Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of both Persona 5 Royal AND Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assualt, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

5. Even More Intros! Phantoms Awaken part 5

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, bringing you another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Hard to believe we're already at chapter 5, but we are! And just think, we're not even past the first Palace yet! If this is the pace that all Palaces go at, it's not out of the realm of possibility that this story's total chapter count could be double that of Hacker's Memory- The Amasawa Files. Crazy, right? I thought so too. Back on the subject of Persona 5, since I forgot to do it last chapter, let's briefly go over a few specs for Kusa's Persona that he awakened to last chapter before I forget again.

Persona Name: Smaug

Arcana: World

Persona stats: STR-15 EN-14 MA-15 AG-12 LU-12

Persona abilities: Megido (Almighty), Headbutt (Physical), Triple Down (Gun), Rakukaja (Support), Taunt (Status)

Persona level: 4

And that should about do it for Smaug's stats! If I got any of the skill names wrong feel free to correct me on it in the reviews or by PM, I appreciate the feedback and reader input either way. That being said, disclaimer time!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way shape or form (with the exception of the OC Kusa which he DOES own since he made him), and all credit for said ownership belongs to Atlus, Sega and possibly Koei Tecmo (since I vaguely recall they might have slight ownership of Strikers, or at least involvement in making it, though I could be wrong on that.)

That being said and done, on with chapter 5! And hopefully I'll have at least a decent-length A/N after the chapter!

Chapter 5- Hard Times at Shujin Academy! Morgana Goes to School! Phantoms Awaken part 5

(Leblanc, in the attic with Kusa and Ren, neutral POV)

"Well, today was pretty crazy, don't you think Ren? I mean, between all that craziness with Ryuji and Morgana-sensei, plus how close we all came to dying at Kamoshida's hand, I'm not surprised that we're all, possibly excluding you, at least somewhat drained. So I suppose we should get to bed, if for no other reason than so we can be up early and at school on time." Kusa said to Ren who nodded before also speaking up.

"True, but both you AND Ryuji awoke to your powers today, whereas I already had done that so it makes sense I'm not as wiped as you two. But yeah, let's hit the hay bro." Ren said as he and Kusa laid on their bed/sofa and got comfortable.

"Night, Kusa." Ren said to Kusa who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Night, Ren. Sleep well." Kusa said, and the two laid down and fell asleep, or at least Kusa did. Ren was about to nod off when his phone went off, which made him blink and grab it, frowning as he saw Ryuji had messaged in the group chat, though Ren smirked at how quickly Kusa could nod off plus how deep of a sleeper he could be since he didn't even flinch from his phone going off by his head, sleeping through the whole thing. Ren then read the message Ryuji had sent.

"That thingy on your phone was some red eyeball icon, right?" Ryuji sent. Ren frowned at this, almost sending a 'The what?' but refraining and simply sending a 'That's correct. Apologies if Kusa doesn't say much, he's already crashed out for the night and when he crashes out, he crashes hard. He literally once slept through the people next door having a jam session while he was having a nap, he sleeps that deeply,' instead. After a bit, Ryuji replied, his message clearly one of surprise.

"For real!? I didn't think anyone was THAT deep of a sleeper. That's crazy. But you can fill him in when he gets up or he can read the chat if you tell him to do so. Anyways, we ended up at that weird place when we used this nav app, right? I found it on my phone too...I don't even remember installing it!" Ryuji said as Ren blinked. Ryuji had it on HIS phone too now? Between him, Kusa and Ryuji, everyone had it now other than Morgana, but if Ren recalled correctly, the cat-like being said he had no need for a phone. After a bit, he sent a response after pondering said response carefully.

"That's kinda creepy to be honest. That happened with my phone too, and it kept coming back even after I deleted it multiple times. So I don't think it'd be worth trying to delete it if it's just gonna come back anyways." Ren sent while frowning as he waited for Ryuji to reply, which he did pretty well instantly.

"For real. What is this thing? Think it's being downloaded on its own somehow? It's dangerous to use something without knowing what it is...But with it, we can go to that weird place, right?" Ryuji sent, making Ren frown as he pondered Ryuji's response carefully before deciding it made sense and sending a response of his own.

"Seems like it to me. Though I would wager Kusa would have a different opinion were he awake to chime in. Probably he'd say something to the effect of while that is true, we wouldn't want to go there on our own in case we get jumped by shadows or a pissed off Morgana, which out of those I'm not sure which would be worse to run across." Ren sent, smirking as he finished typing his response as he was fairly certain he'd nailed what Kusa would say. Ryuji replied a couple minutes later.

"Basically, it's gonna depend on how we use it. But first we gotta find evidence for the beatings. I'm counting on you and Kusa, all right? Don't either of you go ditching school on me." Ryuji sent as Ren rolled his eyes even as he chuckled at Ryuji's response, sending one more response of his own.

"I get it. But neither of us are gonna be much good to anyone if we spend too long texting like this. Perhaps we should call it here so we can be up in time to get that evidence tomorrow?" Ren sent as Ryuji sent a very brief response back not long after.

"Right, gotcha. Night, Ren. Hopefully you and Kusa sleep well." Ryuji said before the chat ended and Ren set his phone down once more as he tried to doze off, immediately managing to do so...

(In Ren's dreams, at the Velvet Room, neutral POV)

Ren sat up in the now-familiar cot hewas given in my cell in the Velvet Room, approaching the cells where as usual, Justine and Caroline were standing guard at attention as Igor spoke up, making Ren give him his attention as he spoke up.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you. What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?" Igor asked Ren who blinked before replying after a moment, briefly allowing himself a mental chuckle at the idea of telling Igor not to be stupid, but instead looking at Igor and speaking up.

"Yeah, I'm getting reasonably acclimated to the Velvet Room. Granted, this is now only the third, maybe fourth, time I've been summoned here so you'll forgive me if I'm not 100% used to it yet, though I am starting to get accustomed to it, yes." Ren replied after a moment's pause to ponder his words carefully. Igor nodded approvingly as he spoke up once more, a chuckle in his voice as he spoke.

"Indeed, that is more than fair. Ah, but that said, I'm glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel." Igor said before getting serious as he kept speaking.

"The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin. However, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today, you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, did you not?" Igor asked Ren who blinked at this but then had a realization and spoke up.

"A partnership...are you referring to the friendship I struck up with Ryuji by chance?" Ren asked Igor. Igor nodded as he spoke up.

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You have done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well." Igor said as Justine chose that moment to speak up for one of the few times she'd done so that Ren could recall, drawing his attention to her as she spoke.

"Personas are strength of the heart...The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain." Justine said as Caroline then spoke up.

"There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you doesn't. You better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power." Caroline said dryly to Ren who just nodded, not feeling like exchanging snark with Caroline. Igor then spoke up at that point.

"Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambitions will not come to fruition." Igor said before chuckling as he kept speaking.

"We have a deal then." Igor said, and Ren got the impression that Igor had high expectations of him, prompting the by-now familiar voice to speak up in Ren's head.

"I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that shall breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard as like with Ryuji, a tarot card appeared in his minds eye, this one with the word 'Fool' on it, showing it was at Rank 1. Ren also saw he'd gained a skill called 'Wild Talk', which apparently allows for negotiating with Shadows after the performing of a Hold Up in battle. He also saw he got an ability called Arcana Burst, but Ren just filed that away for later. Igor saw the uncertain look on Ren's face and kept speaking up.

"Well, you will understand it all in due time... Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation." Igor said as Caroline chose that moment to rudely cut in on the conversation.

"Now, this conversation's over! Get lost, Inmate!" Caroline said as Ren went back and laid on his cot to fall asleep...

(The next day, on the way to school with Ren and Kusa, neutral POV)

"How annoying-we've barely started high school, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally? And why're they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us." Ren and Kusa heard a first-year complaining to his friend, making the latter of the two roll his eyes as he recognized the kid as one of the ones who'd been asking about Ren his first day in class, only to be ignored by Kusa. The first-year's friend was far more optimistic and positive as he spoke up.

"We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!" The optimistic first-year said as Kusa rolled his eyes, remembering this guy as another person who was only interested in being Kusa's friend to learn more about Ren's record, which Kusa refused to speak about out of respect for Ren. The other first-year shrugged.

"Yeah, okay. You're gonna get your face smashed in. Just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?" The dissatisfied-sounding first year said to the optimistic first-year, both oblivious to Kusa listening to their conversation with a bored, uninterested look in his eyes even as he filed it away for reference. Ren, however, was too busy noticing Takamaki and another girl walking fairly close behind them to pay attention to the conversation in front of him, making Kusa just shake his head at how easily Ren let himself be distracted by girls as he huffed.

While Kusa understands that girls are both impressive and very intriguing for boys, especially ones at the ages he and Ren were at, he also knew there wasn't much of any reason to go all-in on them just yet. But that might be the old-fashioned patient man in him speaking, also. At that point, the two kept walking on towards school, eventually splitting up to attend their classes...

(In Ren's class with Ren, neutral POV)

"Okay, quiet down and listen up, everyone. As you all know, today is the volleyball rally. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed. Got it?" Kawakami addressed the class...

(At the gymnasium with Kusa and Ren, neutral POV)

As Kusa, Ren and Ryuji (Who all somehow managed to be able to sit together, despite the former being a first-year) sat and watched, the volleyball team got spiked over and over, with one of the members taking a spike to the face as the teachers took turns high-fiving Kamoshida for the good form he'd shown.

"Heh heh, yeah you still got it Coach!" One of the teachers complimented Kamoshida who nodded.

"Heh, thanks. Let's go for one more!" Kamoshida said as the match resumed. Ren blinked as he recognized a blue-haired male in the team from his class but said nothing. Ryuji though, spoke up.

"It's still pretty boring and it sticks out pretty well. Am I right?" Ryuji quietly asked Ren and Kusa, the former of which just chuckled and nodded while the latter nodded as he observed the rally, figuring there wasn't much else to do. Ren, however, was distracted when he looked over and noticed Takamaki sitting kind of by herself, an uninterested look on her face as if she wasn't even wanting to be there, making him frown in confusion as to why she was there if she didn't like volleyball, before recalling that the rally was probably mandatory for all students, otherwise Ryuji probably would've had him and Kusa out looking for evidence already.

However, at that moment, both Ren and Ryuji blinked at the sudden increase in loudness of the crowd and looked over in time to see Kamoshida go for one of his spikes, which flew fast and true, smacking square into the face of the blue-haired male from Ren's class, knocking him to the floor as Kamoshida ran to the male's side.

"Oh, sorry about that! Hey, are you okay!?" Kamoshida asked the male, and when he didn't reply, Kamoshida turned to some nearby team members.

"Someone take him to the nurse's office." Kamoshida said, trying to sound like the concerned teacher, though Ryuji just huffed and spoke up to Ren and Kusa.

"Ugh, he'll pay soon enough." Ryuji said to Ren and Kusa who nodded as Kamoshida spoke up.

"All right, let's resume this match!" Kamoshida said as the rally resumed...

(After the rally, with Ren, Kusa and Ryuji, unknown part of Shujin, neutral POV)

"Ugh, that asshole's actin' like a king over here too...Get to know each other better, my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego." Ryuji said in a frustrated tone to which both Kusa and Ren nodded their agreement as Ryuji kept speaking.

"Oh, oh, and how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag!" Ryuji said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Is Mishima the blue-haired guy who got the soccer ball to the face earlier?" Ren asked Ryuji, not having put a name to the blue-haired guy's face just yet. Ryuji nodded.

"Huh, well anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday." Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren nodded. Ryuji then kept speaking.

"Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find SOMEONE to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole." Ryuji said angrily as Ren and Kusa frowned and exchanged skeptical looks before both spoke up.

"I don't remember their faces that well, to be honest." Ren said as Kusa rolled his eyes.

