On six muscular arms it lumbered—a dark mass the size of a two story building. A wide maw stretched across its visage. Eyeballs... so many terrible eyeballs floated within it, their full forms visible in an ever-present and unyielding stare.

A monster.

She ran—her geta pounded against the packed dirt of the road. Her brown locks waved behind her, kept in check only by her braided headband. Her thin white kimono thrashed in the air following the sharp motions of her limbs.

How she arrived at where she was she did not know. The passersby ignored her pleas. They paid the monster no mind.

A sinking feeling welled her chest, different than the burning of her lungs.

They didn't see her.

She wasn't like them anymore.

She was a spirit.

She was no longer living.

Even so... She knew if the monster caught her, she would be consumed by the darkness too. Even if she was just a spirit, even if she no longer had a life to lose, she knew that was a worse fate. And so she ran.

The high-pitched scream of a bird called attention to the cloud-covered skies.

She looked up, finding a man riding upon a giant swan. He wore plates striped with yellow and green. They sat upon his shoulders. They hung from his cuirass. The iron seemed to glow despite the overcast sun.

The ornate but sturdy-looking armor covered him completely save for his head. Where a helmet should have been were unruly black locks that seemed to curl every which way. His gray eyes stared into the monster. Even from the ground she could see his self-assured grin.

Somehow she knew.

This was the face of a god.

He held an unsheathed katana. As he neared, she could observe all the more of his imposing stature. On his back he carried a mace, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. In the place of his right gauntlet, metal strips ran over his hands, ending in claws. Instead of sandals, he wore metal slippers that curved up to a sharp point. He-

She tripped, falling hard to the ground.

She had been staring too long, not looking where she was going.

As she rushed to pick herself up, the sinking feeling of being too late gripped her stomach.

However, the end that should have been wasn't. The god leapt off his mount and stood between her and the monster. She raised herself up on her thighs and watched. His katana tore right through the dark mass. Its form parted around the blade first and split further as if tearing back from itself. Soon it dissipated.

He had made it seem so easy.

He turned to her. His grin was gone. His eyes seemed to bore somewhere deep.

"I grant thee a name."

The deep timbre of his voice seemed to reverberate through her. She felt frozen in place, as if she couldn't look away.

"My name is Joker!"

Joker.

One of the Seven Gods of Fortune, the ultimate god of battle and warriors.

He was younger, slimmer than the temples depicted. He appeared as a man in his early twenties.

Joker raised his right arm. His hand had two fingers outstretched.

"Grasping thy true name, I bind thee here."

With those fingers, he began to draw in the air.

"With borrowed name, I dub thee my servant."

She watched, mesmerized by his incantation.

"Thy name answers, the vessel to sound. I call thee as my divine instrument."

It felt strange, like somehow her form was becoming both more solid and less at the same time.

"The name, Makoto."

Makoto.

A character, deep red like her eyes, floated before her. However, it wasn't "Makoto." Instead...

"The vessel, Queen."

The character embedded itself on her right hand.

"Come, Queen!"

She had never felt something so purposeful, so pure. She was pulled toward him at a speed not humanly possible. She landed on his face, in her new form, a dark cloth wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. His skin was smooth and soft.

She sensed the presences of others, but before she could react, the sensation disappeared. She heard the clangs and thuds of weapons being dropped. The others vanished with them.

Even the plates of his armor fell.

She felt herself becoming damp.

This god... he was crying.

––––– ––––– –––––

Joker watched his new shinki from afar. The others were gathered around her, welcoming her to the family. While they smiled at her, he could sense their hesitation, verging on disapproval. He dismissed it. They would get used to her, just like they had the others.

Makoto turned to look at him a few times. Her eyes were bright. Her smile hopeful.

He didn't like it.

It was the same way she looked at that man.

He tried to push the thought aside. He couldn't hold it against her. She couldn't remember. That knowledge belonged to him alone now. God's greatest secret—the circumstances regarding a shinki's death were known to their master only, sealed within the given name.

Humans were fragile creatures, unable to face the horrors of their own demise. The few shinki who came to know the truth descended into madness, becoming ayakashi, the very beings they fought as weapons. Fortunately, by nature, shinki were not inclined to wonder on such matters. Their death was a blind spot, a ghost to them.

