A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Hard to believe that at only 24 chapters in, we're about to start Arc 3 of the story, but here we are! Hopefully you've enjoyed the first two arcs of the story thus far, since this next arc should be where not only does the seventh (with Kusa/Draconis included) Phantom Thief join the group, but Kusa gets a mini-arc at some point in this arc and the third Palace is covered! So without further ado, enjoy arc 3 of the story: The Rebellious Queen!
That said, let's hit up the disclaimer while I'm thinking of it!
Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way shape or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis and any other potential OCs mentioned during Kusa's mini-arc later in arc 3) and the credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and to some extent Koei Tecmo so credit to them!
That being said, let's begin the third arc of this story with chapter 24!
Chapter 24: Darts, Confidants and The Stalking President! The Rebellious Queen part 1
(In Kichijoji with Ren, Morgana and Ryuji)
"So, off to the darts lounge while exploring the area, yeah?" Ren asked Ryuji who nodded as Morgana spoke up.
"Let's do so carefully though, you two. I could be wrong, but I thought I heard someone following us as we got onto the train so we should be careful to make sure we're not being watched." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"Oh yeah? And who would be watching us? Miss Prez? Call me skeptical, but I think she's got more important things to do than stalk the school troublemakers everywhere we go." Ryuji said off-handedly as Ren stroked his chin in thought before speaking up in a confident-sounding tone.
"Not if she was ordered to follow us, which she could have been given what she told me and Kusa about being ordered to do a job despite her having other things to do. So it's possible she's doing this against her will." Ren said as Ryuji and Morgana nodded approvingly as the group started heading into Kichijoji proper, unaware of the student council president in question following close behind with a reluctant sigh, both not wanting to do the job she'd been given and surprised/impressed by Ryuji standing up for her to an extent, making her blink as she realized maybe there's more to Ryuji than just a troublemaker, something she filed away for later contemplation. Ren turned to Ryuji.
"What was the name of that darts place again?" Ren asked Ryuji so he had a name to go off of. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.
"The name of the place is on the ticket. I think it's one street up from the promenade." Ryuji said as Ren nodded, noticing an information desk next to him and Ryuji, so he walked up to it, and got the clerk's attention, who spoke up in a very polite and distinctly feminine voice.
"Hello! We do our vest to provide information regarding this area!" The clerk said as Morgana spoke up.
"Hey! Why don't you ask them about Kichijoji?" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as he turned to the clerk who spoke up again.
"Any questions? What would you like to hear about?" The clerk asked as Ren stroked his chin before speaking.
"I think for starters, let's hear about the city in general." Ren said. The clerk nodded.
"Certainly! Please allow me to explain! There are four different areas...On the promenade, you can find a fried food shop, a stationery store, a second-hand clothing store, and a temple. The ground beef cutlet at the fried food shop is delicious, but you will have to wait in line. If you take a left at the fried food shop, you'll see Retro Street. Here you can find a selection of chic and sophisticated stores. There's also a jazz club at the end of the alley. Sometimes popular singers will go there, and the liveliness is inevitable. Whew. I hope I explained it all right...Do you have any other questions?" The clerk said to Ren who spoke up with a nod.
"Please continue, what you've said so far sounds interesting." Ren said as the clerk nodded and spoke up.
"Of course! After passing Retro Street, you will see Rue De Chouchou, which has a variety of fancy stores to visit. There's also a well-known healing crystal store selling power stones that provide real results. Not only that, but on Rue De Chouchou there is a lounge to enjoy darts and billiards. Excitement is inevitable. The last one is Harmony Alley, which is like a drinking district. It's located just past this information desk. It has an old Japanese flavor, perfect for just enjoying the atmosphere. The inspiration is inevitable. ...Was that too much information for a minor? Well, that's about it for the city. Is there something else I can help you with?" The clerk asked Ren. Ren then spoke up.
"You seem rather knowledgeable about the area. What would you recommend to my friend and I? It's our first time exploring this area, you see." Ren said to the clerk who blinked before smiling as she spoke up.
"It's you and your friend's first time exploring Kichijoji? Ah, in that case, I know just the thing! Please allow me to explain! You're a minor, correct? If that's the case...If you go past the drinking district and reach Rue De Chouchou, you will find a darts and billiards lounge. It's actually a very casual place, and people your age ca walk in with no problem." The clerk said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"What about somewhere unique? Or perhaps a place for adults? Call me curious, but I might as well get all the information I can about Kichijoji while I have the chance." Ren said as the clerk nodded and spoke up.
"Did you know? ...Oh, yes! One of the city's hidden gems is the temple in the promenade. It's even popular among young people who are looking for some guidance. Oh, maybe that doesn't really include students like you...? Haha. If you're ever interested you should check it out. Was there anything else you wanted to hear about? Oh wait right, you asked about a place for adults. Wait...HUH!? Well, you did come all the way here...If you're looking for a place for adults...There is a jazz club...And I THINK minors can go in...Sorry for my lack of knowledge. Would you like to know anything else?" The clerk asked Ren who spoke up.
"That's quite all right. And yes, what can you tell me about the stores around here?" Ren asked the clerk who nodded and spoke up.
"Certainly! Allow me to explain! There's a strange-Ahem, excuse me, a unique secondhand clothing store here as well. It's located on the promenade street. The manager always greets me in the morning, but...He's always saying, 'I specifically want sooty clothing.' And is quite picky about what you bring in too. Oh, and have you been to the incense store in Harmony Alley? It actually opened quite recently. They have incenses that people have never even heard of before. And it's not a fishy store either. Was there anything else you wanted to ask?" The clerk asked Ren who nodded and spoke up.
"I suppose while I've got you here, is there anything else you think I should know?" Ren asked the clerk who blinked but nodded and spoke up.
"Anything you should know...Actually, yes. There's something I heard recently. About the fried food shop in the promenade. People say it's tedious to wait in line...And by nighttime it's already sold out. So what're we to do if we want one? Well, they say on Sundays they make more than usual. So, in other words, if you go there on a Sunday night...And the story I heard ends there. Anything else you would like to know?" The clerk asked Ren. Ren shook his head and spoke up.
"No, I think I've learned all I need to know, but thank you for your time and your knowledge." Ren said to the clerk who smiled and nodded as she replied to him.
"You're quite welcome, young man. If you would like to more about Kichijoji, feel free to stop on by!" The clerk said as Morgana spoke up.
"Whoa! Whew...That was quite a lot of information. I think w were able to broaden our insights about Kichijoji!" Morgana said as Ren's Knowledge went up out of nowhere. Ren and Ryuji then kept exploring. Starting from the entrance to the promenade, Ren and Ryuji saw a sweets shop and decided to look at it, Morgana blinking as he saw a certain student council president pretending to hide behind a book while she followed Ren and Ryuji as Ryuji spoke up,.
"Whoa! No way! Take a look at the showcase dude!" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up in shock.
"A Kichijoji special, 'Dorayaki with chestnuts and red bean paste'? It almost looks like a hamburger..." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.
"It kinda does. But let's keep looking. If nothing else we can lose the person following us over there." Ren said, subtly tilting his head towards where Niijima was pretending to look at a magazine while following the group making Ryuji and Morgana wordlessly nod and follow Ren as they kept exploring. Next on the line was a hats shop as Morgana spoke up.
"Hmm...A hats-only store, huh? They've got so many of 'em." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up.
"How many heads could this store cover..." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.
"Probably quite a few. Actually, I bet if we looked, we could find a cute little black top hat for Morgana to wear if he ever wanted to try and impress a certain lady he has his eyes on, even if I think he's wasting his time having likely unrequited feelings for her." Ren said as Morgana huffed at Ren.
"Oh shut up, Ren! At least my crush knows I like her! That's more than I can say for you AND for Kusa! Both of you have yet to even make your crushes realize you like them! Though at least to your credit, your crush might actually return your feelings, unlike Kusa's. Though as I said before, that could change in time." Morgana said as Ren glared at Morgana and spoke up.
"Quit picking on me, and on Kusa who isn't even here, before I let Ryuji button-mash you like we were gonna do on the train. This time, there's no Kusa here to stop it." Ren said in annoyance as Ryuji grinned eagerly, nodding his agreement as Morgana huffed and spoke up, glaring at Ren and Ryuji before reluctantly sighing as he spoke.
"Whatever, fiiine...let's keep exploring." Morgana said as Ren and Ryuji nodded and kept moving. Next up was the stationery store the clerk mentioned. At that point, Morgana spoke up once more.
"Hmmm...My Morgana senses are telling me that this store...sells a lot of stuff that suits my taste!" Morgana said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up with a look at Ren.
"What the hell are Morgana senses..." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.
"Probably Morgana's version of a certain superhero's Spidey-Sense, which if they are, then I give you props on managing to reference that without being sued, Morgana. But let's be glad Kusa isn't here since he'd have probably facefaulted when Morgana mentioned his Morgana senses." Ren said as Ryuji chuckled and nodded.
"Truth! Well, let's take a look." Ryuji said as the two went inside and the employee behind the counter spoke up.
"Hello and welcome. We have plenty of items here you can gift to others." The employee said as Ren and Ryuji winced at the prices. There was a 'Watercolor Postcard' for 800 yen, a 'Fountain Pen' for 8,000 yen and a 'Leather Pen Case' for 12,000 yen which made Ren and Ryuji both almost cry at how pricey the gifts were, both of them exchanging a nod and deciding to come back when they had more yen. The employee waved as they left and spoke up.
"Thank you! Please come again." The employee said as Ren and Ryuji exited the store and Ryuji spoke up.
"That employee dude was sayin' somethin' about how their stuff makes good gifts, yeah? I guess it'd be pretty cool to get a gift from here." Ryuji said with a laugh as the group kept exploring, unaware of their follower still tailing them. Next on the lineup was a cell-phone shop which they looked at as Ryuji spoke up.
"Hmm...There're so many types of phones, but I feel like they all look the same." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded with a smile as he spoke up.
"Man, I want a phone of my own. Preferably the newest one out there!" Morgana said as Ren huffed and spoke up.
