SwigitySwoogy: First off, awesome name.
Second, I am glad you like it so much dude
And finally, if you make some art... let us know. Would love to see art for this story

Neptunia56: No, but everyone is capable of the flames of Rebellion.

SG138: No, no, and no.
Thanks for the bath house praise though

MashiroNguyen: Oh, totally. I see so many harem stories where the girls are basically just accessories to the MC for him to collect. Where it isn't a relationship, just girls hanging off his arm.

adamse0530: And to quote another Devil Hunter, "JACKPOT!"

anon92: It is more of a case that 'we are all one couple, we are polyamerous. We kinda need to get along and try closer.' and different people take relationships at different paces

Neo Infinity: Was hinting nothing

Xerzo LotCN: Because reference, funny and we could see Yusuke doing that

Obiki Doragon: We did NOT make that mistake with THIS chapter. I even double and tripple checked it after I saw your message. And, as I said, I FIXED LAST CHAPTER.

Tony Anderson: No, they will not. Everyone HAS the potential, not everyone DOES.

carpenterzac7: No.

Here are some reviews answered by Ghost:

Xerzo LotCN: Yeah, it's all good and cute with the bathhouse stuff. And yes, there was Mr Weasely energy in this chapter.

StevieBond: Give it a few chapters. chuckle

anon92: To be fair, Makoto's social life has been bad because of Principal Kobayakawa and all the misunderstandings that entailed.

Wolf: YES! The Muggle Studies must flow!

UltimateCCC: You... want to see the cat in a kimono?

adamse0530: Glad you've been enjoying the story so far.

Neptunia56: Possibly, possibly not. Maybe they're just coming into their own.

delubyo420: Well, we like to change things up that's in actual canon.

SwigitySwoogy: Well, I'm glad you've been enjoying the story so far.

Disclaimer: We do not own Persona 5. That belongs to Atlus.

Co-written by GhostKaiser23


AUTHOR'S NOTE

Wow

THAT was a long month. Or at least felt like one.

Well, new chapter uP!

Yeah!

Hope you all like it!


Persona 5 New Game Plus, Joker's Second Chance
Chapter 40
Aftermath Of The Puppet Principal


It was the following day and the group were a little worried for Kobayakawa. The events at the palace were still on their minds since, this was going to be a big one. Would he admit his change of heart? or will the Phantom Thieves be disbanded?

Ren arrived at school, looking up at the building and sighed. Hopefully things where going well. Pulling out his phone he made a quick note of the date.

August 11th.

Just a few more days until the holiday.

Until they hit the deadline.

...

"Huh?" he blinked, seeing a familiar head of floufy hair 'Wait... is that?' He thought in confusion. He walked over and saw Haru sat there, quietly

"Oh... what am I going to do?" She muttered to herself quietly as she didn't want anyone being interrupted or hearing her.

"Haru?" he asked

"Huh? Oh, Amamiya. I-I didn't hear you." She blinked and saw him in her gaze, her ears getting a little red.

'Cute.' Ren thought for a moment before he sat next to her "What's wrong?" he asked

"I... I have been thinking. A lot about. Well, a lot of things." She admitted, covering her ears with her hair.

"Anything I can help with?" Ren asked.

"Um. I-I don't know. Maybe. Yes?" She fumbled over her words. "Could... could you maybe... help me?"

"I can try." he nodded.

Haru nodded and lead Ren to the garden upstairs where they could be alone. "Okay... D-Do you remember how I mentioned before about my newfound interest in coffee?"

"Yes, I do." He nodded, remembering the time she went to LeBlanc.

"Well, I've started to study the topic more seriously, even going to different cafe's to sample their drinks." Haru answered, pulling out a notebook.

"Oh, that's great. Glad to see you taking it seriously." Ren smiled.

"Hmm. I... found this out. A single cup of 'Dark Ivory' coffee in one restaurant costs roughly 6000 Yen." Haru explained.

'Six grand?!' Ren thought in shock. "That... must be an amazing drink." He strained.

"I heard it is. The beans used are exceedingly rare." And she brought out a couple of take-away mugs of piping hot coffee. "I wanted to share one with you since you know your beans while working at LeBlanc."

"Oh, right. Thanks." Ren answered, taking one.

"But I wanted to test them with someone who I knew was a connoisseur." She smiled. "Cheers."

"Cheers." He nodded and took a drink along with her.

'Hmm. Not bad. Definitely distinct than the coffee we have at LeBlanc.' Ren thought, before looking at Haru.

"Hmm... A distinctly fragrant aroma, paired with a mild flavour." Haru commented. "It's undoubtedly delicious but...not what I'd consider coffee."

"Huh. Okay." Ren nodded, taking another sip.

