6/20 - Afternoon - Iwatodai Dorm - Ren

"Hello everyone," Ikutsuki began. "It is nice to see that all of you are here today."

All seven members were present in today's meeting. Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Kotone sat on the couch of the Command Room, right of the center table, while Akihiko, Yukari, and Junpei sat on the single chairs opposite the sofa. Ren sat on one end of the table while Ikutsuki stood opposite him and took everyone's attention.

"Can't exactly do much when Mitsuru-senpai calls for us," Kotone said. "What's the meeting today about?"

"I wanted to let you know how my research has been going," Ikutsuki said. "This concerns those Shadows that have been appearing during the full moons. I want you to listen closely; it might be hard to follow.

"Shadows can be divided into twelve categories, according to their characteristics. This we've known for a while. It's like their class or order.

"...Now, I've classified the special Shadows we've seen so far, and... It's simply fascinating!" Ikutsuki said with a euphoric face.

'There's that face again...' Ren thought with a sigh.

"Something wrong, Ren?" Kotone, who noticed, leaned towards Ren, and asked.

Ren shook his head and whispered back. "It's nothing, really. It's just that it's the face Ikutsuki kept showing when we tested my powers. It creeped me out." It was like Ikutsuki found a new toy to play with. It set Ren off back then. It was also why Ren was keeping the full extent of his powers a secret.

Ikutsuki slightly gasped, his mind now seemingly back in the Command Room. "Terribly sorry about that," he said with a cough. "After ten years, we are finally making headway, gaining new information and seeing an evolution to the power of Persona. It's been one exciting event after another! As a researcher, how can I not be excited?!"

Ren noticed that Mitsuru slightly hunched and touched her forehead with a sigh. 'Guess she's known for a while now...'

"And...?" Yukari asked, prompting Ikutsuki to continue.

"Those four Shadows," Ikutsuki said as he took a seat, now having calmed down, "belonged to Categories I through IV, in order of their appearance! They may have looked different than the common ones, but the classification scheme still applies."

"Is that something that we should be excited about?" Junpei asked.

"Oh," Fuuka piped up, "I get it... There are twelve in all... Eight that we haven't seen yet."

Ikutsuki's eyes brightened up when Fuuka finished. "Indeed! That is exactly right, Fuuka! You're quite sharp."

"Oh, uh, okay..." Junpei said unsurely. "But what are they after?"

"That's a good question," Ikutsuki responded as he turned to Junpei, "and that's what we haven't figured out yet: their motive.

"They don't kill their prey; they feed on their minds. It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there an underlying intent behind their behavior? The purpose of the Shadows as a whole... That's what we need to consider."

Ren nodded with the rest of SEES. 'Feed on their minds? It's not the same as the mental shutdowns nor the psychotic breakdowns. The former, caused by the death of a person's Shadow, usually meant the victim was reduced into a vegetative state. Ohya's friend is an example of this, so it didn't mean they always died like with Okumura. The latter meant that people would go on a rampage, losing themselves, attacking others, or causing accidents. However, in this case, the Shadow ate the person's mind rather than being killed. In the end, though, the effects are the same: a vegetative state where they cannot act, feed, or take care of themselves.'

"Interesting, isn't it?" Akihiko asked with a smirk, taking Ren's attention from his thoughts. "But, no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of 'em."

Mitsuru nodded. "I agree. That's all we can do at this point."

"Eight more, huh? Lucky us," Yukari said.

"According to data, each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training hard..." Fuuka added.

Akihiko nodded. "Don't worry, we'll manage. We've got plenty of time."

"What about Tartarus?" Yukari asked Ikutsuki. "Why does it even exist?"

"At the moment, we have no idea," Ikutsuki responded. However, Ren noticed that Mitsuru looked away slightly from the others.

'Well, it seems like the Kirijo Group does have some sort of stake in this, huh?'

"Any questions before we finish today's meeting?" Ikutsuki asked.

Ren nodded. "I've got some. It's about the upcoming Full Moon Shadows and the Lost."

"Go ahead."

"Do we have some sort of timeline on when the Full Moon Shadows will arrive?" Ren began. "From previous reports, they appeared alone during April and May, Class I and Class II from what you said." Ikutsuki nodded. "However, Class III appeared with Class IV. Does this mean we're going to be fighting more than one Shadow at a time, possibly even more than two, if the pattern continues?"

