Heckle yeah! Back again with another chapter!
Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with my new job and as of last week, I have graduated from college so lots of celebration with family.
About two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to have a voice chat session with fellow readers AristoMercu, ReallyLazyReader, and others. We were able to just sit down, talk about our fics, our stories, other things involving Persona 5 and it really was a blast to be able to get to know them on a personal level. Through this fic, I've been able to reach out and befriend many readers and reviewers who help critique my stories and help me improve them for the better. Please, if you're a fan of Persona 5 or the Persona series in general, go read their stories, they're incredible writers and you will love their works.
Let's start the fic off with some shoutouts. First one goes to The Celestial Sky Dragon for their fic, Codename: Songbird. Second goes to ElizaxNiggasaki for their fic I'mNot a Stalker? I'm sure you'll like it if you like ProtagonistXMakoto.
Without further ado, here's the 14th chapter.
Having arrived at Yongen-Jaya, Ren began walking to Leblanc to call it a day. However, he kept checking his phone on the way as he was hoping that either Ann or Kazuma would send him a text that everything was OK. He was sure that Kazuma wouldn't just quit, especially after everything that's happened. With what they've learned about his relationship with Suzui, he would definitely not walk away from this.
He made a note to shoot a text to them later, right now, he needed to figure out a way to convince Sojiro to let Morgana stay with him. Even if he were to sneak past him today and hide the cat for a little while, he deduced that at some point, Sojiro would find out about him eventually. Considering that he's already freeloading in his coffee shop, the odds weren't exactly in his favor.
For the time being since they have work to do in the coming days, he would hold off on telling him.
He arrived at Leblanc a little later and found Sojiro behind the counter. However, the store wasn't empty as it usually was. There was a customer here who had just finished handing the cafe owner money for her coffee. Her outfit really made her stand out. Her accessories included a choker, a bracelet, and a necklace. Her attire consisted of a short black jacket, a blue dress with a white spiderweb design, and black ripped leggings.
All in all, this woman's style of clothing really screamed "punk rock".
"Thanks for coming, Doctor," Sojiro said, accepting her payment for the coffee.
Doctor? He thought. She wasn't exactly dressed like one. Is it possible she runs that clinic here?
"Have a good day, Sakura-san." She said as she turned to head to the door only to find someone blocking the way. "Hmm?"
"Uh..." Ren muttered, not really knowing what to say to this stranger as her eyes fixated on him.
"You're late. Again." Sojiro brought up at the sight of his ward.
"Sorry." He offered an apology, turning back to the woman and bowed politely as he realized he was in her away. "Good evening, ma'am." With that, he walked past her.
"You new around here?" She called out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Huh?" He turned around to face her fully as he understood that she was talking to him.
"I've seen you pass by my clinic a few times. You and that brown-haired kid." She brought up.
"Brown-haired kid?" Sojiro questioned, just wondering who his ward was affiliating with.
"You could say I'm the new kid in town." Ren adjusted his glasses as he introduced himself. "Ren Amamiya, pleasure to meet you."
"Hmm." She brought a hand to her chin as she looked him up and down as if to analyze him. She then grinned for some reason as a thought entered her head. "You'd make a good test subject."
"Oh?" He questioned as to what she meant by that.
"Doctor, don't tease the boy." The cafe owner grumbled a little at her words.
"Anyway, I should be going." She then turned around and opened the door, preparing to leave but not before giving the boy one last look. "See you around, Ren Amamiya."
And with that, she took her leave.
Well... She's nice. Ren chuckled a little before turning to the cafe owner.
"Who was that?" He asked.
"Oh, that customer just now?" Sojiro replied. "She's the head doctor over at that clinic down the street. Rumor has it she gives pretty crappy examinations and sells some weird homemade medicines on top of that. At least, that's what I've heard. I haven't been there myself."
Homemade medicine? Is that even legal? Ren wondered.
"They should really just leave her alone. It's not like she's getting in the way of their lives." The cafe owner added.
"Homemade medicines, huh?" He heard Morgana whisper in his bag. "Sounds suspicious but we should definitely take note of that. It might be useful."
"Morgana. Shut up." Ren shushed him.
"What the?" Sojiro looked around, a bit confused as to what he had heard.
"Something on your mind, Sakura-san?" The probationer asked.
"I could've sworn I just heard a cat or something." He looked around his store but saw nothing so just shook his head and moved on. "Well, I've gotta get home and start making dinner."
"Have a good night, sir." Ren waved goodbye as he walked up the stairs.
Now away from Sojiro, he set his bag down on the bed and allowed Morgana his freedom. Once the cat was free from the confines of that wretched school bag, he looked around to check out his new residence.
"What the...?!" He seemed a bit disappointed. "What is this place?! Is this some kind of abandoned house?!"
"Nope. This is home." Ren chuckled a little at his reaction. "Welcome to Casa De Amamiya."
"This place looks like a storage room or something." The cat grumbled a little.
The sudden noise of footsteps broke him from his conversation. He turned around and saw that Sojiro was still here, approaching him.
"What is that noise I keep-" He then noticed that there was a cat on his bed and realized that he wasn't just hearing things. "I was wondering why I heard meowing."
Oh, right. Only me and the others are able to understand Morgana. Ren noted.
"What did you bring it here for?!" He demanded to know why he would bring a cat to his coffee shop.
"Well..." He knew that he would've found out eventually, he just didn't think it would be this soon. But, what's done is done, the best thing to do is adapt and deal with this situation. "It followed me here from school. It doesn't have a collar so I think it doesn't have a home."
"A stray, huh?" He sighed. He did feel bad for the cat if it didn't have a home but still, for Ren to keep him would mean he would reside in his cafe. "Look, this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go." He said but then an idea popped into his head as there might be benefits to having his ward care for the cat. "Though, I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of."
"So, I can keep him?" He questioned.
"Fine." He nodded. "But keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss it out."
"This guy's pretty harsh," Morgana noted quietly.
"Oh, and I'm not gonna take care of it. That's all on you." Sojiro finished.