"Apparently it's brewed using beans gathered from elephant dung." Haru commented calmly as she put the coffee down.

"PPBTT!" Ren spat out to the floor. "Oh god, I can taste the elephant!"

Haru giggled at Ren's reaction, seeing how comedic and over the top he was. "I apologise for not disclosing that to you earlier. I thought you might find it hard to enjoy it if you knew ahead of time."

"And you still drank it?" He asked, wiping his mouth.

"Of course. I was surprised to hear it myself, but that's why I wanted to try it to begin with." She answered. "Another rare coffee is called 'Kopi Luwak', gathered from the faeces of a small cat called a 'civet'. Interestingly enough, the flavour differs on which animal originally consumed it."

And Ren's mind instantly went to Mona eating coffee beans... and how much that would be awkward to drink.

"Don't even go there, Ren." Morgana mewed silently at Ren from inside the bag.

Haru blinked as she looked down, smiling, and began to ask "Do you think your little cat could-?"

"I don't want to think about it if I'm honest." He shuddered, putting the coffee down.

"That's true. I wouldn't want to make the little darling sick." Haru apologised, before rubbing her arm. "Coffee is so profound."

"I'm sure you'll figure out your own flavour and get a handle on it." Ren answered. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Of course." She nodded

Ring
Ring

Ring
Ring

"Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me." Haru apologised as she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Ah, Ms Okumura. I'm glad I've caught you." An older man's voice responded.

"Mr Takakura?" She gasped.

"I'm sorry to call you while you are in school, but this is a serious matter." Mr Takakura apologised. "I wanted to talk to you about your stocks in the company and your fiance"

"Ah, yes. Of course." She nodded. "Well, I have been thinking about it."

Ren was silent as he heard this, he didn't mean to overhear... but he also knew what this meant. But it was... Different this time This time, her father was alive so this wasn't as depressing.

"Good, in regards to this, I was hoping that while you are in school you will let the company hold onto them. With your wedding arriving and your schoolwork, you needn't have any more stress in your life." Mr Takakura responded.

Haru took a deep breath and sighed to clear her head. "Mr Takakura, I appreciate your concern but I am not in contact with Sugimura."

Ren smiled as he heard her stand up for herself.

"Are you certain? Even with the reserve in the wedding hall?" He asked in shock.

"Yes, even then." She nodded, making Ren smile proudly

"I will have to take this up with your father. This is going to upset a lot of people in regards to this." Mr Takakura apologised.

"I understand." She nodded. "Goodbye."

"All okay?" He asked

"Yes. Mr Takakura was just concerned about me and my choices." She admitted.

"What do you think of him?" Ren asked.

"I think he's a good man, despite the rumours about him. I believe he is a good man who only wants what's best for me and the company." Haru answered. "Thank you for being here with me, Ren." She smiled as she opened up to him.

Empress: Rank 4

"Hey, we should probably head to class." Ren spoke, pointing behind him.

"I have a free period but yes, you should." Haru chuckled

"I'll see you later." He waved. "Oh... here's the coffee."

"Thank you." She smiled gently as she saw him leave.

As Ren headed down the stairs, Morgana poked his head out of the bag. "Don't. Just... don't."

"I didn't say anything." He mused.

"I know what you're thinking. And don't." Ren answered. "Just... Don't."

"Okay, I won't say anything." Morgana sighed and shuffled into the bag. "I'll let that just sit and stew until you're ready to talk about it."

"Morgana!" He groaned.


*Time Skip*

It was a long and kind of awkward day for Ren, having the thought of that elephant coffee had promptly vanished from his mind and he was ready to get to his pay cheque from his various part-time jobs. "Man... what a day." He groaned, rolling his shoulders gently.

"Nya~, you're nothing but a busy body. You know that right?" Morgana yawned as he woke up from his other nap... He's a cat. What do you expect?

"Yeah." Ren nodded, walking towards Crossroads

"So, what're you gonna do now?" Morgana asked.

"I was hoping to meet Ohya. She seemed to be having a lot on her mind." Ren answered as he had his hands in his pockets

"Well, if you think so. I'm gonna keep my nose out of this one, if she's meeting in that bar again I'm taking precautions." Morgana responded.

"Precautions?" he asked

"Covering my nose in your bag." Morgana clarified and pulled himself into the bag.

Ren chuckled and zipped it up, leaving some room for air as he went into the bar and saw Ohya already in there in her cups. "You're not drunk again already, are you?" Ren asked

"Hey~, it's my number one guy." Ichiko smiled as she looked at him. "Nah, I'm not drunk. Just merry. A~nyway; what kind of news have you got for me? I'll schmack you if it's not good enough." Ichiko giggled, putting her glass down.

