Mona kept true to his word, revealing that Zorro had the power to create a special spell that could teleport them from place to place using intricate spell circles. Thus, he was able to take the team straight to the library.
"How do you like that?'' He crossed his arms.
"That's one handy trick...'' Skull trailed off.
Joker nodded ''So you left another of those in the library, good thinking.''
"Thanks! It does have a few limitations and I have to keep them hidden because if any of the Shadows mess them up, it'd fail...ah, here we are!'' The feline paused at the sight of the trap door.
"Do you still sense those Shadows from last time?'' Joker clarified.
Mona nodded, eyes narrowing ''They're probably meant to get in our way, Kamoshida's still wary and he knows we're coming for him. It makes sense for him to have some powerful enemies ready to stop us now.''
"Yeah, well too bad it's not gonna happen.'' Panther said firmly. ''Let's go!''
"Okay, whoa...'' was the first out of Skull's mouth when they saw the enemies. ''...I know this sensing stuff is Mona's thing but you don't need it to know those guys are bad news.''
The others quickly agreed, staring at the Bicorn and Angel facing them. Unlike the other Shadows of the same kind, those two seemed to radiate power, their bodies giving a sinister glow as they came closer. Mona bristled; alarmed at the distortions he could sense just from the two of them, it was almost as bad as the room with the trapped girls.
"So you're his majesty's enemies? Fools...'' The first trailed off.
Angel flew up ''Really, you'd think people would learn. You can't stop him! You'll fall just like any other obstacle!''
"As if-that bastard's going down, we wont have it any other way!'' Panther brandished her whip.
Laughing, the Angel used Sukukaja on his ally, who lunged at the red clad thief. Surprised by the beast's speed, the girl could only try to defend herself. Mona and Skull tried to help, only for the Bicorn to use Garu. Skull was barely able to dodge in time while Mona didn't take much damage. Joker slashed the Bicorn just as it was about to continue the offense, only to be struck by the Angel's Kouha. The boy bit back a pained cry, keeping his balance. He swiftly switched to Silky, knowing Aladdin's weakness to bless magic; he'd have to rely on her. The Bicorn tried to attack again, only to be halted by Silky's Dormina. The spell wasn't enough to make it sleep but it served to slow the Shadow down, allowing Mona and Panther to blast it with their respective magic.
The Angel flew in to kick Skull, who held up his arms to guard. This quickly turned out to be a distraction when Bicorn cast Garu, blowing the blond ex-athlete back. Panther quickly hurried to help him, barely noticing the Angel casting Tarukaja on its ally. Both Shadows mocked the quartet, remaining supremely confident.
"You little brats are in way over your heads!''
"That's right! Don't think you winning over any of those others makes you special-because you're nothing...'' The Angel was cut off when Joker's saber went very close to its location, forcing to it dodge.
The teen deftly grabbed his weapon before leveling his revolver ''You talk too much.'' He fired a few rounds. The Bicorn was too slow to get away but the Angel was left flitting here and there in its attempts to dodge.
"Ohhh, I get it...!'' Mona swiftly fired a pellet with his slingshot, throwing the surprised Shadow to the ground. As he thought, it was weak to gun attacks.
Seeing it try to get up, Panther began whipping it while Joker blasted the other enemy with Silky's ice magic. Skull stepped up ''Here goes, Captain Kidd!'' The pirate waved an arm, and the Bicorn was thrown down by the consequent bolt of lightning. With both enemies downed, the group seized the opportunity to go full throttle, unleashing an All-out Attack.
The duo wasn't defeated yet but they had clearly caused lasting damage. Growling, the Angel began using Dia on both of them. This was remedied by Skull, who slammed it down with Captain Kidd. The Bicorn reared up and counter attacked in retaliation. The blond called on Captain Kidd once again, the following Zio was dodged by the target but it did come very close to hitting the Angel, making it recoil. It proceeded to fire a Kouha at Joker once more, leaving it surprised to see that the effect had decreased by quite a margin. The teen slashed its back, nearly taking out one of the wings. It aimed a kick which he ducked to dodge, casting Sukukaja on itself.
"No wonder that fake king had those two here-they're nothing like the other Shadows...'' Panther trailed off.
"Yeah and if this keeps up, that damn thing's going to patch them both up.'' Skull scowled.
"Not necessarily...'' Both looked at Joker in surprise but the teen was thinking fast. ''...Mona, do you think you could combine Zorro's magic with Carmen's for a wide spread attack?''
