P5: The Bond That Makes Us One
Episode 2: FIRST DAY

- Episode Summary -
Separated from each other, Ren and Ann begin their first day of third-year classes.
Morgana's current heartbreak finds new purpose with the help of a mysterious ally.


~ APRIL ~
Kyoto, Japan
Amamiya Residence
Early Morning


The new school year quickly approached for Ren Amamiya. Currently he was asleep in his bedroom, located on the second floor of his home. His bedroom faced the street with its own patio view from the outside. Inside, the bedroom consisted of lots of space for Ren and Morgana to share. The flooring was made up of soft, beige carpeting against grey walls to compliment it. Ren's bedroom consisted of a sizeable bed for himself, drawers, a closet, a computer desk and his own personal bathroom for his use. Beside his bedside table was his study desk with his school material and new uniform prepared on the chair. Alongside the study desk was a stand holding an acoustic guitar Ren would use to play whenever he was bored.

An alarm began to emit throughout the bedroom. Ren took his time to crawl over to his digital alarm clock on the desk beside him. He slowly uncovered himself from his blanket, revealing his usual sleepwear consisting of a black long sleeve and navy green sweatpants. He let out a big yawn and began scratching the back of his head, taking a moment to look around his bedroom.

If he was being honest, it still took him time to adjust waking up in his own bedroom and not the attic of Cafe Leblanc. He had left all his decorations and souvenirs that he obtained during his stay in Tokyo there, as Sojiro said that he was always welcome back anytime and promised that he'd leave the attic untouched.

"Uggghh… good morning. Did you sleep well?" Morgana yawned, taking a moment to stretch out his legs. He had slept at the foot of Ren's bed, which had much more space than the tiny bed back at Cafe Leblanc's attic, meaning both of them could have comfortable space to sleep. Morgana walked over to Ren, who was still sitting at the edge of his bed stretching out his arms. "So this is it.. you first day back to school. I'll be honest, it's gonna be totally weird not going back to Shujin Academy. I was so used to chilling in that desk too. But a change of scenery isn't so bad, right?"

Ren nodded. It'd be his first day back going to his old high school as a third-year, before his false accusation of assaulting Shido. It was a whole year since he'd seen his old classmates too. The first thought that came to Ren was how they'd treat him when he'd return to class. He wasn't able to see their initial reaction when he got arrested, although at the same time he avoided checking what they were saying about him over social media, best advised by his parents and school teachers back then. But now that he had a clean slate, would they still accept him? Or would it be Shujin Academy all over again?

"Hey.. you'll be fine. You've got me with you, remember?" Morgana suddenly spoke up. He had noticed Ren going through a train of thought, understanding the underlying worry he was feeling going back to his old school. "Knowing you, you'll be able to re-establish your socials links pretty soon. It's just natural for you."

"Right.. it's nice to know I've got you by my side, Morgana. Always pushing me to do my best." Ren agreed. He quickly patted Morgana on his forehead to the cat's dismay, before pulling out his phone to see the messages he had just received that morning. He opened up the two texts:

[ Good morning! It's a new school year! Don't be late on your first day ;) ] - Ann Takamaki

[ Wakey wakey wakey! It's your first day of school! And so is mine! I'm suuuuuper excited! ] - Futaba Sakura

Ren smiled at the messages. He remembered that Futaba would be jumping back into society as a first-year student at Shujin. He had no worries about her, knowing that Ann and Ryuji would be looking out for her. With the promise list that they were able to go through during his stay in Tokyo, Ren knew that Futaba was fully capable of being independent and brave enough to converse with other people of her age.

"Did Lady Ann message you?" Morgana suddenly spoke up, only to end up lowering his head, realizing how urgent he had sounded. "I mean.. not that it's my business or anything, but of course she did, right? It must be nice to get some "good morning" messages from her."

"Yeah, she just reminded me not to be late for my first day back." Ren responded. He began to scroll through his previous messages with her, which ended up being almost a full novel of random texts they'd send to one another. Although it was hard to adjust to their long-distance relationship, they both still felt the affection towards one another through the simple words on their screens. Plus, they were still able to communicate through all different ways, such as phone calls and video chats.

