A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Amamiya Files! Hard to believe we're only through the first Palace, yet we've already hit double-digit chapters for the story. By the time either of my other double-digit chapter stories did so, they were a fair bit further along than this fic currently is, so that's hopefully an omen that this story will have a lot of chapters to it, or at least hit a reasonably high word count. Either way, we're at what most likely will worst case be the second-to-last chapter of the Phantoms Awaken arc.
For reference, let me break down the rough timeline of the story in terms of arcs so people are clear on that. For the sake of being on the safe side, let's also throw a precautionary **SPOILER ALERT** down for this since there will probably at least some spoilers in this timeline so read this timeline at your own risk if you're somehow reading this without having played all the way through either Persona 5 OR Persona 5 Royal AT LEAST ONCE.
Arc 1: Phantoms Awaken (Chapter 1-Chapter 12) (The arc covering everything from the start of the game up to the 'official' formation of the Phantom Thieves as well as Joker being appointed the leader of the group)
Arc 2: The Kitsune Artist (working title, subject to change) (Chapter 13-Chapter ?) (The arc covering everything from Yusuke's first appearance in-game to the end of the second Palace as well as Madarame having his change of heart afterwards)
Arc 3: The Rebellious Queen (potential alternate title Queen VS Kaneshiro) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The arc covering everything from the aftermath of Madarame's change of heart and Makoto's joining of the Phantom Thieves to the end of the Third Palace as well as the subsequent change of heart in Kaneshiro)
Arc 4: Pyramid of The Oracle (potential alternative title Secrets of Coffee Daddy) (Chapter ? -Chapter ?) (The arc covering everything from Medjed's threat to the Phantom Thieves to the downfall of Medjed and Oracle joining the Phantom Thieves)
Arc 5: The Space Mogul (potential alternate title Okumara Space) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The arc covering Haru's first in-game appearance and everything from the start of the second semester to the end of the fifth Palace and the subsequent events surrounding Okumura's 'change of heart')
Arc 6: Casino of Envy! Crow's Gambit (potential alternate title The Thieves' Darkest Hours) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The arc covering Crow joining the thieves as well as everything from the aftermath of Okumura's 'change of heart' to the end of the Sae's Palace)
Arc 7: Joker's Wild! A Fool's Ploy (potential alternate title A Phantom's Deception) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The arc covering everything from the aftermath of Sae's Palace to the end of Shido's Palace)
Arc 8: Of Distortions and False Gods (potential alternate title The Secrets of Mementos) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The arc covering everything from the aftermath of Shido's palace to the end of the Mementos Palace)
Arc 9: Violet's Reality Check (potential alternate title The Thieves' Ideal Realities) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The arc covering the last Phantom Thief of Royal joining as well as everything from the aftermath of Mementos Palace to the end of Maruki's Palace)
Arc 10: Until we meet again...(possible alternate title 'Phantoms Disbanded') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The last arc of Royal, covering everything from the aftermath of Maruki's palace to the Thieves going their separate ways for the time being)
Arc 11: Return of the Thieves (alternate title 'The Thieves are Back!') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The first arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering the reunion of the core Phantom Thieves, the first appearances of EMMA and Sophia, and everything else from the start of Strikers/Scramble to the start of the first Jail)
Arc 12: The Rabbit Idol (alternate title 'Secrets of Alice Hiiragi') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The second arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the start of Alice's Jail, to Alice's change of Heart)
Arc 13: Of Agents, Writers and Nightmares (potential alternate title 'The Phantom Thieves VS The Overlord') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The third arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the Thieves' first interaction with Zenkichi to the end of Natsume's Jail and his subsequent change of heart)
Arc 14: Haru and the Ice Monarch (possible alternate title 'The Ice Queen of Sapporo') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The fourth arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the Thieves' arrival in Sapporo to the end of Mariko's Jail and her subsequent change of heart)
Arc 15: Rise of the Wolf (possible alternate title Zenkichi's Awakening) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The fifth arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the Thieves' arrival in Okinawa to the end of Akane's Jail and the subsequent induction of Wolf into the ranks of the Phantom Thieves)
Arc 16: Truth of the Monarchs (Possible alternate title 'The True Face of Akira Konoe) (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The sixth arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the aftermath of Akane's change of heart to the end of Konoe's Jail and his subsequent change of heart)
Arc 17: Pandora's Abyss (Possible alternate title 'Ichinose's Secret and Sophie's True Awakening') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The seventh arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the aftermath of Konoe's change of heart to the start of the Tree of Knowledge)
Arc 18: The AI who calls itself a god (Possible alternate title 'Phantom Thieves VS the Demiurge') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The eighth arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the start of the final Jail to the end of the final battle with the Demiurge)
Arc 19: Case Closed! Back to Leblanc (Possible alternate title 'Last Ride in the Phantomobile') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The ninth arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, covering everything from the demise of Demiurge to the Thieves' bittersweet return to Leblanc)
Arc 20: Thieves Disbanded! Parting of The Ways (Possible alternate title 'More Farewells! End of the Thieves') (Chapter ?-Chapter ?) (The tenth and final arc of Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers and the final overall arc of the story, this arc covers everything from the Thieves having one last party together to the group splitting up to go their separate ways once more, and the ending of Scramble/Strikers)
**END SPOILER ALERT...FOR NOW**
And there we go, a rough timeline of each arc of the story, though this timeline is very much subject to change, as are the names of the arcs. That said, we're now starting chapter 11, so we're only just now at the tail end of Arc 1, meaning this story is far from finished! So get ready, because it's time for more of the story! But first, let's get the disclaimer done and dusted for this chapter!
Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way shape or form (with the exception of the OC Kusa/Draconis who he created and therefore does own more or less), and credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega and to some extent Koei Tecmo! So credit to all of them!
And with that out of the way, on with chapter 11!
Chapter 11: Aftermath of the First Palace! Phantoms Awaken part 11
(At Leblanc with Kusa, Morgana and Ren, neutral POV)
After thinking about it, Kusa and Ren shrugged and made to sit at an open table since they saw that there were no customers, and Sojiro had asked that they wait for there to be no customers if they were going to use the table for things like studying. Sojiro looked up as he saw the two sit down at the table.
"You can use that for studying if no one's around. That said, listen up! You won't have much time for studying when you go out into the world, so study now while you can." Sojiro said to Kusa and Ren, who nodded as the latter spoke up.
"Understood, Sakura-san. We'll be sure to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to stay on top of our studying, or at least I will. I can't speak for Ren here, after all. Wouldn't really be fair to him if I did so since he can easily speak for himself." Kusa said as Ren nodded.
"I'll study where I can as well, Sakura-san." Ren said as Sojiro nodded approvingly as Morgana spoke up at that point, forgetting that Sojiro would only hear meowing as he spoke.
"What are you gonna do today, study?" Morgana asked Ren and Kusa. The two looked at each other then both nodded to signify they planned to study. Sojiro spoke up once more.
"In that case, I'm gonna head home. Clean up the place once you're done, all right? And make sure one of you closes up." Sojiro said as Kusa and Ren nodded and the former spoke up.
"Understood. I'll be sure to close up when we're done studying while Ren cleans the place up." Kusa said as Ren nodded his agreement. After a bit, Morgana spoke up again while Kusa and Ren were studying, the only sound audible otherwise was the scratching of Ren's pencil as he took notes while studying, Kusa also doing the same.
"Can I talk? The other day, I saw on TV-" Morgana said before cutting himself off as he realized that Ren and Kusa were focused and spoke up once more.
"Oh. Didn't mean to distract you. I'll try to stay quiet." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and gently patted Morgana on the head with a smile as he spoke up.
"You can talk as much as you like, Morgana-sensei. Just don't take it too personally if we don't always answer you as we study. However, I can do both at the same time to some extent, so I'll at least try to answer you where I can." Kusa said to Morgana who subconsciously purred at Kusa's touch. A while later, the scratching of pencils ceased as Kusa and Ren finished studying, the former smiling as he petted the now-asleep Morgana who'd curled up in his lap at some point while Kusa and Ren were studying, making Morgana's eyes crack open as he saw that Ren and Kusa were done studying, making him do a cat-like stretch as he hopped onto the table and spoke up.
"Ah, good. You two are done. Or at least you're at a stopping point. Either way, looks like you're both making some good progress." Morgana said as he focused on Ren as he kept speaking.
"I can see the wisdom in your eyes behind those glasses! Kusa also has wisdom in his eyes, but he doesn't wear glasses so I can't really say I see the wisdom behind what he doesn't wear." Morgana said with a smile before Ren smirked as his Knowledge stat increased, while Kusa smiled and spoke up.
"I get what you were trying to say, Morgana-sensei. And yes, we both got wiser thanks to studying. But it will only stick if we apply ourselves as much as we can." Kusa said sagely as Morgana nodded before speaking up.
"Agreed. However, keep in mind that you'll tire yourselves out if you keep at it for too long. You two should stop there for today and get some sleep." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, and the trio went up to bed...
(The next day, on the train with Ren, Morgana and Kusa, neutral POV)
Kusa and Ren listened in on the nearby conversations as they stood together on the train to school. They gathered from it that there was a video rental shop open on Central Street where if they were to subscribe for a yearly membership with the store, they can borrow as many DVDs as they wish. Kusa and Ren nodded, deciding to check it out at some point...once they got a DVD player to use the DVDs with. Morgana spoke up at that point from in Kusa's bag (Because it was Kusa's day to carry Morgana in his bag), smirking at Kusa and Ren as he spoke.
"Incredible! The video rental shop on Central Street...Oh, they must mean that giant building right in front of the book store." Morgana said, making Kusa blink as he remembered walking past a building that looked like a rental store when he and Ren went with Ryuji to the airsoft shop the other day. Morgana then kept speaking.
"Being able to borrow as much as you want sounds tempting. Let's check it out when we have the time." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Agreed. Not only would that be useful for when we have nothing really else to do, but it gives us incentive to try and find extra electronic stuff for our room." Kusa said as he petted Morgana, getting a contented purr from Morgana for his efforts. The rest of the ride proceeded uneventfully...
(Later that day, around lunchtime, with Ren, Kusa, Morgana and Ryuji, neutral POV)
"Have you seen Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, the former of which nodded as the latter spoke up.
"Come to think of it, no. I haven't seen that scumbag at all today. Not that I'm apt to complain about it, since that's one less hassle for us to deal with for now." Kusa said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.
"Agreed, Kusa. That said, do you really think he changed?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, who both spoke up, Ren speaking up first.
"Honestly? I hope so, Ryuji. But if he's not here, there's really no way to know for sure at this time." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.
"Agreed, Ren. But I don't know if he has or not since as you yourself pointed out, Ryuji, no one's seen him all morning." Kusa said. Ryuji nodded to Ren and spoke up.
