April 21, 2012, Fujikawaguchiko, Afternoon.
The afternoon sun was warm and gentle as Makoto Yuki and Koneko Toujou left the sprawling grounds of the Gremory manor behind.
After lunch, the rest of the peerage had immediately returned to their intense, personalized training sessions. Koneko, however, was following through on the promise Makoto had made—a brief respite to explore the vicinity of the estate.
His initial, quieter plan to simply walk through the surrounding woods had been thoroughly ruined by Cendrillon's earlier exuberance, which had left a significant portion of the forest a smoldering scar on the landscape.
They followed a winding path down toward the nearby town, the air growing noticeably warmer and filled with the faint, sweet scent of blossoms. The quiet was a stark contrast to the morning's cacophony of combat and magic.
'What was the name of this city again?' Apollo's voice echoed in Makoto's mind, his tone attempting to sound casual but betraying a competence with Japanese geography that was full of holes, though he would never admit it.
'Fujikawaguchiko, Apollo,' Izanagi-no-Okami explained with divine patience. 'It is a pleasant tourist town, nestled among the Five Lakes of Mount Fuji. I was accustomed to visiting the villages built on the shores of these sacred waters.'
The two teenagers crossed from a quiet roadside path onto the main boulevard of the town, which ran along the pristine shore of Lake Kawaguchi. They were immediately greeted by a breathtaking sight.
The avenue was lined with fully blossomed cherry trees, their branches creating a continuous, delicate canopy of pale pink. A soft, warm breeze stirred the branches, sending a silent, fluttering shower of petals dancing through the air to carpet the pavement below. The atmosphere was profoundly peaceful, almost poetic.
"It's pretty..." Koneko commented softly, her usual stoic expression softening as she gazed down the enchanting, tree-lined avenue.
"Here you can see Mount Fuji even better than at the manor," she pointed out, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned her head slightly to look at the massive, snow-capped mountain that dominated the horizon.
The sky was a perfect, cloudless azure, making the iconic silhouette of Japan's sacred peak look like a meticulously detailed painting, its reflection shimmering perfectly on the lake's calm surface.
"Yeah, it is," Makoto agreed simply, his own gray eyes taking in the serene, postcard-perfect view. He allowed the silence to linger for a moment before turning to her. "So, where would you like to go?"
Koneko thought for a moment. "I heard Senpai Ito talking about an amusement park here earlier... Fuji-Q Highland, I think it was called," she replied, her tone neutral but with a faint glimmer of interest.
"Let's search for it, then," Makoto proclaimed, and the two of them continued their quiet walk, now with a specific destination in mind. The town's streets were calm and nearly empty, adding to the feeling of tranquil isolation.
After several minutes of comfortable silence, broken only by the sound of their footsteps on the petal-strewn pavement, Koneko spoke again. "Senpai, can I ask you something?"
"Yes?" Makoto replied, glancing down at her.
She hesitated, her gaze fixed on the ground ahead of her. It took a moment for her to gather the courage to voice the question. "Am I being a bother to you, Senpai?"
"Bother? No," Makoto stated without any preamble or embellishment, his answer immediate and factual.
Koneko simply accepted his answer with a small, almost imperceptible nod, and as if on cue, they rounded a corner and found themselves standing before the grand, colorful entrance gates of Fuji-Q Highland. The sign was unmistakable: a stylized red mountain mimicking a flame with a bold white "Q" emblazoned across it.
"It was easier than expected," Makoto commented, looking up at the sign.
"Is there an attraction you would prefer to visit?" he asked. "If I'm honest, I've never been to an amusement park before."
"The President once took us to an amusement park near Kuoh Town," Koneko recalled. "There was a pretty candy shop there. Maybe there is another one here." Her eyes, usually so guarded, held a distinct glimmer of gluttony at the thought of endless sweets.
Before Makoto could respond, a new, exuberant voice cut through the air. "Good morning there, young ones!"
A man with a shock of unusually bright blonde hair for a Japanese native and vivid green eyes approached them. His facial features were distinctly North European, sharp and elegant. His long hair was tied back in a low ponytail with a intricate, bramble-like green lace.