"First of all Morgana, how would you even use a phone with those paws of yours? At least wait until you have your true form back first, yeah? For now, just settle for looking at mine and/or Kusa's phones over our shoulders until you get your true form back then once you do, you can go and get yourself a phone. How's that?" Ren said to Morgana who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.
"Sounds good to me, Ren!" Morgana said as the group kept exploring. Next up was the secondhand clothes shop that the clerk had told Ren about. Ryuji spoke up as he saw a sign inside the shop.
"Oh, hey dude! Check out that sign in the store. It says, 'Bring your sooty clothing here!' ...Sooty clothes?" Ryuji said in confusion. Morgana spoke up.
"Heh, maybe this is another use for those sooty items that the Shadows drop sometimes when we beat them. Let's see what they've got!" Morgana said as Ren and Ryuji nodded and went inside. Once inside, the manager looked at them and spoke up.
"Welcome, if you're looking to sell clothing- W-Wait, what's that? Can I take a look at that? Don't worry, I won't steal it." The manager said as Morgana smiled and spoke up.
"Nice! This guy's reacting to clothing that we got from Shadows...Seems he knows what he's talking about." Morgana said as the manager spoke up.
"I've been here for 40 years, but I've never seen clothing that makes my heart chill...All right, I'll buy it. But I'll only buy it for the price it deserves. So, we have a point card system here. Each piece of clothing you sell here will give you 10 points. Once you obtain enough points, you can trade them for a prize. So feel free to let us take that clothing off your hands." The manager said as Morgana spoke up with a smile.
"Hmm...Hmm! Not only is he gonna buy them from us, he's gonna give us points for them too? We should definitely come back here." Morgana said as the manager spoke up.
"So what can I do for ya?" The manager asked as Ren spoke up.
"I want to sell." Ren said to the manager. He eventually sold 3 pieces of sooty clothes for 5,120 yen. The manager then spoke up.
"So you sold 3 pieces of clothing...Hm, that'll get you 30 points. And now you've got 30 points. Anything else?" The manager asked as Ren spoke up.
"Yeah, let me see the prizes you spoke of since I'm curious about them." Ren said. Eventually he opted not to exchange his 30 points and told the manager he was done when the manager asked if he wanted anything else making the manager smile as they spoke up.
"These clothes are amazing...Come again, all right?" The manager said as Ren nodded as he and Ryuji left the store with Morgana hiding in Ren's bag. After they left, Ryuji spoke up with a frown.
"W-Well, that was kind of a weird store...But I guess it was pretty fun. Let's check it out again sometime." Ryuji said as Morgana and Ren nodded as the trio kept exploring. Next up on the line was an ice-cream shop which made Morgana speak up.
"Whoa! Coffee, strawberry, green tea...Looks like they have all kinds of flavors. Oh! How about sushi-flavored ice cream?" Morgana said as Ren looked at Morgana in mixed disgust and shock as he spoke up.
"I don't know if they have that flavor, but please never mention it again. That sounds terrible." Ren said honestly as Ryuji nodded agreement and spoke up
"Shut up, Morgana! Ugh, I just imagined what it'd taste like!" Ryuji said as the trio kept exploring. Next on the line was a realtor, which didn't really appeal to the trio though Morgana did speak up.
"Huh, check out the price for a one bedroom...Guess it's expected in Kichijoji." Morgana said as Ren nodded.
"I suppose if nothing else, I can remember this location for when Kusa and I graduate in case we want to move here on a more permanent basis." Ren said with a shrug. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up, looking at Morgana while he spoke.
"Dude, you're a cat. Rent shouldn't even matter to you." Ryuji said. Ren smirked as he spoke up to Ryuji while stifling a laugh at Ryuji's remark.
"Ryuji, be glad Kusa isn't here or he'd have torn into you for that, dude. Also, Morgana only looks like a cat. He's not actually a cat. But I suppose he'd have to look at rent for when he gets his true form back." Ren mused as Morgana hissed at Ryuji and spoke up.
"I'm not a cat, dumbass!" Morgana rebuked Ryuji as Ren laughed and the trio kept exploring. As they turned around, Ren spotted a gentle-faced monk and decided to speak to him.
"Hello sir, how are you?" Ren said to the monk, ignoring the Niijima currently hiding behind the monk while following the trio.
"Good day! What brings you here? Oho! Surprised to see a monk? Fret not, I'm merely a fellow human being who eats and breathes just as you do. The temple is open to the public during the day. You are most welcome to visit anytime." The monk said as Morgana spoke up.
"HEY! Let's come back another time. We've got something else to do now!" Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably and the group kept exploring. Next on the lineup was an udon shop next to the monk, which caused Morgana to speak up.
"Oh! A place where you can eat udon while standing, huh? They've got so many toppings to choose from." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.
"These places are meant for eatin' ASAP, but with this many toppings, you'd spend all your time just decidin' what to get." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the group kept exploring. As they walked to the next store, Ren idly made a note of a customer speaking about how they heard the name 'Akechi' a lot these days, making him frown as he felt like he'd heard that name before somewhere, but filed it away for later as Ryuji spoke up when they got to the next store, which was the fried-food shop the clerk told Ren about.
"Whoa...Holy crap, look at the line! I think I saw this store on TV." Ryuji said as Morgana sniffed before smiling as he spoke up.
"Oh, the smell...Looks like their 'special meat cutlet' is their most popular item." Morgana said as the employee in charge of the line looked over, probably hearing Ryuji comment on the line, and frown as they spoke up.
"Sorry, we only have enough of the special meat cutlet for the people in line right now. Try stopping by at nighttime." The employee said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.
"Uhh...Well, I guess we can't do shit if it's this busy...But let's keep in mind that we might be able to buy the 'special meat cutlet' at night!" Ryuji said as Ren and Morgana nodded and kept exploring. Next on the lineup was an Asian general store that had Ryuji frown and speak up.
"Dont' these stores usually have a weird smell? man, I'm not a big fan of it..." Ryuji said as Morgana huffed and spoke up.
"You're such a kid, Ryuji. This is supposed to be an exotic scent." Morgana said as Ren chuckled and the trio kept exploring. Next up was a furniture store that had Ryuji gaping as he spoke up.
"WHOA! Oh, check out all the stylish furniture." Ryuji said as Morgana smirked and spoke up to Ren.
"Do you wanna just get a new sofa for your room? Maybe with the money I have..." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"Dude, Morgana. Look at the price tag." Ryuji said as Morgana did so and winced at the price as he spoke up once more.
"Oof...Sorry Ren, i take it back." Morgana said as Ren chuckled and spoke up with a smile.
"No worries, Morgana. Where would we fit that couch? Besides, if I was gonna buy more furniture for the room, it'd be a guest bed in case we ever have to have company overnight. Not to mention, Kusa probably would've had a fit if we replaced his sofa on him. Say what you will about him, but he's a man of routine who struggles to adapt to change. But then don't we all?" Ren said sagely as Ryuji nodded and the group kept exploring. The next place was a karaoke place. Morgana spoke up.
"Hmm, what's this? 'Discounts for families and seniors!' I think I hear them singing." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.
"Karaoke's always so cheap during the week. I wonder if they're even makin' money." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.
"Probably, but I don't think we have time right now for it. Let's keep exploring and see what else is here, yeah?" Ren said as Ryuji nodded and the group kept exploring. Next up was a record store. Morgana blinked as he spoke up.
"Those are pretty big CDs...Huh? Records?" Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up.
"Y'think it's true that CDs and records sound different? I don't think I'd ever be able to tell the difference." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.
"Probably. I'll have to come back here sometime when we have time and see if they sell any record players, and if so, if this place has any records by Led Zeppelin or Metallica, since those two groups, along with Aerosmith, are some of Kusa's favorite bands." Ren said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up happily, clearly agreeing with Kusa's taste in music.
"Hell yeah, Ren! Kusa sounds like he has kick-ass taste in music! I'll have to compare notes with him sometime and see if we like the same bands!" Ryuji said as the group kept exploring. Next in line was a music store where Ryuji grinned as he spoke up.
"How ironic we find a music shop not long after our discussion about forming a band, which was right before Yusuke joined the group. That said, check out all the instruments in there...Maybe I'll give one a try." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.
"I bet you'd look good with a trumpet." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.
"You're just basin' it off my hair color, aren't you?" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.
"We both know you'd look way better with a guitar or some drums Ryuji. If anyone would be good with a trumpet, it'd probably be Morgana since his paws probably make him able to play it really well." Ren said as Ryuji grinned and fist-bumped Ren as he spoke up.
"Truth, man! Not to mention I already called dibs on the drums if we ever do form a band, and Kusa said you and he would take up the guitars. Though to be honest, I almost think Kusa should try vocals while Ann takes guitar with you since I get the sense Kusa might be a decent vocalist." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the group kept exploring. Ren then looked at Ryuji and spoke up.
"Oh wait that's right, what's the name of the darts place?" Ren asked Ryuji who blinked and spoke up.
"Ahh...The name of the place is on the ticket. I think it's one street up from the promenade." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the group kept exploring. As they turned around, Ren noticed some stairs that when examined turned out to lead to the jazz club the clerk had mentioned, making Morgana speak up.
"Oh! A jazz club, huh? Seems like a place for adults." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up in mixed awe and surprise.
"Dude, you get jazz? That's cool. Either way, looks like it's only open at night." Ryuji said. Next on the exploration lost was an imported groceries shop. Morgana spoke up as the group loked at the shop.
"They've got food from foreign countries? Some of these look pretty interestin'." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.
"Seems like they've got some rare stuff. Let's check it out!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and they went inside where the employee at the counter spoke up.
"Welcome! Please feel free to enjoy the tastes of countries the world over!" The employee said as Ren shrugged and bought 5 of each item in stock. He and Ryuji then left as the employee spoke up.
"Thank you very much! Please come again!" The clerk said as Ren and Ryuji left the store and Ryuji spoke up.
"Oh, did you get somethin'? Lemme know what it tastes like, yeah?" Ryuji asked and Ren nodded as the group kept exploring. Next on the list was the Chinese Bun shop. Ryuji spoke up as the group approached the shop.
"Hey, look! Dude, this nikuman looks so much tastier than the ones at convenience stores." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"It does...Hey, y'guys wanna get one? How about it?" Morgana asked as the employee working the counter, probably being drawn by Ryuji speaking up, spoke up.