"Sure, that's easy enough-got a plan?'' The feline looked intrigued.
"How about a pincer attack?''
Moments later, the Shadows' attack came to a stop with the emergence of Zorro and Carmen. The dancer quickly cast Agi, which was powered up by Zorro's Garu, the swashbuckler manipulating his winds caused an explosion that knocked them both back.
Suddenly, the Angel was pelted a hail of bullets that startled the Bicorn. It didn't have much time to react as it was then struck by a bolt of lightning as Captain Kidd loomed above it. With both enemies down, the quartet unleashed another onslaught of attacks, ending the battle.
Panther sighed in relief ''Glad that's over-Mona said they were tough but yeesh...''
"I wasn't expecting that either-I don't think I've seen anything like those Shadows before.'' Mona's expression was pensive. ''The distortions I picked off them were as bad as those rooms with the cognitive prisoners. No wonder they were strong...'' He grinned, walking over as he noticed something, a number of treasures chests partially hidden by the walls. ''...but that was totally worth it-check this out!''
After gathering the loot, they were quickly able to find the path leading to the next area. That was when things got strange...
The first room they stumbled upon looked like it was filled with junk. Closer inspection revealed it to be a number of miscellaneous items, mostly ruined. The most prominent items were a few trophies and a number of pictures.
Joker searched around the area while Skull crouched to take a closer look at the pictures ''What is all this?''
"...More proof of how low he can sink.'' Skull spat, jerking a thumb at one of the ruined pictures. ''Oi, Panther-remember her?''
The surprised girl elaborated for their friends ''That was one of our Senpai. She introduced Shiho to the volley ball team. She worked hard to be a great athlete for years but by the time she left...it's like she lost all her spirit. She couldn't play at all-none of us could figure out what happened because she left the city right after that.''
"So Kamoshida got to her too, poor girl.'' Mona grimaced. ''And it looks like those awards all for sports...these likely represent his previous victims. They all mean nothing to him.''
Panther glared ''What, so he couldn't stand anyone getting better than him and he had to ruin them before it happens? Bastard...''
As they left the area, the quartet heard a couple of voices speaking from somewhere nearby. ''So things will finally settle down once we get rid of those brats, huh?''
"Yeah...'' A couple of knights walked down a corridor. ''...they just keep trying to get in Kamoshida-sama's way. It's pathetic really-ever since that troublesome criminal arrived; he's brought nothing but chaos. No wonder his majesty wants to get rid of him but those two idiots couldn't even manage that.''
His companion snorted ''What a joke, our King showed them compassion and they failed? Even being in such a good position to strike-pathetic!''
Mona spoke once he was sure they were out of earshot. ''Now that's something...can you guys think of anyone who'd help Kamoshida?''
Joker shook his head while Panther's brow furrowed ''Well, he has a lot of power in school so maybe...I can't imagine anyone accepting that set up he pulled on Joker though.''
"Well, it sure works out perfectly for him. He wouldn't get his hands dirty and if anything he could've blamed them. It wouldn't be any skin off his back if a student died.'' Skull grumbled. The worst part was, he wasn't sure what the school would've done if it had come to that. He'd like to think they cared enough to take some sort of action...but honestly, it seemed like wishful thinking.
There was a wall with a number of levers, leading to a dead end. Panther wondered if they should backtrack but Mona proceeded to examine the levers, believing they were there for a reason. He pulled one-at first nothing happened. But then four Shadows appeared much to their surprise, a fight quickly ensued.
Joker slashed the Erigor, stopping it from mounting a sneak attack on Panther. The girl quickly whipped one of the Cait Sith that tried leaping at them, throwing it down hard. Then Aladdin and Carmen's magic took down Erigor, with Mona and Skull wrapping up the fight on their end. As the four closed in on the Cait Sith, they saw it looking up-but any previous sign of aggression was gone.
"Jeez, you kids sure are relentless-how can you keep fighting against all these odds?''
"Your so called king's a damn monster and we're gonna make sure everyone know it!'' Skull spat.
"We're taking him down-for everyone he's hurt and to make sure he won't ruin anymore lives.'' Joker said firmly.
Mona's expression turned thoughtful, this conversation reminding him of one they had recently. Could it be that...?
The Shadow stood ''We definitely don't see people like you every day. Maybe that's why you caught us off guard...not that it's a bad thing...'' It froze. ''...wait, I remember now! I'm not actually one of his minions...I'm from the Sea of Souls-yes, my name is Cait Sith. I'll be working with you from now on, Wild Card!'' In a flash of flames, it turned into a mask that merged with Joker's.
