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!

23. Kitsune Artist Finale: Hearts & Hackers

A/N: sithlorde1988 here with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! I'll be honest right now, I have no idea what will be in this chapter given that a lot of the stuff that was being hyped up for arc 2 got dealt with in the last two chapters, so this in all likelihood might be a filler chapter more than anything else. But there is the chance Madarame's change of heart could get put in here, and if it does get slotted in here, then this is the last chapter of the Kitsune Artist arc, otherwise next chapter will probably be the final chapter of said arc. That said, time for the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way, shape or form (bar the OC Kusa/Draconis which he made and therefore does own), and the credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo so credit to them!

With that small disclaimer out of the way, on with chapter 23! Ideally, there might be a slightly longer A/N after the chapter so keep an eye out in case that happens! And on with the chapter!

Chapter 23: More Confidant Building and other potential filler-esque shenanigans! The Kitsune Artist part 11

(At Leblanc with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"Oh wait, didn't you say you switched out the movie you rented for another one, Ren?" Kusa asked Ren as he and Ren sat upstairs pondering what to do with the rest of their night since they knew they weren't leaving Leblanc as they'd just finished a Mementos run and for whatever reason Mementos runs take a good deal of energy to the point you won't be able to do much outside of the house. Ren nodded as he spoke up.

"That's correct. I swapped out for the only movie that was in stock, 'Guy McVer', which apparently ups Proficiency." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Makes sense, and you could use all the Proficiency you can get if what I've heard people saying about Ushimaru pelting you with chalk is true." Kusa said with a chuckle as Ren rolled his eyes.

"You're hilarious, Kusa. But to be fair, it's basically Ryuji's fault since he keeps initiating group chats in class and getting me caught for not paying attention." Ren pointed out as Kusa spoke up with a laugh.

"That's true Ren, but alternatively you could learn how to multi-task better instead so you don't get caught. When we have more time and I remember, I can give you some pointers on that if you like." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"So, I take it we're agreed on a movie night?" Ren asked Kusa who nodded as Morgana spoke up.

"Agreed. It's been a bit since we did one of those so I'm down. And as it's just the three of us, that makes it unanimous so movie night it is." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Cool. You start the movie and I'll go nip downstairs and see if Sakura-kun keeps any popcorn in the kitchen, though given that he mainly serves coffee and curry I doubt it." Kusa said as Ren nodded, popping in the movie. A few minutes later, Kusa came back up the stairs with a grin on his face as he carried a bowl of popcorn.

"Go figure Sakura-kun keeps some microwave popcorn in the pantry of all places. Maybe he isn't as strictly curry-focused as I thought? Either way, we're good to go." Kusa said as he took his usual seat, Morgana sitting in his lap as he set the popcorn bowl on a table he'd brought up and set up between himself and Ren, the two sharing popcorn as they watched the movie. Ren smirked as he watched the movie, which appeared to be a story about a man who never gives up, beating all odds with science and ingenuity. Kusa smirked as he spoke up.

"Is it me, or does this guy's ingenuity remind both of you of Morgana-sensei as well? Granted, I'm not sure that Morgana would've thought of some of the things this guy does." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana nodded, the latter speaking up.

"Whoa! He fixed the tank's crack with chocolate? How does he stay so calm at a time like that?" Morgana asked as Ren nodded his agreement and Kusa spoke up.

"It's called staying cool under pressure, something all of us Phantom Thieves, bar maybe Yusuke and Ann, have to get better at." Kusa said sagely as Ren and Morgana gave approving nods. After the movie was over (or at least the first disc was), Morgana spoke up, looking mostly at Ren as he spoke.

"Hey, hey! The protagonist knew just what to do, despite the crazy situation...Maybe you learned a thing or two about Proficiency from watching this drama." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as his Proficiency increased. After that, Morgana spoke up.

"Well then, it's starting to get late. Let's head to bed soon, okay?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former walking towards his bed to get changed into his pajamas, and the latter getting comfortable on the sofa after also changing into pajamas as he pulled out his phone for a private chat. After a bit, the two dozed off for the night...

(The next morning, on the train with Ren and Kusa)

"Ah... Ah-Achoo!" Morgana said as he sneezed, being careful to aim his sneeze at the window rather than at a person, though Kusa frowned as he heard it but spoke up.

"Bless you, Morgana." Kusa said so only Morgana would hear, getting a grateful nod from Morgana who looked at Ren as he spoke up.

"Sorry, I couldn't hold it in. You'll have to make some kind of excuse for me." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded. At that point the Train News came on over the intercom. Most of the headlines were random and not interesting, though Morgana's ears did perk up at a mention of Madarame's exhibit going on until June 5th as he spoke up.

"The Madarame exhibit goes on until June 5th... That's the end of this week. We'll show him what a change of heart means!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded and the rest of the train ride went by uneventfully...

(Later that day, after school with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, it seems Kusa had stuff to do so he went on ahead without us. So what's our plans for the afternoon?" Morgana asked Ren who looked a few things over before speaking up.

"Well, considering that of my Confidants, the only ones that I can rank up now from what I saw are Takemi, Ryuji or Ann, and I just ranked up both Ann and Takemi relatively recently, let's go see what Ryuji's up to." Ren decided as Morgana nodded approvingly.

"Fair enough, and if you end up hanging out with him, I can go pad off after Kusa if need be." Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably. Ren walked out of the classroom and saw Ryuji leaning against a wall by the nearby staircase, smirking as he walked over to Ryuji.

"Hey, what's up Ryuji? You look bored-ish just standing there." Ren said as Ryuji looked at Ren and spoke up after yawning.

"Sup? I'm really not diggin' all this sittin' around crap. Dude, I really wanna talk... or I guess more like vent. You wanna grab some ramen? I'll show you my go-to place." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.

"So, what do you plan on doing? Want to hang out with Ryuji?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded then spoke up to Ryuji.

"Well, I have some time, and I didn't exactly have much else on the agenda, so why not? I'm down to grab some ramen and hang with you, Ryuji." Ren said to Ryuji. Ryuji grinned on hearing this.

"Awesome! It's kinda far, but it's totally worth. The flavor's outta this world. Wanna get goin'? Anyways, it's in Ogikubo, so let's take the train over there." Ryuji said as Ogikubo's location was marked on Ren's map, or more specifically the hangout spot 'Ogikubo Ramen'. After that, Ren hopped a train to Ogikubo with Ryuji while Morgana padded off to find Kusa...

(In Ogikubo, with Ren and Ryuji)

"Ahhh! I love the feelin' of noodles slidin' down my throat! Sweat drippin' over my face! This shit's the best, man! Ramen is life! Light soup like this really gets your body goin' again after a good run, y'know. We used to come all the way out here after practice and...Uh, I guess that's all in the past..." Ryuji said, trailing off with a sigh as he kept speaking, changing the subject, Ren listening attentively.

"By the way, I've seen Nakaoka around a few times...But for some reason it don't look like he's gettin' along with the others." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"That a fact? Are you worried about him, Ryuji?" Ren asked Ryuji. Ryuji nodded and spoke up with a small smile.

"Yeah...Kinda. I've been thinkin' about what he said...How the whole track team was puttin' up with Kamoshida's shit...And how I effed it all up for 'em...I think he was right. They don't even got a club room anymore, so they've been storin' all their stuff behind the gym. They can't use any school gear either, so they just run laps around the block for practice. There ain't really a place for outcasts like that. I should know that better than anyone...It's good they're keeping their heads low now though. I don't want 'em endin' up like me." Ryuji said as Ren pondered this before speaking up.

"But I thought you were doing great, Ryuji? That said, I know how you feel man." Ren said. Ryuji blinked before nodding approvingly as he spoke up.

"Oh yeah... We're both outcasts here, huh? It's prolly tough just walkin' around school for you with all them rumors an' shit...Heh, we really don't belong anywhere...but y'know, maybe that ain't so bad after all. I guess now that I'm thinkin' about it, tryin' to fit in is a real pain in the ass. I mean, I'd never've met you guys if I wasn't an outcast, right? So, uh...it's all good." Ryuji said, before laughing at the confused look on Ren's face as he kept speaking.

"For real though, it's been a shit ton of fun! Hangin' out with you guys is so freakin' cool!" Ryuji said as Ren sweatdropped at Ryuji's enthusiasm, though he did note with a wry smile that his bond with Ryuji was growing deeper. At that moment, the 'Chariot' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his Chariot Confidant link with Ryuji had reached Rank 4, and as a result, Ryuji had helped Ren gain the ability to use 'Stealth Dash' to make it less likely to be found in the Metaverse while dashing. After that, Ryuji spoke up again.

"Hmm...I just hope there's something I can do to help those track guys. Though it'd prolly mess 'em up if i tried to butt in..." Ryuji said, trailing off as he blinked and spoke up again, as Ren gave him a neutral look.

"Oh yeah, we still gotta find a new spot for our trainin'. Hm...I'll think about it. No slackin' off until then, mkay?" Ryuji said as Ren nodded his agreement at which point Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Good. That being said, see ya later, dude." Ryuji said as Ren and Ryuji went their ways for the day, the former heading back towards Leblanc...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Ren walked into Leblanc, giving Sojiro a curt nod by way of greeting as his phone went off, signifying a group chat with Yusuke, Ann, Kusa and Ryuji, but surprisingly so it was actually Yusuke who was the one to initiate the chat this time.

"I assume you are all curious, so I'm sending you an update, just in case. Madarame is still bedridden. He hasn't spoken a single word. My apologies for not being able to provide anything more solid..." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"C'mon, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it. ...It is June already though." Ryuji sent as Ann and Kusa sent responses close together, Ann's coming in first.

"The exhibition will be ending soon..." Ann said as Kusa's response came in.

"That's true, Ann. However, if Madarame's as bedridden as Yusuke says he is, odds are better than fair that he might not recover in time to make good on his threat, so worst case we earned ourselves a stay of execution on Madarame's threat, so to speak." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth, Kusa! Also, at least it doesn't seem like Madarame's had a mental shutdown. But there's no point if he don't have a change of heart and call off that legal action bullshit." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"Was this how it was when you defeated Kamoshida?" Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response at that point after mulling the question over.

"Not exactly. For one, Kamoshida wasn't bedridden after we defeated him, though he DID put himself under house arrest of a sort for a few days after we beat him. So while it's similar to that, this isn't exactly the same." Ren sent. Ann then sent a response at that point.

"You think so? Kamoshida did confine himself in his home..." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Either way, there has been no palpable progress. It appears only the target themselves can tell whether or not their heart has changed." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"It's a goddamn pain in the ass, but yeah. We just gotta hear from Madarame himself what the deal is." Ryuji sent as both Kusa and Ann sent messages, Kusa's coming through first this time.

"Agreed. At this point, all we can do is be patient and hope for the best. That said, make sure the door's unlocked will you, Ren? I'm on my way back to Leblanc now. Got a bit sidetracked and lost track of time." Kusa sent as Ann's response went through as Ren's response was sent right after.

"Yeah, there's nothing we can really do...Let's just try waiting a little longer." Ann sent as Ren's response went through.

"Exactly. All we can do now is wait, keep the faith, and believe that things will work out for the best. Also, no problem Kusa, the door is still unlocked. So just come on in when you get here." Ren sent as he put his phone away, right as it went off again, this time to signify a private chat from Mishima.

