about it. Should we do something?
She stares at the message for a while, before deleting it. No. No point bothering Ren with this nonsense. She said she can deal with it, she can deal with it.
With a frustrated sigh, Makoto's phone is returned to her bag and she gets back to sorting club requests.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Thankfully, it is not a rush that awaits Makoto as she takes over for the other student council members.
Unfortunately, the person who comes next is not, in fact, a person, and Makoto may sense the wrongness that follows Kazusa around these days, the same wrongness that's driven Ryuji to skip class... an unhealthy amount lately. The sense that something approaches that is Not Human.
And to add insult to injury, despite that wrongness, the face that peeks in the door is smiling cheerfully.
And it's the face of the person who is at least partially responsible for that rumor going around now.
But you wouldn't know it from the way she chipperly greets Makoto as she steps in, a folder clutched to her chest. "Oh! Good afternoon, President!" She steps inside and holds out the folder. "I brought all of the paperwork for the Rhythmic Gymnastics team."
At the very least, the paperwork is decently organized. Small blessing, there.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
That horrible wrongness is felt long before Makoto sees the thing wearing Kazusa's skin coming- and right now, she is regretting letting the others go on a break for two reasons. But she can't show Kazusa's Homunculus that she knows it's there. She has to pretend things are normal.
She's very good at pretending things are normal when they aren't. So good that she's forgetting some things aren't normal.
"Motojima-san," Makoto says, through gritted teeth, as Johanna screams at her to kill the thing in front of her- and with her current emotions, that's a harder voice to resist than she'd like. "Good afternoon."
Makoto takes the folder, and opens it to check- everything does look in order to a first view. "I see. Permission slips for the meet, school bus booking, teacher chaperone... It all looks in order." She sighs, though. "Principal Kobayakawa will want a full placings report, however. That's normally the manager's duty, though."
Indeed, normally the club manager would be doing this, not one of the athletes. "...Why are you handing these in today, Motojima-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Killing the Homunculus right now might bring Makoto some relief... though ensconsed in the body of Kazusa as she is, it might be very awkward to explain. (Thankfully, a better remedy is available, that various Persona Users have been working on.)
As it happens, Makoto might not be the only person in the office who's good at pretending things are normal.
Aside from her Resonance, however, Kazusa seems mostly like her normal self. She's switched to the winter uniform, of course, though she seems to ahve ditched her silver bracelets in favor of a pink hairband.
Everything looks in order, and Kazusa nods. "That's good to hear! I'm relieved." There's a further comment, and Kazusa nods seriously. "Placings report... got it. I'll let her know." To that end, she takes out her phone--it's a smartphone, and it's got the Motojima Corporation logo on the back. So her family's company made it, seemingly.
She types for a moment, and then nods. "There!" So she's taking notes, at least.
But she looks up as the question comes. "Oh, right. She got tied up with something, so I volunteered to drop these off, to make sure they wouldn't be late."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Given Kazusa's normal attitude, it's hard to see her as she is right now as normal, and not simply pretending. ...Something about that pink hairband is bothering her- but Kazusa has no reason to even know about that. This one is probably just a coincidence.
"All the sports teams are expected to provide them now, especially for teams with Honor Students," Makoto says, her stomach twisting a bit as she says it. She still has to play Kobayakawa's lackey in some sense, even if the Principal takes great pains to enjoy meeting with her now. Unsurprising that a coward is a coward, after all.
"...I see." Makoto says, as Kazusa seems so polite and smiley. Makoto, still standing from taking the file, and walks toward the Student Council Room door, checks outside briefly- and closes it.
"Motojima-san," Makoto says, her voice cold, hard and not tolerating nonsense. It's almost...
Regal.
"Would you mind explaining to me why you decided to start spreading rumours about myself and Amamiya-kun?"
She may not be able to kill the thing in Kazusa's body- and the Phantom Thieves don't kill, she reminds herself- but she can certainly get some answers from the Homunculus, and still seem like a normal (if incensed) student.
After all, while there are many places where the School has been the Palaces of others, the Student Council Room is the Queen's domain.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
The Homunculus is doing its best to appear normal, at least. IT's too bad for her that she's a beacon of wrongness to those who are supernaturally-empowered.
All the teams, and especially those with Honor Students. Kazusa tilts her head a little. "... really...?" It... seems to take her a moment to work through why that is, but after a few (worryingly long) moments, it seems to click. "Ohhhh, right..." She frowns. "... and we have Yoshizawa-san on our team, too..." Among, potentially, others. She frowns for a moment. "I hope this doesn't make things harder on her."