"Hey... you sure you're okay?" Lala asked nervously as she saw Ohya like this.

"Whaddya mean? You worried about me, Lala?" She chuckled.

"Two waters, please." Ren asked politely.

"I haven't seen you drink this much in forever." Lala responded, getting the waters ready.

"No~. I haven't been drinking at all." Ohya responded, taking another sip of her drink. "I'm totally not hic."

Ren saw this and frowned, seeing her this distraught over something. "Having trouble at work?"

"Ooh...Sharp aren't you?" She responded, smiling before it crept to a frown. "Truth is... my quota got doubled. It's gonna take like...four times as much work to get through it all. They're shackling me down so I don't have time for anything else. Urgh...my chief's a shithead."

Ren sighed and gave her a glass of water as he took a sip for himself. "He must not like you."

"Yup. The bastard's probably knows something's up." She slurred her words a little. "Before this... I felt like a real journalist again; y'know? The rush of solving Kayo's case, uncovering the dark secrets of our corrupt society. But now? It's impossible to do."

"That doesn't sound good." Lala commented as she took the whiskey glass.

"Course it's not good. But what am I s'posed to do?" She groaned. "They'll fire me if I can't reach it! ... Hey, Lala? If they do, can I live here? It won't help with the investigation, it being a year old and the authorities not doing shit." She groaned before sighing. "Maybe Kayo was the culprit..."

"You should trust her." Ren responded, taking a sip from his water.

"That goes without saying!" Ohya sulked. "I mean, if I don't; who will? What am I doing? It's my fault what happened to Kayo... she started in book publishing, mostly wild animal and nature photos. She was a genius behind the camera though; that's why I thought we'd be the perfect duo."

"You can't blame yourself, Ohya." Lala responded. "Kayo was just as set on exposing the evils of society just like you. Isn't that right?"

Ohya sighed heavily and began to blame herself. "B-but... if it wasn't for me... That damn incident is my fault. I've got to get to the bottom of this!"

"That's the spirit." Ren responded and clinked her glass.

"Hell yeah!" She stood up in her seat and nodded. "... Y'know, it's weird. I was all set to clam up while here... you help me loosen up. You understand me. And... sorry for snapping at you earlier. The stress is getting to me."

"It's alright. I get it." He nodded.

"I'm still counting on you for those Phantom Thieves stories. If you're still up for it." Ohya added.

"Don't worry, I'm up for it." Ren answered

Devil: Rank 6

Ohya was silent as she looked down at her drink, thinking about the day. Thinking about the fortune teller...

"Hey, Ren..." She hiccuped a little as she held the water.

"Yes?" He asked, turning to her.

"Would you date an older woman?" she asked honnestly

"Would I date an older woman?" He repeated her question. "Yes. Yes, I would."

"You would?" Her eyes glistened as she perked up. A desire and determination glowing

Ren simply nodded. "Yes, if she was willing."

"I see." Ohya grinned

"And she was, maybe, into a different kind of relationship." Ren added.

"Oh?" She smirked... Before pulling Ren into a kiss

Ren blinked in shock, feeling her alcohol specked lips on his own. 'Okay. This is happening.' He thought to himself as Lala saw this going on.

SLAP!

"Ow!" Ohya flinched as she was slapped in the back of the head "Hey! Lala!" She frowned.

"You're drunk. He's underage. I'm not seeing you go to jail." Lala answered with a frown

"Meanie." Ohya frowned "And he's too young for alcahol, not for the fun stu-OW! Lala!"

"Sober up." Lala pointed at her, then pointed at Ren. "And you. Don't lead her on."

"I wouldn't." He reassured.

"Good."


*time skip*

Last night was exhausting for Ren, having to come to terms with Ohya now having feelings for him. Well... This was his life after all. "Is it bad I am use to this?" Ren asked

"I dunno. You're dating Ms Ann, Ms Shiho, Lavenza, Ms Sadayo, Ms Tae, Ms Makoto and Futaba. You're probably adapting. You are the 'Wild Card'." Morgana answered

"Yeah, probably." he laughed weakly

"I hope that Kobayakawa has felt the weight of his sins and going to turn himself in." Ren admitted, hoping he would be still alive after tall this... and realised everyone was heading off to the gym

"Hey, what's going on?" Morgana asked.

"I think I know." Ren answered as he followed, since this must be something big. He followed the other students, nodding to a few

"Hey, Ren. What's going on?" Ryuji asked, having caught up with his best friend.

"I'm guessing something to do with Kobayakawa." Ren whispered, trying to keep it between them.

"Most defiantly." Morgana whispered from the bag

"Then we better make sure we get front seats; right?" Ryuji asked.

"No, that'd just be too obvious." Ren answered. "We need to stay maybe in the middle or something so we're not noticed."

