April 17th

"Looks like you made it," Ryuji said. "The shop's on central street, so we gotta we through the Crossing to get there!"

"The Crossing?" I asked.

"That's what we call the Shibuya Crossing. It's this huge intersection with people crossing the street from every direction. Once we get past that, we'll pretty much be at Central Street. Alright, let's get going!"

"Everyone, wake up!" a street orator spoke up. "This country is twisted! While Japanese society may appear to be thriving, many young people have not been as blessed as their elders. They have no jobs, no savings, no financial security whatsoever. These young people should be tackling their futures head on but instead, they're too busy merely trying to survive."

"Eh, people give speeches all the time," Ryuji stated. "Plus, politics ares pretty boring anyways."

We went over the Crossing.

"Follow me," Ryuji told me. "The shop can be pretty confusing to find sometimes. Hey, it's this way! This is it. Pretty legit, huh?"

"This is exciting." I said.

"Oh, are you into this sorta military stuff? Anyways, let's check out what's inside. Oh yeah, before we go in, you know anything about guns and shit? I guess we can just ask the guy behind the counter if we can't figure out what we want. C'mon, let's do this."

We stepped inside.

"You know what you want yet?" the surly manager questioned. "You looking for recommendations? I dunno, just buy whatever looks interesting to you."

"Ugh, some customer service." Ryuji muttered.

"Fine, whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?"

"Uh, automatic? Dude, why are you talking about cars now!?" Ryuji questioned.

"Listen, this is an enthusiast shop. My regulars'll be mad I let a casual like you hang around."

"I'm not a freaking casual!" Ryuji exclaimed. "I brought shit from here like, last week!"

"Huh, can't remember you."

"You bastard." Ryuji muttered.

"And you? Looking for something?"

"A fancy model gun." I said.

"Oh? You a collector? Heh, you're way more interesting than blondie over there."

"Oh, shut it!" Ryuji said.

"Anyways, you shoulda said before you two're enthusiasts. I'm always open to helping fresh faces. Some precaution first, though. Don't go around pointing 'em at other people. Keep 'em in a bag or something if you're outside. Oh, and don't let the fuzz catch wind of you having 'em. I don't need them coming around here." the manager explained.

"We know stuff already." I said.

"That right? Now if you look close, you'll be able to tell these're models. Real guns feel different," he explained. "Maybe someday I'll you the real good stuff though, if you got the guts for it, of course, but for now, you get the beginner selection. Just sit tight, I'll bring 'em out."

"We did it, dude," Ryuji said. "We totally gotta go for some fancy shit, right? I want 'em to shine! Oh, and here's the cash for mine. Pick me out something good!"

I got myself a curved Nepalese Kukri knife. I got Ryuji a baseball bat with nails hammered into it and a model gun based on an oversized shotgun. I got a whip that had a chained weighted on one end and a SMG gun for Ann.

"Oh yeah, there's something you should know, I don't buy off any model guns from other people, so keep that in mind," the manager explained. "I don't wanna deal with any problems buying something that's already been modified and that's all I gotta say."

"You going home, already?" Ryuji asked. "Anyways, I'll have you do the choosing from now on. Get me the strongest looking one!"

I returned home.

"Boss, did you hear, apparently that subway driver from the accident was acting really odd during his testimony hearing." a haughty regular said.

"You talking about that psychotic breakdown whatever thing people're going on about?" Sojiro questioned.

"Yeah, I heard it completely alters your personality. The news is saying the driver couldn't even speak when they tried asking him questions."

"Only an idiot would believe a preposterous story like that. Oh, and sorry, but we're closing soon."

"Hmph, how rude. Thus must be why you don't get many customers. Your coffee's actually not half bad. The beans must be lamenting the sorry state of this store."

"Thanks for stopping in. Please come again."

"I'm only trying to help you fix your business. Thanks for the coffee, at least."

"Sheesh, what a pain. Oh, what do you want? If you're bored, go wash some dishes or something."

"You treat patrons like that?" I questioned.

"Same as always. It's all good as long as the shop doesn't fail. I'm not gonna go wearing a fake smile."

"Is that a motto of yours?" I questioned.

"No, it's nothing like that. As long as I'm here, the world leaves me be. No annoyances or troublesome people to deal with. It's like my own personal hideaway. I'd be kinda screwed if I lost it but I guess you would be too. So you better at least try and be useful around here. Anyway, I'm leaving now. Don't cause any trouble."

I got a text from Ann.

[Ann: So I went to see Shiho in the hospital.]

[John: How was she?]

[Ann: Her condition is stable.]

[Ann: They don't know when she'll regain consciousness, though.]

[John: I'm sure she'll be OK.]

[Ann: Yeah.]

[Ann: She'll get better, I know it.]

[Ann: I just need to believe in her.]

[Ann: But I'll never forgive Kamoshida. He's going to pay for what he did, no matter what.]

"We're just about ready to go to the Palace," Morgana stated. "We just need to assemble some infiltration tools. Clean off that desk back there so we can use it. That desk, hurry now and clean it up."

I cleaned up the desk.

"Great, now you can make things whenever you want!" Morgana stated. "I'll provide the materials this time. Try making a lockpick. Don't think too hard about it. You'll get the hang of it. Everyone starts off a little clumsy. Don't be sad if it doesn't go well at first, okay?"

I made a lockpick.

"Great, we should be able to use this," Morgana said. "We should be we ready now. Let's go the fuck to sleep."