Persona Trinity

by IIIIIIIIII

Six months have passed since the defeat of Yaldabaoth and the disbandment of the Phantom Thieves. Ren Amamiya now enjoys a normal high-school life, hard-won though it may be. For once, normalcy started to feel normal. However, the whims of fate would set the Wild Card User on another path. And he would be far from the only one fate would call on. Pairing: Pseudo RenxHarem YuxHarem

19. A Day in the Life of a Wild Card

A/N Hey everyone, sorry this is a few weeks later, but I got really pulled in by Elden Ring when it came out and that prevented me from writing at all basically during the past few weeks. I had a few additions I wanted to make to this chapter and didn't want to post it until they were done, hence the delay.

But anyway, yeah, I'm fine, just really, really into Elden Ring for anyone that can sympathize.

On that note, expect a few more weeks of a break for this story, probably dipping into around the end of March. At the next point that I post, I'll be going back to the weekly cycle.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.

Chapter 19

July 30th, Tokyo: Sanshou Hotel, Mid-Morning…

A late breakfast was being had by a small group of those that were hotel-bound for the time being, namely Yu, Naoto, and Rise. Their reasons for having gotten up later in the day were varied in root cause, but all more or less came down to getting to sleep rather late the previous night. Well, save for Naoto who had spent the majority of her morning watching after the songstress as she nursed a rather brutal hangover.

Circumstances for their meal aside, they were enjoying one another's company. Things also seemed peaceful enough, though there remained a single inevitable landmine that the conversation had yet to tread on just yet.

"So, Yu," began Rise. "How was your dinner last night with Sae-san?"

"A lot of fun actually," he answered warmly. "The view at the Skyline Restaurant really lives up to the hype, and obviously it was great to get to talk to her one-on-one after so long."

"I see, I see," cooed Rise, her voice overly-sweet as if she were overcompensating for her true feelings on the matter. "It's nice to get to have a pleasant talk between friends, isn't it?"

'There it is,' Naoto thought, sighing inwardly. 'Honestly I'm shocked she managed to hold back on broaching the subject this long.'

"Yeah, I agree," Yu replied.

"Did you take any commemorative pictures by chance?"

"Hm? No, not really," he answered, clearly confused by the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason…"

A phone began to ring on the table, being Yu's. A brief check of it had him gathering his plate and getting up from his seat.

"Sorry, I've gotta head out now. I set some time aside to hang out with Ren," Yu abruptly stated.

"Is that so?" Naoto asked, seemingly interested at the prospect. "A bonding exercise between Wild Cards, I take it?"

"I prefer to think of it as two friends getting to know one another better, but I guess there isn't much of a difference, is there?" Yu mused, laughing to himself. "Anyway, I'll catch you guys later."

With that, the esteemed lawyer was off, leaving the two young women to discuss the elephant in the room that he was too aloof to see.

"I'm surprised you managed to be so subtle," Naoto remarked.

"Must be the hangover…" Rise muttered.

She went about toying with the tablecloth, running her finger in a circle and sighing wistfully. Her sullen disposition quickly drew her friend's concern.

"If this is about not being able to see a picture, just know that you wouldn't be able to gauge anything from it," Naoto pointed out. Seeing a quirked brow on the redhead's part, she explained, "Think about it: If Sae-san was dressed to the nines, wouldn't that just be par for the course at a restaurant like the Sky Restaurant?"

"True, but at this point I just want to know if I have a rival or not," Rise answered. She slumped back into her chair. "The whole 'not knowing' thing is probably going to kill me."

"A tad overdramatic, don't you think?" Naoto asked.

"Welcome to a woman's love life."

Given that even Rise was smirking, Naoto felt no guilt at letting her laugh fly out freely. The idol even shared one with her and seemed happy she'd been able to draw one out of the traditionally stoic detective.

"Thanks for watching over me this morning by the way," Rise said, offering a friendly smile. "You didn't really need to, but I appreciate it all the same."

"With how hungover you were, I couldn't just leave you be," Naoto stated firmly. "And while we're on the subject, I would ask that you refrain from drinking that much in the future."

"…yeah, that was my bad," Rise admitted bitterly.

"Out of curiosity," said Naoto, "have you considered saving yourself the headache and just telling Yu how you feel? Your attempts at flirting with him at this point aren't likely to chip away at his density and may in fact work to your detriment. By this I of course mean he will just assume it's your normal behavior and write it off."

"You make several great points that I can't really refute. However," she began, her eyes narrowing as she stared down at the tablecloth. "At this point, it's a matter of personal pride. Even if he is denser than a black hole sometimes, mark my words, I will get him to crack."

"Well, they do say the hardest-fought victories are often the sweetest…" Naoto uttered to herself. She soon stood up and prepared to take her leave. "Apologies, but I have to be getting to Shinjuku now. I'll see you later, Rise."

"Actually, you might not," Rise said somewhat awkwardly. "My agency is having me move into an apartment closer to the venue later today. It's fully furnished and everything, so it's not like it'll be a hassle, but the gist of it is I won't be around here anywhere near as much."

"That's actually a bit sad to hear," Naoto admitted.

"Yeah, I'm not thrilled about it either," she sighed. "Anyway, I should be heading out, otherwise the producer for the show will really lay into me…"

Yongen-Jaya, Café Leblanc, Mid-Morning…

"—dude, don't shoot the messenger. All I'm sayin' is you can't get mad at people for remembering such a weird detail about the guy's life. I mean, who cuts off their own ear? Seriously," Ryuji said nonchalantly.

"Van Gough happened to be a tortured soul," Yusuke stated in indignation.

As Yusuke and Ryuji were reigniting an old argument, Futaba and Ren sat quietly at the counter on their phones, simply waiting for the ordeal to be over.

"Do those two usually argue this much?" Sojiro inquired.

"Not really, no," answered Futaba. "Which is kinda weird since the truth is they disagree on almost everything under the sun."

"I see…"

The bell rang and the doors gave way, which had Ren prepared to get up and stop the ongoing squabble between his two friends so as to not chase away the fresh customers. However, to his surprise, it was merely the remaining members of the Phantom Thieves.

'Guess everyone decided to stop by today…' Ren thought.

They were clinging closely to one another hovering over a magazine that Ann was holding. Said young woman then turned to Makoto with a knowing look about her features.

"See? Told ya I knew!" Ann stated cheerfully.

"Yes, yes, and I'm very proud of you," Makoto replied with a girlish laugh. "Still, you… Hm?"

The girls soon took note of the ongoing argument between Ryuji and Yusuke, finding it as odd as Sojiro did when he had questioned whether or not it was normal. They looked to their leader and navigator for some form of clarification.

"Art stuff," said Ren blankly.

"Ah," Haru muttered. Her gaze shifted back to the other two males of their group. "I wonder which artist or painting they're arguing over…"

"And another thing, you—" Yusuke began, only to be cut off.

"Look," began Ryuji pointedly. "It aint' like I don't get what you're sayin'. Problem is, you ain't hearin' what I'm sayin'!"

"Problem, you two?" Makoto cut in.

The two turned awkwardly to greet the three fresh arrivals. In truth, they hadn't even the slightest idea that they were there or when they had actually entered the cafe in the first place.

Ever the smooth operator that he was, Skull opted to entirely ignore a formal greeting and hope they wouldn't notice.

"W-We were just talkin' about that Van Gough guy," Ryuji answered. "Ya know, the one that cut—"

"They know, Ryuji," Futaba stated firmly, shaking her head. "Or were you trying to annoy Yusuke even more so?"

"Hey, it ain't like that! Some people only know the guy cuz' of the ear thing!"

"Which was my point entirely! That and how it besmirches the legacy of a great artist!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Look, that—okay, you got me there, but I wasn't tryin' to justify that kind of stuff. I was always just sayin' the thing with his ear is just too weird to not remember!" Ryuji stated defensively. "And I know the only reason it bothers you is cuz' so many people onlyknow that one thing about the dude."

"In that case, do you happen to know any of his paintings?" pressed the blue-haired artist, his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Starry Night, right? That's the one he's best known for ain't it?" Ryuji semi-answered.

To say Yusuke was amazed was an understatement.

"…actually, that is correct."

"I'll admit I didn't know that before, but after we talked about it last time, I googled it cuz' I knew it'd bother ya if I didn't know anythin' about him except for the—well, you know what I mean," Ryuji explained.

"Hmm, I must admit to being pleasantly surprised," Yusuke began, his expression softening notably. "I appreciate the sentiment."

"I'm honestly shocked Skull had that kind of foresight," Futaba cheekily remarked.

"Shaddap," Ryuji scoffed. "Even if we disagree on shit all the time, I know Yusuke well enough to know what does and doesn't offend him."

"Hmm, it makes me wonder if I would be able to apply my knowledge of your personality in much the same way," Yusuke thought aloud.

"Actually, it's the weirdest thing," Ann spoke up, sharing a look with the other two girls at the sudden coincidence. "We were just talking about the same thing! Well, sort of…"

It was then that the blonde showed the two the magazine that she'd been holding on to. Ren and Futaba, out of curiosity, walked over to check it out themselves, and as for the article itself, it was a simple 'Do You Know Your Friends?' quiz, and a lengthy one at that.

"So strange, don't you think?" Haru asked pleasantly.

"Uh… 'kay."

"Geez Ryuji, at least try to hide your excitement just a little bit," Ren stated, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Oh c'mon, ain't these kinds of quizzes a bunch of bull? Plus, with how well we know each other, they'd be a piece of cake," Ryuji commented dismissively.

"Is that so…?" cooed Ann, leadingly. She soon eyed a random question. "Alright then, Ryuji… name all of our favorite colors."

"Red," he began, pointing a finger at the blue-eyed beauty herself. "Haru's is pink, at least I think…"

"Hmm, a lighter purple, but they do look awfully similar," the heiress stated.

"Okay, Ren's is… Uh…"

It was beyond clear that the punkish teen was at a loss, though to his credit he was trying his absolute best to remember any conversation the two had ever had on the subject. Weirdly, he couldn't think of one, but he did have one good guess.

"Black, right?" Ryuji essentially asked.

"Nope," Ren answered.

"That makes one wrong," Makoto announced. She eyed the magazine with almost sadistic anticipation, an expression mimicked by Ann. "Question two: what are all of our birthday's?"

"The day too, or just the month?"

"Shall we be merciful?" Makoto asked teasingly, looking to her blonde-haired coconspirator.

"Just the month should be fine," Ann replied.

"Alright, then Ann's is… uh… um…"

"Two wrong," Ann spitefully announced.

"O-Oh c'mon, that was hardly any time for me to think! I-I just wasn't sure!" Ryuji exclaimed. "And what about you, do you know my birthday, little miss know-it-all?"

"I may not remember the exact day, but I know it's in July," Ann replied indignantly.

"But you still don't know the day," Ryuji countered cheekily. "That's a question anybody would have trouble answerin' for so many people."

Their leader, who had thus far remained quiet, jumped in to immediately take up the challenge.

"Ann's is November 13th, Makoto's is April 23rd, Haru's is December 5th, Futaba's is February 19th, Yusuke's is January 28th, and yours is July 3rd," Ren listed off.

Those present stared at one another as if looking to see if he'd actually gotten the whole of the dates right. However, the truth was none of them knew the full answer to begin with.

"I mean, he got mine right…" Futaba commented.

"Well, I know all the months are right," Ann uttered.

"Oh, and as for colors," Ren began. "Ann's is red, Makoto's is blue, Haru's is light purple, Ryuji's is yellow, Futaba's is green, Morgana's is black, and Yusuke doesn't have a favorite color because as an artist he doesn't want to favor any one palate over another."

"That's absolutely correct," Yusuke stated, clearly pleased by his friend's analysis.

Another round of glances around the room proved that their leader was absolutely correct yet again.

"Dude, what the eff? Are you some kind of walkin' Wikipedia page or somethin'?!" Ryuji asked in amazement.

"Just a good memory," Ren answered. "That and I know you guys pretty well by this point."

Though it was endearing that their trusted leader knew them all so well, two among them had realized something that had them sporting looks of utter disbelief.

"Wait, hang on…" Ann muttered.

"No, that's…" Makoto thought aloud.