"That's because that was Ryuji's job to memorize the faces. That said, so where exactly are you searching, Ryuji? You know, so we can better coordinate our efforts for optimum efficiency and maximum odds of success and all that." Kusa said to Ryuji after chastising Ren. Ryuji nodded to Kusa's remark and spoke up.

"What Kusa said. You were too busy keeping our asses safe with the cat. That said, the first one that popped out was a guy from Class D, so let's start there." Ryuji said before turning and looking at Ren as he kept speaking, ignoring the glare Kusa shot him for calling Morgana 'the cat' as he spoke.

"That's your class, Ren. Hopefully, you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately, so...Oh, but you're kinda in the same boat, huh?" Ryuji asked Ren as Kusa snorted and spoke up.

"No shit he's in the same boat, Ryuji. Didn't you yourself say that everyone's got him pegged for a criminal already thanks to Kamoshida? Still, he's likelier to succeed than I am, being as how I'm only a first year and all, plus none of the volleyball team is in my class if I recall correctly. I think that one red-headed girl that Ren was mooning over IS in my class, but let's stay focused on evidence hunting for now." Kusa said, seeing Ryuji chuckle at the mention of Ren mooning over a girl while Ren glared at Kusa for bringing up the red-headed girl yet again. Ryuji just shrugged.

"As much as I'm curious to hear the story behind Ren mooning over a girl, this is more important. Ren and I have our classrooms on the second floor, while if I recall rightly, your classroom is on I think the first floor?" Ryuji said to Kusa and Ren, the latter of which nodded while the former shrugged, not recalling which floor his classroom was on. The trio then split up, Ren and Ryuji heading to Ren's classroom while Kusa decided to do some discreet fact-finding of his own within his own class, for all the good it would do...

(Over with Ren and Ryuji, in classroom 2-D, neutral POV)

Ren and Ryuji approached the volleyball player in the room, which was easy to do when he stuck out like a sore thumb with all the bandages wrapped around his head and over his eyes for some reason. That didn't stop him from hearing the two walk up, thus letting him speak to them.

"What? Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from YOU, transfer." The player said in a snide sort of tone, making Ren glad Kusa wasn't there, or he might've had to restrain Kusa from socking the player in the stomach on principle for his tone. Ryuji then spoke up while Ren was distracted, though Ren facefaulted at what Ryuji ended up saying to him about the injured-looking volleyball player.

"Hey, that's the guy who was over at that castle." Ryuji said to Ren who nodded as the volleyball player turned to look at Ryuji in surprise.

"You too, Sakamoto!? Wh-What do you guys want?" The volleyball player asked as Ren smiled before speaking up.

"Relax, we have no ill intent towards you. We merely were curious as to how you came by those injuries." Ren said as the volleyball player blinked before answering, his tone very much defensive as he responded.

"It's from practice! What does that have to do with anything?" The player asked as Ryuji then spoke up.

"Kamoshida did it to you, right? Look, I ain't gonna tell anyone you squealed. Just tell us about how Kamoshida's abusin' you." Ryuji said as the flustered volleyball player nervously looked around before speaking up, his tone one of denial as he spoke up.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" The volleyball player said as Ren frowned before speaking up.

"I could be wrong, and correct me if I am Ryuji, but doesn't it sound like this guy's a coward?" Ren asked rhetorically, getting a confirming nod from Ryuji as the volleyball player frowned and spoke up in an annoyed sounding voice.

"I'm not! You guys are talking complete nonsense!" The volleyball player said, still trying to deny what Ren and Ryuji were saying. Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Don't try n' hide it! We already know!" Ryuji said, ignoring the surprised look Ren gave him at this remark as the volleyball player spoke up, also surprised.

"You... You know? You have proof?" The volleyball player said as Ryuji sputtered a bit, especially after Ren subtly nudged him to stop him from mentioning the castle at all.

"Well, uh... I..." Ryuji said before trailing off as the volleyball player spoke up, sounding annoyed with Ren and Ryuji as he spoke up.

"This is ridiculous. Please, leave me alone. You're really bothering me!" The volleyball player said as Ryuji sighed and turned to Ren.

"All right, that's enough. C'mon, let's go." Ryuji said and Ren nodded. Once outside the classroom, Ryuji huffed as he spoke up.

"That injury ain't normal! And he STILL won't fess up...Aw crap. If we keep going at this pace, the ball game's gonna end..." Ryuji said as he trailed off, looking at Ren uncertainly, making Ren stroke his chin in thought for a moment before speaking up.

"Indeed. Since it seems like we're not having much luck working together, maybe we should try to split up and attack this separately? Unless you'd rather just leave it to me?" Ren said. Ryuji smiled before nodding as he spoke up.

"Yeah, you're probably right Ren. Guess that'd be faster." Ryuji said before smiling as he spoke up again, already having another idea.

"I'll check the Practice Building for people before clubs start. You handle the Classroom Building. There's a third-year on the volleyball team that I remember. I think he's in... 3-C? He was gettin' beat pretty badly at the castle. He might have some injuries here too...Anyways, I'll hit you up if I find anything. Seeya!" Ryuji said to Ren who nodded as the two split up to handle the evidence separately. After a bit of navigating, Ren figured out that the third years were on the first floor, the second-years on the second floor, and the first years on the third floor, which meant Kusa's classroom would in fact be on the third floor rather than the first.

Eventually, Ren found classroom 3-C, by which he found the volleyball player, but much like the last one Ren and Ryuji had spoken to, Ren was brushed off and told not to believe anything Ryuji (or Sakamoto as the angry player called him) says, making Ren frown and point out that what Kamoshida was doing was at least corporal punishment, prompting the player to tell Ren not to 'talk like you know', and making his friend to glare as he suggested the two not be talking to Ren, in case he 'loses it and starts attacking us', to quote what the glaring third-year said. The glaring third year then spoke up more to the other third year.

"I heard he even carries a knife around. Who knows what he's capable of." The glaring third-year said as Ren walked off in annoyance rather than calling 'bullshit' on what was said. As he got out of earshot of the third-years, his phone went off to signal a message in the group chat.

"How's it going?" Ryuji sent to the group chat, which was seen by both Kusa and Ren. Ren sighed before sending back a blunt but brief 'He refused.' to Ryuji while Kusa then sent a message of his own.

"I tried doing some discreet digging of my own too, but no luck. All I was able to gather was that everyone is afraid of Kamoshida, possibly so much so no one will speak against him. Though the red-headed girl I share a desk with, and YES Ren, THAT red-headed girl! said that Kamoshida often pays a lot of extra attention to the female volleyball players, often giving them what she called 'special lessons' which doesn't sit right with me. Could Kamoshida be a creeper on top of being an abusive shitbag?" Kusa sent, as Ren frowned on reading that, while Ryuji had to keep from laughing when he read the response, especially the 'abusive shitbag' bit Kusa had sent at the end of the response. Ryuji then replied to both Ren and Kusa in one response.

"I can easily imagine that, unfortunately. But good job getting at least THAT much, Kusa. That's more than either Ren or I managed. Also, Ren, him too...? Man, everyone's too freaked out about Kamoshida. And Kusa, feel free to shoot me the deets on that girl if you want later since you got me curious about it now." Ryuji sent as Ren frowned and responded quickly before Kusa had a chance to do so.

"Don't EVEN think about it, Kusa! Or else you know what paybacks are...Don't think I didn't see you checking out that girl who was walking with Takamaki this morning." Ren sent, making Kusa sputter at the message that Ren had sent before sending one back of his own.

"Wh-What!? I wasn't checking Suzui out! I was just noticing who Takamaki was walking with. Besides, she's older than I am. No way would that even go anywhere even if I did find her cute, which to be fair she's not bad on the eyes. But I don't usually go for older girls as a rule of thumb. But back on topic, no luck then Ryuji?" Kusa sent as Ryuji chuckled before sending a response of his own back.

"First of all, that's not a crime if you do find Suzui cute. Most guys in the school do, and even some of the girls from what I've heard. But staying on topic, I still got a lead. A first-year, new member. He just joined, so he might not be all wrapped up in Kamoshida's web of bullshit yet. Go ask around with the first-years, Ren and Kusa! See if you two can find him! And on that note, bye for now!" Ryuji sent as he logged off the chat leaving Ren and Kusa to talk. Ren then sent a message to Kusa.

"Your classrooms are on the third floor, as I recall, so let's meet there to find this first-year Ryuji was referring to, yeah?" Ren sent as Kusa sent a message of his own.

"Got it, and maybe with any luck this lead will pan out! See you in a bit, Ren!" Kusa sent before leaving the chat on seen as he put his phone away, Ren doing the same as he went to meet Kusa...

(On the third floor with Ren and Kusa, neutral POV)

Ren made his way to the third floor, talking to a couple of females who were standing by the stairs, only to find out they weren't on the volleyball team at all to his disappointment. After they politely excused themselves out of 'not wanting to talk to that scary guy', Ren shook his head as Kusa caught up to him.

"Striking out again, eh Ren?" Kusa said with a laugh as Ren rolled his eyes before turning to face Kusa as he spoke up.

"Very funny, Kusa. Very funny. And no, just making the fool's mistake of talking to non-volleyball players. At least these girls were nice enough about rejecting me I guess." Ren said as Kusa actually laughed at this, shaking his head as he spoke up.

"Ren, you don't get it, do you? Your record has everyone on edge around you. Of course no one's gonna want to talk to you. Oh well, let's go find that player and see if I can't have better results than you." Kusa said with a shrug. They then found the volleyball player, after which Kusa put a hand on Ren's shoulder and spoke up.

"Let me handle the talking here for the most part, yeah?" Kusa said to Ren who nodded. Kusa then walked over to the volleyball player.

"Hey there, sorry to walk up on you like this out of nowhere, but are you on the volleyball team, by any chance?" Kusa asked the volleyball player who blinked but nodded.

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm on the volleyball team. Whaddaya want?" The volleyball player asked Ren and Kusa.

"We need information." Ren said to the volleyball player after Kusa nodded to subtly suggest he speak up.

"We have reason to believe Kamoshida might be being a bit rough on the volleyball team and it could be bordering on abusive behavior. Of course, I don't want to believe that, but I figured it can't hurt to get all the facts before making an informed decision. Any chance you know anything about that?" Kusa asked the volleyball player who frowned.

"And what's THAT supposed to mean, Amamiya? Look, don't wrap me up in whatever weird stuff you and your delinquent older brother're getting yourselves into. Besides, Mister Kamoshida doesn't want us talking to sketchy people like your brother. He's even uncertain on if we should be associating with YOU because you're related to him, Amamiya-kun. If he saw me here with your brother and you, he'd totally give me his 'special coaching', just like he did with Mishima-senpai...O-Oh, uh... Never mind! Forget I said anything!" The volleyball player said as Kusa and Ren exchanged shocked looks at hearing this before Ren spoke up.

"Special coaching?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up at that point, trying a more tactful approach.

"Since when would someone like Mister Kamoshida need to give out special coaching? Doesn't he only accept the best of the best on the volleyball team or something like that?" Kusa asked the volleyball player who frowned as he spoke up once more.

"Yeah, something like that. But, p-please... just stop talking to me, the both of you...And Amamiya, you should really stop hanging with scum like Sakamoto and your brother. It's going to sour your reputation as well if you keep associating with them." The volleyball player said as Kusa frowned at the player and huffed while speaking up.

"First of all, DO NOT presume to tell me who to associate with. That said, isn't it my business who I choose to hang out with? But I apologize for upsetting you." Kusa said as the volleyball player nodded.

"Apology accepted. And I apologize for my tone, I was just trying to give some friendly advice since you seem to have potential still. That being said, you'll have to ask someone else if you wanna know anything more..." The player said, walking off as the intercom blared to life after he left.