"Hey, welcome! We're selling our hot and fresh Chinese buns here!" The employee said as Ren looked the options over and bought 10 of everything in stock, leaving him with a bit over 12,000 yen left after buying everything he'd bought. The employee spoke up as he and Ryuji left.
"Thanks! Come again!" The employee said as Ren and Ryuji nodded and walked off as Ryuji spoke up.
"I see...Neapolitan Nikuman and Peppery Nikuman...Man, I wonder what they taste like! I'm totally gonna eat it one of these days!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded agreeably as the group kept exploring. Next on the examination list was a bar which Morgana frowned and spoke up at.
"Hmm...I guess these places don't open until nighttime." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.
"I wonder what it's like at night...I kinda wanna check it out." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.
"Maybe some other time when we've got time, we can check a bar out, Ryuji." Ren decided as Ryuji grinned and spoke up as he fist-bumped Ren.
"Awesome, man!" Ryuji said happily as the trio kept exploring. After some walking, the next place to explore was an incense shop which Ryuji frowned at and spoke up.
"Hmm...An incense store? Dude, I'm tellin' ya, it seems freakin' fishy." Ryuji said as Morgana winced and spoke up.
"You've got no interest in incenses, right? Where would you even use it...?" Morgana asked Ren who spoke up.
"No idea, but who knows when it could come in handy also." Ren pointed out as the group kept exploring. After a bit more walking, they came out onto another section of the city as Ryuji spoke up to get Ren's attention.
"Ah, this is the road! Hey, the name of that shop matches what's on the free tickets. It says...'Penguin Sniper'? Huh? Why'd you give one of those doofy birds a gun?" Ryuji asked as Ren had to keep from laughing at Ryuji's question, having gotten a mental image of a psychotic penguin with a pistol posing as a mascot for the darts lounge. Morgana's eyes went comically wide as he spoke up at that point.
"FOR REAL!? It's not meant to be taken literally..." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.
"That's true, but at the same time, I think it was a promotional gimmick on the store's part. Besides, would you rather the store have had Morgana be their mascot? God knows his ego's already huge enough, without having that going for him." Ren said with a laugh as Ryuji nodded his agreement while fist bumping Ren as he spoke up.
"Truth, man! Still, if you're comin' up with a good name...Well, whatever. Let's check it out!" Ryuji said to Ren who the duo kept exploring. However, Morgana frowned as he turned to look behind Ren and Ryuji, frowning as he saw the female stalking the trio and spoke up, getting Ren and Ryuji's attention as he spoke.
"Ren! Ryuji! I think we have a stalker!" Morgana said as Ren and Ryuji frowned and turned around, the latter gaping at the sight of Niijima standing nearby hiding behind a paper as Ren cleared his throat and spoke up.
"You can stop pretending to hide behind that paper now, Niijima-san. We know you're following us. My question is, WHY are you following us? Do you have nothing better to do than to tail me and my friends? I know we didn't give you the best impression that day on the rooftop, but surely we're not on your hit list over it?" Ren said to Niijima who blinked and spoke up after being caught.
"U-Um, M-My, what a coincidence." Makoto said as Ren crossed his arms and spoke up.
"Coincidence, my ass! You're following us! Is this the job you were put up to, Niijima-san?" Ren asked as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.
"Wait, what!? She was put up to a job? Who would put her up to following us, and why?" Ryuji asked as Niijima winced as she spoke up.
"I can't tell you that, unfortunately. I'm not at liberty to reveal that information at this time. But I do apologize for following you. I'm just doing what I was ordered to do. Don't mind me, just keep doing what you were doing. And I won't mention the fact that you two discussed going to a bar." Niijima said with a disapproving glare on her face as Ryuji sighed and looked into Niijima's eyes with a surprisingly soft expression in his gaze as he spoke.
"Listen, I'm not mad that you're following us, Miss Prez. I'm just shocked. Also, if you wanted to hang out, you could've just asked. I know we probably put you off, but we don't bite. Not even the cat here bites. He just scratches a lot if he's in a pissy mood or hisses, but he never bites." Ryuji said trying to cheer up Niijima with a joke, ignoring the hiss and glare Morgana gave him for calling him a cat. Niijima smiled at Ryuji as she spoke up, looking both surprised at Ryuji's response and impressed at his being kind to her as she spoke, not seeing Ren give Ryuji a knowing grin as a result.
"Th-Thank you, Sakamoto. But I really can't hang out with you. It could cause problems for us all if I'm seen hanging out with you. But I appreciate the offer. It was very kind of you. Maybe you're not as bad as the grapevine says you are. Maybe. I'll go for now. Sorry again for stalking you two." Niijima said as she turned and left, trying not to let her embarrassment at being caught show, though Ren smirked as she walked off and nudged Ryuji in the gut as he spoke up.
"Oh-ho, what's this now Ryuji? Got a thing for the student council president? I can't judge you for that since I'm sure you could do much worse. But good luck taming that uptight streak of hers." Ren said teasingly with a grin as Ryuji rolled his eyes and playfully socked Ren in the shoulder.
"Oh shut up, Ren! You have NO room to mock me about Niijima when you're so blatantly obvious about Yoshizawa! At least you had that one on one time with her at the cleanup so I can't say you haven't spoken to her." Ryuji said as Ren nodded happily.
"Indeed I did. I even got her contact info that day. So if I really wanted to, I could contact her. But I don't because she said she's busy most of the time and I try not to bother her if I can avoid it." Ren said as Ryuji and Morgana laughed as the latter spoke up.
"So basically, other than Yusuke, everyone in our group has someone they're interested in. How convenient. Let's go check out the darts lounge, yeah?" Morgana said as Ren and Ryuji nodded and went to the darts lounge. After a bit of a walk, Ryuji smirked and spoke up.
"Whoa! Ohh! Here, this is the place. Oh man, I'm getting kind of nervous..." Ryuji said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.
"Ha, you're such a child. Try not to embarrass the rest of us, would you?" Morgana said teasingly as Ryuji smirked and spoke up.
"Shuddup! You don't gotta tell me that!" Ryuji said in what was meant to be a rebuking tone, but the grin on his face betrayed the amused tone he had as he spoke. Ryuji then kept speaking as he looked at Ren, smirking as he spoke.
"So, what's the plan? You wanna head inside?" Ryuji asked Ren who nodded.
"Yeah, I think we've looked around enough man. Let's go." Ren said to Ryuji who nodded as the 'Darts & Billiards' lounge was added to his list of fast-travel destinations.
(Inside the darts lounge with Ryuji, Ren and Morgana)
"All right, bull! That's a new high score!" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up in confusion.
"You seem to know a lot about this, Ryuji. That said, bull?" Ren asked. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up to explain to Ren about the term 'bull'.
"The center of the target's called the bullseye. If you lad a dart there, it's called 'bull'! I know because I looked up the rules online last night. Anyway, this game's called '01.' You win by getting your score all the way down to 0 points before the other player." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up in surprise.
"Oh, so you're not trying to get a high score, but get rid of your score? That's pretty different." Morgana said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up to explain the rules a bit more.
"We both start with the same score, then you lose points based on the number on the board where your dart lands...And you can only win if you get your score down to 0, exactly. You can't even be off by a single point! How's that sound? Pretty sick, right?" Ryuji said with a grin as Morgana spoke up with an intrigued look.
"So you have to be able to calculate your score properly while making sure you hit the right numbers on the board...This game seems like it takes a lot of concentration." Morgana said as Ren took a shot and hit a 1. Morgana laughed and spoke up.
"Heehee, one point!? C'mon, you have to straighten your arm out more, and..." Morgana said as he turned and saw Ryuji looking at the wall and spoke up.
"Hey, Ryuji, what's up?" Morgana asked Ryuji who turned to face Morgana as he spoke up.
"Ah, I was just readin' this flyer. It says, 'Darts is a party when you play in pairs!' You team up with someone and alternate throwers when it's your turn. You still use the same rules I told you, though. Hey, whaddya say we give it a try?" Ryuji asked Ren who spoke up.
"Yeah, sounds fun." Ren said. Ryuji grinned and pumped a fist happily as he spoke up.
"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Let's do this!" Ryuji said as the two started playing as Ren threw an early bull making Ryuji grin as he spoke up.
"Whoa! A bull right off the bat!? Man, talk about an exciting opening!" Ryuji said as he high-fived Ren to tag-in and spoke up.
"Here goes! Don't underestimate an ex-athlete!" Ryuji said as he hit a triple 20 making him pump a fist and grin as he spoke up.
"HELL YEAH! Triple 20!" Ryuji said happily as Morgana gaped and spoke up.
"Whoa, he hit such a tiny spot! Quite impressive-especially for you, Ryuji." Morgana said as Ryuji high-fived Ren to swap out throwers as he spoke up.
"We're almost down to 0 points. Let's really focus for this last round!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded in a determined manner. A short time later, victorious music was heard as Ren's throw put him and Ryuji exactly at 0 points, prompting Ryuji to cheer and pump his fist as he spoke up.
"Woohoooo! 0 points, right on the dot! Ain't we badass!?" Ryuji said as Ren smirked and nodded happily as Morgana spoke up in awe.
"Whoa! 0 points! That's no easy feat! You really do have something special going on!" Morgana said as Ryuji grinned happily and spoke up.
"Man, this is so fun. When you're on the line, the pressure's insane, but it makes you wanna do your best for your partner!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and a screen popped up to show that Ryuji's Baton Pass had reached Rank 2, surprising both Ren and Ryuji. Ren blinked as he smirked.
'I feel like I understand something better after pairing up with Ryuji...!' Ren thought as his own Baton Pass also was shown to rank up to Rank 2 with a similar screen to the one that popped up for Ryuji. At that point, Morgana chuckled and spoke up.
"Hm, based on the looks on your faces, I'm guessing both of you got something out of this game. Even if it is just a game, it can be some kind of training, depending on how you play..." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up approvingly.
"That's a good way to look at it." Ren said approvingly to Morgana who chuckled and spoke up.
"Heh, well I do always have the Phantom Thieves on the brain. Let's keep practicing here-Ooh, ooh! Let's invite everybody next time!" Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.