"Fine." he huffed

"And try not to scream 'that's what you get!' at the top of your lungs." Morgana added through the bag.

"Hey!" Ryuji snapped, huffing louder "Fine!"

"Ren! Ryuji!" Shiho and Ann waved over and approached.

"Hey." He responded as they fell into line in the gym.

"Looks like it's time." Ann commented hopefully

"All that work." Shiho nodded.

"Anyone see Makoto or Ms Kawakami?" Ryuji asked.

"No, not today." Ann responded, before the gym fell silent and a teacher walked towards the podium.

The teacher... was Kawakami, holding a letter

"Hello, everyone." She spoke through the microphone. "As many of you are wondering, this meeting has been brought up because Principal Kobayakawa has taken a leave of temporary absence."
The students began to talk, a sea of noise as they chatted about what might be going on.
"He has written a formal apology to myself and to a student in regarding his current behaviour towards the Phantom Thieves, using the teachers and students to 'weed them out'." She continued
The students seemed to mutter to themselves as they heard that. Putting students and teachers on the path of the Phantom Thieves? Those guys were awesome, taking out the bad guys.
"I have abused my power and possition. Against my students and staff. I shall be back but for now I will be running the school from home." Kawakami finished
The teachers seemed to be a little distressed, however the students found this honestly reassuring that they weren't going to be part of a schoolwide man-hunt for people who might not even exist.
Kawakami closed the note and set it down, looking out at the audience "For now, we will continue our days at this school properly until the summer holiday. I hope that everyone will take that accordingly." she said, calmly. Nodding she backed up

The students whispered amongst each other as they were still standing there, it was all... insane for lack of a better term. But at least they might have some freedom now. "You are dismissed, get to class." The English teacher spoke through the microphone.

Everyone hurried off, Ren sharing a grin with the others as they hurried to their class so they could wait for their teacher to arrive.

They had done it.

tick
Tick
Tick


*20th of November*

tock
Tock
Tock

Ren was feeling his throat get dry. This talking to Sae Niijima was slowly getting to him. And all he could think about was the past while looking at her. The drugs still in his system because of the corrupt police and the drying water on his face.

He was sat across from Sae Nijima. Sae was a beautiful long silver-haired woman that was parted on the left-hand side, brown eyes with a tint of red, wearing a black business suit with a black turtleneck, long tight-fitted black trousers with flared ends and black heeled shoes; her blazer had a silvery-grey clamshell design on the cuffs and lower part. She had a silver necklace of the 'section sign' around her neck, violet fingernails, silver earrings and black hairclips to keep her hair in place.

"And that's how that happened." he commented

"Hard to believe." she huffed "Especially as that does not explain what happened to your principal on September 9th. If you took his heart back in August, then-"

"Sae. Trust me, I'll explain later." Ren mumbled weakly

"So. You expanded your ranks further. Past who you had 'last time'." Sae sighed, changing the subject as she flicked through a file "Joker, yourself. Alongside Panther, Skull, Fox, Oracle, Queen. Dove, who is 'new' to 'this time' and now a teacher from your school 'Fleur'." she said, using a LOT of air quotes "You know it would be better for you to just give me their names. It will not take me long to work out who they are once I set my mind to it, using the information you have already given me."

"You know me better than that, Sae." Ren commented weakly

"Fine." she huffed, brushing her silver hair back behind her ear. She then threw the file a bit, showing a case file of a new man.

The case file had a picture of a man's face. It was an older gentleman, his hair a salt-and-pepper greying black situation, wearing a smart brown suit with subtle lines, a pair of glasses on his face. The snap shot only showing his face meant details where limited, of course. But behind the picture was some papers, a Phantom Thieves of Heart calling card and a picture of Tae Takemi

"Tell me why you targeted Doctor Oyamada?" she asked, resting her chin on top of her crossed hands "And what does my ex-girlfriend have to do with any of this?"

tick
Tick
Tick


*back to the present, August 12th, Time skip*

tock
Tock
Tock

"I think this calls for a celebration!" Futaba cheered as she was downstairs with everyone in LeBlanc.

"I'll book us a place for tomorrow." Kawakami smiled

"Oh~? Teach is treating us?" Ryuji laughed

"In a manner of speaking, yes." She nodded.

"It's over." Makoto sighed in relief, as she held her own letter.

"Is that from Kobayakawa too?" Ann asked.

"Yes."

"I guess he finally got a conscience after all this." Shiho commented.

"Definitely." Yusuke sighed gently.

"You doing okay, dude?" Ryuji asked.

"Yes, it's just been a long day at my school." Yusuke nodded as he rubbed his cheek

"Well, there's this restaurant in town we can go too." Makoto thought, trying to stay on track. "It's moderately expensive."

