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Green Day (1)

Sunday—June 14, 2021

Yusuke poked his head out from underneath the covers to check and see if everyone was still asleep. He began typing away at his phone before he slowly pulled back the blanket and sneaked around the group of bodies lying around. Ryuji, of course, was starfished in the middle, sprawled with all four limbs going in every direction. He took up the most room on the floor and was definitely the loudest snorer. Yusuke swore he saw a bit of drool.

Ren was sleeping on his stomach while his arms served as his pillow; his head was turned to the left. About two or three inches away from his face, Goro was sleeping in the same position, just turned to the right. They were resting head-to-head, sharing the same blankets and everything. Yusuke hummed quietly to himself knowingly and slipped past the pair.

Once he made it out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen, he pulled up his laptop and signed himself in. He pulled up the video chat and sent a text from his phone. He waited patiently for a few seconds before the screen on his laptop popped up with a new notification. Yusuke's heart jumped at the username ID and he accepted the invite immediately.

"You know, you should really get some sleep, Inari."

Yusuke's face broke out into the biggest smile as he stared hungrily at the digital face of Futaba Sakura. Her waist-length, orange hair was tied up today in a single ponytail, a few stray strands falling out of place and framing her face. Morning light streamed through Futaba's windows in the background while Yusuke relied on the dim, kitchen light from the microwave.

"I told you not to concern yourself over me," Yusuke said pleasantly and cupped his chin in his hand and he continued to smile at the screen, eyes just seeking out every detail of her face. "How have you been? How was your day?"

"Exhaustingggg," Futaba moaned and shook her head, tongue darting out to lick the popsicle in her hand. "But at least high school's easy."

Yusuke laughed warmly and leaned even more forward. "I am glad you are adjusting well."

"Still, I don't know if people like me or not," Futaba said with the first hint of worry in her tone. She ran a hand through her orange hair and growled lightly in frustration. "People sure do love to gossip though."

Yusuke cocked his head to the side and prompted her to continue.

"Well...some are talking about the Phantom Thieves, but like on the other end, there are girls talking about their boyfriends and the stuff they do," Futaba said with a dramatic shudder, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't know how to fit in with all that."

Yusuke bit his lip and summoned a bit of courage to respond teasingly. "You must find yourself a boyfriend."

Futaba's eyes widened before she burst out laughing; usually, she would have been left stuttering for a response, but for some reason she was much quicker with her wit with him.

"Why are you giving me relationship advice?" she asked through her fit of laughter. "You wouldn't know love if it smacked you in between the eyes."

"Pray, I beg your pardon," Yusuke gasped and put a hand on his chest as he feigned hurt. "Me of all people? I find true divinity and beauty in whatever my eyes lay upon."

"So, what about me?" Futaba said with a big grin, flicking her hair behind her shoulder as she adjusted her position.

Yusuke felt his face burn bright red and he was grateful for the darkness that hid his blush. Her responses always rose above his expectations, leaving him scrambling awkwardly for an appropriate response.

"Inarriiii?"

"I-I...well...I—of course I find beauty in you," he stumbled and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked off the screen to avoid making eye contact. "As I said, I find refinement in everyone."

Futaba giggled and rolled her eyes. "You're nothing like a fox, ya know? You're too shy and all awkward and cute to be sly and cunning."

"Is that...praise?" Yusuke asked, trying not to get hung up on being called cute by her. He scratched the back of his shoulder unconsciously, definitely trying not to think about it anymore.

"Take it or leave it," Futaba said in a singsong voice before she rested her chin on her knees, which were now drawn up to her chest. "How's everyone doing?"

"Everyone is well," Yusuke said earnestly, putting a hand to his chin as he tried coming up with a more elaborate answer. "Ryuji is as eccentric as always. Ann has improved her English in just the mere weeks of living in America. Sumire has been occupied practicing gymnastics."

"What about the rest?" Futaba asked, reaching for something out of view of the camera. Her hand came back with some snacks that she was now munching on.

Yusuke's mind went to Goro and Ren, thinking about the best way to explain their convoluted dynamic.

"Goro and Ren are both doing well," he said lamely.

Futaba let out a snicker. "I swear, Ren can be like a puppy sometimes. I love that guy."

Yusuke pursed his lips so tightly they disappeared. "W-what? Er! I mean, what do you mean?"

