A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5: The Amamiya Files! Per usual, sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way shape or form (with the exception of the OC Kusa who sithlorde1988 DOES own since he created him), while the ones that DO own it are Sega and Atlus (or at the least they own the Persona 5 games though I'm pretty sure they own all the Persona games) so credit to them for ownership of the series! That said, on with chapter 3!
Chapter 3: Settling into Shujin! Phantoms Awaken part 3
(Entrance hall of Shujin Academy with Kusa and Ren, neutral POV)
"Well, we made it to school finally. Now to find the faculty office. I think that was on the third floor, wasn't it Ren?" Kusa asked Ren who shrugged, not sure himself.
"Could be, though I feel like it was on the second floor, but I don't know for sure. I suppose we can ask around for directions if all else fails. Now let's get looking for it." Ren said to Kusa who nodded as they started looking for the faculty office. After a bit of walking around (and more than a few rude remarks thrown Ren's direction) Ren and Kusa eventually found the Faculty Office on the second floor as Ren had thought it'd be. Ren and Kusa looked at each other.
"So it was on the second floor. My bad, Ren. I thought it was on the third floor for some reason." Kusa said sheepishly as Ren laughed but smiled as he spoke up.
"No worries, little bro. Let's just get this over with, shall we? Time to go inside." Ren said as Kusa nodded and they opened the faculty office door and went inside. After walking inside, they found their teachers waiting for them. While Sadayo sighed in annoyance at seeing Ren finally walk in, Hiruta breathed a sigh of relief on seeing Kusa with Ren. Sadayo spoke up before Hiruta could say anything, looking at Ren with a deadpan stare as she spoke.
"Ugh, unbelievable...Being over half a day late on your first day? Can you explain yourself?" Sadayo asked as Hiruta took that chance to speak up as well.
"And on top of that, you encouraged your brother to be over half a day late as well. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come from you two. Because I held such high hopes for Kusa too..." Hiruta said with a sigh as Kusa chuckled before speaking up.
"With all due respect sir, our lateness is just as much my own fault as it is Ren's, even if was because HE got us lost. We were just lucky some blonde guy found us and guided us to Shujin. I think he said his name was Sakamoto if I recall right?" Kusa said by way of explanation. Ren nodded as he then spoke up.
"What Kusa said. I got us a bit lost after we got off the train to head here. Perils of being transfer students, I suppose, am I right Kusa?" Ren asked Kusa who nodded.
"Seems that way to me, Ren." Kusa said agreeably. While Hiruta gave a satisfied nod at Kusa's explanation, Sadayo huffed before speaking up.
"I can buy being lost, but for THIS long? It's almost lunchtime. Oh, whatever...well, it's probably true that you're not used to the area yet...but you're still way too late." Sadayo said as Ren rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he spoke up.
"Oh, um right. Sorry Miss Kawakami." Ren said trying his best to look contrite, not seeing Kusa groan behind him at the potentially incorrect suffix he used for his teacher. Sadayo frowned as she spoke up once more.
"Will you pull yourself together? You were given fair warning yesterday." Sadayo said as Hiruta nodded his agreement. Hiruta then spoke up.
"You said you were helped out by a Sakamoto? I wonder..." Hiruta said, traling off as Sadayo spoke up with a frown as she looked at Ren.
"I heard you two were caught along with that Sakamoto-kun?" Sadayo prompted, making Ren blink as Kusa spoke up for him.
"'That' Sakamoto-kun? I didn't think he was well-known? Either way, we didn't have much of a choice since he offered to guide us to school. Rather nice of him to do, honestly." Kusa said, making Hiruta nod his agreement while Sadayo sighed as she kept speaking up.
"That's probably true, Amamiya-kun the younger, but be that as it may, it doesn't change the facts." Sadayo said as Hiruta spoke up at that point.
"Don't get yourself involved with him if you can help it, okay Kusa? He's nothing but trouble." Hiruta advised Kusa who nodded but frowned as he spoke up.
"Understood, but is it not possible that he could change? Isn't it just a tad unfair to assume he can't change his ways?" Kusa asked uncertainly, oblivious to Ren groaning next to him at his question. Sadayo frowned but nodded as she spoke up once more.
"That is true. Not to mention, he wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though...but anyway, break's almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I'll have you introduce yourself when class resumes." Sadayo said to Ren who nodded as Hiruta looked at Kusa and spoke up.
"Same for you, Amamiya-kun the younger. You can introduce yourself when class resumes. Now you follow me, while your brother will follow Miss Kawakami." Hiruta said to Kusa who nodded as the two brothers split up, following their respective teachers to their classrooms...
(With Ren and Sadayo, neutral POV)
Kawakami frowned as she looked at Ren before speaking up once more after she stopped him while they were headed to Ren's classroom.
"By the way, when you introduce yourself...Be serious about it even if you're lying to the class, okay? Do NOT say anything unnecessary." Kawakami said to Ren who nodded as they kept walking to the classroom, oblivious to the gossping females behind where they'd been standing who started gossiping after they had walked away.
"You think that's him?" One of the females asked her friend who blinked as she spoke up.
"Huh? The one in the rumors?" The other female asked skeptically as they kept walking...
(Back with Ren and Sadayo, neutral POV)
"Being super late on his first day? He really is insane..." One of the students in Ren's class muttered.
"He looks normal though..." Another student pointed out with a frown. Ren frowned as he heard another student speak up.
"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye..." Another student said as Kawakami sighed before addressing the class.
"Ugh, settle down. Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Ren Amamiya. Today we...had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn't feeling well." Kawakami said before turning to Ren and speaking.
"All right, please say something to the class." Kawakami said to Ren who nodded before looking at the class and speaking up.
"First of all, nice to meet you all. As Miss Kawakami said, my name is Ren Amamiya." Ren said as one of the students spoke up in a quiet voice.
"He seems quiet...but I bet when he loses it..." Ren heard a student say as another student then spoke up.
"I mean, he WAS arrested for assault, right?" The other student asked, prompting an awkward silence among the class which was broken by Kawakami speaking up while looking at Ren.
"Uhh, so...Your seat will be, hmm..." Kawakami said as she pointed to a seat on the left side of the room near the windows, towards the back.
"Over there. The one that's open." Kawakami said before turning to the students seated near the indicated seat.
"Sorry, but can the people nearby please share your textbooks with him for today?" Kawakami asked, prompting much muttering and grumbles as the students were less than thrilled to have to help Ren out.
"This sucks..." One of the students said as another student, a blue-haired male with visible brusing on his face, sighed while looking at Ren, who then headed to the indicated seat, pausing as he went as he heard someone speak up, blinking as he recognized the speaker as the blonde girl he'd been looking at that morning.
"Lies." The blonde girl was muttering, presumably to herself. Ren blinked before turning to the blonde girl.
"Huh? Haven't I seen you before? Ohh, now I remember, you were that girl my brother and I saw get a ride to school from that older guy this morning." Ren said making the blonde girl huff at being acknowledged by Ren who shrugged and walked to the seat he was assigned, which just so happened to be behind the blonde girl's seat. He frowned at the muttering that ensued from the brief interaction he'd had with the blonde girl.
"Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?" One student muttered to her friend nearby who shuddered as she spoke up.
"Eww...Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?" The shuddering student asked as another student spoke up.
"That means she's cheating on him with Mr Kamoshida. Then again, this IS Takamaki-san we're talking about..." Another student said, trailing off as the student who'd shuddered spoke up once more.
"For real. That side of the room is totally awful." The shuddering student said, making Ren have to keep from both rolling his eyes and crossing his arms at how judgmental his apparent classmates could be even as he kept himself from giving the now-apparently-named Takamaki a sympathetic glance as Kawakami spoke up.
"Oh, right! The volleyball rally's in two days...Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get class started. Who's on 'duty' today?" Kawakami asked as the blue-haired male Ren had noticed before stood up and spoke up.
"Everyone, please rise..." The blue-haired male asked as the rest of the class finished without incident...
(After class with Ren, neutral POV)
Ren walked out of the classroom, only to blink as he saw it flicker into an image of the castle that he, Kusa and Sakamoto had only barely escaped with the help of the cat-like being...no with Morgana's help, assuming Ren remembered his name right. He was so engrossed in his thoughts and in massaging his forehead, he didn't hear Kawakami approach until she spoke up and got his attention.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Kawakami asked Ren who frowned but decided to take a chance on trusting Kawakami.
"This might sound a bit crazy, but is this... a castle?" Ren asked Kawakami, grimacing at having to reference what he'd been through that morning. Kawakami sighed as she rubbed the back of her head as she spoke up once more, annoyance plain to see on her face as she spoke.
"Ugh, are you sure you're okay? Also...it seems like people are already talking about you, but I'm not the one who told them. Ugh, I can't even catch a break...Why do I have to deal with this?" Kawakami said as Ren smiled at her before speaking up.
"For what it's worth Miss Kawakami, I believe you when you say you didn't say anything about me." Ren said honestly. Kawakami blinked as she looked at Ren as she spoke up.
"Really!? Well...thank you. Anyways, you should head straight home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-san sounded pretty angry." Kawakami said to Ren who nodded as she kept speaking.
"Oh, and about Sakamoto-kun, don't get involved-" Kawakami said, only to cut herself off as against all odds, Sakamoto chose that moment to walk up and see Kawakami talking about him to Ren, not seeing Ren frown at her disdain for Sakamoto.
"Speak of the devil...What do YOU want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today." Kawakami said to Sakamoto who grunted as he spoke up.
"Ugh...it was nothin'." Sakamoto said as Kawakami shrugged as she kept speaking, seemingly unbothered by Sakamoto's attitude.
"AND you haven't dyed your hair back to black either..." Kawakami said making Ren blink as he found himself with one thought going through his mind at that moment.
'Back to black!? Is Sakamoto-san not a natural blonde?' Ren found himself thinking in surprise. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Sakamoto spoke up again.
"Agh, sorry 'bout that." Sakamato said, but not before he walked over to whisper in Ren's ear.
"I'll be waitin' on the rooftop. If you find him before getting there, bring your brother too." Sakamoto said to Ren as he walked off before Ren could do more than nod, leaving Kawakami to sigh as she spoke to Ren once more.
"Ugh...See? That's why I don't want you getting involved. Understood?" Kawakami said to Ren who nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." Ren said as Kawakami walked off, but before he could leave, he found his path blocked by Kamoshida and the principal, the former of which was talking about him, prompting Ren to of course listen in discreetly.
"Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He's already started associating with Sakamoto. A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case. At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to the school." Kamoshida said as the principal spoke up at that point.
"Now, don't be like that...This school counts on you, Kamoshida-kun. You are our star. Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well." The principal said as Kamoshida nodded before speaking up once more.
"Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa? All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me." Kamoshida said to the now apparently-named-Kobayakawa as they left the room, oblivious to Ren having heard their whole exchange. Ren frowned at their comments about him, but was beaten to his thoughts by someone else walking up to him and voicing the same thoughts.
"Ugh, what a pair of dicks. I can't believe they're talking smack about things they don't understand like that." Ren heard, making him smile as he turned to the person who'd spoken and laughing as he nodded to Kusa, who had spoken, as he then spoke up.
"I'm used to it by now, Kusa. But I agree with your thoughts at least. So how was your introduction to your class?" Ren asked Kusa who shrugged.
"It was pretty good, granted I had a lot of people trying to introduce themselves to me, but most of them seemed like they were just curious about you. And I'm not down for people trying to use me to find out about you. You know this about me, Ren. However, I will admit there were at least a few decent people in my class even if they didn't introduce themselves to me just yet. I can be patient if it's for someone worth getting to know, however." Kusa replied as Ren laughed.
"Sounds like you, brother. Anyways, good timing. Sakamoto asked us to meet him on the roof Not sure what he wants, but he seems eager to talk about something. Might as well hear him out. Hopefully it won't take TOO long though since according to my teacher, Sakura-san's waiting for us at Leblanc and he sounds livid." Ren said as Kusa shuddered but nodded his agreement.
"Indeed, let's meet Sakamoto on the rooftop, see what he wants, and then get back to Leblanc ASAP. No sense in keeping Sakura-san waiting longer than we have to." Kusa said as Ren nodded his agreement. On their way to the rooftop, Ren overheard a conversation between a teacher and a poofy-haired girl (who Ren idly noted was called 'Okumura-san' by the teacher) whose hair was between brown and blonde in color where the teacher thanked the student for working on something, telling her she'd make sure the rooftop was unlocked for her before they walked off, oblivious to Ren and Kusa listening in nearby and exchanging grimaces, hoping that this wouldn't get them caught talking to Sakamoto. They then headed to the rooftop to meet Sakamoto. Once they'd reached the rooftop, Sakamoto looked up and smiled in relief as he saw Ren and Kusa.
"Ah, there you two are. Sorry for callin' the two of you up here like this." Sakamoto said as he focused on Ren for the moment.
"I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like, 'Don't get involved with him,' huh?" Sakamoto asked Ren who reluctantly nodded.
"She did indeed. She said you're trouble, but how'd you know she was talking about you, aside from the bit you walked up on?" Ren asked in surprise, ignoring Kusa's confused expression next to him as Sakamoto sighed and kept speaking.
"Ugh, figured as much. Then again, we're in the same boat." Sakamoto said making Ren and Kusa exchanged shocked looks but Sakamoto wasn't done speaking.
"I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so gutsy." Sakamoto said as Ren nodded, before walking over and sitting on the desk next to Sakamoto while Kusa sat on the desk next to Ren, not amused by the implication of Ren being gossiped about as he spoke up.
"Be that as it may Sakamoto, I hope you don't believe what's going around. While it IS true my brother here has a record, he's not as bad as everyone says he is." Kusa said dryly making Sakamoto smile and nod as he spoke up once more, giving Kusa a nod of respect as he spoke.