"Oh, that one actually looks nice." Ann commented, the group looking at it on their phones.

"Hmm, I think that's within my budget." She added.

"You know I can-" Ren began to speak

"Stop! Stop... No." Sadayo interrupted him. "This is my treat."

"Really? Thanks, Teach!" Ryuji smiled, almost leaping out of his seat.

"Does that mean we have to change clothes?" Futaba asked. "I've just gotten comfy in these."

"That's a good idea." Kawakami chuckled

"Alright, come on." Ann spoke as she and Shiho grabbed and helped her up.

"No, wait. Please!" Futaba 'whined' as she was lifted up.

"You're changing into something nice." Shiho responded as they left LeBlanc.

"You girls going shopping then?" Ren asked with a laugh

"We aren't going until tomorrow." Kawakami added with a nod

"We'll see you later then." Ren answered, waving them goodbye. "Bye girls."

The others waved as they left. the girls closing the door of LeBlanb behind them

"So... what does one do on a 'boys night'?" Yusuke asked as they were the only ones there in the cafe.

...

...

...

"Crap..." Ren and Ryuji blinked

"Isn't there that batting cage nearby? Maybe you three could go hit a few things?" Morgana commented.

"Yeah, Ryuji needs to work on his swing anyway." Ren joked

"That's right, I-Hey!" Ryuji nodded before snapping. He huffed and threw a jacket at Ren, the team leader laughing

"Might be some good practice though." Yusuke thought. "And perhaps some inspiration for my next piece."

...

"There he goes again." Morgana muttered as the group headed out as the group headed out "Mewhahahah. I've got the place to myself!" Morgana laughed puckishly and rushed to the bedroom. "The whole room to myself!" He began to roll around, purring 'Mine, all mine!' He thought. 'Hee, hee, hee. His treasure.'


*With the Guys*

"Three please." Ren asked the batting cage attendant.

"Sure, be careful with the ball machine." The attendant responded. "Don't break anything up there."

"We won't." Ryuji answered as they took some bats from the bin and headed to the roof.

"Okay, what setting should we put it on?" Ren asked.

"Top level! I got this!" Ryuji smirked

"I'm not sure that I can manage that." Yusuke answered. "I have flimsy artist noodle arms."

"You can hold a katana, you've got this." Ren reassured while laughing at Yusuke's modisty and concern

"Leader? What setting do you want?" Ryuji asked.

"Probably the middle ground." Ren answered as he thought about the HOURS he had spent in this place

"Middle ground? Alright." Ryuji shrugged and set the machine to the lowest setting. "Yusuke, you're up first."

"Very well then." he nodded. As Yusuke got to the batting plate, he heard the beeps going off.

Beep.
Beep.
BEEP.
Thump!

Out shot a ball that came at Yusuke as he readied himself with the bat and struck it.

tink

"Oof!" He grunted, swinging the bat and hit the ball into the netting.

thud

"Hup!" He swung again and missed this time, the ball going past his head.

"Wow! Careful!" Ryuji called

"Sorry, I'm not athletically shaped." Yusuke answered.

Thump!

"Incoming!" Ren pointed.

"Hup!" Yusuke grunted and swung, smacking the ball and hit the net once again.

tink

"Looks like your round's done." Ryuji commented.

"My turn?" Ren asked.

"Sure dude, this is honestly fun." Ryuji smiled.

"Yeah it is." Ren nodded with a grin


*the next day*

"Cheers!" the Phantom Thieves all called together, clicking their glasses in a circle. The group were all together once again, taking their drinks in the restaurant that Sadayo brought them to.

"This is great, Ms Kawakami." Ann said, wearing a knee length red dress with a slight dip in the chest and a lack of sleeves

"Yeah, thanks Teach." Futaba responded, wearing a green dress that had small sleeves and a modest style to them.

"Thanks again." Ren nodded. He was wearing a much smarter black shirt and the best pair of jeans he had, trying to be sensible and sleek.

"It's my pleasure." Sadayo responded, wearing a long yellow dress with some small sequins along the hem of her dress.

"Kind of a good reason to 'dress up'." Ryuji chuckled, wearing a short-sleeved, button red checkered shirt and black trousers with the faint outline of a skull on his left leg, but it was under the table so it didn't matter.

"I apologise again that I do not have anything more formal." Yusuke apologised as he was wearing a white and blue long-sleeved shirt, sleek black trousers and slip-on shoes, tucking into some of the free breadsticks.

"It's fine." Sadayo nodded

"I'm wearing a jacket and shirt myself, so we're not out of place." Makoto chuckled as she was wearing a navy-blue T-shirt, a dark grey long sleeved shirt over that, dark blue jeans and a pair of black shoes.