"Well, yeah..." Ryuji said, but before he could say much else, he was cut off by the sound of Kawakami's voice from nearby as she spoke up.
"Oh, perfect timing!" Kawakami said as she walked up to Kusa, Ryuji and Ren who turned to face her in surprise.
"Study hall will be held instead of PE today. I'm letting you know in case you haven't heard. Mister Kamoshida has taken the day off." Kawakami as Ryuji and Kusa exchanged wide-eyed looks of surprise as the former looked at Kawakami and spoke up.
"He ain't here?" Ryuji asked Kamakami, who crossed her arms and frowned as she nodded before she lowered her voice a bit and kept speaking, drawing Ren, Ryuji and Kusa's attention as she spoke.
"Don't tell anyone you heard this from me, but we received word that Mister Kamoshida is placing himself under suspension. It's such an important time before the tournament too...Principal Kobayakawa went to talk to him about it, but he supposedly wasn't making any sense..." Kawakami said, trailing off as Kusa and Ren frowned while Ryuji spoke up, his eyes now comically wide as he spoke.
"Wait, a suspension!?" Ryuji asked, being a bit louder than he probably needed to be, getting a disapproving glare from Kawakami as she spoke up.
"Not so loud! Anyways, the talks about your expulsions may be put on hold too...I don't know too much about it though...Anyway, I've relayed what's going on to you." Kawakami said as she walked off, leaving Ryuji, Ren and Kusa to exchange surprised glances as Ryuji spoke up once more.
"Looks like SOMETHING happened...At least it sounds different from a mental shutdown..." Ryuji said as Ren nodded while Kusa spoke up.
"That it does. Given that Morgana hasn't spoke up thus far, I'm guessing it's not anything to worry over." Kusa said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.
"True. I guess all we can do is wait..." Ryuji said as the trio headed to their next classes...
(After school, with Ren and Morgana, neutral POV)
"Well then, we did all we can. Now we wait. Not surprisingly, waiting is pretty boring...I wonder what Ryuji and the rest are up to?" Morgana said to Ren, right as he got a group chat from Ann, Kusa and Ryuji.
"Man, all this waiting's got me so antsy. We should go on a trip or something. Whaddya think?" Ryuji sent as Ren and Morgana looked at Ryuji's response in intrigue as Kusa and Ann sent responses fairly close together.
"As fun as that sounds Ryuji, can't do that today. Stuff came up and Yoshizawa asked me to escort her to the station. She said to tell you hi again by the way, Ren. Just passing that along before I manage to forget to do so." Kusa sent at the same time that Ann sent a response.
"Sorry, I'm gonna have to pass." Ann sent as Kusa and Ren frowned at the response as Ryuji sent a response at that point.
"What, you busy?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response after reading Ryuji's response.
"Yeah, I'll be visiting Shiho in the hospital after school for the next few days. I can't do much to help her, but it'll be nice to at least see her face." Ann sent as Ren, Kusa and Ryuji all sent responses close together.
"Ah, I see. Well, I hope Suzui gets well soon." Ren sent as both Kusa and Ryuji's responses came in close together.
"Gotcha...I hope she wakes up soon." Ryuji sent.
"While it is true it'll be nice for you to get to see Suzui-san's face Ann, given she's in a coma, if you're allowed to, speaking to her isn't a bad idea either. I recall reading once that people in comas can still somewhat register what's going on around them to an extent so even if you're just filling her in to an extent on the day-to-day goings on, it couldn't hurt to at least talk to her while you visit her if you get the chance.
Who knows, maybe you'll even find a chance to confess your feelings to her Ann. Granted, that's entirely your choice if you choose to do so or not, but maybe doing so while she's comatose can give her the time she needs to process that and figure out if she feels the same or not. You can't exactly hide it forever, otherwise you'll be stuck in a constant 'what if' loop and never know if she feels the same.
That said, I wish you luck with that and hope for a speedy recovery for Suzui-san. Feel free to give her our regards as well, and by our regards I mean myself, Ren and Ryuji. I'd say Morgana as well, but I don't think she got to meet him before she went into her coma so that might not make sense to include him as a rule of thumb. Apologies to Morgana-sensei if he's reading this, but we don't want to overwhelm Suzui-san right away if we can avoid it. Or you for that matter, Ann." Kusa sent, making Ren and Ryuji blink at how profound Kusa's response sounded as they nodded their agreement. Ren then sent his own response again.
"I'm sure she'll be OK, Ann. Be that as it may, by all means go cheer her up. But be safe on your way there." Ren sent. Ann smiled as she read Kusa and Ren's responses before sending one of her own after a bit to ponder how to word her response.
"Yeah, thanks Ren. And Kusa, you raise some good points there. I might take your advice. We'll see how things go. After all, my visits aren't for that long each day but long enough I won't be able to do much with you guys until they're over. You're right though that I can't hide it from her forever. As it is, I've probably been hiding this from her since middle school, so it's already been a couple of years that I've kept this to myself. So maybe it is time I come clean with her. I'll think about it. That said, I appreciate the well wishes everyone. And I'm totally down to go somewhere once things calm down, though." Ann sent as Ren, Kusa and Ryuji nodded. As Ren put his phone away, ignoring Ryuji and Kusa planning to continue their discussion in a private chat, he turned to Morgana as he spoke up.
"Aww...it sounds like we won't get to see Lady Ann after school for a while. How unfortunate..." Morgana said as Ren nodded before speaking up.
"Agreed. But we have to be supportive of her wishes as well, Morgana. So we can't be bummed that she won't be around for a few days, but instead hope for the best for her." Ren said sagely as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"True. You know, you should work on your Kindness. That way you can say something encouraging next time you see her! That said...Hey, about the doctor at that clinic...She's been helping us out quite a bit. Make sure to swing by every once in a while to keep a good relationship. I wanna know why she was arguing with that guy, too..." Morgana said, trailing off as he hid back inside Ren's bag. After a bit to consider, Ren headed over to Central Street for a bit of shopping, only for the camera to pan over to a shot of Caroline sitting over a blue door, presumably leading to the Velvet Room. And as if to confirm it, Ren heard a voice in his head.
"Return here whenever you wish. It shall be of your own accord..." Igor said to Ren who frowned as he recalled that statement but was unsure how to return to the Velvet Room while awake. After that, Ren headed to the underground which was nearby, and looked at the job magazines, deciding to look into a part-time job he could do when he had time.
"Oh, job openings...Looking to get a part-time job, huh? Most jobs have conditions to be able to apply though...You sure you've got this?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as he looked into an opening at a convenience store. Morgana spoke up as he saw the job opening.
"A part-time job at a convenience store, huh? Sounds typical for a student. Couldn't hurt to improve your Charm by working in customer service. Hey, why don't you apply?" Morgana said to Ren, who shrugged and nodded. Morgana spoke up.
"Cool. Let's call them right now!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting the number from the ad and calling it. After a few rings, a voice answered.
"Hi, this is Triple Seven on Central Street. You're calling about the job opening? Hold on. I'll get the manager." The voice said as a brief time later a man's voice was heard.
"Thanks for waiting. So, you wanted to apply for a part-time job? You're a student, right? I'll plan your schedule around the days you're available. I'm always in the store, so you can come straight here. I look forward to working with you." The man's voice, presumably the manager's, said to Ren as the call was ended and Morgana spoke up in awe.
"Whoa...You got the job! Nice going!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and put his phone away. After stopping off at the airsoft shop to sell off the treasure the group had found in the Metaverse for a tidy sum, Ren was stopped on the way out by Justine and Caroline, the latter of whom spoke up.
"Hey, Inmate!" Caroline said as Justine smiled and spoke up as the door next to her and Caroline flew open while she spoke.
"I was waiting. Our master awaits. Please come this way." Justine said as Ren nodded and headed into the Velvet Room, yelping as Caroline punted him through the door...
(Inside the Velvet Room with Ren, Igor, Caroline and Justine, neutral POV)
"Hmm-hmm...So you've come. How does it feel slipping into the unusual from your usual life?" Igor asked Ren but before Ren could answer, Justine spoke up.
"Our master has arranged an access point to assist you in coming here directly from the real world." Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.
"That door you just went through is it! Be thankful, Inmate!" Caroline said firmly as Igor chuckled and spoke up.
"This too shall aid in your rehabilitation. Make good use of it." Igor said as Ren nodded his understanding. After that, Caroline spoke up again.
"Listen up, Inmate!" Caroline said to Ren who looked at her and spoke up.
"Can I help you, Miss Warden?" Ren asked, stopping himself from saying something ruder as he figured it wouldn't do much good. Caroline spoke up at that point.
"We are introducing a new regimen to your rehabilitation in the form of Challenge Battles. For these trials, we will permit the cognitions of your comrades to fight at your side. Hmph. Cry your tears of joy!" Caroline taunted Ren as Justine spoke up, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Depending on your results in combat, you will receive some form of compensation for your efforts. Should you prove successful, there is no doubt that you will be rewarded and strengthened in body and mind" Justine said to Ren as Caroline smirked before speaking up once more.
"We've even prepared a special stage for you to undergo this part of your rehabilitation." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.
"Take this opportunity to demonstrate the furthest reaches of the strength you've gained up until now. Should you wish to attempt this at once, we shall oblige you." Justine said as Ren nodded, registering what the two had said to him. After that, Ren did a bunch of shenaniganry with summoning, registering and studying various Personas, after which he took a shot at the Challenge Battle, easily getting the first stage cleared and then leaving the Velvet Room. After that, Ren hit up the second-hand shop near Leblanc, buying a DVD player for his and Kusa's room, as well as picking up some crafting materials and healing items from the stores around the area.
From there, he and Morgana saw an opportunity and hit up the laundromat to wash the sooty gear they'd gotten in the Palace, which ended up cleaning up to be equippable armor for the group (minus Morgana unfortunately for him) after which the two headed back to Leblanc for the evening. After looking up as the doors opened, Kusa nodded to them as they walked in, confusing Morgana and Ren as to how Kusa was already at Leblanc.
The reason Kusa was already there was due to his having been helping Sojiro work the counter at his recommendation after he'd come back early since Ryuji had had to go home and Ren had left without him to do stuff so he figured he'd use the time to help out Sojiro as he said he'd do if he had time, which was much appreciated by Sojiro. As soon as Ren walked in, Kusa and Ren's phones went off to signify a group chat from Ann and Ryuji, prompting Sojiro to smile as he looked at Kusa.
"Go on, go answer that with Ren. You've done enough for now, Kusa. Thanks for keeping your word and helping out behind the counter." Sojiro said to Kusa who nodded and spoke up.
"But of course, Sakura-san. I always try to do what I say I'm going to do, as I pride myself on being a man of my word." Kusa said proudly as he and Ren went to go upstairs to view their group chat.