"Thank you Sakura-san." Ren bowed politely. This turned out better than he anticipated.
"Yeah, yeah." He shrugged off his thanks as he went back downstairs.
I had a feeling he would come around. He thought. Sojiro might be a bit of a hard-ass, but he wasn't unreasonable. He saw a silver lining to having him keep a pet and decided it was OK.
"Was that the ruler of this place?" Morgana asked.
"Yep, and you my friend had the honor of receiving your very own eviction threat." Ren joked. "Odds are, you'll be getting a lot of those."
"Hmm?" The cat thought about the cafe owner. "He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump. Then again, I suppose to normal people I just sound like a meowing cat."
He heard footsteps once again and saw Sojiro walking towards him with a plate of food, likely for Morgana as he set the plate down on the bed next to him.
"Seriously. It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice." He complained before turning to Ren. "Make sure you wash that dish."
"Yes, sir." He replied.
"By the way, have you decided on a name?" The cafe owner curiously wondered.
"I have. His name is Morgana." He introduced the cat to his guardian.
"Morgana? huh." He said but grumbled a little, clearly disappointed. "I was hoping I'd get to name it." And with that he left, calling it a day.
The cat walked over to the dish and took a whiff of the food. It smelled delicious that he purred in excitement.
"Looks like the chief likes me better than you." He playfully mocked.
"What was that, Morgana? I couldn't really hear you but I think you said 'No problem Ren, I'm fine with sleeping outside'." He teasingly threatened.
"You know, you have quite the acid tongue." He pointed out before taking a look around. "To be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida's cells."
"It's not the best looking room in the world, but it's definitely something," Ren said, taking pride in this room as he helped make it into what it is now.
"Remember how you guys asked me before about what I am?" He asked and Ren nodded, sitting down to hear the cat out. "To be honest, I don't remember anything about my birth."
"You think it has something to do with the Palace?" He questioned.
"I do. I think the Metaverse's distortions made me lose both my memories and my true form." He said solemnly.
"And this true form was human, correct?" He asked.
"It has to be!" Morgana insisted. "I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this? There's no other possible explanation. There's no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I'm sure that once they're purged, I'll finally get that self back."
"Well, at least you're optimistic." Ren complimented the cat.
"I have a pretty good idea on how to do it too. That's why I was in the castle in the first place." He said before the aroma of the dish next to him overwhelmed his senses. He turned to face the food and the sight nearly made him drool. "Come to think of it, I didn't get hungry over in that world."
"Seriously?" Now that was a bit worrying. "When was the last time you ate? Or slept?"
"Don't know. Now, if you'll excuse me." Morgana began to eat the food Sojiro prepared for him. He had no idea what it was but the taste was heavenly. After a while, he finished the dish and licked it clean.
Ren took the dish and walked downstairs to place it in the sink. Once that was done, he walked back up to continue his talk with Morgana.
"Let me make myself clear: Your taking care of me won't be for nothing. It'll be give and take." He explained. "Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools."
"Infiltration tools?" He questioned, the sound of that was very intriguing. "Tell me more."
"Whoa, I can't tell you more unless we settle on a deal," Morgana explained. "In exchange for you keeping me here, I'll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me. You've got yourself a deal." He then held his hand out and allowed the cat to shake his hand.
"Good choice." The cat replied.
"I'm looking forward to working with you, Morgana." Ren smiled.
"You too, Joker."
Morgana seemed happy with this arrangement. Hopefully, his knowledge of infiltration tools will prove useful in their mission to stop Kamoshida.
...
...
...
...
Once again, Sae had stopped him in the middle of him telling her his story. He put his hand down and looked at her, wondering what she had to say this time.
"Skillful infiltrations and escapes to all manner of places." She brought up. "There's even the possibility that you used special tools and had someone who manufactured them." He chuckled lightly at that statement but she didn't find it funny. "Answer me!"
"Well, you know us kids, Sae," Ren smirked at her. "We love our arts and crafts."
...
...
...
...
I am thou, thou art I.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
...
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
...
With the birth of the Magician Persona,
I have obtained the blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.
...
All right. He heard the voice and accepted his partnership with Morgana. With luck, a new Persona will be born from it.
"I'll lecture you about the infiltration tools over time," Morgana said. "By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing. I never thought anyone could be capable of using two Personas."
"I was surprised myself, to be honest." He said, as he didn't expect to get a new Persona. Ara Mitama came in handy as he was able to save Ann from certain death. However, he should stick with Arsene for the time being until he adapts to the new Persona as using it once nearly drained him.
"The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it'll be as a trump card." He stated. "Personas are the strength born from one's heart. Depending on what kind of life experience you gain, I bet it'll affect that power as well! And if you become acquainted with capable people, you might learn various, useful skills too."
Jesus, he sounds like Igor. Ren thought as he sat down on his bed.
"I'm expecting great things from you. Brown-Hair too. Don't let me down, OK." He finished.
"No problem, bud," Ren said as he gave the cat a little pat on the head.
"Speaking of Brown-Hair. Any word from Lady Ann?" The cat brought up.
Oh right. He remembered that he needed to text one of them to see if everything was all right. He pulled out his phone and saw a few texts from Ann.
Ann: Ren?
Ann: Ren? You there?
Ren: Sorry. Morgana kinda talked my ear off.
Ann: I can't imagine that was pleasant.
Ren: You have no idea. How's Kazuma doing?
Ann: He's fine. Can I call you?
Ren: Sure.
He waited a few minutes when suddenly his phone rang.
"Who's that?" Morgana asked.
"It's Ann." He got off his bed as he answered the phone. "Hey, Ann."
"Hey, Ren." She greeted.
"Lady Ann?! Ooh! Let me talk to her!" The cat pleaded.
"Morgana says hi," Ren said, refusing to give the cat the phone. "What's up?"
"I spoke with Kazuma." She told him. "He's all right. In fact, he and I are OK now. He apologized for what he said to me and we were able to clear the tension between us."