"Joker-sama." Shigeto had broken off from the group of shinki. As his guidepost and de facto leader of his shinki, Joker expected it would be him. He turned toward the shinki—a mace as his vessel, an obese and balding middle-aged man as a human. Even if Joker couldn't already sense his discomfort, the way he nervously rubbed his hands together and the trickle of sweat on his brow would have given him away. "Please consider releasing her."

Joker only lifted his eyebrow.

"She blinds you master," Shigeto pleaded. "It's inauspicious. It would be better if you-"

"She's part of our family now," Joker merely smiled. The argument was over. He would never leave a human spirit alone where they could become fodder for ayakashi. Every member of his family was precious.

He glanced over at Makoto.

She smiled at him again.

He could not return it.

––––– ––––– –––––

Makoto watched as Joker-sama re-summoned the others. As humans, they wore matching kimono. Joker-sama wore one as well, the pattern more intricate and ornate. His armor from before had also been a divine instrument—a shinki like her. Called by name, they flew to him as vessels.

That armor. The swan. All of his weapons. All of them were shinki like her.

Soon Makoto was the only shinki left in human form.

Joker-sama, once again clad in armor, once again carrying an arsenal, hopped effortlessly on the back of the giant bird, Kiyoto-dono—or rather Snow, as her vessel was called.

He turned to her, hand outstretched.

She laid her hand in his. It was large and calloused yet gently gave way to hers. There was safety in the warmth of that hand. How she knew she had just begun to ponder when Joker-sama hoisted her up.

It happened so fast she only had time to be surprised, not afraid.

She landed in front of him, positioning herself to straddle Snow's neck as well. Joker-sama sat right behind her. His arms wrapped around her so she wouldn't fall. Despite his armor and weapons, she felt comfortable and secure. There was something about the way his upper arms seemed to cradle hers, the way his forearms rested at the sides of her waist, that felt just right.

Despite his invitation, Makoto still thought she should try to sit as properly as possible, though she knew not how. It was best to follow his lead. She had never ridden a horse before. It was the first time she had seen, much less ridden, a giant bird.

They rose through the sky, above the clouds where it was clear blue and then higher still, beyond where humans could see.

The heavens. Takamagahara.

It was a massive country, lush and green in its fields and mountains, clean and shining in its cities and structures. As they approached a sprawling estate, they began to descend.

When they landed, the other shinki reverted to their human form once again. Makoto was surprised to see several more people, presumably shinki, were waiting just past the gates. They whispered to each other and soon even more appeared.

So many.

A crowd formed around them.

"Welcome to our home, Makoto." Joker-sama had stepped forward, so he was standing right beside her. The other shinki smiled and clapped.

Makoto looked around. She had never lived in such a large or fancy place before, with so many kind people. She turned to Joker-sama, a bright smile forming across her face. She was so lucky. Her god was a successful god.

He smiled back at her, but there was something amiss... his face seemed strained.

Was he disappointed?

He turned away and began walking further into the mansion. Most of the shinki she had traveled with followed. Makoto started to do the same, but was stopped when Shigeto-dono stepped in front of her.

"Hokuto!" the portly man called.

From the crowd of other shinki appeared a small girl in a plain kimono. Her brown hair was done in short twintails, not long enough to descend to her shoulders. While she had the form of someone no more than ten years of age, her expression was sharp. She joined Makoto and Shigeto-dono. "Yes, Shigeto-dono?"

"You'll be responsible for Makoto's training. See her to one of the empty beds," he said, making a shooing motion with his hands. "And escort her to lessons tomorrow."

"Yes Shigeto-dono," Hokuto nodded. The man left, heading in the same direction as Joker-sama and the others. She turned to Makoto. "Follow me."

Makoto did as she was told. They took off in the opposite direction.

The inside of the estate was even more luxurious than she anticipated. The hallways and doors had flawless wood and washi. Each room she passed had finely woven tatami. The courtyards were well-manicured with thoughtfully placed stones, clear koi ponds, grass, bamboo, shade trees, and open areas. A bridge with exquisitely carved railing patterns connected to an open gazebo at the center of a larger pond.

When they were away from the crowd of shinki, Hokuto spoke again. "So what are you?"

"What... am I?" Makoto repeated.

"What is the form of your vessel?" Hokuto seemed unfazed by Makoto's confusion. "You're not a weapon right? Shigeto hones the weapons personally."