"Hey, you didn't forget, did you!? You know, about that flyer! We need to look into the truth about that housekeeping service. I'm over at Central Street right now, so come talk to me if you're interested." Mishima sent as Ren winced as he remembered the poster that Ryuji and Mishima wanted his help with. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"Looks like Mishima's waiting for us in Shibuya? Do you think we should go see him?" Morgana said as Ren stroked his chin before speaking up.

"I had planned on doing other things, but I guess in this case, there's no time like the present." Ren said with a nod as he sent a response to Mishima.

"Fair point. I'll be there soon." Ren sent as Mishima quickly sent a response.

"KK. I'll be waiting! Oh, but...don't flake out on me, OK? Please!" Mishima sent as Ren rolled his eyes as he read the response. Ren then turned around and headed to Shibuya...

(In Shibuya with Mishima and Ren)

Ren walked over and spoke up to Mishima as he got to Shibuya.

"What's up, Mishima?" Ren asked Mishima who spoke up.

"'I heard the pollen is really bad this year...Are you okay, Amamiya? You'd seriously look like a criminal if you had one of those allergy masks to go along with your cool glasses! So we're executing Operation Maidwatch tonight for sure, right?" Mishima asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"Hell yeah. I did have other plans, but might as well get it done while I remember." Ren said. Mishima nodded happily as he spoke up.

"Sweet! I've been waiting for this! ...Wait, you already changed out of your uniform? I guess that's a pretty good idea...We're meeting over at Sakamoto's place, right Let's stop by mine beforehand so I can change too." Mishima said as Ren nodded and the two went to Mishima's house so he could change before heading to Ryuji's place...

(At the vacant apartment near Ryuji's place, with Ren, Ryuji and Mishima)

"S-So we're really gonna do this, huh...? You think it'll be okay?" Mishima said as Ryuji laughed before speaking up with a huge grin on his face.

"Operation Maidwatch, bro!" Ryuji said as Mishima chuckled nervously while nodding and speaking up.

"Y-Yeah! Operation Maidwatch!" Mishima said as Ryuji spoke up with a smirk.

"If it turns out to be sketchy, we can just bail. The apartment's vacant, so it's not like we'll be messing with anyone's home." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Not gonna lie, still a bit worried...but that aside, you're a genius to think of this, Ryuji!" Ren said. Ryuji nodded and grinned as he spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ryuji said as Mishima spoke up.

"To think...Sakamoto has a brain. But if that's the case, then..." Mishima said, trailing off as Ryuji grinned and spoke up hopefully.

"Then..." Ryuji said as Mishima spoke up with a smile.

"Yep!" Mishima said as Ren gave Mishima a confused look before Ryuji spoke up.

"Okay, give 'em a call!" Ryuji said to Ren who thought about it before nodding.

"Leave it to me." Ren said as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. After a bit, a male voice answered the phone.

"Thank you for calling! This is Victoria's Housekeeping!" The male voice said as Mishima gasped and spoke up.

"They answered!" Mishima said quietly with wide eyes as Ryuji shushed him. Ren then kept listening as the male voice spoke up again.

"I take it you're interested in our services, then?" The male voice asked as Mishima spoke up again quietly.

"S-services...!" Mishima said in surprise as the male voice kept speaking.

"Is there anyone in particular you'd like to request?" The male voice asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Eh? A-Anyone we want to request!? What should we do, Ren!?" Ryuji asked Ren. Ren shrugged as he answered the male voice, making his voice sound deeper as an afterthought.

"I have no real preference on who you send honestly." Ren said as the male voice spoke up once more.

"Very well! Let's see here...We have a maid available in...20 minutes. May I ask for your address?" The male voice said as Ren got the address from Ryuji and gave it to the male voice who nodded and told Ren a maid would be there in around 30 to 40 minutes as Ren nodded, thanked the male voice, and hung up as Ryuji spoke up.

"Whoa...Shit...This is really happening..." Ryuji said as Mishima spoke up.

"A maid's 'services'...Hey...What should we have her do? I was thinking we start with some cooking...Of course I wouldn't mind some of the other services either...Should we hold a strategy meeting to discuss?" Mishima said as Ryuji spoke up.

"They said 20 minutes, right? Ugh, I gotta use the bathroom..." Ryuji said as he disappeared to do just that, leaving Ren and Mishima to awkwardly make small talk until he eventually returned and Mishima spoke up.

"I-It's almost time...You were in there for a while...Are you okay? Hey, did you wash your hands?" Mishima asked Ryuji as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"I'm sure he did, and as for him being in there for a long time, I can probably guess just why he was in there that long, but I won't say my guess since that's his business." Ren said as Ryuji frowned at Mishima while giving Ren a grateful nod as he spoke up.

"...Huh? What? Who? Me?" Ryuji said as Mishima spoke up with a smirk.

"You're really nervous. Ahaha... haha... uh...Are high school students even allowed to use this type of service?" Mishima asked uncertainly as Ren blinked and spoke up.

'You're thinking of that NOW!? Shouldn't you have considered that before we cooked up this plan, Mishima!?" Ren asked Mishima who blinked but nodded.

"Fair point, Ren." Mishima said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Huh?" Ryuij asked as Mishima and Ren gaped at his response and the latter spoke up in disbelief and shock.

"WHAT!? What do you mean, 'Huh'!? You should've researched it!" Mishima said as Ren spoke up with a grin.

"Ryuji? Do research? That's not his style, man. That'd be like if we asked Ann to lay off the sweets or asked Kusa to not be a snark lord-not gonna happen." Ren said as Ryuji nodded agreeably as Mishima spoke up nervously.

"What if they find out who we are!?" Mishima said as Ren spoke up.

"Relax, Mishima. Worst case, we just say it was Ryuji's idea, which to be fair it WAS his idea. But I think as long as we don't ask for anything inapprorpriate, we should be okay." Ren said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.

"How should I know!? But why would how old you are matter when it comes to housekeeping?" Ryuji asked. Mishima looked at Ren as he spoke up.

"We would've been screwed if your number had shown up on their caller ID..." Mishima said as the doorbell rang and a woman's voice could be heard.

"Good evening...I'm from the housekeeping service." The voice of the maid that Ren had requested could be heard as Mishima spoke up with wide eyes.

"What!? Already!? She's five minutes early!" Mishima said in surprise. He then kept speaking.

"What do we do!? I'm not mentally prepared!" Mishima said as the woman's voice could be heard again as she spoke up.

"Oh, the door's unlocked...? Um, may I come in...?" The woman asked as Ryuji turned to Ren and spoke up.

"I-I can't do this...! My stomach's actin' up! And my hands are all sweaty! Okay, you handle the rest...And don't let her find out you're a high-school student. I"ve got your back! Just...From way back! Like, from the balcony!" Ryuji said. Mishima looked at Ryuji in horror as he too spoke up.

"Wh-What? I can't do this either! Amamiya, we'll leave it to you!" Mishima said as he and Ryuji darted out the back as Ren gaped before yelling after them, careful to keep his voice deep so as to sell the illusion he wasn't a high-school student.

"What do you mean, you'll leave it to me!? Huh? Hey, what the hell?! GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARDS!" Ren yelled as Ryuji and Mishima darted off towards the balcony as the woman let herself in and spoke up to get Ren's attention.

"Excuse me...Oh, there you are! Welcome home, Master." The maid said as she curtsied while Ren kept his back to her, wincing as he realized he recognized the woman's voice from somewhere. The woman then kept speaking as if Ren wasn't keeping his back to her. *1*

"I'm going to fill your tired heart full of lovely energy. Meow! I'm Becky, and I have the pleasure of serving you today." The maid said. Ren sighed as he eventually spoke up, keeping his voice deeper than it normally was so as not to tip off the now-named Becky that he was in fact a high-school student.

"Hello...Nice to mee-ow-t you." Ren said, deciding to go with a pun to try and gauge Becky's reaction and hopefully not give away his identity. Becky just smiled as she spoke up.

"We're going to get along so well! Meeeooowww!" Becky said as she kept speaking.

"Oh my...how thoughtless of me! I should explain our services to you, Master! What would you like me to do today? The basics include cooking, cleaning, laundry...But there are other 'services' we provide if you desire." Becky said as she walked over to get a closer look at Ren, frowning as she spoke up after noticing he seemed younger than she was expecting.

"Hmmm? You look young, Master...Are you...perhaps...in high school?" Becky asked Ren who winced at the question as he sighed before speaking up, realizing there was no point in keeping the charade up as he spoke up.

"So, you figured it out. You're one smart cookie, Becky. Yes, I'm a high-schooler. I wasn't trying to say as much at first because to be honest I wasn't sure high-schoolers were allowed to use this service, and my friend found one of your flyers lying around so we got curious and tried it out." Ren said honestly. Becky chuckled as she spoke up.

"Oh Master, you're sooo funny! ...Wait, that WAS a joke, right...?" Becky asked, only to frown when Ren made no move to say it was a joke. She then spoke up again after a bit.

"Hmm, I'll wait to provide those other 'services' until you've matured a bit, Master. Sooo...I'll be going now." Becky said as she curtsied once again, only to frown as she heard Ryuji's voice from the balcony.

"Wh-What!? No!" Ryuji's voice could be heard as Mishima's voice was then heard rebuking him.

"Quiet...!" Mishima hissed as he rebuked Ryuji, making Becky frown as she walked over towards the back window and spoke up as Ren winced at Ryuji and Mishima's crummy timing while Becky spoke.

"I-Is someone there!?" Becky asked as Mishima's voice could be heard at that point.

"Oh no...!" Mishima said as Ryuij's voice answered him at that point making Ren groan and quietly swear under his breath at what he heard from Ryuji's mouth.

"Shit! Run, Mishima!" Ryuji said as he and Mishima ran for it making Becky frown as she spoke up.

"Mishima? Sakamoto-kun?" Becky said before she blinked and turned to Ren.

"...And you!?" Becky said, only then seeming to recognize Ren somewhat as she spoke up, her voice not nearly so demure and friendly as it had previously been.

"Did you request me specifically?" Becky asked, making Ren frown as he suddenly realized why her voice sounded familiar, making him swear profusely under his breath.

"No, I didn't specifically request you. But I also did tell the guy on the phone I had no preference on who he sent, so I'm guessing you were picked because you were the first available maid. But never mind that. Are you who I think you are?" Ren asked Becky who shook her head and tried to deny Ren's suspicion by speaking up.

"Oh no, it's all right. How would you know me? This is our first meeting. Yes, the first time ever Master." Becky said before sweatdropping and speaking up in a frustrated tone.

"Ugh, this is unbelievable...Yes, it's me...your homeroom teacher...I'm so done...I can't believe I got caught by some of my own students..." Becky said as Ren spoke up.

"To be fair Miss Kawakami, would you believe that it was Ryuji who caught you if anything? He was the one who found the poster and suggested we call the service to check things out. In his defense though, none of us, and I include you in that by the way, could've expected you'd be the maid they sent. We were just ascertaining the services and the like that this housekeeping service provides, mostly out of Ryuji and Mishima's curiosity. I only made the call so they wouldn't get themselves into trouble, though given they basically bailed on me, maybe I should've made them do it." Ren said huffily. Becky looked at Ren before speaking up.

"I should've taken a job outside of the city. But I needed it to be close to school so I could go there after I finished work...Who did you hear about this from?" Becky asked as her eyes narrowed and she kept speaking before Ren could answer her.