"Man...All this, just from me askin' you to meet me here! This is, like...y'know...one of those strikes of good luck!" Ryuji said as Morgana winced and spoke up.
"You mean a 'STROKE' of good luck! Why would it be a strike! Who would protest having good luck?" Morgana said as Ren spoke up.
"Pretty sure there's more than one definition of 'strike', Morgana." Ren pointed out as Ryuji spoke up, hearing the sound of cues nearby.
"Ooh, what's that?" Ryuji asked as he and Ren turned to look at what was going on as Ryuji spoke up in recollection.
"Oh yeah, they have pool here, too!" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up with a smirk as he got a contemplative look on his face.
"Hmm...This game could be useful too, depending on how we look at it..." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up with a disappointed look on his face.
"It's already pretty late, though. We can come back and play it later." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"Ah, and don't forget-we got a couple free tickets to play today, but next time you'll have to pay up." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up eagerly.
"But it was super fun, right!? Ah, I totally wanna play again sometime! Well, we should head home for the day. Thanks for hangin' out." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the two parted ways for the day...
(That evening at Leblanc with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)
"Hey, if I remember correctly, you transfer lines at Shibuya, right? I heard customers say it's gotten pretty dangerous over there. Don't let yourself be a target, got it?" Sojiro said to Ren as he walked in, getting an agreeable nod from Ren as Morgana spoke up.
"Hmm...Wow. It's really gotten that unsafe, huh? That said, you still want to check out Kichijoji at night, don't you?" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as Morgana kept speaking.
"Don't worry, Ren. Worst comes to worst, I've got your back! Mwehehe, besides, there's a certain delicious smell on that street that bears investigating...Myeh heh heh." Morgana said as Ren's phone went off to signify a private chat from Mishima.
"Picked up some interesting info you might want to hear...Apparently there's this old man who's been causing problems in Kichijoji. If you make one wrong move or say the wrong thing, he flies into a rage and it turns into a fight. Even if you don't hit him, he lies and says you did-and then sues for damages. So he's like a con artist! Or like...a conflict artist." Mishima said as Ren sent a response to that.
"That's ridiculous. For one, who has that kind of time? And for two, what about the cops?" Ren sent as Mishima nodded and sent a response.
"I agree. We can't let this guy go unchecked. Only problem is, knowing that he's an old trouble maker isn't enough to get us a name...But I DID hear that he hangs out in Kichijoji's Harmony Alley a lot!" Mishima sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.
"Hmm...This old man sure sounds like a problem. And if we don't know his name, we can't make him have a change of heart. Okay, it sounds like our next stop is Kichijoji. Let's go check out this Harmony Alley!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, a request popping up on his phone by the title of 'An Elderly's Meaning Of Life'. Morgana then looked at Ren.
"Hey, hey, you've got some sooty armor...How about you wash that over at the laundromat? I think the secondhand clothes store in Kichijoji will take them too, but we'd better do something with them." Morgana said to Ren who shrugged.
"That's an option, to be sure. But let's see what all options I have before I commit to anything." Ren said as the door to Leblanc opened, and he smiled as he saw Kusa walk inside, nodding to him as he walked in.
"There you are, brother. Have fun with your friend?" Ren asked Kusa who nodded before speaking up.
"Indeed I did, but let me go set my stuff down before I explain more to you. Or you can follow me upstairs while I fill you in." Kusa said as Ren nodded and the two went upstairs with Morgana while Kusa spoke up.
"Sorry I ducked out on going with you guys to Kichijoji, but Futaba needed me. Suffice it to say, she's making slight progress in being social, but it's very slow progress to be sure. That aside, I think I'm getting her to open up to me slightly, so that's a start. But that's about the extent of my day. How about your day, Ren? Anything interesting happen?" Kusa asked as Morgana spoke up before Ren could, grinning at the memory of all that had transpired as he spoke.
"Other than Niijima stalking us across Kichijoji and Ryuji and Ren learning of the game of darts, I'd say nothing of too much interest occurred." Morgana said as Ren huffed.
"Oh shut up, Morgana! You're leaving out the music store, the record store, and the various other food shops we found." Ren said as Kusa blinked at what Ren had said about Niijima following him, Ryuji and Morgana around Kichijoji making him frown and look at Ren as he spoke up.
"Wait, back up. Niijima-san, as in our student council president!? She was stalking you and Ryuji!? Why would she do that?" Kusa asked in shock.
"Probably because she was ordered to by our principal, as you probably recall from when she mentioned about having a job she didn't want to do the other day." Ren pointed out as Kusa nodded understandingly, speaking up in a tone that showed he conceded that point as he spoke.
"Ah yes, forgot about that until now. That's a good point." Kusa conceded as Ren then laughed and spoke up, smirking as he spoke.
"Oh wait right, I almost forgot about the part where Ryuji basically came to Niijima's defense and surprised her in doing so." Ren said with a smirk as Kusa laughed and spoke up, grinning triumphantly as he spoke.
"HA! I knew he was hot for her! Now to get the fool to admit to it, and then slowly start getting him and Niijima-san to warm up to one another." Kusa said eagerly as Ren laughed, liking the enthusiasm in Kusa's usually dry tone as he spoke up, knowing as he spoke that what he was about to say would probably excite Kusa.
"Easy, Kusa. Don't be in a rush to play matchmaker. Also, that record shop from what I could see seemed to have a lot of different records. Maybe if we're lucky, they have some Zeppelin and Metallica records and a record player." Ren said as Kusa grinned, giving Ren an intrigued look as he spoke up, his interest clearly piqued as he spoke.
"Oh? Please tell me they do! That would be so kick-ass to be able to get the freaking Led out again. That's one thing I keep kicking myself for leaving at home is my MP3 player. I had so much Zeppelin and Metallica downloaded onto that thing along with Aerosmith, Smosh, and a bunch of other kick-ass artists." Kusa said as Ren nodded.
"I remember it. I'm impressed you left it behind to be honest." Ren said as Kusa shrugged, not really being able to argue the point as he spoke up.
"Didn't have much of a choice when it wouldn't fit in my suitcase, plus I forgot to stuff it in my pocket. Oh well, it is what it is. So what's the plans for this evening?" Kusa asked as Ren stroked his chin and spoke up.
"I'm undecided between hanging out with Yoshida, hanging out with Mishima, or washing some of our extra sooty armor to try and sell it." Ren admitted as Kusa smirked.
"I'd say let's wash the sooty armor honestly just to see what we get from it. But if you'd rather boost a Confidant, that's fine too. I'm sure I can help out Sakura-kun or something." Kusa said as Ren thought about it and nodded.
"Nah, let's go wash the sooty armor since I found a place that buys sooty stuff but only buys it for cheap and I want to see if I can get more by washing it and selling the resulting armors." Ren said as Kusa nodded agreeably.
"Ah, so a bit of market research, then? Good idea Ren. Let's do it." Kusa said as Ren nodded and the two went to the laundromat, Morgana deciding to ride there on Kusa's shoulder. As the two made to head for the laundromat, Kusa blinked and spoke up, frowning as he looked at the second-hand store, gaping slightly as he spoke.
"Wait...what? Ren, am I imagining things, or does that store have a retro gaming console on sale?" Kusa said, pointing towards the second-hand shop. Ren blinked as he spoke up, seeing what Kusa meant nearly immediately as he spoke.
"Nah, I see it too Kusa. Let's go check it out first, yeah?" Ren said as Kusa nodded.
"Hell yeah! Let's get it!" Kusa said as the two went over to check it out, and in the end the two bought the retro game console set AND some Thick Parchment for crafting purposes, leaving Ren very close to broke but with enough to wash the sooty armor. After a brief nod, the two ran back to Leblanc and ran upstairs to set up the gaming console as Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren and Kusa as he spoke.
"Hey, hey! Come to think of it, you bought a game console, right?" Morgana asked as Kusa eagerly nodded and spoke up.
"Hell yeah we did! And I'm glad for it! Now I can get back to honing my gaming skills in my free time to some extent while we do stuff." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up approvingly after Kusa hooked up the console carefully.
"All right, now we can play games!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded.
"Damn straight we can play games! Thank god this console uses red/white/yellow cords and not RF switches like most retro consoles. Those things are a pain in the ass to get hooked up to your TV, let me tell you." Kusa said as Ren laughed and spoke up.
"Don't let him tell you, Morgana. I lose count of the number of times I had to listen to him swearing up a blue streak as he tried to hook an RF switch to our TV when we were younger so he could play his NES." Ren said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, though he was smiling as he remembered when he used to play NES as a kid while he spoke.
"OI! Don't be talking about me like that, Ren! At least I have an appreciation of classic gaming!" Kusa said haughtily as Ren laughed before speaking up.
"And by 'classic gaming', you mean Super Mario Bros. and other such NES titles, and the odd SNES and Genesis title or two." Ren said as Kusa nodded.
"Yep, back when gaming was at its most vintage! Granted, systems nowadays are pretty sweet, but you can't go wrong with the classics in my opinion." Kusa said sagely. Ren nodded, smiling agreeably as he spoke up, agreeing with Kusa's point as he spoke.
"That's true. Let's go wash that armor now, yeah?" Ren said as Kusa nodded. After a bit, they went to the laundromat and ran the three remaining pieces of sooty gear they had for 400 yen. Morgana spoke up as the washing machine ran.
"Hey, hey! This thing is shaking a lot..." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up while he leaned on a nearby wall.
"It's supposed to do that, Morgana-sensei. That's what washing machines do when they're in their spin cycle. Besides, if you want a shaky experience, then watch a dryer sometime." Kusa said. Morgana nodded and sniffed around before speaking up.
"Hmm...I smell soap from the bathhouse next door..." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'll need to go there anytime soon since the only stats I need to hit rank 3 on are Guts and Kindness at the moment." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.
"So the two that you have the fewest ways to level up. Sounds accurate. I suppose you could always clean up around Leblanc more or maybe try the Big Bang Challenge more? Or failing that, doesn't the bathhouse raise Guts some nights?" Kusa said as Ren shrugged as he spoke up.
"It might. And also, on the occasions that the thing needs it, I can give the plant nutrients for more Kindness as well." Ren added as Kusa nodded.