"I'm glad to hear that. You deserved one." He smiled, glad that Ann and his partner were able to bury the hatchet but also because Kazuma apologized for his rude treatment towards Ann. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm a lot better now, thanks to you." She told him. "You saved my life, Ren. You helped me break free of Kamoshida's clutches for good. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't shown up."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You saved my life too, remember." He brought up. "You broke free because you're strong, Ann. I just helped you remember that."
"You really think I'm strong?" She genuinely wanted to know.
"Of course, I do." He said. "I meant it when I said you were one of the strongest people I know."
"That... really means a lot to me, Ren." She said and he could hear some sniffles in her voice, indicating that she was crying a little. "I'm sorry. It's just been so hard. And now with Shiho..."
"I know." He nodded, understanding that there was still some lingering sadness. This has been a horrible day. "We're going to stop him, Ann. Once he's gone, he'll never hurt her or you ever again."
"You're right." She said. "You're so nice, Ren. Really, you're one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. How do you do it? Everyone at school thinks you're just some criminal. How do you put up with that and still be so kind?"
"Because I know who and what I am." He told her. "As long as I'm true to myself, mere rumors are just noise to me."
"I wish I was like that." She said. "Can I ask for a favor?"
"Of course. What is it?" He asked, ready to perform whatever favor she asked of him.
"I know it's a school night but, could you stay on for a while? I like talking to you and I really don't want to go to sleep right now." She asked.
"Absolutely. I'll stay on as long as you want." He smiled, laying down on the bed. Morgana curled up to him as he decided to hit the sack.
"So... what do you want to talk about?" She wondered awkwardly. She did ask him to stay on with her but now that they were doing it, she really didn't know what to say.
"Tell me about yourself." He requested. "Your favorite movie, book, Tv show, even your color. Give me the inside scoop of Ann Takamaki."
"All right then." She said cheeringly as she readied for what would probably be a long conversation.
"They seem to get along," Morgana noted as he overheard their long talk. A bit of jealousy coursed through him as he noticed the apparent closeness of Ren and Ann. "Meh, I'm not worried." He simply thought as he fell asleep.
"Huh?"
Kazuma opened his eyes, expecting to find himself back in Philemon's tower again but found himself elsewhere. He looked around and saw that he was on the school rooftop of all places, lying down in one of the metal chairs.
"How did I get here?" He wondered. He last remembered playing a song to Tori before going to bed, wanting to put the horrible day behind him. And now, he was here.
He got up from his chair and looked around. There was no one else here so his first thought was to leave the rooftop. He walked over to the door and tried to open it only to find it locked.
"What is going on here?" Kazuma frowned as the situation was getting weird.
"There you are!"
"Huh?" He heard a voice behind him. He knew who it belonged to but he couldn't believe it. He turned around and couldn't believe his eyes as Shiho stood before him.
"S-Shiho?!" He stumbled, unable to believe that she was here. Her face contained no traces of bruises and her smile said much about how she was feeling. She was happy.
"What took you so long?! I've been waiting, you goof!" Shiho said as she walked over to him and gave him a hug, catching him off guard.
"Wha?!" He gasped, taken aback by the sudden embrace. The way she hugged him brought back memories to that day, when he saved her from those assholes, brought her to a private place where she could tell him the truth, and then hugged him after walking her home.
This time though, he didn't hug back as he was still in shock from seeing her again.
"Geez, Kei. Why are you so stiff?" She wondered as she let him go.
"Shiho? W-What's going on?" He asked if only to get a grasp on the situation.
"What are you talking about? Don't tell me you forgot?" She chastised him, flicking him on the forehead. "I wanted to have lunch with you again. So, here we are." She smiled. "I have to say, you're quite the risk taker. If a teacher catches us, we'll definitely get in trouble."
"I... um." He didn't know what to say.
"Eh, what the hell. It's not like anyone else comes up here. Now stop standing there like you just saw a ghost and come sit with me." She grabbed his hand and lead him over to the desk. Once she sat down, she patted the space next to her, inviting him to sit with her. Hesitantly, he sat down next to her.
How is this possible? This can't be real. She was acting like nothing happened, that she never...
"S-Shiho." He whispered. "I-I'm so sorry."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" She looked at him confused. "Kei, are you OK? You're acting a little weird."
"I... I just..." He shut his mouth, unable to form the words and chose to look away, unable to face her.
"Hey, why are you so upset?" She asked with concern. "You're not nervous about hanging out with me this Saturday are you?"
"Huh?" He turned back to her, wondering what she meant. "Saturday?"
"Duh, Kei." She giggled at his forgetfulness. "We're going to Sing-Sing Karaoke again, remember? You promised after all."
"Oh, that." He did remember that promise. The promise to go back to Karaoke again, only to actually sing. "Yeah. I did promise."
"Yep, and you can't take it back, you know?" She winked and stuck her tongue out. "Or maybe you can, you know... just like how you promised to protect me..."
"S-Shiho?" He was caught off guard by the tone of that last sentence and how her smile instantly turned into a hateful scowl.
"...and you broke it. You broke our promise." She said before getting up from the desk and walked towards the edge of the roof.
"Shiho!" He got up from the desk and went after her.
"Stay away from me!" She turned around and demanded him to stay back. "You lied to me! You said you would protect me but you lied!"
"S-Shiho..." He whimpered at her words, they cut right to the core. "I wasn't lying. I was trying to help you."
"Lies! You made me feel safe but when I needed you the most, you abandoned me!" She screamed out as tears fell down her face. "You left me all alone... with him."
"I'm so sorry." His eyes began to water at her accusations, unable to say anything in defense.
"I guess I should've known just what kind of person you are, Kei Kazuma. All you do is make people suffer." She accused. "You try to help but you destroy everything you touch. Everyone you care about, everything you touch dies." With that, she turned around and spread her arms out.
Kazuma knew what she was going to do and so he rushed over to her before she could do it.
"EVERYONE!"
But he was too late as she leaped from the roof to her death before he could reach her.
"NOOOOOOO!"