"Oh! It was Miss Chouno, wasn't it!? That harpy...!" Becky said as Ren gave Becky a confused look and she explained.

"Miss Chouno, the English teacher...She's been snooping on all the teachers ever since that incident with Mr. Kamoshida. ...Are you going to tell Miss Chouno about this?" Becky asked Ren who blinked and spoke up.

"What do you mean? Why would I say a word about this to Miss Chouno? I barely speak to her as it is and then only in classes where necessary. I wouldn't dream of telling a soul about this." Ren said. Becky gave Ren a scrutinizing look as she spoke up.

"Hmmm... It doesn't seem like you're playing dumb...In any case, I'll get in big trouble if you tell on me. ...Hey, if you're going to side with a teacher, side with me. I'm in charge of your class, after all. And if you promise not to tell Miss Chouno about this, I'll do anything for you!" Becky said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Anything, you say? I assume that there's an unspoken 'within reason' attached to that anything, so I won't try to take advantage of it that much if at all. That's not how I roll, after all." Ren said honestly. Becky gave Ren an uncertain/wary look at his response before she spoke up with a huff.

"Hey...It won't be any better for you if people find out that you called a maid service. This isn't even your home address to begin with, is it? I guess you at least thought about that. Well, I'll promise to keep this a secret too... so why don't we both forget this ever happened? I'll treat this as if you had canceled so you won't have to pay anything. Okay?

On that note, I'll be leaving! Don't say anything about this at school, okay!? Just act as if nothing ever happened! Got it? Okay, bye!" Becky said as she walked off, leaving Ren both confused and inexplicably exhausted, making him want to return to Leblanc for the night, which he did as he laid down, noticing Morgana curled up contentedly against Kusa's chest as the two dozed before he fell asleep...

(The next day, between trains, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As Ren and Kusa went to get off to change lines for the second train to school, they found Niijima walking up to them as she spoke up.

"Hey, I want to ask you something. Why did Mister Kamoshida change all of a sudden?" Niijima asked as Ren and Kusa spoke up.

"Because he grew a conscience, of course." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Not to mention, he finally realized how screwed up what he was doing was. So even if he was a piece of trash in the end, at least he was man enough to own up to it and take responsibility. For that alone, he has a small amount of my respect. But only in that regard. Does that answer your question, Niijima-san?" Kusa said to Niijima who blinked and spoke up, looking mostly at Ren as she spoke.

"So you say, Amamiya-kun the younger. And Amamiya-kun the elder, is that your hypothesis? It's still too sudden...I believe it's only natural to think that something must have caused it." Niijima said as Kusa spoke up.

"Yeah, and that something is called guilt. Or is it that hard for you to believe that Kamoshida might have finally been hit with the enormity and weight of all his crimes and decided to finally be a man and own up to what he did? I can understand your skepticism though since I'd probably be uncertain about it myself had I not seen his confession myself at that assembly." Kusa said as Niijima spoke up with a nod.

"Indeed? Well, that's fine. Thanks for your valuable opinions. I'll take them into account." Niijima said as the trio headed to school...

(After school with Ren and Morgana)

"The pollen's bad today... I bet it's affecting Mementos, too." Morgana said. He then kept speaking as he recalled something Ren had told him and Kusa on the way to school.

"Oh yeah...Hey, there was something going on with Kawakami, wasn't there? Something involving Chouno...I'm not sure what's going on, but maybe you should ask her about it?" Morgana suggested as Ren nodded.

"Maybe...we'll see." Ren said as Morgana spoke up once more.

"She's probably still at school, right? Let's go look for her." Morgana said as Ren reluctantly nodded and eventually found Kawakami and Chouno talking outside of the faculty office, making him duck off to the side to listen in.

"Miss Kawakami, I already know..." Chouno said to Kawakami as Morgana spoke up.

"Kawakami's been driven into a corner by Chouno! Let's talk to her so we can help her out." Morgana said as Ren nodded, walking over to speak to Kawakami as she spoke to Chouno.

"As I've been saying...Get home safely, Amamiya-kun. Well then, I have another matter to attend to, so I must excuse myself..." Kawakami said as Chouno spoke up.

"No! We're not finished talking yet!" Chouno said as Kawakami spoke up with a sigh.

"Ugh, but, so...but I..." Kawakami said, unable to really think of what to say as Chouno kept speaking.

"There's been a series of scandals on this campus. We're all being called into question. And yet you leave work earlier than anyone-and you barely make it to the faculty meetings! Explain yourself! Don't tell me you're out running around at night!?" Chouno said to Kawakami as Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm...Kawakami's being grilled by Chouno. She said she'd do anything if we helped her out, so let's clear up Chouno's suspicions." Morgana said as Chouno noticed Ren and spoke up.

"The school's closing soon, Mister Amamiya. Head on home before it gets late. Or did you need something from Miss Kawakami?" Chouno said as Ren spoke up.

"Actually, yeah I had a question for her." Ren said as both Chouno and Kawakami gave him surprised looks and the former spoke up.

"What?" Chouno said as Ren gave Kawakami a look that said 'play along!' so Kawakami did just that as she spoke up.

"Huh...? Oh! Y-you have another question!?" Kawakami said as Chouno arched an eyebrow as she spoke up.

"Another question?" Chouno asked as Kawakami smirked and spoke up.

"Th-That's right! Amamiya-kun's questions are complicated, so I take time at night to help him..." Kawakami explained as Chouno spoke up.

"So you're giving individual lessons outside of school hours, hm? What passion! You are the ideal teacher! A passionate teacher is exactly what we need at this school. I'm sorry for suspecting you. Well then, keep up the hard work, you two." Chouno said as she walked off and Kawakami turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Hmm...she just kind of convinced herself...But that did clear up her suspicions, so...thanks. Could you come with me for a bit?" Kawakami said as Ren nodded and followed her to a different area of the school, where Kawakami spoke up.

"I can't talk about this at school...This is the address and phone number of my night job." Kawakami said as Ren blinked as he got Kawakami's phone number. Kawakami then spoke up.

"Call at night and request me. Just be careful that it doesn't show up in your call history though, okay?" Kawakami said as Morgana spoke up with a grin.

"HEY! Yeah, you did it! No call history means a public telephone. Let's call from Leblanc's yellow phone. Let's call Kawakami when you're free and invite her to meet you at your room!" Morgana said as Kawakami spoke up again.

"Well..Okay, I have to go." Kawakami said as she walked off, making Ren breathe a sigh of relief that that didn't take up his afternoon. After some thought, he decided to go to the clinic after telling Morgana to go pad off and find Kusa, which he did. After that, Ren approached the window of the clinic and spoke to Takemi who looked up and spoke up.

"Allergies are so bad, aren't they? How are your allergies?" Takemi asked Ren. She then brought up her medicine that in theory would eliminate allergies with just one dose. She then looked at Ren.

"So, what are you here for today?" Takemi asked Ren who spoke up.

"I want to do a clinical trial." Ren said to Takemi who nodded and spoke up.

"I made some refinements to the medicine. Could I have you come in?" Takemi said as Ren nodded.

"In that case, go into the exam-Huh?" Takemi said as a man's voice could be heard at that moment.

"So, this is the Takemi Medical Clinic of Internal Medicine? I'm glad it's still open. Sorry, but I have a child I need to have examined..." The man said as Takemi looked at Ren and spoke up.

"...Looks like I have a patient with an emergency." Takemi said as Ren nodded understandingly. Takemi then spoke to the man.

"So, why come here? Aren't you under the care of another hospital?" Takemi asked the man who spoke up.

"I've heard rumors about this place. I'd like for you to examine her. She was diagnosed with bronchitis, but the medicine she was given hasn't been working at all. She has a fever that won't go away and she's losing weight because she's not hungry..." The man said as Takemi spoke up understandingly.

"A young girl losing weight is definitely not good. You should go to a bigger hospital. I can't provide a thorough examination here." Takemi said as the man spoke up.

"We've been going to a big hospital! A university hospital in East Shinjuku! But all they tell us is that it's persistent bronchitis!" The man said as Takemi gasped and looked at him as she spoke up in surprise.

"A university hospital in East Shinjuku?" Takemi repeated with slightly widened eyes. The man nodded as he spoke up.

"The doctor there performs exams like he's on an assembly line. I think he's famous or something..." The man said as Takemi spoke up.

"A famous doctor, huh? I'm just a general practitioner out here in the sticks. As you can see, I don't even have any staff." Takemi said as the man spoke up in a desperate tone.

"W-Wait! I've heard there's a medicine that can only be acquired here! Please! I'll pay you! Please, at least just examine her!" The man said to Takemi, whose eyes went wide as she spoke up.

"Hey! H-Hold on." Takemi said as the girl chose that moment to start coughing and speak up.

"Doctor... My chest really hurts..." The girl said as Takemi looked at the girl with a slight frown as Ren spoke up.

"Far be it from me to speak out of turn, but if I know one thing for sure, it's that you'll be okay since Doctor Takemi will help, even if that help only goes so far as a once-over and a recommendation of another place to get better help." Ren said. Takemi looked at Ren in surprise as she spoke up.

'Wha-What!?" Takemi said as the girl's father spoke up.

"Doctor...!" The girl's dad said as Takemi sighed and spoke up reluctantly.

"Ugh, fine..." Takemi said as she looked the girl over and spoke up.

"Hmm...Is your vision blurry? How about your throat, does it hurt? Hm. No signs of swelling." Takemi said as she fixed the girl's father with a look and spoke up.

"Are you sure you've told me everything about her symptoms and treatments you've tried so far?" Takemi asked the girl's father who spoke up with a nod.

"Yes, I'm sure!" The girl's father said as Takemi spoke up.

"Hmmm..." Takemi said as she took her phone out and made a call, speaking up as she heard someone answer on the other end.

"Hello, Uehara-san? Is Doctor Schweitzer there? There's something I'd like to ask him about a case that was in last month's medical journal." Takemi said as she listened to the voice on the other end before nodding and speaking up.

"I see. Guess the ones i stock will have to do..." Takemi said as she turned to Ren and spoke up.

"There's a shelf by the reception desk. Bring the contents of the second drawer into the exam room." Takemi said as Ren gave her a curious and confused look as she spoke up.

"You'll have to help me administer the medicine. Also bring the beaker with the red label in the fridge, a towel, wash basin and measuring spoon...Well fine, what are you waiting for? Get moving!" Takemi said as Ren rushed to do as he was told. After a bit, he and Takemi had administered the medicine to the sick girl, whose father spoke up in awe and shock as he gave Takemi a happy look and spoke up.

"Th-Thank you so much! I didn't expect her to recover so quickly..." The girl's father said as Takemi spoke up.

"It was a very unique strain of an infectious disease. It can't be detected by conventional exams. I temporarily suppressed the symptoms. We'll make adjustments as her condition improves. Okay, that'll be one million yen for today." Takemi said as both Ren and the girl's father gaped at this, the latter speaking up.

"A-A million yen!? Th-That's outrageous! You're completely taking advantage of...I mean, all right...I agreed to pay. You don't...take credit cards...do you? I'll go withdraw some cash right now!" The girl's father said as Takemi blinked at this and spoke up.