"I miss him, you know," Futaba said dejectedly as she lowered her gaze sadly. "I couldn't even finish this mission with you guys...I kind of regret saying I only joined the Phantom Thieves to learn the truth about Mom."

"Futaba…"

"Ren was there when it happened," Futaba continued, picking up steam to keep the conversation going. "I was so scared, but...him being there made it….I dunno….if he wasn't holding me, I think I would've floated off!"

Yusuke frowned as he tried to push away the image of Ren and Futaba together out of his mind. He refused to conjure some silly scenario in his head and create unnecessary negative feelings.

"I've been talking to him and he's been helping," Futaba admitted with a sigh, running a hand down her face. "But, it's just...hard. I feel like I lost someone."

"I wish I were there to help you," Yusuke found himself saying before he could stop himself.

"Well...you're in America," Futaba said.

Did Yusuke detect a hint of bitterness in her tone?

"Why did everyone have to go?" she bemoaned, a little too theatrically for him to take seriously.

Surely, she was not upset about it...right?

"Well...yes, but that does not mean I cannot come and visit," Yusuke replied, but he must have said the wrong thing because her head snapped up and her eyes widened. "What?"

"Visit? As if you're never gonna come back?" Futaba said shrilly; she groaned loudly and put her face in her hands. "Gah! This is Ren all over again!"

"Pardon?" Yusuke asked, a twinge of annoyance that Ren was brought up between them yet again.

"What's so great about that place?" Futaba demanded but sounded more sad than anything. "I thought you loved Tokyo...and Leblanc...and….and me."

"I do," Yusuke insisted, speaking from the heart instead of the mind, unsure if it was the right or wrong thing to do. "I love Japan, but the world is vast and if I dare call myself a true artist, I must pursue the world's treasures."

Futaba looked enraged but it extinguished a fraction of a second later. She grumbled under her breath and dug the heels of her palms in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said and slammed her hands on the table. "I wish I could go."

"Do you?" Yusuke asked seriously. "This would be such a grand change, it may become overwhelming."

"S'not like I really can, can I?" Futaba chuckled darkly and frowned sharply, playing with the ends of her hair. "Sojiro wouldn't really let me and…..and….well, I don't have the money….and I doubt I'd be accepted…."

Yusuke listened to her insecurities with immense struggle, wanting nothing more than to climb through the computer screen and envelop her in the biggest hug he could muster. He wanted to be there for her like apparently Ren was. He was not even aware the two were talking much and it definitely brought up feelings of animosity.

As soon as they came, Yusuke mentally slapped himself. This was his friend he was talking about. Ren would never do anything to purposely hurt him….and how could he know if Yusuke never told him? How could he tell Ren about his feelings he bore for Futaba?

Still….why did every girl seem to like Ren?

Yusuke sighed; his friend had a genuine heart, an altruistic mind, and a passionate soul. How could anyone dislike him? How could he let his jealousy alter the way he thought about their Leader? He had done nothing but prove himself to everyone time and time again. He deserved the utmost respect.

"Sooo," Futaba said, trailing off. She removed her jacket, leaving her clad in a white tank top that made Yusuke blush again. "Well, that's it for today's K-drama. Same time next week?"

"You have to go?" Yusuke asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his tone.

"No, you have to go," Futaba said and gave him a wink. "You need to sleep, Inari. You look like an extra for the set of The Running Dead."

Yusuke could not help but roll his eyes. "Well said. When will I be able to speak with you again?"

This time, Futaba rolled her eyes. "Soon, soon! Go to sleep!"

The farewell was bittersweet...more bitter than sweet….if sweet at all. He sighed as they signed off their video call and decided he was far from tired. Yusuke looked over at the red numbers on the clock….04:19. It was still an ungodly time in the morning, but all his exhaustion evaporated, leaving him only with troubled thoughts. Reluctantly, he pulled up Futaba's social media page and began scrolling through it. Most of the images were of her action figures, but there were a few scattered pictures of her with people, too.

Yusuke couldn't look away.

The first was with Ren (of course), Futaba wearing his stupid Shujin blazer and his glasses. His eyes went to the caption she left underneath the picture.

Caption: Shujin?

There were too many likes for his liking and the comments didn't make him feel any better, so Yusuke scrolled through them and read each one.

Are you transferring to Shujin?

Who is that?

Is that the delinquent from Shujin? Wait...that kid has glasses.

She's with him? Dating?