"I went to see Shiho today. And I took Kusa's advice and talked to her. I told her we settled things with Kamoshida. She still hasn't regained consciousness...but I had to go make amends." Ann sent as Ren and Kusa frowned at this but Ryuji sent a response before either of them had the chance to do so.
"Whaddya mean? You didn't do anything wrong, Ann. Right, Ren?" Ryuji sent as Ren and Kusa frowned at Ryuji putting Ren on the spot like that. Kusa and Ren both sent responses, Kusa frowning as he sent his response.
"OI! Don't be putting Ren on the spot like that, Ryuji! Would you like that if we did that to you!?" Kusa sent as Ren chuckled and sent his response.
"Calm down, Kusa. I don't mind that he did that. I happen to agree with Ryuji. It's not your fault, Ann. The only one at fault here is Kamoshida, as it was entirely his doing." Ren sent. Kusa and Ann blinked at Ren's response as the latter sent her own response.
"That's true, Ren. However, I do feel the need to take some small bit of the responsibility. But I wasn't there when she needed help. I'm a failure as a friend...I have to do all I can to make up for that, starting now. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to move on." Ann sent as Kusa and Ryuji gaped at what Ann had sent as both sent responses.
"Man, I didn't know you were so passionate. I totally didn't notice that back in middle school." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent his own response.
"Of course she's passionate, Ryuji. She's a lady after all, for frick's sake! Morgana-sensei would probably agree with me here when I say that ladies are more sensitive to things than men are. At the same time though, this is someone that Ann is really really close to we're talking about. So it's to be expected she'd blame herself to some extent for what she could consider her failure to protect Suzui-san when she needed it the most, but in the end, I'd say she more than made up for that by being there to help us beat that other Kamoshida in you-know-where. So I'd say she's already well on the way to make up for her self-perceived failure. But that's just my opinion. But in seriousness, we're here for you, Ann. Don't think you have to deal with this alone." Kusa sent. Ann smiled as she saw Kusa's response, sending one of her own at the same time that Ren sent a response.
"I think she realizes that, Kusa. But I suppose I can see why you felt the need to remind her of it. Also, don't bring Morgana into the conversation when he's actually not reading it for once as he's asleep in my bag." Ren sent. Ann giggled at this as she sent her response.
"I do realize that. But I also find it sweet of him to say so. Thank you, Kusa. That said, I think it's because of you guys. I'm a little embarrassed though...Anyways, Ryuji, Ren, Kusa...I hope we can keep helping each other out from now on too." Ann sent as Ren and Ryuji smiled while Kusa sent another response.
"Of course we can. You say that like this is the last we're gonna see of each other or something, Ann. I don't recall any of us saying we wouldn't still hang out once Kamoshida was dealt with. As far as I'm concerned, we're friends for the long haul. I can't speak for Ren or Ryuji, but I for one welcome the idea of us staying in contact and being friends. We seem to work together quite well as a team." Kusa sent. After that, he and Ren put their phones away as Sojiro spoke up.
"Hey, you two got a minute? Something I wanna ask you. C'mere, let's have a chat." Sojiro said, looking mostly at Ren as he spoke. Ren and Kusa nodded, walking over to Sojiro and speaking to him.
"Yo, you two are free tonight, aren't you? Care to have a little chat with me?" Sojiro said as Ren blinked at Sojiro in surprise while Kusa just smiled and nodded. Sojiro saw Ren's expression and spoke up with a smile.
"What? It's just some small talk." Sojiro said. Ren and Kusa looked at each other as Ren spoke up.
"Should we take him up on his offer?" Ren asked Kusa. Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"I don't see why not, Ren. Besides, who knows when having ourselves on his good side could come in handy. Plus I've been saying from the first day we were here how Sakura-san is a nice guy even if he comes off a bit gruff at times." Kusa said as Ren nodded and looked at Sojiro.
"Very well. Let's talk, Sakura-san." Ren said. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up once more.
"Yo. That's good. There're a lot of things I want to ask you. I'll clean up, so just wait there. And Kusa, thanks for sticking up for me. You are a good kid. But maybe so is Ren." Sojiro said, surprising Ren with his words as he left to clean up. After a bit, Sojiro walked out from behind the counter to speak to Ren and Kusa.
"Hey, how's school?" Sojiro asked Ren and Kusa as the latter spoke up after it was clear Ren wasn't sure what to say.
"It's school, Sakura-san. It's rough at times, but overall a fun experience if you get past the tough parts." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded approvingly as he kept speaking.
"You're not causing any trouble, are you?" Sojiro asked, looking at Ren as he spoke, making Ren frown as he replied after a moment.
"I'm not trying to cause trouble, no. However, I can't deny that trouble sometimes finds me even if I don't want it to, Sakura-san." Ren said. Sojiro nodded and spoke up.
"Good that you're staying out of trouble more or less. I've gotta report to your probation officer twice a month. It's already a pain in the ass as is, so please don't make me have to write even more crap. Got that? This society is kept in check by laws and authority figures." Sojiro said, glaring at Ren as he kept speaking.
"You can go and get yourself killed if you want, but don't go dragging other people into your mess. The last thing we need is more idiots like you roaming around." Sojiro said, as his phone chose then to go off so he answered it, missing the frown on Kusa's face as he and Ren exchanged surprised glances as a result.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Sojiro said into the phone. He listened to the voice on the other end and smiled as he spoke again.
"Yeah, I'm heading out now. Sorry about that." Sojiro said, pausing as he listened to the person on the other end.
"...I know. The usual, right? Okay, I'll see you later." Sojiro said into his phone. He then turned to Ren and Kusa as he kept speaking.
"As you two can see, I'm pretty damn busy, both at work and in my private life." Sojiro said. Kusa nodded and spoke up at that point.
"I see. That explains why you were asking us if we'd help out with things like cleaning up around here and working the counter. You wanted to make things easier for yourself, Sakura-san." Kusa said in understanding as Sojiro smiled and nodded.
"Precisely, Kusa. That said, if you two could lend a hand, it'd really be a great help..." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa looked at each other, nodded and both spoke up.
"I'd be glad to help out when I can, Sakura-san. Of course, I have to be sure I keep up with my studies and the like so it'll have to be when I can find the time to help unfortunately." Ren said apologetically as Kusa spoke up.
"Unlike you Ren, I don't have quite so packed of a schedule, as today proved, so I'll probably be more readily available to help out around here if needed. Sorry for the extra inconvenience we caused by you agreeing to take us in for the year, Sakura-san." Kusa said, giving Sojiro an apologetic look as he spoke. Sojiro smiled as he spoke up.
"I get it, Ren. But the fact you're willing to help at all? Now we're talking. Either way, I won't ask either of you to work for free. If you agree to help me, then...I'll teach you, Ren, how to make the perfect cup of coffee. And Kusa, you seem like you'd be handy with a stove to some degree, so I'll let you in on how to make a good plate of curry. How's that sound, you two?" Sojiro said to Kusa and Ren, who blinked at what he was offering, before both nodded and spoke up.
"That sounds amazing, Sakura-san. Of course, we know you're a busy man so we wouldn't want to make you any busier. We can work around your schedule if needed." Kusa said as Ren nodded.
"I agree with Kusa. You are a busy man and we don't want to make you even busier since you have a life outside of Leblanc it seems. That said, sounds interesting, Sakura-san." Ren said. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up once more with a smile on his face as he spoke.
"All right. Looks like we've got ourselves a deal." Sojiro said as Ren smiled, noticing that the distance between himself and Sojiro appeared to be closing slightly...
(Fast forward to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker)
"You may call yourself a phantom thief, but you're still a minor. Someone had to support you. Furthermore, they did so knowing you were a part of that group. Isn't the owner of that cafe an accomplice of yours!?" Sae asked Joker...
(In the present with Ren, Kusa and Sojiro, neutral POV)
Ren and Kusa nodded to Sojiro's words, as the former heard the by-now familiar voice in his head speak.
"I am thou...Thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of freedom that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Hierophant Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard as like all the other Confidants previously, a card appeared in his mind's eye, this one with the word 'Hierophant' on it as well as the letter I, signifying that the Hierophant Confidant was now at Rank 1. At that point, Sojiro spoke up once more.
"I'll be counting on your help." Sojiro said as Kusa and Ren nodded, proceeding to help clean up behind the counter and stuff, earning a look of gratitude from Sojiro as he spoke up once more.
"Looking good, guys. Okay, I'll let you handle the rest. Gotta say, I'm glad you catch on quick with this stuff. Makes my life a lot easier." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.
"Naturally. Back where we used to live, Ren and I helped out at our family's restaurant from time to time, me moreso than Ren, so we have some experience with this already." Kusa said to Sojiro by way of an explanation, getting an approving nod from Sojiro.
"I see. Just keep doing what you can. And don't cause any trouble, right Ren?" Sojiro said as Ren nodded.
"Gotcha, Sakura-san. I'll do my best to stay out of trouble." Ren said. Kusa nodded as he spoke up.
"And I'll help him do so when I can. Of course, I'll also try to split some of my time helping out around here as well to make things easier for you, Sakura-san." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded.
"Good to know, Kusa." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"Got it, Sakura-san. After what you've done for us, it's the least I can do." Ren said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.
"When you give me a perfect answer like that, it sounds almost rehearsed. Makes me wonder what you're planning, if anything." Sojiro said warily. He then shrugged and spoke up, looking at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.
"Eh, I guess it doesn't matter, long as you get what I'm saying. Anyhow, don't forget to lock the place up. And don't go too crazy with the stuff in the shop. You're staying here rent-free, so you should know not to go overboard. That said, I'm gonna head back then. All right, see you tomorrow." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded as he left.
(The next day on the train to school, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana, neutral POV)
Ren and Kusa frowned as they heard some nearby students talking about a place called 'Gigolo Arcade' on Central Street, and how some delinquent always hangs there which they fear, and about some overseas juice product that works well against drowsiness (what the last bit had to do with the rest Kusa and Ren had no clue) but they frowned, as the delinquent in question might be Ryuji, though he didn't strike Ren or Kusa as a delinquent. Morgana spoke up.
"Why does it seem like products that come from overseas always work? Maybe it's the unique taste? And there's a delinquent, huh? Well, compared to Shadows, he shouldn't be any trouble." Morgana said as the group got to school...
(On the walk to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana, neutral POV)
"The school store's always out of yakisoba pan, no matter what time I go. I haven't been able to get any even once." One of the nearby students said to their friend who spoke up knowingly.
"Oh, don't you know? It's always sold out on Mondays, but there's usually some left over on Fridays." The other student said as the first spoke up, their eyes wide as they spoke.
"Are you serious!? I'll finally be able to get some yakisoba pan today!" The first student said as Morgana spoke up from inside Ren's bag.
"Huh, I gess there's a lot in this world you can only get for a limited time or during certain seasons..." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded.