Panther blinked twice ''Just like before...''
"Joker, does Cait Sith have any useful info?'' Mona prompted.
The teen responded after a few moments ''...Nothing that can help us go forward, it was just supposed to guard this area. Most of those levers lead to traps, Cait Sith knows one of them should open up the next area but the rest are just traps.'' Skull groaned. ''I don't know about you guys but I think we're better off trying to find a different way.''
"It's safer for our own peace of mind. Like any of us want to see what else Kamoshida's disgusting mind can come up...I'm sure it's going to get worse as we keep going anyway.'' Panther groused.
Skull didn't think the reminder was necessary ''Thanks for that great image, Panther. We needed nightmares.''
"You know what I mean!''
Mona rolled his eyes, opening up the map ''Let's see...''
Eventually, they found their way to a corridor above a hall swarming with knights. Mona made sure to instruct the others to proceed with caution, prepared to use Zorro's seals in case a retreat was needed.
The quartet kept out of sight as they snuck across. Everything seemed like it was going well until they reached the other side. The sight of Mona stiffening and reaching for his weapon alerted the other three to the problem and indeed, they spotted a Shadow materializing in front of their destination.
Joker and Panther made sure to pull Skull behind a pillar as they knelt to avoid the roaming Shadow. ''What're you guys doing?! We can take 'em!'' Skull hissed.
"It's called thinking, though I realize the importance of such an activity escapes you.'' He was about to retort angrily to Mona's snark but the cat continued. ''Beating that one isn't that problem, what if the battle attracts attention from those knights? Did you forget why we were sneaking about already?''
The boy held back a wince at the valid point. Yeah, they were growing stronger as they kept making progress but those numbers would be too much for the four of them. ''So what do we do?''
*We might not have to fight.'' Mona crossed his arms. ''Joker, Panther, can you try using Dormina? It might not work but combining two spells should increase the odds-at worst, we can at least slow it down enough to make this work.''
Nodding, the aforementioned duo remained hidden as they called upon Silky and Carmen. Summoning a Persona wasn't exactly quiet no matter how they wanted that to be the case, so no one was surprised when the knight became alert. It didn't matter though as the combined sleep spells worked just as they hoped, sending it into a deep sleep.
Mona quickly bound and gagged the enemy with some rope before shoving it into a corner with help from Silky. He dusted his paws in satisfaction ''That should do the trick. Come on, no telling when they'll find out-let's keep our distance.''
Nodding, the three teens followed him outside, Mona and Joker closing the door as quietly as possible. They continued at their pace, taking down more enemies along the way. Joker was able to acquire a couple of more Personas, as they drew closer to the east building; Mona spotted a couple of knights to spotting them. He warned the team before taking a few steps ahead and using Zorro's magic to spread the smoke further. Given the general fog around the castle, the knights didn't look twice in that direction.
"Nice...you're a bona fide thief, huh?'' Skull remarked.
Mona grinned ''And don't you forget it!''
The group decided to turn back after reaching the east building's safe room, knowing not to push their limits further. Since they emerged near a Big Bang Burger branch, Ann suggested that they stop to have lunch.
"Man...'' Ryuji leaned back in his seat, somewhat drained. The others didn't seem all that better off. ''...that was some mess...''
"Yeah, those Shadows at first were a real pain-hope we don't run into too many of them...'' Ann trailed off.
"I don't think we would.'' Subaru offered. ''He's so hell bent on stopping us, he probably would've sent more like them if he had the chance.''
"That sounds about right. Besides, the distortions I sensed around those things were abnormal-I doubt they can be found that easily...'' Morgana glanced at the menu. ''...hey, so I was wondering-is the food here good? Because I remember seeing at least three other branches around the city before.''
"Eh, yeah-it's all right.''
Ann gave Ryuji a dry look ''Ignore that. Ryuji's tastes aren't all that reliable-not unless it meat or ramen.''
"Says the sweets addict! How many crepes and chocolate do you eat once a week again?!''
This set Ann off and the two began arguing, Subaru looked at Morgana ''Am I the only one who gets the impression that they're two peas in a pod?''
"Nope.'' was the immediate response. He blinked as the two mentioned something strange. ''...What's a Cosmic Challenge?''
No idea but I think I've heard something about that in school...'' Subaru began to look it up. ''...whoa...''