"Oh," Makoto's voice shrank. "I'm a blindfold. I overheard Shigeto-dono say it's inauspicious because I blind master..."

Makoto felt a pang of guilt knowing she was rather... useless. Joker-sama hadn't seemed to mind though, letting Shigeto-dono's words pass over him with nothing but a wan smile. Her god was a kind god.

"Eesh," Hokuto huffed through grit teeth. "That bossy old lumphead probably meant for you to overhear. Just because we're not weapons doesn't mean we're worthless. We were chosen by Joker-sama just the same. Don't let it get to you."

Why were weapons so important?

And what was Hokuto?

Would it be rude to ask?

Makoto thought for a few moments before speaking again. "Does Joker-sama need weapons because of those monsters? Is that what gods do? Fight monsters?"

"Monsters?" Hokuto paused. "Oh, you mean ayakashi. Yeah, a proper god needs shinki in case an ayakashi attacks him. Joker-sama is special though. There is no god of battle stronger than him. He wields more shinki than any other god."

"So these... ayakashi... attack gods?" Makoto wondered aloud.

"If they're nearby. They seem to be attracted to the scent of gods and shinki," explained Hokuto, not looking back as she continued to lead Makoto through the walkways. "Ayakashi exist in the near shore with the humans. They feast off of human negativity, corrupting them so they can feed further. Humans don't notice them, but they're the cause of many ills."

"Near shore?" asked Makoto.

"That's where the humans live," said Hokuto. "This is the far shore."

"Oh," said Makoto. There was so much to learn.

"Anyway, to answer your previous question, gods do what they want," Hokuto continued. "Whatever they choose to do is just. They're gods after all."

"And Joker-sama...?"

"Joker-sama hunts ayakashi over on the near shore," said Hokuto. "Because ayakashi cause human suffering."

It was as Makoto thought, Joker-sama was a benevolent god. It was no wonder he was so revered.

A few steps later, Hokuto spoke again. "You've never been another god's shinki, have you?"

"No," said Makoto.

"I figured," the diminutive shinki replied, turning back to Makoto and looking her up and down. Hokuto would be adorable if she acted her apparent age, but Makoto guessed she was far older. "We'll need to find you some real clothes too."

Makoto wrapped her arms around herself as she walked, feeling naked in her thin white burial clothes.

They continued down the same hallway. Most of the rooms to the right were closed. To the left was another courtyard. It was relatively plain compared to the others, mostly open dirt and grass with a few stones and bushes.

Hokuto stopped at the door furthest down, the very end of the massive estate. She opened it, revealing a large, empty room.

"This is our room. We share it with four others. You're lucky. There are enough futons and space for eight," she gestured towards the closets. "The first one is for bedding. We'll carve you out some shelf space of your own in the others. Do you need to rest now?"

It had been afternoon when Joker-sama first named her. The pinks and blues above the clouds signaled twilight was only beginning.

"Not yet," said Makoto.

"Then let's go visit the clothiers." Hokuto shut the door and spun quickly on her heels. Makoto followed. As they passed by more rooms, Hokuto continued her explanation. "You'll be assigned chores in the morning. We non-weapons maintain the estate. If you have a skill, you might be assigned something more specific, like the shinki we're about to visit. Only if you want to of course."

Makoto pondered Hokuto's statement. She searched for something that might be useful, something she had confidence in. "I'm pretty good at maintaining ledgers."

"You can read already?" Hokuto's pace seemed to slow.

"Y-yeah," Makoto wondered if she had over-pledged. Perhaps the other shinki had more formal training. "Um, I can cook too."

"Hm." Hokuto took a few steps. "You might be able to help managing the books at the shrines. Cooking won't be necessary however."

"Eh?"

"Are you hungry?" Hokuto's question was almost a statement.

"No," said Makoto. Come to think of it, it had been a while.

"We can eat. We can even enjoy the food. However, we don't need it," Hokuto explained. She took a few more steps. "I can't tell if you're dense or just new."

The smaller girl didn't seem to mean anything by it, but Makoto felt uneasy. Another thing she had confidence in was her intelligence. Sometimes, at least. "Y-yeah... I really haven't had time to think since..."

Since when? When had she-

The thought flittered away.

"Then after we get you some clothes, let's stop," said Hokuto. "Outside of chores, we shinki are free in how we spend our time unless Joker-sama calls on us."

