Ren: Hello everyone! Ren here and it's time for another chapter!

Shiho: We are officially Phantom Thieves.

Ryuji: And the feeling is niiiiice.

Morgana: Funky Ryuji…

Ann: Let's start the show!

Haru: Enjoy!

Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Twenty–Eight

Ren was in a foul mood.

After seeing and hearing the man that ruined his life, Ren was unable to stop the scream filled rant from echoing in the hall. It took everyone to calm him down but despite this, he was still as pissed as he was yesterday.

But as he arrived at school with Morgana in his bag, he saw an excited looking Mishima running to him. "Amamiya-kun! You've finally arrived!" Mishima said with a bashful smile.

Ren's bad mood faded away at the bright smile on the shorter teen's face. "Hey Mishima-san," Ren said. "How long did you wait for me?"

"It wasn't too long! Just about twenty minutes," The teen said happily. "I-I wanted show this…" Mishima dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which had The Phantom Aficionado Website pulled up. "Really good right?" Mishima asked.

"Yeah, Ryuji showed me the other day. Let me guess, you made it?" Ren asked.

Mishima blushed and nodded. "You guys are truly amazing and I wanted to spread the word. So many people seem to agree too….I-I hope you like it."

Ren's bad mood evaporated at the hopeful expression on his friend's face. "I do. You did good work Mishima-san," Ren told him with a smile. "This will be useful for the Phantom Thieves to use."

"R-Really?" Mishima asked.

Ren nodded.

"That's great. I-was worried you know?" Mishima admitted with downcasted eyes. "When you realized that I leaked your record. I-I thought you'd be angry at me but instead, you stood up for me against Kamoshida and even stopped his reign of terror…I want to be able to help you and the others….And I figured making the Phan-site, my nickname for it, would help…."

Ren frowned.

Was Mishima that worried about his reaction?

"I told you, you were being forced to do that. I will never hold that against you. Besides, you know who we are and seeing as you're helping us and not ratting on us, that shows me where your loyalties lie now," Ren told him before place his hand on Mishima's head, causing the teen's blush to deepen. "I considering you an honorary Phantom Thief. Don't let us down…"

"I won't let you down! I promise Amamiya-kun," Mishima said with shining eyes.

It was then Ren heard that familiar voice in his head.

"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 Moon Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…"

'Thanks mysterious voice,' Ren thought before he motioned for Mishima to follow him. "Now since you are the creator of the Phan-site, I have a mission for you. I want you to look out for anyone that needs our help. Nothing like "This guy gave me bad grades" but more akin to "This guy is bullying/threatening/etc" alright?"

Ren then paused and said "And full names. Find anyone that gives a full name."

"I won't let you d-down," Mishima said before he took out his phone. "Can I have your number and Chat ID to I can let you know if that happens?"

"So Mishima knows about us? Seems obvious since he practically bowed to us when Kamoshida went down," Ann said as she sat on the desk beside Ryuji, who sat on the floor. Ren leaned against the wall with Morgana on the desk. Haru and Shiho sat across from Ann and Ryuji.

"Yeah. Besides, it would do no good to try to fake him out. The Phan-site will help us greatly in being Phantom Thieves," Ren said as he dug his hands into his pockets.

"But even if we know their names, how will be able to change their hearts?" Haru asked.

Morgana grinned and said "I'll show you guys how after school."

"Good, in the meanti-" Ren paused when he heard his phone ring. "Amamiya Pizza, Ren speaking."

"Cute," Makoto's voice said "Can you come down to the Student Council room?" Makoto's voice asked.

"Sure I can Makoto-san. What's going on?" Ren replied, ignoring the curious expressions on his friends' faces.

"We have a new Student Council hopeful that wishes to join and with my other two Student Council members absent, there must be two of us at least to interview any new member," Makoto explained.

"Alright. I'll be right down," Ren said.

"Thank you," Makoto said before she hung up.

"You have Nijiima's number? When did that happen?" Ryuji asked with surprise.

"Recently. We have a bit of understanding with one another," Ren replied.

Ann scowled and muttered "God, she makes me sick with her "Holier than thou" attitude."

"Amp down," Shiho said to Ann as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Ann scowled but remained silent.

"Can she be trusted?" Haru asked Ren.