If Makoto is at all tuned in to rumors that don't involve herself, she'll know that Kazusa has, in fact, been spreading some of the gossip around Kasumi. Or at least she was before.
"I'll make sure our manager knows how important the placings report is."
She's taking what Makoto is saying seriously, though she still seems in a good mood, overall. But that changes when Makoto closes the door and her attitude shifts.
'Motojima-san.'
Kazusa blinks, and her posture stiffens, just a bit, trying extra hard to be respectful. "... yes, President?" she asks cautiously.
The rumor.
"... eh?" Kazusa blinks, owlishly, at Makoto. "The rumor about you and Amamiya-san... oh, that you're dating?"
Her voice seems to be getting a little smaller. "... did I start that?" She seems... genuinely confused by that.
While Kazusa did recoil and become at a loss for words with Makoto in one of their previous interactions, it took quite a bit of pushback and some surprising revelations for that to happen. This? She'd have no problem copping to, and would have pushed back on.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
It's also tremendously bad at pretending to be Kazusa Motojima, specifically. Or at least, how Kazusa presents herself.
"That seems a new concern for you," Makoto says flatly- while she doesn't follow rumours that well, Yoshizawa-san was talk of the school for a while- an up and coming first year.
That, and she follows certain chats on her phone.
Makoto is watching Kazusa fiercely, watching her whole body for tells. Little movements.
The things you look for in a suspect under interrogation.
"As far as I can tell, you're the source." As genuinely confused as the homunculus may be, Makoto is not prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's folding too easily. Way too easily.
"After all, no one was talking about it before that field trip. And you were overheard raising the subject of myself and Amamiya-kun." Red brown eyes bore into Kazusa, as Makoto crosses her arms in front of her chest. "And based on our prior interactions, you'd have no problem admitting such a thing. Maybe you'd even tell me why you'd spread a false rumour Amamiya-kun and I are dating."
...Not that she likes calling Ren that right now, but she's not out to everyone. Makoto's got to keep that covered too. That's fine. She's the one asking the questions here. She's the one interrogating Motojima.
"Now. Answer the question, Motojima-san. Why did you spread that rumour?"
It's hard to imagine, right now, that in another world this conversation is happening with Kazusa's hands cuffed to a table.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
She is bad at acting like Kazusa... but that's not the version of Kazusa she wants to be. So that may not be a metric she's concerned with.
Kazusa looks down a little, her expression turning contrite. "I know I wasn't always the most supportive of her..." That's an understatement. She looks up again. "... but I'm trying to be more supportive now, and it seems like she's been making progress lately. I'm happy for her!"
She is definitely squirming a little under the intense scrutiny. She has nowhere near the forceful personality of her old self.
She's the source. "I am?" she says, blinking.
But the field trip is brought up, and that seems to make something register for Kazusa. "Ohhh. That's right, I was taling to Ngisa-san." Did she really not remember until it was mentioned first? And is this a deft deft attempt to pass off blame, or is she just... blithely throwing someone else under the bus without realizing it?
... It's definitely the second option.
"I just noticed how close you two were sharing notes, and he said you were probably trying to rehab Amamiya-san, and then I wondered how hand-holding was part of that--" That didn't happen on the field trip. "--and he said you must be dating, and he started telling people to give you two some space."
She seems... almost proud of herself for remembering all that, for some reason.
But then she frowns a moment later, as if in serious thought. "... do you think that's how it started?"
She looks to Makoto. "So... are you two really not dating, then...?"
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
It is the one Makoto is judging on, though. She simply shakes her head at the way Kazusa tries to claim she's supportive of Kasumi now. "And I'm sure that hasn't caused her new troubles," Makoto's voice is harsh. She knows how isolating that sort of 'favouritism' can be.
After all, most students think of her as a robot, don't they?
That... denial, that deeply false pretense that she can't understand she's responsible. It seems to get Makoto... angry, though she does her best to keep it under control.
There's a few time she's lost her cool, and it's caused problems. Around a supernatural entity...
"...Hand-holding." Makoto says, quietly. That was... that was months ago. Really?
Really?
But again, she hasn't answered the question.