"True. Have we ever tried yakisoba pan before, Ren?" Kusa asked Ren who shook his head in the negative as he spoke up.
"Nope, don't think so. And now I want some, too." Ren said as Kusa and Morgana laughed and the latter spoke up.
"Do you want to try to get some? I'll come with you." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up as well.
"I'll go too, since it could be a fun experience to try out some yakisoba pan." Kusa said sagely. Ren nodded as the group finished the walk to school...
(After school, with Ren and Morgana, neutral POV)
Ren and Morgana shrugged after school as Ren's phone went off, which he checked to see a private chat from Ryuji.
"Y'know, running around in that palace made me realize something. I ain't moving well at all! My body's way outta whack! I gotta start training again...Practice is real important. So...I'm gonna start again, as of today! You wanna join in?" Ryuji sent to Ren who thought about it. He realized it would be a good chance to hang out with Ryuji and maybe strengthen his bond with him as well. Morgana saw Ren thinking and spoke up.
"So, what do you plan on doing? Want to hang out with Ryuji?" Morgana asked Ren who spoke up.
"Maybe, but let me see what other options I have first just to be on the safe side." Ren said as Morgana nodded. After doing some quick shopping, and getting a membership to the DVD place that he'd seen with Morgana, Ren then opened back up Ryuji's chat and sent a response.
"Sorry about that, had to take care of a couple of things first. That said, I'm free, so sure, I'll come." Ren sent as Ryuji smiled and sent a response.
"Sick. Let's sweat it out behind the gym. I'm sure Kusa will be fine on his own. Though I think I saw him hanging out with Yoshizawa earlier somewhat. Maybe he's going to get to know her somewhat? Who knows." Ryuji sent as Ren frowned at what Ryuji had sent, hoping Kusa was just trying to get to know Yoshizawa so he could help him get closer to her when the time came. Putting it out of his mind for now. Ren then sent a response.
"Got it. Behind the gym it is." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a quick response.
"Go change into some training gear and get your ass over here." Ryuji sent.
"Got it. Be there ASAP." Ren sent as he put his phone away and looked at Morgana who spoke up.
"Well, I guess I can kill some time in the courtyard while you two are off training." Morgana said, as Ren had a better idea.
"You could do that. Or, if you were really feeling useful, you could go check up on Kusa and make sure he's getting along well with Yoshizawa, maybe make sure he's upholding the standard of gentleman behavior you tend to hold us all to." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"Good idea. I'll go do that." Morgana said as he padded off to go find Kusa while Ren went to get changed and meet up with Ryuji...
(In the courtyard with Ren and Ryuji, neutral POV)
"Man, this place brings back memories. Too bad Kusa was too busy to join us, but I suppose someone's gotta talk you up to your crush." Ryuji said to Ren who rolled his eyes as he spoke up.
"Very funny, Ryuji. Remind me to give you this much hell when and if YOU ever find a girl to crush on." Ren said in a deadpan tone making Ryuji laugh.
"Damn Ren, you really are a snark lord like Kusa said. That said, this is my secret trainin' spot. Er...was. Back when I was on the track team. Actually, I've been thinkin' about tryin' to run again." Ryuji said as Ren blinked at this and spoke up.
"You have? That's actually really incredible, Ryuji. I think you could do it too, if you put your mind to it. I got your back if that's what you want to do, man." Ren said as Ryuji smiled and kept speaking.
"Heh, thanks Ren. But back on topic, fightin' in that other world was a total shock. I couldn't move like I used to. It just felt...lame. So I started thinkin', maybe I need to build up my muscles again. Anything's gotta be better than this flimsy body, right? Plus, maybe then I'll be able to help out a little more." Ryuji said as Ren smirked and spoke up.
"I see. Well, whatever you decide to do, Ryuji, I've got your back. And I'm counting on you to pull your weight with the team still." Ren said. Ryuji smirked as he nodded and spoke up happily.
"Got it, Ren. Heheh. I'm totally gonna wreck your expectations!" Ryuji said, making Ren blink at this, looking at Ryuji with a raised eyebrow. Ryuji blanched as he spoke up.
"U-uh, I mean that in a good way! Anyways, you act like it's only me who's gonna be doin' this, but you're gettin' in on it too." Ryuji said as Ren blanched.
"Seriously!? I mean, it explains you asking me to change into a tracksuit, but I legit hadn't considered that you had that in mind. But I guess that's MY bad for not considering it." Ren said after a moment with a nod. Ryuji nodded as well and spoke up.
"Whoa, don't look so surprised! Why'd you think I had you go and change into that? It'd be pointless if I was the only one gettin' super fast, right? All right, I'm gonna do some knee lift sprints. You're stuck with the normal ones!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded, before the two ran around the school together. Afterwards, the two stopped to catch their breath as Ryuji spoke up after a bit.
"Ughhh...Damn, my legs're all tight..." Ryuji said before finally getting his breath back and looking at Ren as he kept speaking.
"Before Kamoshida came along, the track team was the biggest thing this school had goin' for it. But it all got changed after he got oru coach fired and took over as the sub. That bastard...Right from the very start he was tryin' to get rid of us. He'd give us crazy workouts, then when we couldn't do 'em, he'd add even more on top of that...Day after day was nothing but that bullshit...He was goin' after me especially. He knew...He knew I was the kinda guy who'd fight back." Ryuji said as Ren nodded.
"And well you should! I'd have done the same if it was me going through that." Ren said with a nod as Ryuji spoke up with a nod.
"Exactly. If my time dropped even a little, he'd cuss me out. Then on top of that, he brought up my parents..." Ryuji said as Ren blinked.
"You can tell me it's none of my business if you don't want to answer this, but what about your parents did he bring up precisely?" Ren asked as Ryuji blinked at the question.
"...Nah, it's fine, Ren. Truth is, my mom's the only one I got. All my dad did when he was still around was drink. Sometimes he'd even beat me, or my mom. I dunno how that bastard Kamoshida found out, but he told the whole goddamn team...And as you can guess, I lost it and hit him." Ryuji said as Ren frowned and spoke up.
"How dare he!? That son of a bitch had no right to do that..." Ren said huffily as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.
"Damn right he didn't! But anyways, it was like he wanted me to do it though. He called it an 'act of violence' and shut the team down...Thanks to that, the other guys on the team treat me like some kinda traitor..." Ryuji said as Ren frowned before putting an arm on Ryuji's shoulder and gave it a supportive pat.
"It's probably not my place to say this, but fuck them if they think you're a traitor for defending your family. That's not something you should be called a traitor for. That's just you being a good son, Ryuji." Ren said understandingly. Ryuji nodded.
"Thanks, Ren. I appreciate that. Thing is though, they ain't wrong. 'Cause of me, they all lost their shot at the championship..." Ryuji said, trailing off as Ren spoke up warily.
"I can see why you did what you did, but even though you probably don't regret it, have you ever found yourself wanting to go back?" Ren asked Ryuji. Ryuji blinked and spoke up, looking at Ren in surprise at his question.
"What, to the track team? Nah...How could I after that? ...C'mon, don't ask me tough questions like that. I'm not very smart, y'know!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded.
"Fair enough. Intellect might not be your strong suit, but you make up for that in loyalty, heart and to some extent brute strength Ryuji." Ren said. Ryuji chuckled and spoke up.
"Thanks, man. Anyways, it doesn't matter now. That's all in the past! I'm only thinkin' about the future now! That's what we gotta do-build the future! We gotta think positive thoughts, brother!" Ryuji said as Ren blanched at the last sentence out of Ryuji's mouth but nodded as the two smiled and high-fived, Ren feeling his bond with Ryuji grow deeper from their conversation. As a result, the 'Chariot' card appeared again in his mind's eyes, the 'I' becoming a 'II" to signify it'd ranked up from Rank 1 to Rank 2. And with that rank, Ren learned the skill 'Punk Talk', allowing him to re-attempt negotiations with an upbeat Shadow if they fail. Ryuji then spoke up once more.
"C'mon, we're all warmed up, right? How 'bout another run? By the way, you're actually pretty good at runnin'. Not as good as me, though!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded.
"Fair enough. And of course you're better than me, I didn't go out for a track team, Ryuji." Ren said with a laugh. Ryuji nodded.
"That's true. Now let's run!" Ryuji said as they ran around the school once more, after which Ryuji spoke up as Ren made to go home.
"Heading home? Holy...crap...My legs're shakin'...Don't collapse on your way home, man...Later." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and went back to Leblanc. As he got back to Leblanc, his phone rang before he went inside. Ren answered it.
"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone. Ryuji then spoke up to confirm who was calling.
"Sup! You get home okay? Didn't trip or anythin'? But man, I'm so outta shape. Felt like I could barely drag my damn legs up the station steps...This would've never happened back then. Ugh... I should've kept up my running." Ryuji said as Ren smirked and spoke up.
"That sounds brutal, man. Are your legs okay? You know, it's never too late to get back into runnin', even if it's on your own." Ren said. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up.
"Hah! Truth, man! We're only gettin' started! Let's keep on runnin' towards tomorrow!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded before Ryuji kept speaking.
"I'm pretty rusty, but even if it got kinda rough, I had fun. And with you here, I get some friendly competition too. Plus we get to talk. So yeah, I'll catch you later. See ya!" Ryuji said as he hung up and Ren put his phone away before heading into Leblanc.
(Inside Leblanc, with Ren and Sojiro, neutral POV)
Sojiro looked up, as he saw Ren walk into the cafe, speaking up as he looked at Ren.
"Ah, you're back. So, getting used to the city?" Sojiro asked Ren who shrugged.
"Honestly? A little bit, Sakura-san. But there's a lot of city for me to be getting used to, so it's going to be a slow process to be sure." Ren said. Sojiro nodded.
"I see. You and Kusa are the only ones here at night, so I'm not gonna bother setting a curfew or anything like that. So long as you and Kusa're taking school seriously, I don't mind if you two stroll the streets in the evenings." Sojiro said as Ren smiled at this and spoke up.
"Really? That's pretty nice of you, Sakura-san. Does Kusa already know about this? And thank you." Ren said. Sojiro nodded.
"He came back before you did again, so I already filled him in. Before you ask, I have him out running an errand for me real fast, but he should be back fairly soon since the errand was just down the road to the grocery store to grab some supplies for the cafe. Was going to have him run something home for me, but I forgot to ask. Oh well, maybe I'll ask when he gets back. Anyways, I don't mind if you two take a stroll at night, but ONLY around these parts, got it? You go back on your word, I'll kick you right out. I won't kick Kusa out unless he really screws up, but you I have no compunctions about throwing out if you go back on your word, Ren." Sojiro said as Ren nodded.
About that point, the door of Leblanc opened up once more, and both Sojiro and Ren looked over as Kusa walked in, hefting some bags as he tried to push the door closed behind him and Ren moved to close it for Kusa as Kusa walked over to Sojiro and spoke up.