"Well, shouldn't you be getting ready?" Morgana reminded him. Ren nodded and took a moment to get his school uniform prepared, bringing everything he needed to his bathroom. After taking a quick shower, he dried off, brushed his teeth and put on his school uniform, which consisted of a white button-up shirt, black sweater vest, a red tie, navy blue blazer, dark gray slacks and black shoes. He exited the bathroom, showing off his attire to Morgana. "Whoah.. you look really different. I'm so used to seeing you in your Shujin uniform. Uhh.. what school are you going to again?"

"Kyoto Municipal Horikawa Senior High School. You can just say Horikawa for short." Ren answered. Although it was just a uniform, Ren felt different in the Horikawa outfit. A sense of a new beginning lingered over him. Suddenly, a grumbling noise came from his stomach. Ren patted it, knowing that he would be needing to eat to gain the necessary energy for the day. "I should probably have some breakfast first.."

"You go on and do that.. I'll catch up with you." Morgana assured him. Ren nodded and exited his bedroom, leaving behind his phone on his bed. Morgana pondered, noticing that it was still open to the text messages sent to Ann. He began swiping through their conversations with his paw, wondering what the two talked about as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Uggh.. just some random cheesy talks to one another.. Stuff about how their day has been, stuff about missing each other ohh so much, yada yada yadah... geez could anyone else use so many emojis in one message like this guy? Calm down, Ren..

Morgana kept on swiping through their conversations, realizing that there was no end to the single chat. Did they end up texting each other every day for every minute? Although Morgana could understand it, seeing as they were unable to actually see each other in person for the time being. He assumed that the inability to see your significant other face to face was tough enough, therefore sending each other texts every moment had to compensate for it until their next meet-up.

Although that sort of pain was not comparable to seeing your love one in the arms of another man..

Come on, Morgana.. get ahold of yourself. You can't always be this dramatic on the subject.. They haven't even been together physically for the past two weeks.. And it's not like you could even text somebody with your cat paws. You don't even have your own phone-

"Uhmm.. Morgana?" a voice suddenly called out to him, causing Morgana to perk up in surprise. He turned beside him to see Ren standing by his bed, giving the cat a concerned look. "..Are you looking through my phone?"

"Uhh.. maybe.. uh just making sure that the security settings… were secure." Morgana tried to make up an excuse, but immediately knew that he had ultimately failed. He lowered his head and sighed as Ren reached over for his phone and noticed that Morgana had seen a good amount of his dialogue with Ann.

"Mind if I ask why you're looking through my conversations with Ann?" Ren asked out of curiosity. Morgana began to stutter, unable to find a good enough answer for him. Ren had recently noticed a change of Morgana's behaviour, as it was unlike the cat to snoop through his phone like that. Regardless, he could worry about that afterwards. "..Come on, we should get going. The next train to school will be coming in a couple minutes."

"..Right." Morgana nodded. He jumped into Ren's bag as he was carried out of the bedroom. Before Ren closed the door, Morgana suddenly felt his fur stick up as he felt a presence unlike anything he was familiar with overcome him. He thought his eyes were playing tricks when he noticed a blue sparkle floating within the middle of Ren's room for a moment as the door closed. Suddenly, a familiar voice of a girl echoed into his head, catching him by surprise once more.

Do not fret.. for we will be talking soon..

That voice again! Where is it coming from..!? Morgana thought, frantically popping his head out of Ren's bag as he began looking around. Ren went downstairs, saying goodbye to his mother as he headed out the door. It surely wasn't Ren's mother, as her voice sounded more mature than the one Morgana had heard earlier. He began to shake his head anxiously. What did she mean by talking soon? Was this mysterious girl he was hearing going to meet him somehow? What was their intent?

Ugghh.. let's just focus with going to school.. maybe listening to the lectures will help keep my mind sane.


~ APRIL ~
Tokyo, Japan
Cafe Leblanc
Early Morning


Morning arose within Tokyo. Around this busy time, many of the city's civilians were making their early commute to work or school. Streets would be packed full of crowds making their way from one place to another, especially within the trains as each cart would be jam-packed with barely any room to move about. Battles over seats would occasionally be fought, with those unable to win succumbing to the hardship of standing up for the remainder of their respective train trip.