"Don't worry, I don't believe a word of it. Your brother may be gutsy, but he doesn't strike me as the criminal type. That said, what was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle...It wasn't a dream...right? You remember it too, yeah?" Sakamoto asked Ren and Kusa, who both nodded.
"Yeah, we remember. Clearly you remember too given you brought it up." Ren said to Sakamoto who nodded before frowning as he spoke up once more.
"Well, just because we all remember it doesn't mean much though...Heh, I mean, even if it WAS a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah, thanks...Ren. You too, Ren's brother." Sakamoto said to Ren and Kusa, the latter of which frowned as they spoke up.
"Are those rumors all addressing Ren by name or something? And if not, how do you know my brother's name, Sakamoto?" Kusa asked Sakamoto while Ren just smiled at him.
"You're welcome, Sakamoto. It was nothing. And Kusa, calm down brother. I don't think it makes much difference how he got my name." Ren said to Kusa who frowned but nodded reluctantly, ignoring that Ren dropped his name in front of Sakamoto, who then kept speaking.
"Nah, just the one that leaked his criminal record. But Ren is right, it's not that big a deal that I know his name. And if what he just said is any indication, now I know your name, Kusa. That being said...But man, that Kamoshida we saw there...You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him." Sakamoto said making Ren and Kusa frown as Ren spoke up for the both of them.
"Kamoshida, as in the guy we met earlier?" Ren asked, surprised that there were rumors about him even as Kusa rolled his eyes, not as surprised to hear Kamoshida had rumors about him. Sakamoto nodded as he kept speaking.
"Yeah, the ripped mophead. That asshole who was all full of himself at the castle." Sakamoto said making Kusa unable to resist chuckling at Sakamoto's description of Kamoshida before speaking up with amusement in his tone as he spoke.
"HA! Ripped mophead...that's a good one Sakamoto. And yeah, he was definitely full of himself if nothing else." Kusa said with a frown as he recalled how close he and Sakamoto had come to being executed in the castle, only for Ren's timely transformation to save them both. Sakamoto laughed as well before speaking up.
"Exactly! You get it! Anyways, no one says anything against him because he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real because of that..." Sakamoto said before stroking his chin in thought, making Kusa smile at seeing Sakamoto copy his mannerisms before Sakamoto spoke up once more, a thought occurring to him as he spoke.
"I wonder if we can go back to that castle again...Ugh, forget it. Must've all been a dream! It has to be!" Sakamoto said before standing up and looking into Ren's eyes as he kept speaking, making Kusa blink at Sakamoto looking Ren in the eyes.
"Sorry to drag you two out here like this. That's all I had to say. You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we're going to get along just fine as 'troublemakers.' I'm Ryuji Sakamoto." The now-properly named Ryuji said as he properly introduced himself to Ren and Kusa who nodded as Ren spoke up, both him and Kusa smiling at Ryuji as Ren spoke, amused by his remark about them being troublemakers.
"Fair enough. Nice to properly meet you, Ryuji. As you might already know, I'm Ren Amamiya, and the soft-spoken snark king over here is my little brother Kusa." Ren said, smirking at the annoyed look on Kusa's face as he glared at Ren.
"OI! I'm not a snark king Ren! And as for the soft-spoken bit, excuse me for being more observant than sociable at times. But I find it funny that people like me better than you for the most part." Kusa said teasingly making Ryuji laugh at Kusa's dry remark.
"Heh, you're both all right. I'll come talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all right?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa.
"No problem. Not like you'd make it easy to ignore you anyways, Ryuji." Ren joked as Kusa groaned at the joke.
"He's in your grade anyways so you'd be likelier to interact with him than I would, Ren. But no Ryuji, we have no plans of ignoring you if you approach us." Kusa said to Ryuji after lightly rebuking Ren, making Ren roll his eyes as Ryuji chuckled at Kusa's remark.
"Cool. Welp, seeya." Ryuji said as he walked off, leaving Kusa and Ren alone on the rooftop, only for the former to look at his phone and swear under his breath.
"Crap! We need to get home before Sakura-san gets too pissed at us!" Kusa said as Ren chuckled at his brother's reaction before the two headed back to Leblanc...
(Some time later at Leblanc, neutral POV)
Sojiro frowned as Kusa and Ren walked into the cafe, glaring at Ren in particular as he spoke to them both.
"Hey, I got a call from the school. I hear you both ditched half a day on your first day of school." Sojiro scolded Ren and Kusa, as the former spoke up.
"I couldn't help that I got lost after leaving the train. We were lucky another student found us and guided us to the school or we might have missed the whole day." Ren said as Kusa frowned and lightly elbowed him in the side before speaking up.
"I think what Ren means to say, Sakura-san, is we're sorry. It was a one-off accident of being lost and we'll do our best not to let it happen again." Kusa said contritely as Sojiro sighed and glared at Ren as he spoke up.
"Ugh, and just when I was thinking you had it together this morning...Look, just behave yourself. One wrong step Ren, and your life is over. You do know what 'probation' means, right?" Sojiro said to Ren, not acknowledging Kusa's apology for the moment, making Ren huff as he spoke up.
"I know what it means, Sakura-san." Ren said, only just refraining from rolling his eyes at the scolding he was getting. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up again.
"Good." Sojiro said firmly as his phone chose that moment to go off, and he answered it, his voice turning noticably softer as he answered it.
"Hey, what's up?" Sojiro said as he listened for a moment before speaking up once more.
"...Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll head over in half an hour, as promised." Sojiro said before blinking at Ren and Kusa who were still standing there.
"What're you two standing around for? Get upstairs and go to bed already." Sojiro snapped at Ren and Kusa who frowned, though the latter blinked as he just barely could hear a female voice on the other end of Sojiro's phone, but chose not to listen in as Sojiro turned back to the phone.
"No, it's a couple of boys. I hired some part-timers." Sojiro said before turning to Kusa and Ren as they went to go upstairs.
"Make sure one of you locks the door and turns all the lights off, okay?" Sojiro asked Ren and Kusa, the latter of whom obediently nodded. Sojiro then went back to his call.
"Yup, yup, I'm leaving now. I told you, they're both part-timers." Sojiro said as Kusa and Ren went upstairs at that point. Kusa and Ren then shrugged before changing into their pajamas and laying on their beds, Kusa frowning as he tried to commit the voice he'd heard coming from Sojiro's phone before to memory, sensing it might be useful later on...
(In Ren's dream with Ren, neutral POV)
"About time you've come to!" Ren heard the familiar voice of Caroline rebuke him as he came to and sat up on his cot. Caroline then smacked her baton on the bars.
"On your feet, Inmate!" Caroline said to Ren as Justine spoke up at that point, her voice much more pleasant to Ren's ears than Caroline's.
"Our master wishes to speak with you. it's for your own sake that you take his words to heart." Justine said to Ren who nodded as he turned his attention Igor as he spoke up.
"First off, let us celebrate our reunion. Oh...? You've awakened to your powers, and special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin." Igor said as Ren frowned but spoke up warily at that point.