"Shiho!" He immediately shot up with his arm reaching out as if she was still in arms reach.
As he looked around, he found himself not on the school rooftop but in the safe confines of his bed. He was breathing heavily and sweating bullets as he realized that he was just having a nightmare. He wiped some sweat from his forehead as he got out of bed. He looked at his phone and saw that it was about 3 in the morning, still a few hours before school.
"Is it too much to ask for a decent night's sleep?" He groaned as he put his phone down and head to the bathroom.
As he entered, he walked over to the sink and turned it on, putting his hands together to collect some water, and then splashed it on his face. He did this a second time before placing his hands on the counter, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm down.
"Shiho..." Even though it was just a dream, he still got to see her again. She was so happy and cheerful, emanating that same warm friendship that she offered him only for it to betray him as she turned hateful and blamed him for everything. For not being at school, for not keeping his promise, for not being able to stop Kamoshida.
He tried to follow Ann's advice and not blame himself anymore, but what happened still had a hold over him. But that would change soon. In the next couple of days, he will finally get justice for Shiho and force the monster who hurt her to confess his crimes. Just knowing that may allow him to sleep well for the next few hours.
"Alright. Back to be... what?" Kazuma looked at himself in the mirror, seeing his own reflection and saw something that caught him off guard. He leaned closer just to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. "What is... what the..."
As he got closer he noticed a change in his eye color. His original dark blue iris' were no longer there, his eyes now glowing a bloody red color. He brought his hands to his face as he gazed into the mirror, the sight terrified him.
"AGH!" A wave of pain entered his head, shutting his eyes closed as he clutched his head. It was only for a brief second as the pain soon faded. He looked up once more and saw that his eyes were now their original dark blue.
Deciding enough was enough, he chose to put this behind him and simply went to bed to try and get some sleep.
"It's Saturday." He thought. "Shiho and I were supposed to go Karaoke today. I promised her."
Another promise he failed to keep.
4/16 - Saturday
Ren woke up, ate the meal provided to him by Sojiro, and left with Morgana hidden away in his bag. As he left Leblanc and made his way to the train station, he noticed that Kazuma has yet to arrive. He thought about waiting for him at his apartment building but decided against it. He figured his fellow transfer student was just running a little late and would show up before the train arrives. On the bright side, it won't be just Kazuma that he'll be greeting this morning.
Right on cue, he noticed Ann walking down the stairs. So she really does live around here? The moment she noticed him, she started to walk over to him, greeting him with a smile.
"Good morning, Ren." Ann greeted.
"Morning Ann." He replied.
"Lady Ann!" Morgana's head popped out of Ren's bag. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, Morgana." She gave a little pat on his head before turning back to Ren. "Did you sleep well?"
"As we as I could. A certain "someone" nearly kept me up all night." He joked.
"Oh, please. It's your own fault for asking too many questions." She fired back, giggling a little. "Still, thank you. I really enjoyed talking with you."
"Same." He nodded, sharing the same sentiment.
"Oh? What did you guys talk about?" Morgana inquired. He knew they were talking on the phone but he was so tired he tuned out their entire phone conversation.
"Well, we uh..." Ren stumbled over his words as he and Ann talked a lot last night and because of the cat's crush on her, he'd get jealous for sure. "Ann was just telling me about her talk with Kazuma."
"So, Brown-Hair's not quitting? The cat asked curiously.
"Nope. He's on board 100%" Ann informed him.
"That's good. You don't know this Lady Ann, but Ren and Brown-Hair are like an unstoppable team in the Palace. These two have great chemistry." He pointed out.
Ren and Ann took a moment to comprehend what the cat just said as they looked at one another with a grimace at the choice of words Morgana used to describe his partnership with Kazuma.
"Uh, Morgana?" The probationer had to inquire. "Where did you learn that phrase?"
"I overheard some girls at your school saying that you and Brown-Hair have great chemistry." He told him which worsened Ren's grimace at finding out what the students of Shujin assumed of him and Kazuma. "Why? You don't agree?"
"Well. It's just, I know what you meant. But, that word means something else." He tried his best to explain that when you say two people have 'chemistry' together, it doesn't mean a great partnership but rather, a different type of partnership.
"Well, what does it mean?" Morgana asked.
"Should I tell him?" Ren whispered to Ann.
"Nah, I don't think he'll get it." She shook her head and tried to change the subject so they wouldn't talk about this anymore. "So, basically they work well together?"
"Yep." The cat nodded. "I'm glad you were able to talk things out with him. I expected no less from you, Lady Ann."
In the midst of their talk, they noticed the man in question walking down the stairs. He looked dead tired and he wore his usual glare on his face. Although once again, that's probably just his normal expression. He walked over to where they were standing to join them.
"Hey, Kazuma." Ren greeted.
"Morning, Brown-Hair." Morgana did as well.
"Hey." He gave a simple greeting, turning to see that Ann was here too.
"Good morning, Kazuma." She gave him a friendly greeting.
"Ann." He nodded at her.
"Well, look at you two." Ren placed his hands in his pockets, smiling in approval. "About time you guys finally got along."
"S-Shut up." He looked away. "It's not like we hated each other or anything."
"You showed up right on time, we were just talking about you." Ann brought up.
"Oh?" He questioned, wondering why the two were discussing him.
"Yep, Morgana says that you and I have good chemistry." Ren took the moment to tease him with the cat's words from earlier. This worked as Kazuma frowned with disgust from what he had heard.
"He said what?" He frowned. "Does he know that phrase means something else?"
"That's what I said!" Ren exclaimed before he started laughing, now finding the situation humorous. Ann did as well, laughing alongside the probationer. Morgana seemed confused as he didn't know what was so funny while Kazuma simply shook his head in annoyance and disapproval.
"You guys are weird." He said as he walked past them toward the train that finally arrived.
"He's a lot friendlier, isn't he?" Ann noticed that Kazuma was less hostile then he was before.
"Yeah, he is." Ren smiled as he was glad that his partner was less rude than he usually is, very proud of Ann for playing a part in it. "Thank you, Ann. For talking with him."