"Attention, attention. All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today..." Ren and Kusa heard over the intercom as their phones went off to signify a message from Ryuji.

"Dammit, we're outta time. How'd it go?" Ryuji sent to the chat making Ren and Kusa exchange frowns before both sending responses.

"Take a wild guess, Ryuji." Ren sent at the same time that Kusa sent his response.

"Unfortunately, no go, even with me trying to talk to the first-year. Though he DID let slip an interesting tidbit about Mishima and 'special coaching' that could be pertinent." Kusa sent. Ryuji frowned as he read the responses before sending one of his own.

"So you didn't have any luck either, Ren...Also, we'll file what you found away for now, Kusa. Mkay, let's regroup for now. See you in the courtyard?" Ryuji sent as both Ren and Kusa sent the same response.

"Got it. See ya there!" Both Ren and Kusa sent as they headed to the courtyard to wait for Ryuji...

(At the courtyard with Ren and Kusa, neutral POV)

Ren and Kusa were relaxing in the courtyard waiting for Ryuji when Ren heard his name being called, making him and Kusa turn and blink as they saw Takamaki walk up.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Takamaki asked Ren. Ren just nodded before speaking up.

"Certainly, what is it?" Ren said after a moment, Kusa giving an approving nod at how politely Ren had worded his reply. Takamaki nodded, looking at Ren as she spoke.

"It'll be quick. Anyways, what's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all." Takamaki said to Ren, ignoring the wide-eyed look of shock on Kusa's face at her words, making Kusa wonder if she'd been spying on them to know that Ren's excuse was a lie. Takamaki ignored the shock on Kusa's face as she kept speaking.

"There's also that weird rumor about you too." Takamaki said as Kusa blinked on seeing Ryuji approach from behind Takamaki, speaking up once he'd caught up to the group.

"Whaddaya want with him?" Ryuji said as he walked up. Takamaki frowned as she turned to face Ryuji before answering him.

"Right back at you. You're not even in our class." Takamaki said dryly. Ryuji shrugged before speaking up once more.

"We just happened to get to know each other." Ryuji said, as Kusa quietly chuckled at how big of an understatement that was. Takamaki frowned as she spoke up once more.

"What're you planning on doing to Mister Kamoshida?" Takamaki asked Ren and Kusa, making Ryuji gape at the question as he spoke up.

"Huh!? ...I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all." Ryuji said as Kusa chose that moment to speak up.

"I think it's moreso her friend Suzui who's the buddy-buddy one with Kamoshida. Takamaki here just does what she has to for her friend's sake, or at least that's what I'd guess from what some of the people in my class have been saying about them both. I personally put no stock into gossip, but when it pertains to someone we're seeking evidence on, well let's just say sometimes you can't ignore anything that sounds like evidence, no matter how circumstantial and hearsay-like it might seem.

But Takamaki can correct me on that if I'm at all wrong and I'll gladly apologize since I'm just going off of a gut hunch here, no more and no less." Kusa said, making Ren and Takamaki both blink at him, as the latter spoke up in surprise, not expecting Kusa to speak up at all.

"N-no, that's pretty much right, but never mind how perceptive you are for right now, Amamiya-kun." Takamaki said to Kusa before glaring at Ryuji as she kept speaking.

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!" Takamaki said as Ryuji huffed before speaking up.

"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away." Ryuji said bluntly making Takamaki blink at his word choice before speaking up.

"Behind my back...? What's that supposed to mean?" Takamaki asked defensively as Kusa spoke up once more.

"I think what Sakamoto here means is that there's been a lot of unsavory rumors going around about Kamoshida, and not just with the second-years either. Even some first-years have been whispering about how Kamoshida seems to pay special extra attentions to the female players, like your friend Suzui-san.

And to be honest, I hope for her sake and yours those rumors aren't true, since you both seem too nice to have to deal with something that fucked up. Excuse my choice of language around a lady, by the way." Kusa said, huffing as he voiced what his classmates had told him after he did some fact-finding on his own. Ryuji and Takamaki both blinked at Kusa's comments before the former spoke up and cut off any response the latter might have made while looking at the latter as he spoke.

"You wouldn't get it." Ryuji said to Takamaki as Ren then spoke up, surprising not only Ryuji and Kusa, but also Takamaki, with what he said after that.

"I disagree, Ryuji. She seems like a smart girl, so she might be at least able to comprehend it even if she doesn't necessarily choose to believe it, which is her choice on if she does or not." Ren said, making both Kusa and Takamaki blink at how considerate Ren's remark had sounded. Takamaki then shook her head before speaking up once more.

"Eh, whatever you say Sakamoto. And thank you both for your concern Amamiya-kun bros." Takamaki said before she looked at Ren and Ryuji as she kept speaking.

"Anyways, people are already talking about you two. I don't know what you're tring to pull, but no one's going to help you. I'm warning you, just in case. That's all." Takamaki said before looking over at Kusa as she spoke once more.

"As for you Amamiya-kun, thank you for speaking up for me. I didn't think anyone related to your brother could be so kind and considerate, but I'm happy to be wrong on this occasion. But be careful who you associate with, just in case." Takamaki said to Kusa who nodded with Ren and Ryuji as she walked off. Once Takamaki was out of earshot, Ryuji spoke up with a huff, crossing his arms and frowning as he spoke.

"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, both of whom shrugged as they spoke up.

"You know her?" Ren asked Ryuji while Kusa also spoke up with a frown on his face.

"If I had to guess, she's probably worried about what consequences our evidence gathering could have for her and her friend, so she's acting out of concern for her and her friend's well-being, which we can't really be mad at her for. Surely any of us would do the same if it was us in their position, am I right?" Kusa said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Kusa. And to your question Ren, kinda. We just went to the same middle school. Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you? Did anything like someone's name turn up?" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned.

"Are you talking about the leads Ren and I got off that first-year before? If so, then yes. What was that name that that first-year dropped, Ren?" Kusa said as Ren smiled.

"You mean Mishima?" Ren said, recalling the name perfectly. Kusa nodded as he spoke up once more.

"Right, him. Apparently Kamoshida's been giving him 'special coaching' of some sort." Kusa said as Ryuji gasped and spoke up.

"Huh...?" Ryuji said before frowning as he heard what Kusa said and spoke up.

"Special 'coaching,' huh?" Ryuji asked before nodding and speaking up before Ren or Kusa could respond.

"True. I always see the guy covered in bruises. Let's go talk to him before he leaves then." Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren nodded before the trio went off in search of Mishima, eventually finding him by one of the entrances to the school. Ryuji then spoke up to Mishima once the trio had caught up to him.

"Hey, got a second?" Ryuji asked the apparently-named Mishima, who blinked as he saw Ryuji.

"Sakamoto? And you, too...!?" Mishima asked, seeing Ren behind Ryuji, not seeing Kusa at all. Ryuji spoke up in a friendlier tone at that point.

"C'mon, we just wanna chat. Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?" Ryuji said to Mishima who frowned a bit but spoke up anyways.

"Certainly not!" Mishima quickly denied. Ryuji huffed at how politely Mishima had denied what Ryuji said as he spoke up.

"What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways...We saw him spike you today. Right in the face." Ryuji said as Mishima frowned before speaking up.

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport..." Mishima said before Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"If you're not good at it, why go out for it? Why not go out for something you're actually good at so you can enjoy it more?" Kusa asked. Ryuji spoke up before Mishima could reply to Kusa's question, getting a frown from Kusa as he spoke up.

"Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got." Ryuji said as Mishima frowned before speaking up.

"They're from practice! And to your question Amamiya-kun, I was basically ordered to go out for volleyball, so I'm doing what I have to do to survive." Mishima said as Ryuji spoke up with a huff.

"Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?" Ryuji asked Mishima who flinched visibly at the question before speaking up.

"That's..." Mishima said, but before he could say more, Kamoshida himself chose that moment to walk up and cut off whatever Mishima was going to say.

"What's going on here?" Kamoshida said before frowning at Mishima, ignoring the glares Kusa and Ryuji were giving him.

"Mishima, isn't it time for practice?" Kamoshida asked Mishima who frowned before speaking up.

"I-I'm not feeling well today..." Mishima said trailing off as Kamoshida frowned giving Mishima a disappointed look as he spoke up.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then. You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice." Kamoshida said as Ryuji got in Kamoshida's face and spoke up with a glare.

"Didn't you hear? He ain't feelin' well!" Ryuji snapped at Kamoshida, ignoring the winces on Kusa and Ren's faces at his brash reaction. Kamoshida ignored Ryuji to focus on Mishima as he kept speaking.

"Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?" Kamoshida asked Mishima who frowned but sighed, speaking up in a resigned-sounding tone, making Kusa frown.

"I'll go." Mishima said reluctantly, not seeing the concerned/worried looks Ren and Kusa were giving him while Kamoshida got in Ryuji's face and glared as he spoke up.

"As for YOU, any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure." Kamoshida said as Ryuji growled at Kamoshida and spoke up.

"Bastard..." Ryuji said angrily as Kamoshida huffed and spoke up with a glare, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"Same goes for you, Ren. Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?" Kamoshida asked Ren. Kusa huffed at Kamoshida threatening Ren but said nothing. Ren smirked as he spoke up, an idea coming to his mind as he spoke.

"I was just leaving, sir. By the way, you have an amazing spike." Ren said with as serious of a face as he could muster, making Kusa have to keep from chuckling as he realized what Ren was doing. Kamoshida just huffed and spoke up once more.

"Hmph. Just don't get in the way of my practice. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all." Kamoshida said before turning to Kusa.

"As for you Kusa, I would caution you NOT to keep associating with troublemakers like these two, even if one of them is your brother. Unlike them, YOU have the chance to make something of yourself at this school if you apply yourself." Kamoshida advised Kusa who huffed as he spoke up.

"With all due respect sir, I don't much give a damn what you have to say if you're just gonna keep judging my brother and our friend like that. Sure they don't have the best reputations, but if you tried to look past that, you'd see they're both really great people to know, or you would, IF you actually had enough of a heart to actually be nice to your students rather than just belittle and run them ragged like you do.

I believe the term for people like you sir, would be 'taskmaster', or perhaps more appropriately 'slave driver.' So kindly don't try to advise me as if you actually give two shits about me. I can tell you hate me about as much as you do Ren and Ryuji here. But thank you for the advice I suppose, sir." Kusa said snarkily as he nodded in appreciation of Kamoshida's advice. Kamoshida nodded to Kusa's words.

"I see, I see. Either way, all these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all." Kamoshida said trying to act concerned as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"That's your own goddamn fault." Ryuji said pointedly, nodding in approval of Kusa's words to Kamoshida as Kamoshida huffed and spoke up.

"Tch...this won't get us anywhere. Let's go, Mishima." Kamoshida said as he turned to leave, but not before saying one last thing to Ren, Ryuji and Kusa.

"Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. Get with the program!" Kamoshida said as Mishima sighed and nodded while speaking up.

"Yes, sir." Mishima said as Kamoshida walked off. Ryuji frowned and spoke up after Kamoshida was out of earshot.

"That asshole...He's gonna pay for this!" Ryuji vowed as Mishima shook his head and spoke up.

"There's no point." Mishima said making Ryuji turn to face Mishima in surprise as he spoke up.

"Huh!?" Ryuji said to Mishima who sighed and spoke up in a resigned-sounding tone.

"Proving that he's physically abusing us...is meaningless. Everybody knows... The principal, our parents, and they all keep quiet about it." Mishima said as Ryuji looked at Mishima in stunned shock as he spoke up, Ren and Kusa just listening on with wide eyes at what Mishima said.

"This has gotta be a joke..." Ryuji said as Mishima spoke up in a frustrated-sounding voice.

"Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't YOU, of all people, know that nothing's going to help!?" Mishima said as he looked at Ryuji who sputtered as he spoke up.