Within a familiar cafe in Yongen-Jaya, Sojiro Sakura began making preparations opening up shop. Entering Cafe Leblanc, he began doing his usual routine: ensuring all items were in stock, brewing the first batch of coffee and setting up the ingredients for his curry. Usually at this time he would be making an extra set of coffee and curry for breakfast for the teenage outcast that used to reside in the attic.

"Good morning!" a girl's voice called out as the cafe's bell rang. Sojiro looked over to the entrance, watching as both Ann and Ryuji entered. They both sported their winter Shujin uniforms, ready to begin their first day of their third-year classes. Ann went over to the cafe's counter to greet Sojiro. "Hi! How are you doing, Sojiro-san?"

"Well you know, same-old, same-old." Sojiro replied. He offered them a seat in the cafe's booths as he began brewing coffee. "Any of you want a cup of joe before school? It's on the house."

"No thanks.. that's stuff is way too strong for my taste." Ryuji answered. He went over to the booth and sprawled himself over the entire seat. All he wanted to do was sleep in. He was none too thrilled on returning back to school again. "Ugghh.. it's soo early to be awake.. Why'd you have to drag me out here too? Couldn't you have picked up Futaba yourself?"

"Suck it up, buttercup. It's her first time going back to school and we all need be supportive on her big day." Ann reminded him. She took a seat across from him with her cup of cappuccino that Sojiro quickly brewed for her. Annoyed by Ryuji's lack of decency as he laid on the seat of the booths, she gave a swift kick to his legs from under the table, causing him to cry out in pain. "Hey! This place isn't your bedroom. Would you mind showing a little respect to Sojiro-san?"

"Come on! I wasn't doing anything!" Ryuji yelled back. He slowly sat up and rubbed his legs as they throbbed in pain. He knew that Ann had begun working out to keep up with her physique as a model, but he didn't realize she could pack some power in her kick. After grumbling about his foot for a good couple minutes, he looked over to Ann, noticing the huge smile on her face as she looked over her phone. "Hey, so who texted you?"

"Ohh.. uhm.. nobody." Ann lied. She quickly turned off her phone and attended to her cup of cappuccino, swirling her finger around the rim. She didn't realize that her face had been turning red, confirming Ryuji's suspicion on who she was texting.

"Dude.. no need to hide anything from me. I already know who you're talking to. It was Ren, right?" Ryuji smirked, watching as Ann's face turned redder than before. She nodded to him, causing him to chuckle until he realized she was giving him a death stare soon afterwards. "Hey hey listen.. I mean no harm. I think it's kinda cute what you've got going with him. Seemed pretty obvious too, now that I look back on it."

"Uhm.. what do you mean?" Ann asked, curious to Ryuji's thought.

"I might not be the smartest tool in the shed, but I know when someone's got a crush when I see one. Plus, I've learned to become a very observant person."

"Hmph.. that's a big word even for you, Ryuji."

"That's not the point"! Ryuji stammered, rolling his eyes as Ann smirked at his reaction. "Look.. I know you guys started having a thing pretty early on during our Phantom Thieving days. The way you two ended up hanging around a lot in secret. Heck, I was even there when Ren did that whole "Ahhh I've always loved you" thing during the Culture Festival at school last year."

"Do you just happen to have a habit of stalking your friends, Ryuji?" Ann asked him in an annoyed tone, causing him to slightly shrug. "Besides.. what's your point on bringing this all up now?"

"Listen.. what I'm trying to say is, the three of us have grown pretty close in the past year. Man, I've even known you since middle school.. And Ren's been the only one to stick up for me during my time of need. I guess I'm trying to voice my support for you two.." Ryuji looked down and sighed, finding the courage to say the next few words, regardless of how difficult it may have been. "Uhh.. y'all mean a lot to me and I just want the best for you, okay? And I wouldn't want you guys keeping this a secret any longer from us if it hindered your expressions to each other."

Ann couldn't help but smile at Ryuji's comment. For being the uptight, over-the-top, explosive boy, deep down within that eruptive exterior rested a friend with a soft heart for those close to him. "Awwh Ryuji! I didn't know you could be so compassionate like this! It's actually melting my heart right now."