"Well, a great guy once told me he couldn't ignore me when I was suffering. Even if Kazuma was a jerk to me, I couldn't just ignore him." She said in reminisce to Ren helping her when she was in pain.
"A great guy, huh? Sounds like someone important." Ren joked even though he knew she was talking about him.
"He is. I think you'd like him." She teased in return as she left to board the train.
"I think you're right." He smiled as he followed the two to the train.
Once they arrived at the school, Ren and Ann entered Class 2-D, parting ways with Kazuma as they took their seats. Due to them walking in together, many of their classmates started whispering, talking about them. Ren chose to ignore them as he knew that people were already making tall tales about him and Ann being a couple.
Meanwhile, Morgana took the moment to enter Ren's cubby, perfectly seated so no one could see him.
As classes went on, he felt his phone vibrated, showing a new text from the group chat. He saw that Ann was peeking over her shoulder to signal that she received a text as well. He pulled out his phone to answer the texts.
Ryuji: Hey, we're meeting up at the hideout after school, right?
Kazuma: Hideout?
Ren: Oh, that's right, you had already left. We decided to make the school rooftop our base of operations.
Ann: Don't text now. We're in class.
Ryuji: Whoa! You mean you're actually listening to all this crap?
Ann: Yeah, but none of it is really sticking today.
Ryuji: I know, right?
Kazuma: You two done? I'm trying to pay attention here.
Ryuji: Bullshit, dude. You don't even take notes.
Kazuma: So what? I still listen, unlike you.
Ren: All right kids, calm down.
Ryuji: Anyways, hideout after school?
Ann: You said the hideout's on the roof, right? Are we allowed to go up there?
Ryuji: It's usually unlocked. Nobody goes up there so we should be good.
Ren: Sounds good to me. See you guys later.
With that, the group chat was over. Ren and Ann placed their phones back into their pockets and continued on with Mr. Ushimura's lecture. However, their focus was torn from the teacher as they heard whispers coming from classmates nearby.
"So, he's finally getting expelled?"
"Yep. Not surprised. Once a criminal always a criminal."
It appears word got out that they were set for expulsion, likely Kamoshida's doing no less. He looked to see Ann clenching her pencil rather tightly that it was close to breaking.
"Shut up, you stupid bitches." Ren heard Ann whisper only loud enough so he could hear her. "You don't know him."
It made him smile to hear his friend defend him like that. They continued to listen in as it appeared that they weren't finished with their gossip.
"I heard Sakamoto-kun is getting expelled too. It was about time the school got rid of that loser."
"It's not just him, the transfer student in his class is getting expelled too."
"Kazuma-kun? Why him?"
"I heard he's the reason Suzui-san tried to kill herself."
The moment they heard that Ren and Ann's eyes widened with shock and confusion for the accusation that just came out of that student's mouth.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Turns out he was bullying her and that's why she jumped."
"I thought they were dating?"
"Guess that was bullshit. But seriously, can you believe that guy? Showing up to school after what he did?"
"What a jerk."
With this, Ren could no longer focus on the lecture as he was now very worried. He couldn't believe his ears as those students basically accused Kazuma of being the catalyst for Shiho's suicide attempt. And he knew deep down who made this happen.
Kamoshida. He growled a little. Is there no level to how low you'll sink?
Once classes had ended, Kazuma placed his materials in his bag and zipped it up. Ryuji did the same as well, placing everything in his bag before getting up to stretch his arms after another day of boring classes. He was so focused on the mission he didn't really pay attention to any of the lectures. Since there were not test coming he figured there was nothing to worry about.
"Huh?" Before he picked up his bag, he noticed that some of his classmates were giving him nasty looks. Some were whispering amongst themselves while still keeping their eyes trained on him. He didn't know if he was just seeing things so he asked his classmate. "Hey, dude?"
"Hmm?" Kazuma got up from his seat when Ryuji got his attention.
"Is it just me, or is everyone giving me the stink eye?" He asked.
He looked around and saw his classmates glaring at not just Ryuji, but also him as well. What was going on?
"So, it was his fault?"
"I can't believe Principal Kobayakawa is letting him walk around here after what he did?!"
"Seriously. I always knew he was a jerk but to bully Suzui? What an asshole."
"Bully?" Ryuji heard that and turned to his classmate in confusion. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Um, Kazuma-kun?"
Their attention was broke when they heard someone call out Kazuma's name. They turned to see their class representative, Emi Matsumoto, addressing Kazuma with what appeared to be a worrying expression.
"Matsumoto?" He questioned. He was honestly surprised she still wanted to talk to him. Their last talk didn't go so well, with him telling her off for trying to make conversation with him.
"I was wondering if you've heard. People are saying terrible things about you." She informed them.
"What things?" He crossed his arms, wanting to know what people had to say about him now.
"I've heard rumors that, well. That you were bullying Suzui-san. And that's why she... she..." She winced as it was too painful to talk about.
Kazuma and Ryuji's eyes widened at the news.
"Bullied?! For real?!" The spiky blonde exclaimed as he couldn't believe that's what people were saying about Kazuma. "What the hell is this shit?! Kazuma never bullied anyone!"
"Calm down, Sakamoto-kun," Emi warned.
"So that's why people are giving me dirty looks." He theorized. "So, why are you telling me this, Matsumoto? You want to know if it's true or not?"
"No, nothing like that." She shook her head in disapproval at his assumption. "I wanted to know if you were OK."
"What?" He was confused. He expected her to press him for information about whether or not the rumor was true. Instead, she was concerned for his well-being.
"False rumors are the worst." She told him. "I just wanted to know if you were all right."
He couldn't even believe it. This girl had every right to hate him. He was mean to her, tried to ignore her, and pushed away her attempts at conversation. So why was she still being nice to him? More importantly, why didn't she believe the rumors?
Whatever the reason, it made just made him feel horrible.
"Thanks, Matsumoto." He said.
"Thanks?" She raised an eyebrow, confused at his gratitude. "For what?"