"At the moment, we are not sure," Ikutsuki answered. "Anything by three is a small sample size, no matter the study. However, it is all we have. And so, from all the data we have, you are correct in your assumption. On top of that, Class II has shown that it can spawn Shadows as well. Kotone, Junpei, and Yukari can attest to that." All three nodded at Ikutsuki's words. "This means that you may have to fight three or four Shadows at once."

"Do we have a timeline for them?" Ren asked. "If the pattern continues, it sounds like this might end before the year ends."

Ikutsuki nodded once more. "Very sharp. By calculations, if the pattern continues as-is, with one more Full Moon Shadow appearing every two months, then, by September, there will be three Full Moon Shadows."

"And hopefully," Kotone said with a grin, "this will be over and done with."

Akihiko's grin grew wider. "All the more reason to get stronger."

"You mentioned that you had another question, Ren," Ikutsuki prodded. "Something about the Lost?"

Ren nodded. "I saw some Lost outside their Coffins during the Dark Hour. Is that how it goes? We just leave them be?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Ikutsuki responded. "The Lost do not have Coffins anymore. It is theorized that without their minds, Shadows no longer see anything of need. At that point, the Shadows ignore them."

"What about during the day? We can't just leave them be, out in the streets like that," Ren said. "Shouldn't there be some sort of program for them?"

Kotone looked at Ren. "Is there something going on?"

"Not necessarily," Ren said. "It's just that these guys are everywhere and it's possible that someone could take advantage of them. I already stopped some guy stealing money from a Lost last night. I called on Kurosawa-san for help."

Akihiko's eyes lit up. "That's right. Kurosawa-san contacted me earlier today about it. Good job stopping it," he congratulated.

Mitsuru hummed in thought. "I'll see what I can do. With the increase in the Lost compared to before, it would make sense that crime would rise as well. I'll see to it that the streets are cleaned up of the Lost. I'm worried about the local hospitals though..."

"In the meantime," Akihiko piped up, "Kurosawa-san said that he'll try to add more police on the streets."

Ren sighed in relief. 'Good, that should take care of the Lost in the streets, turns out Kurosawa-san is keeping to his word. Hopefully, the Kirijo group can get that protocol running as soon as possible.' "Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai, Akihiko-senpai."

Ikutsuki chuckled. "What a model citizen. I suppose that will be all?" he asked as he glanced at everyone. When no one said anything, he stood up. "Well then, today's meeting is adjourned. I'll stay in the dorm for an hour or so before heading out."

With Ikutsuki's closing words, everyone followed him, filing out of the Command Room. Outside the Command Room, Kotone poked at Ren. "Wanna take a walk with me? I'm going to Paulownia Mall tonight."

'Maybe to continue the conversation before?' Ren thought. "Sure, why not?"

-Take Your Time-

6/20 - Night - Iwatodai Dorm - Kotone

"Sure, why not?" Ren said, accepting Kotone's invitation for a walk.

Ren offered to talk with her before and she was going to use it as she said she would. She wasn't going to let this go away.

After asking Ikutsuki for something to wipe his glasses, since Ren only used his shirt, and saying their good-byes for the night, the pair finally left the dorm. The two walked through Iwatodai in silence for a few minutes and Kotone used these few minutes to prepare herself. The topic was not something she ever really talked with anyone and she didn't plan to change that.

"So," Kotone began, "what do you know about my situation?"

Ren glanced up at the moon, and Kotone followed suit. At this point, the moon was past its half phase and was approaching the new moon. There were only a couple of stars out tonight and the summer winds were starting to blow through Tatsumi Port Island.

"I know the basic stuff," Ren responded. "Your parents were killed in a car crash here in Tatsumi Port Island ten years ago. From there, you were passed between relative to relative, and finally ending back here again in some twist of fate."

Kotone nodded. "That's the gist of it. Hearing about Koromaru's story just hit close to home."

"Does it happen often?"

"Not really," she responded as the two arrived at Iwatodai Station. "I can promise you, Ren, I'm fine."

Ren stared at her for a moment. "You say that, but this was the second time you went completely quiet during a conversation. I know a lie when I hear one, Kotone."

She stared back at Ren, trying to think of something to say back, but had to quickly turn away as his gray eyes threatened to take her attention away. "Oh? How do you do that?" 'Just deflect for now.'

