DISCLAIMER: "Shin Megami Tensei" and "Persona 4" and all associated characters and likenesses are the exclusive property of Atlus. Used here without permission. This is a fictional story made for purely entertainment purposes. Any relation to events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

"Check out that body!" Yousuke whistles, grinning over the glossy image laid out in front of him. "You'll be mine one day, baby. No doubt about that!"

Sitting across from him, scribbling in a notebook, Souji simply chuckles. "It's good to have dreams," he says in that even, comfortably mocking tone that's become more commonplace for him these last several weeks.

It's Sunday, and they've taken up their usual positions at the Junes table they've dubbed their HQ while they wait for the others to arrive.

"I'll get her," Yousuke replies with a confident optimism that he actually feels, as he strokes his fingers over the full-color spread of gorgeous perfection.

"What makes you so certain?" Souji asks now, lifting his attention from his notebook at last.

"It's all part of my Master Plan," Yousuke says, and that makes Souji sit up in some curiosity.

"You have a Master Plan?"

Yousuke nods. "See for yourself." And from his wallet he pulls out the well-worn piece of paper he's kept close since The Plan first came to mind almost three months ago. He passes it to Souji, smiling proudly.

Souji looks at the paper, then turns it over and back again, nonplussed. "Hana," he mutters. "There are only three words on this piece of paper."

Yousuke frowns. "You're the one who said to keep things simple."

"I think you need to elaborate a bit more than this...!"

"It's a great plan!" Yousuke retorts, snatching the paper back from Souji with a swipe of his arm. He lays it flat upon the table, straightening its ruffled corners.

"One thing leads to another," he explains to Souji now as he reads over the words in front of him. "Once I've saved up, I'll get the bike. And once I've got the bike, the girl will come, easy." He snickers. "In more ways than one!"

Souji furrows his brow. "I can't say I think much of your attitude."

"What are you talking about?" Yousuke says, scoffing. "Chicks cream over bikes! I mean, look at this!" And he flips his magazine upside-down and shoves it toward the other boy.

Souji laughs. "That's a model! She's paid to sit on that motorcycle!"

Yousuke sniffs, then pulls the magazine back. "She's still hot," he mumbles. "And if – when! – I get this Ninja," he says, tapping one finger upon the gleaming bike in the photo, "I'll have my pick of hot chicks. You'll see."

There's a long minute of silence. Yousuke knows Souji lets these moments hang because Souji is aware of just how much the silence makes Yousuke fidget...but not this time. This time, Yousuke knows he's right. Bike equals girl. It has to... otherwise he's got zero chance of ever getting laid.

But he doesn't tell Souji that; he's let too many things slip to Souji, already.

So when Souji sits back and smiles, Yousuke feels a subtle twinge of relief. Until Souji asks:

"Where does the dog come in?"

"Oh," Yousuke says, giving a shrug. "I've always wanted a dog. And I've never had one. It just...seems like something a guy should have, you know? Besides," he adds, turning know-it-all again, "girls like dogs. I mean, the bike'll get me pussy, but the dog'll keep her interested."

Souji turns dour again, in the same way his parents do (and that Yousuke hates), but then the affable smile returns. "You know," he drawls, "Satonaka has a dog."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Yousuke says, feeling his mouth curl in a sneer.

Souji shrugs, turning back to his notebook. "I'm just saying...!"

"What?" Yousuke presses. "Saying what?"

Souji peers at him again through grey fringe. "Maybe you're going backwards with this Plan of yours."

Yousuke blinks curiously at him...and then slumps back into his chair, grumbling, "What do you know?" Souji doesn't need a Plan; girls fall into his lap, sometimes without him even wanting them to! Like Rise. And Ai, and Yukiko, and every other pretty girl he knows. Even Chie...!

As if summoned by his thought, Yousuke suddenly hears Chie's familiar, high-pitched voice at his shoulder:

"Yo!"

"Satonaka!" Souji greets with a wave. Then he drops his hand back to the table, and pushes Yousuke's magazine toward the girl. "Does this motorcycle do anything for you?" he asks with a teasing smirk.

"Hey-!" Yousuke starts, but Chie cuts him off.

"Bikes are noisy," she mutters, apparently missing Souji's subtle goad. But then her face brightens, and she drops her finger onto the page. "I like this one, though."

Amid the abrupt excited pattering of his heart (for which he has no explanation, and doesn't want to examine), Yousuke follows the point of her focus. And then he wrinkles his nose, feeling an acute wave of disappointed disgust wash over him. "That's a scooter," he corrects her with a sneer; even just the word tastes bad in his mouth. No hot girl in her right mind would probably even let him get to second base, if she saw him on a scooter-!

But Chie just nods, and smiles, brightly and with confidence. "It's cute," she offers in explanation. Then she puts her fists on her hips and bobs her head again, as though prompting, the question forgotten. "Let's go, huh? Everybody else is already inside."

Souji follows her, making apologies about keeping them waiting, but Yousuke lingers behind, to clean the trash from the table. As he rolls up his magazine, stuffing it into his gakuran for later, he notices the rumpled paper - his Plan - sitting on the table. He picks it up and is about to tuck it back into his wallet, when he stops.

Glancing around to make sure no one's looking, he grabs Souji's discarded pen and scribbles, very carefully below the single line of text, scooter?

Then, at Souji's call - “Hana! You coming?” - Yousuke shoves the paper into his pocket and trots after his friends, and smiles, for why he doesn't quite know.