"Tch, ugh...!" Ryuji said as Mishima darted off the way Kamoshida had gone, leaving Ryuji to look at Ren and Kusa and huff after Mishima had left.

"Dammit..." Ryuji said as Ren chose then to spoke up, his voice one of uncertainty.

"So, now what, Ryuji?" Ren asked. Kusa frowned before speaking up at that point.

"What else? We keep trying to do what we can. No way are we letting that asshole get his way on this." Kusa said huffily as Ryuji nodded his agreement and spoke up to Ren.

"I'll try one more time to convince the other guys. That's... all I can do." Ryuji said as the trio dispersed for the day, Kusa and Ren heading back to Leblanc...

(Back at Leblanc, with Kusa and Ren, neutral POV)

"Wow, so today was a pretty crazy day, am I right?" Kusa said to Ren who huffed at him as he spoke up.

"That's true. But why were you bringing up that girl around Ryuji? Don't you think that's something that should stay between the two of us?" Ren asked Kusa who shrugged.

"I mean, since when is you having a probable crush something that stays between bros, Ren? Besides, didn't Ryuji himself call us bros recently?" Kusa pointed out as Ren sighed but nodded as he spoke up once more.

"That's true, he did indeed. That doesn't mean you can share everything with him though." Ren pointed out huffily. Right as he went to go sit on his bed, his phone chose that moment to go off, as did Kusa's, signifying a group chat message from Ryuji. Both Ren and Kusa looked at the group chat.

"Hey, this don't make any damn sense. The principal and even the parents know about the abuse. Why ain't anybody speaking up!?" Ryuji sent, making Ren and Kusa exchange annoyed glances before the latter sent a response to Ryuji's message, Ren quick to do the same.

"Because it's all about the volleyball team, and probably some sort of appearances-based bullshit shenanigans." Kusa sent.

"That, and they're probably afraid of Kamoshida." Ren sent. Ryuji then sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa. And Ren, that can't be the only thing keeping both the principal and the parents quiet though...It's basically because Kamoshida made the volleyball team famous, yeah? Even so, that don't give him the right to do whatever he wants! He's beating kids up, and all they're allowed to do is endure. And that follower of his don't give one single shit." Ryuji sent, making Ren frown as he sent a response of his own, beating Kusa to it.

"What follower are you talking about, Ryuji?" Ren sent as Kusa huffed before sending a response of his own.

"Ain't it obvious, bro? He means Takamaki. And Ryuji, I wouldn't call her a follower. She seemed pretty bothered by what you said about Kamoshida, plus I get the sense she's actually trying to avoid him, especially if what Ren said he overheard between them a couple days ago is any indication." Kusa sent as Ren frowned.

"You mean the conversation where she basically faked having appendicitis to get away from Kamoshida in a hurry?" Ren sent as Ryuji blinked on reading Ren's response and sent his own, clearly stunned by what Ren had said just now.

"Exactly. Her name is Ann Takamaki. We met her by the courtyard today, remember? You should know her. I mean, she's in your class, dude." Ryuji sent. Kusa then blinked as he remembered something about their first day that he'd overlooked before. He smirked as he sent a response, not seeing Ren glare at him.

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it Ryuji, I remember now that Ren was also checking Takamaki out too that day we met you, given we were next to her when Kamoshida offered her a ride in his car, which she took even if Ren and I had the sense to turn him down." Kusa sent, ignoring the glare Ren was giving him.

"I already told you Kusa, I was curious about her. And yes she's cute, but she seemed bothered, so I was trying to figure out what was bothering her." Ren sent as Kusa grinned.

"Uh-huh, like how you were 'curious' about that red-headed girl on the train after she offered to let that elderly lady have her seat, only for some absolute piece of crap scumbag to take it at the last second before the elderly lady could take it. Ugh, you have NO idea how much I wanted to yell at that guy for being a rude prick, but Ren beat me to it of course. Too bad he wasn't so clever about telling that girl he likes her." Kusa sent, making Ryuji grin as he read the message from Kusa. He then frowned as he saw the part about the guy taking the seat from the elderly lady, sending a response of his own at the same time Ren sent a response.

"That guy was an asshole, I'll give you that Kusa. But still, just because I thought that girl was really kind and I was impressed at her selflessness does NOT mean I have a crush on her! Yes, she is pretty and kind, but still! Ugh, whatever. I think we were talking about how much of a scumbag Kamoshida is and not my love life?" Ren sent.

"Dude, that's so effed up. I'm with Kusa, that guy needed to get beat up. Takin' a seat from a lady is totally rude and scummy. Ugh! What a load of bull! But back on topic, I can't let it end like this! I'm gonna try and find someone who knows about what's gong on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow. Just you watch! I ain't giving up!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sighed and looked at Ren.

"Sorry, Ren. But I feel like it's something better kept out in the open as opposed to being kept from Ryuji. After all, we said we'd have each other's backs from now on, right? So wouldn't that logically include keeping each other in the loop on stuff?" Kusa said to Ren who nodded.

"Apology accepted, Kusa." Ren said as he and Kusa turned to their phones to send responses.

"Sounds good to me, Ryuji! Good luck with that! I'm rootin' for you man!" Ren sent.

"That goes double for me! No way in hell are we letting Kamoshida do what he wants! ESPECIALLY not after how he talked down to you both earlier! I had to seriously restrain myself so as not to sock him in the face when he was talking down to you both. That said, I, no WE since Ren agrees with me, believe in you Ryuji." Kusa sent.

"Cool. Welp, better get to bed. Night you two!" Ryuji sent as the chat was ended. Kusa and Ren then laid down for the night...

(The next day on the way to school, with Kusa and Ren, neutral POV)

Ren and Kusa were walking to school from the train station, when they heard two girls talking.

"Did you see Mister Kamoshida play yesterday? He was so awesome! I think I might ask for his autograph after school." The more excited of the two girls said as her friend spoke up in a nervous sounding tone.

"I dunno if that's such a good idea...I hear that you should go near the PE faculty office. People say you can hear weird sounds, like screaming, even though no one's there..." The nervous girl said, trailing off as her friend huffed and spoke up.

"What? That's probably just a rumor spread by fans to scare the competitors." The excited girl said as the rest of the walk to school was uneventful.

(In class, with Ren, neutral POV)

Ren was listening to the lecture when his phone went off, making him look at it covertly to see it was a group chat from Ryuji.

"So about witnesses...I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki." Ryuji sent, but before Ren could send a response, Kusa beat him to it.

"Takamaki? She's not even on the volleyball team, though. And besides, I feel like we'd probably have better luck talking to her friend Suzui. Word among the first-years is she and Kamoshida are a bit closer than a member of the volleyball team and their coach should be." Kusa sent as Ren frowned, sending a response of his own.

"Is this because she's supposedly in a relationship with Kamoshida? That sounds like bullshit if you ask me." Ren sent. Ryuji sent a response next.

"No, that ain't why Ren! And Kusa, that's...not a bad idea actually. Though isn't Suzui supposed to be really anti-social, and only really spends time with Takamaki?" Ryuji sent.

"True. Way the first-years tell it, Suzui and Takamaki are pretty close, possibly closer than sisters. And honestly? If they are into girls that way, more power to them." Kusa sent, not at all against same-gender pairings in the slightest. Ren blinked at Kusa's response before sending one of his own.

"Wait, what? You think Takamaki and Suzui...are lesbians?" Ren sent, his surprise plain to see in his response.

"More likely they're both bisexual if I had to guess, Ren. But again, that's their choice to make and not for us to judge them on." Kusa sent as Ryuji laughed.

"Chill, Kusa. I have no issue with those two preferring women to men if that's their choice. But anyways, you know how we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team? I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them. Takamaki's BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui. I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing. That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her. Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us." Ryuji sent as Kusa huffed and sent a response of his own.

"And whose fault is THAT, Ryuji? As I recall, you were the one who was rude and confrontational towards her. I at least was trying to keep things civil and conversational. Not to mention, I very much suspect that Kamoshida poisoned at least Takamaki against you guys, and probably me by now after yesterday, so they're likely not gonna be disposed towards speaking to us more than they absolutely have to. Oh well, it is what it is." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response of his own.

"That's fair, Kusa. Ryuji and I DID kind of blow it with how we spoke to her yesterday, Ryuji moreso than me." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response back at that point.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, Kusa's probably right. I messed that up big time with my attitude yesterday. My bad guys. Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with." Ryuji sent as both Kusa and Ren sent the same response after that.

"OK, sounds good Ryuji!" Kusa and Ren sent as the chat ended...

(After school, in the courtyard with Takamaki and Suzui, neutral POV)

"Shouldn't you be heading to volleyball?" Takamaki asked Shiho, who nodded reluctantly after a bit, looking at Takamaki as she spoke.

"Uh-huh..." Shiho said simply as Takamaki frowned when she noticed a discolored patch on Shiho's face that hadn't been there previously, just above her eye, making Takamaki speak up, her tone one of concern as she spoke.

"That bruise above your eye...Is that from practice, too?" Takamaki asked Shiho who turned to face her in surprise, the two briefly looking into each other's eyes as Shiho spoke up, her tone one of surprise as she spoke.

"Y-Yeah..." Shiho said as she trailed off before Takamaki spoke up, looking into Shiho's eyes with concern while she spoke.

"Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?" Takamaki asked Shiho who smiled at Takamaki's concern for her as she spoke up.

"I'm okay...Volleyball's the only thing I can do right..." Shiho said as Takamaki smiled.

"That's not true at all, Shiho. You were able to do our friendship right, weren't you? And I appreciate every day that we're friends." Takamaki said as her phone chose then to start ringing, making her frown as Shiho spoke up, looking uncertain.

"Shouldn't you take that?" Shiho asked Takamaki who shook her head as she spoke up once more.

"It's probably just my part-time job...I think." Takamaki said as Shiho smiled before speaking up once more, looking into Takamaki's eyes as she spoke.

"Thank you, truly, for being so caring and supportive, Takamaki. You have no idea how much your friendship means to me." Shiho said with a smile before sighing as she spoke up once more, not wanting to go but knowing she had to. She looked at Takamaki as she spoke up once more.

"I... should get going." Shiho said before surprising herself and Takamaki by giving Takamaki a quick yet chaste peck on the cheek, making Takamaki look at her in surprise.

"Shiho...Are you sure you're okay?" Takamaki asked Shiho, smiling as she looked Shiho in the eyes. Shiho nodded as she stood up.

"Uh-huh..." Shiho said before walking off reluctantly as Takamaki finally answered her phone after Shiho was gone.

"Yes?" Takamaki said into the phone. She listened to the voice on the other end before shaking her head as she spoke up.

"Today won't work...I'm...I'm not feeling so good...Sorry...Bye." Takamaki said as she hung up the phone and walked off, oblivious to the two male students gossping about her where she'd previously been standing with Shiho.

"Hey wasn't that Takamaki?" One of the males asked the other. The other male nodded and spoke up.

"Rumor has it she's dating Kamoshida." The other male said in a rumor-spreading tone, making the first male blanch as he spoke up.

"Seriously?" The first male said as the rumor-loving male nodded, speaking up once more.

"I heard people saw them in his car together." The rumor-loving male said as the first male nodded.

"You know...she seems pretty easy, huh? You think I'd have a chance, too?" The first male asked as the rumor-loving male shook his head and spoke up.

"C'mon dude, you can't go after Kamoshida's bitch!" The rumor-loving male said, neither he or his friend aware of Kusa hearing the whole exchange as he walked past to catch up to Ren. Speaking of Ren, he was about to the entrance to the courtyard when he stopped on seeing a dark-haired female looking at her phone in front of him, unaware of his presence as he walked up. The female heard Ren walking up though, and looked up, and to Ren's surprise he recognized her as the girl he'd seen walking behind them with Takamaki the other day. The girl looked at him as she spoke up in surprise.