"Uh, you two good?" Ryuji asked confusedly.

"Does anyone know Ren's birthday? Or even his favorite color?" Ann questioned, clearly at wit's end.

It was something that nearly everyone believed they knew off the top of their head if their initial reaction was anything to go by. That changed dramatically as their expressions quickly shifted to match those of Queen and Panther's.

The realization that they didn't know was like reality shattering like glass before their very eyes.

"How the hell…?" Ryuji trailed off in horrified astonishment.

"Hold on, I've definitely seen it somewhere!" Futaba stated.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, I'm not even sure I've told any of you my when my birthday is before," Ren uttered casually, cupping his chin in thought. "Nope, definitely not."

"Dude, why are you acting like that's normal?!" Ryuji shouted in surprise. "Even if we'd forget, at least mention it the day of or somethin'! We'd like to celebrate it, ya know!"

"So when's your next birthday? We'll have to make it double the celebration to make up for it!" Ann stated cheerfully.

"Fair warning, it'll be a while. My birthday was back on April 24th," Ren answered.

His deadpanned response had Skull facepalming and Ann starring at him slack-jawed. Futaba was much the same way, and even Makoto was at a loss for words. He on the other hand couldn't understand why they had reacted the way they did.

"What?"

"How can you not mention stuff like that?!" Futaba shouted. She clasped the sides of her head, staring off into space as she exclaimed, "And how did we never ask?!"

"Honestly even I forgot about my birthday this year," Ren admitted, his tone as nonchalant as they came. "Last year it was around the time I got shipped off to Tokyo, so I didn't really know anyone here at the time, and cuz' of the whole 'convict' thing, no one from back home messaged me about it either. Even after I was cleared, the same thing still happened. And since none of you guys knew, I guess it just kinda became another day ending in 'y' to me…"

"That's so sad I could cry," Ann muttered to herself, hanging her head in self-disappointment.

"Oh come on, you're making too much out of it," assured Ren in as friendly a manner as he could. "I couldn't care less about having a bunch of random people I used to know wishing me 'happy birthday', and spending time with you guys the way I've been able to is better than any gift or party I could ever have."

"Awww," cooed Haru, the sentiment clearly getting the better of her emotions. Tears started to pool in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away, unable to stifle a slight laugh as she did so. "Now I might start crying…"

"It seems Futaba already has," Yusuke pointed out.

"I'm not crying! You're crying!" Futaba shot back.

"I am clearly not."

"Dude, keep it up, and as soon as she's done drying her eyes, you will be," Ryuji whispered urgently.

It was at this point Joker used the brief window he had in the conversation thus far to take a good look at the time.

"Well, it was a nice surprise to get to see you all so early," began Ren, stepping away from the group as he did so. "But I gotta head out. I'll see you all later, okay?"

"Stay safe," said Sojiro from behind the counter.

Once the Wild Card had left, the Phantom Thieves mood became rather sullen. They all seemed to have the exact same idea and quickly began to scan over the magazine in unison, searching for any and every question they could find and trying to figure out if they knew the answer when it came to Ren.

Needless to say, it was a recipe for immediate frustration.

"How the shit can I be drawin' a blank on all of these?!" Ryuji growled underneath his breath.

"Ugggh, same here!" replied Ann, an even greater degree of agitation evident in her tone. "And if the two of us don't know, I take it the rest of you are having about the same luck?"

"Sadly, yes," Haru answered with a sigh.

"I've had spyware on the guy's phone for almost a year for cryin' out loud. You'd think I'd at least know some of this stuff!" Futaba exclaimed annoyedly.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that…" Sojiro muttered in the corner of the room, flipping through a paper he was only pretending to read.

The group continued to struggle through with little to comfort their growing disappointment and anxiety. It was obvious after a short time that they'd all but given up.

"Is it possible that we simply don't know as much about Ren as we had thought…?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"It depends in what sense you mean that," Makoto replied. "I believe we all know who Ren is deep down as a person, which one could argue is more important than these questions about likes and interests. However…"

"It's still frustrating that we don'tknow any of this stuff…!" Ann finished with a scowl, closing the magazine forcefully as if to vent her frustration. "And maybe I wouldn't be so angry about it if it weren't for the fact I know most of this stuff about everyone else! Ghhhh…!"

"Easy there, no need to bring out the claws," Ryuji said calmly, clearly trying to bring the metaphorical temperature down.

"He's right," Yusuke stated. "Although this revelation is still, as Ann put it, rather frustrating."

"I agree. Especially given that he knows so much about us…" Haru sighed, her head hung in a sullen manner. "Even if Ren doesn't talk much about himself, that shouldn't have stopped all of us collectively from failing to take an interest, even if it is in such mundane topics."

"Eeeh, I don't know if asking woulda made a difference," began a skeptical Ryuji. "Remember when I asked him about whether or not he wanted to get married that one time? You guys remember the answer he gave?"

"It's a secret," the four girls recited in unison.

The bitter nature of their tone's and their symphonic answer drew widened-eyes from both Yusuke and Ryuji, and even Sojiro quirked a brow as he lowered his paper to momentarily get a better look at the teens. The girls themselves seemed to give one another looks that were a mix of suspicion and surprise and thus didn't notice the boys' reaction.

"R-Right, uh… yeah," Ryuji muttered quietly. "Anyway, my point is he's always been kinda shrouded in mystery, ya know? And now that I think about it, I don't really know what he does when we're not hangin' out…"

An easy solution to that quickly presented itself, at least to one among them. A mischievous glint soon sparked in the orange-haired teen's eyes.

"…then why don't we follow him?" Futaba offered, earning a few curious glances. "I mean he just left, right? I don't think he said where he was going, but I can track him and ez-pz we can get live coverage of a day in the life of Ren."

"That's a bit extreme," said Makoto. Her hesitation became clear the moment she turned to Noir, asking, "Isn't it?"

"Hmm, perhaps so, but it does sound fun," Haru reasoned.

"I mean it sounds better than what I was gonna do anyway," Ryuji said with a shrug.

"I think we should," Ann stated firmly.

"I agree. Plus, like Haru said, it does sound like fun," Futaba said with a devilish grin.

A yawning Morgana came down the staircase, quickly asking, "What sounds like fun now?"

"Oh, hey Mona," greeted Futaba. "We were just talking about stalking Ren for the day. Care to join us?"

"Uh, what?" Morgana asked, his expression somewhat sickened. "I'm missing something here. Someone help."

"We were just talkin' about how none of us have any idea what Joker does when he ain't hanging with any of us," Ryuji explained.

"I repeat: what?" Morgana pressed. "Well, whatever. Feel free, but you probably won't see anything all that interesting. I'll head upstairs in the meantime to play with a ball of yar—I mean, to brainstorm ideas for new infiltration tools."

"Have fun," Ann replied. She hurriedly turned to the others. "So, we going or what?"

"To the station we go!" Futaba cheered.

The Phantom Thieves had left Leblanc in a rush, and in the aftermath of their departure, the cafe's owner merely flipped to the next page in the paper as he stood nonchalantly in the corner.

"…I'm never going to get used to them talking to the cat," Sojiro muttered.

Tokyo: Park in Southern Shibuya, 10:45AM — Side A

Ren sat in place on a park bench after his recent arrival, waiting patiently for his fellow Wild Card to arrive. He checked his phone, seeing no new messages and also confirming the time. Right on cue, Yu came walking up, waving at him from a short distance away.

"Hey there stranger," greeted Yu pleasantly. "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Help yourself," he answered with a smile.

"See any tarot cards pop up over anyone yet?" Yu joked.

"Not yet, but the day's still young."

There was a comfortable silence as the two soaked up the sun and enjoyed the moment for what it was. It seemed there was an unspoken understanding that regardless of the questions they most certainly had for one another, there wasn't any need or pressure to rush things.

"Feel like going for a walk or did you just want to hang out here for a bit?" Yu asked.

"A walk sounds great, actually."

The two headed off down the park, again doing so it silence. It wasn't for quite some time that the younger of the Fools spoke up to ask something that had been on his mind as of late.

"Was it weird for you when the Velvet Room closed?" Ren abruptly inquired.

"Absolutely," Yu answered, his response almost immediate. "For around an entire year, not a day went by that I didn't go there to either perform a fusion or a summoning. I admit I don't miss being dragged into the Velvet Room through my dreams though…"

"Yeah, you'd think Igor would be capable of giving a heads up or something."

"Ah, so Igor was your guide too," mused Yu.

"Yeah, he… well, kinda," Ren said. He sheepishly began to rub the back of his head. "At least he was supposed to be. What actually ended up happening is a different story."

Naturally it was then that the raven-haired teen told Yu of the circumstances behind the false Igor that had guided him to the Velvet Room and started the dominos that led to his confrontation with Yaldabaoth. He spoke even of the attendant that was separated into two halves by the malevolent being that eventually became one once more thanks to his refusal to accept the false god's offer.

"Sounds like a hell of a time," joked Yu.

"That's definitely not inaccurate," Ren stated with a smirk. "I do miss the attendant though. When she was split, they were rough around the edges at first, but when they turned back into their true self, she was a lot warmer to me. It feels a bit like I didn't get to know the 'real' her in the end, at least not as much as I would have liked."

"Was her name Elizabeth by chance?" Yu asked.

"No, her name was Lavenza," Ren said, a bittersweet undertone in his voice. "Was Elizabeth your attendant, or…?"

"No, my attendant was named Margaret," Yu stated. "She had a younger sister she mentioned named Elizabeth, that's why I asked that."

"Huh, now that I think about it, I think Lavenza mentioned she had family, but she never said any of their names…" Ren thought aloud. "Did Margaret-san happen to have gold eyes, pale skin, pale hair?"

"Yep."

"Do you think they could be related?"

"Maybe, maybe not," answered Yu with a shrug. "It's anyone's guess as to how the Velvet Room works."

"…so, what was Margaret-san like?" Ren questioned.

The reaction that he got from Yu was difficult to pin down, even for Joker. It was a mix of exasperated, nostalgic and everything in-between.

"Margaret was… a complicated person. She could come across as a bit icy and always seemed so serious. Her personality suited her looks though—she was tall, stern, and almost inhumanly beautiful. The truth though is she had a softer side but just didn't show it all that willingly," Yu answered. He chuckled handily, adding, "In fact, she had one of the weirdest senses of humor of anyone I've ever met. She even kissed me when we said our goodbye's, and to this day I still don't know if she was messing with me or not."

"I'm jealous, mainly because Lavenza has the appearance of a ten-year-old, but still," Ren muttered. "I'd count your blessings with an icy attendant if I were you though. Whenever I went to the Velvet Room, I'd either get a kick in the ass to send me in or about the coldest 'welcome, inmate' you could imagine."

"Is that a reference to your arrest?" Yu inquired.

The look on the young lawyer's face became quite a bit more serious, which in turn did not go unnoticed by Ren. There was a nagging general lack of desire to speak on the subject in the back of his mind, but when it came to Yu, he was more than willing.

"I think so, yeah," Ren sighed, his expression somewhat falling. "My Velvet Room was a prison in every sense of the word. I was even locked up in a cell every time I entered, though like I said earlier I was meant to be given the key when I was first brought there."

There was an awkward silence that ensued, primarily driven by the fact that Yu had a question in mind he wasn't sure if he should ask. He mused that, perhaps, it was better to speak more of himself before doing so.

"I definitely didn't have as rough a prelude to it, but I was also shipped away from home when my parents moved out of country for work," Yu began, sympathy evident in his tone. "They were only set to be gone for a year, but all the same I ended up staying with my uncle and cousin in Inaba. Before that, I was a normal, quiet high-schooler who got along okay with people, but didn't really have any close friends."

Ren was quickly captured by the silver-haired man's words. They struck a chord in him for obvious reasons, even if his circumstances were not quite as dark as his own. He couldn't help but think of him as a kindred spirit all the more.

"That changed dramatically when I got to Inaba and awakened to my Persona for the first time. I'm saying all this because when I think back on it today, my life was pretty empty beforehand," said Yu, his eyes softening as the regret began to show in them. "It wasn't like it was bad, it's more that it felt less like a life and more of an existence. It just—"

"Didn't feel 'real'," Ren finished.