Morgana's jaw dropped at the huge burger ''People can actually eat this?''
"Apparently, they're supposed to eat this whole thing in one setting and they can pay only a bit if they pull it off...'' Subaru read. ''...though I have no idea how that would work.''
"Yeah, no kidding-just looking at the thing is starting to make me full...''
They ordered food and began to eat, thankfully Ryuji and Ann quickly settled down and everyone relaxed.
"So you really like ramen that much, huh?'' Morgana cocked his head.
"Yeah, always did and...There was this one stall I used to go back after practice with the team. The last time I went was the week before Kamoshida broke my leg...''
"Oh...''
Ann huffed ''Again, those guys don't deserve you. How can they just turn on you like that based on Kamoshida's word? And when are you going to stop making excuses for them?''
Ryuji tried to respond but couldn't find the words, rubbing the back of his neck. A part of him was glad for the sentiment but he knew he'd also hurt the team so...
Subaru had a thought ''Wait, if the volley ball team already knew what was going on and they just put up with it...judging by what we've learned about him so far this awful behavior is nothing new. He turned to the volley ball team right after the track team was disbanded...guys, did the track team know what he was really like along?''
Ann ignored Morgana's surprised cry as she nodded ''That's what ticks me off the most about all this! They tried to rationalize Kamoshida's bullshit, saying they have to put up with it for the sake of the team. Ryuji tried to get them to take a stand but it never worked. They just turned on Ryuji because he wouldn't let the asshole badmouth his mom. Okay, they couldn't have known he was provoked into attacking him but still-how would they like if it was one of them?''
"Hey, appreciate it but they're right, I did mess up. We were supposed to look out for the team I shouldnt have lost my temper...'' Ryuji started.
"Ryuji, we've had enough victim-blaming.'' Subaru cut in. ''You shouldn't just take all the blame. That doesn't justify the result, anyone would be upset if their family was insulted.''
Morgana nodded ''If they really cared for the team, they should've done better. Besides, Kamoshida was out to get you guys anyway-you just gave him an excuse. You tried to do the right thing but they were too cowardly to listen.''
"Heh, well...thanks, guys.''
Shortly after they left, they encountered a familiar figure...
"Hey, Senpai!'' Ryuji waved at the newly arrived Haru, who gave a small smile. They hadn't had much of a chance to really talk to the girl yet but he knew Subaru took to helping her garden recently. She was clearly very nice if a little withdrawn. ''What're you doing all the way here? Long way for a bite, huh?''
"O-oh...'' She laughed weakly. ''...there's something I should see to.''
The boy looked confused but Haru avoided his gaze. Subaru didn't miss her eyes traveling to the restaurant, which had him wondering if this had to do with her father. She really didn't seem to like the idea of her last name gaining recognition, the thought made him decide to move things along. ''More of that work you mentioned before? Or is it something to do with gardening? I think I saw a flower shop nearby.''
Haru's grateful look told him that he made the right choice ''A little bit of both, I suppose. Oh, Takamaki-san, how is Suzui-san? I tried asking in school but I couldn't find any concrete answer...''
"I think I know why...''Ann muttered darkly, deciding not to point out that most of those in school wouldn't care. She smiled at the girl. ''...she's plenty better now, just not up for coming to school. Thanks for asking though. So you do gardening, Senpai?''
"She planted the flowers at the school's entrance.'' Subaru informed.
The blonde looked impressed ''Seriously? That's awesome-you must have green thumbs up to your elbows!''
"O-oh, I wouldn't say that...'' Haru managed shyly. ''...I just enjoy it.''
Still, it's cool.'' Ryuji put his arms behind his head. ''So, what'cha doing here?''
"Ah, just helping Father with something...'' Adding more details would require delving into explanation and she really didn't want to go there.
Subaru came to her rescue again ''He's managing some business around food and all, right? Going around to restaurants and stuff must be inspiring.'' Haru nodded, smiling at him.
"Makes sense, nice of you to help though!'' The ex-athlete put in brightly.
"You really are nice, Haru-senpai-shame we couldn't get to know you before.'' Ann put in.
The heiress' evident surprise spurred Subaru's next words ''Yeah, actually-you want to hang out with us sometime?''
Ann perked up ''Yeah! Sounds like it'd be fun!''
"O-oh, I...wouldn't want to impose...'' Haru began.
"You wouldn't if we're inviting you!'' The former countered. ''Come on, what do you say?''