"You better not tell anyone I said any of this!" Ryuji warned her, pointing his finger at her. Before their conversation continued, the door to the cafe opened. Both him and Ann looked over to the individual entering the premises.

"Uhm… morning everyone". Futaba greeted them. She sheepishly walked into the cafe, holding her school books right up against her chest. For the first time ever, she sported her winter Shujin school uniform. She had the school's blazer buttoned up fully, with a white turtle neck underneath along with the red and black plaid skirt. To add a touch of her own character to the uniform, she wore her usual black socks that reached above her thighs, as well as black combat boots to match the look. "Hey guys.. H-how do I look?"

"Oh my goodness! You look sooo cute in your uniform!" Ann exclaimed, immediately jumping up from her seat in order to give Futaba a hug. She ended up smothering the poor girl in her arms.

"Mmmf! Mmmf!" Futaba muffled as her face was squished against Ann's chest while her legs struggled from the embrace as she tried to keep balance. Ann let her go, allowing Futaba to gasp back for air. "Hnnnnh.. I saw my eyes flashing before me.. I thought I was going to die before I even made it to school.."

"Eh.. doesn't sound too bad. At least you'd miss class." Ryuji said, joining the girls at the door. Ann ended up slapping him at the back of his head for his usual dumb commentary.

"My.. my.. wouldn't your mother be proud of you." Sojiro spoke in awe. He proudly looked at Futaba in her school uniform. Just under a year ago she was the shyest, most unsocial hermit who'd tuck herself away in her room all day. Now she sprouted into a confident social butterfly ready to take on the world by herself, starting with the public education system. "If only Wakaba was here to see you off on your first day of high school."

"This all still feels so surreal. I mean, I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for the encouragement and support be my friends." Futaba confessed, turning around to both Ann and Ryuji who were smiling proudly at her. She suddenly shifted her gaze solely on Ann, giving her a mischievous grin. "By the way.. how is Ren? Did he send you any lovey-dovey good morning texts to you yet-"

"Alrighty then, why don't we head on to school? We don't wanna be late!" Ann announced as her face began to turn red once more. She quickly waved goodbye to Sojiro, before hurriedly pushing both Ryuji and Futaba out of the door as they began to protest against her. Sojiro couldn't help but chuckle at the energy of the lively teenagers. He turned back towards the centre of the counter, picking up a small, black notebook. He skimmed through the pages, each one having an account of Ren's day-to-day activities when he used to live at the cafe. Sojiro smiled.

"Heh.. still feels weird though, not seeing the kid around with his friends. Hope he's doing alright on his first day.."


~ APRIL ~
Kyoto, Japan
Amamiya Residence
Evening


Ren fell into his bed, exhausted from his first day of school. He had to admit though, it went a lot better than his first day at Shujin Academy. A majority of the school hadn't given him the cold shoulder, or talked behind his back about the supposed rumours of his previous probation. Surprisingly, many of them welcomed him back into the community without much complaint, moreover asking him about his life in Tokyo and how the entire case went regarding Shido being incarcerated. For once, Ren wasn't looked upon as the bad guy.

"I gotta admit, everyone at Horikawa seemed a lot more friendly. I did notice a couple of guys staring at us with a weird look, but all in all, it wasn't too bad." Morgana commented. He was sitting upon the computer chair beside the desk, continuing to talk about their day. Ren nodded, although it was weird for him not to be seen as the dangerous outcast that he was so used to be seen as.

"I should write something." Ren said. He habitually looked over for his notebook, realizing it wasn't anywhere nearby. It took him a moment to remember that he didn't need to record his daily activities anymore as he left his notebook back with Sojiro-san. Morgana couldn't help but chuckle at Ren's reaction.

"You're a free man, remember? No need to be tied up in recording your every movement.. Unless you wanna continue writing it down in a diary or something. But isn't that only for girls?" Morgana reminded him. Suddenly, Ren's phone began to vibrate on his computer desk. Morgan jumped over to see who was calling Ren this late at night. He got a quick glance of the name before Ren took his phone.