Yusuke rolled his eyes and went to the next one, which again was of her and Ren. How many did she have? Since when did Ren ever have a black turtleneck that made his scrawny frame look even thinner.

More upset, Yusuke read through those comments, too.

Caption: Four eyes turns into eight eyes.

Is that the guy that always hangs around Takamaki-san?

You guys have the same glasses.

Still, he's a criminal. She must like bad boys.

Who were these people even? It must have been students from their former school; he had forgotten some of these comments were quite old as the post was from more than a year ago. Yusuke wanted to go and dislike each comment, but unfortunately, it wasn't an option.

Now everytime Ren said he had plans after school, Yusuke was left wondering whether it was with Futaba or not….it probably was. He ground his teeth, hating the way she had her arms around his neck so casually and he was smiling about it.

Caption: Big Bang Burger time!

It's that guy again! I think they're dating.

She won't ever say, but I wonder if she knows he assaulted someone.

Honestly...he doesn't look like a guy with a criminal record.

I can't believe I eat there, too! I think I've actually seen him hanging around there!

Yusuke laughed, then felt a bit sick with himself. He wasn't going to promote the slander of his friend. He was ashamed of himself more than anything for even thinking about finding amusement at that, especially when he knew how much trouble that false label had caused Ren.

The next picture was a promotion for Leblanc, but he still felt annoyed at the way Futaba seemed to look at Ren and vice versa. Yusuke put his chin in his hand and grumbled under his breath. Fortunately, the comments were mostly about Sojiro's curry and his excellently brewed coffee; Yusuke had a hunch she filtered some of the more irrelevant comments. But why was her arm always around his?

Caption: Leblanc, home of the best brewed coffee and curry!

Yusuke felt himself flame up and to think he and Ren sat the same way. Suddenly, images flashed through his mind….all the times Ren and Futaba spent in Leblanc made him wonder if she ever developed feelings for the frizzy-haired teen….what if they were already dating?

Caption: New video game partner?

Is that Amamiya? I think he was in my class back at Shujin. How do you guys know each other?

That's totally that Sakamoto's friend! They're troublemakers!

Wait! He's the one that assaulted that guy!

I wonder if she has a record, too.

Where were they? Ren was definitely much too close for his liking. The camera had a wide angle so why was his face so close to hers? Yusuke growled in displeasure and glared at his screen. It must have been after school at some point, too, because he was still in his uniform. But the caption insinuated they were elsewhere. Yusuke knew Odaiba Seaside Park was a popular location for dates and Ren was most likely not there on Phantom Thieves business, so why was he there if they...?

Yusuke tried not to think about it as he read the comments unhappily.

Caption: Odaiba Seaside Park

This guy is everywhere on her page

I bet they met on probation or something

He looks so normal! That's what's scary!

Amamiya was in my class! I can't believe he has friends. He never talks to anyone!

Honestly, Yusuke had to slam his laptop shut; he could not see another picture or read another comment. While he resented the rumors spread about Ren and the horrific way they saw him, he was more disturbed by the amount of pictures Futaba had taken of them. They were all the same, there was no originality. The images were lackluster and mediocre at best—

No….Yusuke knew that was not the case. The images portrayed the happiness both felt during those times for the camera never lies. They were truly content in these pictures.

Yusuke sighed to himself and spent the rest of the morning pondering whether it was worth a confrontation or not.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Morning," Ryuji said and clapped him on the back, stretching his arms above his head. "How'd ya sleep?"

"Well enough," Yusuke lied as his gaze flickered to Ren, who was walking down the hall with Goro, both engrossed in their own conversation. "And yourself?"

"Man, I was so effin' tired, I fell asleep on your hard-ass floor," Ryuji said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Can't really complain."

"Why is it my floor when the floor is consistent throughout the flat?" Yusuke said with one eyebrow raised. He turned to Ren. "I would not mind a cup of your delicious brewed nectar."

Ren dipped his head to the two then glanced at Goro and jerked it to the seat at the kitchen bar. "I'll make coffee."

"Yes!" Ryuji said and paused. "Your coffee's the only kind I like."

"I'll take it as a compliment," Ren said pleasantly and slid into the kitchen, pulling out the beans and coffee maker. His fingers moved nimbly as he made quick work of the machine. "Our plan is to still return to the Haven, yes?"

"Sure is," Ryuji said and winced as he rolled his right shoulder. "I'm in the mood for some ass-kickin' and name-takin'."