"Rehabilitation? That's the second time you've mentioned that, but more importantly what do you mean, my powers?" Ren asked. Igor chuckled as he spoke up again.
"There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awoken to. Personas are, in other words, a mask- an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you." Igor said to Ren who frowned as he pondered Igor's words before speaking up.
"High expectations? Worldly matters? What do you mean?" Ren asked, confused. Igor smiled as he answered Ren.
"There is no need to worry. You will understand when the time comes. By the by...have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces." Igor said as Ren frowned before speaking up.
"Palaces? Is that the name of that castle that me, my brother and our friend had to escape from previously? But more importantly, the Metaverse Navigator? What's that?" Ren asked. Igor smiled at Ren's question before explaining in a patient, understanding tone.
"I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a thief." Igor explained as Caroline cut in at that point, an annoyed look on her face as she spoke up.
"The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, Inmate!" Caroline rebuked Ren as Justine spoke up next.
"Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief." Justine advised Ren who smiled and nodded as Igor spoke up.
"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief." Igor said to Ren as an alarm once more rang around them making Caroline huff as she spoke up.
"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have..." Caroline said as Ren went and laid on his cot and went back to sleep...
(The next morning with Ren and Kusa, neutral POV)
Ren sat up slowly in his bed, confused by the dream he'd had. No sooner did he sit up than Kusa smirked at him.
"Morning, sleepyhead! You sleep okay? You look like you had another strange dream." Kusa said to Ren who just nodded.
"I slept rather well, all things considered." Ren said to Kusa who nodded.
"I could tell. You were muttering the words 'fate', 'awakening' and even 'thief' in your sleep. Do I even WANT to know WHAT you were dreaming about?" Kusa teased Ren who huffed in annoyance as he spoke up.
"Oh shut up, Kusa! Don't we need to hurry up and get ready for school?" Ren asked Kusa in an annoyed tone as Kusa nodded. After getting ready and having breakfast,the two went to school, Ren flipping the 'CLOSED' sign to 'OPEN' on his way out per Sojiro's request as they went. As they went, Ren and Kusa ignored the gossiping around them about a subway accident as they tried not to react to the crowded train that they both had to stand in. Eventually Kusa and Ren got off to transfer lines, only to be distracted by the sounds of gossiping in front of them, even as they listened in.
"Look, isn't that her?" Ren heard a ponytail-wearing girl nearby ask as another voice spoke up.
"You mean that one with the red ribbon?" Ren heard as he looked up and saw what the voices were speaking of as he saw a red-haired girl in front of him a ways wearing a red ribbon to keep her hair in a long ponytail, making Ren blink as he found himself smiling a bit at how cute the girl looked, not caring that Kusa was chuckling at how red his face was getting as he was more focused on checking out the red-haired girl. Kusa then listened to the rest of the conversation rather than tease his brother.
"Uh, I guess so?" Kusa heard another voice say. Another voice then spoke up.
"She's so thin..." The voice said enviously as the ponytail-wearing girl from before huffed as she spoke up again.
"It's not fair, I've got MY hair in a ponytail too..." The ponytail-wearing girl said as the sleepy voice Kusa had first heard spoke up again.
"Okay, and what's that got to do with being thin?" was the last thing Kusa heard before everyone boarded the train. Once there, the red-haired girl that Ren had been looking at got up to offer her seat to an elderly lady with a smile.
"Please, take my seat. My station's coming up." The red-haired girl said making the elderly lady smile as she spoke up.
"Are you sure? Then..." The elderly lady said as she nodded, but before she could take the seat, a random male moved in at high speed and claimed the seat for himself, making Ren, Kusa and the red-haired girl blink even as the red-haired girl muttered to herself.
"Oh wow, what speed!" The red-haired girl said before reminding herself of the matter at hand and speaking up once more to the male who'd taken the offered seat from the elderly lady.
"I mean, excuse me, that seat was for this lady..." The red-haired girl said as the guy looked at her but then promptly ignored her as he dozed off, making Ren and Kusa frown at the guy's rudeness. Kusa huffed as he spoke up at that point.
"Ugh, what a inconsiderate prick. How dare he take that lady's seat like that?" Kusa grumbled under his breath, clearly annoyed at the man's rudeness while Ren turned to the red-haired girl.
"That looked rough. Want my brother and I to wake this guy up so that lady can take the seat like you intended her to?" Ren asked the girl who turned to look at him, blinking at how politely he'd spoken to her even as Kusa chuckled before speaking up before the girl could answer Ren.
"Wow bro, I didn't actually think you'd speak to her instead of just let yourself check her out the whole time." Kusa joked as Ren rolled his eyes.
"Shut it, bro. You know as well as I do what that guy did was rude." Ren said simply as both Kusa and the red-haired girl nodded, the latter finally speaking up to Ren, nodding appreciatively as she spoke up.
"No, that's quite all right. I can understand his position as well." The red-haired girl said to Ren before looking to the elderly lady, ignoring the chuckle Kusa got at her response to Ren as she spoke up to the elderly lady.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be any help." The red-haired girl said to the elderly lady who smiled at her before speaking up in a kind tone.
"It's all right, dearie. Don't you worry." The elderly lady said to the red-haired girl who nodded and then spoke up once more, oblivious to Ren looking at her once more, admiration in his gaze as he looked at her, Ren either not noticing or choosing not to pay attention to Kusa laughing at him quietly as the red-haired girl spoke.
"Please allow me to carry your luggage, at least." The red-haired girl offered the elderly lady who smiled and accepted the offer gratefully.
"Thank you! Ain't it heavy, though?" The elderly lady said, blinking as the red-haired girl easily carried the luggage, smiling as she answered the elderly lady.
"Not at all! I train plenty!" The red-haired girl said, as the rest of the train ride was uneventful from there, aside from Kusa only just refraining from teasing Ren about the girl. After the ride, the red-haired girl ran up to Kusa and Ren to stop them.
"Pardon me...thank you so much for earlier." The red-haired girl said to Ren who blinked at the girl in confusion.
"Earlier? You mean on the train? What exactly are you thanking me for?" Ren asked as Kusa frowned and lightly elbowed him in the side.
"Are you that dense, bro? She's thanking you for offering to help her with that jerk who took that seat from the elderly lady." Kusa said dryly as Ren blinked but blushed in embarrassment as he then recalled what the red-haired girl was referring to.
"Ohh, right, THAT earlier. Sorry, didn't really register that you meant that at first." Ren said sheepishly as Kusa smirked before adding in a quip of his own.
"Could that be because you were too busy gawking at her like a love-struck buffoon, bro?" Kusa teased Ren who huffed.
"Don't point that out to her! I don't want her thinking I'm sort of cringy freaking stalker or something! Besides, can I help that she's cute?" Ren defended himself, going a bit red as he remembered that the girl in question was right there and could hear his conversation. Luckily, she just giggled at the interaction between Ren and Kusa.