Ren gave her a questioning look before shrugging. "You can notice a lot of things from a human body. Body balance, voice inflection, twitches, breathing, eye movement, to name a few."

"Where did you learn all that?" Kotone asked with scrunched eyebrows.

"I worked in a bar, Kotone," Ren said with a smirk, "where I have to make people open up to me. Making people open up means that I have to sometimes know when someone is lying."

"How does that work?"

"Well, some people are just very stubborn, lying to make themselves feel good, but it doesn't actually make them happy. To make a customer satisfied, I had to get the customer to face their problems head on."

"...You're not some super spy, right?" she asked as both waited on the platform.

Ren chuckled at her statement. "No, I'm not," he denied. "That's a first though."

"But, seriously, think about it!" 'Good, just keep it rolling.' "You have superpowers, you can glare people to death, you know spy moves like what you pulled when we first met you, you can tell when someone lies, and you do all that parkour stuff. On top of that, Shujin Academy is apparently government funded. You probably trained since you were little!"

Ren grinned at her. "Oh yeah, and I guess my glasses are my disguise?"

Kotone grinned back. "A real-life Clark Kent pair of glasses!"

"You know it?"

Kotone nodded vigorously. "Sure do. I watch movies when I get bored."

"Foreign movies though?"

"The more famous ones," she said. "You don't like them?"

"I actually prefer them," he said. "There's just something about them. It also helps with training my English."

"Another spy skill!" Kotone pointed out. 'And conversation diverted.' "So you know English?"

Ren nodded. "A little bit."

Finally, the train arrived. The pair stayed quiet as the train rolled to a stop. Inside, they took a seat next to each other, though the train car was empty of other people.

"How much do you know?" Kotone asked.

"Just enough to watch a movie and understand some of the dialogue," Ren responded. "Reading the subtitles helps a lot though. I definitely don't know enough to hold a conversation."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. Tokyo gets enough tourists and most speak English. Imagine them ordering in a beef bowl restaurant, just pointing at the menu and repeating the same words over and over."

Kotone laughed at his little story. "Okay, that's pretty funny. Do they try to speak Japanese?"

"Yep," he replied mirthfully. "Their intonations suck."

Kotone chuckled with him for a while. Outside, they could see the calm northern Osaka Bay reflecting the moon that hung in the sky.

'This is nice.' "So, what movies do you watch?" Kotone asked.

Ren shifted a bit so that he could face Kotone better. "Noir movies where there is a fine line between good and bad, like The Good Father, but there are bits where I can't understand because it's in Italian, so I rely on the subtitles a lot.

"There's the Admission Possible series too. The action sequences are amazing, and the tension makes me want to keep watching."

A mischievous smile crept up on Kotone's face. "And you're telling me you're not a super spy, Ren?"

"A super spy wouldn't tell you that he is one, Kotone," Ren said with a smile of his own. "And what about you? What kind of movies do you like to watch?"

"Do you know Kill Bill?" Kotone asked.

Ren nodded. "I've heard of it, but never seen it."

"The Bride's one of the coolest characters ever!" Kotone said excitedly. "Everything she does goes fwoom! Then the blood flies everywhere! There's one part where she takes on a hundred guys and she goes to town with them!"

"That sounds fun. I'll try to find a copy for myself then."

"I have a copy. Want to borrow it?" Kotone asked. 'Wait, maybe...' "Or maybe you want to watch it together?" 'I can use it to get closer to him. It's hard to hang out with him.'

"You sure about that?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't want to waste your free time on me."

Kotone nodded. "Yup! Don't worry, hanging out with you isn't a waste of time. Plus, I get to rewatch my favorite movie again. It's been a while too, so it's high time for a rewatch."

Ren smiled. "Then I'll take you up on your offer. You have my number, right?" Kotone nodded. "Then just text me when you want to hang out. I don't really have anything to do that takes long or do at any other time."

"You haven't joined any clubs yet?" Kotone asked. "I'm pretty sure some of them are still accepting."

Ren shook his head. "No thanks. Nothing really stood out to me."

Kotone hummed as she swung her feet. "What about the Track team? That's pretty close to parkour, right?"

Ren shook his head again. "Not really. The fun in parkour is being given an environment and then finding a path through it. Track doesn't have that."

"Have you tried it before?"

"Somewhat," Ren said. "I knew a guy that used to do track, but he had a bad knee. I ran with him for a bit, to help get through the pain of picking it up again.