"Right," said Yu. "After I received the powers of the Wild Card, it was like my 'life' had really started. The people I met and the bonds we forged together will be something I treasure until the bitter end."

"I get how you feel," Ren replied.

In a way, Joker was grateful to have heard what he had; it was certainly nice to know that both he and Yu were cut from the same cloth. Still, at the same time it was somewhat depressing to know that another person had experienced something even remotely similar to what he had before he gained his powers as a Wild Card. To live a life without anything 'real' was not a fate he'd wish on anyone.

"So, then I take it you were in the same boat as me before the Velvet Room?" Yu inquired.

The undertone of the question as far less harmless than it would outwardly appear too most.

Did you go through the tragedy of thinking you were living your life when in reality you were merely existing?

Did you live a life without true connection?

Did you live a life devoid of meaning?

All of this and more lined Yu's question, and they both knew it even if they didn't speak so much as a word highlighting them specifically.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Ren ultimately said.

The answer, however brief and to the point it had been, prompted the elder of the two Wild Cards to hang his head solemnly. Though that was what he had come to expect, it by no means gave him any pleasure to hear it.

"Sorry to hear that," Yu replied.

"I could say the same to you," Ren answered, sporting a cheeky grin. "So, on that note… what's your story? After you got your powers, I mean."

"Well, if I had to give it a title, I'd say: Foggy with a Chance of Serial Killers."

"I think I saw a movie like that once."

Tokyo: Park in Southern Shibuya, 11:45 AM — Side A

It was clear to anyone that happened to spot them that Ren and Yu were rather enjoying an engaged back and forth conversation. So much so, in fact, that if anyone where to stop them and ask how long they'd been doing so, they'd not have the slightest idea off the top of their head.

At the moment, however, they were simply messing around by playing a Persona version of twenty questions.

"Are you immune to physical?" asked Yu.

"No."

"Are you immune to gun?"

"Yes."

"Are you a Persona from the Tower Arcana?"

"Yes."

"When you use this Persona, does it upset your female teammates?"

"Yes."

"Mara," answered Yu.

"Yeah, that last one made it a dead giveaway," chuckled Ren.

"To this day, I've only ever gotten to use it twice. I was warned after the first time to never use it again, but…" Yu stated, grimacing at the memory. "Let's just say Chie, Yukiko, Naoto, and Rise really laid into me when I tried using it again just to mess with them. Yosuke and Kanji at least thought it was funny though, so all-in-all it was probably worth it."

"I've only ever used it once. I wasn't brave enough to try a second time," Ren admitted, placing a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "I kinda get why it bothers them though. I mean Mara does look like a grotesque, massive—"

"Dick!" someone shouted from a short distance away.

"What was that?!"

"I said: Why are you being such a dick?!"

The commotion quickly drew the two Wild Cards' attention towards the baseball field which was being generated by what appeared to be a high-schooler and either a very brave or very stupid middle-schooler. They were getting into one another's faces while their friends of around the same respective ages watched on.

Ren and Yu didn't even need to say anything, nor did they even need to share a look. They simply walked over in unison to investigate further.

"Look kid, just beat it, okay?!" the older teen shouted. "We need to this field to practice since school is out, so just buzz off!"

"We were here first though!"

"J-Jinta, dude, maybe we should just—"

"C'mon! Don't be such wimps!" the younger kid bellowed angrily. "We're in the right here! At the very least, we should be sharing the field!"

"Kenta, he's got a point. Maybe we could—"

"And decrease the quality of our practice? As if," the teen scoffed. He turned to the group of middle schoolers. "Besides, aren't you guys just screwing around? Our practice actually matters, so how about you kids just take a hike, huh?"

"How about you go eat a bag of dicks?" the now-named Jinta shot back.

Needless to say, the high-schooler quickly grabbed him by the collar. It was so sudden that it clearly had the younger teen fear-stricken alongside his friends who feared for the worse.

"Say. That. Again," the older boy all-but-dared.

Since it was clear that things were getting out of hand, even the other high-schoolers were about to step in to bring their friend back before he did something he would regret. Their intent aside, a group of newcomers would beat them to the punch.

"I'd think twice about what you're gonna do next if I were you," Yu remarked calmly as he approached.

"Huh…?" the boy named Kenta uttered confusedly. "Who the hell you?"

"Yu Narukami. Special Prosecutor Yu Narukami of the Tokyo-based Special Investigations Unit."

Yu's answer, in addition to the icy cold looks both he and Ren were giving the teen, quickly brought him to his senses. To his credit, he gently released the younger boy's shirt and stood up tall, calming himself down in the process.

"Sorry to bother, but you were causing a bit of a scene," Yu began, appearing as composed as ever. "Care to explain what's going on here?"

Though he had significantly dialed himself back, Kenta was not the one to speak. Another of the high-schoolers, seemingly the most level-headed, took the floor before anyone else could get the chance.

"I'd like to apologize for my friend, he's just really passionate you see," he spoke, his tone even. "We're students at a local high-school, but since it's summer, the school's facilities are closed, so we typically come here to get in extra practice. However, these kids were already using the field, so…"

"So you decided to bully them off the field, is that right?" Ren asked.

"T-That's a bit of a mischaracterization."

"I dunno, seems pretty accurate based on what I was just seeing," Ren shot back.

"Regardless," the young man began, clearing his throat. "At the very least we should be sharing the court."

"Better idea," Kenta chimed in. He turned to glare at who was clearly the most hot-headed of the middle-schoolers. "You guys say you're serious about playing baseball? Okay, then how about we play for the field? One inning, winner gets to use it for practice, the other goes home."

"You're on!" Jinta shouted back.

Several of his friends almost immediately face-palmed, meanwhile some of the other high-schoolers felt almost sorry for them. It didn't take a genius to understand what had just happened, nor did it take one to realize that the middle-schoolers were about to get beaten so badly their future children would feel it.

"Then we've got a deal," Kenta mused. He turned back to the Wild Cards. "And as you can see, we've come up with a way to resolve this. Sorry if it got a bit too heated, but we should be fine now."

The brown-haired baseball player appeared outwardly respectful and restrained, though beneath the surface was a smirk the size of a solar system. However, it was one that Joker and Yu couldn't help but want to erase.

"Actually," Ren spoke up, feigned-innocence in his tone. "It looks like the teams are a bit lopsided. They're short two people, aren't they?"

"Oh, uh… yeah, we are," Jinta muttered to himself.

"You're just realizing that now?!" one of his friends exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I think my friend and I can spare some of our time to help you out," Yu volunteered. This time the tables turned as he looked to the high-schooler that was clearly the least level headed. With a taunting smirk, he said, "Unless that would be a problem for you."

His reaction was predictable.

"Help yourself, we're still gonna win," he said cockily.

"Hey, Kenta, can't we just…"

The teen that was lodging a protest was then pulled into a huddle alongside the rest of the team. Yu and Ren gathered with the younger kids in turn, and almost immediately one of them spoke up to give his thanks.

"We really appreciate you guys sticking up for us like that," the boy said. "It's just a shame we're gonna get our asses kicked."

"Hey!" Jinta exclaimed.

"Dude, they're actual high-school athletes! We're gonna get creamed!"

"Agreed."

"Well, I happen to disagree," Yu said.

"Me too," stated Ren, smirking confidently.

"Wait, are you two… d-do you two play baseball all the time or something?!" one of the boys asked excitedly.

"Nope," answered Yu.

"I go to batting cages sometimes, and I can throw pretty well," Ren replied.

The group of middle-schoolers nearly fell flat on their faces after hearing them speak.

"We're doomed," one remarked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't count us out just yet," Ren stated, a sly grin making its way onto his face as his eyes shifted to his older counterpart. "We'll take catcher and pitcher if you guys can man the bases and the outfield. We'll even that out by batting last in our order. Sound good?"

"I mean sure, that sounds fine, I guess. We've also got a few extra gloves by the way, so help yourselves," Jinta replied, scratching his cheek as if it was a pointless request in the first place. "As long as we win, I could care less."

"It's 'couldn't' care less."

"Don't start with me Kozue, I swear to god."

"Calm down," Yu said, a brief laugh escaping through his speech. "I'll assume they want to be at bat first, so are we good to give that up to them?"

Everyone but the hot-headed Jinta didn't take issue. Since he was clearly outvoted, he quickly relented, though he did seem to pout all the same.

"It's settled then," Yu mused. He walked away from the huddle to briefly address the other team. "We'll take outfield first if that's fine with you."

"All good here lawyer-guy. Oh, and Yataro over here volunteered to be the umpire."

"I'll be impartial. I swear by it," the young man stated firmly.

With a nod, Yu motioned for his team to take position in the field while the group of high-schoolers went up to bat. Ren and Yu gathered their gloves and met at the pitcher's mound to have a brief conversation.

"So which do you want, catcher or pitcher?" Yu inquired.

"Pitcher suits me just fine," answered Ren.

"You really want to embarrass the loudmouth one that badly, don't you?" Yu asked, sporting a knowing smirk.

"What can I say, I don't like bullies," Ren uttered. "That, and I get a kick out of beating people who think they've got the upper-hand."

"Well, I can't say I blame you on either account," Yu stated.

He then walked back to home plate, taking his position behind the batter and squatting down as catchers did. Conveniently, the first at-bat was Kenta, the brown-haired high-schooler that had essentially started off this whole mess to begin with.

'Getting right to it, huh?' Ren thought, smirking widely. 'Guess it's showtime.'

The raven-haired teen adopted a classical pitching position, though it was clearly not without its flaws. The more seasoned veterans were quickly able to pick up on that fact.

'Tch, shocker, the guy doesn't even know proper pitching form. This'll be a cakewalk,' Kenta thought.

Arrogance breathed through his expression as he awaited the ball to be thrown his way. He then blinked, though after the split-second that his eyes were closed, he heard the characteristic 'smack' of a ball hitting the center of a baseball glove.

"U-Uh, strike…" Yataro announced, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek.

Yu then threw the ball back to Ren, though as all of this was going on, Kenta found himself barely the recent turn of events. Perhaps it was more correct to say that he could easily piece together what had happened but that he just couldn't believe it.

'He actually managed to throw a strike on me?!' he thought angrily.

Before he knew it, the next pitch was already coming right down the middle, though this time he wasn't blinking and could actually register that it was coming. With all the strength that he could muster, slammed his bat towards it, only for the ball to curve off to the side right before it was in his strike zone. Yu leaned over to the side, catching the slider with relative ease before throwing it back to Ren once again.

"Strike," said the acting umpire.

"Ughh…!" Kenta growled.

The clearly-enraged teen got back into position immediately and awaited the next pitch. Smirking, Ren through it yet again, this time sending it more-or-less straight down the middle but doing so with as much speed as he could.

Kenta, to his credit, managed to make contact with the ball, though it simply flew up into the air just in front of home plate. It was technically a fair hit and so he sprinted to the base, but he knew it was a certainty that it was going to be caught and that he would be out.

What he did not expect is the spectacular fashion in which Yu would make the catch. The gray-eyed lawyer threw his glove into the air, actually managing to catch the ball in it before subsequently catching the glove itself as it came back down towards the ground.

It was showmanship at its finest, and something that none of the high-schoolers had seen in all their years playing the game.

"W-Woah, can he do that?!" one of the teen's wondered aloud.

"Technically, that's a fair catch," the umpire stated. "That's an out!"

"You gotta be shittin' me…!" Kenta growled.

As the brown-haired athlete made his way back over to the sidelines, the middle-schoolers couldn't help but watch with amused grins plastered from ear to ear. Jinta couldn't help but add one final jab from over by second base.

"Ha-ha!"

Though the opposing team's ringleader seethed, the game went on. The next hitter came up to the plate and the inning continued.

What followed was a rather quick and impressive pair of outs that quickly sent the high-schoolers towards the outfield. Even if they did manage to actually make contact with a pitch Ren had thrown, it was often a pop fly foul ball that Yu was more than ready to catch.

The high-school baseball players were in a state of complete and total disbelief. They were now in a position where a team consisting of mainly middle-schoolers only needed to score a single run to beat them, quite literally, off the field.