"Heh, that's okay. I don't mind you looking at me. But yes, I was referring to earlier when you were speaking up when I offered my seat on the train." The red-haired girl said with a smile before noticing Ren and Kusa's uniforms, making her smile at Ren as she spoke up once more..
"Oh, those uniforms...You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, correct? And your brother appears to be a first-year. I'm a first-year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai." The red-haired girl said, making Kusa chuckle at her word choice.
"Oh, lookie there bro, she called your her senpai. How sweet. Looks like she at least likes you somewhat." Kusa joked making Ren flush before glaring at Ren.
"Not helping, Kusa! And just because she called me 'senpai' doesn't mean she likes me! Now stop instigating!" Ren rebuked Kusa who just smirked and nodded.
"Fine, I'll behave for now Ren. But for real, I think you might have a shot with her. Now don't blow it." Kusa said to Ren who rolled his eyes but nodded as the girl giggled.
"I think it's cute that you two get along so well. Well, if you'll please excuse me, I have to get to school." The red-headed girl said to Ren and Kusa before she walked off, leaving Ren to smile happily after her as she walked off, oblivious to the grin on Kusa's face as he watched Ren go red as he watched the girl walk off. Kusa then nudged Ren after the girl was out of sight and spoke up.
"Well, now that your apparent newfound crush is gone, should we get going so we're not late again? Thankfully THIS time we packed umbrellas." Kusa said dryly as Ren nodded. The two then walked to the school and went their separate ways to go to class, Ren heading one way and Kusa the other. For his first class, Ren met his social studies teacher, Mr Ushimaru who then promptly compared the whole class to brats. He then had a pop quiz that Ren got right and improved his knowledge as a result. As Ren left class, he frowned as he saw Kamoshida walk up to Takamaki, hanging back a bit so he could listen in on the conversation from a slight distance as Kamoshida spoke up.
"Hey there, Takamaki. Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents." Kamoshida said conversationally to Takamaki, who frowned before speaking up.
"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. it's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it..." Takamaki said evasively as Kamoshida huffed before speaking up.
"Hey, now... Being a model is fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self down to the bone. You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?" Kamoshida asked, not seeing Ren's eyes go slightly wide at this. Takamaki shook her head before speaking up.
"Yes, I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy... Sorry to worry you." Takamaki said to Kamoshida who nodded understandingly as he spoke up again.
"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. Oh, and... be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you..." Kamoshida advised Takamaki, ignoring the transfer student in question glaring at him from a distance. Takamaki smiled as she spoke up.
"Thank you. Please excuse me." Takamaki said, walking off without a further word, leaving Kamoshida to huff as she left.
"Tch.." Kamoshida said as he walked off up the stairs. After that, Ren went outside to wait for Kusa, where Ryuji walked up to him.
"Yo." Ryuji said to Ren who frowned as he spoke up.
"What's up? Planning to ambush me?" Ren joked as Kusa walked up and frowned, lightly cuffing Ren upside the head.
"Be nice, Ren! I'm sure Ryuji was just wanting to socialize, weren't you?" Kusa said, frowning at Ren as Ryuji nodded and spoke up, grinning at Kusa's rebuke of Ren.
"I wasn't gonna ambush you, Ren. I just wanna talk about that castle from yesterday." Ryuji said to Ren and Kusa who nodded as the latter spoke up.
"Oh? And what about it?" Kusa asked curiously as Ryuji spoke up once more.
"I tried tellin' myself it was just a dream...but I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what." Ryuji said as he looked at Ren and Kusa, a begging look on his face.
"And, y'know, you two are the only people I can rely on for this stuff. So, you guys in?" Ryuji asked Kusa and Ren who looked at each other.
"What do you think, Ren? Should we help the guy out? I'm curious about that place myself, but I also know we got a pretty good chewing out from Sakura-san yesterday. You up for some investigating bro?" Kusa asked Ren who stroked his chin before smiling and nodding, a frown on his face as he spoke up.
"I agree, Kusa. We can't let this go unresolved, especially after I heard that prick badmouthing me to people just now." Ren said huffily before looking at Ryuji.
"To your question, Sure, we're in. What next?" Ren asked Ryuji as Kusa smiled in approval of Ren's reaction. Ryuji chuckled at Ren's agreement as he spoke up.
"Nice! Okay, glad we're in this together. I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you guys're walking to the station, right? Let's go together. Lemme know if you notice any other 'weird buildings' along the way." Ryuji said to Ren and Kusa who nodded as Ryuji fell into step with them as they shrugged, figuring they should go along with him on this since Ryuji didn't seem like a bad guy. As they walked, Ryuji stopped Kusa and Ren to speak up once more.
"If a huge castle like that exists, I'm sure we'll find it in no time. When'd they build something like that though?" Ryuji asked as Ren shrugged while Kusa spoke up.
"Good question. If nothing else, we can probably look it up later." Kusa remarked as Ryuji nodded before speaking up once more after looking around a bit.
"We walked that way from here, right?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, the latter of which stroked his chin in thought as he tried to remember while the former shrugged and spoke up, not really sure but also not bothered to find out.
"Maybe, Don't really recall honestly." Ren said making Ryuji frown as he spoke up.
"When you put it that way, I'm not so sure anymore...All right, this way. Lemme know if you notice something." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.
"Sounds good to me." Kusa said as the trio kept walking. After a bit, Ryuji, Ren and Kusa found themselves back in front of Shujin. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.
"Huh? We're at school...There wasn't anything out of place along the way, right? I didn't see no castle either...Ugh, we must've made a wrong turn somewhere. Let's try again." Ryuji said as Ren frowned and spoke up.
"Again? I mean it's as good a plan as any but how many times are we gonna do this?" Ren asked as Kusa elbowed him in the side lightly.
"Just humor him, Ren. Besides, you were the one who had your phone out while we were walking yesterday if I recall correctly." Kusa pointed out as Ryuji spoke up.
"Don't worry, I won't mess up this time. Let's go." Ryuji said as the three did another round, but ended up back at Shujin after all was said and done making Ryuji hang his head in disappointment, sighing as he looked at Kusa and Ren while speaking up.
"Ugh, for real? Is it smaller than we think it is? What do you think?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa.
"Check on your phone." Ren suggested as Kusa huffed before speaking up.
"He could do that, but as I recall it was YOU who had their phone out while we were walking to school yesterday, Ren." Kusa pointed out. Ryuji huffed as he spoke up.
"I already did that. I didn't see anything like that around here..." Ryuji said, trailing off as Kusa's remark about Ren having his phone out registered to him in that moment.
"Huh? Phone...Hey, that reminds me-didn't you have a navigation app thingy on, back then?" Ryuji asked as Kusa blinked in surprise at Ryuji recalling that.
"That's...actually true. Ren DID have a navigator on. I recall he was listening to you call Kamoshida, and I quote, 'That pervy teacher.' And then after that, his phone acted up when he said what you'd said." Kusa recalled as Ren frowned as he muttered to himself.
"Navigation app...I wonder...could it be that?" Ren said to himself. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up again.