"What about you? Are you part of any clubs?"

Kotone nodded. "Yep, I'm part of the Volleyball Team," she said and noticed that Ren slightly twitched. "Is something wrong?"

Ren shook his head. "It's nothing. How is it there?"

'That was kinda weird...' "It's pretty fun," Kotone responded. "We recently got through a slump so everyone's starting to have fun again."

"A slump?" Ren asked. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing bad, really. Just some miscommunication between the captain and the rest of the team. It's all fixed now, so everyone is looking into getting back into it."

Suddenly, the train PA system announced, "The next stop is Paulownia Mall. The next stop is..."

"By the way," Ren began as he stood up, getting ready to hop off. Kotone followed him. "I didn't get to ask, but why are we heading to Paulownia Mall at night? Is something going on there?"

"Nah, not really," Kotone responded. "I usually go there to hang out or work at night. Have to keep myself busy and all." 'I can't say that I'm there to talk to Tanaka-san.' "What about you? What are you going to do?"

Ren hummed as he thought about it. The train finally stopped and opened its doors, prompting the two to leave the train. "Well, I did see that Club Escapade was in Paulownia Mall. You mentioned it before, right?"

Kotone nodded. "Yup! It's a party club, so it won't be like that jazz club you went to before. They won't give you alcohol since you're underage though."

"Yeah, that's understandable," Ren said. "What about the people there?"

"Most of them are just party-goers," Kotone replied. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Oh, but there is that fortune-teller inside." Ren looked at her, puzzled. 'That got him?'

"A fortune-teller?"

Kotone nodded. "Uh-huh. She's very vague though, so I can't understand her. Are you interested in asking her something?" she asked as she tilted her head. Both hopped off the escalator and had arrived at the mall.

Ren shrugged. "Maybe, if I really feel like it. But still, I think I'll go to Club Escapade and check it out at least once. What about you? What are you going to do?"

Kotone glanced around the mall. It was mostly empty, but she saw Tanaka in the distance. "I'm going to go meet up with someone tonight. I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Ren said with a nod. "By the way, will you be okay alone here?"

"Yup! I've done this a bunch of times already," Kotone reassured him. "If I need anything, I'll run to Club Escapade."

Ren sighed. "Well, alright, if you say so. And afterwards, want to go back to the dorms together?"

Kotone nodded back. "Sounds good to me! I'll text you when I'm done. Bye!" She waved at him as she walked towards Tanaka. Ren waved back before walking towards Club Escapade.

"Hi Tanaka-san!" Kotone greeted him with a smile.

"Who's the guy?" Tanaka asked as he tilted his head to get a better look at Ren, though he disappeared as he entered Club Escapade.

"Him? He's a new friend. What's up?"

Tanaka nodded as he listened. "I see. Well, cut back on meeting up with a guy like him, especially in public and at night."

Kotone looked at him with surprise on her face. "Why?"

"Innocence is old and all," Tanaka said as he placed his index fingers and thumbs together to make a rectangle and looked straight at Kotone, "but promiscuity will hurt your image."

"My image?" 'What does my image have to do with anything?'

"Yup!" Tanaka said with excitement. "I actually have an idea for an ad campaign. Meeting up with such a good-looking guy is going to wreck it. Now then..."

From there, Kotone undertook another hour of training under the successful businessman, Tanaka, but it was mostly him spouting off his shady business practices. Eventually, they finished.

"You have been keeping your promise, right?" Tanaka asked. It was the same question he asked every time they finished. "If you don't, it won't be my fault if you get a lot of pizzas delivered to you."

Kotone threw a confident grin and a thumbs up. "Haven't told a soul! Your secret is safe with me."

"By the way," Tanaka said, ignoring Kotone's reassurance. "Are you going to be bringing that kid back here?"

Kotone tilted her head in confusion. "Ren? Why? I thought you said that I should stay away from him."

"Well, that's before I changed my mind. Bring him here next time or something. I think I saw something in him."

"Like you did with me?"

Tanaka nodded. "He was far away from me, but, behind those glasses, he exudes a lot of charm. He'd be a great candidate to partner up with you! Although, he would need to straighten up a bit. Just imagine, a charming boy and an innocent girl! I'll be hitting both the male and female customers with that! Anyways, see you kid!" he said with a smile before hurriedly leaving.