"You look REAL stylish!" Ann giggled

Makoto humbly shrugged as she took a sip of her drink.

"So, what does everyone want?" Shiho asked as she looked through the menus as she wore a white dress similar to Ann's but covered more of her chest and with a slightly longer skirt, it was clearly an outfit Ann had bought for her so they matched

"I'm up to try the salmon, that actually sounds quite nice." Ren admitted.

"For the main course, right?" Ann chuckled.

"Yeah, main course." He nodded "Don't want to make the bill too high when I'm not paying."

"Thank you for the concern, Ren." Sadayo responded

"If that's the case, I'm sure the burger here is good." Ryuji smirked, looking at the menu himself. One after another the group chose their meals and began to talk while they waited.

"There is something I need to tell you all." Sadayo commented as they waited for their food

"What is it?" Makoto asked in concern as they were being told.

"While I am part of your team, and will help where and how I can." The teacher explained softly "I am an adult and I am very busy. So I will be unable to join you in EVERY operation. Especially with my job. I may be free on odd days to join you in that... Momentos place you mentioned, but I can not guarantee. I won't be at every team meeting, nor every mission. But I will help when I can."

...

"Oh, like FeatherBreak!" Futaba nodded as she wore a cute black and green dress with a matching cardigan... And a long scarf she had somewhat scrunched up to block her head from view by anyone but those at the table

"Yes, exactly." Sadayo smiled.

"Y-You watch Neo Featherman?" Shiho asked.

"... Doesn't everyone?" She responded.

"I don't." Makoto commented "What is this FeatherBreak?"

"FeatherBreak is known as an 'Extra Hero' in the franchise. A helper who shows up every now and again but not part of the 'main team'." Futaba explained simply

"Oh, I see." Makoto caught on. While the others where looking at Sadayo in shock, seeing her in a slightly different light

"That's fine, you've got responsibilities we don't." Ren responded "Any help is appreciated but don't push yourself."

"Thank you. I just hope I don't fall behind." She admitted.

"With the rate we're going? You'll catch up in no time." Ryuji reassured with a thumbs up

"Thank you for the reassurance, Sakamo-Ryuji." She responded.


*Time Skip*

The group had a great time at the restaurant with most of them going back home. Ren was walking Futaba home, his arm around his shorter girlfriend "Want to go out tomorrow?" He asked suddenly

"Wh-what?" Futaba blushed as she heard that. "Y-you're joking right?"

"No, of course not." He answered. "As a celebration I'm planning on taking all of you out."

"Even after tonight?" Futaba asked.

"Even after tonight." He nodded.

pat
pat

"... Please don't lose these abs."

"I don't plan to." He chuckled. "I never said a dinner date either."

"Huh?" Futaba blinked as she heard that. "What do you have in store then?"

"It's a surprise." Ren answered as he kissed her head

"Ooh~! Can't wait! I better head home. Night." She answered.

"Night." He laughed. Ren headed inside the cafe and flipped the sign to 'Closed' and turned the lights off. "Morgana, I'm-" He spoke before seeing him sleeping on the bed. "Awe~."

...

"I've got no idea what I'm gonna do tomorrow." Ren laughed quietly to himself as he sat down. He had come up with the date idea on the walk back home... What should he do?

He wasn't sure.

Texting Ann, Shiho, Makoto, Tae and Kawakami about the date tomorrow he wasn't sure. He certainly didn't want to go shopping again..

'Jeez, it's not easy having multiple girlfriends.' He thought.

"That it is, my Trickster." Lavenza said from behind him

"Lavenza!" Ren jerked upwards as he heard her.

"Don't be too surprised." She chuckled. "I saw what you've been doing."

"St-Still." he mumbled and chuckled, smiling "What are you doing here?" he asked softly

"I wanted to come and visit. And tell you something." She answered.

"Which is?" He inquired as he sat next to her on the couch in his room

"Well, somewhere you might be able to visit on your date. While also informing you about your predecessor." She answered.

"Do tell." he smiled, rubbing her hand... and feeling guilty about it

"You can possibly go to the shrine. Maybe get your fortunes and spend time there." Lavenza suggested. "There's also the beach, you could go there."

"Yeah." He nodded softly

"As for your predecessor, he has gotten word about what you've done... I might've mentioned you to my sister and she told him." Lavenza admitted.

"That sounds... fun." Ren paled

"Indeed... She said he'd 'turn up' in a while. But I don't know when that'll do."

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Against a man who fought against the creator goddess of Japan?" Lavenza winced as she realized what she said. "It's not good."

...

...

...

"Oh my god, what did you say?!" Ren yelled in shock

"My Trickster!" Lavenza gasped at his outburst

"NYAAA! What's happening?" Morgana woke up in a panic. "Who's attacking?!"