"For putting up with a jerk like me." He said as he grabbed his bag and left, heading out of the classroom.
"Hey! Wait up, dude!" Ryuji grabbed his bag.
"Kazuma-kun," Emi whispered as she watches him and Sakamoto leave the classroom, thinking on the words he said
As he left the classroom, Ryuji caught up to him.
"Dude, hold up." He said, stopping his classmate in his tracks. "You good?"
"I'm fine." He said even though these new rumors about him were stabbing at his heart. He had dealt with bullshit rumors before at his old school. But this?
"Kamoshida had something to do with this," Ryuji growled, knowing it was him who spread these false rumors about his classmate. "That son of a bitch."
"Well, if it isn't the scum of Shujin."
They heard someone call out to them. They turned and saw two students in their gym uniforms approaching them with hateful expressions. Ryuji recognized them as members of the volleyball team and sneered at the sight of them for their insult
"The hell do you guys want?" The spiky blonde asked.
"We heard you were getting expelled, Sakamoto. It's about time the Principal got rid of you." The boy on the right said.
"You and Amamiya got some nerve threatening Mr. Kamoshida." The other one said. "Criminal trash like you and him don't belong here."
"You mother-" Ryuji was getting pissed off at these two for their insults when they don't know the truth.
"You want to say that to Ren's face?" Kazuma intervened which turned their attention away from Ryuji and was now focused on him. "It's easy to talk big behind someone's back."
"You bastard." One of them growled. "After what you did to Suzui, You've got some nerve showing your face around here."
"She was our teammate you piece of shit." The other glared. "And because of you, she tried to kill herself!"
"I hope you get thrown in jail after they expel your ass. That's where you belong." He proclaimed.
He was trying to keep his cool but hearing them accuse him of bullying Shiho, of being the reason she's in a coma, it was starting to falter. The worst was hearing these guys talk about her like she was their friend. It really pissed him off.
"Eff off, you assholes!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Leave him alone! He never...!"
"You two are disgusting." Kazuma interrupted him.
Ryuji turned to him after he heard him and recognized that glare of his. It wasn't his usual glare that he had, it was the same one he wore when he gained his Persona, one that showed that he was royally pissed off and desired vengeance. These two assholes were gonna get it now.
"What did you say?" One of them sneered.
"You heard me." He threw the insult one more time. "The fact that you idiots believe every little lie that comes out of that douchebag's mouth is just gross. I almost feel sorry for you and your stupid team. And for the record, none of you gave a damn about Shiho so stop acting like she was your friend."
"Y-You...!" The other one got angry at his words. "You trying to start something with us?!"
"What are you going to do? Throw a punch? Go ahead. Actually, I'm begging you to do it. I'm getting expelled right? That means I have nothing to lose." He growled at them, causing them to back off as they could tell he was serious.
"Y-You.." The student stepped back as fear overtook his body. "Y-You're crazy, new kid."
"C-Cmon man. Let's get out of here." His friend said as the two turned tail and walked away.
With the two gone, Kazuma was finally able to calm down. He looked around and saw that some of the students overheard what just happened and took a few steps back out of fear. Even Ryuji himself looked petrified.
"Damn, dude. Remind me to never piss you off." He joked a little to ease the tension in the air.
"I..." Kazuma winced a bit, their comments leaving a bruise. "I would never hurt her."
"Dude," Ryuji whispered, knowing full well that despite his tough attitude, the rumors and those assholes really got to him. "Cmon man, let's go."
The spiky blonde gestured him to follow and so he did. They had a mission to complete and he wasn't going to let those douchebags deter him from it.
"You sure it's all right to use the rooftop as our hideout?" Ann asked.
"We've used it before and no one's caught us so I think we'll be Ok," Ren said.
After class, he and Ann started making their way up the stairs to the school rooftop. The blonde was a little concerned for her friend as students weren't allowed on the rooftop and given his circumstance, she feared that he would be punished severely should they get caught.
"I just don't want you to get in trouble." She voiced her concern.
"It'll be all right, Lady Ann." Morgana popped his head out from Ren's bag. "If anyone shows up, we can just warp to the Palace."
"We can do that?" Ren asked curiously.
"I don't see why not. Although where we end up, I'll have no idea." The cat shrugged.
They finally arrived, opening the door to the rooftop. It appeared empty so it looks like they were in the clear. Ann walked over to the desks and placed her bag on it.
"Looks like we're safe." She said before noticing that Ren's attention was elsewhere. "Ren?"
She looked to see that his attention was on the flowers that were planted on the rooftop.
"I can't believe I didn't notice these." He said as, with his previous visits to the roof, he didn't notice the gorgeous flowers that were planted.
"Do you have a favorite flower, Ren?" Ann asked curiously.
"I've always liked the cherry blossoms." He told her. "After all, it represents the fragility and the beauty of life."
"You're a flower guy?" Morgana questioned. "That's kinda lame."
"Well, I think it's cool." Ann complimented, earning her approval as she doesn't think it's lame or weird to like flowers.
"O-Oh, well if Lady Ann thinks it's cool then it must be." Morgana nervously muttered.
Nice save. Ren rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit.
"U-Um. Excuse me?"
Ren jumped a little at the unknown voice and Morgana retreated back into the boy's bag to prevent himself from being caught. As it turns out, the rooftop wasn't as empty as he and Ann initially thought as another student made herself known, stepping from around the corner. Unlike the other students, she didn't wear the blazer, instead, she wore a pink turtleneck cardigan with short puffed sleeves and a long-sleeved white shirt underneath. She still wore the standard black and red tartan skirt, white tights with a black flower pattern and black Mary Jane shoes.
Odds are she was tending to the flowers as he looked past her to see even more flowers planted along with a watering can, likely watering the flowers before realizing she had visitors.
This posed a problem. If she told the staff that Ren and Ann were up here and that Kazuma and Ryuji were on their way, they could get in trouble.
"U-Uh!" Ann panicked as this was what she feared the most. They had been caught and she didn't know how to get out of it.