VIDEO CALL: Ann Takamaki

"Uhm.. aren't you exhausted? Shouldn't you go to sleep soon?" Morgana suggested. His diversion worked to no success as Ren answered. His entire phone screen transitioned to a view of Ann sitting in her bed. She was comfortably changed into her pyjamas, with the colour of her top and bottoms consisting entirely of a bold red. Instead of her usual pigtails, Ann had tied her hair up into a bun to allow a better sleeping position and kept her hair from covering her face while she'd snore.

Uggh… even with her hair up in a bun and in pyjamas, she still looks like a goddess.. Morgana thought to himself. He decided to lay down on Ren's computer chair and cover his eyes, having no choice but to listen to their conversation.

"Hey.. so how was your day?" Ann asked. Ren talked about his day at school, mentioning of how the students didn't seem to ostracize him. Class had gone normally for him and the teachers seemed nice, although none of them seemed as cool as Ms. Kawakami. "Hehe.. seems like you had a pretty normal day for once. You deserve it after all you've been through. Did you happen to bring Morgana with you?"

"Yes, as per usual. He's chilling with me right now. Look." Ren turned his phone over to show Morgana on his computer chair, still covering his eyes with his paws. Morgana sprung up into a seated position and tried to shift into a more regal stance to the best of his cat abilities.

"Uh.. good evening, m'lady Ann! How is your night..?" Morgana stuttered. He hadn't expected to join in on their nightly conversation.

"Oh Mona! It's nice to see you too! I kinda miss petting your cute little cat ears, hehe." Ann waved to him, giving a gentle smile to him. Morgana tried to keep his composure, but felt his entire heart melt at her words.

Come on.. why'd she have to say that? And with the gorgeous smile.. This is torture..

"I have to ask, how was Futaba's first day?" Ren brought up, facing his phone back to him. Ann began to explain how Futaba managed to keep her composure throughout the day. Although she had chosen to stay quiet for the majority of her classes, deciding to play it safe by following her schedule. She managed to talk to another classmate in her computer class, which Futaba considered a great feat. Ren smiled hearing the news. "That's good to hear. It keeps my mind at peace to know that you're there for her."

"Speaking of being here.. I just wish you were beside me right now. I already miss being close to you, Ren." Ann commented, giving an embarrassed smile. "Hehe.. I know, I'm so clingy."

Morgana's jaw dropped when he heard Ann say those words. How could she simply say that with absolutely no hesitation? Many thoughts came to his mind. Ooooooh.. if it were me, I could cling to you all day, Lady Ann. If only I'd have the chance. I'd do whatever it takes to always be close to you! Wait.. I wonder what Ren's going to say.

"To be honest, I feel the same way." Ren replied. "Don't worry though, you'll get your chance when I come visit you guys during Golden week."

"Yeaaah, you're right," Ann responded. "But that's soo far away though.. Maybe one day they'll be able to make technology where you'll be able to actually make physical contact with the other person, you know, like a hologram or something?" Ann pondered. Ren couldn't help but laugh in amusement. "Hey.. I know it's kinda funny, but if that possibility could come true, then it would give me a chance to cuddle with you all night, no matter where you are."

"Try patenting that idea to Futaba. Maybe she'll be able to program something for us in the future." Ren suggested. He watched as Ann suddenly got excited about the idea.

"Oh duh, of course! Ren, you're such a genius! Heheh. It's a good thing she's going to school now so she can get proper education for it. I'm gonna make sure that's the first thing she'll program!" Ann smiled. There was a moment of silence between the two. Ren noticed that Ann was staring down and fiddling with her fingers, obviously in a train of thought.

"Hey.. What's on your mind?"

"Uhmm.. hehe, you might think this is cheesy but.. I was watching an episode of an anime earlier and a song came on.. and it made me think of you. It's been stuck in my head for awhile now.. I was thinking about playing it to you, if that's okay?" Ann's face blushed. She watched as Ren pondered for a moment before letting out a small chuckle at a thought that came to his mind. Growing impatient, Ann demanded him to speak. "Ughhh.. answer me! What is it?"

"Actually.. I wanna hear you sing the song."

Morgana's eyes widened once more, along with his mouth dropping out. No way! Did he just dare Lady Ann to.. sing!?