"True. So it's not like you're without ways to better yourself, Ren." Kusa said as Ren nodded. Eventually the shaking stopped as Ren lifted up the lid and Morgana spoke up.
"Oh! Oh, looks like it's done. And...finished! Oooh, this is MUCH cleaner than I expected!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded.
"Yeah, you'd be surprised how good of a job a washing machine does at cleaning stuff." Kusa said sagely. After inspecting the load, Ren got an 'Old Angels' Cape', a 'Shikigami Dress' and a 'Mythological Collar'. Ren then pocketed the armors as Morgana spoke up.
"Good, that's done. Finally! Let's head back home!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded and went back to Leblanc, or that was the plan until Takemi walked up unexpectedly and stopped Ren and Kusa as she spoke up.
"Good evening. Sorry, but a student's night life is of no interest to me. Just kidding. What're you doing here?" Takemi asked Ren who spoke up.
"Just doing some laundry...You know how that can be at times." Ren said by way of explanation as Kusa spoke up.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure she knows all about laundry, Ren. Then again, I get the sense by looking at her that she probably stays on top of it so she doesn't have to do laundry that often, but that's just my opinion." Kusa said with a smirk. Takemi spoke up with a look of interest.
"Is that so? Wow, you're the first person I've known who actually uses this laundromat. Heh...you must be enjoying yourself. And judging from how familiar he is with you, I'm going to guess that the guy with the cat on his shoulder is your brother?" Takemi said as she looked at Kusa and Morgana, the former of whom spoke up.
"Yup, you'd be right on that one, ma'am. My name's Kusa. And judging from the fact you seem to know Ren here, I'm guessing you're his doctor?" Kusa said as Takemi nodded.
"Yeah, we'll go with that. I'm Tae Takemi, but you can just call me Takemi-san, or Doctor if you prefer. And we'll leave what you asked at that since your brother has a verbal non-disclosure agreement, or NDA for short, in play that prohibits further details past that." Takemi said as Kusa nodded understandingly.
"Ah, gotcha. Say no more, wouldn't want to get Ren here in trouble for breaking an agreement." Kusa said sagely with an understanding nod. Takemi smiled and spoke up.
"Heh, you're a smart kid, Kusa. And Ren, I'll see you back at the clinic. Have a good night, my little guinea pig." Takemi said with a wink as she walked off leaving Kusa to gape at Ren in shock as he spoke up, not sure if he believed what he'd just heard as he spoke.
"Did she just call you her guinea pig? Actually, don't answer that in case that violates your NDA. But still, look at you, Ren! You've got a way with the ladies." Kusa joked as the two went back to Leblanc and went to bed, Kusa smiling as he put an arm gently around Morgana as he curled up against Kusa's chest as the three went to sleep...
(The next day on the train to school with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)
"Nnngh...It's so gross and humid..." Morgana said as Ren hugged his bag against his chest which had Morgana sitting in it, though all you could see of him was part of his head as it poked out. Kusa smirked as he saw Ren gently hold Morgana close, careful not to get sweat on the white shirt he wore as part of the summer uniform all Shujin Academy students had had to switch to as of that day, though Kusa's was a button-up grey shirt that he wore unbuttoned so his dark green muscle shirt was visible, which was good as it let his clothes breathe more as he spoke up while leaning on the wall of the train near where Ren was also standing.
"That's because you've got all that fur, Morgana-sensei. Trust me, once you get somewhere with an air conditioner, it should get a lot better for you." Kusa pointed out as Morgana nodded and Ren listened to the train news which mentioned the opening of the darts lounge that Ren and Ryuji had previously gone to. Morgana then spoke up.
"Oh, it's that one lounge! Next time we go, I'm gonna play darts too!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.
"Maybe next time I'll be free so I can go too so I can see how my skills stack up though I get the sense my skills won't be the best at darts, but I might do well at billiards." Kusa said with a shrug as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"Maybe...Still, there are a lot of shops in Kichijoji. We should take our time and look around when we get the chance." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded as the rest of the ride passed uneventfully, until they got off the train, at which point Ryuji walked up to them and spoke up.
"Morniiin'! The response to Madarame's press conference was huge! Everyone's talkin' about the calling card." Ryuji said as Kusa smirked and crossed his arms while speaking up, a pleased grin on his face at the reception his handiwork had gotten as he spoke.
"Naturally...People know a well-written calling card when they see one. So it's only natural that they'd be talking about my handiwork." Kusa said proudly as Ryuji spoke up.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You did good, Kusa. That said...Girls are checkin' me out today. Maybe they can't help but sense my overflowin' phantom thief charisma?" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned and spoke up so only Ryuji, Ren and Morgana could hear, giving Ryuji a pointed look as he spoke.
"OI! Don't be talking about that so loudly, Ryuji! And also, were any of those girls a certain student council president? I heard you defended her to Ren here yesterday." Kusa said with a grin as Ryuji rolled his eyes and spoke up.
"Oh, shuddup Kusa! Just because I defended Niijima to Ren does not mean I like her! Also, oh shit, am I finally startin' to be popular with all the fly hon-...Oh no!" Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa spoke up, both surprised at Ryuji's choice of words.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up, laughing at the stunned/shocked look on Ryuji's face as he spoke.
"You mean, besides the fact that Ryuji's so far in denial, Morgana-sensei and I could use him as a raft to travel up-river? Clearly he's not in the right uniform!" Kusa said with a grin. Ryuji spoke up, ignoring Kusa's shot at him as he looked at Ren while he spoke.
"For real, Ren!? What's wrong!? My uniform, man! That's what! We're supposed to switch to summer uniforms today!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.
"Too bad they don't let us have these pants in short form. I think these would look loads better as shorts." Kusa said. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up.
"Truth, Kusa! That said, I knew people were lookin' at me...Oh, goddamnit!" Ryuji said as Kusa smirked and spoke up, giving Ryuji a teasing grin as he spoke.
"Ooh, be careful with your language, Ryuji. No one likes a blasphemer." Kusa joked as Ren and Ryuji frowned as the latter spoke up.
"Shuddup, Kusa! I know that! I gotta go home and change, so you two go on ahead!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and headed to school with Kusa...
(On the walk to school, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)
Kusa and Ren smirked as they heard some guys in front of them talking, as one of them spoke up to the other in an amused tone.
"Heh heh, holy shit, you're so pale! Short sleeves are so not for you!" One of the guys said as the other huffed and spoke up.
"Shut up! Geez...Anyway, did you catch the news yesterday? Watching that famous artist cry his eyes out over all the artwork he's stolen...The same thing happened to Kamoshida, right? Both got weird calling cards, too...If you ask me, the same person is behind all this." The second guy said as the first spoke up, managing to unintentionally cover up Kusa's huff he gave at his calling card being lumped in with Ryuji's which offended him.
"The news this morning said a group called Phantom Crew are the ones behind the cards. I wonder how they get people to confess. I mean, they can't literally be 'stealing hearts'. Blackmail, maybe?" The first guy said as Ryuji sprinted up to Kusa and Ren, his jacket gone and replaced by a red shirt with writing on the front that seemed to say 'It's Mah Rules!' in big yellow letters on a black background in the middle of the shirt, getting an approving nod from Kusa as he spoke up.
"Ah, Ryuji. Nice shirt man. Very swag-worthy." Kusa said as Ryuji nodded while catching his breath before he spoke up.
"Gaaah! Made it! Urp, sprinting first thing in the morning was a bad idea...Welp, that's definitely my personal best...By a lot..." Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren nodded while the three walked to school...
(That afternoon, at lunchtime in the principal's office with Makoto and Kobayakawa)
"How are things going in regard to that matter we spoke of earlier?" Kobayakawa asked Makoto who winced as she spoke up.
"I have nothing to report yet..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa spoke up, shocked at Makoto's lack of results.
"Nothing at all? How many students are there who could provoke a teacher?" Kobayakawa asked as Makoto spoke up once more.
"I've narrowed it down. I just can't get any solid evidence..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa sighed, making her eyes narrow as she spoke up once more, an accusatory tone in her voice as she looked at Kobayakawa and spoke up.
"You knew, didn't you? About Mister Kamoshida sexually harassing students." Makoto said and when Kobayakawa gave no response at all, Makoto's eyes widened slightly even while they narrowed as she spoke up angrily to Kobayakawa.
"Sir!" Makoto said as Kobayakawa finally spoke up in an indifferent sounding tone.
"What good will come of you asking that?" Kobayakawa asked Makoto, who didn't answer the question before raising a question of her own.
"This investigation IS for a just cause, correct?" Makoto asked Kobayakawa, who huffed and spoke up as he looked at Makoto.
"I believe I understand how flustered this must be making you. I'm sure it was truly shocking for you as student council president to see a peer attempt suicide..." Kobayakawa said, trailing off as Makoto spoke up, her eyes closed in frustration and understanding as she spoke up.
"Yes..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa spoke up after a bit to choose his words.
"We must provide a school environment where all students can feel at ease. THAT is the most pressing issue we have to tackle at the moment." Kobayakawa said as Makoto spoke up, seeming to get why Kobayakawa asked her what he did as she spoke up.
"So that's your reason behind this investigation on the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? We don't even know if they truly exist. Why are you-" Makoto said as Kobayakawa cut her off by speaking up.
"You heard about the incident with that Madarame fellow, I assume?" Kobayakawa asked Makoto, who nodded as she spoke up.
"They said there was a similar calling card to the one used in Mister Kamoshida's case. Though I have to say that from what I heard/saw of it, the one Madarame got was much better written than the one Mister Kamoshida got." Makoto said as Kobayakawa spoke up.
"Perhaps, but I wish to believe that this is unrelated to our students." Kobayakawa said as Makoto nodded her agreement and spoke up.
"Yes..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa spoke up, his tone much more blunt and direct as his anger became more palpable as he spoke up.
"That is where I stand. I suggest you devote your energy to the task at hand, not unnecessary questions." Kobayakawa said pointedly, his glare very clearly saying 'do as I say, or else...!', making Makoto sigh.
"Ngh...Yes sir." Makoto said as she nodded her head and left the room with a sigh...