"Sorry about the delay Sakura-san, the lines at the store were a bit on the long side. But here's the supplies you asked for, per your request. Shall I go set them in the kitchen?" Kusa asked as Sojiro nodded.
"Yeah, do that. Also, I just told Ren the same thing I told you earlier about being able to take a stroll at night, and like I told him, ONLY take a stroll around these parts. Got it?" Sojiro said as Kusa nodded agreeably as he went to set the bags down, walking back in a few minutes later, having put most of the items away.
"Got it, Sakura-san. Also, I went ahead and put the perishables in the fridge, and put the frozen stuff in the freezer. The other stuff, like the coffee beans and such, I left in the bag since I wasn't sure if you had specific spots you wanted them stored in or not and I didn't want to accidentally mess up how you do things, so yeah feel free to correct me if I was wrong on that guess." Kusa said as Sojiro shook his head and spoke up.
"Nah, you did good Kusa. Granted for reference, I'll handle what you didn't put away since I know precisely where it all goes, but thank you for at least being considerate enough to do what you did do. The help is much appreciated." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded.
"But of course, Sakura-san. I was happy to help." Kusa said with a smile. Sojiro nodded as he looked at Kusa and Ren.
"Well, unless you're gonna help out more, go on upstairs so I can close up." Sojiro said and both Ren and Kusa nodded and fled upstairs as asked. Once upstairs, Morgana spoke up.
"This room looks so desolate since there's nothing in here...Ah! I've got a good idea! I have a good idea. Bring me that chair, the one in the corner." Morgana said as Ren dragged the indicated chair over towards Morgana who spoke up.
"Good. You can reach that beam on the ceiling if you stand on this chair, right?" Morgana asked Ren as both Ren and Kusa spoke up, Kusa speaking up first with a laugh.
"He can reach it, but the question isn't CAN he reach it, but rather WILL he reach it? You see, Ren here isn't the best with heights unfortunately. He likes working out, but he tends to avoid doing pull ups for the reason that he struggles with high places. Which, thinking about it, makes me surprised he was able to handle our rooftop hideout so well." Kusa said as Ren rolled his eyes at Kusa frowning at him as he spoke up.
"Shut up, Kusa. You know I can handle heights! I just had the one time where I panicked about them, but in my defense I was like five or six at the time! So stop saying I'm bad with heights!" Ren said huffily before looking at Morgana as he kept speaking.
"Sorry about that outburst. That said, I should be able to reach it if I try." Ren said. Morgana nodded approvingly after frowning at Kusa before he spoke up.
"Kusa, don't make fun of Ren please. We need to get along here, after all." Morgana rebuked Kusa who nodded, looking suitably contrite as he spoke up.
"You're right, Morgana-sensei. Sorry, Ren. That joke was in poor taste." Kusa said contritely as Ren nodded.
"Apology accepted, Kusa. That said, continue what you were saying, Morgana." Ren said as Morgana nodded.
"As I was saying, all right! Let's train your body using that ceiling beam! You're not doing anything right now. There's no harm in training. I'm going to whip you into shape, so you better be prepared." Morgana said as Ren nodded his understanding as Kusa spoke up with a serious expression on his face.
"All joking aside, Morgana-sensei's idea has merit. Besides, last I checked ladies dig a man who works out in moderation. So maybe you can impress Yoshizawa if you get into shape, so long as you don't take it as far as Kamoshida did." Kusa said sagely as Morgana and Ren both blanched at that remark and Morgana spoke up.
"Kusa, I know you meant well with that, but please NEVER compare Ren to that scumbag again. That aside, you are correct that the ladies like a man who works out. Maybe you should do the same, so if you ever see a girl YOU like, you can impress her." Morgana said sagely as Kusa nodded. Ren then walked over to the CRT TV and spoke up.
"Actually, shouldn't we hook up that thing we picked up the other day, Morgana?" Ren asked Morgana who frowned before his eyes widened as he figured out what Ren meant and he spoke up.
"What're you...Oh wait, right! I forgot! Oh yeah, you have a DVD player now." Morgana said as Kusa blinked at this.
"Wait, for real? You found a DVD player, Ren?" Kusa asked. Ren nodded and spoke up.
"Yep. Turns out the second-hand store still had the one you saw in stock, but as it turns out it's lacking a remote." Ren said as Kusa nodded.
"Fair enough. However, I think we can download a universal remote app on one of our phones and use that to control the DVD player theoretically." Kusa said as Ren blinked then nodded.
"That does make sense, Kusa. You can try figuring that out since you're better with tech stuff than I am." Ren said as Kusa nodded, sitting on his sofa as he started thumbing through his phone to find the app in question so he can make it into a universal remote for the DVD player. As he did that, Ren hooked up the DVD player as Morgana spoke up again, catching Kusa's attention with what he said next.
"Oh yeah, you also rented a movie, didn't you?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded, making Kusa smirk as he spoke up.
"Niiice, look at Ren being on top of his game for a change. Well done brother. I'm impressed." Kusa said sincerely. Ren nodded.
"Thanks. I'll warn you now, I rented a movie called 'Wraith', which despite the name is apparently a movie that has a moving story that increases Kindness in watchers. So that's a thing we can watch, unless you'd rather we study again?" Ren said as Kusa shook his head.
"Nah, I'm down for a movie night. Besides, I bet Morgana-sensei has little memories of seeing any movies that he can recall, so this could be fun for him as well." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana nodded and the former slotted the DVD into the player. Ren watched the movie, frowning at how it appeared to be a strange story about a woman who can speak with the spirits of the deceased. As if sensing Ren's thoughts, Morgana spoke up from in Kusa's lap where he was watching the movie.
"Hey, hey! I wonder if that woman would join the Phantom Thieves. She'd be useful, don't you think?" Morgana asked Ren who shrugged. Kusa laughed as he spoke up.
"Does that woman even really exist though, Morgana-sensei? I'm pretty sure that this movie was sub-labeled as fiction along with horror so it's highly unlikely she really exists." Kusa said with a chuckle as he gently petted Morgana's fur as he watched the movie, getting a contented purr from Morgana for his troubles. After the movie, Ren smirked at Kusa and spoke up.
"I like how you can just shut Morgana up by petting him. It's almost as if Morgana enjoys being petted. Then again, you always were more of a cat person than a dog person. So I'm not surprised you'd take to looking after Morgana so eagerly." Ren said with a grin as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.
"Perhaps, but I'd rather let Morgana rest on me and get petted than leave him out in the cold where who knows what could happen to him in his current form. As long as he doesn't suddenly turn human while laying with one of us, I see no harm in letting him rest on us if it makes him happy." Kusa said to Ren who nodded as Morgana spoke up.
"Ren, he doesn't shut me up with those pets. He just soothes me. I don't know why, but when he pets me I get so oddly relaxed. Maybe it's because of my current form, but I never get tired of being petted like that. Then again, maybe it's because Kusa has good hands and is very gentle with his touch." Morgana said with a shrug as Kusa smirked.
"Thanks, Morgana-sensei. I always try to be gentle with animals, not saying you're an animal, but your current form IS that of an animal so the same idea holds true. Besides, your purrs are so adorable so it's easy to lavish attention on you. Besides, I recall reading somewhere that cats are to some extent chick magnets. So if nothing else, giving the appearance of a good pet owner, again NOT calling you a pet Morgana, could be a good thing if I ever do find a pretty lady I want to impress down the line. And if all else fails maybe you can go with Ren and act extra-cutesy if he ever decides to try to woo Yoshizawa, after he finally grows a pair and confesses his feelings to her that is." Kusa said with a smirk as Ren AND Morgana both rolled their eyes at Kusa's remark before the latter spoke up.
"I'm NOT a wingman, Kusa!" Morgana said huffily as Ren nodded agreement as he spoke up with a glare at Kusa as he spoke.
"Exactly! And I don't need help to make Yoshizawa like me. I can woo her just fine on my own!" Ren said, crossing his arms stubbornly as Kusa shrugged.
"Sure, if you say so Ren. Just trying to help give you the best chance possible with her is all. And I apologize for implying you were a wingman at all Morgana." Kusa said contritely as Morgana nodded and spoke up again.
"Apology accepted, Kusa. That said...What a woman, devoted to the spirits of the dead like that..." Morgana said, looking at Ren as he kept speaking.
"Maybe you learned a thing or two about Kindness from watching this drama." Morgana said to Ren who shrugged as his Kindness increased. Morgana then spoke up.
"Well, it's starting to get late. Let's head to bed soon, okay?" Morgana said to Kusa and Ren, who both nodded as they went to bed...
(The next day, on the train with Ren, Kusa and Morgana, neutral POV)
Kusa and Ren had to stand up together once again since the seats were all taken on the train. As a result, they heard some people talking.
"I haven't done much of anything on my days off...It's such a pain to put on makeup, and I hate shopping, so I usually end up just lazing about the house." One woman said as her friend spoke up with a smile.
"Yeah! Same here. Good thing there's home shopping. They always have the best stuff on Sundays." The first woman's friend said as the first woman spoke up again.
"Oh, I know exactly what show you're talking about! They even sell surgical masks for when you're sick." The first woman said as her friend spoke up.
"I'll have to check it out tomorrow. It's so popular they always sell out if you don't call the same day." The other woman said as the rest of the train ride passed uneventfully...
(Off of the train with Ren, Kusa and Morgana, neutral POV)
After getting off the train, Ren and Kusa blinked as they heard someone calling Ren's name, and smiled as they saw Ryuji running up to them, panting as he caught his breath before looking at Ren and speaking up.
"Whaddup! I made it...I slept in, so I ran out without eating breakfast...I feel so weak because of it...After we took down Kamoshida, I just feel so spent and out of gas, you know? You get me, right?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, the former of which spoke up with a warning glare to the latter.
"I get it, Ryuji. But you shouldn't be skipping meals too much, since that could be bad for you in the long run. That aside, glad you could make it man." Ren said as Kusa huffed.
"I wasn't gonna roast him, Ren. I was just going to say he needs to set an alarm so he doesn't oversleep anymore." Kusa said with a shrug. Ryuji nodded.
"Fair point, Kusa. And Ren, right? Now all we have left to do is wait for that board meeting...Anyways, I'm hungry. I guess I'll buy some bread at the school store..." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the trio finished the walk to school together...
(In class with Ren, Ann and Morgana, neutral POV)
"Ahem! Kamoshida was really in his element at the volleyball rally the other day. You kids are lucky to receive direct instruction from a world-famous athlete like him. Sports have been regarded as sacred things that invigorate people since ancient times. So much so that an emperor himself even participated once." Inui, the teacher said as he turned to Mishima as he spoke up next.
"Mishima-kun. Do you know the name of the Roman emperor who participated in the Olympics?" Inui asked Mishima who blanched.