"WHA- NO! Are you out of your mind?! I can't even sing!" Ann blurted out, shaking her head at Ren's outlandish request. Unbeknownst to her, Ren was already plotting a countermeasure. Out of nowhere, Ren slowly began to pout his lips and began doing puppy dog eyes, making him look disappointed, yet in a cute manner in hopes of breaking down Ann to sing. "Ugghh.. stop it.. if you were actually here right now I'd smack those puppy eyes off your face.. That's just cheating, Amamiya."

"If you sing, I'll buy you those double chocolate crepes that you enjoy when I come visit."

Morgana simply shook his head at Ren's resolve. Come on, Ren.. Ann's a tough cookie. You gotta entice her with more than just food-

"...Uggh fine, I'll do it. But you better not record this or tell anyone.." Ann sighed. Morgana couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment, having believed that Ann was more resilient against Ren's charm, but her reaction proved otherwise. Ann took a moment to look up the lyrics of the song she had been listening to and cleared her throat, humming the song of the melody before she started singing. Her voice sang in a slow, soft tempo.

Even if I am on my own
Even if there's really no hope
I'll do anything so you know
There's no distance that I wouldn't go

It's because I'm always with you
And you always kept your faith in me
And because I couldn't live to
See a world without you next to me

Both Ren and Morgana sat there in silence, entranced by Ann's gentle singing. For someone who was afraid of their own vocal talent, her voice gave off a soothing tone that was gentle to the ears. Ren felt like an angel had suddenly taken over his phone's speakers and sang through them. Mesmerized by her singing, he didn't realize Ann had been waiting for him to answer.

"Uhmm.. Ren? How was it?" Ann asked.

"...Beautiful. I really mean it. Ann, why didn't you let us know you had a voice like that?" Ren complimented, watching as Ann blushed. There had been times that the Phantom Thieves went to the karaoke bar in Tokyo to hangout, but it didn't occur to Ren until now that Ann hadn't really sung in front of them. It was mostly Ryuji and Futaba hogging the microphone all night singing Rise Kujikawa songs until Happy Hour had finished.

"Well.. you know when I said that I was usually alone while my parents were off tending to their fashion business? Sometimes when I'd feel lonely, I'd just search up songs from anime and sing the songs all by myself.. It kind of helped distract me from my own thoughts and to just be able to sing at my heart's content.." Ann explained. She gave a gentle smile to Ren. "You know.. I haven't actually sung to anyone like that before.. It was kind of nice.."

"I could listen to your voice until I'd fall asleep.." Ren mentioned, causing Ann to giggle in embarrassment. He gave out a long yawn and looked over to his clock, realizing that it was getting late. "As much as I'd wanna stay up longer to talk to you, we both should rest.. Shall we continue our conversation tomorrow?"

"Of course.." Ann smiled. She blew a quick kiss to Ren and waved him goodbye. "I'll see you in my dreams.."

"Same.. sleep tight." Ren ended their voice chat. Putting his phone to rest mode, he placed it aside on his computer desk and set up his alarm clock for tomorrow. Ren laid down with his hands behind his head and simply stared at the ceiling. A smile stuck on his face as an image of Ann remained on his mind. Even if they were miles apart from one another, he felt that their relationship was still able to flourish. Ren wasn't much to express his emotions to an extreme extent, but with Ann, it was if they were able to see eye to eye with each other and be comfortable on talking about literally anything that came to mind.

A memory popped up about her. It was the first time that he had encountered Ann. Ren remembered that fateful rainy day in Tokyo where it all began. He waited underneath a random awning of a boutique store, hoping for the rain to lighten up. Seemingly out of nowhere, she ended up standing beside him. That moment when Ann took off her hoodie felt like heaven had come falling down with the rain and presented Ren with someone of utmost beauty.

That first time when she looked at me.. I still get butterflies every time I think about it..

Ren felt that it was a destined moment. He couldn't exactly pinpoint if that was the moment he'd fallen in love, as he wasn't one to believe in the term "love at first sight". But reflecting on that specific moment, he could make that memory an exception to his understanding of the rule. Sure enough, Ren and Ann were given a chance to grow a special bond as they got to know each other during their Phantom Thieving days. Initially they attempted to keep it a secret, but eventually the others got the hint. But fortunately, they all seemed to react pretty well to their relationship, which now grew stronger and stronger each passing day.