"Um, are you two allowed to be up here?" She asked politely although she seemed nervous as she had never met these two students nor did she have any clue as to who they were.
"Uh, n-no." The blonde shuddered.
"Then, may I ask why you are up here?" She asked again.
"W-Well. We were just..." Ann tried to come up with an excuse but her nerves were preventing her from doing so. "W-We..."
"My friend here told me there were some flowers planted up here." Just in time to save the day, Ren came to the rescue and came up with a good excuse. "I really wanted to see them."
"O-Oh. Is that so?" She seemed surprised by his response and appeared to believe his excuse. "Well, just be careful, OK? If you get caught up here without permission, you'll get in trouble."
"I understand." He gave a polite bow as it appears that she won't tell anyone that they're up here.
"I-If you don't mind me asking." She started again as she appeared to have more questions. "Would you happen to be one of the transfer students?"
"That's correct." He nodded, answering her question. "I'm Ren Amamiya of class 2-D. It's nice to meet you."
"2-D? Oh, you're that transfer student." She muttered a little, now quiet upon learning just who he is.
Ann, on the other hand, did not like the way she phrased that at all, the way she said he was "that" transfer student as if he was some sort of disease. She was about to get off the table and tell her off but it appeared that this girl wasn't done with her questions.
"Is anyone giving you a hard time?" She asked curiously.
"Not really." He answered.
"I'm glad to hear that." She then surprised both him and Ann with a warm smile. "I know people have been making tall tales about you so I was worried you were having a hard time."
"Eh, the rumors aren't so bad. According to them, I kill squirrels and fashion them into clothing. I'd show you my latest design but I'm afraid I ran out of squirrels." He joked with her to ease the tension in the air.
And it seemed to have worked as this mysterious girl suddenly starting giggling at his joke, trying to hide the entirety of her laughter with her hand.
Ann remembered her first talk with Ren and he mentioned to her that one of the rumors stated that he killed squirrels and used their fur to make his clothes. It was the funniest thing she had ever heard. But hearing him use that same joke with this girl, who he had just met, she didn't know what it was but it didn't sit well with her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh." She said, finally calming down after a bout of laughter. "Well, I should be going. It was nice meeting you, Amamiya-kun."
"Call me Ren." He smiled. "I prefer it."
"W-Well, all right, Ren-kun." She blushed a bit from his kindness, offering a polite bow before making her way to the exit, leaving the rooftop.
"Well that was close," Ren said, letting out a breath of air he was holding in. He turned over to Ann and saw her eyes glued to the ground, her face contorted into a little frown. "Ann?"
"Huh?" She was torn from her thoughts as Ren called out to her. "O-Oh, yes! Good job, Ren. That was a close one."
"Right." He said, wondering why she seemed so deep in thought. "Do you know her?"
"Never seen her before." She stated.
"Really? You'd think she stand out with that pink sweater." He noted. "Well, she seemed nice so I don't think she'll tell anyone."
"All thanks to you, Joker." Morgana popped his head out, smiling in approval. "Way to turn on the charm."
"Yeah, a real charmer." Ann rolled her eyes a bit.
Suddenly, they heard the door to the rooftop open and in came their late arrivals. Kazuma and Ryuji entered the rooftop, closing the door behind them and approached the others.
"You guys are late." Morgana scolded.
"We ran into some trouble." Ryuji sadly told them.
"Did something happen?" Ren asked, worried something went wrong.
"Just a couple of assholes from the volleyball team giving us a hard time because of some stupid bullshit." The spiky blonde scoffed.
"Yeah, about that." Ann bit her lip, not knowing how to bring this up. "I heard some people talking in class. About Kazuma."
"You guys heard it too?!" Ryuji gasped, his shocked expression then turned to anger. "Yeah, we heard all about it from Matsumoto. Rumors are going around that Kazuma was bullying Suzui and that's why she... you know."
"For the love of God." Ren heard about it in class but that didn't mean it wasn't horrible to hear.
"Seems like Kamoshida's covering his tracks by diverting attention away from him and placing all the blame on Brown-Hair." Morgana theorized.
"He's just going to put the blame on Kazuma and act like he had nothing to do with it?!" Ann growled. "It's bullshit!"
"Damn right. Like hell is he gettin' away with this." Ryuji proclaimed.
"Are you guys done?" Kazuma crossed his arms and glared at them for getting off track. "If you are, stop talking about me like I'm not even here. We have work to do."
"Dude, how can you just ignore this?" The spiky blonde turned to him confusingly. "People are saying you're the reason Suzui tried to kill herself. You can't just be OK with this"
"I don't care what the idiots at this school think of me. That's not important." He growled at him for not letting this issue go. "We have more important concerns so focus on that instead of this crap."
"But, Kazuma." Ann agreed with Ryuji as she herself couldn't believe that he's willing to just take this kind of treatment. "This involves you. You can't just-"
"I said it's not important, damn it!" He yelled at the two for their persistence in talking about this subject. This caused them to backpedal at the venom leaked off of his words but also the pain that came with it. "What's more important to you, Ann?! What people think of me or avenging Shiho?!"
"I... I was just..." She muttered and tried to offer an argument but was unable to do to his tone.
"What about you, Sakamoto?! What's more important to you?!" He then turned to his spiky blonde classmate with the same anger.
"Dude. I'm just..." He was about to say something but was cut off.
"Kazuma, stop it!" Ren intervened, frowning at him for the way he spoke to them. "This is serious?! People are saying you were bullying Suzui-san and made her try to kill herself! Are you seriously going to get mad at Ryuji and Ann for being worried about you?!"
That really felt like a punch to the gut because he was absolutely right. Kazuma was definitely in the wrong for speaking in such a manner to Ann and Ryuji who were simply concerned for him as these rumors were awful. He looked away sadly, his glare having faded and replaced with a look of regret.
"I'm sorry. Both of you, that was uncalled for." He offered apologies to the both of them.
"It's all right, Kazuma." Ann accepted his apology.