(Meanwhile, around that same time, in class with Ryuji and Ren and Morgana)
"Did you see Madarame's press conference?" One of the two students in the classroom Ren and Ryuji were having lunch in spoke up as the guy next to him spoke up mockingly.
"You mean that guy who was all like, 'How could I possibly...apologize for what I've done...Aaaah...'? That guy?" The other guy said. The first guy nodded and spoke up again.
"Think it was really those Phantom Thieves? You know, the whole stealing your heart thing." The first guy said as the second spoke up.
"That...There's no way. But then again...it seems too convenient for it all to just be coincidence." The second guy said as Ryuji smiled and chuckled as he pumped a fist as he cheered at the Phantom Thieves being mentioned. At that point, Ann walked over to Ren and Ryuji and spoke up, right as Ren put down his phone, Morgana's head poking out from Ren's desk as Ann spoke up.
"How's it going? Have you found our next big target?" Ann asked Ryuji and Ren. Ryuji shook his head as he spoke up angrily.
"I just started looking yesterday. No way I'm gonna find one that quick." Ryuji said as Ann blinked and nodded as she spoke up.
"Oh yeah. I guess that's true. By the way, I decided on the TV station. What about you two?" Ann asked as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.
"Huh?" Ryuji said before his eyes widened in realization a moment later as he kept speaking, resisting the urge to facefault on his desk as he spoke.
"Oh crap, the social studies trip! Ugh, I just wanna ditch it..." Ryuji said as Morgana glared at Ryuji and spoke up so only Ann, Ryuji and Ren could hear.
"You'd better go to your school activities. Didn't I tell you not to draw attention to yourselves?" Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up in a whiny tone.
"Wouldn't me suddenly turnin' into a good student stand out more?" Ryuji pointed out. Morgana glared at Ryuji and spoke up in a firm, no-nonsense tone.
"Quit bickering and go." Morgana said as Ann winked and spoke up with a smile, having an idea occur to her as she spoke, partly thanks to Morgana's remark.
"Then let's all choose the TV station! I heard we're gonna get to watch them tape a show! Maybe there'll be actresses there!" Ann said as Ryuji turned a wide-eyed look of surprise onto Ann before he smirked and spoke up.
"Oh well. Not like I got anything better to do than waitin' for info to come in online." Ryuji said before he sighed and spoke up again.
"Plus, Morgana's right. Showin' up'll keep the teachers from gettin' all suspicious of me. All right, I'm gonna head back. TV, huh...Maybe I should get a haircut..." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up, glaring at Ryuji as he spoke.
"That guy is such an idiot...I hope nothing happens..." Morgana said as Ren spoke up, stroking his chin in thought as he spoke.
"Hmm, social studies trip, eh...I wonder what the first years'll choose to do for it." Ren said as Ann and Morgana shrugged...
(At that same time, in one of the first-year classrooms, with Kusa and Yoshizawa)
"Wait, what!? We're havin' a social studies trip comin' up? Why do I not remember that?" Kusa asked with wide and surprised eyes as Yoshizawa smirked and giggled fondly as she spoke up, amused by the confused and/or surprised look on Kusa's face at hearing about the upcoming social studies trip, which made her giggle as she spoke.
"Probably because Mister Hiruta mentioned it on one of the days you were distracted in a group chat with your brother and his friends. Honestly, how you can be so blatant about not paying attention in class, and not only not get caught, but also somehow manage to maintain good grades despite said multitasking, both shocks and amuses me. You're something else, Kusa." Yoshizawa said as Kusa laughed as he spoke up, smugly smirking at Yoshizawa as he spoke.
"I know, I'm pretty amazin'. No need to tell me what I already know. Plus, isn't it moreso Ren that you seem to notice these days and not me?" Kusa joked teasingly as Yoshizawa's face went red as she huffed and spoke up, shooting Kusa an annoyed glare at his smug expression as she spoke.
"Sh-Shut up! Is it my fault your brother's so kind, handsome, selfless, and amazing that he'd defend a relative nobody like me not once, but twice!? So excuse me if I appreciate him for being a genuinely special person, Kusa! And no, I wasn't stroking your ego when I said what I did just now. I was honestly stating how much you confuse and even to a point vex me with your unique quirks." Yoshizawa said as Kusa laughed, smiling reassuringly at Yoshizawa as he spoke.
"I know, but I had to keep you on your toes, so to speak, somehow, didn't I? But you know, that wasn't a denial to my point about you liking Ren. So you do like him then?" Kusa said as Yoshizawa huffed and spoke up, sighing as she gave Kusa a frowning glare as she spoke, not amused with the teasing he was giving her even if he meant well.
"Yes, Kusa, I like your brother. Not that I expect him to like me back. I mean, why would he? Yes, I'm an honor student, and I'm kind to all I meet, even if some of them don't really deserve it, but I don't think I'm anything all that special." Yoshizawa said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, frowning at the self-depreciating tone in Yoshizawa's voice as she talked badly about herself making him glare lightly at her as he spoke.
"Nothing that special!? Yoshizawa...no, Kasumi! You listen to me and you listen to me now! Ren, even if he doesn't seem like it at first glance, quite thinks the world of you! I lose count of all the times I've had to call him out on gaping at you like a love-struck buffoon, that's how much Ren's into you! You just haven't given him much of a chance to show you that he cares. But way I hear it, you two swapped contact info? Maybe you and he can hang out more and try to get to know one another better.
You never know, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by Ren, if I can keep Ann and Ryuji from being attached to him at the hip long enough that is. I swear, these days those three are thick as thieves with one another. Not to say I'm not tight with them as well, because I am, but I'm just Ren's younger brother to most of them I think. Granted, Morgana-sensei does at least seem to appreciate me, but still I dunno. But back on your original point, did the first-years decide what we'd do for the trip?" Kusa asked Yoshizawa who smiled at Kusa as she spoke up, giving Kusa an understanding smile as she spoke.
"First of all Kusa, if it's just us, and no one else is around, you can call me Kasumi if you want. That said, you might be a bit sarcastic and dry in your demeanor at times, but when you get down to it, you're a pretty amazing guy yourself, Kusa. Granted, I'm not sure how I feel about your tendency to cuss up a blue streak when you're hanging around with Sakamoto-kun, but I suppose that's one of the more charming things about you. That said, I don't think we decided yet. However, luckily for me, I know people in high places at the TV station so I can get us an easy in if we decide we want to go there for the trip." Kasumi said to Kusa who nodded as he spoke up approvingly.
"That could work. I heard Ann mentioning that she was going to get the second-years to pick the TV station as their destination for the trip so if we picked it too, that could give you a chance to spend time with Ren possibly." Kusa said as Kasumi considered his words before smiling softly as she spoke up, both impressed by Kusa's idea and amused at the idea of spending time with Ren as she spoke.
"That's true, Kusa...Perhaps it might be worth choosing the TV station after all, at that. We'll see..." Kasumi said as Kusa nodded as he spoke up, smirking as he spoke.
"Indeed. I have been known to have good ideas from time to time, after all. But enough about me preening my ego, shouldn't we finish our lunch while we still can?" Kusa said as Kasumi's eyes went wide as she spoke up, realizing Kusa was right as she spoke.
"Oh shoot, you're right! We still have to finish eating!" Kasumi said as she busied herself shoveling down her lunch as Kusa smirked to himself as he finished his food, smirking as he watched Kasumi consume her food, becoming immersed in thought as he observed his brother's crush eating her meal while eating his own meal.
"Heh, the way she shovels down food like that is so similar to how Ren is when he speed-eats. I swear, those two are so into one another, it's not funny. It's almost as blatantly obvious as the fact that Morgana-sensei totally has a one-sided crush on Ann. And if I can pull this off, Ren totally owes me big time for getting him this one on one time with his crush." Kusa thought to himself in amusement as he ate his food, smirking at Kasumi who was inhaling her food in her haste to finish. After a bit, she finished and daintily put her chopsticks down as she spoke up, giggling at the silently contemplative look on Kusa's face as she spoke.
"Ahh, that was good. But I can tell you enjoyed your meal as well, Kusa, even if you were rather quiet. Lost in thought again?" Kasumi said to Kusa who smirked and spoke up.
"Not at all, Kasumi. I was just enjoying how similar you and Ren are to one another in terms of eating habits. It's almost comical how totally alike you and Ren are at times. That, and as you said, I was enjoying my meal." Kusa said as Kasumi nodded and spoke up.
"Yeah, yeah. You're a real character Kusa. If you ever manage to find a girl for you, she'll be very lucky to have you, if she can stand your dry humor and crass vocabulary." Kasumi said with a smirk as Kusa laughed, smirking at Kasumi as he spoke up, amused by Kasumi's remarks about him as he spoke.
"You say that like I don't bring out a more objective side of you as well, Kasumi. And as for me finding a girl, if it's meant to happen, it'll happen precisely when fate wills it to happen, and only then." Kusa said sagely as Kasumi nodded at that as the two put their empty containers away and Kasumi spoke up, looking at Kusa as she spoke.
"I won't deny that being around you does somewhat bring out another part of me it feels like. But I think that's more because being around you feels like being around the brother I never had." Kasumi said with a shrug as Kusa laughed and spoke up, smirking knowingly at Kasumi as he spoke.
"Heh, I get that a lot! Hell, even Ryuji says Ren and I are like bros to him." Kusa said smugly as Kasumi giggled, giving Kusa a sly smirk as she spoke up.
"And I suppose Ann thinks of you as a brother too?" Kasumi said teasingly. Kusa nodded, chuckling at the smirk on Kasumi's face as he spoke, pleased to see her loosening up for a bit, even if it was just with him, as he spoke.
"Indeed she does. Then again, I think of most of my friends as brothers and sisters to some extent. But never mind that, maybe we should ask around and see what people are choosing for the social studies trip?" Kusa suggested as Kasumi nodded and the two did just that...
(Later that afternoon, in class with Ann, Ren and Morgana)
Ren and Ann's phones went off in class to signify a group chat with the two of them plus Kusa, Yusuke and Ryuji who sent the response to open the chat.
"Feels pretty great having everyone talk about us, huh?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent the next response.