Even so, they wouldn't be going down without a fight. Kenta stepped up to the pitcher's mound, a serious look in his eyes as he took up his stance. Weirdly, his prior anger was gone, being replaced by razer-sharp focus befitting of an athlete that was willing to leave nothing to chance.

"C'mon, while I'm still young," Jinta taunted, twirling the bat as he did so. "It's just one run, right? One run and you're gone, ain't that right~?"

"Dream on, kid," Kenta replied.

What followed was just about the fastest strike-out anyone present had ever seen. With poise and grace, the baseball athlete had thrown three fast-balls down the middle with frightening efficiency. Even Ren and Yu had been mildly impressed with what they'd seen.

"…damn!" hissed Jinta.

Though he grumbled his way back to the end of the batting line, he nevertheless couldn't help but feel he was simply outclassed. The next at-bat gulped, being fully aware that he was likely about to experience the same fate.

Surely enough, he did, putting the team at two outs with no one on base.

"Next," the pitcher said with a cold and unfeeling tone.

"Be careful what you ask for," Yu spoke.

He grabbed the bat and took his place off to the side of the mound, matching the intensity of the opposing pitcher's glare.

'The way he's winding up couldn't make it more obvious that he's going for a home-run ball,' Kenta thought, his brows furrowed. 'We'll just see about that, Hotshot Lawyer-san.'

The wind up came and went with a blistering fast-ball headed straight down center plate. It seemed for all intents and purposes that Yu was about to swing with all his might, resulting in a rising tension that had everyone on the field sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation.

He ultimately just bunted the ball and started running towards first base.

"…Eh?" Kenta uttered confusedly.

"…Eeeeeh?!" the middle-schoolers seemed to exclaim in unison.

Even the catcher of the high-schooler's team seemed so taken by surprise that he hadn't even moved to get the ball until Yu was already past first base. He threw the ball to the second baseman as a precaution, still shell-shocked by the surprise bunt.

"Not what I was expecting, but okay…" the pitcher muttered to himself.

Next at bat was Ren, and the mere sight of him had even Kenta's ice-cold façade on the pitcher's mound melting by the second. A deep-seeded rage flared in his eyes, rooted in nothing more than his desire to get revenge on the amateur that had embarrassed both him and his teammates.

"Kenta, second base! Second base!"

"Hm?"

The pitcher turned to see Yu Narukami stealing second base. He threw as quickly as he could upon realizing, though he was too late. The ball was thrown back to home plate and he quickly turned again to give his attention to the raven-haired teen once more.

"Alright, now we can—"

"Third base! He's stealing third!"

The same sequence played over yet again with Yu simply being too fast. The silver-haired lawyer stood tall on third base looking about as cocky as he could. The fact that the middle-schoolers on the sidelines were losing their minds and laughing hysterically didn't help to quell his growing anger.

"Aw man, he's totally screwing with 'em! That's so awesome!" one of the kids cheered

'Laugh it up you little shits. I'm tempted to just let this guy walk to first base so I can strike the next batter out and get another at-bat for ourselves,' thought Kenta. 'Tch, you're just lucky I've got too much pride to let this guy get off that easily.'

As a matter of personal pride, he wanted to strike Ren out with all of his being. It was likewise clear that Ren wanted to end the game then and there, meaning that the next pitch was, in all likelihood, going to be the last of the game one way or another.

Kenta threw the ball believing that at all costs he needed to throw a strike—prove that he could throw a pitch that the black-haired teen couldn't hit. With everything he had, he let the ball go.

It raged down the middle right over home plate, a sight that likely caught many presents by surprise. For Ren, however, it was like the ball was moving in slow motion. Thus, he smirked and followed through.

Though there were no real fences lining the backs of the field, it certainly seemed like Ren was swinging for them. The ball launched well-past any of the outfielders, and even if by some miracle they could cobble together a sequence of catches that would stop Ren from making a round-trip to home-plate, nothing could stop Yu from scoring a run which by default ended the game.

Even so, Ren was able to get the home-run, and as he returned to the final base, he was greeted by the loud cheers of his younger teammates.

The aftermath of the game itself from that point forward was rather uneventful. In fact, the high-schoolers had more or less left the field without saying so much as a word, perhaps a result of their wounded pride.

"That was so awesome! I can't believe how far you nailed that last pitch!" Jinta exclaimed in awe. "And you were awesome too, nii-san! What're your names? Are you like a pair of legendary baseball players after all or something?!"

"Yu Narukami."

"And I'm Ren Amamiya."

"And no, we're not legendary baseball players," chuckled Yu, donning a good-natured grin. "We should really be leaving now though, but enjoy the field."

"We will! And thanks again!"

With that, just as quickly as they had swooped in to save the day, the two wielders of the Fool Arcana went about their business.

Tokyo: Park in Southern Shibuya, 12:35 PM — Side A

The loud clank of a vending machine dispensing a canned beverage sounded off, allowing Ren to get both his and his partner in crime drinks for a much-needed moment of relaxation.

"Thanks," Yu said, taking the drink graciously.

"Don't mention it," he replied. "And it's my treat of course."

"Even though you did most of the work back there?" Yu countered.

"Oh please," scoffed Ren, a playful grin spreading from ear to ear. "I'd bet any amount of money you could've scored a run before me if you'd wanted to."

"Maybe so, but the bunt was a lot funnier," Yu replied.

"True. I kinda wish I had my phone out so I could've taken a picture of their pitcher's when he realized what'd happened," Ren chuckled.

"I only wish I could've seen how he looked when you hit the home-run that ended it."

"He looked like he learned his lesson, and that's all that really matters."

A voice abruptly called out that was unfamiliar to the two.

A voice that was unfamiliar to the two soon called out, "Ah, so then it was you after all."

The voice had belonged to an approaching young woman who stood alongside what seemed to be either an older sibling or a friend that had an incredibly similar appearance. Each had long brown hair with side-parted bangs, one styled in a ponytail while the other simply let hers fall freely.

"Amamiya-kun, right?" the one girl asked, sounding rather sure of herself.

"Yeah, and sorry, but you are…?" Ren trailed off leadingly.

"Sorry, I guess it makes sense you wouldn't recognize me," she replied, ending on a bashful laugh. "My name is Yui Fujimura, I'm a third year at Shujin Academy like you. We've never been in the same class, but I'm familiar with you for… well, you know."

"Obvious reasons, yeah," Ren said, offering a good-natured chuckle to ease any tension on her part.

"And I'm Aoi, her older sister," the other introduced. "I think you've had the displeasure of meeting our other sibling already; Jinta is his name."

Realization seemed to hit the two almost immediately, but the sisters were kind enough to state their obvious intent.

"When we went to check up on him, Jinta immediately started raving about how two superheroes named Narukami and Amamiya showed up to save them from getting kicked off the baseball field," Yui said, offering an amused smile at the memory. "The name was familiar to me, so you came to mind. We asked where you went so we could thank you properly and here we are."

"There's really no need to thank us though, we were just doing what anyone would have," Ren answered.

"He speaks the truth," Yu chimed in.

"Humility aside, you two are quite the pair," said Aoi, quirking a brow. "Are you related by chance?"

Though the true answer was 'sorta-kinda but not really', they opted for the simple answer that wouldn't trigger any follow ups.

"No, we're just friends out enjoying a day in the park," Yu answered.

"Is that so? Well, are you hungry by chance? I feel it's only right we treat you to a meal," Aoi began. Her expression became incredibly suggestive, eying the silver-haired young man in particular. "Or if you have an issue with taking the meal as thanks, we can always call it a double date if you want."

"Aoi!"

"What? Didn't you say you thought Amamiya-kun was—"

"That's not the point! We have to get Jinta home soon, remember?!" exclaimed the younger sibling, a firm blush crossing her cheeks. She started tugging her sister's arm and dragging her away, though she looked back to the Wild Cards the moment she could keep a remotely straight face. "S-Sorry about that, but we have to get going now. Thanks again!"

Though her older sister was muttering something under hear breath as she was pulled away under protest, that seemed to be the end of it for the moment.

"Does this kind of thing typically happen to you?" Ren abruptly inquired.

"Oh, all the time."

"Good, then I'm not the only one."

"It's weird, isn't it?"

"Must just be a Wild Card thing…" Ren mused. Shaking his head of such thoughts, he asked, "So, what now?"

"Maybe a quick bite to eat, but after that I've actually gotta head off," Yu replied, a bit bittersweet in his response. "As it happens, my apartment is finally ready, and the landlord asked to meet me early this afternoon to hand over the key. I don't really have to move anything in, but she's not the type of person it's good to keep waiting."

"Why don't I come with you?" Ren offered nonchalantly.

"Would you want to?"

"Sure, why not," he answered with a smile. "Besides, I'm actually kind of curious as to what your place will look like."

"You and me both," Yu chuckled.

The two began to make their way to the main street, glancing around at nearby restaurants so as to discern where they should go.

"What do you feel like eating?" Ren asked.

"Meh, I'm kinda in the mood for some sushi."

"That sounds good," Yu stated in agreement.

It was then however that they noticed the actual answer to the raven-haired teen's question came courtesy of Futaba. The two Wild Cards then quickly took note of both the mentioned navigator and the large group of company that she kept.

Yu in particular was surprised to see Sae, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Chie as a part of the group given that they seemed especially out of place.

"Uh… hi there," Ren said, clearly a mix of confused and surprised.

"'Sup," greeted Ryuji casually.

"Any particular reason you guys are out and about as a group?" Yu inquired, his expression mirroring that of his younger counterpart.

"O-Oh, you know…" Ann trailed off.

Tokyo: Park in Southern Shibuya, 10:45AM — Side B

Ren Amamiya sat patiently on a park bench, the mid-morning sun bathing his skin as joggers and families out for a stroll continued to pass him by. From a short distance away, his teammates watched on with their eyes glued to him intently even in spite of the fact that he seemed to be doing quite literally nothing.

"He's just sitting there quietly so far…" Ann remarked quietly.

"I'll move in for a closer look," Futaba stated.

The navigator soon brought out a pair of binoculars and zoned in on their target for the day. That they seemed to just spawn into existence did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"…where did you even get those?" Ryuji asked.

"Ebay."

"That's not what I—you know what, never mind."

"Target seems to be sitting quietly as of now."

"I believe we can see that even without the use of binoculars," Yusuke uttered.

"Teammate's smart mouth has been registered. Engaging Alpha Contingency: Put a sock in it, Inari."

"I shall remain quiet, though not because you told me too."

Silence ensued for but a minute more before the heiress among them couldn't help but register her curiosity to the group at large.

"What do you think he's here to do?" Haru inquired.

"Whatever answer I'd give, it'd probably be wrong," a disappointed Ann replied.

"Same," Ryuji sighed.

"Perhaps he's merely people watching?"

"Supposing that was his purpose, don't you think he'd have invited you knowing that you enjoy doing so as well?" Makoto reasoned.

The aspiring artist gave it but a cursory thought and realized that was entirely correct.

"Hmm, you do have a point," Yusuke began, cupping his chin in deep consideration. "Well, I am given to understand park's make for good meeting grounds for dates. Perhaps he's meeting someone here for that purpose?"

"Oooh, are we already on the 'secret girlfriend' theory?" Ryuji asked excitedly.

"Not unless his secret girlfriend is Yu-san…" Futaba stated.

"Huh?"

The infamous silver-haired lawyer could be seen walking up to Ren before taking a seat next to him. They soon began conversing, though that was a moot point given that the group couldn't hear them.

"Speaking of people that are hard to read," Makoto muttered.

"Yeah, it's like double the mystery," Futaba remarked through a laugh. "Hmm, I wonder what they're talking about?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's some super-crazy Wild Card stuff," Ryuji thought aloud.

"Somehow I doubt that…" said Makoto.

"Hm? Makoto-chan, Ann-chan? Wow, it's all of you guys, isn't it?"

The sound of Chie's voice cutting in to the conversation drew their attention to the nearby streetway, at which point they saw the very woman herself walking around with Yosuke and Yukiko.

Though they were naturally happy to see their recent friends out in the open, however a layer of awkwardness was added on account of the fact that they were being caught in the middle of spying.

"So, uh… whatcha doin'?" Yosuke questioned.