He was tall, just a few centimeters shy of two meters, and he bent at the waist to bring himself closer to their eye level, a brilliantly wide and pure smile fixed on his lips.
"I couldn't help but hear your excitement to visit our fantastic, fun, happy, and inimitable park!" he remarked, adjusting the crisp white tie he wore over a dark shirt. "Please, please, come in, my lord! After all, this amusement park exists only because of you and the kindness of y—"
He paused abruptly, both because he seemed to realize his lack of manners in not introducing himself, and because he caught sight of Makoto's utterly confused and blank expression.
"What?" Makoto asked, completely nonplussed by the eccentric man's address.
"Who are you?" Koneko asked, her brow furrowing slightly. Her Nekomata senses were tingling, alerting her that something was distinctly off about the man in front of them.
The man held up his hands in a playful gesture of surrender. "Hey, hey, little lady, I mean no harm! I merely thought you were here to visit our park! After all, this is the symbol of the joint efforts of the Norse and Shinto factions—a true symbol of peace! The Fuji-Q Highland!" he announced excitedly, performing a sudden, graceful pirouette on the spot before continuing without giving them a chance to interject.
"Sorry for not telling you my name; I'm really forgetful, ain't I? I'm Cornelian. Cornelian the Peacemaker, as they call me. Now that I look at you more carefully, my lord, I feel a great power coming from you. You remind me of the mighty Tsukuyomi. Are you by chance the son of one of the Noble Children?" he asked, his tone now layered with a strange mix of curiosity and respect.
'He's sensing you, Izanagi, hee-hoo!' Jack Frost's giggly voice chimed in.
'Right... this was unexpected. I hope it does not cause problems for you, Universe,' Izanagi-no-Okami replied, his tone thoughtful.
'But why's that? How can he sense you and only you?' Apollo asked, puzzled.
'It is only us four inside Makoto's mind right now,' Messiah's calm voice interjected, explaining. 'So Izanagi's divine presence is the strongest and most recognizable signature.'
'Aren't you the Universe's Ultimate Persona, though?' Apollo pressed, not quite catching the nuance.
'Indeed. But the bond between me and Makoto is so profoundly strong that it is nearly impossible to discern us as separate entities. That is why this individual is sensing only Izanagi's distinct energy.'
"No, I'm not," ignoring his Personas, Makoto answered briefly, unsure how else to respond to the flamboyant man's inquiry.
"Yes, my Lord, yes. I understand you prefer keeping your privacy secure; I respect that. Sorry for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong," Cornelian said with a playful wink, completely undeterred.
"I never heard of this park being run by the supernatural," Koneko stated flatly from behind Makoto, her arms crossed. Her expression was one of deep skepticism.
"I'm sorry to argue with you, young lady, but that's quite impossible!" Cornelian replied, his smile never faltering. "Although Fuji-Q Highland isn't the most famous amusement park in mundane Japan, it is the best and biggest in the supernatural part! Yokai, Shinto Gods, dwarves, valkyries, elves such as myself—both light elves and dark ones, obviously. We do not care about race here. Everyone is welcome!"
As he said this, he brushed his long hair aside to reveal the distinct, elegantly pointed tips of his ears, a smirk playing on his lips.
"No one in the entirety of the Norse or Shinto factions and their associates doesn't know about this place. Peace—peace between two great factions—this is what our park represents. And I am one of its prideful owners!" he proudly affirmed, small, sparkling tears of emotion welling in the corners of his bright green eyes.
"No," Koneko repeated, her stare unwavering. "Never heard of it."
After a few seconds of apparent defeat, the elf merely laughed the matter off, a rich, hearty sound.
"Well, now you do! Please, please follow me. Would you prefer to see the mundane side or the 'real' side first?" he asked, gesturing grandly toward the ticket booths as he began to lead them inside.
Makoto and Koneko shared a brief, silent look. The idea of a "real" side filled with gods and mythical creatures felt like far more than they had bargained for on a simple afternoon outing.
"I'd prefer a normal park," Koneko said decisively.
"Of course! Here, two tickets," Cornelian said, producing them seemingly from thin air and offering them to the teenagers with another flourish. "Take them as a welcome gift for choosing our park. Enjoy the wonders of Fuji-Q!"