Hokuto's voice dropped as she ended her last sentence. Her gaze drifted down.

It seemed Joker-sama did not call often. Perhaps he only called on weapons. Makoto regret not being one.

She took a deep breath.

Surely there was something she could do to help.

––––– ––––– –––––

"Everything a god does is just. That is because they are a god." Shigeto-dono paced across the room. He wore a simple mustard-yellow kimono with a dark red obi that seemed to disappear under his gut.

Makoto sat seiza next to Hokuto at a dark wood table just big enough for the both of them. They weren't the only shinki there though. The room was filled with similar tables and shinki behind them. Shigeto-dono ran such seminars regularly for the benefit of not only the new shinki, but as a refresher for the old as well.

"However," Shigeto-dono continued. "A shinki is human. A shinki can sin. Should a shinki sin, it is the shinki's master that must bear the responsibility of that sin."

Bear the responsibility?

What did that mean?

Makoto looked over at Hokuto. The smaller girl was resting chin in her hand, her elbow planted on the table. She looked bored.

"Committing a sin will sting a shinki's master," Shigeto-dono walked through the center aisle, staring hard at Hokuto as he passed. "Severe cases will result in blight. Shinki who blight their master must be purified and released."

Sting? Blight? Purify?

The other shinki seemed to be following along. Makoto considered raising her hand, but Shigeto-dono did not seem the type who permitted interruptions, especially from non-weapons such as herself. She would have to ask Hokuto later.

"It is the duty of shinki to not commit sin," Shigeto-dono's voice was heavy with authority. Hokuto brought a hand to her lips, half-covering a large yawn. "It is the duty of a shinki to always protect their master."

Protect their master.

Makoto gazed upon the character etched onto the back of her hand. Her name. Given to her by Joker-sama. She balled her hand into a fist. Protecting Joker-sama—this she could understand.

"What are you going to do? You're a blindfold," Hokuto whispered, a bemused smile across her face. There was no negativity behind her eyes or within her tone.

There was truth in her teasing though. Makoto pursed her lips together.

"Should a pot lid be saying such things?" Shigeto-dono had stopped right by their table, his tall and wide stature towering over the small girl.

Hokuto's smile soured.

––––– ––––– –––––

There was one thing that all shinki could do... or at least should be able to do with practice: draw a borderline.

Makoto raised her index and middle fingers. She extended at her elbow, making a sweeping motion as her extended fingers pointed to the ground.

Nothing happened.

"Again," said Hokuto. She was sitting on the walkway, her legs dangling into the courtyard. "Stop worrying so much about your aim. Concentrate."

After Shigeto-dono's lecture, Hokuto had walked her back to open area by their room and demonstrated the technique. A proper borderline would cause light to emanate from the ground, defining a wall between the shinki and whatever spirits they deemed, be they ayakashi, shinki, or even gods. Makoto had discovered that first hand, unable to cross Hokuto's boundary.

Makoto drew another line with her fingers. Again, nothing happened.

"With a borderline you can protect your master from evil spirits," Hokuto explained further as Makoto continued to struggle. Her legs kicked idly. "It won't hold forever, but it will give you time to get into a more favorable position or escape if need be."

Escape if need be.

"So there are ayakashi that even Joker-sama might not be able to handle?" asked Makoto. The skin between her eyebrows puckered as she frowned.

"Ayakashi... and other gods," Hokuto seemed to be staring deep within her. "Joker-sama is strong but if the situation is unfavorable..."

"I see," said Makoto. Joker-sama had killed the ayakashi that was chasing her so easily. She had thought him invincible. He was a god after all. However, she had not considered the other gods or other creatures of similar strength. She bit her lip. She didn't want that. "Would would happen if... if the situation was unfavorable?"

"Joker-sama could die," Hokuto's stare seemed all the more intense.

I don't want that.

Makoto looked back, wide-eyed, her mouth hanging open.

Hokuto sighed. "Joker-sama is a well-known god, prayed to by many people on the near shore. He would reincarnate."

"Ah. That's good," Makoto held a hand to her heart and smiled. Shortly thereafter, her hand slipped down as did her lips. "I don't think I'd want that though. I'd prefer he never died."

She rather not have her god experience pain, but not only that... there was something else she felt but couldn't grasp.

"All of us feel that way," Hokuro hands were clasped together, like she was praying. "A reincarnated god has no memories of their past self."