"Spying on Ren."

"Futaba!" Ann quietly chided.

"What else could this possibly look like?" she countered.

"Aaah, wondering about what a day in the life of the Wild Card looks like, huh?" Chie questioned rhetorically, clearly amused. "Boy, that takes me back."

"Doesn't it though?" Yukiko uttered nostalgically.

"Wait, you guys tailed Yu at some point too?" Yosuke asked, confusion evident in his tone.

"Too? Huh, didn't know you did at one point either…" Chie thought aloud. "But yeah, we tailed him with Rise and Naoto years ago when we were still in high school."

"I think it's only natural to be curious about someone so enigmatic," Yukiko chirped pleasantly.

"See, they get us!" Futaba cheered. "And it's funny that you bring up Yu-san, actually."

"Hm? Why's that?" asked Chie.

They were then invited to take a look for themselves, noticing their esteemed leader sitting next to Ren on the park bench shortly thereafter.

"Oh wow, twice the mystery," Yukiko couldn't help but comment. "Looks like they're about to leave."

"…so, uh, you guys wanna tag along with us?" Ryuji offered.

The trio shared a glance with one another and seemed to agree non-verbally that they hadn't anything better to do. That, and then there was the nostalgia factor playing a part as well.

"Sure, why not," Yosuke replied.

Tokyo: Park in Southern Shibuya, 11:45 AM — Side B

"They're seriously just walking…"

That 'just walking' quickly escalated as the two began to rush off towards a nearby open field.

"W-What's happening? Where are they going?" Futaba wondered aloud.

"No idea, but if we don't hurry, we're gonna lose 'em," Ryuji stated.

Everyone followed the blond's lead and came toa good vantage point over what seemed to be some kind of scuffle between a group of older and younger kids. No one really knew exactly what was happening, though they did assume that Yu and Ren were attempting to break it up.

"I'll bet anything those older kids were trying to chase off the younger ones," Chie scoffed.

"Easy there, Officer Satonaka. No need to bring out the baton," Yosuke said half-jokingly.

A moment later had the group on the far-away field splitting up into what appeared to be positions meant for a game of baseball. Even the Wild Cards did so as well, taking their positions at the pitching mound and behind home-plate respectively.

"They're about to play baseball, yes?" Haru asked, sounding adorably unsure of herself.

"It certainly seems like it," Makoto stated. She turned to her more sports-savvy blue-eyed friend, whispering, "It is baseball, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good."

"I think I can guess what's going on from context," Yukiko thought aloud.

"Me too," said Yosuke. "And if I'm right, I hope they mop the floor with those other guys six ways from Sunday."

As the far-away peanut gallery went silent, the first inning was up. The younger kids had taken their places as outfielders and basemen while Ren and Yu were in the positions of pitcher and catcher respectively. First at bat was a rather arrogant-looking high-schooler, something that even they could see from such a distance.

"Anyone else get the feeling that guy's an asshole?" Ryuji wondered aloud.

"Judging by that look he's got, you're not wrong," Futaba remarked, scowling as she peered through her binoculars. "Come on Ren, wipe that stupid smirk off his stupid face!"

"By the way, does Ren-kun play any sports in particular?" Yukiko inquired.

The guilty silence on the part of the Phantom Thieves and their hung heads made her regret asking in the first place. Not even wanting to give the actual answer, one among them opted to change the subject.

"W-What about Yu-san, does he play any sports?" Haru inquired conversationally.

"Not that we know of," Chie admitted. She hummed in thought, ultimately adding, "I know he's strong and has good coordination, but as for if he plays anything in particular? What's your take on that, Yosuke?"

"Not a clue."

"Guess this'll be a learning experience for all of us then!" concluded the brunette.

That Chie was laughing off her lack of knowledge so easily struck a chord with many others present. After all, they were in the same position when it came to Ren, but by contrast, none of them could feel anything other than self-disappointment.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Ann asked.

"What? Not knowing if he plays a sport?" Yosuke uttered, quirking a brow. "I mean not really. Why would it?"

"Oooh, I get what they're saying," Chie muttered in realization. "You see, we—"

"Guys, it's starting!" Futaba announced.

Everyone quickly went silence so as to watch the first throw, each being as eager as the next to see what would actually happen. In reality, the pitch itself was so quick that they could hardly follow it with their eyes, and naturally without hearing a signal call, they were at a loss for what the actual result was.

"W-What happened? Was it a strike?" Ann asked.

"The umpire is saying it was a strike!" Futaba answered, pride clear in her tone. She chuckled devilishly and donned a smirk to match. "And the batter is not happy about it."

"Lemme see, lemme see!" Ryuji all but begged.

"Aw, can't I just watch until he strikes this guy out?"

"I happen to have a pair of binoculars in my purse, so we can at least share a bit more effectively," said Chie as she rummaged through the aforementioned object. "Just let me… Aha! Here we go!"

"…why do you even have those?" Yosuke asked, his face contorted in pseudo-disgust.

"I bought 'em off eBay."

As Yosuke muttered something about that not being what he'd meant, Futaba stopped spectating the game for half a second to give Ryuji a knowing, if not teasing expression. He just rolled his eyes in turn.

The group then began to pass around the binoculars, seeing the two Wild Cards work in what could only be described as absolute harmony. Ren's pitching was spot-on, and even in the event that the ball was hit, Yu was at the ready to do his part. Whether it was a foul ball or a bunt, it was a quick catch on his part for the entirety of the inning.

It was thus far a no-hitter in favor of the Wild Cards and the middle-schoolers they were helping out. Their friends couldn't help but cheer quietly to themselves from a distance, unable to get caught up somewhat in the hype.

Their team was up at bat soon enough, though the dynamic duo were last in the swinging order if their position on the bench was anything to go by. In what would be a somewhat sad turn of events, they'd quickly get their turn at the plate. All others in front of them were struck out with brutal efficiency from by the team of high-schoolers.

"Damn, you'd think these guys would go a little easier on 'em. They're just middle schoolers for cryin' out loud," Ryuji thought aloud. "Bunch of asshats…"

"You can say that again," remarked Futaba.

"Perhaps they took issue with being beaten down by Ren and Yu-san so easily," Yusuke mused.

"Then take it up with them and leave the kids out of it!" Ann exclaimed.

"I agree," said Makoto. "It appears that Yu-san is up to bat."

"I'm callin' a home run," Chie cheered.

"Well, partner's more than got the arm strength to pull it off," Yosuke chuckled.

They began to watch on the edge of their non-existent seats as the ball headed down the plate. Their anticipation built with every passing second as the ball neared the strike zone, though the end result was fairly anticlimactic. Yu moved in for a bunt, cleanly doing so before rushing off to first base.

"Did he… did he just bunt it?" Chie uttered, clearly lost beyond words.

"Evidently the pitcher is just as shocked as you are," Futaba chuckled.

The pitcher from the group of high-schoolers was so shocked by the bunt that he stood in place like a statue for a good few seconds before moving up to scoop the ball off the ground. By the time he threw it to first base, Yu was, of course, already past the base.

When the ball was thrown back to the pitcher, they'd expected that to be the end of it. However, after taking a lead off the base, he sprinted to second in an attempt to steal a base. Yet again to the pitcher's frustration, he succeeded in doing so. The same thing happened a moment later, putting him one step away from home-plate and proving that the silver fox was far faster than the opposing team had given him credit for.

"He's just playing with them at this point," Yukiko giggled.

"Probably to get back at them for not taking it easier on the other kids," Chie reasoned.

"Poetic justice as far as I'm concerned," said Makoto, smirking amusedly at the scene.

"Can someone pass me the binoculars? I wanna see Ren hit it out of the park!" Futaba requested pleasantly.

"Yes, of course. Here you go," said Yusuke.

Ren stepped up to the plate, and there was a clear lull in the game. Why this was, no one knew, and yet eventually play resumed and the pitch was thrown. To the surprise of virtually no one that called themselves a Phantom Thief, the raven-haired young man struck the ball right on center over the plate, knocking it well-past even the deepest of the opposing team's outfielders.

"Yes!" Ann and Futaba shouted in unison.

"That's my boy!" Ryuji exclaimed excitedly.

"Wahoo!" Haru cheered.

"Yeah, saw that one comin'," Yosuke said with a grin.

Ren quickly rounded all the bases, ending the inning and seemingly the competition if the reactions of the high-schoolers were anything to go by. One of them in particular appeared to be a very poor sport about it, but his teammates calmed him down and they started to trudge away in defeat.

As for the wielders of the Fool Arcana, they began to make their way out of the field, waving their goodbyes to kids they'd teamed up with in the game as they did so.

Haru soon spoke up, "We should get moving too then."

Tokyo: Park in Southern Shibuya, 12:35 PM — Side B

The team of Wild Card observers had tracked the duo to nearby rest area complete with a vending machine. They'd found yet another perch to overlook as they helped themselves to some cold drinks, which seemed much-enjoyed in the wake of their recent baseball outing.

"Hmm, we're still not close enough to hear what they're saying…" muttered Futaba.

"Pretty sure that's a good thing if we don't want to get caught," Ann remarked, a lone bead of sweat dripping from her temple.

"And what exactly is it that you don't want to get 'caught' doing, I wonder."

Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko had fairly tame reactions to the sound of a new voice, finding it only to be strangely familiar though they couldn't quite put their fingers on it. Everyone else, especially Makoto, froze and turned with fear in their eyes to see Sae Nijima staring at them about as suspiciously as was possible.

"Uh… spying," Futaba answered.

"Will you stop telling people that?!" Ann hissed under her breath.

Though the orange-haired teen shrugged at the young model's words, Sae pointedly turned to her sister, expecting a more detailed explanation.

"W-Well, sis, you see… we were, um…" Makoto stammered. "We were spying on Ren… and technically Yu-san by extension."

"And your reasons for committing a felony are…?" Sae inquired, her arms now crossed and her eyes narrowed.

"Uh, mostly just curiosity," Ryuji answered.

The silver-haired beauty was clearly unimpressed by the answer, though the truth was there wasn't a better one for them to give.

"L-Look, we were curious because we don't really know what Ren does with his free time and—"

"And so to gain this knowledge of your friend, you decided to stalk him as a group?"

"Well, when you put it like that, anything sounds bad," Futaba muttered.

"As for us, we're mostly just along for the ride," Yukiko remarked.

"…you wouldn't by chance be curious about what Yu-san does in his private time, would you?" Makoto said in what was clearly a last-ditched effort.

"Of course I am, but nevertheless, I—"

"Wow, you guys, come check this out! They're totally getting hit on by a couple of girls!" Ryuji exclaimed excitedly. "Damn, they're pretty hot too. Lucky bastards…"

"Lemme see!" Ann all but demanded.

The blonde was followed by the other female members of the Phantom Thieves, each being just as forceful as the last. The Investigation Team had a much tamer reaction, though this was primarily because seeing Yu talking to a pretty lady was about as common as seeing a blue sky on a sunny day.

"Yeah, that's about right," chuckled Yosuke. "Brings back memories, huh?"

"Not altogether pleasant ones…" Chie muttered.

"Agreed," said Yukiko, her tone noticeably ominous and dark.

"It looks like they're sisters or something?" Futaba wondered aloud. "The younger one's a bit shy, but the older one is really vibing on Yu-san right now…"

"Do you think he…"

Makoto paused in her speech upon noticing that her sister now stood directly next to her. She looked noticeably displeased, though thankfully for her, it was less so directed at them and more directed at the scene that they were observing.

"Some things really do just never change," Sae remarked, a bit of venom to her tone.

Yosuke backed away a few inches just to be safe, though Chie quickly slapped his arm playfully to put a stop to his overdramatic reaction.

"Hmm, it looks like they're leaving," Haru observed.

"Think they got any digits?" Ryuji questioned.

"Nope, I'm sure they didn't," said Futaba.

'Lame,' Ryuji thought, daring not to speak his mind out loud due to the inevitable glares he'd receive as a result.

The two seemed to have a brief conversation before walking off yet again. They were headed towards the streets outside the park, likely to grab a bite to eat considering the time it was. Their assumption was proven correct as Futaba noticed them heading into a nearby restaurant through the lens of her binoculars.