"We all agreed," Goro said mildly, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading. He took much longer to finish the short article given the different language, but he was trailing his finger down the text. "But we should prepare first."

"Of course," Ren said with a nod of agreement, pushing three cups of coffee across the counter and to everyone. He took one for himself and turned to Morgana, who perched himself on the knees of Goro. "I bought salmon the other day."

"Excellent," Morgana said approvingly and began to purr. "Now, let's go over the game plan."

..~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Yusuke still wasn't quite used to warping nor did he think he ever would. He landed hard on his feet, knees nearly buckling, and swallowed the nausea.

"Stay your weapons," Ren's authoritative voice commanded. "These Shadows are dormant. Picking a fight now would only waste energy."

"Good call!" Morgana said, ears swiveling this way and that. "Just in case we end up running into Gahr himself."

"Let's hope not," Ann murmured. "That we really aren't prepared for."

"Stay low," Ren said.

Yusuke sheathed his katana and transformed both weapons into rings that fit around his fingers. He padded silently after Haru; eventually, some broke off to stay on the ground while the rest traveled around by the beams in the ceiling. Yusuke was one of the ones above ground level, which felt a bit strange and foreign to him given his larger feet, but it was well enough.

Ren was leading from above while Ryuji took the party below. Now that he really took the time to look at everyone, he came to the sudden realization of how strange this group of friends really was. Yusuke felt like he truly fit in this ragtag group of teens—their roles unique and distinct to each person, matching their individuality perfectly. But, where did Ren go? Where did he best belong? Their very Leader was the one everyone knew the least about and it was almost unsettling in a way.

Truths about everyone's past had come to light at one point or another. Furthermore, Ren (Morgana and Ryuji, too) were the most experienced when it came to the Metaverse and exploring others' cognitions, but no one really knew what went through his own head. While they caught glimpses of Ren's tales, his backstory was left to the imagination. He never talked about his past, only ever talking about his future. Even Ren's present-self was impossible to read alone.

Yusuke knew Ren wanted to travel and work independently—he wanted to study for university, although he had mentioned his criminal record would make it hard. Ren wanted to spend time learning some new languages but he still wasn't sure which ones. He would visit Tokyo at least every summer and winter to see Sojiro, Leblanc, and everyone else. He didn't want some fancy car in his future—a van would do nicely and he had gotten used to driving the Mona-bus. He knew Ren wanted to see Europe after he spent some time in America, but where in Europe was still unknown.

Yusuke knew all these things about Ren's future and his future desires, but he never knew much about his childhood other than the darkness. The fleeting memories he saw in the Haven only filled in a quarter of one percent. He did not even know who Ren's parents were. He did not even know if Ren had a father for all he saw was a mother. He never asked if Ren had any siblings. He never learned whether Ren had any other family other than his parents.

Yusuke wished he spent more time learning about his friend than he had in the past. There was a definite pang of guilt—he confided in Ren about his own tragedies, misgivings, and unfortunate circumstances and he had always been there to listen. Yusuke recalled the time he was in an art slump, and who should he turn to, but the Leader? And not once did he ever let him down.

"Fox grab her!"

Yusuke had been so lost in thought, he did not even notice Haru misstep and slip. She let out a silent scream, scrambling madly for a fraction of a second before she plummeted. He had seen it too late and even though he tried to lunge for her, his hand missed hers by inches.

Ren dove off the beam and somersaulted in midair, catching Haru in his arms, which supported her back and legs. She threw her arms around his neck as he landed in a crouch. He looked down at his teammate and gave her a swift nod.

"T-thanks," Haru mumbled and disentangled herself from his hold. "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention."

"No problem," Ren said and looked up at the rest, giving them the thumbs-up.

Yusuke inwardly castigated himself in frustration. He should have been paying attention to the present instead of getting lost in thought. Now he was letting his personal life impact the way he was working in the Metaverse.

Suddenly, there was another voice.

"Huh? Phantom what? I don't even know what that is."

It was Gahr's voice.

"I wanna celebrate my escape. We'll go to work tonight. Same place. Central Park."

"But, sir," a new voice said, one less confident. "What...what about the police?"

"I'll evade them like I always do," Gahr said with little concern. "It's not like the girl's gonna say anything. They never do."

Did Yusuke just witness his first murder plot?

"And that's our cue," Makoto said with a dismal shake of her head.