"Madarame is the only topic of conversation at my school. And as I'm his pupil, most of my peers have chosen to ignore me." Yusuke sent as Kusa and Ren sent responses close together, Kusa's coming in first and making both Ren and Ryuji wince at the palpable levels of annoyance in his tone as his response came through.
"I'm sorry...WHAT!? Your peers are ignoring you? What the hell, Yusuke!? How dare they act like its your fault that Madarame turned out to be absolute scum who was unworthy of the honors afforded unto him!?" Kusa sent as Ryuji's response came through shortly after.
"Truth, Kusa! Also, for real Yusuke? That's bullshit. I agree with Kusa." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.
"Are you going to be OK, Yusuke?" Ann sent. Yusuke sent a response.
"There is no need to worry, you guys. And Kusa, I'm used to it by now. I was dealing with it even before Madarame's confession. Not to mention, they had already been treating me differently from others as it stood. This is nothing new to me." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.
"OK then..." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.
"If you're sure that it's okay, Yusuke, I'll follow your lead. Still, don't be afraid to reach out if it gets to be too much. Ryuji, Ren, and myself, not to mention Ann and Morgana, can be there in no time flat if we need to kick someone's ass for you. Even if I feel like Ann would be more apt to kick someone's ass verbally, rather than physically." Kusa sent bluntly. Yusuke sent a response.
"Duly noted, Kusa. I'll reach out for help if I need it. But more importantly, do we have any leads on our next mission?" Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.
"You kidding? There's no way we'd find a target that quick!" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response at that point.
"Agreed, Ryuji. For now, we just have to wait and see. And Kusa, while I have you here, what have the first years decided on for the social studies trip?" Ren sent as Kusa and Yusuke both sent responses close together, Yusuke's coming through first.
"Understood." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response while Kusa was typing his response.
"Oooh, we could always go to Mementos instead!" Ryuji sent as Kusa's response finally came through.
"Am I ever glad you asked that, Ren! It so happens that Yoshizawa-san and I had a discussion on just that topic at lunch. As it turns out, the first-years are presently undecided, though we might end up opting for the TV station, and by we I mean myself and Yoshizawa-san, since as it turns out she knows people in high places at the TV station. I think Kasumi said her dad works there if I recall right?" Kusa sent as his eyes went wide as he realized he'd accidentally called Yoshizawa by first name at one point in his response, prompting a smirk by Ren as he sent a response.
"Kasumi, eh? I didn't know you two were on a first-name basis? Should I be worried that you two are getting too close?" Ren sent teasingly as Kusa huffed and sent a response.
"No, you most certainly should NOT be worried, Ren! Kasumi and I decided we see each other as siblings of a sort, which is probably for the best since if you and her do get together, and it goes far enough, she'd basically be my sister-in-law someday anyways." Kusa sent as Ann, Morgana, Ryuji AND Yusuke's eyes all went wide at reading that as Ren huffed and sent a response.
"Don't be in such a hurry for us to be playing wedding bells, Kusa! We'd have to end up dating first, wouldn't we!? And right now, she and I are still just friends. And I know you wouldn't dare try to rush me into being more with her when you yourself said you're taking it slow with your own crush, or have you sped things up with Futaba?" Ren sent as Ryuji, Ann AND Yusuke all blinked at this as the latter of the three sent a response.
"ANYWAYS! Before this becomes a free-for-all between the Amamiya brothers, I will keep myself free. Please let me know if anything comes up." Yusuke sent as Kusa's response to Ren came thorugh.
"Screw off, Ren! First of all, you're lucky these guys, aside from maybe Yusuke, knew about Futaba already. And Yusuke, I can't tell you more than that she's Sakura-kun's daughter who I'm friends with at this point. Please respect that. When things change and I can fill you in, I will gladly do so. But for now, please don't ask for details." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.
"Understood, Kusa. I will respect your wishes and not pry." Yusuke sent. At that point, Ren hurriedly put his phone away and on silent as he heard Ushimaru clear his throat and glare at him as he spoke up angrily.
"Hey, Amamiya! Are you listening!? YOU! PAY ATTENTION! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you!?" Ushimaru snapped as Ren felt a murderous intent and barely dodged the chalk in time that time, making the nearby students whisper amongst themselves.
"No way...Whoa! That was an epic dodge!" A female student said as a male nearby spoke up.
"I can't believe he dodged Ushimaru's throw...Is he a ninja?" The male student asked. Ushimaru huffed and spoke up.
"Tch...Well, whatever. Moving on." Ushimaru said as Morgana spoke up.
"Ooh, you've got the entire class's attention! Your Charm has definitely increased." Morgana said as Ren smirked as his Charm went up a good bit. The rest of the class went by uneventfully until after school, when Ren was stopped on his way out of school by someone calling his name behind him, causing Ren to turn around and smile as he saw Yoshizawa walk up to him, smiling prettily at Ren as she spoke up, happy to see Ren as she spoke.
"Oh! Ah, Amamiya-senpai! What a pleasant surprise." Yoshizawa said as she bowed to Ren while giving him a closed-eye smile, smirking as she saw him blink at it and even go slightly pink as he looked at her. Yoshizawa frowned as she looked around before speaking up, smiling at Ren's reaction to her smile as she spoke.
"It's really pouring down, isn't it?" Yoshizawa said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear, making Ren smile as he heard what the not-cat had to say.
"I thought something like this would happen...So I snuck a collapsible umbrella into your bag!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up, giving the not-cat a grateful nod as he spoke.
"Thanks a bunch, Morgana. And here I thought you weren't a wingman." Ren joked as Morgana shrugged and spoke up, smirking at Ren as he spoke.
"I just said that to shut Kusa up when he was teasing us. And, well...you do carry me around in your bag most of the time. I've gotta show my appreciation somehow!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and pulled out the umbrella in question as Yoshizawa spoke up, smiling at Ren as she spoke even though she knew she had to get going.
"Well, see you around." Yoshizawa said as Ren spoke up, smirking as he saw an opportunity to spend more time with Yoshizawa since he noticed a rather convenient detail that had him both grinning and giving her a sympathetic look as he spoke.
"Wait a moment, Yoshizawa-san. Unless I'm mistaken, you don't seem to have an umbrella of your own. Where's your umbrella?" Ren asked Yoshizawa who winced as she spoke up not pleased with what she was about to say, though she was decidedly pleased with the winsome grin on Ren's face as she spoke.
"Unfortunately, I forgot it...But it's fine. I'll barely get wet if I run to the station! If anything, it'll make for good training." Yoshizawa said as Ren thought about it before speaking up, seeing a chance to be able to use Morgana's foresight to possibly impress Yoshizawa as he spoke.
"That's true, you could use this as training. Or, since it happens I didn't forget my umbrella, we can share mine, if you don't mind walking with me. Unless you'd prefer your idea of impromptu training? I'll go with whatever you decide." Ren said with a winsome smirk as he looked over at Yoshizawa, who blinked at Ren's offer in surprise as she gave him a confused look as she spoke up, clearly not expecting Ren to make the offer that he did. On top of that, she was also quite grateful to him for it since she actually quite wanted to spend time with him, if only so she could get to know him more and for no other reason than because he was, in her mind at least, her senpai, as she spoke.
"Huh? But how are...Oh, are you offering to share your umbrella?" Yoshizawa asked Ren who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.
"That's exactly what I'm offering, if you want it." Ren said simply as Yoshizawa smiled, going a bit red despite herself at the kindness of Ren's offer as she spoke up with another of her closed-eye smiles, albeit not as cutesy as her first smile.
"That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much!" Yoshizawa said as Ren opened up the umbrella and held it so Yoshizawa could join him under the umbrella which she did eagerly, mentally cursing Kusa out in her head for being right about Ren liking her as she did so. After a bit, she spoke up once more.
"Thanks again for letting me join you." Yoshizawa said as Ren smiled and spoke up, looking happily into Yoshizawa's eyes as he spoke.
"No, thank YOU for letting us have this chance to spend a bit of time together and maybe get to know each other a bit, or however much of that we can do while walking." Ren said with a sly grin that made Yoshizawa look up at him and smile softly, her heart internally skipping a beat as she looked at Ren's grin. In her head she grumbled a bit.
'Dammit! Why do you always have to be right, Kusa!? Not only about Ren possibly liking me, but about me liking him? Because wow, Ren-senpai is so totally handsome when he grins. And there I go again, thinking about random things instead of my training. Ugh, classic Kasumi." Yoshizawa thought to herself in annoyance as she and Ren walked together. She then spoke up once more with a closed eye smile, secretly pleased to have this time with Ren.
"To be honest, prelims are coming up soon, so I didn't want to take any chances of getting sick." Yoshizawa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"Prelims, you say? Is that for your gymnastics?" Ren asked Yoshizawa who nodded as she spoke up, pleased that Ren was paying attention to what she'd said to him before.
"Yeah, that's right,. Two huge competitions are coming up- one at the beginning of summer and one near the end. If I'm going to participate in the prelims, I have to be selected as my club's representative...And there's a qualifier meet to determine who that rep will be. It's my dream to compete in gymnastics on the global level. So I plan on maintaining a strict training regimen with my coach." Yoshizawa said as Ren spoke up with a smile.
"You sure seem devoted to your dreams, Yoshizawa. Not that that's a bad thing. But so you know, I'll cheer you on. If what you did that day in the park is any indication, you've got the talent and skills to go as far as you set your mind to! Never doubt that you can do anything you put your mind to doing, Yoshizawa-san! Or at least, that's what I think." Ren said honestly. Yoshizawa smiled as she spoke up, pleased by Ren's words, even if part of her was quite embarrassed internally at his high praise. She giggled as she spoke up.
"I'd be invincible if I had you cheering me on, Senpai! Hee hee!" Yoshizawa said as Ren smirked and spoke up, quite liking the sound of Yoshizawa's giggle as he spoke.
"But of course you would, Yoshizawa-san. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for most of the time. Never doubt that I believe in you with all that I am and have your back with all that I ever will be." Ren said sincerely as Yoshizawa smiled at Ren's show of loyalty and devotion, making her turn a bit red despite herself as she smiled, struggling not to let her embarrassment show as she looked gratefully into Ren's eyes as she spoke up, grateful for his kindness to her as she spoke.