"Looks like lunch," mused the navigator.

"So do we, uh… follow 'em?" Ryuji wondered aloud.

A grumbling could be heard, and on instinct the members of the Thieves looked to the artist among them while Yosuke, Yukiko and the others were shocked a person's stomach could rumble that loudly.

"Seems like lunch is a good idea," Yukiko mused, unable to stifle a laugh. "Besides, I think a meal with Yu and Ren-kun sounds more fun than at this point, don't you all agree?"

Everyone seemed to more or less agree, especially Yusuke for obvious reasons. Whether or not he would actually be able to pay for his meal himself was yet to be seen, though.

"Oh, uh… sis, do you want to join us?" Makoto offered.

"Well," began the crimson-eyed Nijima, "So long as this isn't stalking, I could stand to eat."

Present Time…

"…just doing stuff," Ann finished, unable to stifle a clearly nervous chuckle.

"Anyway, you guys good with sushi or what?" Futaba inquired.

"A perfectly acceptable choice," concluded Yusuke.

"I agree," Haru chirped.

"Fine with me," Yosuke said with a cheerful grin.

"Same here," Chie stated.

As the group was about to walk off to the other side of the street, however, the Amagi heiress quickly chimed in.

"Actually, I have other arrangements for lunch, so I'm afraid I'll be heading off," Yukiko stated apologetically.

"Huh?" Chie uttered confusedly. Realization quickly struck her. "Oooh, right, you've got that meeting with that guy from the charity organization."

"Charity organization?" asked Makoto curiously.

"I'm not sure if you guys were ever told, but the whole reason Yukiko was here in Tokyo was to meet with a representative for an organization dedicated to cultural preservation here in Japan. Yukiko's family runs an Inn back in Inaba that happens to be one of these designated cultural sites," Yu explained.

"Basically, she wants to see firsthand if it's legit," Chie added.

"I keep forgetting you guys had reasons for bein' here in Tokyo outside of stuff with the Metaverse…" Ryuji thought aloud.

"Honestly, I kinda did too," Futaba said in quiet agreement. "A-Anyway, good luck, Yukiko-san! And if you're not sure about the guy, just lemme know who he is and I guarantee to find out if he's a conman for ya."

"Thank you, Futaba-chan, I appreciate the offer," she replied, giggling pleasantly. "Anyway, I better get going, but I hope you all have fun!"

As the traditional Japanese beauty took her leave, the rest made their move towards the nearest sushi restaurant. Somewhere in the pit of Joker's room back at Leblanc, Morgana felt a jealous tinge for a reason he didn't quite understand.

Shinjuku: Central Police Precinct, At the Same Time…

Naoto Shirogane sat in place outside the district police chief's office. She'd been kept in wait for well-over an hour by this point, so naturally even her near-bottomless patience was starting to run thin.

She was even more surprised given that the Chief of the Shinjuku Police Department on whom she was waiting had a reputation for punctuality and efficiency. The man, going by the name the name of Kentaro Atsushi, was a consummate professional and very well-respected in the Tokyo law-enforcement community.

The very same man soon exited his office, appearing apologetic for whatever little it may have been worth.

"I am sincerely sorry, detective," the man stated, hanging his head low. "Things have been a bit crazy in Shijuku recently, and while it wasn't my intent to keep you waiting this long, I nevertheless have."

"Better late than never as they say," Naoto replied evenly.

"I hope you still feel the same way after what I'm about to say," he sighed heavily. "You see, unfortunately, the evidence is still being processed. You have my word you'll be green-lit to view it the moment it's ready, but until that point…"

"Oh? I was under the impression that was done days ago," Naoto pressed.

"I was too, that is until I got off the phone with our evidence center just now."

Though the skepticism in Naoto's eyes was palpable, it did seem that the police chief was speaking the truth. He seemed far too apologetic and distraught for him not to be.

"Very well, in that case—"

"Apologies, but could I have just a moment more of your time?"

She very quickly eyed Kentaro Atsushi with a look of abject disbelief. It was clear by his guilty nature that he meant to ask for a favor of some kind. To say it took either serious balls or lack of tact to do so after wasting so much of it was an understatement.

"Regarding what, exactly?" Naoto inquired, her tone even in spite of her inward annoyance.

"It… it would be easier to show you," the Chief replied. He gestured through his doorway. "Please, if you would be so kind."

The blue-haired beauty did exactly that, and within seconds she was guided to the Police Chief's desktop computer. He pulled up a number of files on his double-monitor setup, and while at first Naoto hadn't thought much of it, her eyes quickly went wide in shock.

Her eyes ran across the screen at the speed of light what seemed like a hundred times over. The information remained unbelievable each and every time she read it.

"Is this accurate?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Entirely."

It wasn't very often that Naoto Shirogane found herself at a loss for words, and yet now was one of those times. She gazed upon a very stereotypical analysis for a police precinct: Arrests and crime reports over the course of the past few weeks, most of them drug-related offenses. Though harmless in the form of simple data, what was not harmless was the enormous and eye-popping uptick that appeared to have began to spike over the past few days.

'What on earth is going on? This is unlike anything I've ever seen…' Naoto thought.

"It seems you're having a reaction similar to me when this was sent to me yesterday," Kentaro uttered bitterly. "I had them double and triple check the data, and sadly this looks accurate."

"These arrest numbers alone are mind-boggling," spoke Naoto in disbelief.

"And as if the number of crimes related to drug possession weren't encouraging enough," began the Chief sarcastically, "We've also seen a recent rise in reports of prostitution out of nowhere. It's unfounded, but given what we're seeing here…"

"Are there any existing theories?"

"The prevailing belief is that this may be coming from one source given the pace of the uptick, but we've not been able to gather any significant evidence as of yet to corroborate that theory. It's been such an abrupt rise that we're essentially caught with our pants down," he answered. "Which brings me to what I wanted to ask: Would you be willing to lend your assistance in tracking down the root cause? I understand that you'd prefer it if—"

"You will have all the help that I can give," Naoto quickly interjected. "Something like this is in need of immediate attention."

"…I can't thank you enough," he replied, inwardly taking a large sigh of relief.

"Don't," she uttered sternly. "At least not until I've done something of actual use. I take it you already have men at work on this?"

"Yes, I do. Please, follow me."

Tokyo: Upscale Apartment Building, Some Time Later…

"Damn that elevator ride took forever," Chie sighed. "Just how high up are we?"

Yosuke was about to open his mouth to respond, but was shot down before a word even came out.

"And that was rhetorical," she clarified, her eyes narrowed at her brunette friend. "Obviously, this is the thirty-first floor."

"Why did you just assume I was going to be a smartass?" Yosuke inquired. The half-lidded eyes and deadpanned expression he received was response enough. "Okay, fine, let's just say that was rhetorical too."

The group at large filed down the nearby hallway, following Yu's lead towards his actual apartment. Though the floor itself was large, it was painfully obvious that the actual number of rooms on it were few and far between.

"Just how big are the apartments on this floor?" Ann wondered aloud.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," said Futaba.

"I'd say they're about 2000 square feet," Haru mused.

"That's actually just about right from what I was told. I'm impressed," Yu said, offering a friendly smile.

Predictably, the fluffy-haired heiress's face tinged a subtle shade of red, all the while she waved him off as humbly as she could.

"Oh stop, i-it's nothing praiseworthy," Haru replied.

The charming silver-haired young man thankfully relented, allowing Haru some semblance of reprieve. That ended the second she saw Futaba at her side directing a Cheshire grin that would've made the smuggest humans alive jealous.

Needless to say, Haru didn't take kindly to it. A dark aura began to breathe from her eyes as she stared blankly at the orange-haired teen who, in response, quickly cowered behind Ann for momentary safety.

"Uh, are you okay, Futaba?" Ann asked surprisedly.

"Ann, if I die, know that the murderer was adorable!"

"Huh?!"

"Ah, this should be it," Yu abruptly announced, cutting off other fringe conversations in the process. "It looks like Ayaka-san is just up ahead."

As everyone peered over to get a good look at whomever he had been referring to, several jaws nearly dropped. Before them stood a woman that was clearly of a level of wealth that each of them, save perhaps Haru, could only dream to reach.

She wore an astonishingly well-made auburn-colored pantsuit coupled with a pair black high heel. As far as accessories, her wrist was adorned by what was clearly a platinum watch piece while a diamond necklace took its place around her neck.

The woman herself was fairly tall and seemed fairly young by most standards. Her eyes were a deep blue, her hair was pitch-black, and her figure was near-perfectly proportioned to the point of inspiring jealousy.

Most notably, however, was the fact that several knew who she was.

"No way," Yosuke thought aloud. He rubbed his eyes and looked forward once again as if to confirm his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. "No-freakin'-way."

"What? What am I missing?" Ryuji asked.

"Don't ask me, I'm just as confused as you are," Yosuke remarked.

"If my eyes aren't mistaking me, this woman is Ayaka Fukushima, one of the three heads of the Fukushima land group and thereby one of the wealthiest land owners in all of Japan," Sae explained.

"Is she like a celebrity, or…?" Futaba uttered.

"Much to my annoyance, I'm treated as one, yes," the woman sighed. Her mood soon picked up as evidenced by the smirk that crossed her lips. "And I will correct you on one account. I'm the sole head of the Fukushima group, though the paperwork doesn't quite reflect that quite yet for various reasons I won't get into. I have a certain someone to thank for that fact."

All eyes by default turned to Yu, who they all but knew she had been referring to.

"How?" Yosuke asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid that's highly confidential," Yu answered plainly.

"Good boy," Ayaka said pleasantly. "And more to the point, that story isn't why any of you are here today. So, without further ado…"

The black-haired woman took out the key to apartment 3105 as the group waited in anticipation for what was to come. She opened the door and became the first to enter with the others doing so shortly behind, and what they witnessed on the other side was truly a sight to behold.

Though the décor was rather plain, but clearly sleek and expensive in its own right, what was truly mind-blowing was the sheer amount of space available. Even with a fully stocked dining area, living space, and kitchen, it was clear that at least two people could stick side by side and still make it anywhere without toppling even a single furnishing.

On the literal top of all that was a second floor, and Futaba was the first to jet up the stairs to get a bird's eye view with an eager Ryuji and Yosuke following closely behind.

"Holy crap…" Chie uttered in awe, giving voice to everyone's collective thoughts. "This place is freakin' huge."

"I didn't even know they made apartments this big," Ann thought aloud.

"Well, the size is certainly nice, but if you ask me personally, the view is what really makes it special," Ayaka stated.

The raven-haired woman walked up towards the windows and pressed a button to retract a set of automatic blinds, revealing a truly stunning view of the Tokyo skyline. On reflex, everyone walked forward to take it in fully.

"I recommend the night view," she continued with a knowing smirk. "It's not the highest point in the city by any means, but the positioning is just perfect for gazing at the nighttime sky."

"…j-just how much does a place like this cost?" Makoto asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"That's a question I'd like to know the answer to myself," Yu stated.

He gave a skeptical look towards the black-haired mogul, who in turn seemed entirely unaffected.

"What? Are you dissatisfied?" Ayaka inquired.

"I think it's beneath both of us for me to dignify that with a response," Yu replied. He took another glance across the room, quirking a brow. "Also, I'm noticing a few furnishing that definitely aren't mine."

"It would've been rude not to bring a housewarming gift or two," she answered.

There was a silent standoff that seemed to occur briefly between the two, with Ayaka ultimately sighing to herself as if in a mild admission of defeat.

"I half-expected you'd react this way," she muttered.

"Then you should know what I'm about to say, right?" Yu reasoned.

"Uh, wait-wait-wait," Yosuke quickly uttered, shaking his head in shock. "You're not about to give this place up, are you, partner? Like, seriously?"

"Over my dead body," Ayaka huffed, her arms crossed.

The blue-eyed woman's pleasant demeanor faded rather quickly, and in its place came an expression that was eerily similar to that of Haru's whenever her rage and anger came bubbling to the surface.

"Ayaka-san—" Yu began tiredly.

"Don't even try it," she cut in. "You're free to leave if you choose, and of course I won't inconvenience you in the slightest. However, just know that this space will go uninhabited for all of time should you choose to do so."