Below, Yusuke watched Ryuji throw himself around the corner with a war shout, brandishing his mace. The other Phantom Thieves on the ground had no choice but to give him backup. Yusuke, along with Makoto and Sumire, jumped from the beams and joined the rest on the ground.

The moment he rounded the corner, he could see the giant Shadow of a Grimehkala. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen, but its size was far greater than the other Shadows they had fought in this place.

"Shit!" Ryuji said as his physical attack was thwarted with a single swipe of its trunk. "This ain't easy, but I like a challenge!"

"I'm glad you do!" Makoto snapped as she jumped onto her bike and revved the engine. "This isn't even Gahr and it's giving us this much trouble."

"Which means," Sumire said as she grabbed Ren's hand and pulled him away before he would be struck down with a curse. "We're in trouble."

"No kidding," Ann said and lashed out with her whip, the snapping echoing throughout the hallway. Although she met her mark, it did little to faze the Shadow. "It's not going down!"

"Goemon, bufu!"

"Milady!"

"Johanna!"

"Loki!"

Four Personas charged forward at the same time, taking the Shadow by surprise for a second or two at most. Goemon and Milady continued applying the pressure while Makoto charged her bicycle and lunged with a blast of her own.

"Don't defy!" the Grimehkala bellowed.

"LIke we'll listen, you batshit crazy idiot," Ryuji snarled and threw out his arms. "Captain Kidd! Show 'em!"

The blonde's Persona arrived with an explosion of brilliant, dancing light; the lightning struck the Shadow, causing it to become stuck in place. However, no one could go for a follow-up attack without risking getting hit by the obscene amount of curses being thrown around.

"Angel!"

Ren's voice was the clearest; whatever Persona he had summoned appeared with the brightest light.

"Finish them!"

Daggers of magic came surging down, piercing the Grimehkala relentlessly until it fell to its knees. Ren sprang into the air and landed on the Shadow's chest, gun pointed between its eyes.

"Who are you?" the Shadow wheezed as it closed its eyes in defeat.

"Thieves."

Ren sent a single bullet through its skull, evaporating it on the spot. He did a backflip off and landed neatly on his feet.

"Looking cool as ever, Joker," Haru praised.

"Excellent work," Makoto said with a nod of agreement.

"You've got style," Ann said and winked at him playfully. "And that's a compliment coming from a model."

Ren ducked his head at the acknowledgement and beckoned everyone forward with a wave of his hand, breaking out into a slow jog.

"That would've attracted every Shadow," he said as he looked around the corner. "We need to be careful from here on out."

"Weren't we always?" Goro deadpanned with a flat tone.

Ren have him a tiny glare, but it didn't last long.

He took the lead and got the group down to the first floor without any confrontation. It was hard to keep the group together, but somehow they managed by taking turns. It went all rather Yusuke even managed to keep himself from diving into his thoughts despite wanting to.

"Fox?"

Yusuke jumped and whipped around only to find Ren staring at him with a curious look. He sighed and wondered what he had done wrong.

"Are you okay?"

Yusuke bit his lip and cast his eyes downward. "For now…."

"You've been distracted," Ren said and put a red gloved hand to his chin. "Why?"

"You mean as distracted as you can get?" Yusuke huffed irritably before he could stop himself. He immediately regretted his sharp tone.

Ren looked like he had been slapped for his eyes widened. The Leader gave him a small smile and put up a hand as if surrendering.

"Ren—"

"I'm sorry," he said genuinely and rubbed his nose, sniffing awkwardly. "Now wasn't the time to pry."

"No, please—"

Ren gave him a soft nod before he stepped away. Yusuke hung his head, feeling more miserable than he had a few minutes ago, and chided himself for losing his temper on someone who was just trying to help. He angrily tapped his fist against his leg as he followed last, wishing he could take his rage out on a Shadow appropriately instead of his teammates.

Yusuke then came to realize that he was not quiet and more than one person overheard him snap off. He rolled his eyes at himself and hastened his pace. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sumire reach out to Ren, but he pulled away from the hand with a shake of his head. Yusuke just watched, feeling even worse if possible.

"I have a plan tonight," he said as he addressed everyone. "If what Gahr said was true and he has intentions of going to Central Park, we need to stop him."

"A plan?" Sumire asked with widening eyes. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "What are you thinking, Joker?"

"Well…."

Poor Yusuke; social media isn't always the best but he just couldn't stop scrolling through!