"Yeah, she didn't take my first notebook to the authorities when she got a hold of it. I trust her," Ren replied. "Besides, I have an inkling about her."

"An Inkling?" Shiho asked.

Ren noted the hint of jealousy in Shiho's voice and gave her a disarming smile. "Yes…I don't know why but I feel that I can trust her. Call it a gut feeling."

"We defer to your judgement," Morgana said but Shiho's frown remained.

"I'm heading down. You coming with Morgana?" Ren asked.

"Nah, I wanna stretch my legs a bit. Let's all meet up in the alleyway that used to be Kamoshida's entrance. I'll show you guys Shibuya's dirty little secret," Morgana said with a wink before he leapt off of the roof.

"We'll meet after school then. Meeting adjourned," Haru said with a smile.

"So you're Yoshizawa Kasumi. First year From Gorin Academy. Honor student, skilled gymnast, second Head of the Gorin Academy Student Council and excellent cook…You seem to have it all. Why come here?"

Kasumi smiled and Makoto and said "With the death of my sister and issues regarding my boy…ex-boyfriend, my family decided to move to Shibuya so he could be closer to his job. His name is Yoshizawa Shinichi. Host of Good Morning Japan."

"Ah, my sister as an acquaintance that is often on that show," Makoto said. "Gorin Academy…Ah, you must know Amamiya Ren then. He just transferred from Gorin after some unsavory incident."

Kasumi froze at the name.

"H-How do you know Ren?" Kasumi asked.

Seconds later, the door opened up to reveal the devil in question, who paused dead in his tracks, the smile sliding away from his face. "Ah! Amamiya-san. Thank you for joining me."

Kasumi took a shuddered breath as Ren slowly looked to Makoto and asked "Is she the new Student Council hopeful?"

"Yes she is," Makoto replied but Kasumi could see the confusion on her face.

"I see…" Ren took a deep breath and said "Well then, as Former Student Council president of Gorin, I accept her request. She's very good council member. She never let me down…"

"Well that was quick," Makoto said before she turned to Kasumi and said "You're in. Welcome to Shujin Academy's Student Council."

"T-Thank you," Kasumi whispered as she bowed her head. "Can I be excused?"

"Sure. We aren't doing a student council meeting now," Makoto said with a smile before the intercom chimed.

"Will Nijiima Makoto please report to the Principal's office please? Nijiima Makoto, please report to the Principal's office!"

"I guess both of us will be heading out then," Makoto said with a rather pleasant smile but Kasumi could offer only a weak one before she got up and practically ran out of the office. The hall was still crowded with various people.

"Darn it…" Kasumi mumbled as she ran down the hall and began to ask the various students about Ren's whereabouts. She was met with mostly rude responses or fearful ones regarding him until she finally met a blond haired punkish looking guy leaning against the wall looking thoughtful.

"Please…my name is Yoshizawa Kasumi. Can you tell me where Amamiya Ren is?" Kasumi asked.

"Hm? Ren? What do you want with him?" The blond guy asked, which caused Kasumi to frown.

"I knew him in Gorin…I wish to speak to him about what happened," Kasumi said.

She watched as his eyes lit up in delight and said "Oh shit, I can't believe you knew RenRen back then. I gotta hear some of his embarrassing stories. Names Sakamoto Ryuji and I'm his best bro."

Kasumi let out a small laugh.

Finally, some progress.

"That's wonderful. I thought everyone at this school hated him," Kasumi said with a relieved smile.

"Well, thanks to some shithead, they do but Ren has some true through and through companions," Ryuji replied with a smile. "But you won't find Ren here. He left school in a rush for some reason…My friend Ann followed him though so he wouldn't get into trouble so no worries about that."

"Oh…" Kasumi whispered sadly.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Ryuji asked.

"I…I was really hoping to talk to him…Look, My name is Yoshizawa Kasumi. I'm his…was his girlfriend," Kasumi said.

"Wow, a little cutie like you? Go Ren," Ryuji said with a small grin before he turned serious. "But you said "was" so I'm thinking things didn't turn our right?"

Kasumi lowered her sadly.

Ryuji pulled out his phone and began to text on it before he looked to her and said "Let's go to the roof so we can talk."