At this, the ashen-haired Wild Card user could only sigh. If any part of that statement was a lie, it was the first part of it. He still felt lingering guilt of course, but he knew full well that not even the gods themselves could get Ayaka Fukushima to budge when she put her foot down.

"This won't be the last conversation we have on the subject," Yu began, almost stubbornly, "but thank you. This place really is something else."

"Now was that so hard to say?" she replied teasingly.

"A little bit yeah," Yu said with a chuckle. "Mainly because I don't know what I could even begin to do to repay a favor like this."

"Well, I wouldn't say no to dinner and a movie," Ayaka replied, her lips curling into a playful smirk.

"Of course you wouldn't," Yosuke whispered bitterly to himself.

"However, the truth is that this barely managed to cover half of what I truly owe you already. I know you're too humble to say as much though," she continued.

"I don't think I did anything all that special," Yu answered.

The honesty in his voice and the charming nature of his smiling visage forced Ayaka to stifle a girlish laugh.

"Ehem, well, either way, I need to be on my way," she stated, heading for the door a moment later. "Enjoy the place, Yu. I'll be sure to check up n you if ever I get the chance."

"You know where to find me," he said jokingly.

The two waved to one another respectively as the mogul took her leave, and immediately after the door closed, a certain police officer among them couldn't help but begin an interrogation to quell her curiosity.

"Okay, spill it," Chie stated pointedly. "What's the deal here? And what exactly did you do for her that landed you a place like this?"

"That actually isn't something I can talk about," Yu answered.

"Wait, for real?" Ryuji uttered confusedly.

"I get it," said Ren, "but clearly Fukushima-san considered it a huge help, and that's really all that matters, right?"

"Yeah, couldn't have said it better myself," Yu said with a nod. He took another glance around the apartment and couldn't help but sigh again. "Although I honestly wish she was making me pay more than I actually am…"

"Okay, I'll bite," Futaba chimed in. "Just how much are you paying for this place?"

"Around 400,000 yen a month," Yu answered.

"What?! That's… that's…!" Futaba exclaimed. She turned to the richest person among them. "Haru, can you tell us how much this place should actually cost so I know how shocked I need to be?"

"The typical rent amount for an apartment unit like this would be more than double that," she answered.

"Actually, she sold the apartment to me," Yu answered. "Those payments were for the loan."

"Ah, in that case, while the payments would be around the same, there would be an expected down-payment of around a million yen at minimum," Haru added.

The orange-haired teen began to fall over, though she was caught by both Makoto and Ann who were nearby and more than ready to get her back up to her feet.

"D-D-Did you say one-million yen?!" Futaba uttered in shock. Her vision snapped to Yu. "Aren't you like not even two years out of college? And you managed to save that much up already?!"

"Nowhere near, I'm afraid," Yu stated. "I didn't know at the time, but I'm getting this place at what had to be significantly below market value. It kinda bothers me that she went this far, if I'm being honest…"

"I could see that," Ann thought aloud.

"I can't," Ryuji said. "To me, you're nuts."

"Yeah, I can certainly see why most people would think that," Yu replied through a laugh. "I don't typically like getting rewarded for simply doing the right thing. She was just… really insistent."

"Oh boo-hoo," Yosuke stated, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "I'm Yu Narukami and it just sucks that rich, beautiful women give me super nice things aaaaall the time. Also, my bank account balance has too many commas, and the diamonds in my watch are too heavy!"

"Hey, how'd you know?" Yu asked in a voice that sounded genuinely surprised.

The brunette could only roll his eyes in disbelief, quite a number of those present couldn't help but laugh at the exchange.

"No need to be so bitter," Chie said. "In fact, this kinda benefits you if ya think about it."

"And how exactly do you figure that?" Yosuke questioned.

"Well," she began contemplatively, "you're still looking for a place in Tokyo, right? I'm sure Yu could sweet-talk his way into getting you a place here. You'd definitely have to pay a normal rent rate, but he could at least get you through the door."

In perhaps the most shameless one-eighty anyone in the room had ever seen, Yosuke almost immediately got down on his hands and knees right in front of the named lawyer.

He didn't bother saying anything; his intent was as plain as they came.

"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do," Yu said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and averting his eyes. "Just get up. Please."

"Yes!" Yosuke cheered, literally jumping for joy off the ground. "Aw man, if I could actually score a place here…!"

"It'd be great—yeah, yeah, yeah," said Ryuji, quickly gaining the group's attention. "Now, more importantly… let's go check out upstairs! I'll bet it's as kickass as down here!"

"Race ya to the top of the staircase!" Futaba declared.

The two were about to sprint away, but the ever-stern Sae Nijima soon appeared in their way and delayed their takeoff. The look she gave them was akin to a parent staring down at their knowingly-guilty child, which of coarse had the two as white as ghosts within seconds.

"Uh… S-Sae-san?" Yosuke uttered nervously.

"A friendly reminder that we're in another person's home," Sae stated pointedly.

It was clear that her words were lost on nearly everyone present, and so it was with her eyes half-lidded that she pointed towards her feet.

"I don't get it, what—Oooh, wait, our shoes!" Ryuji exclaimed. He quickly took them off in a frenzy, turning to the apartments owner and bowing his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Yu-san, I totally didn't realize it. It cool with you if we just put 'em by the door?"

"Yeah, that's perfectly fine with me," he answered with a friendly smile.

"I can't believe we forgot…!" Ann said as if chastising herself.

"And I can't believe Makoto forgot," Sae remarked.

Needless to say, the mentioned teen's cheeks became a light shade of red to match her eyes.

"Why are you calling me out specifically?!" Makoto inquired.

"Because I know that you know better."

"B-But I…!"

The stammering Nijima sister didn't really have much of a comeback and struggled to the point that Ann and Haru found it necessary to place a comforting hand on her shoulders. She just sighed and hung her head on the way to the door with her two closest friends in tow.

"For the record, I don't really mind all that much if people wear shoes in here," Yu announced. "Still, thanks for noticing, Sae. I can't say I'm surprised though."

"Naturally," she answered, a bit of pride in her voice.

With a cheeky grin, Yosuke couldn't help but whisper to his longtime female friend, "She probably just protecting her future home away from home."

Chie nudged his side with her elbow, but clearly found some amusement in the joke if her wry smile was anything to go by. She, however, had not been the only one to hear the remark, as evidenced by a certain orange-haired navigator's widened eyes.

"Say what now?" Futaba uttered, believing she's misheard the brunette.

"Meh, not important," said Yosuke, waving it off. "Anyway, partner, let's go see the upstairs!

"Alright, then follow me. I'm just as eager to see it myself."

Tokyo: Upscale Restaurant

A smiling Yukiko Amagi sat patiently at a table as a waiter brought her a glass of water. She waited the arrival of her inn's would-be benefactor, though he was by no means late to the point it was noteworthy.

'Ah, that must be him now,' Yukiko thought.

She noticed an approaching man in a plain but well-made suit, who'd waved to her as he made his way over towards her table. Before formally taking his seat, he extended his hand towards her in as friendly and welcoming a way as one could.

"You must be Amagi-san. My name is Shinsuke Ayanakoji, a leading member on the board of the Society for Japanese Cultural Preservation," the man said. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

"Not at all. I've hardly been waiting more than a few minutes," Yukiko responded pleasantly.

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied. "And my thanks again for coming all this way out to Tokyo to meet with me. I'd just as easily have come to visit your lovely in, though."

"Again, don't sweat it," Yukiko answered. "In hindsight, it's was a happy coincidence I ended up coming to Tokyo."

"I'm glad to hear it," he chuckled in a friendly manner.

The two soon placed their orders as the waiter returned to their table. Once the last of the necessary pleasantries were out of the way, the suited man got straight to business.

"Now," began Shinsuke. "I understand that you have some qualms about accepting a donation from our organization."

"Not necessarily qualms. It's more that I questioned the legitimacy of the offer," Yukiko clarified. "After all, it's not every day that someone offers to donate a large sum of money to an inn out in the sticks."

"Oh?" Shinsuke uttered, his brow quirked.

For some odd reason that the raven-haired heiress couldn't quite understand, he appeared genuinely confused by her words.

"Well… yes," said Yukiko, now equally lost on account of his reaction. "In fact, this would be the first time anyone has ever actually offered. At least without wanting something in return."

"I can assure you that our donation would be no strings attached, if that's what you're worried about," he replied, scoffing at the very implication.

"And I thank you for that," she replied with a smile. "However, I'm sure there are plenty of sites more significant than the Amagi Inn, so I just need to ask… why choose to donate to us in particular?"

Yet again, the man seemed almost stunned by the question asked of him. Although an educated and clearly eloquent man, he found himself at a momentary loss for words.

"Because we have the money to do so," he answered as respectfully as he could. "Not to be rude, of course, but the Amagi Inn isn't necessarily a priority for us. It's just another piece of our culture that we wish to maintain. As we see it, all aspects of our culture across all areas, no matter how big or small, are worth preserving."

"I can't deny that's an admirable goal," Yukiko replied, sporting an honest smile. "Well, my mind is at least a bit more at ease. And given that everything else appears above board, I'll gladly accept whatever donation the SJCP has put together."

"I'm glad to hear it," replied Shinsuke cheerfully. "In that case, this is for you."

The suited man gently pushed a contract over to Yukiko, who went over the failry simple document without much trouble. Though once said heiress actually saw the amount that was promised, she froze in place, her eyes as blank as the void of a starless night.

"A-Amagi-san…?" Shinsuke asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Um, this amount… t-these are commas, correct? My vision isn't failing me?" Yukiko asked.

"Yes," he answered. His expression turned to one of mild concern as he asked, "Ah, wait, by your expression, I gather the amount must not be enough. My apologies, it was presumptuous of us to—"

"How could you ever think this wouldn't be enough?" Yukiko asked in complete and total disbelief. "If anything, this is far too much! T-This is…! I don't even know what this is! There's no way I can accept!"

Though he was once again seeing an odd reaction he hadn't expected, the suited man found himself laughing nearly to the point of tears. The heiress in turn was still staring at all the 0's in the contract, too stupefied to notice.

"This may be the first time I've ever seen someone that didn't want to take our money," Shinsuke said, wiping the corner of his eye. "Amagi-san, with all due respect, that's a perfectly reasonable sum. It's meant to last a generation, after all."

"This is enough to last ten lifetimes at least…" Yukiko mumbled.

"Hm? Well, the way inflation has been going, I doubt that, but…" he trailed off. Catching himself, he stated, "E-Either way, the money is yours to do with as you see fit. Provided of course that it is spent on upkeeping the Amagi Inn in accordance with the contract I've just handed you."

"…are you sure about this?" Yukiko inquired.

"A friendly reminder that this is the purpose of our organization," Shinsuke answered good-naturedly. "And if it makes you feel any better, this amount hardly scratches the surface as far as our funding is concerned."

That statement alone nearly had the young woman's eyes pop out of her head.

"It's rather difficult for me to believe that," Yukiko admitted.

"We have many, many incredibly wealthy donors. Now more so than ever," Shinsuke stated confidently.

Yukiko took another look at the contract, hardly believing the amount was a sum of money that any one or think was willing to part with, let alone donate it to the Amagi Inn of all places.

It felt too good to be true, and yet it was real despite her best efforts of proving otherwise through her own due diligence. Even the contract itself was plain and as fair as they came.

She sat in place, mulling over how the inn would even use such a life-changing sum of money. To say the least, maintaining the grounds, hiring new employees for upkeep and the like would hardly ever be a worry for as long as her mother or even she herself were alive.

Truthfully, there wasn't any reason to do anything other than agree to take the sum.

"Well, in that case…" Yukiko said, grabbing the pen that was nearest to her on the table.

Tokyo: Subway Station, Some Time Later…

The group of Persona users had left Yu's apartment some time ago, with Yosuke and Chie going their separate ways to meet up with Yukiko while Sae was much the same, though in her case she was off running errands that were delayed on account of running into the group in the first place.

"Man, Yu-san's place really was somethin' else…" Ryuji thought aloud.

"Indeed," nodded Yusuke in agreement. "The view of the cityscape in particular was quite amazing."