"...What? O-Oh, I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..." The girl said to Ren who blinked as he went to speak to her, only for Kusa to choose then to walk up and beat him to it.

"Ren, there you are! I didn't think I'd gotten THAT far separated from you, and..." Kusa said, trailing off as he saw who Ren was with.

"Oh, um, my apologies. I didn't know you were with a girl, Ren. Wait a second, aren't you Suzui-san, from the volleyball team?" Kusa asked the now-named Suzui, making Ren blink as he realized Kusa was in fact correct and he too spoke up.

"You don't need to apologize...Suzui-san, is it? I'm Ren Amamiya, and before you ask, none of the stuff about me is true. But if you believe it, I won't judge you. But enough about me, are you hurt? That bruise on your face looks pretty rough." Ren said to Suzui, who blinked at Ren in surprise.

"Huh...? Um, well... Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be that transfer student from Class D?" Suzui asked as Ren nodded, making Suzui smile slightly as she spoke again.

"Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you, okay?" Suzui asked Ren who nodded.

"Yeah, okay then. They don't bother me near as much as they tend to bother Kusa here, though. But I suppose that's because Kusa's always been the dutiful younger sibling who has his older brother's back unconditionally, even when said older brother tends to cause him problems without meaning to. Why do you say that though, if you don't mind my asking?" Ren said to Suzui as Kusa spoke up.

"She probably sympathizes with you, Ren. Plus as I recall, Suzui-san here is said to have one of the kindest and biggest hearts in the school, so she's usually nice to everyone she meets for the most part." Kusa said as Suzui smiled at Kusa speaking up for her as she looked at Ren.

"Thank you, Amamiya-kun. I appreciate that. And to your question, Ren, well, I've helped with a similar situation before...My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks..." Suzui said as Kusa frowned.

"You mean Takamaki-san, don't you Suzui-san? Pardon my language in front of a lady, but what you both go through is total horse shit! Sure, I've heard of the concept of suffering for your ambitions, but to the point of being almost ostracized by people!? That seems a bit excessive in my opinion. And I get the sense you both deserve better than that. But again, that's just my opinion, and you can tell me I'm wrong if you disagree and I'll respect that." Kusa said respectfully to Suzui-san who smiled as she looked at him.

"I don't mind your candor at all, Amamiya-kun. If anything, I think it's sweet you can speak up like that for someone you barely know. That shows how kind and caring you are. Oh, look at the time. Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to drag on like that." Suzui-san said as Kusa smiled at her and spoke up for both him and Ren.

"Nah, that's quite all right, Suzui-san. I don't mind that you felt comfortable enough with us to speak your mind like that. So you have no reason to apologize. But if you have somewhere to be, don't let us keep you waiting at all. We were just leaving anyways to go home. But don't be shy about saying hello if you happen to see us around. Despite the rumors, neither Ren or I bite." Kusa joked making Suzui giggle a bit at the witty remark from Kusa.

"I see...I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Amamiya-kun. Anyways, I have to go to practice. I'll see you around." Suzui said to Ren and Kusa, both of whom nodded as the former spoke up.

"Very well, we look forward to it. Until then, Suzui-san." Ren said in as charming and coy of a voice as he could muster, not seeing Kusa facefault at how cheesy he was being. Suzui smiled at the two before walking off as Ren and Kusa nodded to each other and then went to catch up to Ryuji...

(In the courtyard with Ryuji, Kusa and Ren, neutral POV)

"Dammit. What the hell..." Ryuji grumbled as he crossed his arms, making Ren speak up uncertainly.

"Did you find someone, Ryuji?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up before Ryuji could.

"Does it LOOK like he found someone, Ren? Just because you and I happened to run across Suzui-san, doesn't mean he had any sort of similar luck." Kusa said as Ryuji spoke up, nodding his approval of Kusa's response to Ren's question before sighing and speaking up himself.

"Is that what it LOOKS like?" Ryuji asked dryly as he punched the closest vending machine, looking pissed off.

"All of 'em kept saying the same shit Mishima was talkin' about! Kamoshida HAD to have told 'em something! At this rate... looks like we'll have to go to him directly..." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded his agreement as Ren spoke up dryly.

"We should've started with that, shouldn't we? That said, am I going to have to hold you AND Kusa back if we go to him so neither of you gets in trouble for beating up a teacher? No matter if he deserves it or not, he's not worth getting in trouble over." Ren said firmly to Kusa and Ryuji, both of whom glared at Ren before the former spoke up.

"I can keep my temper in check, Ren. Ryuji, on the other hand, him you might have to restrain since he looks ready to throw hands. But I think he can keep himself in check if he has to." Kusa said conversationally as Ryuji rolled his eyes, sighing as he replied to Ren's statement.

"I know...But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this! Can you think of ANYTHING?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa who shrugged as the former spoke up.

"I'd say we should call the cops, but would they believe us, much less take us seriously? The only other option I can think of is a sneak attack, and even that seems dumb." Ren said. Kusa shook his head as he spoke up, not wanting to believe Ren seriously made that bad of a suggestion.

"That's a good idea, except the part where we all get expelled, then probably arrested if we get caught! I dunno about you, but that scumbag isn't worth going to jail over." Kusa said, as Ryuji nodded his agreement while speaking up.

"Ren's idea is fine if we could do it without gettin' caught...BUT, if we did get caught, we'd be seriously done for. You got any OTHER ideas?" Ryuji asked. Ren shrugged.

"I guess if a sneak attack is out, we should call the cops, as unlikely as that is to work." Ren said as Kusa stroked his chin in thought before speaking up.

"OR...wait for it...we could go back to that castle and do something about that version of Kamoshida. As I recall, Morgana-sensei said that castle was Kamoshida's 'distorted desires' made manifest or something like that, so it's possible we could defeat THAT Kamoshida and force the real one to confess to his crimes on his own. But that's just a guess." Kusa said as Ryuji scoffed at Ren's suggestion before blinking at Kusa's idea.

"So you wanna tell 'em about the castle, Ren? They'd never believe us...Have any other ideas? What do we do?" Ryuji asked Ren who looked at Kusa and smiled.

"I'm not sure how viable it is, but Kusa's suggestion has merit. If we can't do anything about THIS Kamoshida, why not punish the distorted king version instead?" Ren suggested, making Kusa and Ryuji nod as the latter spoke up.

"The king...? You mean that other world's Kamoshida? I didn't think of that, but...Is there any meaning to-?" Ryuji said only to be interrupted mid-sentence by the last voice any of the trio expected to hear in their world speaking to them.

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU..." Ryuji and Ren heard, making the former blink at the latter as he spoke up, neither one seeing what Kusa saw, in the form of a cat padding up to the trio, though he gasped as he recognized the voice but wasn't sure if it was who he thought it was.

"...You say something?" Ryuji asked Ren who shook his head as the cat leapt onto the table, and spoke, making Ryuji and Ren gasp.

"Don't think you can get away wiith not paying me back for helping you." The cat said, making Ren, Ryuji AND Kusa gasp at the idea of a talking cat before Kusa spoke up in surprise, but also delight at recognizing the voice.

"That voice...Is that you, Morgana-sensei?" Kusa asked the cat, making Ryuji and Ren gasp at Kusa suggesting that this cat was the same cat-like being who saved them from Kamoshida's castle previously. Ryuji blinked a second later as he realized what Kusa was saying and spoke up.

"That voice...Is that you, Morgana!?" Ryuji asked, but instead of nodding, Morgana shook his head as he kept speaking in annoyance.

"How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up in an attempt to placate the angry, speaking cat only for Ryuji to beat him to it.

"The cat's talkin'!?" Ryuji asked, only to wince a moment later when Kusa lightly slugged him in the shoulder.

"He's not a cat! He just looks like one because of losing his real form, or so he said before." Kusa chastised Ryuji. Morgana nodded approvingly to Kusa defending him.

"What Kusa said! I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you three." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up again.

"Wait...You came to OUR world!? Does that mean you've got a phone!?" Ryuji asked Morgana, who huffed at the stupid questions coming from Ryuji's mouth.

"You don't need one when you're at MY level. I did get pretty lost making my escape though..." Morgana said. Kusa smiled as he gently walked forward to lightly pet Morgana's head, unable to resist comforting the currently-feline form of the trio's Metaverse teacher.

"Regardless, it's nice to see you here, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said quietly but appreciatively as he kept lightly petting Morgana without thinking about it as Ryuji spoke up.

"That aside, why can you talk!? You're a cat!" Ryuji said, getting glares from Kusa and Morgana as the former huffed.

"Weren't you listening before, Ryuji!? He's NOT a cat! He just happens to look like one while he's in our world, at least until he gets his true form back." Kusa said in irritation. Ren chuckled as he watched Kusa gently set Morgana in his lap as he sat on the bench so the cat could still look at Ryuji and Ren.

"Ah yes, I forgot about your tendency to be a sucker for a cute animal, Kusa. At least we're pretty sure this time it's housebroken." Ren joked as Kusa rolled his eyes.

"Very funny, Ren! Is it my fault OR Morgana-sensei's that he looks like he does right now!? And honestly, he looks really cute like this. No offense, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said, still gently stroking the top of Morgana's head happily. Morgana smiled as he leaned into the affection, not even bothered that Kusa was petting him as he tore into Ryuji.

"Ooh, that's good, keep going. That's the spot. Also, HOW SHOULD I KNOW RYUJI!?" Morgana snapped at Ryuji who looked at Ren skeptically.

"You hearin' this too?" Ryuji asked Ren uncertainly. Ren nodded.

"Yeah, as unlikely as it is, I'm hearing Morgana speak just like you are Ryuji." Ren said as Kusa used his free hand to stroke his chin contemplatively even as he kept comforting Morgana with his touch before blinking and speaking up in realization as he had an epiphany.

"Could the reason we can hear Morgana-sensei talk, which I hear it too before you ask Ryuji, is because we heard him talking in that other world?" Kusa guessed. Ryuji shrugged as he spoke up once more, pretty much just going with it at this point.

"Then it really IS Morgana..." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed.

"Of course it's Morgana! How many other cats or cat-like beings do we know that can talk, fight and teach the likes of us his ways all at the same time!? Not that Morgana-sensei is a cat, because he's totally not. He just happens to have a cat-like form right now is all." Kusa said, flushing slightly in embarrassment as he saw Ren and Ryuji looking at him skeptically. Morgana nodded from Kusa's lap, managing to speak up after he stopped purring from Kusa's touch long enough to speak.

"As usual, Kusa is correct. But staying on topic, you guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed.

"Oh, shuddup." Ryuji said huffily, ignoring the glare Kusa gave him as he kept petting Morgana, who then spoke up once more.

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida." Morgana said before turning to face Ren.

"You were pretty close just a moment ago." Morgana said to Ren as Ryuji crossed his arms in annoyance and spoke up.

"God, that condescendin' attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana!" Ryuji said huffily, ignoring the twin glares he got from Kusa and Morgana as the latter spoke up.

"You were STILL doubting me!?" Morgana said as Kusa chuckled at Morgana roasting Ryuji who flushed and glared at Morgana.

"Ack! Quiet down!" Ryuji said as he heard people coming, right as the group heard teachers speaking.

"We really have time to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?" One teacher said to the other who shrugged.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" The other teacher said as the first teacher sighed.

"Ugh, make sure you check every nook and cranny around." The first teacher said as the two moved out of earshot, making Ryuji blink as he spoke up.

"Meow? Does that mean only us three can understand what you're sayin'?" Ryuji said to Morgana who subconsciously licked his leg as he started cleaning himself. Kusa chuckled, speaking up as he kept petting Morgana.