Haru's driver cleared his throat ''We just stopped for a quick visit so if you don't mind waiting for just a few minutes, I'd be happy to take where you want.'' He winked at Haru. ''You deserve to have fun too, Haru-sama.''
"Sure, we'll wait.'' Ryuji assured.
Haru was delighted ''Thank you!''
"That was really thoughtful of you.'' Morgana remarked once the two settled in Subaru's room. ''We just went shopping for a short while but I can tell Haru had a blast.''
"That's good, she deserves it.''
"So what's the deal with her dad? She and her driver were awfully vague but judging by their behavior I'm pretty sure he's connected to Big Bang Burger.'' The feline remarked.
Subaru bit his lip as he thought it over. Well, if Morgana figured this much out...''That's because...''
Morgana's blue eyes were wide when the boy finished ''Now it makes sense-so she's just keeping it a secret because she doesn't want people treating her differently once they find out about her family?''
"That was my impression too.'' Subaru nodded. Both unknowingly had the same thought that such caution wasn't born without good cause. It was a shame; Haru was such a friendly person.
After a moment of thought, Morgana decided to mention a subject that had been on his mind for a while. Recounting the talk Subaru and Yuri had the other day, he continued ''I get that you're sorting out a few things after the arrest but the way you guys were talking...it hasn't been that long since you had to come here and yet...''
"Ah, you caught that?'' Subaru leaned against the wall. ''You're half-right. It's actually been a little over two years since I could really play music.''
Whatever he expected, it definitely wasn't that. ''Wait, what? How come?''
"...I was in a coma for most of the last two years.''
Morgana could only stare at this but the boy carried on ''One day, my old class were coming back from a trip and we stumbled across a bank heist. The teacher tried to get us to run but before we knew it, we were trapped. They dragged us all to the bank and said we had to play along and no one would get hurt. Then they started making demands of the police and...I can't really remember how things got worse-it sounds like one of them got impatient or the police tried to free us and failed or maybe both. The next thing I know, they shoot two of the hostages nearby and they moved towards us, they started with our teacher.''
The cat couldn't imagine how he got out of that such of a situation ''What happened then?''
"I grabbed one of their bags and hit the guy before he could take the shot.'' Morgana cried out in shock. ''I was sure we were going to die. It was terrifying but...I couldn't just watch. Before I even knew it, I was moving. Remember how I told you I've been taught to handle guns? A retired soldier moved to the town and he decided to teach me a bunch of other kids-he had a big variety of guns. He always took good care of them because they saved his life more than once. So I just relied on the surprise factor and his teachings-but the robbers blindsided me. I couldn't tell you what happened next-but according to Grandpa, a bunch of the others hostages were galvanized into fighting back and that gave the police enough time to take their boss down.''
"Whoa...'' The feline took a moment to absorb all this. ''...that's incredible. You're-hold up!'' A thought occurred to him. ''You mean those people back at your old home still betrayed you even after that?! You lost two years of your life while helping save theirs!''
Subaru's expression darkened ''Yeah, well-that's what happened...I didn't exactly do it for thanks-it was because they mattered to me. I'm still asking myself why but a part of me thinks the reason doesn't matter at this point. It's not like it'd change anything.''
Morgana readily agreed ''I don't see what'd justify this anyway. It's just so unfair-you're a hero and still this is what you get for caring? Those people are horrible!''
"...Thanks.''
The former made a questioning noise, now puzzled. Subaru went on ''It's not like we're keeping the day a secret-I just didn't think anyone would believe me.''
"That's nothing to be thanked for-you're not the type to lie about something like this.'' He waved a dismissive paw. ''But you've had plenty of reason to be skeptic so I get it. The last few months must have been really hectic for you, huh?''
Subaru nodded ''There was so much going on back then-Aki-nii set it so one of the doctors helped me get some therapy a few months after the incident but it still took a lot of time to recover. Apparently my parents just decided I meddled and paid the price both times.''
Morgana was frankly amazed this boy turned out to be so kind. He couldn't help bristling with indignation on his behalf ''What kind of attitude is that?! They shouldn't even BE called parents in the first place!''
"I don't know where I'd be without Aki-nii and my grandparents-they've been incredible.'' He admitted. ''Still...I want to say I'm okay and mean it. I want to trust people like I used to but I can't...''
"And that's just fine-you're trying. No one has the right to ask more of you. You deserve to take your own time to heal.'' The cat assured. ''If you need a sounding board, I'm here.''