Kotone kept her smile as Tanaka left. When she was sure he was gone, she sighed and slightly slumped.

Her smile dropped. 'I've learned nothing but bad marketing practices. Placebos? Isn't that illegal? At least that's done with. Like hell I'd let Ren meet a guy like Tanaka.'

Kotone sighed again before straightening her back. Taking out her phone, she sent a text to Ren.

K: Ren im done here

K: R u still in club escapade?

R: Yeah

R: Want to meet up outside?

K: Nah

K: Lemme drop by

With that, she began moving her way inside Club Escapade. The music deafened everything once she passed the doors and down the stairs. The lights kept changing from one color to another, moving around the club in a pace that wasn't too fast nor too slow. She could see some of the older people, most likely college students, partying late at night, dancing on the dance floor. To the right, the usual two best friends sat with each other.

However, she wasn't looking for them. The person she was looking for, Ren, was sitting in front of the fortune-teller, named Mama. As she got closer to the pair, whenever the light hit the table they both sat on, she could see that Mama's face was beginning to scrunch up in frustration. Finally, she reached them, standing next to Ren, but she could barely hear what the fortune-teller was saying.

"Why is it that the cards always change for you? Fate lies in the cards and fate is infallible!" Mama said in anger as she stared at the cards.

'What happened?' Kotone asked herself. 'It's rare to see Mama get so...emotional.'

"People can change fate, Ms. Fortune-Teller," Ren countered. "I know that for a fact."

Mama's face scrunched up. "I..."

Ren glanced to his side, noticing Kotone. "Sorry about tonight," he said as he stood up, "but my friend is here, so I have to go."

Just as he was about to step away, he turned towards Mama. "By the way, people will know that you're not from the area if you make it so obvious with your bags." Mama's head whipped towards Ren. "Do be careful of scammers. Have a good night!"

With that, Ren finally walked away from Mama and approached the exit, though he waited for Kotone right before taking the stairs back up. Kotone said her good-bye as well before hurrying back to Ren.

Once they were outside, Kotone turned to Ren. "What was that about?"

Ren shrugged in response. "It pisses me off when people say that our fates are static, never changing. That we have no choice but to accept it."

Still, that didn't really explain what happened there. "So why was she so mad? She was never like that before."

"She tried to tell my future through her visions," Ren answered with a smile, "but she couldn't get a good one on me. After that, she whipped out her tarot cards. But no matter what she did, the cards always changed."

"Wow," Kotone said with a sarcastic tone. "Looks like Ren likes to bully fortune-tellers."

Ren chuckled as he fixed his glasses. "Maybe a little bit."

Kotone giggled. "Anyways, what do you think about Club Escapade?"

"Well..." Ren began.

From there, they filled the commute with small talk, discussing Club Escapade and Jazz Jin.

Kotone felt that Ren and she got closer that night.

-Take Your Time-

6/21 - Morning - Iwatodai Dorm - Ren

Ren rubbed his towel over his unruly hair to dry it while the TV played in the background.

He had long given up trying to shape or tame it, but it didn't stop the girls of the Phantom Thieves to try anyway. It turned into a ritual of sorts they dubbed the Amamiya Challenge. It became one for the new girl to try after Ann's failed attempt. Makoto tried because she couldn't believe that someone's hair couldn't be controlled. Futaba tried because she heard it through the bugs throughout Leblanc. Haru and Sumire tried because the others before them tried. Sophia, whilst in the Metaverse, gave up and ended up patting it like it was some kind of small, cute animal.

On the other hand, the guys didn't bother trying to comb it down. Rather, they played with it instead. Ryuji tried to make it worse. Yusuke made ridiculous shapes out of it, saying that it could become a canvas on its own. Oddly enough, Yusuke said that Desire and Hope's little black whirls were also inspired by Ren's little whirls. Akechi vehemently denied the custom. Zenkichi offered to trim the hair during the entire trip throughout Japan, though he also offered it to the others.

Ren's scar began to itch.

'Not again...' he thought before shaking his head, giving his scar a scratch to relieve it. He sighed with a hint of frustration. 'Putting that aside, I need to review what happened last night.'

Ren finished drying his hair and began to put on his clothes. He was going for a simple outfit today: white V-neck and a black, open button-down with its sleeves folded up to his elbows, completed by jeans and dark-red sneakers.

He lifted his bed, reaching for a notebook he hid between the bed and bed frame. It was the notebook he used to contain his thoughts, just like back during his probation. He opened it and began to write.