"Yeah, no problem man." Ryuji did as well, running his hand through his hair, frustrated at the situation. "This is so messed up."
"I know it is. But, we're going to fix this, together just like we all said we would." Ren offered kind words to relieve the tension and lift everyone's spirits. "So, what do you say, gang? Ready to get this show on the road?"
"Sounds good to me." Ann smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Hell yeah." Ryuji did the same.
"Hmph." Kazuma simply offered a grunt, turning back to face the others.
"Now hold on a sec." Morgana hopped out of Ren's bag and landed on the desk, addressing the others. "It's still too early for us to head to the Palace."
"But why? Don't we just gotta steal that treasure thing?" Ryuji asked, already wanting to go to the Palace and get it over with.
"Don't underestimate the dangers of that place." The cat stated. "We need to prepare."
"Ain't that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?" He wondered what was the point.
"That's exactly what I mean when I say don't underestimate it. You'll die if you mess up in there." Morgana scolded the spiky blonde. "So again, we need to prepare before we head in."
"But, how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Ann asked curiously.
"I'm glad you asked, Lady Ann." The cat continued. "First, we'll need to find better equipment for all of you."
"You talkin' about weapons? I know a kickass place!" Ryuji brought up, having knowledge of a place where they could get better weapons.
"In that case, you can handle that side of things. The only other thing would be stocking up on medicine." The cat informed. "Fatigue is unavoidable in a Palace, so is summoning a Persona."
"And where can we get medicine?" Ann asked again.
"Medicine, huh?" Kazuma thought as he had an idea where. "Ren, you're familiar with the clinic in Yongen-Jaya, right?"
"The clinic? Yeah, we've passed there a few times, haven't we?" The probationer asked.
"That's right. You think the doctor there could sell us medicine? Just buying standard meds won't look suspicious." He stated.
"I like the way you think, Brown-Hair." Morgana complimented. "Ren and I will take care of the medicine."
"Well, I think that concludes our meeting today," Ren said. "Let's get this done, guys." With that, they all nodded and prepared to leave for the day.
Kazuma went to leave but Ryuji went after him, decided to stay by his side until they made it out of school out of concern for his classmate. Ren was about to leave until he felt a hand grab onto his arm. He turned to see that it was Ann who had a firm grip on his arm, refusing to part as she wanted to talk to him some more.
"Morgana, do you mind if I talk to Ren in private?" She asked.
"Sure, I'll be right outside the door." Morgana hopped from the desk and left the rooftop, leaving the two alone.
"Ren, are you alright?" She asked with concern.
"I'm OK, Ann. Thank you for the concern." Ren gave his thanks but Ann still wouldn't let go as she wasn't convinced.
"No, you're not. I can tell. You don't normally raise your voice unless you're upset and I don't think it has anything to do with Kazuma yelling at us." She said. "You can talk to me, Ren. We're friends, right?"
"Of course we are." He immediately said without hesitation.
"Then tell me what's wrong." She pleaded, finally letting him go as he opened up to her.
"We're just getting started and things aren't going well, Ann. Yeah, I have a new Persona, but when I used it to try and save you, it completely drained me." Ren told her. "Kazuma is in ten different kinds of pain right now, the whole school thinks he's the reason why Suzui-san is in the hospital and I can't do anything about it."
"We are doing something about it, Ren. You are." Ann told him. "What people are saying about Kazuma is disgusting, I absolutely agree, but we're not going to let this stop us. If anything, we should use this as a reminder that we're doing the right thing. As for your new Persona, I still don't know much about all of this 'Persona' stuff but I do know this. You're strong, Ren, and I believe that you'll get stronger."
"You think so?" He asked.
"I know so." She nodded. "You were the one who helped me when I was in a bad place and without you, I probably would've died in that castle. You say I'm strong, well I think you're stronger."
Ren let out a little sigh, smiling in relief as he felt much better thanks to Ann's pep talk. "You know, Kazuma told me that he's the kind of person that focuses on the present and prefers to take action. Maybe I should take a page from his book."
"As long as you leave out the asshole parts." She joked which caused the two the laugh a bit.
"Thanks, Ann. I really needed that." He gave her his gratitude.
"You did the same for me." She said, moving closer giving him a quick hug before letting go. "See you tomorrow?"
"Later." He waved as she left. Soon enough, Morgana came back, hopping onto the desk.
"So, what did you and Lady Ann talk about?" The cat asked curiously.
"Sorry, Morgana. I don't kiss and tell." He smirked.
"Wait, you kissed her?!" Morgana yelled out in shock as he was just outside the door a few minutes ago and already Ren and Ann were engaged in major lip action.
"No silly, we just talked and she helped me squash some minor struggles." He said allowing the cat to breathe out a major sigh of relief.
"Phew, don't scare me like that." He warned. "Besides, she's totally out of your league."
"Oh, is that so?" Ren questioned the cat, crossing his arms at his comment.
"If anyone's gonna steal Lady Ann's heart, it's yours truly." The cat stated proudly. "If I were you though, I'd go for that girl in the pink sweater. She was cute and she seemed to like you."
"Well if you think so, I'll be sure to ask her out the next time I see her." He joked.
"Wait, seriously?!" Morgana said in surprise as he didn't know that Ren was so bold.
"Of course not, you goof. I just met her." He gave the cat a little pat on the head, causing him to pout a little at the boy's teasing. "So, now that this girl talk is over, ready to head to the clinic.
"Lead the way, Joker." He said, hopping into the boy's bag once more.
Maybe they weren't ready now but they will be. And when they are, it will be Kamoshida's last surprise.
Not much action in this chapter, mostly Ren and Ann moments because I know some of you are a sucker for them.
I'm pretty sure you all know who the girl is the pink sweater that I so did not intentionally mean to introduce this early ;) Expect to see more interactions like that.
I don't know if most of you watch the anime but that part where Ren meets Tae for the first time was inspired from their meeting in the anime only I made it to my liking so it made sense. Next chapter will hopefully have more action as I have something special planned.
Til next time.