"I'm going to ask one more time. Why did you bring it up, Motojima-san? I won't answer any of your questions until you can give me a straight answer."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
As it happens, her support is worse for Kasumi... but mostly because she's swung too far in the opposite direction--being endlessly positive and not ahving any real or genuine critique to offer. The little bit of cheer she'd built uip over Kasumi's progress evaporates. She looks crestfallen. "... she is getting better, though..." But her voice is small, and she is wilting under the weight of that stern tone.
There's no way the original Kazusa could be this good an actor, could seh?
Given how fast Kazusa is folding, it might be hard to imagine her Homunculus as dangerous. But then again, maybe that's part of the ruse.
"... yeah. At... at the festival." She's suddenly sounding unsure of herself.
But Makoto is pressing the issue, and Kazusa bows her head--followed quickly by bowing her body. "I'm sorry, President. I don't know why I brought it up. I guess I... I just wasn't thinking." Her voice is sounding smaller and more contrite by the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
The way Kazusa's Homunculus shrinks in on itself...
It's like looking in a fairground mirror. A sick, disgusting reflection of Makoto as she was even a few months ago.
...For a second, she thinks she understands Akechi's disappointment in the girl he met that day.
This is an act, and it isn't. It's an attempt at mimicking a person- a hollow, empty, vacant person. A person with no strength, no fire... no will to rebel.
And Makoto hates looking at her so very, very much.
...She may already not like Kazusa Motojima- but she hates this thing even more. And she hates what it would do to Motojima herself. She clenches her fist.
"...So I'm supposed to believe that you just brought it up, and then tried to blame Nagisa-kun for people talking about it, when you're the only one who could put those facts together?"
Makoto's right hand reaches up to rub her temples- and to mask how pissed off she is right now.
"For your information, no, Ren and I are not dating. We are friends. We were not 'holding hands', we were trying not to get separated in the crowd at the fireworks festival.
She can barely stand to look at Kazusa right now.
"Here's a tip, Motojima-san." When Makoto looks at Kazusa, she's not just staring into her eyes- she's looking through them. It's not the body she's addressing right now, even if it's the only part she can talk to. "You've done enough damage with your carelessness right now, assuming I even believe you had no reason for it- which I don't." There's... so much anger there. "I could believe your comments about my father were unintentional, but this? No. I don't buy it."
She advances one step toward Kazusa- and one might almost believe, for a moment, that the ground would crack under her feet. "And let me give you a tip, Motojima-san," her positioning has shifted, ever so slightly. An optimal distance. Right food forward, facing Kazusa, left foot back and perpendicular. A gymnast might be able to tell that her weight distribution is even. Back straight. Shoulders relaxed. Just the slightest bend her knees, making sure they don't lock. Her arms are at her sides, and her hands open.
Just in case.
"Being the good girl pushover type won't get you what you want. It won't get you anything beyond people taking advantage of you, crushing your will and breaking your spirit. There's no good end for you like that. Keep that in mind."
She doesn't move away from Kazusa, or turn away from her. "I'll be in touch with your club manager if there are any issues with your paperwork. You may go now."
It doesn't sound like a request.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
It is not a kind reimagining of Kazusa in the slightest. It would be abhorrent to Kazusa herself, were she still able to render an opinion on the matter. There is someone this personality is meant to appeal to...
but ... but it's definitely not the other person in this room.
She's not meant to rebel, to fight back. She's meant to be be nicer and more compliant.
To do as she's told.
But Kazusa--the version of her that the Homunculus is presenting--is watching Makototo, and her eyes track down for a moment at that clenched fist. She straightns back and even leans back, just a little.
Her eyes widen--but not from that clenched fist just yet. "Oh--oh, no. I didn't mean to blame Nagisa-san!" She shakes her head furiously, sending her long black hair whipping back and forth. "He works so hard as our class representative... I would never..."
If he works hard as the Class Rep, iut's because he got stuck with the job because nobody else wanted it, and because everyone foists their tasks off to him for slacking off on his sports scholarship.
She looks down. "I guess... I guess I only thought of it because I was walking with Nagisa-san..."
Not dating... and just trying not to get separated. Kazusa looks up to Makoto and blinks. "Oh. I see." She bows her head again. "Sorry."
Makoto might have a hard time meeting Kazusa's gaze right now, with how she's looking at the floor, head bowed. She's caused enough trouble, and Makoto doesn't believe her explanation. Kazusa stays silent for the moment.
That one step is enough to get Kazusa to flinch back, eyes widening as she looks sharply up to watch Makoto now.