Kasumi let Ryuji lead her to the roof and once they got there, he said "I'm waiting for two other friends of RenRen to show up. Once they do, we can talk, alright?"

"Why?" Kasumi asked.

"We know about Ren's past but you're the only person that knew him during that. I guess I'm curious to see a firsthand account on what went down," Ryuji replied. "Plus, you seemed panicked about finding Ren and judging that Ren booked it, it leads me to assume he left because he saw you."

"Oh, I get it…" Kasumi said.

After a few minutes, a brown haired girl and a black haired girl came on the roof, which caused Ryuji to grin. "Haru, Shiho, thanks for meeting up again. I promise you it's for a good reason."

"No problem Ryuji-kun," the brown haired girl said before she looked at Kasumi and asked "And who is this?"

"Her name is Kasumi and get this, she went to his school," Ryuji said excitedly.

"Really?" The brown haired girl asked with curiosity in her eyes.

Kasumi glanced at the black haired girl and saw that a frown was on her face. "To think, you're the one that hurt him so bad," she said with a blunt tone, which caused Kasumi to flinch.

"Um…Shiho-chan?" the brown haired girl, Haru she figured, questioned.

"Whoa, did it get chilly out here or was it just me?" Ryuji asked curiously.

Kasumi watched as Shiho walked to her and stared her in the eyes before she said "Explain. Now."

"Whoa, calm down Shiho," Ryuji said but Shiho lifted up her hand to stop him.

"Tell me what you did to him," Shiho demanded.

Makoto walked out the Principal's office with a firm look on her face. She was just asked to figure out who the Phantom Thieves were.

And while she already had a good bead on who they were, she felt at odds with herself. If she had told Kobayakawa the truth, this investigation would quickly end and she would get his recommendation for any college she wanted.

And while he said this was about wanting to wade through the press regarding the school, Makoto had a deep suspicion that he was more concerned about Kamoshida's change and how it reflected the school more than the students and their well-being.

And for him to mention and then threaten her achievements while tossing in her sisters' thoughts if something were to happen to her academic achievements was something sinister.

And the sad part was that he was right.

Sae has made it clear time and again that Makoto's academic achievements reflected on her as her caretaker. If she screwed up, then her sister would be to blame and that could potentially ruin everything she worked hard to accomplish.

Makoto walked away from the principal's office and walked to the student council room, where she knew no one would be around. Once she got inside, she shut the door and shut off the lights.

She had to figure out something.

If her hunch was true, Ren and his group of friends were the Phantom Thieves but was it worth betraying her budding friendship with him to keep herself looking good?

She had to…

And yet…

An image of Ren kissing her on the cheek appeared in her head, along with the confident smirk, which made her stomach flutter.

Makoto had never had a friend before and this outsider was the first one that really showed interest in her…She was looking forward to their friendship but this…This request by Kobayakawa is actively putting that at risk.

'I know that doing this would ruin this new friendship I have with Ren and hurt them as a group and yet…They stopped Kamoshida from continuing his misdeeds…But I have to for my family's future…Damn it! What do I do?'

It was then she felt the room darken further until she was in a dark void, with only her standing in it.

"Oh dear Mako-chan…" A familiar voice said with a taunting tone, which caused Makoto's eyes to widen as she felt someone behind her. "Once again being the Principal's pet…How fortunate he chose someone so willing to bend for others to do his dirty work…"

Not here, not now.

'Get out of my head…' Makoto growled out. 'I have too much on my mind allow this madness to continue.'

"Oh my dear sweet Principal's Pet…We both know that I cannot do that…" The voice said softly. "Not when there is so much turmoil raging in your heart…"

'Shut up!' Makoto thought angrily.

"Oh Mako-chan….My poor, sweet, pet…" The voice purred out and despite being at school, Makoto could feel a pair of hands gingerly stroking the sides of her face from behind, slowly moving back to her neck.

Makoto felt herself bristle at the touch as the arms slide down to her hips and wrapped around her. She could feel the presence now pressing against her and felt the presence's chin press against her shoulder. "It must be hard to have to choose between your heart and your mind…Especially since deep down, you know that Kamoshida had to be stopped for his crimes…Ren and his friends did the right thing…And yet all the Principal can see is someone that made his school look bad…"

She turned her head to see herself, her glowing yellow eyes showing mirth within them. "You know that this whole situation is wrong and yet you still debate with yourself. So tell me, my pet, what are you willing to do? Sacrifice your feelings for high marks or risk it all for what you feel is just? Will it be your mind that wins or your heart? I look forward to finding out…"

She leaned against the door and slid against it before she curled into a ball.