"Sorry Morgana." Ren flinched

"Ha. Ha...ha...? Hey, it's you. Lavenza." Morgana panted as he looked at the Velvet Room attendant. "What's the problem?"

"Good evening Morgana." Lavenza nodded "It's nothing you have to worry about. I'm just talking with Ren." Lavenza hid the truth to not worry the cat member of the Phantom Thieves.

...

"I'm sorry." Ren sighed

"It's no problem, Ren. It's okay." Morgana yawned and lowered his head.

"Not to you, buddy." Ren sighed

"Ren?" Lavenza asked as she heard his apology.

"Lavenza. We... I need to talk to you. About all this. And... Apologies."

Lavenza went silent, worried about what was going to happen. Was... he going to leave her?

"I'm sorry... For this whole relationship thing. For not being able to tell the other girls about you. Not seeing you as much. Not being able to take you on dates. Treating you almost like a secret I am ashamed of talking about." Ren explained

Lavenza let out a sigh of relief as she heard that. Her eyes welled as she saw Ren being a gentleman and apologising for his actions or inactions with her. She let out a small smile and choked some tears back, wiping her eyes. "Thank you."

"Huh?" He blinked

"I understand why. And I don't blame you." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank goodness." He sighed in relief.

"Maybe, in the near future, I can meet your other girlfriends." Lavenza smiled.

"I...Yeah, yeah I think that'd be good." Ren nodded. "Maybe tomorrow? I'm going to contact them all."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Morgana asked

"It's just a thought." Ren admitted.

Lavenza chuckled gently. "Tomorrow might be too soon." And stroked his cheek.

"I don't want to lie to the others." he admitted "I don't want to feel like you are something 'other' or not important."

"I understand." she responded "However. With the... other watching, it is not wise for me to be out much. Let alone interacting with others. If I can find a suitable disguise, we may see what happens. Both with me seeing others, and our future."

"But at the same time. This won't last, will it?" he chuckled weakly "Just... well... when this is all over you're going to leave again."

"Perhaps we will. So let's make each time we have together special." She hugged him.

"Yeah." Ren nodded and sighed, kissing her

'Awe~, that's sweet.' Morgana thought before yawning again and flopped onto the bed again, snuggling next to Ren.


*the next day*

"H-hmm~." Ren stretched, already in his clothes and ready to meet up with his girlfriends.

"You're still tired?" Morgana teased, poking his face with his fluffy paw.

"Huh?" he stuttered a bit

"You're meeting the girls, right? You don't want to fall asleep." Morgana responded.

"I know, I know. It just lingers." Ren answered. "You sure you want to come?"

"I've been left out the last couple of things. I'm coming along." Morgana answered.

"Fine, fine." he laughed, opening his bag

Morgana leapt into the bag and settled in, making his soft bedding and readied himself for this date. "Ooh~; is this new lining?" Morgana teased.

"No, it's not. And try not to tear it up." Ren answered.

"I! Am! Offended!" Morgana huffed... and laughed

"Hey!" Futaba cheered as she waited outside, having thrown a small stone at the window. "You awake, Ren?"

...

"Did... Did you throw a stone at my window?" Ren asked as he opened his bedroom window "How would Sojiro have felt if you broke it?"

...

"Please don't tell." She whimpered as she heard that making Ren laugh

"On my way down." He said, ignoring her statement, and closing the window

He saw Sojiro currently busy behind the coffee bar as the sounds of water boiling and coffee blending muffled the conversation from upstairs. "Headed out, kid ?" He asked as he was grinding some coffee beans, a customer sat at the counter

"Yeah." He nodded with a grin

"Try not to cause too much trouble." Sojiro remarked.

"Promise." He answered.

"I've heard THAT before." the older man commented as he looked over the edge of his glasses

"Eh-err... haha." Ren chuckled nervously and walked out of the cafe as he met up with Futaba. An urge filling him, a fear. A dred surging into his very core...

"You won't tell him, right?" Futaba asked

Ren chuckled and kissed her forehead, before heading off to the train station

"Ren? Hello? Boyfriend? You won't tell him, right? Right?!" She called, chasing after him

Ren had to be one step ahead, he had to get some distance between him and LeBlanc right now.

"Ren?" Futaba almost shouted in his ear.

"No, I won't tell him." He shook his head as he finally stopped teasing her, kissing her forehead

"Did Sojiro give you the 'dad look'?" She asked.

"... Small one." He nodded.

Futaba gave her little snicker, smirking at him

Ren sighed with a roll of his eyes and took her hand to make sure they weren't separated again. "Let's go." he grinned


*Time skip*

Ren and Futaba waited in the shopping district, there was a little time for them to have before they met up with the others. "So?" Ren asked "Got anything you want to do?"