'I tried to get Kotone to open up, but she steered the conversation away. If it was another person, they might not have caught it. Unfortunately for her, I've played this game with the Second Detective Prince and the scariest prosecutor out there,' Ren thought with a scoff and a small smirk. 'That said, it's hard since most people tend to just unload their problems onto me rather than me actually trying to pry them open. Still, it's too early right now. This takes time, and from what she's told me, Kotone has deep trauma that she's been holding on to for a long time now.

'The next thing is...the fortune-teller... Mifune Chihaya.' Ren released a deep sigh. Chihaya is one of his friends from the future and it hurts him to know that she was most likely in a very dark situation right now. 'More than likely, Chihaya has just left her town and arrived in the big city. It seems that she hasn't met that future employer of hers, Fukurai Yuichi, yet. I hope that, with what I told her, she could escape being used by him again. Still, it's surprising to see her be a runaway girl at my age.

'That begs the question: is this the past or an alternate reality? Will my actions matter when it reaches 2017?' he thought before shaking his head. 'No, I can't think like that. Igor sent me to the past to try and help Kotone. Who's to say that I can't change other things? I have to try and make their lives better.'

However, a depressive thought invaded his mind. 'Aren't I basically doing what Maruki did, changing people's past so that they won't suffer in the future?'

Ren shook his head again. "No, what I'm doing is different. I will support and help them get over their problems by giving them the push they need. I'm not deciding their future for them," he said out loud this time, as if to proclaim it to the world, not just to himself.

However, before more thoughts entered his mind, a catchy tune rang out from the TV.

~Current Net Price Tanaka in your television~

~Everyone's friend of desire~

Ren turned towards the TV and approached it.

~Current Net Price Tanaka in your television~

~Shop, it's now or never~

"Here comes Tanaka, over the airwaves to you!" the singers at the back said.

"Hello everyone!" a familiar face appeared to greet the viewers. "Welcome to the home shopping show, 'Tanaka's Amazing Commodities'! Granter of your desires!

"I'm your host, Tanaka, with a live presentation of my Amazing Commodities! We'll show you great items at unbeatable prices! Ooh, you won't be able to touch that dial!"

Ren watched on with his mouth slightly agape, just as it was for when he saw Chihaya last night. Compared to the Dark Net site Ren had access to, this was completely different. There was only one thing he could say.

"...What the hell?"

-Take Your Time-

Activities:

6/20 - Night - Devil 4

6/20 - Night - Fortitude 2

-Take Your Time-

Social Links:

Fool - SEES - 3

Magician – Junpei Iori - 6

Priestess - Fuuka Yamagishi - 1

Emperor - Student Council - 3

Hierophant - Old Couple - 8

Lovers - Yukari Takeba - 5

Chariot - Volleyball - 8

Hermit - Health Committee - 3

Hanged Man - Girl at the Shrine - 3

Death - Mysterious Boy - 1

Temperance - Transfer Student - 3

Devil - Businessman - 4

Star - Akihiko Sanada - 2

Fortitude - Ren Amamiya - 2

-Take Your Time-

Author's Notes:

So, overall, a very slow chapter. I wanted Ren to point out the safety of the Lost which was never really checked on in the game. Why would Ren do this? In my mind, he cares about the vulnerable and he would do what he can to care for them. It also shows that Ren is okay with Kurosawa since he knows that not all of the police is bad. There's also the little timeline he brought up. The game also doesn't mention much about the end of the Shadows, so I had Ren bring it up. I mean, it only makes sense to think about timeline if they know how many are left.

As for the Fortitude 2 event, I originally wanted the event to be more heart to heart, not the current movie talk. However, it was far too heavy so Kotone deflected. That said, Ren does understand it. Personally, I think it's hard to lay down his life for others to solve, so he tried to get Kotone to open up, only for her to hole up even more. However, she did slightly open up. Just slightly.

As for Chihaya, don't expect too much out of her. She's more of a cameo and a way for Ren to think about the implications of his actions, only for him to strengthen his resolve. Still, depending on how it goes, there might be more scenes for Chihaya.

It's also a way to get Ren to think if he's on a separate timeline's past or his past. He knows that other timelines exist after all. I have some events in mind that will explain this in the future.

Should I also change chapter titles? I was thinking of what days the chapter contains.