"I dunno if it was or not, but I heard stuff that sounded like one comin' from your phone. Y'know, didn't it say stuff like 'returned to the real world' or something like that? Lemme see your phone for a bit." Ryuji said as Ren reluctantly handed it over.
"Fine, just be gentle with it Ryuji." Ren said as Kusa had to bite his tongue to not make a 'That's what she said!' type remark at that point, especially after Ryuji snatched Ren's phone from his hand making Ren mutter about being gentle again. As he quietly chuckled to himself, Ryuji spoke up once more.
"What's this eyeball-lookin' thing?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, the former of which spoke up to answer the question.
"It just appeared on my phone not that long ago and keeps coming back after I delete it so I can't delete it." Ren said as Ryuji frowned.
"Wait, what!? What a weird app..." Ryuji said as he got excited while inspecting the app as he spoke up again.
"...Oh wait, this is it! I knew it-it IS a navigation app! There's even your search history! Oh man, I'm such a genius! Let's try usin' it." Ryuji said to Ren and Kusa, the latter of whom frowned but nodded his agreement as the former spoke up.
"But I dunno how to use it." Ren pointed out at the same time Kusa spoke up.
"I dunno about this. But I suppose it can't hurt to at least try." Kusa said uncertainly. Ryuji chuckled at Kusa's wariness before speaking up.
"Why? All we're doin' is startin' an app." Ryuji said, punching in some stuff into the phone before a voice read out what he'd typed out and Kusa had to stop himself from laughing at what was read out.
"Kamoshida...Shujin Academy...Pervert...Castle...Beginning navigation." Ren's phone said making Ren and Kusa both blink as they looked at Ryuji in surprise as he spoke up.
"There we go! Then we went in a certain direction, and-" Ryuji said but cut himself off as the area got noticeably darker making Ryuji frown at Ren and Kusa.
"Hey, what're you-Huh? What the hell!?" Ryuji said in shock as the app flashed the eyeball icon on Ren's phone screen before the trio was transported to the castle from before in flashes of red. After things settled, Ryuji spoke up in surprise.
"Look! It's the castle from yesterday!" Ryuji said as he, Ren and Kusa raced up to investigate it up close, and sure enough it was the same castle as before. Ryuji then spoke up.
"We made it back... That means what happened yesterday was for real too...Yeargh! Those clothes!" Ryuji said, pointing to Ren, who'd changed into his alternate outfit from before somehow. Ren blinked as he looked at himself, surprised to see the other clothes on him. Kusa just shrugged, going with it. Ryuji spoke up again.
"That happened last time too, huh!? What's with that outfit!?" Ryuji asked Ren who shrugged as he spoke up.
"Not sure, honestly." Ren said. Kusa chuckled as he spoke up.
"If you ask me, those don't look bad on you, Ren. Or is Ryuji jelly?" Kusa joked. Ryuji frowned but ignored Kusa's teasing to focus on Ren.
"I don't get it either. What's going on here!? This makes no effin' sense at all..." Ryuji grumbled as at that moment Kusa gasped as he saw a very familiar pair of blue eyes peek around the corner at them before an equally familiar cat-like being walked up to the trio.
"Hey!" Morgana said as he ran up to the group before glaring at Ryuji in particular as he spoke up.
"Stop making a commotion." Morgana said to Ryuji who gaped in surprise as he looked at Morgana.
"Ah... You!?" Ryuji said to Morgana in surprise. Morgana nodded before looking at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.
"The Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be...Ugh, to think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape." Morgana said as Kusa smiled before speaking up.
"Yeah, not our brightest idea, I'll agree. But in any case, good to see you again Morgana." Kusa said as he gently patted Morgana on the head happily as Ryuji huffed.
"Yeah, it's nice to see Morgana again, but more to the point, what is this place? Is it the school?" Ryuji asked Morgana who nodded his head after he finished enjoying Kusa's touch as he spoke up.
"That's right." Morgana replied as Ryuji sputtered before speaking up in confusion and irritation.
"But it's a castle!" Ryuji protested, ignoring Ren and Kusa facefaulting behind him at his stating the obvious. Morgana just huffed as he spoke up.
"This castle IS the school! ...But only to this castle's ruler." Morgana explained making Ryuji blink in confusion as he spoke up again.
"The castle's ruler?" Ryuji asked as Morgana nodded before speaking up once more.
"That's right...I think you called him Kamoshida? It's how his distorted heart views the school." Morgana said as Kusa rolled his eyes, not surprised that someone like Kamoshida would have a distorted heart. Ryuji, however, just muttered to himself a bit.
"Kamoshida...Distorted..." Ryuji muttered before glaring at Morgana as he kept speaking up.
"Explain it in a way that makes sense!" Ryuji asked as Morgana huffed before speaking up in a dry, unamused tone.
"I shouldn't have expected a moron to get it..." Morgana said dryly, making Kusa have to keep from laughing at the dry quip from Morgana. Ryuji just growled as he glared.
"What'd you say!?" Ryuji snapped at Morgana, but before Morgana could answer, they were all distracted by the sounds of screams from nearby making Ryuji blanch.
"What was that!?" Ryuji asked in shock as Morgana spoke up once more, his voice more business-like.
"It must be the slaves captive here." Morgana said as Kusa huffed at this, unable to resist speaking up.
"Slaves!? Of course there'd be slaves here...somehow I could see Kamoshida being that type of scumbag." Kusa grumbled to himself making Ren chuckle as Ryuji gaped.
"For real!?" Ryuji asked as more screams answered his question making him gasp as he heard them.
"Oh, shit... It's for real! We saw other guys held captive here yesterday... I'm pretty sure they're from our school." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded before speaking up.
"Most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary-it's like that every day here." Morgana explained as he looked at the trio in front of him.
"What's more, you three escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit." Morgana said as Kusa growled on hearing this, but Ryuji spoke up before he could, voicing both their thoughts perfectly with his one sentence.
"That son of a bitch!" Ryuji swore, making Morgana look at him in surprise before speaking up.
"Ryuji?" Morgana asked questioningly but Ryuji was too busy being angry.
"Ugh, this is bullshit!" Ryuji said before charging at the door and trying to shoulder-barge it open.
"YOU HEAR ME, KAMOSHIDA!?" Ryuji yelled angrily as Morgana just shook his head before speaking up.
"Doing that isn't going to open it, you know..." Morgana pointed out as Kusa smiled before he then spoke up.
"That may be, but I imagine it's still damned cathartic for him regardless, am I right Ryuji?" Kusa asked Ryuji who simply nodded as Morgana spoke up again.
"Still, it seems you have your reasons." Morgana said as Ryuji walked up to him, and both Ren AND Kusa had to stifle laughter at what he said next.
"Hey, Monamona!" Ryuji said to Morgana as Morgana huffed while Ren and Kusa got their laughter under control in time for the latter to frown at Ryuji with Morgana, the cat-like being glaring at Ryuji getting his name wrong.