––––– ––––– –––––

As the days passed, Makoto settled into her life at Joker-sama's estate. She rarely saw her master. He was often out hunting ayakashi with the strongest of his weapon shinki. When finished, he would return to his room.

A few times he came to her work area, where she and several others maintained the ledgers. Makoto was apprenticed under another shinki who had been with Joker-sama for over ninety years.

The visits were only to check on status. He would speak to the senior shinki when he came through. Usually it was Shigeto-dono, and not her master, however.

The same scene played out once every few days: There was a quiet in the room as the door would open. All her fellow bookkeeping shinki would glance over, hoping to see their master and hoping their disappointment wasn't noticed when it was Shigeto-dono instead.

It had been another such day.

Makoto tried not to let it bother her. She was fortunate to be Joker-sama's shinki. That should be enough.

However, the evening was no different. Her eyes drifted towards the sky, searching for a giant white swan. It hadn't taken her long to get a sense of when her master would return from a hunt. It didn't take much effort to happen to be near the entrance when he did.

All she could offer was a greeting and a smile when he passed by. He acknowledged her and smiled in return, just like with the other shinki... though it always felt like he was quick to turn away from her.

Perhaps he found her unattractive.

Unattractive and useless.

"Dour faces attract the god of calamity you know," said Hokuto, affecting a nagging tone more befitting of an older body. It contrasted with the look of her face in her hands, making her cheeks seem all the more full and child-like. She was perched on the walkway as usual, watching Makoto practice.

As her assigned instructor, Hokuto spent an hour each day training her.

As her roommate, mentor, and friend, Hokuto was the first person she went to for anything, whether she had questions about their world or amusing stories from her job or excitement about the latest scroll she'd found in the library.

Makoto was lucky that Shigeto-dono had assigned her to Hokuto.

She held out her two first fingers and drew a line. A faint light appeared from the dirt. It was wobbly rather than straight and its glow only extended centimeter off the ground. Hokuto could easily break it. Still, it was something.

Makoto exhaled. She couldn't be confident one would form at all yet. It was nice to start the day's session with a win.

"Hmmm," Hokuto hopped off the walkway and bent down, tilting her head nearly parallel to the ground, inspecting Makoto's work.

"Oh, you can drawn borderlines now," Joker-sama, flanked the rest of his hunting party, looked on from the other side of the courtyard. It was odd for them to land there rather than in the larger field by the front gate.

Furthermore, he was early.

She watched Joker-sama as he and the others approached. Shigeto-dono was frowning at her as usual, probably disappointed in her slow progress. Kiyoto-dono seemed to glide. With her long classically-cut hair and grace, she was what Makoto imagined a princess must be like. Fumito-dono, Joker-sama's armor, had a care-free smile as always.

No.

There was something off. Her eyes zeroed in on Fumito-dono's elbow. His left arm was cleaving too much to his side. Staring at it, it almost seemed to be glowing.

He's hurt.

So that's why-

Joker-sama stopped in front of Makoto. She bowed her head, cursing her distraction as she scrambled for a response. "I-I can draw one s-sometimes now."

She felt color rising to her cheeks. She hated having to admit she was still useless.

"My apologizes master," Hokuto ran up beside her. She bowed too before looking up at Joker-sama. "As Makoto's teacher, it's my responsibility to train her. I will see that she perfects it."

"Thank you Hokuto," Joker-sama smiled. "I know I can leave new shinki to you. Please keep up the good work."

As he and his party walked off, Hokuto looked on, beaming. She spun around to Makoto, eyes still wide and bright.

"Thanks for covering for me," said Makoto.

"Don't apologize when you could be practicing!" Hokuto stood up straighter and shook her finger at Makoto. Her chin was lifted into the air. Though she was trying to look stern, her excitement at Joker-sama's praise couldn't be contained.

Makoto knew. She felt the same way after all.

She resumed her practice in earnest.

Her next borderline came out much like the first, wobbly and small, but present. Hokuto examined it again, advising her to move her arm faster. "Confidence first. Aim will come later."

As Makoto repeated the action, Hokuto returned to the walkway. She held her face in both hands, elbows on her thighs, watching. "You know Makoto, I don't plan to be stuck back here forever. Some day I'm going to be Joker-sama's guidepost. I'll advise him way better than that Shigeto."