"Wh-What!? Huh? Wait, you're actually going to pay? By the way, that famous doctor you mentioned earlier...Was it Medical Chief of Staff Oyamada?" Takemi asked the girl's father, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, I am a man of my word and I did say I'd pay you. Also, yes it is...Are you familiar with him?" The girl's father asked. Takemi nodded and spoke up.

"I knew it. In that case, I'll make this free of charge." Takemi said as Ren and the girl's father blinked at this, the latter speaking up.

"F-Free!?" The girl's father said in shock as Takemi chuckled and spoke up.

"Hehe." Takemi said as Ren spoke up with a smirk.

"Well, you seem happy." Ren said. Takemi nodded as she spoke up.

"Doesn't it feel good? Treating his patient without permission. ...By the way, thanks to your outburst earlier...I'm going to perform a very special exam on you today..." Takemi said as Ren gulped and sweatdropped as the girl's father blinked and spoke up.

"So, is he your... assistant? He seems awfully young..." The girl's father said as Takemi nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, my assistant... guinea pig. He's about to put in a LOT of hard work today. Aren't you?" Takemi said as Ren sweatdropped and nodded as he noted that his bond with Takemi had deepened. At that moment, the 'Death' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV" to signify Ren's Death Confidant link with Takemi reaching Rank 4. After that, the sick girl spoke up.

"Um, Doctor? Can I go back to school now?" The girl asked Takemi. Takemi shook her head.

"Not for a while. You need to start eating and regain your strength first. Can you do that for me?" Takemi asked as the girl nodded and spoke up.

"Yes! Thank you, Doctor!" The sick girl said happily as Takemi chuckled and spoke up.

"Don't mention it..." Takemi said as she turned to Ren.

"Your turn. I wonder what kind of response you'll have this time...Maybe you won't even be able to make it home..." Takemi said as Ren sweatdropped, though he did note that doing the clinical trial had increased his Guts, which did go up slightly. After that, Takemi spoke up.

"Okay, good work today. Bye." Takemi said as Ren nodded and headed back, only for his phone to ring as he was at the door of Leblanc, making him answer it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone. Sure enough, it was Takemi.

"How are you feeling now? Today's drug was kind of a rough one, huh? But maybe it was just what my careless little guinea pig deserved, huh? Especially after approving that girl's consultation without my permission." Takemi said pointedly as Ren winced and spoke up.

"Sorry, Doctor Takemi. I'll reflect on my mistakes." Ren said contritely. Takemi spoke up with an approving tone in her voice.

"Good boy. But I'm only letting this go today. Don't pull anything like that again. The drug does seem to be more stable compared to the early stages, though. It's probably thanks to your cooperation. Feels like I'm almost there, so... try not to die just yet, okay?" Takemi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"All right, Doctor. I'll do my best not to die on you." Ren said honestly as Takemi laughed and spoke up.

"All right. Take care." Takemi said as she hung up the phone, Ren doing the same on his end as he went into Leblanc as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! Actually, didn't Kawakami give you her phone number? You going to call her?" Morgana asked Ren who spoke up.

"Nah, not yet Morgana. Pretty sure I need a bit more Guts before I do that." Ren said as he looked over his options. After some consideration, he saw the orator he and Ryuji had walked past previously and decided to listen to what he had to say.

"Please, listen...There have been far too many incidents recently to ignore! Can anyone deny this!? The runaway-train incident, mysterious psychotic breakdowns, a school with a corrupt teacher...We have yet to discover the truth of it all! The apathy that permeates society is a direct result of negligence by our government and the media." The orator said as he noticed Ren listening and spoke up with a smile.

"You...You're listening quite attentively. Are you interested in politics?" The orator asked Ren who thought about it.

"I can't say I'm not interested, because I've considered it from time to time. But I was just passing by and figured I'd hear what you had to say." Ren said. The orator nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Are you a student? I'm delighted to captivate the interest of someone your age...Hmm, I could use the help of a young person, but I can't hire someone without any experience. I'm sorry about that. However, I'd be happy if you stopped by to hear one of my speeches again. Well then, that's all for today. I'm heading to the beef bowl shop..." The orator said as he left. Morgana then spoke up.

"Hey, have you noticed? That guy was at the beef bowl shop before. If you work part-time at the beef bowl shop, perhaps he'll let you help him." Morgana said. Ren nodded to Morgana's point. After a bit to consider, he went and put in a shift at the beef bowl shop. After a bit, Morgana spoke up.

"What did you say!? Hey, look...There's a ton of customers coming in all of a sudden. You're going to be bombarded with orders at this rate. Make sure you memorize them all!" Morgana said as the customers ordered a large barbecue bowl, a medium curry bowl, a medium barbecue bowl, and a medium hui guo rou bowl respectively. At that point, Morgana spoke up again as Ren ran around doing his work.

"A-All right. Stay calm and remember the orders!" Morgana said as he had Ren repeat the orders back to him. After he did that Morgana spoke up again.

"Yeah, you're right! That was the order! All right, now you just have to make everything and serve them!" Morgana said. To Ren's surprise, as he finished the orders, he heard someone speak up, and looked over to see the orator from before.

"You! You appeared to have a difficult time there. Can't you ask your manager to hire more people? You were extremely busy...Employees being overworked is becoming a real problem in the workplace. That's concerning...Hm, I should remember this. Well then, I'll see you again. I'll leave my payment here. Thank you for the food." The orator said as he left his payment and walked out as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, hey! Wasn't that the politician who gives speeches in front of the station? He was worried about employees in the workplace, huh? Well, I think he knows who you are now. We should go to the station square again sometime soon." Morgana said as Ren nodded before finishing his shift and reporting to his manager to collect his payment as his manager spoke up..

"My, my...Whoa, good work! It seems there were a lot of customers today, but you handled it well on your own! The thing is, we consistently get a lot of customers on Yakiniku Day, so...no one wants to work on that day. Thanks in advance! I paid you a little extra today. Good work, keep it up!" The manager said to Ren who pocketed his 8,800 yen payment with a smile and a nod. After the manager left, Morgana spoke up.

"Man...You were amazing today, dealing with so many orders! I'm sure it was rough, but I think you handled it all quite proficiently!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and grinned as he felt his Proficiency get a sufficient boost to rank up from rank 2, 'Decent', to rank 3, 'Skilled'. Morgana then spoke up.

"Phew...Well, I guess we should go home soon." Morgana said as Ren nodded and went back to Leblanc with Morgana where he changed into his pajamas and went to bed, smirking at the sight of Morgana curling up on the chest of a content-looking Kusa...

(The next day, on the train to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"Hey! Ah wow, we were all able to grab a seat! Why don't you read something until we get there? Kusa will probably keep himself busy with his phone." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, already in the middle of a private chat as Morgana had spoken up. Ren nodded as he continued reading 'Zorro, the Outlaw'.

"Although his opponent was a true villain, he still behaved as a perfect gentleman..." Ren read to himself as Morgana spoke up.

"Yup! Make sure you pay extra-close attention to how totally awesome Zorro is." Morgana said as Ren nodded and kept reading to himself. After a bit, Morgana spoke up.

"So, you've finished reading 'Zorro, the Outlaw.' Hey, hey! Zorro was not only strong in mind and body, but he also cared greatly for the common people. Hmm, it seems you really understand the qualities that made Zorro so great." Morgana said as Ren nodded as his Kindness increased. Morgana then spoke up once more.

"Hmm? Oh, we're almost at the station. I'd say that was an efficient use of your time." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the group went to school...

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

"Boy it sucks being stuck inside this bag...I wish I could take Lady Ann out to do something..." Morgana said as Ren rolled his eyes before seeing he had a message and checking it. He saw it was Ryuji and sighed, looking over the map to see who else could be ranked up, and raising an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Maruki was available. He shrugged, figuring he'd do that, but first he went to the library to return 'Zorro, The Outlaw' and in it's place he borrowed a book called 'Pirate Legend'. After that, Ren went to the Practice Building to find Maruki. Maruki smiled as he saw Ren and spoke up as Ren walked up.

"Hey there! Oh? Are you heading home? My research is going really smoothly. It's surprising how well it's been going, thanks to our discussions. I was actually hoping you could help me out again today." Maruki said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"What're you going to do? Are you going to help Maruki with his research?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded and spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Yep. I might as well help him since I'm here. If you don't want to sit through this, you can go find Kusa or something, Morgana." Ren said as Morgana nodded and padded off to go find Kusa as Maruki spoke up.

"Huh, that's one smart cat you've got there, Amamiya-kun. But never mind that, thank you! I'm so happy to hear that you're willing to help me! This is just the week for things coming up great for me." Maruki said with a smile, confusing Ren who spoke up.

"Coming up great, Doc? I assume something else good happened for you to feel that way?" Ren asked as Maruki nodded.

"Indeed. But let's go into the office to discuss that, or better yet the courtyard. Let's talk in the courtyard. I've been stuck in the nurse's office for the longest time, and I want a change of pace." Maruki said as Ren nodded agreeably and the two headed to the courtyard...

(At the courtyard with Maruki and Ren)

"Well, Amamiya-kun, I just found out how scary cats can be, despite their cuteness..." Maruki said confusing Ren who spoke up.

"Not to be rude Doc, but what are you talking about?" Ren asked. Maruki smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, it happened on my way to school this morning...I spotted a kitten that had gotten itself stuck up in a tree. I tried rescuing it since I felt bad for it, but I ended up with the clawing of a lifetime for the effort. I had no ideas a cat's claws were so sharp..." Maruki said as Ren winced, knowing that feeling all too well from the time Morgana had clawed him and Ryuji during a trip through the Metaverse for making jokes about him while helping carry Ann out of the Metaverse.

"I know, right? Those claws of theirs can hurt a lot if they turn them on you. But usually if you manage not to anger them, they can be quite even-tempered and comforting when they want to be, as Kusa knows full well from having to take care of Morgana." Ren said sympathetically as Maruki chuckled and spoke up.

"Ah, speaking from experience, eh? It really does hurt a lot...But I was able to rescue the kitten, so it was all still worthwhile. All I really have to do is make sure to put antibiotics on the scratches, anyway. Well, let's move on and talk about a different kind of pain. We discussed this for a bit last time we talked, actually: the pain felt within one's heart. There are all sorts of ways to identify and diagnose physical injuries and illnesses.

But when it comes to pains of the heart, we're working in unknown territory. There's so much we haven't learned yet. Treating trauma sure is difficult when it's invisible...If we could only somehow directly reduce emotional pain in a healthy way-like putting antibiotics on a scratch." Maruki said as Ren spoke up.

"That's true. Is that what you're researching, Doc?" Ren asked Maruki, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Oh, how astute of you! As a matter of fact, you're not too far off the mark. Unfortunate as it may be, we all know there's no topical medicine that can properly heal a heartache. Not only that-psychological issues are even more complex. Here, allow me to demonstrate...Oh, Amamiya-kun, woe is me! My heart is in such pain! It's like I'm being pierced through the chest!" Maruki said dramatically but quietly as Ren gave Maruki a confused look as he kept speaking.

"Oh my...I have such a torturous burning deep inside me!" Maruki said. Ren just stared blankly at Maruki before speaking up.

"...Don't take this the wrong way Doc, but has anyone ever told you you can be a bit of a ham? To be honest, I'm thinking Kusa might've been right when he said you tend to ham it up." Ren said. Maruki winced at the remark but spoke up anyways.