"Hmm... I'd like to go see if I can get any new processors for my computer. Ooh! Maybe a new screen?" She thought.

"Didn't you get a new one last week?" Ren thought with a sweat drop

...

"Err... Maybe some Neo-Featherman stuff then!" She realised and responded making her boyfriend smile at her gently

"I think we can do that."

"Hey!" Voices called out as they approached them.

"Hey, guys!" Futaba turned around and waved at the other girlfriends.

"Hi girls " Ren smiled

"Weren't waiting long?" Shiho asked.

"Shouldn't that be the guy's line?" Futaba joked.

"We weren't waiting that long." Ren rubbed her head.

"So, where are we headed?" Makoto asked.

"Well, that's what we were just talking about." Ren answered.

"Ooh, wait! There's that new movie that's out!" Futaba looked on her phone.

"A new movie?" Ren asked

"Yeah, there's this great anime on and it's gotten a theatrical release and-"

"Okay, okay. Before we spend it all at once, how about we go for a snack or something?" Ann suggested.

...

"That actually sounds nice." Makoto admitted.

"Agreed." Kawakami nodded

"Then let's go get snacks." Ren answered.

"I call 'Summer Cream Parfait'!" Ann cheered.

"Ann..." Shiho sighed

...

"What's a 'Summer Cream Parfait'?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, it's this really good parfait at this one store." Ann began to explain the details of the sweet.

Ren chuckled and shook his head. This was certainly going to be one eventful day.


*Time Skip*

"That was an amazing movie." Kawakami smiled "I didn't expect it would be so romantic."

Ann and Shiho were sniffing together, still teared up by the ending. "Th-that was so. So good!"

Ren chuckled at his happy girls... Well 'happy' being a technical term

"I'd... say that was enjoyable, for what it was worth." Makoto coughed politely, trying to keep her red eyes and flushed cheeks hidden.

...

"You okay, Tae?" Ren asked, noticing the doctor's lowered head

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She answered. "Just a lot of patients recently. That's all."

"You sure?" Ren frowned

Tae brushed her hair back behind her ear and was silent, she didn't want to say anything. "Yes. Just... difficult patients."

"Okay." Ren sighed "You do know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know. You're too good for me." Tae answered as she looked away with a small sigh and a frown

'Something's wrong.' He thought to himself.

"Phew... Sorry about that." Futaba apologised as she walked out of the cinema's toilet, drying her hands.

"It's fine." Ren assured with a chuckle

"So, where are we going next?" She asked.

...

...

...

"Shoot." Ren mumbled as Morgana snickered "You've been quiet. Where have you been?" Ren turned to the cat, looking into his bag

"In your bag, where else?" Morgana responded as he smirked up at him

"Don't get smart with me, Morgana." He deadpanned. "... I'm worried about Tae." He fell behind the girls, so they couldn't hear him

"You noticed it too. I'd be concerned if you didn't." Morgana whispered. "Call it 'feline intuition' but she's struggling at her clinic."

"Because of that doctor from a while ago." He sighed

"Exactly. He might be cracking down on her." Morgana agreed.

"I swear. This didn't HAPPEN last time!" Ren hissed quietly

"And I believe you. But you've been changing things and acting different than last time." Morgana whispered.

...

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed

"Ren, we've got to help her. She's your girlfriend and close to us. We can't leave her like this." Morgana added.

"I know, I know." He sighed deeply

"Ren?" Shiho asked as she slowly walked next to him.

"Oh, Shiho. What's up?" He asked.

"You where just hanging back talking to Morgana. You okay?" she asked

"Just talking about certain things." Ren answered. "Kind of a private-"

"Ren. It's us. Whatever's on your mind, you can tell us." Shiho stopped him as she hugged his arm

"... It might be a PT thing. Want to get more info before I bring it up." he whispered honestly, while guilt shot through him.

"Okay, I get it. But we'll figure something out." She whispered, almost kissing his cheek to reassure him.

"Thanks." Ren smiled as they walked off towards the other girls.

God, his world seemed perfect.


CONFIDANT RECAP:

Fool: Rank 10

Magician: Rank 10

Lovers: Rank 10

Chariot: Rank 10

Sun: Rank 10

Lust: Rank 9

Strength: Rank 8

Hierophant: Rank 7

Death: Rank 7

Temperance: Rank 6

Hanged-Man: Rank 6

Devil: Rank 6

World: Rank 5

Emperor: Rank 5

Fortune: Rank 5

High Priestess: Rank 4

Empress: Rank 4

Star: Rank 4

Moon: Rank 3

Hermit: Rank 3

Tower: Rank 3