Makoto looked over to her friend.

It was a nice dream.

She willed herself to smile, but it did not come.

"Hurry up and get better," Hokuto raised her head, one of her hands balling into a fist. "As my student you'll be my second in command!"

––––– ––––– –––––

Once Makoto managed to draw her borderline with consistency, she began working on power and speed. Hokuto was able to easily break through her early efforts, but with practice, her barriers were becoming properly sturdy.

A chance discovery in the library had enlightened her to a few more techniques shinki could use. She began practicing those as well.

"Bind!" she shouted, two fingers outstretched in Hokuto's direction.

"Ghh!" The sound came out through grit teeth. Hokuto was stuck in place, mid-motion in performing her own bind. Her limbs shook as she tried to break Makoto's technique. After a minute of struggling, she uttered a muffled, "Yield."

Makoto released Hokuto. Her friend's limbs relaxed as she righted herself, her hands coming to rest at her sides.

"You win again," she said.

"You should have created a borderline instead," Makoto helped her teacher save face, even though it was just the two of them. "You're much faster than me with those."

"No way," Hokuto crossed her arms. Her lower lip jutted it out. "I'm going to be Joker-sama's guidepost. I'm going to need everything I have to protect him. Plus, losing to my pupil is embarrassing."

"It's not your fault Shigeto-dono never taught you," said Makoto. "It's hard when we have to figure it out ourselves."

"He probably doesn't think we need to know because we're not weapons," Hokuto kicked a small rock laying in the dirt. A puff of dust followed it. "Or maybe he doesn't want us to know. I wonder if the other weapons even know. You said that scroll was pretty buried, right?"

"Right." Makoto had only been looking for something she hadn't already read when she found it in the middle of several stacks that were awaiting shelves to be built. The library wasn't a priority in the estate. While all shinki were taught to read, few availed themselves of the collection. Many of the scrolls weren't exactly light reading either. Makoto had spent an entire afternoon cross-referencing to interpret the one in question. "Though, I'm sure if Joker-sama thought it necessary, it would be taught. He doesn't ask of us unnecessarily."

"Maybe." Hokuto crouched by the ground, staring at the rock she had kicked. "I wish he would though."

"Mm." Makoto ran her left hand over her right, her fingers brushing over her name. Joker-sama hadn't called it since it was given. As much as she told herself that maintaining the ledgers was an important job, the haunting feeling that something was missing would not go away. She needed to become more useful. "Hokuto... do you think there might be more techniques? Ones not in the library?"

"I don't know," Hokuto stood up again. She continued looking at the ground. Then, she jerked her head up and looked at Makoto. "You could try visiting Sae-sama. She and Joker-sama are on good terms. She's got a huge library!"

"Are you sure?" Makoto took half a step backwards. She had not left the estate since she arrived nor met any other gods, much less one as well-known as the god of scholarship. Her eyes shifted from side to side and she worried her lips together. "I haven't gone out before..."

"Then it's about time," said Hokuto. She closed the distance with Makoto, grabbing the sleeve of her kimono. Her words came fast. "I'll go with you. Consider it part of your training. You need to be prepared. What if Joker-sama asked you to retrieve something from outside?"

It was true that Makoto had seen many of her fellow shinki move in and out of the estate, some on business. (Others were pursuing their own interests in their free time.) While Joker-sama was unlikely to ask her, some of her seniors in bookkeeping might...

But...

In part, she wanted to stay just in case Joker-sama called for her.

She knew it wouldn't happen though.

She was useless to him as she was now.

Hokuto was right. It was time.

"Tomorrow." Makoto's voice came louder than normal.

"Eh?" Hokuto looked up at her.

"We'll go tomorrow after I finish with the ledgers," Makoto took a deep breath. "We'll go visit Sae-sama."


Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a long-form hard AU. I'm very excited to get to combine two character loves, Makoto and Kazuma. It's delicate right now because of Makoto's position and naiveté but I hope you will read on and discover why I like both characters as they grow and why Makoto is more than a "servant." I can't wait to drop the honorifics. (We'll see more romance in this version too.) Also, I hope I'm doing a good job communicating the world without boring or losing everyone.

Those familiar with the series might notice that I've given up the use of multiple readings of the names to instead use the name/code name pairs that celebrate the Persona 5 universe. I hope that's not too distracting.