Subaru's expression softened, patting his head. Morgana would usually protest this but he knew the gesture helped him and cats were comforting to people so hewould let it slide. ''...Thanks, I really appreciate it.''
The following day...
Subaru was rather confused when Sojiro texted him to come to Leblanc early, leaving him to wonder what happened. Regardless, he headed to the cafe as soon as he could-knowing something was up.
The barista smiled as the boy greeted him ''Hey, come in.''
Sojiro went on to get him some curry, Subaru looked on curiously ''Everything okay? Your message seemed urgent.''
"Yeah...yeah, it is...'' He exhaled. ''...I didn't want to leave this hanging any longer. First things first though-I'm sorry, Subaru.''
"Eh? Why?''
"I've been really unfair...we lied to you and it was all my idea.'' The response confused him even more. ''It's about Futaba-there's something you should know...''
He then proceeded to explain everything that happened around Wakaba's death-how she died in front of Futaba. How he discovered Futaba's terrible treatment at the hands of her relatives, how the worst of it was at the hands of her uncle Youji, who would hardly feed her and wouldn't even let her bathe. That had been the last straw and he quickly did everything he could to save her. It hadn't been until things settled down that he actually found out why...
Morgana listened with growing horror while Subaru looked outraged ''What do you mean they blamed her for Aunt Wakaba's death? That's ridiculous!''
He scoffed ''Don't I know it. Apparently, someone found a note in her office that mentioned how Wakaba was being pushed to her absolute limit and she just chose to end it all. It all threw me off for a bit but I just can't believe she'd do that. They called it maternity neurosis. We looked it up-there's no such thing. A few of them came to our way of thinking-they were repentant but it doesn't even matter. They scarred her for life. Futaba shut herself in her room and she hardly ever leaves-she talks about hearing voices that blame her for everything. She barely even talks to anyone-we're trying to help but it's still an uphill battle.''
Subaru felt sick-this was so cruel. Sure, the two might have had their differences but it didn't take long to see how Wakaba and Futaba truly loved each other. The fact that her so called relatives thought it was acceptable to do that-when she was grieving for mother-after seeing her die no less-was beyond despicable.
"But this is why I kept it a secret-I don't know where she'd stand now. She knows you're here-we made sure of that but she hasn't said much about it. Normally she'd be thrilled to see you but considering what those idiots crammed down her throat...''
Subaru caught on, struck by the realization that while he worried that she would turn on him too, she was in a very similar position. ''Wait, so she thinks I hate her now? No way-I'd never...''
Sojiro had expected nothing less. If only Futaba could see this now...
"I don't blame you for hiding this-Uncle, I want to help.'' He said at last. The boy wished he'd known sooneer but now that he did, he wasn't going to look away. Futaba was not only one of his closest friend, she was like a sister ."You're both as good as family to me-I can't just leave things like this.''
Touched, the man couldn't help smiling a little ''Same to you. Appreciate it, kid-let's see what we can do together then.''
Right.''
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast established a new vow
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh the chain of captivity
With the birth of the Hierophant Arcana
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and a new power...
All right, let's stop here.
Another excursion down and one more step closer to taking Kamoshida's treasure.I wanted to see if I could incorporate Disaster Shadows here, sorry if I didn't describe them right. Like I said when I started this, this story is a different take on my other Persona fic so they'll have plenty of similarities. The burglary incident is another factor that actually hurt Subaru a lot, namely because of the arrest. He doesn't regret his choice but of course it hurts that people treated him like this. He wants to make new friends and move on but it's not easy for him to open up to others like he used to. He just can't look away from the messed up situation in Shujin. It also helps that he's coming to like Mona and the others but it's going to be a process.
Here, thanks in a big part to Yuri and Itsuki's influence, Sojiro's trying to take a more proactive approach with Futaba to somewhat varied results. He never bought the suicide story but he has no idea what he can do about the situation.
For the record, I'm going to expand on this later but this is when Futaba finds out that Subaru had no clue about her situation. She does think he hates her because she knows fully well how close he was to Wakaba. Now that he's brought up to speed, He's going to start figuring out a way to reach out to her.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!
Confidants:
Namikaze Itsuki and Yuri (Charity Rank 2)
Sakamoto Ryuji (Chariot Rank 1)
Morgana (Magician Rank 2)
Nijima Makoto (Priestess Rank 1)
Yoshizawa Sumire and Kasumi (Hope Rank 1)
Sakura Sojiro (Hierophant Rank 1)