"Poor Morgana-sensei, cursed to be in a form that he can easily take on the instincts of. At least it's a cute form so that's something I suppose. And I think I said before it probably has to do with us hearing Morgana-sensei in the other world previously so we were able to hear him here. Probably a change in our cognition if I had to guess." Kusa said. Morgana nodded approvingly to Kusa's guess as he spoke up while slightly purring from Kusa's touch.

"Keep going, your touch is so nice Kusa. Also, looks like it Ryuji." Morgana said, making Kusa chuckle as he kept petting the purring cat while gently using his free hand to unzip his bag, having a hunch it might be needed sooner than later. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.

"What the hell's goin' on? Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier... is it for real?" Ryuji asked skeptically making Morgana frown as he spoke up once more.

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot." Morgana said chidingly, making Kusa chuckle at the amount of snark in Morgana's tone as Ryuji spoke up.

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place...Let's carry Morgana in one of our bags for now. He should be about the right size to fit!" Ryuji said as Kusa huffed, gently picking up Morgana and setting him gently in his bag.

"I had a feeling you might say that, so I was prepared with my bag. Sorry if it's a bit cramped in there Morgana-sensei, but it should be serviceable for the time being until I can clean it out a bit better to accommodate you if we use it as a long-term solution." Kusa said, giving Morgana a comforting pet on the head before frowning at Ryuji.

"And at least I was gentle with you. If I had to guess, either one of these two would've just snatched you up and, pardon the expression, man-handled you into Ren's bag." Kusa said, frowning huffily at Ren and Ryuji as he spoke. Morgana frowned at Ryuji and Ren, knowing Kusa was probably correct about his assessment of them and smiled at Kusa.

"Thank you, for at least being considerate enough to not shove me into your bag and for being gentle with me." Morgana said to Kusa who smiled and nodded.

"But of course. You're our sensei in the thieving ways, Morgana-sensei, so naturally it follows you should be treated with all the consideration and respect due therein." Kusa said with a nod, frowning at Ren and Ryuji as he spoke up once more.

"And I dare either one of you to contradict me on that point. I know both of you might have issues with him, but if he's going to be helping us out long-term, you two can at least try to get along with him if nothing else." Kusa said with an eye roll as he shook his head. Ren and Ryuji just nodded as the group went to the roof. Once there, Kusa gently lifted Morgana out of his bag and set him on the table.

"Here you are, Morgana-sensei. You can sit right here if you like, unless you'd rather be in my lap again." Kusa said after setting Morgana down, ignoring the laughing from Ren and Ryuji as the latter spoke up around his laughter.

"Dude, is Kusa ALWAYS such a kiss-up? Or does he just really like Morgana?" Ryuji asked Ren, who laughed.

"I'm pretty sure he's just admiring of Morgana since he's saved Kusa's life, and really, both of our lives as well, more than once recently, plus he has been nice enough to train us in the ways of the thief when he didn't have to." Ren said. Ryuji chuckled, poking Morgana in the side lightly.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. I guess we DO owe Morgana here our gratitude for saving us if nothing else. Thanks Morgana." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed.

"Hey, careful with that finger! You could accidentally harm him." Kusa said huffily. Morgana frowned at Ryuji, swinging at the offending finger when Ryuji poked him.

"Don't be so rough with me!" Morgana snapped at Ryuji who frowned and spoke up in an annoyed voice.

"Enough of that! You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" Ryuji asked as Morgana nodded before speaking up.

"It has to do with what Ren, and probably Kusa as well, were talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Ryuji asked as Kusa frowned, speaking up in annoyance at how dense Ryuji could be.

"What do you mean, what does he mean!? He means we go back to that other world, stick it to that world's Kamoshida, and in theory that will result in a change in this world's Kamoshida as a result. Am I about right, Morgana-sensei?" Kusa said, frowning at Ryuji as he replied to his question for Morgana. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"More or less, Kusa, though you are wrong on some points. For starters, that castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida, as Kusa said." Moirgana explained as Ryuji spoke up again.

"What'd happen?" Ryuji asked as Morgana huffed and spoke up patiently.

A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So if that castle were no more..." Morgana said trailing off as both Kusa and Ren spoke up simultaneously.

"His desires would go too?" Ren guessed. Kusa huffed as he spoke up.

"Probably, but more likely it'd make an honest man out of him, if that's even possible with a scumbag like Kamoshida." Kusa said with a frown. Morgana nodded.

"Precisely! You and Kusa sure do pick up things fast!" Morgana said approvingly. Kusa nodded as he spoke up.

"I can't speak for Ren, but I'm just a quick study when I want to be, whereas Ren is usually pretty observant of his surroundings, and once he notices something he usually memorizes it pretty quickly." Kusa explained, getting an affirmative nod from Ren. Ryuji blinked as he spoke up once more.

"For real!? H-He's gonna turn good!?" Ryuji asked in shock. Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up, unable to resist throwing a bit of snark at Ryuji.

"No, he's totally gonna lose his humanity and become a monster. Yes he's gonna turn good!" Kusa said dryly, surprised at how clueless Ryuji could be at times. Ryuij frowned as he spoke up once more, frowning as he spoke.

"But... is that really gettin' back at him?" Ryuji asked as Morgana nodded before explaining it to Ryuji.

"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!" Morgana explained as Ryuji's eyes went wide as he spoke up again.

"You for real!? That's possible!?" Ryuji asked as Morgana nodded, smiling as he kept explaining.

"AND! Since the palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up, making Ren wince at what Ryuji said next as both Morgana and Kusa frowned.

"That's amazing! You are one incredible cat!" Ryuji said appreciatively. Kusa went to speak up but Morgana shook his head and spoke up instead.

"True...except for the cat part!" Morgana said simply, cutting in before Kusa could once more yell at Ryuji on his behalf for continuing to call him a cat. Ryuji nodded, before speaking up once more, his voice now distinctly excited as he spoke.

"So? How do we get rid of the Palace!?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up, hoping to make Ryuji understand.

"By stealing the Treasure held within." Morgana said as Ryuji blinked at Morgana's remark, frowning as he spoke up.

"Stealing...?" Ryuji asked and Morgana nodded his agreement before speaking up.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all." Morgana said as Kusa nodded in agreement.

"And I'm sure it'll be a great plan coming from you, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said agreeably as Morgana nodded.

"But of course. If you guys want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?" Morgana asked as Ryuji frowned.

"Our luck's run dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along..." Ryuji said as Ren shrugged before looking at Ryuji and speaking up at that point.

"You're right, Ryuji. At the same time, seems like there's no other way...I say let's go along with Morgana, and if he tries to cross us, you and I get to shave him even though I fully expect Kusa to object to it if we do that." Ren joked as sure enough, Kusa gasped in disbelief and offense at Ren joking about shaving Morgana before frowning at Ren as he spoke up, both pissed off and insulted on Morgana's behalf.

"Excuse you!? You most certainly will NOT shave Morgana-sensei! Not unless you want me to ruthlessly prank you in your sleep on general principle." Kusa said huffily. Morgana laughed at Kusa's outrage on his behalf.

"Easy, Kusa. I can handle myself, you know. But I appreciate the support. As for you Ren...Good. Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there's no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to eat, sleep, fall in love- those sorts of things." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned while speaking up at that point in confusion.

"What're you gettin' at?" Ryuji asked Morgana. Morgana huffed as he kept explaining.

"If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given proper care. So..." Morgana said as Ryuji gasped before speaking up in horror and shock at this point, frowning at Morgana as he spoke.

"They might die!?" Ryuji asked in horror as Morgana frowned before speaking up, frowning at Ryuji as he spoke.

"Will you listen to EVERYTHING I have to say first?" Morgana asked Ryuji who spoke up uncertainly.

"...Would their death be our fault?" Ryuji asked sounding uncertain, and even Kusa was a bit skeptic at this but still inclined to trust Morgana, he spoke up.

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?" Morgana asked Ryuji who turned to face Ren as he spoke up.

"Hey...what do you and Kusa think?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa. Ren seemed to ponder the question while Kusa spoke up.

"OK...as much as I trust Morgana-sensei to know what he's doing, is murder REALLY our only option, assuming things go wrong while we do this? Or can we be sure nothing will go wrong if we help Morgana-sensei with this?" Kusa asked no one in particular as he voiced his uncertainties out loud. After a bit, Ren spoke up after pondering his options.

"Like Kusa, I too harbor no real interest in murder if can be avoided, but in this case, our best option may be to risk it since I don't think we'll find a better way of stopping Kamoshida." Ren said after a pause to consider his words carefully. Ryuji blinked at Ren in surprise at this while Kusa just nodded his approval of Ren's words.

"For real!?" Ryuji asked in shock as Kusa shrugged before looking at Morgana as Morgana spoke up huffily at Ren and Ryuji's reactions.

"Sheesh...I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"That's not the point! If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida..." Ryuji said to Morgana who huffed and spoke up.

"Isn't this your only option?" Morgana said in annoyance. Before Ren or Ryuji could reply, Morgana huffed.

"I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then." Morgana said before scampering off, leaving Kusa to sigh in disappointment as Morgana ran off. Ryuji spoke up after Morgana left, rather loudly.

"Man, we're gettin' all worked up for nothing... Dammit!" Ryuji said angrily. He then looked at Ren and Kusa.

"I'll try and see if I can figure out another way...C'mon, let's get outta here." Ryuji said to Ren who nodded, as Kusa spoke up.

"Very well, good luck with that Ryuji. I feel like it might come about that we have no choice but to help Morgana-sensei, but that's just my opinion." Kusa said. Ren nodded agreeably with Ryuji as Kusa scooped up his bag as the three left the rooftop to leave school. After they were back at the entrance, Ren's phone went off to signal a group chat.

"Yo, some of the guys in my class have been talking. About that Suzui girl...Looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida. If they're true, it's no wonder I couldn't get her to speak to me. And honestly, something about that doesn't seem right." Ryuji sent, and Ren and Kusa shrugged before the latter sent a response.

"It's funny you mention Suzui-san, since Ren and I ran into her on our way to meet you. She seemed busy at the time, but at least had kind words to say to Ren, and encouraged him not to let the rumors about him bother him before having to go to practice. So I think those rumors are bunk to some degree, though I could easily see the rumors about her and Takamaki being at least slightly true since I'm pretty sure they were subtly stealing glances at each other when they thought no one was looking when they were walking behind us yesterday morning." Kusa sent as Ren blinked before sending a response of his own.

"I completely forgot about that, but you're probably right. And now that you mention us seeing her Kusa, I recall that she had a funny-looking marking above her left eye, which looked suspiciously like a bruise...I just hope it doesn't mean what I think it does. That said, What do you mean Ryuji?" Ren sent. Ryuji frowned before he sent his response.

"It's just impossible. I've known Takamaki and Suzui since middle school. There's just NO way Kamoshida's their type, y'know? So...I gotta wonder where those rumors came from. Oh well, I guess we'll get to it tomorrow. See ya!" Ryuji sent as Kusa and Ren exchanged worried looks as they put their phones away to end the chat.

"Maybe we should listen in on some of the other students as we head home?" Kusa suggested and Ren nodded. As they headed to the station, they found out a lot of rumors about Suzui and Takamaki, and even one or two about Ren. But what really raised both Kusa and Ren's hackles was when they overheard a couple of guys talking about cute girls with ponytails and whether they preferred Takamaki or Suzui, both liking one of the two. But then one of the two had the audacity to drag a certain red-haired girl into the conversation where Ren and Kusa could hear.

"There's also a really cute first-year with a ponytail though. Why not her?" One of the two said. The other blinked.