Being the good girl pushover type won't get her what she wants... well, it really depends on what she wants, doesn't it? But Kazusa watches silent, too afraid to interrupt.
But her manager will hear if there's any issues, and... she can go. Kazusa bows, just enough to be respectful. "Hai, President. Th--... thank you for your time and all your hard work."
She'll move quickly to the door, giving Makoto a wide berth.
There will be no fire or will to rebell sparked by Makoto's words, it seems.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
That's all? That's it? Shrinking down, avoiding eye contact. Hiding from her. Hiding *in* that personality.
...because she was walking with Nagisa-san? What in the would does that mean? Why would Nagisa-san make her think of Ren and Makoto dating? "What? What does that have to do with anything?"
She flinches, again- and to be fair, the real Kazusa was intimidating by Makoto. She's taller than Kazusa, but their height difference is more pronounced now, like this.
And then she tries to thank her for her hard work?
It stings.
No, it doesn't sting, it feels more like a fiery, burning pain to see that the Homonculus' method of ruining Kazusa's life is to turn her into the girl Makoto was. A doormat, who looks away from every pain, every injustice, and crushes her own self to please everyone around her.
No one deserves to have that taken from them. No one.
"Do you really people will accept a fake personality like that?" Makoto's voice cuts through the room, as easily as knife. "No one will really believe that Shujin's Demon Queen turned around her personality. Just like Amamiya-kun will always be a criminal to anyone who won't give them a chance." She's glaring again.
"Reputation is cage, a shield, and a double edged sword, Motojima-san. If you're going to keep your hands empty, it's a cage Kazusa Motojima will die in, and no one will ever truly believe that this you is the same girl. You'd have been better off trying to claim some nonsense like the 'Phantom Thieves' stole your heart or something if you wanted to try and get a good reputation without doing the work."
Now? Now she's pushing it. Her words are deniable, could easily be conceived as, genuinely, just about reputation and the way that Shujin works.
The Homunculus might even believe it.
But Makoto wants to see if it can bleed, for no reason than her own satisfaction. She doesn't need any proof that this isn't Kazusa Motojima behind the wheel-
But sometimes, well... There's some satisfaction in seeing an enemy baited into a trap.
Especially if one is talking just loud enough to keep someone from hearing footsteps down the halls.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
This version of Kazusa lacks fire, and pride, and a great deal of many other things.
She also, sometimes, seems to not know when to keep quiet.
'What does that have to do with anything?'
Kazusa can't quite meet Makoto's gaze. "I was just... wondering what it'd be like, that's all." She means to hold hands with someone. In a dating or relationship context.
... This might be more information than Makoto ever wanted to learn about Kazusa. She can at least console herself with the knowledge that this can't possibly reflect on the real Kazusa in any way. ... right?
The Homunculus isn't out to ruin Kazusa's life... at least, that's not its direct aim. It just so happens to be a means to an end.
She's trying to leave, but at the words 'fake personality' she stops. She doesn't turn, but it's clear that she's still listening. One might easily imagine, still, that same, uncomprehending look she had before, but she is clearly still listening.
'it's a cage Kazusa Motojima will die in, and no one will ever truly believe that this you is the same girl.'
The shift might be subtle, but it's there--the way her posture straightens up, and how her head is a little less bowed now.
And her voice, which had been quiet and small and withdrawing... is now unnervingly smooth and steady.
"... They'll have to believe it."
She turns to face Makoto again, and now her gaze is sharp--it is not the sharp, disapproving gaze of Kazusa. It is more like... she's looking at something she does not acknowledge as human.
Which is kind of an irony. But then again, it's not like she can look at Makoto the way one would look at a fellow human.
... because the Homunculus isn't a human, and so cannot have Makoto as a 'fellow'.
A small smirk just barely twists up the corners of her mouth. ""... Because they'll have no other choice. But I'll be sure to keep the advice in mind, President. But since you've shown such care for my well-being, let me share some concern for yours." She clasps her hands behind her back, leaning in just slightly. "Don't get in my way. Rumors are the least of what I can do to you."
She tilts her head, just a tiny, almost-imperceptible amount. "... but I do wonder how many hits your reputation can take."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
It can't really be that, can it? Either way, that's not the important part right now.
The important part is what happens next. The important part is what happens next. The initial threat may be quiet, but that gaze- that hateful, derisive look-
Johanna's engine roars, screams, in her heart. This thing must die. This thing *must* die.