"IT'S MORGANA!" Kusa and Morgana both snapped simultaneously at Ryuji before blinking at their unintentional synchronicity before looking at each other and chuckling as Ryuji spoke up once more, unfazed by Kusa and Morgana's unintentional synchronized rebuke of him as he spoke.
"Do you know where those voices are comin' from?" Ryuji asked Morgana who blinked at Ryuji in surprise before speaking again.
"You want me to take you to them?" Morgana asked before turning to size up Ren and Kusa before he spoke up again.
"Well, I guess I COULD guide you there. BUT, only if these two come with us." Morgana said as Ren blinked at the cat's stipulation as he spoke up.
"Why me and Kusa?" Ren asked before Kusa cut in with a smirk.
"Why NOT us, bro? Besides, you looked so badass yesterday beatin' up those shadows with Morgana-san here. Didn't you enjoy it?" Kusa asked Ren who shrugged.
"Maybe a little, but still not sure why we have to go with them." Ren said as Kusa huffed.
"Stop being so worried and live a little, Ren. Besides, don't chicks dig bad boys?" Kusa pointed out with a grin, making Ren facefault at Kusa bringing up the girl from that morning as Ryuji blinked in confusion at Kusa's remark before speaking up.
"What are you talking about, Kusa?" Ryuji asked Kusa who blinked before facing Ryuji and speaking up.
"Oh, shoot, forgot you weren't there then Ryuji. I'll explain that later since it's a bit of a long story and I don't think Morgana-san would be happy if I got myself beat up for mocking Ren over what could be his first crush." Kusa said to Ryuji who chuckled and nodded his assent as Morgana spoke up to Ren, ignoring Ryuji and Kusa.
"I just want to get a better look at your powers. Even if you don't agree, I bet this guy'll go on even if he has to do it alone. Are you gonna leave him?" Morgana asked Ren who huffed at being put on the spot while Kusa smirked as Ren spoke up.
"I never said that. I was just asking why you were curious about me and Kusa, that's all. After all, Kusa doesn't even have any powers yet." Ren pointed out as Kusa huffed.
"Neither does Ryuji, but that's not stopping him." Kusa said dryly as Ryuji nodded his agreement, as Morgana hopped up and down as Ren nodded his agreement to go along with Morgana, Kusa and Ryuji, as Morgana spoke up once more.
"It's settled then!" Morgana said excitedly as Ryuji pumped a fist happily before speaking up, looking gratefully at Ren and Kusa.
"For real!? Thanks, guys." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded before speaking up.
"No worries, Ryuji. You're a cool guy, and I wouldn't want to leave you hanging if I don't have to." Kusa replied before looking at Ren.
"And as for YOU, you can thank me later when and if this impresses that red-headed girl you were totally checking out on the train this morning." Kusa teased Ren, making Ryuji chuckle in amusement at the mention of Ren's potential crush. Ren huffed at Kusa with a glare as he spoke up.
"I'll deal with you later, Kusa. As for you Ryuji, don't worry about it. Now let's do this." Ren said brusquely as Morgana smirked and nodded, speaking up at that point.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Ren! All right, let's do this. Follow me!" Morgana said as the group started towards the castle, stopping when Morgana led them to the shaft they'd escaped through before and speaking up to the group.
"THIS is our infiltration point." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned before speaking up.
"Ain't that where we escaped out of last time...?" Ryuji asked in confusion. Morgana nodded before speaking up once more.
"That's right. Not barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed before speaking up.
"HOW are we supposed to know about that stuff...?" Ryuji asked as Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up, not amused with how dense Ryuji could be at times.
"Clearly, that's what Morgana-san is here for. He can teach us what we need to know, Ryuji. Just be patient." Kusa said as Ryuji sighed but nodded. Morgana smirked at Kusa before speaking up as he hopped into the shaft.
"Well put, Kusa. I'll make sure to teach you as we go. Come on, follow me!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded, following Morgana into the shaft, leaving Ren and Ryuji alone outside as Ryuji spoke to Ren.
"So, uh...sorry for draggin' you into all of this...ugh, but I just can't forgive that bastard Kamoshida doin' whatever the hell he wants! Ugh, really though, thanks for coming along. I owe you big time!" Ryuji said to Ren who nodded as the two climbed into the shaft to start the infiltration. Once inside, the group hit the ground gently as Ryuji spoke up once again.
"Man, this place is as creepy as always." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"Mm-hmm. Now make sure you do exactly as I say, all right? Follow me!" Morgana said as he darted off ahead of the trio who nodded. After a bit Ryuji spoke up as the group walked into what Ryuji recognized as the main entrance.
"Hey...We went by here when we came in the front...What the!?" Ryuji said as the area flickered to look like Shujin before flickering back to look like a castle.
"I was seein' double or something just now? Was that Shujin?" Ryuji said. Morgana turned to face Ryuji in irritation as he spoke up.
"I've told you before. This place is your school. Regardless, we don't have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up. Come on, this way!" Morgana said as the group kept moving towards the nearby staircase. After descending down it, the group started walking around when Morgana stopped them as they hid as they saw a guard looking around. Morgana quietly spoke up at that point.
"Shoot... I had a feeling there would be guards here..." Morgana said as the guard moved on and he kept speaking.
"It looks like we're going to have to start fighting our way forward." Morgana said making Ryuji blink as he spoke up.
"Ugh, F-For real...?" Ryuji said, looking surprised at the idea of fighting while Kusa just had an excited grin on his face, ready for some combat, clearly forgetting he and Ryuji weren't actually doing any fighting as Morgana huffed.
"Ugh, oh boy. I'll just teach you the basics of battle for now. You'd better not forget all of this. Always try to ambush enemies instead of rushing everywhere head-long. Attack from behind when you can. You'll need to rip their masks off to momentarily break the control that the Palace ruler has over them. If you succeed, your opponent will be caught off-guard, allowing us to jump in for a preemptive attack." Morgana explained as Ryuji spoke up at that point.
"Okay, so we wanna get the jump on 'em and make the first strike... Okay, got it!" Ryuji said as Morgana frowned at him before speaking up.
"Uh, you know you're just gonna be watching, right? Neither you OR Kusa have a Persona, so you won't be much help to us in a fight." Morgana said as Kusa huffed.
"Unfortunately. But I suppose we can leave it to Ren and Morgana-sensei for now until such time we can awaken to our own Personas and help out." Kusa said. Morgana turned to face Kusa in surprise, but smiled at his referring to him as 'sensei' before speaking up.
"Thanks, Kusa. Glad at least one of you respects me. But anyways, let's go!" Morgana said as Ren, Kusa and Ryuji nodded. After fighting off some nearby guards, they kept going until they reached the area that Ryuji had seen people captured in before, growling when it was empty.
"Why ain't anyone here...? Dammit, they were here before! Where'd they go!?" Ryuji growled as Morgana spoke up.
"Quiet down!" Morgana rebuked Ryuji who blinked as he recalled something.
"Oh yeah, there were more of 'em further in too...!" Ryuji said before darting off on his own as Morgana turned to Ren and Kusa.