"Wait, there was a girl like that!? I didn't look at all..." The other student said, and Kusa had to literally put his hand on Ren's shoulder to keep him from chewing the two out once it registered to Kusa that they'd been talking about the same girl Ren was clearly crushing on even if he wouldn't admit to it. After a quick train ride, and a brief walk, Kusa and Ren found themselves in Station Square, just in time to hear a familiar voice yelling at someone on her phone.

"Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..." Takamaki said before listening to the voice on the other end, her expression one of horror as she spoke up.

"Wait, WHAT!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?" Takamaki yelled, unaware of Ren and Kusa's eyes going wide at her comment, both convinced she was probably on the phone with Kamoshida. Her next comment all but confirmed it to the two.

"This has nothing to do with Shiho!" Takamaki said as her phone gave a 'click' before turning to an odd dial tone, leaving her to sputter.

"Ah..." Takamaki said as she lowered her head between her knees, looking ready to cry.

"Shiho's... starting position..." Takamaki said as Ren made a snap decision, turning on his heel to walk over to Takamaki and gently put a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her look up in surprise, taking a step back when she realized who she was looking at.

"Wait...Were you listening?" Takamaki asked Ren as Kusa sighed and spoke up for the both of them.

"Not on purpose...we just happened to hear your conversation as we were walking by. Of course, our curiosity was piqued when we heard you mentioning Suzui-san, and as we know, the only one you'd likely be talking to connected to Shiho is most likely Kamoshida since I'm doubtful you'd yell at Suzui-san herself like that. Plus your 'And you call yourself a teacher!?' comment further supports the idea of it being Kamoshida you were on the phone with. But you don't have to confirm or deny anything to us. We were just making sure you were okay, Takamaki. Nothing more, nothing less. Sorry for violating your privacy like we did." Kusa said by way of explanation, making Takamaki huff.

"Haven't you two ever heard of privacy?" Takamaki said before huffing as she kept speaking.

"Ugh...No, I was out of line. Sorry." Takamaki said, and to Kusa's surprise, he saw her visibly wipe her left eye, as if wiping away tears, making him realize she'd been crying.

"So how much did you hear?" Takamaki asked Ren and Kusa who looked at each other before both speaking up simultaneously.

"You were arguing with someone, that much is clear." Kusa said as Ren spoke up then.

"But more to the point, we heard something about a friend?" Ren said, hoping to get Takamaki to trust them enough to let them in on her conversation, to Kusa's surprise. Takamaki just sighed, thinking about the conversation, before speaking up quietly.

"Shiho...It's nothing at all. Nothing..." Takamki said as she wiped her eyes again and made to run off. Ren frowned as he looked at Kusa.

"I wonder what happened. We should follow her." Ren suggested, making Kusa look at him, eyes wide in shock.

"Are you crazy!? While I agree something is up with her, do we really need to follow her over it!? Wouldn't that just be potentially proving those rumors about you are right!? I guess, if you REALLY want to know that badly, we can, but I should be the one to do most of the talking so she doesn't get any angrier at you than she already is." Kusa said and Ren nodded his agreement, speaking up happily as he looked at Ren.

"Exactly! Thank you, Kusa! You're the best man!" Ren said happily as Kusa huffed.

"Ugh, fine. Y'know, this is when I really wish you and Ryuji hadn't made Morgana decide to take off on us again. I bet he'd have been useful right now, if for no other reason than the old cliche of 'every girl loves a pretty animal', plus I seem to recall that Morgana was quite taken with Takamaki in that castle so he'd be willing to cheer her up." Kusa said as the two took off after Takamaki, Kusa clearly unhappy about the idea, but willing to go along with it for his brother's sake, as well as for preserving Ren's reputation. After a bit, the two caught up to Takamaki, and as Kusa thought, she was less than happy to see Ren and Kusa.

"Stop following me... Just leave me alone!" Takamaki said as Kusa nodded apologetically.

"Very well. Our apologies, Takamaki. Ren here was just worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay. And honestly, I too had my concerns about you since I'm sure I saw you trying not to cry before. So you'll hopefully forgive us for being worried about you and wanting to be sure you were okay." Kusa said by way of explanation. Ren then nodded before speaking up, choosing his words carefully.

"What Kusa said. Sorry for upsetting you by following you Takamaki. But we had to be sure you were okay since you seemed upset before. So, are you okay?" Ren asked as politely and sympathetically as he could, Kusa trying not to wince at how unconvincing Ren was sounding right then. Surprisingly, Takamaki actually looked at Ren at this, speaking up in surprise as she looked at Ren and Kusa.

"Why...? Why do you keep worrying about me?" Takamaki asked as she started shaking, and to Kusa's surprise, he could even hear her starting to sniffle as if she were about to break down crying. Kusa frowned at Ren and spoke up at that point.

"Honestly, Takamaki? It's because any decent person who had seen you looking as upset as you do now would at the very least be concerned, and if they were really nice, make it a point to at least be sure you were okay, maybe even going as far as offering to be a sympathetic ear to vent into if needed. But really, even if I can't speak for Ren here, I was acting purely out of concern for you, and also a bit of worry. But mostly concern. But if you want us to just give you some space, we can do that too." Kusa said. Ren shook his head and spoke up at that point, frowning at Kusa's words as he spoke up.

"No, Kusa. While it is true we should respect Takamaki's wishes, even if she tells us to leave her be, given she looks ready to cry, that might not be the most responsible option. No, I suggest we take Takamaki, if she's willing to accompany us, and take her someplace safe so she can either talk through whatever's bothering her, or just let her get her feelings all out. But I'm not sure that leaving her on her own would be the wisest idea, given I've heard some really graphic horror stories about people who did crazy things when left alone while upset." Ren said, shuddering as he remembered a story he'd heard once, shortly before his court hearing, about someone throwing themselves off of a building to their grisly demise, and not wanting that same thing to possibly happen to Takamaki.

No one deserves that, as far as Ren was concerned, not even Kamoshida. Kusa blinked at Ren's remark but eventually nodded his understanding, once he realized where Ren was coming from. Takamaki sniffed as she looked into Ren's eyes, shocked at what he had had to say, but also slightly grateful for his and Kusa's concern as she spoke up.

"What the heck...? I really don't get you..." Takamaki said to Ren as the trio went to a nearby eatery that Ren and Kusa had seen once on their way home from school. Once there, Takamaki frowned at Ren and Kusa as she spoke up, her expression very much unimpressed with the two, or at least with Ren.

"If we're being honest Ren, I don't have anything to talk about with you. At least Kusa is reasonably respectful with his words and actions. But anyways, it was just an argument..." Takamaki said, trailing off as Ren spoke up once more.

"...With a teacher?" Ren asked Takamaki, leaving the obvious fact that said teacher was Kamoshida unspoken. Takamaki huffed as she spoke up.

"You heard every last word then..." Takamaki said accusingly, making Kusa wince as he spoke up.

"Honestly? Yeah, we did, and we're sorry for violating your privacy by listening in but given we literally were walking past as you were arguing with whichever teacher it is, though I think we all know who it was. However, I won't name any names out of respect for your privacy. That said, given you were arguing with that teacher as we walked past, naturally our curiosity would be piqued and we'd stop to listen. So again, we're sorry for eavesdropping on you, Takamaki. I won't blame you if you decide to be mad at Ren and I, or even hate us, over this, but at least realize that we only did what we did because we were worried about you and wanted to be sure you weren't in a bad mental space.

After all, even if we don't really know each other, you strike me as a really incredible person who'd be worth knowing, and if you were to do something drastic over whoever you were arguing with, well let's just say that Suzui-san wouldn't likely be the only ones suffering for your decision. But again, if you want us to leave you be, we can gladly do so." Kusa said, hoping to somewhat placate, or at least cheer up, Takamaki. Takamaki frowned as she looked at Ren after smiling appreciatively at Kusa, sighing as she spoke up.

"You've heard the rumors, haven't you? About Mister Kamoshida. Everyone says we're getting it on. But...that's so not true!" Takamaki said making Kusa and Ren both breath visible sighs of relief, the former speaking up as the latter just said 'mm-hmm.' while nodding as he paid Takamaki his full attention as she spoke.

"Well that's a relief. And whatever rumors those are, they're horse shit in my opinion. This is just my opinion, but you strike me as the type of lady who would rather get with a woman then ever give it up to Kamoshida. Apologies if my words are offensive to you, but that's truly my opinion on those rumors and to a point of you. But if I'm being honest, I actually think of you as a kind, amazing, selfless and caring lady, Takamaki." Kusa said, making Takamaki smile as she kept speaking, surprising Kusa by getting up and pulling him into a hug briefly before pulling away and sitting back down, giggling as she saw how red and embarrassed Kusa's face looked.

"Thank you for being so kind, Kusa. But that said, that was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number... for the longest time...He told me to go to his place after this...You know what it means." Takamaki said as Kusa's eyes narrowed dangerously before he spoke up.

"He told you to do WHAT!? That dirty rotten perverted scumbag! How dare he call himself a teacher while shamelessly trying to bring his students to his bed on the sly." Kusa said, trying not to scare Takamaki as he cursed Kamoshida out under his breath profusely, drawing an amused smirk from Ren who agreed with Kusa's remark. Takamaki nodded.

"I agree, Kusa, but he's not leaving me with a lot of choice in the matter. He said in no uncertain terms that if i turn him down, he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team...I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake...I can't take it anymore..." Takamaki said, starting to look sad again and Kusa frowned as he just saw a hint of tears forming in her eyes, making him have to resist the urge to punch the nearest object in rage while also wanting to comfort Takamaki as best he could. Ren frowned, sputtering a bit as he struggled to find any sort of really comforting words to say to Takamaki. After a bit he spoke up.

"Takamaki...I know I'm probably one of the last people you want to hear this from, given my reputation and all, but you don't have to be afraid to speak your mind. Kusa and I are very good listeners as you've probably already seen, even if Kusa is just a wee bit quick to anger, though he's usually pretty level-headed, but once he angers? Look out! He has a scarier temper than I do. Honestly, out of the two of us, I'd say he's the likelier one to assault someone." Ren joked as Kusa rolled his eyes before speaking up.

"Very funny, Ren. You're lucky this is for Takamaki-san's sake, or I'd be punching you for that remark. But you are right that we want Takamaki-san to feel safe around us. So punching you would be counter-productive to giving that impression. But in all seriousness, Takamaki, you don't have to go through this alone. Even if it's just to vent to us, we can be here for you if you need us to be, even if you'd probably rather not have Ren here as a sounding board or support system.

But you should know, even despite his reputation, my brother really does have a good heart. He just has seriously abysmal luck is all. I should know, considering I managed to be dragged along for the ride when he got himself sent out this way for probation." Kusa said with a playful huff at Ren as he tried to comfort Takamaki, briefly considering hugging her but not wanting to scare her. Takamaki smiled at Ren and Kusa, as she kept speaking.

"Ren...Kusa...thank you both. You're right, I shouldn't be doing this alone. But still, Shiho's...she's my best friend...She's all I have left at that sorry excuse for a school!" Takamaki yelled out, tears visibly coming to her eyes as she finished speaking. She then looked mostly at Kusa, but also at Ren, as she spoke up once more.

"Tell me, you two...What should I do...?" Takamaki asked, making Ren clutch his hands on the knees of his pants under the table to keep his anger at Kamoshida in check after hearing about what he's been doing to both Takamaki and Suzui. Takamaki smiled as she saw the visible anger on Ren's face at what she'd told him and smiled.

"Sorry...I shouldn't have asked...It's not your problem." Takamaki said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"No offense, Takamaki-san, but bull fucking shit it's not our problem! Sure, we might not know you and/or Suzui-san that well if at all yet, but you're not the only ones that scumbag has threatened! Just since Ren and I have transferred here, he's threatened Sakamoto on multiple occasions, he spiked Mishima-kun in the face at the volleyball rally, AND he had the audacity to talk shit about Ren AND Sakamoto in front of me. Not to mention, what you told us about how he's treating you and Suzui-san? That man's gone too far! So we're just as outraged at him as you are! So don't ever try to say it's not Ren and I's problem, because it's just as much our problem as it is yours.