"S-Senpai...thank you. Oh, we're already at the station..." Yoshizawa said as the two went into the station where Yoshizawa spoke up after Ren put his umbrella away as Yoshizawa spoke up, both glad to stay dry all the way to the station, and oddly finding herself reluctant to part with Ren even though she knew she had to as she spoke.
"I'll be fine from here out. I can't thank you enough for today. I swear I'll return the favor some-" Yoshizawa said before she was cut off as she and Ren heard some first-years gossiping nearby, making Ren frown as he heard what the first-years said, internally glad Kusa wasn't with him as the first-years spoke.
"Hey, isn't that Yoshizawa?" A male first-year said as a nearby female first-year spoke up, her words making Yoshizawa gape in surprise as Ren subtly gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, which Yoshizawa smiled at as the nearby female-first year spoke.
"You mean the honors gymnast? She gets the VIP treatment at school, AND a boyfriend to escort her around? Miss Special Snowflake sure is livin' on easy street..." The female first-year said as the two walked off as Yoshizawa winced at what she and Ren had heard as she spoke up, suddenly mortified at what the first-years had said about her as she spoke, trying not to go red again with embarrassment as she spoke.
"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with a misunderstanding like that." Yoshizawa said as Ren spoke up with a reassuring smile, looking into Yoshizawa's eyes as he spoke.
"Don't worry about those ignorant fools, Yoshizawa-san. I could care less what they think. And we both know they're probably just jealous of your honor student status or something. But they are right about one thing. You do deserve to have friends who will help you out where they can, myself included. Personally, I'm just glad Kusa wasn't here, partly because he'd probably never have let me hear the end of this.
But also, it's partly because he'd have probably either reamed those two or kicked their asses on principle, hard to say which with him. But back on topic, don't worry about them. You're just better than they are. But I do agree with the female though on one thing, and that's that you're special, because you truly are special, whether you realize it or not, Yoshizawa-san." Ren said honestly. After turning red at Ren's sincere praise of her (and what she took as his stating his feelings for her), Yoshizawa smiled and spoke up, secretly happy for Ren's defense of her as she spoke.
"Yeah, you're right! Also, if it's just us, you can call me Kasumi if you like, Senpai." Kasumi said to Ren, not mentioning that she'd told Kusa the same thing. Ren smiled and spoke up, pleased to apparently be on a first-name basis with Kasumi as he spoke.
"Very well, then I in turn invite you to call me Ren if you like, though I get the sense you're more comfortable with 'Senpai', which is fine if that's what makes you happy, Kasumi." Ren said with a sincere and winsome grin that made Kasumi flush as she spoke up again.
"Yeah, I do honestly prefer Senpai, but maybe if I think of it, I'll call you Ren-senpai when we're alone if that's okay with you." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and Kasumi kept speaking, feeling both oddly at ease and surprisingly pleased as she spoke.
"That said, the same thing happens in class, too. People are often wary of me because I'm an honor student. However, most people are smart enough not to insult me to my face. I figure this is most likely because Kusa is so often nearby and would probably not think twice about getting in trouble for punching people to protect me. But I suppose that's just how Kusa is, being protective of those he cares about. Personally, any girl that can handle his more quirky qualities is quite lucky to end up with a good guy like him, but then given he's your brother, it's to be expected that he's so kind and considerate, Ren-senpai." Kasumi said with a smile as she kept speaking.
"The school's expecting me to attain strong results in the upcoming competition, too. They even told me I didn't have to participate in the cleanup event...but I did anyway, since it gave me the chance to finally speak to you, Ren-senpai. And I'm glad I did, otherwise we might not be speaking to one another right now." Kasumi said honestly as Ren spoke up with a smile, also pleased that he and Kasumi had gotten to speak to one another at the clean-up, believing that to be the best thing that came from that otherwise crappy day, as he spoke.
"I'm glad we spoke to one another that day as well, Kasumi. As for the school's expectations, don't let them pressure you. Just do the best you can do. That's all anyone can realistically ask of you, Kasumi. But I get the sense you don't care for preferential treatment, if I'm being honest." Ren said as Kasumi nodded, smiling as she spoke up, looking into Ren's eyes as she spoke.
"That's correct. I just don't like getting special treatment." Kasumi said as her phone rang and she blinked before speaking up, her eyes slightly wide in surprise at who the caller ID said was calling as she spoke.
"Oh, excuse me- my father's calling." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and stayed quiet so she could answer her phone call. Kasumi then answered her phone.
"Hello? Dad? ...What was that? Sorry, my phone's been acting up lately. It's okay, thanks. Mmhmm, I'll see you later." Kasumi said as she hung up the phone and looked at Ren.
"Sorry about that. He asked if I needed a ride since it's raining. A bit over-protective, don't you think?" Kasumi said to Ren who chuckled as he spoke up.
"Maybe just a bit, but I think he does it because he cares a lot about you, as he should. Honestly, I'd be worried if he didn't care about someone as special as you, Kasumi. That said, you've got a great dad." Ren said honestly, making Kasumi smile as she briefly went red before she nodded and spoke up, both happy to hear Ren's words and also amused that Ren seemingly had a good opinion of her dad as she spoke.
"Yes, I definitely agree. Well, I have to get to practice, so it's time for me to go. Thanks so much for today. Excuse me!" Kasumi said, bowing before she walked forward and briefly pressed her lips to Ren's cheek before she could think better of it. Afterwards, Kasumi wasted little time having her face get slightly red as she ran off in embarrassment, leaving Ren to gape before softly smiling as he put his hands to the spot where Kasumi's lips had touched his cheek, both shocked and pleased at the sudden turn of events. Morgana smirked and spoke up, grinning at the stunned look on Ren's face before giving Ren a manly pat on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Oh-ho! Looks like there's hope for you two yet! Nice one, Ren! That said, Seems like Yoshizawa has it hard, too...But never mind that-having wet fur is the worst...Try to keep me under the umbrella, would you?" Morgana said as Ren sighed and nodded agreeably as he spoke up, looking the not-cat in the eyes with a very pointed glare as he spoke.
"No problem, Morgana. And I hope I don't have to tell you that it goes without saying that you aren't to repeat a WORD of what you just heard, and possibly saw if you were peeking out of my bag, right?" Ren said with a pointed glare at Morgana who nodded, smirking at how red Ren's cheeks were without his noticing. At that point, Ren's phone went off to signify a private chat from Mishima again, his eyes going wide before he visibly winced as he read what Mishima had sent.
"Hey, I found some great intel. This time it's bullying by a Kosei student they call a queen. She's been ordering a round a male student who goes by the name M. Kinda like the M in S&M..." Mishima sent as Ren winced before sending a response, hoping as he did so that his response didn't come off TOO harshly/angrily.
"First of all, NEVER send the term S&M in a chat again, Mishima! You do realize what we send stays around forever, right?! And I don't think I need to point out how my chat having the world S&M in it would be VERY bad for me. That said, that's horrible!" Ren sent. Mishima sent a response fairly quickly.
"Oops, sorry Amamiya! Didn't think of that! Also, it makes you want to cry, doesn't it? Anyway, here are the details. The girl acting like a queen is Hikari Shimizu. I wonder if it's more likely that a girl will turn out like that if she has S as an initial...Well, I already posted the warning, so you should take it on when you have the time! Hopefully you don't end up an M!" Mishima sent as Ren huffed and sent a response, secretly glad Kusa wasn't there to read the conversation over his shoulder since he had a feeling Kusa might be a tad irritated at Mishima's comment about girls with S as an initial turning out bullies, for obvious reasons.
"First of all, NEVER suggest that girls with S in their initials could turn out like that Shimizu-san girl again. Also, be glad that Ann isn't with me, since as you might recall, her best friend's first AND last name start with an S! And you know how close to and protective of her Ann is! That said, I'm not ending up an M! And for the record, your name starts with an M, or at least your last name does, so I don't think you have room to talk Mishima! That said, got it." Ren sent as he put his phone away as Morgana spoke up curiously, making Ren curse Mishima out in his head as he heard what the not-cat had to say as he spoke.
"What did he mean by S and M? Those are shirt sizes, right? Is it the size of clothes?" Morgana asked Ren who winced as he spoke up, soundly cussing Mishima out in his head for making him have to answer awkward questions from Morgana as he spoke.
"Technically, you're correct Morgana. But in this context, S&M means something MUCH dirtier than what you're thinking of. But I'm not telling you what it is. You can ask Ryuji or Kusa if you want to know about it, and I'm sure they'll tell you. Now don't bring that up again so I can forget that I had that oh-so-wonderfully cursed conversation with Mishima. And before you ask, we're waiting for at least five targets before we do another Mementos run, so don't bother asking if we're going to consult the others." Ren said as Morgana spoke up, shrugging at Ren's dismissal of his question as he spoke.
"Fine. I still think she's a worthy target. But I'll defer to your judgement here and we'll wait to consult them on this until you're ready." Morgana said as Ren got a request on his phone titled 'Sadism Is Just A Sign Of Love'. After that, Ren crossed his arms as he decided to take his time to ponder his next move with Morgana...
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: And boom, there's another chapter down! And who saw the arc starting out as strong as it did? I sure didn't! But to be fair, I forgot until I was typing out this chapter that Ren has a run-in with Yoshizawa the day after he and Ryuji play darts in Kichijoji! So that was just a pleasant surprise and added bonus. Much like that impromptu cutaway to Kusa and Yoshizawa in class like they were, which obviously is something I added in for this story since other than a few minor appearances, we only ever get to see into Ren's classroom when there's scenes in-class, despite Ryuji and Kasumi both also going to Shujin.
There we get to see a bit of Kusa with his guard let down to some extent, as well as some of Kasumi letting her guard down a bit. So yeah, that was a nice bit that was not in the game, partly because Kusa isn't in Royal outside of this fic. So yeah, keep that in mind! That said, hopefully people are pleased with the story so far! Feel free to leave a review with your opinions of the story so far or just PM them to me (preferably both as I like the input and it keeps the story thriving) but I appreciate the feedback and support either way, and until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!
CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE START OF ARC 3:
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
WORLD (Kusa): Rank 3
FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa): Rank 1
COUNCILLOR (Maruki): Rank 4