"I'm...I'm sorry, that was a poor attempt at acting. Please don't look at me like that...and as for your brother, I think he might be of a very slightly different opinion these days." Maruki said as Ren blinked and spoke up in surprise as Maruki sat down.

"What do you mean by that, Doc?" Ren said to Maruki who chuckled and spoke up.

"I mean that I managed to catch him while he was leaving the clean-up the other day and we finally had an impromptu session, which was actually quite productive in my opinion, even if he did seem to have his guard up by the end of it. But enough about Kusa and back to what we were discussing. But, uhhh, basically what I'm getting at is, our own emotional pain is the only kind we can fully comprehend. That seems obvious, right? But it's absolutely vital to understand. A person's 'heart'-their pain-cannot be seen. Even if they spent their whole lives expressing it to others...there is no way for them to truly grasp it.

It's not like we can directly look at their hearts and remove the root causes of their pain...But for me to do any good in that area, I need to conduct further research into the heart...More specifically, I need to learn how the heart reacts to the world around it. That's the first stepping stone to a breakthrough in the field. Once that's been figured out, we'll not only comprehend psychological pains that were once unknowable...But we'll even be able to perform more effective treatment for those people with wounded hearts." Maruki said as Ren spoke up with a smile and nod.

"That's a grand plan, Doc." Ren said to Maruki who nodded and spoke up.

"It's nothing so grandiose. But hey, if we can get rid of people's pain, that'd be for the best, right? I'm no fan of pain, myself. On the other hand, people have laughed off my idea as just a silly, pointless dream...and I can't say I blame them. But still, you take the time to listen to what I have to say, and you actually try to understand...Thanks to you, I can tell I'm actually getting somewhere with my theories.

How can I phrase it...I guess I could say you're making this hazy, hard-to-grasp idea finally appear before me? You know, you could very well become a counselor yourself someday. Say, would you like to try being my assistant? Of course, I'm on a shoestring budget, so I wouldn't be able to pay you!" Maruki said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That's okay. I don't mind working for free. Besides, what you're suggesting sounds fun." Ren said honestly as Maruki blinked at this before smiling as he spoke up.

"Ooh, sounds great! And so surprisingly eager! Maybe you really WILL become a skilled counselor in the future! Joking aside, I truly am grateful for your assistance. Thank you, Amamiya-kun." Maruki said to Ren, who nodded as he sensed Maruki's gratitude to him manifest in the form of their bond deepening. As a result, the 'Councillor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his Councillor Confidant link with Maruki had grown to rank 4. After that, Maruki spoke up.

"Let's put a pin in that for today, shall we? I hope you'll lend an ear again when you've got the time to spare. Now! I know you've been waiting for this, so let's get to the mental training." Maruki said as Ren nodded and got his mental training with Maruki, which helped his Max SP increase by 5. Maruki then spoke up again.

"Oh, and here. Never a bad time for a snack, am I right?" Maruki said as Ren nodded and accepted the 'Happy Pop' from Maruki. Maruki then nodded and spoke up.

"All right, be careful on your way home." Maruki said to Ren who nodded as he went to Leblanc. Once there, his phone rang once he reached the door and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone and just nodded as he heard Maruki's voice on the other end.

"Amamiya-kun, do you have a moment? Today got pretty one-sided...I just ended up rambling again. This keeps happening. I should've asked this sooner, but...Is this leaving you with any mental fatigue? Is your schoolwork being affected?" Maruki asked Ren who smiled as he spoke up.

"Nah, I feel completely fine, Doc. You're not the first person I've had to listen to rambling from, and you likely won't be the last, so don't worry about it." Ren said. Maruki breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke up.

"Really? Thank goodness...I was worried. Not every guy wants a middle-aged weirdo rambling to them about a bunch of philosophical abstracts." Maruki said as Ren nodded and he spoke up.

"I know it's asking a lot, but it'd be great if we could keep-What? Er, the station...? Sorry, I think this tourist needs help. I'd better go...Hold on, er...Shinjuku station? And you...Oh, you've got no money, huh..." Maruki said as he hung up the phone, Ren doing the same on his end and walking into Leblanc at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, come to think of it, that guy who approached you in the beef bowl shop was a politician, right? He apparently gives speeches at Shibuya Station, but...you can't judge a book by its cover." Morgana said as Ren nodded approvingly. After a bit of consideration, Ren decided to go visit the politician and hear another speech. After he finished listening to the orator's speech the orator looked at Ren in surprise.

"Hm? Have I seen you somewhere before...? Oh, that's right! You were working at the beef bowl shop before! You have a lot of perseverance for a young person. Well, if you're interested, I could use your help. I want to change the state of this country, and to do so, I need the power of the youth. However, due to certain regulations, I can't offer a job to a student. I was thinking you could learn some things if you chose to attend a few of my speeches though..." The orator said to Ren who smiled as he spoke up.

"You're a pretty good speaker, and I don't see any reason not to, so I'd be glad to take you up on that." Ren said honestly. The orator smiled happily as he spoke up.

"Really!? That would be helpful indeed! Well then...would you mind telling me your name and contact information?" The orator said to Ren who nodded and spoke up.

"Certainly, sir. I'm Ren Amamiya, a second-year from Shujin Academy. And here's my contact information." Ren said as he gave the information to the orator who spoke up with a nod.

"Ah, you're a student from Shujin Academy, hm? It's nice to meet you. I am Toranosuke Yoshida." The now-named Yoshida said as he kept speaking.

"I used to be a member of the Diet...but no longer. In the past twenty years, I've lost seven straight elections...This isn't good. I'm dwelling on the negative right before my speech. Very well...Well then, I hope I can count on your help immediately." Yoshida said to Ren who nodded and took position to help out, holding up a sign for Yoshida as he spoke up.

"Everyone! The lines of what is considered right and wrong in society today have been blurred. With common sense no longer our guide, we make decisions based on our selfish wants and desires. This has resulted in a deluge of self-centered people who delight in taking advantage of the weak. However, even in this modern day and age, it is imperative that we act in the best interests of all. A world where it is unacceptable to trample on the rights of others for your own benefit...A world where the young exist only to be exploited...is a world that must be changed!" Yoshida said as some people spoke up quietly, the first being an elderly woman.

"Hmph, easy for him to say...Old-timers like me have our hands full taking care of ourselves." An elderly lady said as a young man spoke up with a nod.

"He's actually making some good points, but he's a no-name...He probably won't get too far. Nothing's going to change. We'll just keep getting exploited." The young man said as a grim-faced man spoke up.

"What's this wanna-be politician blathering about now? He isn't even affiliated with a party." The grim-faced man said as he walked up to Yoshida and spoke up.

"How about you just leave matters of state in the capable hands of the Liberal Co-Prosperity Party!" The grim-faced man said to Yoshida who frowned and spoke up.

"You mustn't base your decision on whom to support merely according to the party they belong to..." Yoshida said as the grim-faced man spoke up rudely.

"Ah, just shut up already! You're just a washed-up politician!" The grim-faced man yelled at Yoshida who winced and spoke up.

"Urgh! If I am chosen to represent the will of the people, then I am fully prepared to..." Yoshida said as the grim-faced man butted in rudely.

"Hmph! 'In the best interests of all'!? Hah! Save the blathering for when you get elected! IF you get elected!" The grim-faced man said as the rest of the speech went on without incident, even if Ren spent most of the speech subtly glaring at the grim-faced man who'd been rude to Yoshida. After the speech, Yoshida spoke up to Ren.

"Thank you! That is all for today. Well, what did you think of my speech?" Yoshida asked Ren who winced as he spoke up.

"Honestly, it was very enlightening. But the heckling seemed to somewhat undermine it a bit I thought. But you did a good job handling that guy in my opinion." Ren said honestly. Yoshida blinked in surprise as he spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about that. Such as I am, I'd like to believe that I'm capable of giving a moving speech. However, there are times, like today, when the audience has a difference of opinion on a topic. Some feel I should concentrate on getting elected before I worry about others...Do you agree?" Yoshida asked Ren who frowned as he spoke up.

"While that is true, screw that guy. He was just being rude and belligerent. That said, you've got my support." Ren said honestly. Yoshida smiled as he spoke up.

"Thank you. It's encouraging to know that my message has won you over. Besides, I have grown quite accustomed to those types of reactions...Although, I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing. Regardless, no matter what they say, I must continue on..." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, figuring he could learn a lot by listening to Yoshida's speeches. Yoshida then spoke up.

"Well then, I shall see you again soon. Perhaps I'll ask for your impressions again sometime." Yoshida said as Ren nodded and went back to Leblanc where he changed and laid down, smirking at the sight of Morgana laid out on Kusa's chest, the former's tail lazily flicking back and forth on the latter's open palm as they both slept, Ren eventually dozing off...

(The next morning, in class with Ann and Ren and Morgana)

"It's been getting humid lately, huh? But it's times like these when you've just gotta push through the funk! Don't let the weather get to you! Well, that was the plan, anyway. Then I got police officers asking what I was up to. Do I really look that suspicious...? Oh, but speaking of looks...Have any of you seen someone you thought was cute, and immediately decided they must be nice, too? That thought process is totally normal, if not always accurate. There's even a name for it. How about...you? Any guesses, Amamiya-kun?" Maruki said as he called on Ren, who stopped frowning at what he viewed as Maruki taking a shot at his thoughts on Yoshizawa to give Maruki his full attention as he spoke up.

"What do you think the name for this phenomenon is?" Maruki asked as Ren thought about it, then smirked as he recalled a discussion he and Kusa had had recently where this very subject had been obliquely, if jokingly, brought up by Kusa when he mentioned that Futaba had made a video-game reference while telling him about it, making him speak up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is the halo effect!" Ren said confidently to Maruki. Maruki smiled and clapped as he spoke up.

"Right! Correct! I'm surprised you knew." Maruki said as he kept speaking.

"You get distracted by superficial qualities, and your broader perception of someone can get biased. Once you get that far, it's hard to make totally objective judgments. Like, 'that person is quiet, so they must be scary.' Stuff like that." Maruki said as the usual murmuring ensued as well as Morgana complimenting Ren's intelligence as Ren's Knowledge increased. At that point, Maruki spoke up once more.

"Hmm... The halo effect isn't all bad, but...I recommend you give people the chance to define themselves instead of making snap judgments. After all, it'd be a shame if your biases kept you from noticing something truly wonderful about someone, right?" Maruki said as Morgana spoke up.

"Plenty of terrible people look perfectly decent on the outside. But Lady Ann looks perfect, and she IS perfect! Nyahaha..." Morgana said as Ren groaned at how blatant Morgana's simping for Ann was. The rest of class then passed uneventfully...

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

After some discussion about the weather, Ren and Morgana went to the nearby diner to study. Once there, Morgana spoke up.

"I was expecting more people...It's so quiet." Morgana said as a waitress came up to take Ren's order.

"Welcome. May I take your order?" The waitress said to Ren who nodded.

"Yes, I'd like to order the Surprise Sando, please." Ren said, figuring he could use the boost to his Guts. He paid 700 yen for it and the waitress nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. I'll be right back with your order." The waitress said as she returned with Ren's order, as Morgana mentioned about how it looks good but it probably tastes good as well even as he groaned. Once Ren scarfed it down, Morgana spoke up in surprise.

"FOR REAL!? You scarfed that down without any hesitation. I'm overwhelmed by your Guts." Morgana said as Ren's Guts increased. Morgana then complimented Ren's focus as his Knowledge also increased. Morgana then spoke up once more.