"Huh!? U-Um..." Mishima said, but just shook his head to signify he didn't know the answer to which Inui just spoke up.
"It's Nero. Ugh, it's good to throw yourself into your club activities, but you shouldn't sacrifice your studies." Inui chastised Mishima who looked down in disappointment.
"Sorry..." Mishima said, sighing as he sat down, prompting Inui to turn towards Ren as he kept speaking.
"That said, you don't seem too into sports, Amamiya-kun." Inui said to Ren who perked up to look at Inui as he spoke up once more.
"Do you know the answer? Between music, theater, and chariot racing, which sport did Nero when when he participated in the Olympics?" Inui asked Ren who stroked his chin before speaking up, inwardly thanking Kusa for showing him this exact bit of trivia in his book the last time they'd studied so he knew the answer.
"THIS IS IT! That's actually a semi-trick question, since he actually won in all of the mentioned sports in the Olympics." Ren said. Inui smiled as he applauded Ren.
"Very good. That's correct. Hm. It seems you've been studying after all. Nero won many awards in all kinds of competitions. All rigged in his favor, of course. Because of these kinds of selfish actions-not to mention a lecherous side-he became known as a despot." Inui said, causing more murmurs to break out among the class.
"Whoa, he actually knew that?" One student could be heard asking their friend.
"Maybe I should ask if I can borrow his notes." Another student could be heard thinking out loud, making Ren chuckle at the fickleness of his classmates. Morgana smiled at Ren as he spoke up quietly from inside Ren's desk.
"Nice going! Wow, you must be really smart, to be able to answer a question like that!" Morgana said as Ren just shrugged.
"True. Though in this case, I have to give partial credit for that to Kusa since he helped me learn that when we studied the other day so it's really thanks to him I knew that." Ren quietly said to Morgana. Ren then felt his Knowledge increase. At that point, Inui spoke up once more.
"That said, recently people have begun reevaluating Nero's reign. Regardless though, he was lacking in sportsmanship. He should have taken a page out of Kamoshida-kun's book! Hahaha!" Inui said as Morgana scoffed and spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"No, no, no! Don't give us that crap. Kamoshida's the real despot." Morgana huffed and Ren just nodded his agreement as the rest of the class proceeded without incident. After school, Ren and Morgana decided to go check out the job Ren had gotten at the convenience store, though not before checking in with Kusa and Ryuji via a group chat, the former of which just wished Ren luck and said he'd probably keep himself busy helping out at Leblanc or something while the latter just congratulated Ren on landing a job. After that, Ren and Morgana headed to Triple Seven, and walked inside where the clerk at the counter greeted Ren.
"Welcome ! We're having a huge sale on all of our hot food items!" The clerk said as Morgana spoke up, forgetting only Ren could hear him.
"That reminds me, don't you work part-time here?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded. He then turned to the clerk.
"Excuse me, is the manager in by chance? I'm Ren Amamiya and I recently was given a job working here part-time. I was going to see about starting work today if possible?" Ren asked the clerk who looked up at Ren in surprise before smiling as she spoke up.
"Oh, are you the one who applied for the part-time job? I'll call the manager, please wait a moment." The clerk said and Ren nodded. A short time later, a man walked out to greet Ren.
"Nice to meet you. Oh, so you're Ren Amamiya? You applied for the job, right? We'll be asking you to work the cash register. Please watch your co-workers to learn the ropes." The manager said as Ren nodded with a bow as he spoke up.
"I'll do my best. Thank you very much for the job. You can count on me." Ren said. The manager nodded in satisfaction at Ren's answer.
"All right, I expect you to do your best. Oh, right, almost forgot...You'll get paid more for the days you work especially hard. I appreciate it. Well, good luck." The manager said as Ren bowed once more before setting about watching his co-worker run the register as Morgana spoke up quietly from the window he was watching Ren behind..
"Wow, she's good! Just look at that service!" Morgana said as he and Ren watched Ren's female co-worker show exemplary service as she worked the register. After a while, the last of the customers was gone and Ren's co-worker spoke to him.
"Phew, we had a lot of customers today. I hope you weren't too overwhelmed! We have a campaign where we give extra points on any day of the month with a 7. Oh, I'm Nanami Shibuya. I guess I'm your senpai? So, did watching me give you an idea of what to do?" The now-named Nanami said to Ren who blinked but nodded.
"Pretty much. If nothing else, watching you let me understand how to handle the customers perfectly even if I'm sure my understanding of the register will be a longer process to master." Ren said. Nanami smiled at Ren's honest answer.
"Ooh, how promising! In that case, I'll expect great things of you. Let me give you one pointer. Remember where the bar codes are. That alone will save you a ton of time. Hmm, how about I test you while we're on the subject? You know 'Cow's Milk', Triple Seven's brand milk? Can you tell me where the bar code is?" Nanami asked Ren who stroked his chin in thought, trying to recall where he'd seen the bar code on 'Cow's Milk', before speaking up with a smile.
"Not 100% sure on this, but I believe it was located next to the company logo?" Ren guessed. Nanami smiled as she nodded at Ren's answer.
"Yes! That's right! It is indeed next to the company logo. Not bad at all for a newbie!" Nanami said to Ren with a wide smile. Haha, sorry, I didn't mean to act like a big-shot senpai. But it's little bits of knowledge like this that help you keep your cool when it counts. Sorry to keep you! I know you're tired. Have a good rest of your day!" Nanami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"No, it's fine Shibuya-san. I don't mind how you act at all. I'm just as glad to be shown the ropes now so I don't make mistakes later that could reflect badly on me and possibly the store. And thank you for being so understanding. Nice meeting you, Shibuya-senpai." Ren said, trying to keep his face polite as he called Nanami 'senpai'. Nanami smiled as she nodded.
"Likewise, Ren. I can tell I'm going to enjoy working with you. Also, as long as it's just us, you can call me Nanami." Nanami said as she left, leaving Ren with Morgana who spoke up.
"Hey! Shibuya-senpai had some great tips. Well, good work today. You learned how to be more considerate of others through dealing with customers." Morgana said as Ren nodded as his Charm iincreased. Morgana then spoke up once more.
"You're almost done, right? Let's get your pay and go home." Morgana said as Ren nodded. He then received his pay of 3,500 yen from the manager and decided to change and head back to Leblanc...
(That evening, at Leblanc, with Ren, Sojiro and Morgana, neutral POV)
Sojiro looked up as the door opened up, smiling as he saw Ren walk in, nodding to Ren in greeting who returned the nod as his phone went off to signal a private chat from Ryuji, which Ren sat down to answer.
"You heard anything about stuff happening to Kamoshida?" Ryuji sent as Ren frowned, realizing he had in fact not heard a word about Kamoshida since Kawakami mentioned Kamoshida putting himself under a self-imposed suspension. Ren sent back a response.
"Nope, not a word. Then again to be fair, I just got off work so I haven't really had time to look and see if there's any news on him either." Ren sent. Ryuji frowned as he sent a response.
"I see." Ryuji sent as Ren shrugged and sent another response.
"Indeed. That said, what's up? Did something happen, Ryuji?" Ren sent. Ryuji then sent another response.
"I dunno. I'm just feeling kinda anxious. I keep thinking about even with all you did...we might still end up getting expelled. My mom's totally gonna suffer if that happens...Plus, if we couldn't even help Ann or Suzui..." Ryuji sent as Ren frowned before sending a response of his own.
"I know how you feel. But at this point all we can do is wait and pray for the best. I know this isn't probably something you do a lot, but we have to believe, Ryuji." Ren sent. Ryuji nodded at Ren's response before sending one of his own.
"Yeah, you're right man. Sorry, I guess now's not really the time to be getting all down in the dumps. Anyways, I'm feeling a little better now that I talked to you about this. Thanks, man. Oh, and don't tell Ann I was doubting us, mkay? She won't have anyone to rely on if we're getting all worried about this shit. Well, seeya!" Ryuji sent as Ren frowned and sent a response.
"No worries Ryuji. Though I hope you do realize that Morgana saw the whole thing over my shoulder so he knows what we talked about. Luckily we left Ann and Kusa out of this since I sense Kusa would've roasted you something fierce for worrying needlessly. Actually, thinking about it, I wonder if Kusa's still out and about. He wasn't here when I got back. But anyways, yeah seeya Ryuji!" Ren sent as he put his phone away. After that, Ren shrugged and decided to take a stroll since Sojiro had okayed it previously. Sojiro looked up as he saw Ren making to leave and spoke up.
"Hey, I'm the one who has to lock the door. Just make sure you're not out there for too long, all right?" Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"Got it. I'm just going out to look around for a bit and I'll be back. Hopefully Kusa will be back before I return since I notice he's not here right now." Ren said as Sojiro chuckled.
"Kusa's fine. I sent him to my house to grab some stuff for Leblanc. He should be back shortly, hopefully." Sojiro said, making Ren nod in understanding. Unbeknownst to Ren or Sojiro, Kusa had finished his task, but gotten distracted after the process by an unexpected meeting at Sojiro's house...
(Not long previously, over at Sojiro's house with Kusa, neutral POV)
Kusa shrugged as he walked down the road towards Sojiro's house, using the key Sojiro had given him to unlock the gate and head into the house, where he paused to recall the directions Sojiro had given him, and when he did, he took a right through the front room to get to the kitchen, where he then set down a box on the table that Sojiro had asked him to place there. After so doing, Kusa walked over to the cupboards, and carefully grabbed the spices that Sojiro had asked him to get for the cafe, unaware that he wasn't the only one in the house at that moment. However, that wouldn't remain the case for long.
This was because of the fact that the quiet sound of a gasp behind him would draw Kusa's attention to that fact rather quickly as he heard the gasp and looked up, only just swerving his head out of the way in time to not smack it on the cupboard as he turned around to see a red-headed girl about his age with glasses looking at him with widened brown eyes as she eventually spoke up in a soft, almost timid-sounding, voice.
"H-hello? I wasn't aware Sojiro was sending anyone over here?" The girl said to Kusa who managed to shake his head out of looking at the girl's face before softly smiling as he spoke to her, registering the uncertainty and concern in her expression as he spoke up.
"That's because he didn't initially plan on sending me, but when he realized he forgot some spices and things for the cafe, and Ren wasn't back yet, he had little choice but to send me, which I don't mind helping Sakura-san out where I can since he was nice enough to let me and my brother sleep in the attic of his cafe while he takes us in for the duration of Ren's year-long probation. That said, I apologize for startling you with my sudden appearance like this. That's not usually in my nature to frighten a lady at all. Anyways, before I can be any ruder, my name is Kusa Amamiya. Might I ask your name, or would you rather not share that? I understand if that's the case since I'm sure you're probably confused and uncertain about me being here like this." Kusa said as the girl looked Kusa over briefly before softly smiling and speaking up.