"They might have been transferred already..." Morgana said as Kusa nodded his agreement before Ryuji ran back looking worried.
"Crap, I can hear footsteps comin'! Lots of 'em!" Ryuji said as Morgana frowned at him before speaking up.
"It would be a problem if they discovered us now...Hey, let's head into that room. We should be able to hide in there until they leave." Morgana suggested, getting nods from Ren, Kusa and Ryuji. The group then went into the indicated room. Once inside, Morgana spoke up.
"The Shadows probably won't come in here." Morgana said as Ryuji panted as he caught his breath before speaking up.
"How can you tell?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up once more in slight irritation.
"There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this area is weak." Morgana said as the room briefly flickered to resemble a classroom before turning back. Ryuji spoke up, predictably confused by what had just happened.
"Is this a classroom!?" Ryuji said as Kusa snorted before speaking up.
"Noo, I thought it was a closet. Yeah, it looked like a classroom, Ryuji." Kusa said in a deadpan tone making Morgana chuckle before speaking up.
"Now do you understand, Ryuji!? This place is another reality that the ruler's heart projects." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned in confusion as he spoke up.
"THIS is Kamoshida's reality!? Ugh, shit makes no sense at all!" Ryuji said in annoyance as Morgana spoke up, keeping his own anger in check.
"One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized. I call such a place a 'Palace'." Morgana explained. Ryuji frowned before speaking up.
"A Palace?" Ryuji asked as Kusa rolled his eyes, frowning at Ryuji questioning Morgana as he spoke up.
"Yes, Ryuji. A Palace? You CAN hear, right?" Kusa asked snarkily, ignoring Ren groaning at being proven right about calling Kusa a snark king before. Morgana chuckled.
"Be patient with him, Kusa. I'm sure he's still confused about all of this, even if he IS slow on the uptake. That being said, this is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle." Morgana explained as Ryuji hummed, pondering what Morgana said before nodding.
"So, it became like this 'cause he just thought of it like that!? Hahaha...That son of a bitch!" Ryuji swore. Morgana blinked before speaking up.
"You must really hate this Kamoshida guy." Morgana said as Ryuji turned to face Morgana, an annoyed look on his face as he spoke up.
"'Hate' doesn't even cover how I feel. EVERYTHING is that asshole's fault!" Ryuji snapped making Ren and Kusa exchanged worried looks as Morgana spoke up.
"I don't know what happened between you two, but don't let your emotions get the better of you. His lackeys are EVERYWHERE inside." Morgana said as he turned to Ren.
"You're curious about your outfit, aren't you?" Morgana asked as Ren nodded. Ryuji then crossed his arms as he spoke up once more.
"Yeah, I'm curious as hell about it too." Ryuji said as Kusa shook his head before speaking up, his tone slightly dripping annoyance as he spoke.
"Then let him talk, Ryuji. And he was asking Ren anyways. Granted, I confess myself also curious about Ren's outfit, but I'm sure Morgana-sensei is going to explain if we let him." Kusa said brusquely as Morgana nodded before speaking up once more.
"Exactly, Kusa. Anyways, that's also because of this world." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up again.
"Ugh, more stuff that makes no sense." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed before speaking up.
"That's because you keep interrupting every other sentence it seems like. Now let Morgana-sensei talk." Kusa interjected calmly, getting an amused smirk from Morgana.
"As I was saying, anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his palace. A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to prevent such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion." Morgana said as he looked at Ren as he kept speaking.
"Your appearance is a manifestation of that. It's the image of rebellion that you hold within." Morgana said as Ryuji once more spoke up.
"Uuugh, I'm so fed up with all this!" Ryuji said before frowning at Morgana as he kept speaking.
"I'm more curious about YOU than his clothes! What the hell are you anyways!?" Ryuji asked. Kusa huffed at Ryuji's rudeness, but Morgana cut in before Kusa could rebuke Ryuji yet again, an amused grin on his face as he spoke up.
"I'm a human! An honest-to-god human!" Morgana explained as Ren blinked at Morgana's response while Kusa frowned.
"So, you're a human...but you were cursed to look like you do now, or something like that? Does that sound accurate?" Kusa asked Morgana as Ryuji spoke up.
"NO! You're OBVIOUSLY more like a cat!" Ryuji said, getting annoyed, ignoring the twin glares shot his way by Kusa and Morgana.
"He's NOT a cat, Ryuji! He just looks that way for some reason." Kusa pointed out as Morgana nodded.
"This is, well... It's because I lost my true form. ...I think." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed.
"You THINK?" Ryuji asked, clearly skeptical and unconvinced, and Ren was also frowning like he was unsure of Morgana's claim, but Kusa glared at them both.
"Maybe he lost his memories in addition to being cursed? Anything's possible, after all." Kusa suggested. Morgana nodded.
"Exactly. But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means. Well, I ended up getting caught though...Besides, I've been tortured by Kamoshida too! I'm gonna make him pay for sure!" Morgana said as Ryuji scoffed, looking unconvinced. He looked at Ren.
"What is this, a comic book? This is seriously crazy..." Ryuji said as Ren shrugged, not sure of that either. Morgana then spoke up, seeing Kusa ready to yell at Ryuji.
"If we're gonna keep going, we should hurry along." Morgana said as he turned to Ren and spoke up once more.
"I'll be counting on your skills this time too, rookie. Got it?" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as Ryuji spoke up.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help, so..." Ryuji said, trailing off as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun, ignoring Kusa, Ren AND Morgana's wide-eyed looks of surprise as he showed the gun to Ren, the former two both having to blink as they'd thought the gun Ryuji had pulled out was real, but Ryuji kept speaking, oblivious to the reactions of Ren, Kusa and Morgana.
"I brought this just in case! It's a model gun though, so it only makes sounds!" Ryuji said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.
"That's a toy!" Morgana said scoldingly while Kusa calmed himself after seeing Ryuji pull a gun out. Ryuji spoke up, acting as if nothing had happened.
"But it looks totally real, so it'll at least fake 'em out. Oh, I brought some medicine too. You know what they say: 'Providin' is pre... something.' Huh? Huh?" Ryuji said as Kusa and Morgana both huffed as Ren just nodded in approval of Ryuji's preparedness.
"So you WERE planning this from the start...Well, fine. If you're ready to go, we'll resume our infiltration." Morgana said as Ren accepted the model gun and medicine from Ryuji as the group prepared to resume their infiltration. Morgana then spoke up once more.
"Hm, there are probably still sentries making their rounds out there. Let's use this time to hash out our current situation." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa as well as Ryuji nodded their agreement. With that, the group got comfortable as they decided to hash out their situation...
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: And boom, another chapter done! Not as long as the last two, but as I've said before, not every chapter will be a long one. Either way, next chapter will be a big one in terms of awakenings, as there might be as many as three awakenings next chapter, depending on how long I make the chapter. Either way, there'll be at least one to look forward to. That said, hopefully people are enjoying the story so far, and until next update, sithlorde1988 out!