"Well then...Wanna head back? That should be enough for today. Come on, let's go home." Morgana said. Ren then went back to Leblanc...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren returned to Leblanc and got a nod of greeting from Sojiro which he returned, his phone went off to signal a group chat from Ann, Kusa, Ryuji and Yusuke.

"The exhibition ends tomorrow...Madarame must have had his change of heart by now, right?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. So far nobody's come charging us with anything, yeah?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent her response, Kusa sending one shortly after.

"But wouldn't he wait to press charges until AFTER the exhibition? What should we do if someone contacts us about it tomorrow...?" Ann sent as Kusa's response came in.

"That would be the logical assumption, yes. Apologies for not being very sociable of late, had a fair bit to think about, and some stuff happened that I had to mull over. That said, I think if he's gonna have his change of heart, it'll probably be tomorrow since if I recall correctly, Kamoshida's change of heart was last-minute as well. But I could be wrong on that." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response at that moment.

"Would said things involve you finally having a session with a certain hammy doctor you and Ryuji like to roast?" Ren sent with a smirk as Ryuji's jaw dropped in stunned disbelief as he sent a response at that point.

"Wait, did Kusa finally break down and go see Doc? That's news to me. That said, try asking Yusuke, Ann. He's still staying with Madarame, right?" Ryuji sent. Ann sent a response at that point while Kusa was sputtering at Ren throwing him under the bus.

"Oh, that's right...Where is Yusuke? I wonder if he'll be OK with Madarame..." Ann sent right as Yusuke finally sent a response at that moment

"Sorry I'm late to contact you all. It seems something will certainly be happening tomorrow. Madarame is on the phone as we speak." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"First of all, called it! Second of all, dammit Ren! Don't be putting me on blast like that man! And yes, I did finally have a session with Doc. It was somewhat unplanned since it was at the cleanup, but I guess things just happen that way sometimes. That said, I'm not sure I like the idea of Madarame being on the phone this close to the deadline." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Sorry, Kusa. I was just venturing a guess. Didn't mean to put you on blast. That said, I agree with your point. And who was he on the phone with, Yusuke?" Ren sent. Yusuke sent a response.

"Likely the media. I haven't heard anything in this conversation about pressing charges." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Guess we just gotta wait then." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Let us meet in Shibuya tomorrow." Yusuke sent as Kusa and Ann sent responses, Kusa's coming through first.

"Sounds good, Yusuke. Might have to reshuffle my schedule a bit, but I can do that." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"OK! See you then!" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"Hey Kusa, are you still out and about?" Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"On my way back now actually. Just left Futaba's house. Why do you ask?" Kusa sent as Ren smirked before sending a response.

"Just checking. You don't need to stop spending time with your girlfriend on my account, Kusa." Ren sent, ignoring the confused expression on Yusuke and Ryuji's faces at his teasing of Kusa and the surprised look on Ann's face as well as the exasperated looks on Morgana and Kusa's faces as the latter of the last two sent a response right then.

"I'm not even gonna bother arguing with you at this point, Ren. But she's not my girlfriend! She and I are just friends for now. Not that I expect her to want much more than that given what she's been through. So you can kindly quit the ball busting any time, Ren. I know I messed with you a lot about Yoshizawa, but I've cut back on that since then, or am I wrong on that?" Kusa sent huffily as Ren smirked and sent one last response.

"Very well, I'll let it be for now. Be safe on the way home, Kusa." Ren sent as he put his phone away. Morgana then spoke up, giving Ren a disapproving glare as he spoke.

"Ren, quit messing with Kusa. He did apologize and stop messing with you, after all. That said, The exhibition is finally ending tomorrow...I'm sure things will work out fine this time too. Hey! I wonder if that Yoshida guy is giving a speech in Shibuya again today..." Morgana said. After a bit, Ren headed back to Station Square, where he checked his lottery ticket on the way, frowning when he found out he only won 300 yen off of a 3,000 yen ticket. He bought another one regardless just because he could and the yen was easy to make back regardless. After that, he went over to listen in on Yoshida's speech as Morgana spoke up.

"Ah, his public speaking skills...We should make use of them when you negotiate with Shadows." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Good idea." Ren said to Morgana who smiled and nodded.

"Right? You should ask him." Morgana said. Ren nodded and then spoke up to Yoshida.

"Excuse me, Mister Yoshida? I was wondering if there was any way you could teach me how to give speeches like you do?" Ren asked Yoshida who blinked as he spoke up.

"Teach you how to give speeches? Why?" Yoshida asked Ren who thought about it and spoke up.

"Because, you seem so sure of yourself when you give speeches. And honestly, I want to be able to do what you do since you seem so persuasive most of the time even if you do get hecklers from time to time, but you do handle them rather well. Basically, I want to learn to be like you, since for all you've made mistakes you seem like a stand-up guy, Mister Yoshida." Ren said honestly. Yoshida smiled at the answer as he frowned before speaking up.

"Hmm...I'd love to help you, though...how shall I teach you? Actually, it's time for my speech. Let's talk about this later." Yoshida said as Ren nodded and prepared to help out again, holding up the same sign he had before as Yoshida spoke up.

"And while our society appears to be prosperous, many of our young people are quietly suffering. They lack jobs, security, savings...The next generation will lead us into the future and yet they have no plan for how to arrive there." Yoshida said as the sound of raised voices from nearby drew Ren and Yoshida's attention.

"Watch where you're going, you little shit!" A middle-aged man could be heard yelling at a young man who frowned as he spoke up.

"You bumped into me, you old goat!" The young man said as Ren and Yoshida winced and exchanged wary glances, the latter speaking up.

"This isn't good..." Yoshida said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"I agree. Should we try to mediate? Or is this not something we should get involved in?" Ren asked as Yoshida nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"No, I agree, Amamiya-kun. Let's mediate." Yoshida said. He then spoke up to get the arguing men's attention.

"Good citizens, please stop fighting!" Yoshida said as the two turned to face him as he kept speaking.

"What is the point of bickering over such a trivial matter?" Yoshida asked as the middle-aged man spoke up rudely.

"This is none of your business!" The middle-aged man said as the young man nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, seriously. Just shut up!" The young man said. The middle-aged man huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, what's with this guy...?" The middle-aged man said as he and the young man walked off in different directions as Yoshida spoke up.

"Now if you'll please excuse me, I must return to my speech. Together, we can create a bright future for the next generation." Yoshida said as a man in a flashy outfit spoke up.

"Ugh, so righteous...That really annoys me. Enough of your arrogance, 'No-Good Tora'!" The man said as Yoshida blanched at the name the man had said and spoke up.

"Wha-!?" Yoshida said as the man kept speaking up rudely.

"As if anyone would actually vote for YOU! Are you planning to embezzle funds again? Or maybe criticize one of your constituents again? You criminal!" The man said as he walked off, leaving Yoshida to sputter as he spoke up.

"No...! T-That was... all in the past..." Yoshida said sadly. After the speech he spoke to Ren.

"Ugh, now I've gone and done it again." Yoshida said as Ren spoke up.

"Aren't you gonna get mad? That guy was out of line with what he said if you ask me." Ren said. Yoshida shook his head and spoke up.

"I can't do that in my situation. Regardless, whenever someone calls me 'No-Good Tora', I panic. I went through quite an ordeal twenty years ago...Let me explain. I used to be a member of the National Diet. I was elected during the rise of the 'Kuramoto Children'. We were backed by powerful Diet members. This was about twenty years ago. I was very inexperienced back then, both as a politician, and as a human being. That inexperience led me to be involved in a series of major political scandals. People refer to my blunders as 'No Good Tora's Three Strikes.' The first was being caught missing a legislative meeting to take a personal vacation.

Then, I was accused of embezzling a large sum of money from the party...giving me two strikes. Finally, I called a voter an idiot at an open forum, which resulted in scandal...and strike number three. I was out...and branded a washed-up politician. You said you wanted to become a member of the Diet. But do you see the man before you?" Yoshida said to Ren who pondered what Yoshida had said. A questionable background...Accused of embezzlement...However, he has conviction and wants to change the world. Public speaking skills could be useful to the Phantom Thieves, so Ren figured he'd make a deal with Yoshida because he could. Yoshida then spoke up again.

"Do you really want to receive MY guidance?" Yoshida said to Ren who spoke up.

"You seem to have conviction, Yoshida-san. I could care less about your past, aside from it making you who you are. You seem to have learned much from it, making you a very strong and resolved man. And one I could very much learn from. So yes, I want your guidance, if you'll give it." Ren said sincerely. Yoshida smiled and spoke up.

"I'm happy to hear that, however...Everyone says I have no chance to get elected, so why come to me?" Yoshida asked in confusion as Ren spoke up.

"Because I see the confident, unwavering man you've become. And because I can relate in some ways to your story. But mostly because I believe in you. But, that won't matter if you don't believe and have confidence in yourself, Yoshida-san." Ren said honestly. Yoshida chuckled as he spoke up.

"You're doing a good job of cheering me up...But you may be right. The most important part about giving a good speech is believing in yourself. Perhaps one day, I will believe in myself...again. But you sure got me there. You're a strange young man, Amamiya-kun. Very well, if learning how to give a great speech is what you seek, then I'd be happy to instruct you. In exchange, I would like for you to continue assisting me. Let's get started, shall we?" Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded as he noted he'd made a deal with Yoshida...

(Fast forward to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker)

"Staging your crimes with calling cards...It's hard to believe that a student could manage this alone. An adult-for example, someone talented enough to move people with words-perhaps they coached you. Isn't that right!?" Sae asked Joker who frowned but didn't answer.

(Back in the present with Ren and Yoshida)

Ren heard the voice he'd expected in his head at that moment.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Sun Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard in his head as a new card appeared in his mind's eye, this one saying 'Sun' on it with a 'I" under it, signifying that his newly-forged Sun Confidant link with Yoshida had reached rank 1. After that, Yoshida spoke up with a smile.

"Let's pursue your dream of becoming a member of the Diet. ...Oh my, we've been talking for far too long. Let's call it quits for today." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, and made to leave when Yoshida stopped him.

"You! Ah, Amamiya-kun! I'm sorry, there's something I forgot to mention. It's about my speech schedule from this point on. Would you be willing to stick around to hear it?" Yoshida asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"Of course, Yoshida-kun. Let me write this down." Ren said. Yoshida laughed as he spoke up.

"Quite a practical young man, eh? Well, I won't take up too much of your time. I'll be here giving speeches every Sunday. You're welcome to stop by and help whenever you've got the time. That's all I wanted to say. Now then, I shall see you again soon. Also, be careful on your way home." Yoshida said as Ren nodded and walked back to Leblanc, where Kusa was fast asleep on the sofa, Morgana snuggled contentedly up into Kusa's arm, both dozing peacefully.

This was both very cute to see and rather hilarious to Ren, who resisted the urge to snap a picture of the two, even though he thought the sight he saw was adorable. Eventually, he couldn't resist and snapped a couple quick photos with his phone, careful to stash the phone so Kusa couldn't find it as he laid down to go to sleep, exhausted from his night helping Yoshida...