"No, it's okay. I don't mind that you're helping out Sojiro. I was just more worried it might be a burglar or someone trying to take me away from Sojiro. I'm actually relieved you're just here getting something for Leblanc. And to your previous question, my name is Futaba, though I usually go by the handle Alibaba in chats. Nice to meet you, Kusa." Futaba said, shyly extending a hand out to Kusa warily as he looked at Futaba before nodding and shaking the outstretched hand carefully, smiling as he spoke up.
"Nice to meet you as well. Futaba, huh? Seems accurate...a charming name for a charming lady. That said, if you'd rather I just call you Alibaba, I can do that as well. I wouldn't want to go against a lady's wishes, after all. But I find it funny that Sakura-san never mentioned you at all so I had no idea until now you even existed, Futaba-san." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled before speaking up warily as she looked at Kusa, noticing idly that he had a very trustable expression in his hazel-brown eyes as she spoke.
"That's probably because I normally don't leave my room if I can help it. I only left it now because I was hungry and needed the bathroom." Futaba admitted after a pause. Kusa just nodded understandingly as he spoke up.
"Not sure why you'd feel the need to shut yourself away in your room, but I suppose it's also not my place to pry either since we don't even know each other that well yet and it would be rude to nose into the business of someone I just met." Kusa said after a moment. Futaba flushed in embarrassment as she shyly spoke up once more.
"Well, that's kind of a long story and I don't think you have the time to hear it right now. Suffice it to say though, I haven't had the easiest time of things growing up, but we'll leave it at that for now. Maybe if we meet again sometime when you have even more time, I can explain it to you more then." Futaba said uneasily. Kusa smiled as he spoke up.
"I understand that perfectly, Sakura-san. You don't have to feel bad for not wanting to share that with me right away. However, you're wrong when you say I have no time. Sakura-san only told me I had to be back with the stuff for Leblanc before Ren gets back, and he sometimes stays out late with friends, so I have some time at least if you want to hang out, even if it's just to get to know one another more. It doesn't have to be any sort of deep share-fest or anything. Just, you seem like a rather nice person who'd be worth getting to know, Sakura-san. That's all." Kusa said honestly, making Futaba look away to hide the mixed shock and surprise she felt at Kusa's words before she turned to look at him again and spoke up.
"Thank you for being so kind, Amamiya-kun. But I think you really should get back before Sojiro gets worried and goes looking for you. Granted, he might be pleased to see me socializing and out of my room, but I'm not sure if he'd get overprotective if he realized it was because I was talking to a guy, even if it was a guy he himself sent here. So for both our sakes, let's just leave it at that for now. If you like, we can exchange contact info and stay in contact that way since I admit I'm intrigued by you and wouldn't mind getting to know you as well, Amamiya-kun. Does that work for you?" Futaba said to Kusa who nodded.
"That's fine with me, Sakura-san. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable or get you in trouble after all. I guess I should go now then, after we swap contact info. Nice to meet you though." Kusa said with a smile as Futaba shyly smiled back, pulling out her phone as she and Kusa swapped contact and chat info, after which Kusa grabbed what Sojiro asked for and made his way back to Leblanc...
(Back in the present, with Ren and Morgana, outside Leblanc, normal POV)
After they stepped outside, Morgana spoke up to Ren.
"We were told that we couldn't go very far. So I guess that means we gotta enjoy the nightlife in Yongen." Morgana said as Ren nodded. Morgana spoke up again with an idea.
"Hey, how about we take a peek inside that bathhouse? I probably can't go in there as a cat though..." Morgana said as Ren shrugged before speaking up as he had an idea of his own.
"You only look like a cat, Morgana. But I had another idea. We could check out the bathhouse, OR we could wash more of that sooty gear since I think we still have some left to wash. Worst case, we can then turn around and sell the armor to the airsoft shop for extra cash. And given one load is only 400 yen to wash, it could be quite the profitable idea." Ren suggested as Morgana stroked his chin before smiling as he nodded his approval of the idea.
"Not a bad idea, Ren. Let's do that instead." Morgana said, as he and Ren heard footsteps behind them, both whipping around only to sigh in relief as they saw it was Kusa walking back to Leblanc, looking oddly pleased with himself. Ren smiled as he looked at Kusa and spoke up.
"Ah, there you are brother. Sakura-san said you were running an errand for him?" Ren said to Kusa who nodded.
"That's correct. I had to go get some stuff from Sakura-san's house for him. Let's just say I found more than I bargained for there, but I'm not going to say more than that until the time is right since I'm not sure if some of it is stuff Sakura-san wanted me knowing about and I'm not trying to betray his secrets at all if I can help it. But never mind that, what're you and Morgana doing out and about?" Kusa said conversationally as Morgana spoke up.
"Oh, we're going to wash some more sooty gear Ren found and see if we can sell it for profit at the airsoft shop later." Morgana said as Kusa blinked at the idea before smiling as he spoke up.
"Not a bad idea, Ren. Go do that. I'd join you but I have to go get this back to Sakura-san but maybe I'll catch up after that?" Kusa said as Ren nodded and Kusa went into Leblanc as Morgana spoke up once more.
"Odd...Oh well, I guess that's Kusa's business to not speak of whatever he found while he was over at the chief's place. Back on topic, I saw a sign for a movie theater somewhere as well. And there were some batting cages too. Mmm, there're so many things to do! This is gonna be fun!" Morgana said. Ren nodded.
"Good to know for the next time we're strolling around at night. For now, let's go wash some sooty gear though, since I think we could make a pretty tidy profit with some luck." Ren said as Morgana nodded his agreement and the duo walked to the laundromat where Ren loaded four pieces of sooty gear into the washer and ran it for 400 yen. As it ran, Morgana and Ren watched it and the former spoke up.
"This thing is shaking a lot..." Morgana said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.
"It's a washer, Morgana. It's supposed to shake a lot. That's it spinning the laundry around to wash it as thoroughly as possible." Ren explained as Morgana nodded, speaking up once more with a smirk on his face.
"It would have been nice if you had a washing machine in your room..." Morgana said as Ren nodded before speaking up.
"It would, but do you honestly see Sakura-san putting hook-ups for that in an attic, Morgana?" Ren pointed out sagely getting an understanding nod from Morgana as they finished watching the washer run. When it was done, Ren opened it up as Morgana spoke up.
"Oh, it looks like it's done. And...finished! Oooh! This is MUCH cleaner than I expected!" Morgana said as Ren inspected the gear to see two Duke's Coats and two Old Duke's Coats. Ren shrugged as he looked the haul over.
"Not bad. I think if I recall right this is several thousand yen for each of these, so we turned 400 yen into potentially between 10k and 20k yen." Ren said in satisfaction as Kusa walked up to Ren as he finished appraising the washed gear.
"Oh wow, that stuff actually cleans up quite nicely if we take the time to wash it, doesn't it?" Kusa said as Ren nodded.
"And the best part is it's all stuff we already have equipped so we can sell these to the airsoft shop for a tidy sum. I estimate that this lot will net us between 10k and 20k yen, which for a meager 400 yen investment is a really good return. If we can find a lot more sooty stuff, we should consider doing this a lot since we could really flip a tidy profit doing it." Ren said happily as Kusa nodded his agreement.
"I agree, Ren. And frankly, the more ways to make yen for the team, the better. After all, I sense our team will only get bigger from here, and having more people on the team comes with having to spend more yen to outfit them all with armor and weapons." Kusa said sagely as Ren and Morgana nodded, the latter hopping onto Kusa's shoulder happily before speaking up with a smile.
"Finally! Not only is the wash done, but Kusa's also back! Let's head home guys!" Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded, heading home to go to bed...
(The next morning in the attic with Kusa, Ren and Morgana, neutral POV)
Kusa and Ren exchanged polite nods as they got up before the latter spoke up with a smile on his face.
"Morning, Ren. Did you have plans today? I don't know about you, but I intend to make the most of the day if I can." Kusa said as Morgana nodded approvingly and spoke up.
"Good attitude, Kusa. That said, well then...I hear good things about that Sunday TV shopping show. Wanna check it out sometime?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged and spoke up.
"Why not? If nothing else, it's a good way to start the day off before I figure out the rest of the day's plans." Ren said with a nod. After that, he and Morgana headed downstairs while Kusa shrugged, nodding politely to Sojiro, who returned the nod, before heading out the door without a word to Ren. Ren was focused on the TV, which had a home shopping network onscreen at the moment with a male host onscreen.
"Hi, everyone! It's time to do some shopping! Here's what we've got for you today!" The host said on the television as Morgana spoke up.
"Oh, so this is the shopping channel that everyone's been talking about." Morgana said as Ren nodded and listened to the TV as the host kept speaking.
"First, let me introduce you to the Spring Awake Set! You'll never have to fear falling asleep again! It comes with: 1 Caffeine Patch, 10 Wide Eye Drops, and...10 Hot and Sour Tea! What an incredible deal! But that's not all we've got! Here's our next set, the Share of Spring Set! It's great for those who are concerned about their health and stamina! It comes with: 5 Sakura Mochi, 1 Spring Fruit Pack and...1 Party in a Can! All in one!" The male host said as a female host spoke up from next to the male host.
"Wow! They're both such great items, I can't decide which one to get!" The female host said as the male host spoke up once more on the TV.
"All right! This is a limited item! Today's the one and only day it'll be available! And of course, the price is just right! You won't see this kind of deal ever again!" The male host said as the female host nodded as she spoke up on the TV.
"Oh, the phones are already ringing off the hook!" The female host said as the male host smiled and spoke up.
"Only a few remaining! This is your final chance to buy, buy, buy!" The male host said as Morgana spoke up.
"Hey, hey! Apparently the phones are ringing nonstop. If we buy one, then the other will probably be sold out before we can get it..." Morgana said as Ren looked at the prices before he swore under his breath as he realized he couldn't afford the Share of Spring Set which was the one he really wanted given how rare stamina items seemed to be. Ren then looked regretfully at Morgana as he spoke up.
"Sorry to say it bud, but we don't have the money to buy what I want so we'll have to check back after we hit up the shop and see if this channel is still on later." Ren said sadly as Morgana sighed but nodded as he spoke up.
"It's only on sale, huh...I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get at least one if you really want it." Morgana said sadly as Ren nodded. After hitting up the airsoft shop (Where Ren was disappointed to learn that the armor he'd washed only netted him just south of 10k yen despite his previous thoughts but he still took it, although he kept one Duke's Coat for later), Ren stopped off in the underground mall to buy some plant food for the plant in his room, recalling Morgana mentioning that it looked sickly. After that, he went to the Underground Walkway, recalling that there was a smoothie place there. Once he found the place, Morgana looked at him and winced as he spoke up.
"A drink stand, huh? It's a little pricier than other places. If they have special drinks, it might not be a bad idea to try one." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement and turned to the vendor and spoke up.