What will she do?

'Of all the places, she was there….' Ren thought to himself with bile rising in his throat as he leaned against the wall in front of the train station that would lead him to Central Square.

He had to get away.

He couldn't look at her again.

"Ren!" Ann's voice shouted out.

Ren turned around to see Ann running up behind him.

Damn it! How did she find him here?

"Ren, are you okay?" Ann asked as she placed a hand on his back.

"Ann…What are you doing here?" Ren asked weakly.

"I saw your ass booking it out the school and followed you. Why are you at the train station?" Ann asked with a frown on her face.

"I'm heading home. I-I can't be there right now," Ren explained before he cringed at how weak he sounded.

"But why? What happened?" Ann asked him softly as she placed a hand on his back.

"I-I sa-" Ren began but was interrupted by a boisterous voice.

"I have found my inspiration!"

The two turned around to see a tall, thin teenage boy with dark blue hair with parted bangs slightly covering his left eye and gray eyes. He wore a white gakuran-style shirt embroidered with a fleur-de-lis, fitted black pants and black loafers and a silver ring with multiple keys that was attached to his belt loop.

While Ann was spooked by this, the boy's voice filtered in his mind with a shout of "Goemon!"

"I-Inspiration?" Ann asked.

"Yes! The contrast between black and blonde, short and tall, grey and blue. Two wonderful subjects that are dying to be painted by a skilled artist," the teen said with gravitas as his right hand touched his chest. "And I am that artist. Will you two please consider letting me paint you two?"

"C-Can we get name first?" Ren stammered out in confusion.

"Ah yes. My apology. My name is Kitagawa Yusuke. I am the pupil of the famed artist, Madarame," Yusuke said.

"I've heard of that name," Ann said as she looked to Ren. "He's making huge waves in the art scene. My family owns a few paintings by him. I had no idea that he had a pupil."

"Yes, I've been a pupil of his since I was a child. I was actually on my way home. I was feeling quite frustrated and exhausted regarding the piece I was working on when I happened to pot the two of you. There is a certain feeling an artist gets when he finds inspiration and you two have reawakened my own. I would love it if you two would pose for me. Do not fret if you cannot make a decision now…" Yusuke pulled out two cards from his pocket and handed one to both of them and said "If you both decide to do it, reach me at this number or text me. I am fine with either but I sure do hope you two regard my request favorably."

"Thank you?" Ann asked.

"I am off. I hope I hear from you both soon," Yusuke said as he turned around and walked off.

"Such a weird guy…" Ann said as the pair watched him leave.

"Hmm…" Ren replied.

Something about him seemed familiar….Not to mention the voice in his head. It was the same thing he heard when he first met Makoto…

Interesting.

"Don't throw away that card…We may need it eventually," Ren told her.

"Why?" Ann asked.

"Gut feeling…" Ren replied.

"You have a lot of those…" Ann said dryly before she looked to him in concern. "Kitagawa may have interrupted but I haven't forgotten why we're out here. What's going on Ren?"

He had hoped she forgot in the mass chaos that is Kitagawa Yusuke.

"There is someone there from my past…" Ren said softly. "Someone that hurt me bad…They go to that school now and I'm…not ready…"

Ann's eyes softened at this and took his hand. "Let's go to my place so we can talk."

Rain: So some shit is going down. Kasumi has made another appearance, Yusuke has finally made his appearance, a new Social Link with Mishima has begun, Makoto's inner war begins. The next chapter will involve Ren and Kasumi's relationship breakdown and reveal how badly Ren.

Also I need everyone's help. So originally, I was going to have Yusuke/Mishima as a pairing (Which would be adorable honestly) but I'm not kind of leaning asexual for him. SOOOOO I'm leaving it all to you guys.

Who shall Yusuke be paired with?!:

Yusuke/Mishima

Yusuke/His Art

Or Yusuke/Other

Tell me in the comments! Until next time!

Ann: See you later!