Never feel like you have to keep that to yourself, Takamaki-san. Even if you might not want to hear this, and even if I can't speak for Ren on this, I at least have your back, since you've been nothing but kind and you even had the decency not to be upset with us much for eavesdropping on you. So if you ask me, that makes you a damned sight better than Kamoshida could ever be! So please Takamaki, if it bothers you that much, don't be afraid to say so. Even if it's just as acquaintances, if not friends, my brother and I want to be able to be there for you if you need us, because you at least deserve to feel like you have SOMEONE other than Suzui-san who has your back at that school." Kusa said, surprising himself as well as Ren with how long of a rant he went on at that point, though the smile on Takamaki's face afterwards made him feel like it was worth it.

Ren just nodded his agreement to everything Kusa had said before speaking up. Takamaki turned and smiled at Kusa, nodding as tears fell freely down her face, to which Ren reached forward to gently dry said tears with a nearby napkin making Takamaki look at Ren and Kusa in mixed surprise and awe. She then calmed down a bit and spoke up.

"What... What am I saying? I've barely even talked to either of you before..." Takamaki said as Kusa and Ren both spoke up.

"Maybe that's why you're so able to talk to us?" Ren suggested while Kusa shrugged.

"That's possible, Ren. But really, we do owe you a huge apology for butting in like we did even if we meant well, Takamaki. So, sorry again." Kusa said. Takamaki looked at Ren in surprise but smiled at his words, nodding her acceptance of Kusa's apology as she spoke up once more.

"You might be right...Ugh, you're so weird. Usually, everyone just ignores me." Takamaki said as Kusa laughed.

"That would be because 'everyone', and by that I mean most of the students at our school, are just a bunch of judgmental, easily swayed sheep who could care less if someone is suffering if it goes against what they perceive to be the 'status quo' of things, so to speak. Whereas Ren and I? We don't give two shits about the 'status quo', or about what people think of us. We're not the types to sit by if we see someone hurting, and we can at all stop it." Kusa said lightly, trying to cheer up Takamaki to some degree. Takamaki chuckled as she spoke up once more, amused by Kusa's description of the rest of the school as she spoke.

"You know, Kusa? You're totally right! Though I'm guessing when you say most of the school, you're excluding such people as Shiho, Sakamoto and probably the three of us?" Takamaki asked, as Kusa nodded.

"Yes, as well as some people in my class, but I won't go into details for not wanting to tease Ren yet again about his likely-as-not crush on a certain red-headed girl in my class. But we're here to talk about you and your problems, not to poke fun at Ren." Kusa said as Takamaki chuckled before speaking up once more.

"You're right. As much as I find that funny that someone as supposedly deviant as Ren could already have a crush, we are here to discuss me after all. But to that end..Ren, are you REALLY a bad person? I've heard people talking about you, but... I just don't see it." Takamaki said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh really? And exactly what are they saying?" Ren asked, making Kusa glad he didn't have to slug Ren like he probably would've if he'd have said he was 'bad to the bone'. Takamaki looked into Ren's eyes as she answered his question.

"That you assaulted someone...That you almost killed them." Takamaki said as to her surprise, not Ren, but Kusa, laughed as he spoke up to answer Ann's unspoken question.

"Those rumors? Takamaki, don't believe everything you hear. Granted, yes it IS true Ren did get in trouble for assault, but it was moreso him protecting a woman from some drunken scumbag who was trying to force himself on her. Of course, the woman turned around and took the scumbag's side when the cops showed up, Ren got sued for assault, then one thing led to another, Ren found himself labeled a 'flight risk that could be a threat', and as a result I get ordered to follow him out here as both a support system and an overseer of sorts.

I mean come on! I'm the YOUNGER of us two brothers, yet I have to oversee my older brother over something he didn't even really do! How messed up can you get!? However, that guy was NOWHERE near dying. At worst, he had a bit of a nasty scrape on his head and that was it, but that was his own fault for being a drunken fool." Kusa said huffily, explaining his and Ren's circumstances to Takamaki who blinked at this but nodded her understanding and spoke up once Kusa was finished speaking.

"I can honestly believe that, Kusa. I kinda had a feeling those rumors were just exaggerations. You and your brother seemed lonely- almost like you didn't belong anywhere...We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to the two of you." Takamaki said before sighing as she spoke up once more.

"Is there really no way for me to help Shiho?" Takamaki said to Ren and Kusa, the former of which spoke up.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done for it from us. However, if Kamoshida were to change his mind, or even his heart, that could be in and of itself a possible way to help Suzui-san, though again, that's all theoretical since it's unlikely to actually happen given this is Kamoshida we're talking about here." Ren said dryly as Kusa nodded.

"Yeah, Kamoshida voluntarily changing his ways is about as likely to happen as you getting hit on by a talking cat, and that's an impossibility in and unto itself as well." Kusa joked. Takamaki smiled as she spoke up.

"That's true. I wish he'd just change his mind...Like, forget about me, and everything..." Takamaki said before leaning back and huffing dryly as she spoke up more.

"As if something like that could ever happen..." Takamaki said as both Kusa and Ren spoke up.

"You never know, Takamaki-san. Anything is possible after all. It could happen." Kusa said as Ren scoffed.

"Don't be naive, Kusa. That's too convenient." Ren said dryly as Takamaki chuckled softly as she spoke up.

"I wasn't asking for a serious response. But...I do feel a bit better now. ...I'm gonna head home." Takamaki said. Kusa smiled as he then spoke up.

"Glad to hear you're feeling better. As I said before, don't be afraid to reach out to us again if you need to. I can't speak for Ren, but I for one don't mind letting you vent like this, since everyone's gotta have someone to be able to dump things on to at least some extent." Kusa said with a smile as Takamaki nodded.

"Thank you, Kusa. I'll keep that in mind. Oh, but do me a favor? Don't tell anyone what I told you, okay? Either one of you." Takamaki said getting a nod from Ren as Kusa spoke up with a soft smile as he looked at Takamaki.

"I know this is a lot to ask of us when you don't know us that well yet Takamaki, but trust us, or at least trust me, this stays between us as far as I'm concerned." Kusa said. Takamaki nodded gratefully as she spoke up again.

"Thank you. I'll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida. Well...thanks, both of you." Takamaki said before surprising herself (and probably both Ren and Kusa as well) by wrapping each of them in a brief hug before leaving with a smile on her face as Ren and Kusa watched her go...

(Meanwhile, back at Shujin with Mishima and Shiho, neutral POV)

"Suzui...Are you leaving?" Shiho heard from behind her as she was walking along on her own, making her turn to face Mishima. Shiho blinked as she spoke to Mishima.

"What is it?" Shiho asked, and Mishima looked down as he answered her with a frown on his face.

"Mister Kamoshida is asking for you...He's in the PE faculty office." Mishima said as Shiho frowned before speaking up.

"What did he say?" Shiho asked Mishima who shook his head before answering Shiho.

"I don't know. Well...I have to go." Mishima said before turning and running off, leaving Shiho to sniffle a bit in fear. At that moment, her phone decided to go off. Shiho smiled when she saw who it was.

"Ann..." Shiho said before ignoring the call and heading towards Kamoshida's office...

(A bit later, back at LeBlanc with Kusa, Ren and Sojiro, neutral POV)

Sojiro frowned as he looked up from his paper when he heard the door open, seeing Kusa and Ren finally walk in as he frowned at them and spoke up.

"You're late. Where have you been?" Sojiro asked Ren and Kusa who looked at each other before the former spoke up.

"Sorry, Sakura-san. The trains were delayed." Ren said. Kusa then spoke up.

"That and some stuff came up and we had to end up cheering up a classmate which took us awhile. Regardless, sorry for our tardiness, Sakura-san." Kusa said politely. Sojiro frowned at this and huffed at Ren.

"Don't give me those lies, Ren. By the way, you haven't been hanging around any bad influences, have you?" Sojiro asked Ren, who shook his head.

"No, sir. If anything, Kusa and I actually made a friend." Ren said by way of explanation as Kusa nodded.

"Really, it felt more like we made several, even if a couple of them are still just acquaintances for now." Kusa said as Sojiro scoffed but chuckled.

"Huh. They've gotta be pretty strange to want to spend time with you, Ren." Sojiro said as Kusa huffed at this and spoke up.

"With all due respect Sakura-san, wouldn't that mean I'm strange since I don't mind spending time with Ren?" Kusa pointed out. Sojiro frowned at this but shrugged.

"Fair enough. Just make sure you're careful who your friends are. You don't want them ruining your life." Sojiro said sagely before stretching and yawning.

"Look at the time. Seriously, think about how I feel having to stay up here waiting for you." Sojiro said grumpily making Kusa wince as he spoke up.

"Sorry, Sakura-san." Kusa said apologetically, getting a nod from Sojiro as Ren made to head upstairs with Kusa close behind, but Sojiro sat his paper down and spoke up once more.

"Hey, I'm leaving. In the future, try not to come back so damn late. Understand?" Sojiro said as Kusa and Ren nodded their understanding before heading upstairs, where their phones immediately went off to signify a group text from Ryuji.

"So, whaddya think about what Morgana told us? I dunno if I get all that stuff about stealing desires...And Kamoshida's gonna turn like, brain dead if we mess this up, right? I mean, sure I'm pissed at him...But I dunno if I really wanna kill the guy..." Ryuji sent as Kusa and Ren looked at each other, the latter shrugging as the former sent a response.

"I get that you're reluctant to take another person's life, but what if that person was doing things that were not only endangering others but were outright immoral and outright unforgivable? Would you still be undecided then, Ryuji?" Kusa sent as Ren sent his own response.

"What Kusa means to say is we're not sure what to say to that. While I agree murder is always too much, sometimes people are just too dangerous to let live. Besides, have you found any other way to stop Kamoshida?" Ren sent. Kusa nodded approvingly to Ren's response as Ryuji eventually sent another response.

"Right...We ain't gonna settle anything at this rate. I'm thinking murder is a bit much though...Oh well...I'll try and see if I can come up with some other way tonight. See ya later." Ryuji sent as the group chat ended, and Kusa and Ren exchanged weary glances with each other with Kusa speaking up.

"Ugh, you nave NO idea how much I wanted to mention what that scumbag did to Takamaki to make a point to Ryuji, but we did promise her we'd keep what she told us to ourselves so I intend to honor that promise. But still, we need to stop that scumbag. The more I hear about what he's doing, the more it pisses me off." Kusa said in an agitated tone making Ren smile at him.

"Calm yourself, brother. No sense getting yourself worked up over this. You're just letting him win at that rate. Let's go to sleep so we can be at our peak for tomorrow, since we're going to have a lot to decide tomorrow..." Ren said to Kusa who nodded agreement as they laid down to go to bed...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom down goes another chapter! I know it was nearly all story stuff, and not much actual fighting this time, but some chapters will be like that. However, there WAS ample character development in here, between all the different scenes shown and Ren and Kusa's reactions to most of them and the other interactions, so that hopefully makes up for the lack of action a bit.

Before I get a bunch of reviews about it, let me make clear right now this much: Ann WILL NOT be dating either Ren OR Kusa. I have plans in mind for the two to have something of a shared brother/sister dynamic with her and most of the other female Thieves, aside from the thieves I have in mind for each of them to hook up with. Anyone who's been paying attention to Ann and Shiho's scenes in particular can probably guess what I have in mind for Ann as far as romance goes.

That having been said, I'm still undecided on who if anyone I'm going to pair Yusuke and Haru with, among other unpaired Thieves, but that's as far as I'm taking that for the sake of spoiler prevention. So yeah, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!