"Excuse me, what sort of drinks do you serve here?" Ren asked the vendor who smiled as she answered him.
"I'm glad you asked, sir! Welcome! We've got fresh fruit juice!" The female vendor said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"I see...Pardon the interruption, but do you happen to serve special drinks here?" Ren asked the vendor who blinked as she spoke up.
"What's that? Special drinks? This is what we have today!' The vendor said as Morgana spoke up excitedly.
"Ooh, I wonder what it is." Morgana said as the vendor spoke up again.
"It's incredibly bitter, but it strengthens your body. It's called aojiru! Every week, we have a different kind of aojiru." The vendor said as she revealed that the aojiru of the current week was the 'Beauty Aojiru' which the label suggested improved the drinker's Charm. Ren shrugged, figuring it couldn't hurt to try it, and paid 5000 yen for the aojiru. After accepting it, Morgana smiled as he spoke up, intrigued by Ren's decision.
"All right! Chug it down!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and downed the aojiru in a few short gulps, finding that the vendor wasn't wrong about the bitterness, but surprisingly enjoying it despite the bitterness. Morgana smirked as he spoke up again.
"Nice chugging! That's how you do it!" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as he coughed from almost swallowing aojiru down the wrong tube when Morgana spoke up, prompting Morgana to chuckle as he spoke up once more.
"Good job! I was watching you try so hard." Morgana said as Ren smiled as his Charm increased from the aojiru. Morgana then spoke up.
"Okay, now that you're healthy, let's go somewhere else!" Morgana said as Ren nodded. After a bit, Ren just decided to wash the rest of the sooty gear at the Laundromat, being happy with his decision when he got two more Duke's Coats for his efforts. After that, he went back to Leblanc for the evening, where Kusa was already there, working the counter at Sojiro's request. Ren blinked as he realized Sojiro wasn't actually there as he looked at Kusa.
"Oh, hey. Sakura-san got you working the counter for him now?" Ren asked Kusa who nodded.
"Yeah. Something came up at home so he had to head back early so he had me cover the rest of the evening behind the counter. I figured it was the least I could do. That said, how was your day brother? Get anything productive done?" Kusa asked Ren who nodded.
"I sold that armor we cleaned last night. Unfortunately it didn't fetch the price I thought it would and only got just under half the amount I thought it would. However I did get two more Duke's Coats when I washed the last of the sooty gear so at least I can make a bit more money, so it's not bad. And how was your day?" Ren asked Kusa who smiled as he spoke up again.
"It was pretty good. I ended up helping Yoshizawa study a bit, after which she had to go to practice, but she said to tell you hi for her. I think she's genuinely interested in you Ren. Hopefully you and her get the chance to speak soon. That said, after she left, I spent the rest of the day walking around the city, since there wasn't much else to do. Maybe next time you plan to go off somewhere, you'll think about inviting me along?" Kusa said to Ren who winced at the question but nodded.
"Of course. Sorry I didn't invite you today, Kusa. I just got sidetracked by a home shopping program, which wanted too much money for their products, and didn't think to ask. Next time I got out I'll be sure to invite you though. Anyways, that said, I think you might have met someone given the oddly satisfied look on your face you had last night. And given you went to Sakura-san's house at that time, I'm guessing you met whoever it was there." Ren said as Kusa winced, not wanting to betray either Sojiro's secret or Futaba's confidence. He then spoke up warily as he looked at Ren.
"I can't answer that one way or the other right now, Ren. That's not my secret to tell. Please understand." Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up at that point.
"I get it, Kusa. I'm sure you'll tell us when you can actually do so. I understand you needing to keep people's secrets for them." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.
"Thank you for understanding, Morgana-sensei. And Ren, you'll understand soon enough. If I'm right, what I found will eventually be relevant to us and when it is, all will be revealed to you and Morgana. For now though, I cannot betray Sakura-san's trust since I honestly don't know if he even knows I know about this. And that's all I'll say about that." Kusa said as he returned to working the counter while Ren shrugged and went upstairs with Morgana to finish watching 'Wraith'. After the movie was over, Ren's Kindness improved, adding to the boost it'd gotten when he gave the plant some nutrients, and then Ren and Kusa went to bed...
(The next day on the train with Ren, Kusa and Morgana, neutral POV)
"Hey! Ah, we were able to grab a seat! Why don't you read something until we get there?" Morgana asked Ren who shrugged and nodded while Kusa was distracted with a chat on his phone. Ren was curious about it, but decided not to pry since Kusa looked pretty immersed in the chat. After a bit, Ren cracked open 'Story of Buchiko' and started reading.
"And so...Buchiko kept waiting..." Ren read to himself as Morgana read the story over his shoulder and spoke up.
"Buchiko...The story about this dog makes me cry every time..." Morgana said as Ren absently nodded while he kept reading. After a bit, Morgana spoke up again.
"Hm? Oh, I didn't realize how long you've been reading. So, how far did you get?" Morgana said to Ren who shook his head and spoke up.
"I didn't quite finish it. I got about halfway through it. But I marked my spot so I could resume it later." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.
"Ah, seems like you still have some pages left. You should continue it some other time...Oh, we're almost at the station. I'd say that was an efficient use of your time." Morgana said as Kusa looked up on hearing that and nodded, quickly wrapping up his text chat with one last text before putting his phone away as the two finished the train ride in silence...
(On the way to school from the train, with Kusa, Ren and Morgana, neutral POV)
"Hey, guess what! I'm thinking of going for a career on quiz shows! They were showing this movie called Tanktop Millionaire at the theater on Central Street..." Ren and Kusa heard an excited-sounding girl say to her friend who spoke up in a skeptical tone, getting an amused smirk from Kusa at seeing what he deemed a potential kindred spirit as she spoke.
"You mean the one where a boy rises from rags to riches by winning on a quiz show? Sheesh, you get way too into those stories...How about studying for exams before you think about quiz shows?" The skeptical girl said to her excited friend who winced as she spoke up once more.
"Oof... You got me there..." The excited-sounding girl said as Morgana spoke up.
"Oh! Sounds like that movie can change your worldview...Watching movies in the theater sounds like a special experience." Morgana said as he looked at Ren and Kusa as he kept speaking.
"What kind of movies do you two like?" Morgana asked Ren and Kusa, making the former just shrug while the latter spoke up.
"Honestly? Ren's not that much of a movies guy. The fact he watched that 'Wraith' movie with you is impressive actually, Morgana. But if I had to guess, I'd say Ren's a big-time action movie guy. Whereas I watch most any type of movie, though I personally prefer a mix of romantic and comedic movies. Be surprised if you will, but that's just how I am." Kusa said simply as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"Yeah, what Kusa said. I'm definitely an action movies kind of guy. But then I would've thought that obvious given my interest in guns and weapons." Ren said. Morgana nodded approvingly as he spoke up, smirking at Kusa as he spoke.
"Somehow I'm not surprised you're a rom-com sort of guy, Kusa. That seems right up your alley. As for you Ren, I get you. They're just so cathartic to watch! When I turn back into a human, it might not be so bad to make our debut on the silver screen...Either way, we should check out the theater every now and then, since they're always showing new films." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded their agreement as they finished the walk to school.
(In class with Ren, Ann and Morgana, neutral POV)
Ren and Ann sat in homeroom as Kawakami winced before speaking up.
"Jeez...I was reading the essays you turned in the other day, and everyone's writing is so sloppy! 'I could care less' indicates that you still have some cares left to give! It's, 'I COULDN'T care less'! I've seen this a lot these days, where people are using a phrase differently from its real meaning. It reminds me of something I've been hearing politicians saying: 'My country, right or wrong.' They wouldn't be saying it so stubbornly if they knew how it was originally used..." Kawakami said as she looked at Ann who blinked as she spoke up.
"All right, Takamaki-san. Can you tell me how its meaning has changed?" Kawakami asked Ann who blanched on being called on as she spoke up.
"Huh!? Oh, uh, yeah! I mean-" Ann said as Morgana spoke quietly to Ren.
"Hey, wait! Lady Ann is obviously panicking! Be a good guy and help her out!" Morgana said as Ren nodded before Ann turned to him and spoke.
"Huh? Um... What is she talking about? I don't know politics! Crap-Hey, Ren, can you give me a hint here? What's that phrase originally meant to convey? 'My country, right or wrong'?" Ann asked Ren who stroked his chin in thought before he spoke up quietly so only Ann and Morgana would hear.
"Not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say it means you unquestioningly support it." Ren said as Ann nodded and spoke up.
"Oh, right! Like, it doesn't matter what they do-you'll always support it. But the original meaning is different? So I guess it'd be something like..." Ann said, trailing off as Ren spoke up after thinking about it.
"Given both the current meaning, and Miss Kawakami's comment about people not saying it so stubbornly if they knew how it was originally used, I'd say it means you have a duty to correct it." Ren said to Ann before speaking up to get Kawakami's attention.
"This is it!" Ren said as Ann spoke up with a confident smile.
"The original meaning is 'You have a duty to correct it'!" Ann said, giving Ren a grateful smile as Kawakami clapped and smiled at both Ann and Ren before speaking up.
"Exactly! That is correct. The phrase was originally meant to inspire you to take responsibility for keeping your country on the right path." Kawakami said as more murmurs broke out at how smart Ren seemed to be before Kawakami spoke up once more.
"The full quote is, 'My country, right or wrong. If right, to be kept right, and if wrong, to be set right.' So you can see the original was ore about taking personal responsibility for your country's future. Unfortunately, these days it's used more to justify blind support instead of actually fixing social issues..." Kawakami said as Ann smiled at Ren and quietly spoke up.
"Wow, thanks! I was so not ready for that...You saved me! Thanks a bunch!" Ann said as Morgana smiled and quietly spoke up.
"Wow, nice going! Nice! Lady Ann seems really relived!" Morgana said as Ren smirked as he felt a boost in his Charm that ranked it up from rank 1 which was 'Existent' to rank 2 which was 'Head-Turning', making him smirk happily, pleased with himself as a result of his ranked-up Charm. Morgana then spoke up again.
"You're pretty good at studying...I'm impressed." Morgana said as Ren nodded as the rest of class proceeded uneventfully, leaving Ren to ponder his next move...
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: And boom! Another chapter, done and dusted! Hopefully I did a good job keeping the characters more or less in character (barring Kusa who obviously wasn't in Persona 5 Royal, but I added him in as an extra character to spice the story up a bit, so his inclusion might create a couple of OOC moments for a character or two when interacting with Kusa, but it should be kept to a minimum) and hopefully next chapter will wrap up the Phantoms Awaken arc since I had quoted chapter 12 as the end of that arc, and we're just now at the end of chapter 11!
So that said, hopefully you all enjoy the story so far! If so, feel free to leave your feedback in either the reviews, or if you prefer, in a PM. I appreciate the support and feedback from the readers either way.
And until next update, sithlorde1988 out!