(The next day, in the middle of Shibuya)

"What's with that old geezer?" A male pedestrian asked as he, like countless others, had seen the big screen TV on a skyscraper nearby with Madarame on it. A nearby female gasped as she spoke up, seeing what the male hadn't and blinking in surprise as she pointed towards the screen that showed what appeared to be a crying Madarame on it as she spoke.

"Oh! Is he...crying?" The female pedestrian said in surprise as all nearby eyes turned to the screen in question...

(Meanwhile in the conference room at that same time)

"I...I have committed crimes that were unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put... I, um... plagiarized work... I-I... tainted this-this country's art world... and even 'Sayuri'!" Madarame said as he broke down crying as he kept speaking.

"H-How could I... I possibly... apologize to everyone for... for what I've done...? Aaaah..." Madarame said as he broke down crying at that point.

(Back in Shibuya with the pedestrians)

"He's crying way too much..." A male pedestrian said as a newscaster came on screen and spoke.

"...And that was from the urgent apology press conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago. After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in." The newscaster said as a female pedestrian spoke up.

"Wasn't he on TV the other day?" The female pedestrian asked as the newscaster kept speaking.

"On top of charges of abuse to his pupils, Madarame is under suspicion of claiming their works as his own. Some doubt the validity that his maiden work 'Sayuri' was stolen, believing that it was used for fraud. This large-scale criminal act has caused a great shock to the art world, and..." The newscaster said as the female pedestrian spoke up.

"That old man's done for." The female pedestrian said as the newscaster spoke up once more.

"After the conference, Madarame was taken to a police hospital for interrogation due to his age. However, initial psych evaluations state that he is mentally sound and likely responsible for his actions." The newscaster said as a couple different male pedestrians spoke up.

"There's no need to be nice to an old geezer like that." One of the pedestrians said as the other spoke up.

"Why'd he spill the beans himself? Doesn't that seem weird?" The second pedestrian said as the newscaster spoke up once more.

"Also, a group calling themselves the 'Phantom Thieves' posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit. The police will investigate their relation to this case, but for now, did not identify them as suspects." The newscaster said as the two male pedestrians from before spoke up.

"Phantom Thieves? Do these bandits have something to do with that old geezer's apology?" One of the male pedestrians said. A female pedestrian nearby spoke up.

"Ohhh, I've heard of them before. They supposedly steal evil hearts. It's why the culprits apologize." The female pedestrian said as another female pedestrian spoke up with a scoff as she laughed.

"Wait, what? Steal hearts? That's impossible though." The other female pedestrian said as a male pedestrian spoke up.

"But I feel like I saw somethin' about that online too. They sent out a calling card for real." The male pedestrian spoke up as another male pedestrian laughed and spoke up.

"Ohh, so it was like 'We're going to take your heart'? That's impressive if someone really did that." The other male pedestrian said as a younger male with dark blonde hair, a blue checked vest worn over a white long-sleeve dress shirt, and khaki jeans spoke up in an intrigued tone, his brown eyes twinkling with a mix of curiosity and intrigue as he spoke.

"Phantom Thieves, huh?" The boy said to himself as he walked off. However, he wasn't the only one to comment on this as a certain Niijima was also watching nearby as she spoke up, an intrigued tone in her voice as she spoke.

"Phantom Thieves again..." Niijima said to herself as she walked off...

(Shortly afterward, at the hideout with Ryuji, Yusuke, Ann, Kusa, Morgana and Ren)

"Heh, you guys see the news about Madarame!? It's just like what happened with Kamoshida!" Ryuji said as Ann spoke up happily.

"And they mentioned the Phantom Thieves!" Ann said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Man, this is startin' to get interesting...If we do it right, we can change people's hearts." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's true Ryuji, but we also have to be cautious in doing so. Or was I the only one who caught the implication in the news that the police were looking to try and paint the Phantom Thieves as suspects if they can? I think we're getting famous, but we have to be cautious that it's not for the wrong reasons." Kusa said sagely. Ryuji spoke up with a nod, agreeing with Kusa's point as he spoke.

"That's fair, Kusa. However, with this power...we might be able to do more than just gettin' back at society. It'll be a big deal!" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"I agree that this could be fun, Ryuji. However, I also think Kusa has a point. And as such, I don't know how I feel about us being potentially set up to be scapegoats like the news suggested." Ren said. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.

"Man, you're so indifferent..." Ryuji said huffily as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Then again, doesn't that make him more trustworthy as our leader?" Ann asked as Ryuji stood up to speak up once more.

"As for me, I hope we just keep gettin' more and more famous!" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.

"Something like this happening twice is massive too. It's too great a coincidence to happen normally." Morgana said as Ann spoke up.

"If we continue doing this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to everyone who needs it." Ann said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"We may want to quiet down a little." Yusuke said as Kusa nodded approvingly to Yusuke's suggestion. Ann spoke up as she looked at Yusuke.

"Do you know them?" Ann asked Yusuke. Ryuji blinked as he saw the officers then frowned as he spoke up so only the others could hear.

"You moron! Those're attendance officers!" Ryuji said as the officer with sunglasses approached the group and spoke up.

"Hello there. may I speak with you for a moment?" The officer said as Ann spoke up with a smile.

"Ah, yes! How can we help you?" Ann asked, making both Kusa and Ren groan at how over-eager she was acting. Morgana spoke up in a deadpan tone so only Ren and Kusa could hear.

"That monotonous acting of hers never fails to send a chill down my spine." Morgana said as Kusa nodded.

"Agreed, Morgana." Kusa said quietly. The officer then spoke up once more.

"What're you all doing here? Are you friends?" The officer asked as Ren spoke up.

"What do we look like?" Ren asked as Kusa and Yusuke winced along with Ryuji at Ren's tone. The stern officer spoke up.

"Hm? What did you say?" The stern officer said to Ren. Ann spoke up with a laugh.

"A-Ahaha! Th-That was a joke. He didn't get much sleep last night." Ann said, trying to smooth Ren's remark over. The officer with sunglasses spoke up again.

"Well, all right. Just make sure you disperse before it gets too late, okay?" The officer with sunglasses said as he kept speaking.

"There have been some odd happenings lately and the news about that artist has caused quite the stir." The officer said as Ann spoke up.

"We'll be careful!" Ann said as the officers walked off as Ryuji spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"It's still light out...Man, those guys must have way too much time on their hands." Ryuji said as Ann glared at Ren as she spoke up.

"Hey, don't go making stuff up on the spot like that, okay!? I totally panicked 'cause of you!" Ann said as Morgana spoke up.

"From now on, we'll need to be even more cautious than before. Look at us! Right after the second Thieves incident, both prior victims are meeting up." Morgana said as Ann spoke up, her eyes wide in surprise as she spoke up.

"Wait, you mean people might be listening to us?" Ann said as Kusa swore softly under his breath as he spoke up.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they were. I'm more surprised we didn't think of that before now." Kusa said in irritation. Ryuji shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, it'll be fine. Look around. We're the only people worryin' about it." Ryuji said. Ann nodded and spoke up.

"I guess you're right..." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up, looking at Ryuji with a smirk as he spoke.

"Of course he's right, Ann. First time for everything after all, am I right? No offense Ryuji." Kusa said as Morgana chuckled and nodded as he spoke up,

"No, I agree with you Kusa. It's not often that Ryuji is correct after all." Morgana said agreeably. Ryuji then turned to Yusuke as he spoke.

"By the way, Yusuke...Were you able to get anything out of Madarame? Remember how he was talking about that suspicious person in the black mask?" Ryuji asked. Yusuke frowned and shook his head as he spoke up.

"Well...I pressed him for answers, but he doesn't even understand what happened to him to begin with." Yusuke said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"It's not like he actually saw his desires get stolen, after all." Ann said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"It's rumored he may be sent to prison. In that case, gaining information will be difficult..." Yusuke said as Ryuji crossed his arms and spoke up.

"So, what're you gonna do now?" Ryuji asked Yusuke who spoke up as he got a resolute look on his face.

"I'll be leaving that house. I can't draw in such a place anymore." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up in concern.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" Ann asked as Yusuke nodded.

"The school dorms. I can stay there free of charge thanks to my fine arts scholarship." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up in surprise.

"A scholarship? Wait, you're THAT good?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up, his words getting frowns from Morgana, Kusa and Ann despite it being a joke.

"Although, Takamaki-san's house would do as well." Yusuke said as Ann blanched and spoke up.

"Wait, WHAT!?" Ann said as Ryuji smirked at Yusuke as he spoke up with a wink.

"You know, you could ask her to model for you whenever you wanted!" Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Not funny, Ryuji! And besides, why should Ann have to do that now that we're in the clear?" Kusa said as he crossed his arms with a huff. Ann nodded her agreement as she glared at Ryuji and spoke up, glaring in an disapproving manner at Ryuj as she spoke.

"You moron!" Ann said rebukingly as Ryuji spoke up, unfazed by both Ann and Kusa scolding him.

"Then again, now that Yusuke's livin' alone, it'll be easier for us to meet up whenever we want." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"For the time being, we should wait and see how this case plays out." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up again.

"True, and it'll prolly take some time findin' a target as big as Madarame." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.

"Anyways, we should just act like normal students while we look for our next target, okay?" Ann said as Morgana spoke up dryly from Ren's bag.

"We'll be entrusting that to you again, Ryuji." Morgana said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"All right, guess it's just more prep 'til then." Ryuji said as the group gathered their things to leave, unaware that they'd been spied on the whole time by a certain student council president who muttered to herself as she watched the group leave (oddly enough bar Ren, Morgana and Kusa).

"Yusuke Kitagawa..." Niijima said to herself as she walked off...

(Fast forward to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker)

"So after Shiho Suzui, you did it again for someone you barely knew? You were sent away twice, almost reported to the police... and yet you still wanted to save him?" Sae said as Joker nodded and Sae kept speaking.

"Moreover, you ended up in a museum instead of a castle this time...You're still going to maintain this rubbish about changing someone's heart by stealing their Treasure?" Sae said as Joker nodded.

"It's the truth, regardless of how you take it, Niijima-san." Joker said. Sae shrugged as she spoke up.

"Hmph, Very well. The truth behind this tale of yours will be clear once your conspirators are in custody. Now then, tell me about this new member who joined your group." Sae said as Joker didn't say much making Sae frown as she spoke up once more.

"There's no point in being stubborn. It will only damage your position. The identity of Madarame's pupil can easily be discovered with a little investigation." Sae said as Joker huffed and spoke up.

"Go right ahead. We have nothing to hide, Niijima-san." Joker said. Sae looked at Joker in surprise at this and spoke up.

"So, you won't sell out your accomplice?" Sae said only to huff as Joker stayed silent.

"Agh, fine. There's still so much more that I want to hear. It was around this time that the Phantom Thieves began to truly gain popularity. Lies flooded the internet-things like 'The Phantom Thieves saved me too', or 'I got a calling card...' For heaven's sake, that collection of lies made the collection of intel take almost ten times longer. Now, your next target was this man..." Sae said as she flipped the folder open so Joker could see the picture of the smug-looking, slightly chubby man with a blue dress-shirt, black slacks and slicked-back brown hair as she spoke.

"Junya Kaneshiro. He doesn't compare to the previous two. Even the police had been struggling to apprehend him. And that's not saying anything of how much I struggled to understand how he could have changed so much from the boy I once knew when I was younger. But that's irrelevant. So, exactly how did you take down such a well-guarded criminal? Tell me." Sae said to Joker, who blinked at her mention of knowing this Kaneshiro when she was younger...