Outside of Ren's bedroom patio, Morgana had made his way onto the railing. He watched as Ren continued staring up at his ceiling, still daydreaming about Ann. Morgana sighed as he rested his head onto his paws. He couldn't bare to listen to more of Ren and Ann's love talk and decided to go outside for some fresh air. Morgana reflected on his reactions to their conversation. He was still unable to comprehend on how exactly Ren was able to win Ann's heart and how they were able to have that deep and genuine of a conversation. Whatever Ren had said, he was always able to receive a positive reaction from Ann.

She truly is in love with him..

Morgana let out a deep sigh from his nostrils and closed his eyes. No matter how much he had to accept the fact that Ren and Ann were happily together, it still didn't change the fact how devastated he felt about his loss of a relationship with Ann. He thought that being patient and kind would eventually win her heart. Was he just too late? Was he not bold enough? What exactly went wrong? He did all he could to hold his composure, but felt that he was about to break down.

As he felt the gradual presence of sleep fully embody his mind, Morgana didn't notice that a blue sparkle of light gradually floated towards him. As the light got closer, it slowly changed its form into a blue butterfly. It landed atop of Morgana's head and remained there for a moment. A voiced emitted from the mysterious butterfly.

Rest easy.. For you will need the energy for our conversation very soon..


...


Morgana awoke within a mysterious room. Shocked by the sudden change in environment, he looked around, gazing upon his surroundings. He had found himself in a large, royal-like bedroom, filled with exquisite furniture and a large, queen-sized bed built with a frame that covered the borders with a flowing white curtain. At the moment, the curtain itself was closed, yet Morgana was still able to see the outline of the other items within the room. A notable feature was that most of the items and the bedroom itself were in a royal shade of blue.

What the! Where am I? How'd I get here? Morgana thought frantically to himself. He hadn't remembered waking up prior to arriving in the mysterious bedroom. Suddenly, he heard the door to the bedroom open. Morgana took a defensive position and watched through the curtains as a shadow of a young girl walked through the bedroom. She stopped at the end of the bed and placed a large book she was carrying onto the desk in front of her. At the moment, her back was facing towards Morgana as she began speaking.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Morgana." The girl suddenly spoke. Morgana gave a surprised look. How did she know his name? He watched as the young girl slowly turned around and opened the curtains to the bed, revealing her identity. The girl had long, platinum hair and golden eyes. She wore a blue dress with a matching headband decorated with white butterfly ornaments and yellow roses.

"You may not remember me, but my name is Lavenza.. And I have an assignment for you."

.

..

To be continued!


A/N: Hello there, fellow reader! First off, I wanna say a big thank you to those who've shared their kind comments about the story. Reading these reviews definitely motivates us writers to strive for excellence in delivering awesome stories and I just love seeing your reactions to what happens as the story progresses! And thanks to those who've also favourited and followed! I'll be sure to remain consistent on both updates and the quality of chapters. Special shout-out to the Spanish reviewer. It was worth translating your review and reading your kind words. May I say, Gracias!

In other words, as of today, JOKER IS FINALLY IN SMASH BROS! I've definitely made sure to download and play him soon, and in my excitement, I've decided to update this story with a new chapter today! Most updates for the chapters will be done around Wednesday or Thursday. As usual, I wanna make sure to add content worthwhile for the week, so please let me know if this length is good enough or if there are any improvements that need to be made.

By the way, please let me know if you readers are able to see the cover art I've attempted to add on this story. I've tried multiple times to update it, but it's always been reverting back to my original profile pic every so often. I've heard there have been other users who have the same issue, so I'm praying for the moderators to fix it, as I think the image itself is kinda cute and humorous lol.

Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and have a beautiful day everyone!

~Azurixx


~I do not own any Persona or related material. Any relation to real world events or persons are purely coincidental and for entertainment usage only. The sole property of the Persona and series and characters are respectively owned by Atlus Co., Ltd and SEGA~