But that derisive look is met with disdain, and a very carefully controlled volume from Makoto's voice. "Is that so?"
It might be just enough to stop the Homunculus notice the door opening behind it, from the noise Makoto doesn't move- but she does meet the eyes of the homunculus with the fiery eyes of a rebel, as the Homunculus speaks- and makes her threat, and Makoto just meets her gaze. It's not that Kazusa isn't intimidating-
It's just that her reputation is not her weakest point anymore- and she's been threatened with worse than losing her reputation.
And that she has an ace up her sleeve.
"I see," Makoto responds, carefully stepping back from Kazusa- not turning away from her, not turning her back on her, and the Homunculus might think that she's cowed the President...
When Makoto flips open the folder she put down earlier- where her phone is open- and recording. It just takes a second for her to tap the screen, and a voice is played back to the room.
When did she grab it? How was she able to replay the recording so quickly?
'But since you've shown such care for my well-being, let me share some concern for yours. Don't get in my way. Rumors are the least of what I can do to you.'
"... but I do wonder how many hits your reputation can take."
It's almost like Makoto's done this before, and well. You don't become a Phantom Thief without picking up a little sleight of hand.
Makoto doesn't have time to say anything more, though- because that's when the door to the Student Council office opens, and a young man's voice comes from behind Kazusa. "I swear, Nishino, you're almost as much of a workaholic as the President is-"
Kato's voice stops cold, however, when he sees the position of the room. Neither Nishino or Kato may be awakened, but they have a real one up on Makoto in one respect:
They can tell when the atmosphere is tense.
"...Are we interrupting something?" Nishino asks, a little warily. She isn't used to seeing Makoto, well...
'Ready to throw down' are the words she can't find right now.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
It is totally that, actually.
Kazusa barely had to say anything to unnverve Wakana. Makoto prooves... not so easily cowed. But that's fine. It just needs to see what Makoto knows, what she might intend to do...
But that gaze... that makes Kazusa's eyes sharpen further. She doesn't know what happened to Makoto--she certainly can't know of the worse threats she's faced, or the engine crying out for rebellion within her heart--but she's not about to be cowed, either.
She's still watching as Makoto backs away, she's even making a move to step closer, to not let the gap widen too much--
And the thing that finally gets her to seize up is the sight of that phone in the folder. Her eyes widen, and a very palable mix of fear and anger reads on her face.
Makoto doesn't even have to play back the recording for the Homunculus to surmise what's just happened. After all, Kazusa is very familiar with phones and other forms of technology, so of course the Homunculus is, too.
HEr body tenses, and she's about to lunge. for that phone--but only the click of the door opening stops her.
Instead her posture shifts in an instant. Head bowed, shoulders hunched forward , her chest starting to heave, hands to clutched at her chest, as she drops into a bow. There's one last dirty look shot at Makoto from that bow, a look that promises 'this isn't over', but it, too, is wiped away as she lets out a soft, choked sob.
There's even a few tears running down her face.
"I--I'm sorry, President. I-- I didn't mean to start the rumor, e-everything just got out of hand..."
Keeping her head down, she turns and rushes out of the office, barely stopping to look at the two returning members except to make sure she doesn't run into them.
But internally she is seething, and already making plans to get that phone.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto was ready for it, waiting for the Homunculus to lunge at her-
But the door opens, and Makoto silently berates herself because she might have just endangered the other student council members, and for a second, it looks like Makoto is getting ready to advance just in case-
But the homunculus runs.
Of course it does. It has a new reputation to protect.
"...What was that about, President?" Nishino is looking at Makoto quizzically- and perhaps a touch disappointed.
Kato sighs. "...She was probably too direct again and that student thought she was in trouble. You've really got to keep an eye on how you act towards other students, Niijima-san."
Makoto lets out a long, slow sigh as she picks up her smartphone again. Great. At least she only looks like an ass to her fellow student council members. "Look, let's just get finished up and lock up, alright? I don't think anyone else is coming today, and I've got to get home and cook."
Nishino and Kato look to each other briefly. Kato is the one who decides to break the silence first. "For...?"
Makoto blinks. "What do you mean?"
"Kato-san is asking who you're cooking for." Nishino says, after a moment.
Makoto blinks a few more times. "Just myself and Sis?"
Kato and Nishino exchange glances again, unsatisfied with the response but not sure how to broach the topic more.
For now, Makoto just makes a mental note to not be alone between classes, just in case.