(Back in the present, at a different location with Sae and a man in a suit)

"The suspect has repeatedly testified that he does not have any recollection of his actions. A full psychiatric evaluation will be performed to further investigate the crime's details and motives." The newscaster said as Sae turned to the man next to her and spoke up.

"First Kamoshida at Shujin Academy, and now Madarame...I've found a number of points of commonality between the two. Both, for example, were sent a 'calling card' before their unforeseen changes of heart." Sae said to her boss who frowned and spoke up, the placard on his desk identifying him simply as the 'SIU Director'.

"I see. But isn't tying their cases to the series of psychotic breakdowns jumping to conclusions? Furthermore, the police will frown upon you stepping into this..." The SIU Director said as Sae frowned and spoke up in a determined tone.

"Now isn't the time to be worrying about things like jurisdiction and honor! We need to dig deeper and find a correlation among the incidents these past two, three years." Sae said as the SIU Director sighed and eventually nodded as he spoke up.

"Ugh...Very well. I leave it to you...However, you must not let this interfere with your regular duties." The SIU Director said as Sae bowed to him and spoke up.

"Thank you, sir." Sae said as she walked out of the SIU Director's office as he spoke up in annoyance.

"That damn woman just had to stick her nose into this!" The SIU Director said as another voice caught his attention from the TV.

"And I understand that these abnormal incidents have caused some anxiety throughout our country. This situation must be approached with the utmost seriousness. I shall continue to put forth great effort so that every citizen can live with peace of mind." The man, labeled simply as 'Ruling-Party Member', said as the SIU Director kept muttering to himself.

"Not only are there those Phantom Thieves to worry about, but if that is exposed...Ugh..." The SIU director said to himself...

(Back over with Ren, Morgana and Ryuji)

Ren's phone chose that moment to go off making Ryuji blink in surprise as he looked at Ren, who'd caught up to him after leaving the hideout with Kusa who'd split off from Ren, citing other places to be as he left.

"Oh...? Looks like Yusuke's textin' me. I think your'e getting 'em too." Ryuji said as Ren nodded.

"Probably a group chat then." Ren guessed as he and Ryuji checked their phones as sure enough it was a group chat with them, Yusuke, Ann and Kusa.

"You have my gratitude." Yusuke said as Ryuji sent a response.

"What're you so polite for all of a sudden?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent another response.

"I truly am thankful to you for making me come to my senses." Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"You're exaggerating, Yusuke." Ren sent as Kusa frowned and sent a response of his own.

"I don't think he is, Ren. Sure he'd have come to his senses on his own eventually, but possibly not until well after it was too late. At the same time though, I'm glad we were able to save him from being stuck with a dishonorable Sensei like Madarame for the rest of his life, though I doubt Yusuke thinks of Madarame as a Sensei anymore. Regardless, my point still stands." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"You're quite right on that point, Kusa. And no Ren, I most certainly am not exaggerating. I must express my gratitude earnestly." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"You're one of us now, man. We'll be counting on you, mkay?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response almost immediately.

"Of course." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"And if anything comes up, we won't hesitate to lend a hand." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Damn right, we won't! We might not have had the best first impression of one another, but regardless, Yusuke is one of us now, as surely as if he'd always been part of the group. And we help our own, regardless of if we might be annoyed with one another at times or not." Kusa sent. Yusuke then sent a response.

"Thank you, Kusa. Truly. And thank you all. Well, see you." Yusuke sent as Ren and Ryuji put their phones away as Ryuji spoke up.

"He didn't have to go through all that trouble just to thank us. He's such an honest guy." Ryuji said as Ren nodded his agreement.

"That's true, but it's good that he did since it also shows he's an honest and humble guy." Ren said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Truth! Anyways, that went well for our first job, huh? I twas a huge success! So, that said...you got time after this?" Ryuji asked Ren who looked at him and spoke up.

"For what?" Ren asked in confusion. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up.

"You know...Well, thing is, I got some free tickets to a darts lounge from this guy I know. But, I totally forgot that they expire today. So, you wanna go right now?" Ryuji asked Ren who thought about it. Morgana spoke up while Ren pondered Ryuji's suggestion.

"Ryuji... didn't we just finish talking about how we need to be on guard?" Morgana asked Ryuji who grinned as he spoke up.

"C'mon, it's just darts! Don't you wanna play too, Morgana? ...I mean, if you can actually throw anything." Ryuji said. Morgana thought about it before frowning as he spoke up,

"Mmmmm...Well, if you're just going to play, then I guess it shouldn't be a problem...All right, then let's head to this darts lounge or whatever it is. Lead the way, Ryuji!" Morgana said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up with a nod and a pumped fist.

"YEAH! Hell yeah, I'm on it! Oh, right. The place is in Kichijoji, so we gotta take the train first." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Kichijoji? Don't think I've been there before." Ren said. Ryuji blinked at this as he spoke up.

"What, for real? There's a buncha different shops right outside the station there. It's just one step away from Shibuya, so let's head for the Inogami Line first." Ryuji said as Ren nodded while the location of 'Kichijoji' was marked on his map so he could fast-travel to it later. After a bit of walking, Ren ended up by some stairs as Ryuji spoke up.

"These stairs will take you to the Inogami Line. This is the way to Kichijoji." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up with a smile.

"I'm getting excited! Too bad Kusa had to go back to do stuff so he's missing this." Morgana said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, but I bet he's probably happier spending time with his friend anyways." Ren said with a grin as Ryuji blinked at this while Morgana frowned at Ren.

"No fair bringing that up in front of Ryuji, Ren! You told Kusa you'd not do that!" Morgana hissed so only Ren could hear. Ren spoke up.

"I'm not bringing it up. I'm just explaining why he couldn't come with us, Morgana." Ren pointed out as Ryuji spoke up agreeably.

"Truth, Ren! Besides, it's not like it's a secret that Kusa's probably hot for Sakura-kun's daughter and is probably trying to impress her or something." Ryuji said making Ren gape at how perceptive Ryuji's comment sounded.

"That's...surprisingly profound and perceptive for you, Ryuji." Ren said in surprise. Ryuji laughed, smirking at Ren as he spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Heh, I've been known to surprise from time to time. All right then, let's go!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded as Kichijoji was added to his map as Morgana spoke up.

"Now, we're heading to an area that's outside of where your commuter pass works, so make sure you've got the fare." Morgana said as Ren paid the 200 yen fare. Unbeknownst to Ren and Ryuji, they were being tailed by a certain student council president who frowned and spoke to herself as she watched the two go while following them.

"Those two..." Niijima said to herself as Ren and Ryuji took the train to Kichijoji...

(In Kichijoji with Ren, Ryuji and Morgana)

"Whoa...Ooh, so this is Kichijoji, huh...You can tell it's nothing like Shibuya, just from the atmosphere alone." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Well, yeah. Looks like there're a lot of shops here that you can't find in Shibuya. Not that I'd really know." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"It seems interesting. But since they expire soon, we should probably head for the darts lounge." Ren said. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up.

"Whoa, someone's rarin' to go, eh? Alright, let's get goin' then! I think the darts lounge is one block up from the main street. But since we're here, I won't say no to checkin' out a bunch of the other shops on the way." Ryuji said as Ren nodded, and the two got ready to go check out Kichijoji with Morgana, totally unaware of the student council president following close behind them from a distance...

(Elsewhere, in an unknown location with a certain orange-haired friend of Kusa's)

"Phantom Thieves, you say? Mweheheh, interesting... Mayhaps I could have a new research target after all. And who knows, maybe they'll be the ones to finally change my heart? Not that Kusa hasn't been trying his best to help me, because he has. But I feel like there's just some things he won't be able to understand that would require my heart to be changed for them to be rendered moot and/or irrelevant. Ah, Kusa...so nice, but also so naive in how he views things...not that that's a bad thing at all. But if he doesn't open his eyes and get a reality check soon, he's going to be in for a painful and rather rude awakening sooner, rather than later.

And I don't want to see him go through that since he's been so kind, understanding and helpful to me thus far...and if I'm being honest, he's not bad on the eyes either. Either way, soon enough, I'll have a little test ready to go for these so-called 'Phantom Thieves', and then if they can get past it, then maybe they'll be ready to see the notorious Alibaba for themselves. Mwehehehe, I can't wait for the games to begin. Yes indeed..." An orange haired female said to herself, stroking her chin in thought as she studied the screen in front of her, her attention drawn to what was on it as she studied it.

The reason for this was because the screen in question was currently showing several images, one of which was a certain ponytailed brother of Ren's working the counter at Leblanc for Sojiro at Sojiro's request. The female then spoke up once more, a wry smile on her face as she watched Kusa work as she spoke, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling slightly in amusement as she looked from the screen with Kusa on it to the screens with each of the other Phantom Thieves on it as she kept speaking to herself, subconsciously sliding her glasses up her face a bit as she spoke.

"Then again, maybe I'm kidding myself when I say Kusa can't help... eh, we'll see. Mwehehehe..." The female said to herself as she kept making plans of her own.

However, where it comes to the question of whether said plans would help or hinder the Phantom Thieves, only time will truly be able to answer that. But one thing was for sure. The Phantom Thieves' story was only just getting started...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 2: THE KITSUNE ARTIST

A/N: And done! Wow, I didn't think I'd be ending Arc 2 this chapter, but it is what it is! Also, how many of you did I get with that ending to the chapter!? Let's be real, who saw another surprise Alibaba cameo coming? I sure as hell didn't, and I'm the one writing the story!

But don't get too used to these early appearances since this will probably be the last one until closer to the end of Arc 3, aside from possible mentions and the odd one-off appearance during the side-arc Kusa's gonna get in Arc 3. That being said, next chapter will be the start of Arc 3: The Rebellious Queen! And anyone who was paying attention to this chapter probably got the hints to that arc's plot in this chapter. But for those who didn't, you'll have to keep reading to find out how it goes!

In addition to next chapter starting Arc 3, it'll also have Ren and Morgana's introduction to the game of darts! Hopefully everyone's been enjoying this story thus far, and those who do are welcome to leave a review with their opinions of the story so far, or even just feedback. But ideally try to keep reviews worded as constructive criticism if you're going to write a negative review. Flame reviews will just be ignored from this point on.

Or if you prefer, you can PM your feedback to me, but I prefer reviews since reviews are what let me know I'm doing things right. Whether you leave a review or PM me though, I appreciate your support and input either way! Or you can just keep reading, since that works too! Regardless, I appreciate the support! And until next chapter/arc, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- I didn't include it when typing out the chapter, but in Becky's dialogue, there's several points where the script-writer literally typed out heart symbols in the dialogue and those are a pain to type into a story so I hope my readers will forgive me if I don't type most emoji-type symbols into the story for the sake of not having to spend a ton of time getting the emojis right.

Confidant Ranks as of the end of Arc 2:

FOOL (Igor): Rank 4

MAGICIAN (Morgana): Rank 3

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro): Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann): Rank 4

CHARIOT (Ryuji): Rank 4

STRENGTH: (Twin Wardens/Justine and Caroline): Rank 1

DEATH (Takemi/Back Alley Doctor): Rank 4

MOON (Mishima): Rank 2

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People): Rank 1

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa): Rank 1

WORLD (Kusa): Rank 3

COUNCILLOR (Maruki): Rank 4