"I'm actually quite interested in seeing the view of the night sky from his apartment," Haru admitted.

"I'll bet you are," Futaba replied.

At first the remark went right over Noir's head, but upon seeing the cheeky grin that the navigator was directing her way, she went crimson. It didn't help that Ryuji lost himself to laughter and even Makoto and Ren fell let loose a noticeable chuckle.

"Ghhh…!" Haru pouted cutely.

A playful back and forth came to be between the two young women, which began to attract a glances from a few of the other passengers on the subway train. Makoto did her best to diffuse the situation since it was clear that Haru was getting a bit too worked up, but it was clear that she wasn't giving it her best effort. That had a lot to do with the fact that the heiress was just too adorable at times like this.

Ren was just intent on seeing the amusing display continue. True to his name as the Trickster, he simply couldn't help himself even though in the back of his mind he knew he probably should have done something. Almost at random, however, he was struck with a strange feeling. He couldn't quite understand it, but he began to feel that something was off.

Though it took him longer than he'd care to admit, he was eventually struck by realization. He wasn't currently hearing Ann so much as laugh, who usually wound up in the same camp as him in situations like this: too amused to put a stop to it even though they probably should. His eyes shifted to the blonde, who sat quietly at his side on the fringe of the group. Her eyes were fixed downward on the bag that rested on her lap, herself having not uttered so much as a word or offered so much as a laugh up until that point.

'I don't think I've ever seen her that deep in thought before…' Ren thought.

The Wile Card was almost amazed to an extent, but he was first and foremost hit with a sense of concern. While he was unsure if he should, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Hey," spoke Ren evenly. "You okay?"

Ann's reaction was about as one would expect. She stayed quiet for a few seconds but soon registered that she'd been spoken to, and so her widened eyes shifted towards Ren.

"Hm?" Ann uttered. "Um, yeah. I'm…"

The blonde stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the look Ren was throwing back at her. His half-lidded eyes and the disbelieving look to them were a clear indication that the answer she was about to give was not going to be the end of their conversation.

"I'm not saying you have to talk about it," Ren stated offhandedly. "I will ask that you not lie to me though. Whether you think it's for my own good or not."

"…yeah," Ann answered, her voice low and holding a touch of regret to it. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

The two stayed perfectly silent for a time with Joker in particular nonchalantly staring at the ceiling in his typical laid-back fashion. Somehow, even that course of action on his part made the blue-eyed beauty feel the pressure to speak her mind. That didn't surprise her all that much, though.

"So…" Ann trailed off leadingly.

"Yes?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

The raven-haired young man was about to respond by simply saying she didn't need his permission, but the words died in his throat upon seeing the strangely determined look that had donned on Ann's features.

A lone bead of sweat dropped from his cheek at the sight, and even he of all people felt almost nervous about what she was actually going to ask. Whatever it was, it seemed as if it was going to be the most important question given to anyone throughout the entire course of human history.

"Ren, what's your favorite color?" Ann asked.

There were few times, if ever, that Ren Amamiya could truly say that he was taken completely and entirely by surprise. There were even fewer moments where he was at a complete and total loss.

This was a moment in which he was hit with both.

"Uh… what?" Ren uttered confusedly.

"What is your favorite color?" she repeated.

"That's what you wanted to ask?" Ren wondered aloud, still in the throes of surprise. "Are… are you serious?"

"Yes," Ann answered, her tone unusually firm. Her eyes narrowed. "Is it some kind of problem that I asked or something?"

"What? No, not at all," Ren stated. "It's just that you looked so serious just now that when you asked, so I was just surprised."

"Then you don't mind answering, right?" she mused.

"I mean no, but I'll admit I'm kinda curious as to why you'd suddenly as me that of all things," Ren said.

Ann gave off a tired sigh, her vision averting from the raven-haired teen out of what even a blind man could tell was sheer annoyance.

"You know what, never mind. Just forget I asked…" Ann replied.

Yet again, the silver-tongued Phantom Thief was at a loss for words. He wasn't an idiot, so clearly he could tell that she was upset and that it somehow had to do with the fact that he hadn't given his answer yet.

He didn't understand in the moment why that was. He just knew that if it was that important for her to know, then knowing her reasons didn't really matter.

"Red."

A surprised Ann perked up, not knowing if she'd just been hearing things or if she'd actually heard the answer to her previous question.

"My favorite color is red," Ren stated.

The blonde didn't say so much as a word. However, the genuine smile she sported upon hearing his answer was proof enough that just hearing him say what he had made her happy beyond belief.

'I don't really get it,' Ren admitted to himself, a small smile tugging at his own lips. 'But I guess… I don't need to.'

For whatever reason, knowing something that mundane had made her happy, and that was enough for him.

"Wait, what?" Ryuji abruptly uttered, turning towards his closest friend. "Did I hear that right or am I just goin' crazy?"

"I heard it too," Makoto stated, appearing amazed.

"Same here," Futaba added.

"So, the color red, huh?" Haru asked rhetorically.

"The color itself is irrelevant. That we know what it is however, is a weight off my very soul itself," Yusuke said.

"Okay… I'm lost," Ren thought aloud. "Can someone explain to me why you all look like you just solved the universe's biggest mystery?"

"S-Sorry, we don't mean to see so amazed," Makoto apologized sheepishly.

"Bro, c'mon, ain't it obvious?" Ryuji asked, hanging an arm over his shoulder. "You never talk about stuff like that. I mean shit, up until this mornin', we didn't even know your birthday was on… uh…"

"Oh for the love of… April 24th!" Ann exclaimed, her arms crossed and her eyes fixed in a slight glare.

"Yeah, what she said," Ryuji continued. "Anyway, you get my point."

"However haphazardly it was made," Makoto sighed.

"Is knowing that kind of stuff about me really that important to you guys?" Ren asked.

The confusion of his voice earned him a few glares and a number of strange looks that served as enough of an answer without one actually being given.

"Okay, point taken," he chuckled.

"Oh nah, nah, nah," Ryuji said with a grin. "You ain't gettin' off that easy. Come on guys, what else should we ask him?"

The Wild Card was yet again amazed at the serious looks of consideration that crossed the faces of his closest friends. It was as if they were preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask questions of God himself.

"What's your favorite movie?" asked Makoto.

"The Cake Knight."

"Oooh, that's a good one," Futaba commented, an eager smile crossing her lips. "Favorite video game?"

"The Witcher III."

"Favorite painting," Yusuke uttered.

"The Sayuri, but if I'm not allowed to say that, then The Last Supper."

"Favorite flower?" Haru gleefully inquired.

"A rose."

"Ahh, I've got a good one!" Ryuji uttered with a wicked grin. "Do you ever wanna get married?"

The conversation froze entirely when that particular question had been asked. Quite literally each of the girls immediately stared at Ren with frightening intensity, curiosity written deep in their eyes. Even Yusuke nodded his head along, an obvious sign of his approval for the question.

Ren himself was clearly taken aback by the question itself. He appeared to give his answer a great deal of thought, so much so that his friends dared not interrupt him. After a time, when he was ready to give his answer, practically everyone waited with eager ears.

"It's a secret," Ren answered.

The collective groan that echoed from the group of Persona users drew the attention of every passenger within earshot. Ren couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips, which didn't help to alleviate the frustration some of his friends felt.

"Seriously?" Futaba asked. "Again, with the 'it's a secret'!"

"Hey, I can't be a totally open book," Ren answered.

"You suck," Futaba plainly said.

"Maybe so," he chuckled. "But anyway, now that you guys have asked everything you—"

"Excuse you?" Ann uttered with a quirked brow. "I don't recall saying we were done."

"Me neither," said Futaba.

"Now that you mention it, I don't recall us saying that either," Makoto chimed in.

"Agreed," Haru chirped.

Ren chuckled nervously, a bead of sweat dripping from his cheek. He metaphorically strapped himself in for what was bound to be a long train ride home.

Tokyo: Upscale Apartment Complex, Some Time Later…

Yu sighed to himself, relieved, after having sorted out a majority of his belongings in recent hours. He closed his door, allowing it to lock automatically as he readied to head back to the Sanshou hotel for what would end up being one of his last nights staying there.

He took no more than two steps down the hall before a familiar voice called out.

"Yu?"

The silver-haired lawyer stopped in place, recognizing the voice to be Rise's but not understanding how or why she could have possibly been there with him. He shifted his posture, confirming that Rise was, in fact, right next to him just standing in place at the door directly across from his own.

"Rise?" Yu spoke out, clearly confused. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but… what are you doing here?"

"I'll be staying here now actually," Rise answered. "And, from what I'm seeing… I take it that so will you?"

Yu Narukami was absolutely astonished beyond the ability to put into words. He knew that Rise was a dedicated young woman in every sense of the word, but for her to go this far was beyond what he'd expect even from her.

His assumption that this was somehow her own doing, however, was entirely wrong. He soon realized that based on one thing alone: Rise was clearly just as surprised by their encounter as he was.

"Oh, wait, you seriously didn't expect to see me here," Yu though aloud.

"Of course not," Rise giggled amusedly. She flashed him a wry grin, "What, did you really think I somehow set this up or something?"

The gray-eyed young man just stood in place silently, only offering a few blinks and a statue-like demeanor in the face of her words.

"Well, this time, I really didn't," she stated, rolling her eyes. "But more to the point, I didn't even know you were moving today."

"Technically, I'm not," Yu replied. "I just came over today to get the key to the room and to sort out a few things. I'm not leaving the hotel for another few nights."

"That it such a lawyer's answer," Rise joked.

"Guilty as charged," he replied with a smile. "But that aside, why did you move in here? Did your agency just decide this was safer or something?"

"Well, sort of," the idol sighed. "My agency pre-purchased a place here in my name for when I'm staying in Tokyo since it's close by their offices, and it also happens to be closer to the area for my upcoming concert. So, obviously, they thought it was better for me to stay here."

"That's too bad, actually," Yu said, a touch of sympathy to his tone. "I'm sure everyone will miss you at the hotel."

"Yeah, I'm not too happy about it," Rise replied. She giggled, giving a playful look towards the tall, silver-haired young man. "Well, with you here, it looks like I can't say that anymore."

"A happy coincidence, I guess," Yu mused.

"Seems that way," Rise stated. "Well, I won't keep you. I've actually gotta get going soon too, but I'm sure I'll see you later."

"Yep, seems that way," Yu replied. "Take care, Rise.

The two longtime friends bid each other good night before going their separate ways. Once he was in the safe haven that was the empty elevator, Yu could only hang his head and let out a tired sigh.

There was really only one thing he could bring himself to say.

"What are the odds…?" Yu muttered. "Not that I'm unhappy, but I swear that if God exists, he definitely has a soft spot for her. There's no other way to explain it."

A/N Alright, so there you have it. This chapter was a long one that took a while to get to a point to where I felt it was just right, so hopefully it ends up being enjoyable to everyone.

Once again, on account of Elden Ring, probably don't expect a chapter for another few weeks, thinking until maybe the end of March. However, once I do start posting again, it'll be the traditional weekly schedule.

Explanations:

Ren and Yu: I particularly enjoyed this chapter because I think it's the first time I've really gotten to write them in a scenario where they talk about their journeys etc. As their relationship gradually becomes closer, the conversations may turn a bit heavier, but generally speaking these two are the only ones that can really understand what it's like to be a Wild Card so of course they'd want to talk about deeper stuff with one another when given the chance.

Not Knowing Anything About Ren: This is more of a play on the fact that Ren/Joker is not a character with tastes or 'real' traits in the game, so them not knowing things like his birthday, favorite color and the like is meant to be based off of that. It also fit well as a lead-in for the whole 'spy on the Wild Card' thing.

A Day in the Life of a Wild Card: This is pretty much inspired by the P4 anime where the P4 crew does exactly this for a solo Yu. I'm a sucker for funner slice of life stuff and more comedic moments, which I can understand if in Persona that kind of stuff just annoys you, but for me it's what I think makes the series so endearing.

Morgana Staying Back: I admit I am not a massive fan of the cat, but that isn't the reason for his absence here haha. I just think it made sense for Morgana to be uninterested in what Ren does in his downtime since during the game he's literally always with him.

The Baseball Stuff: I could see this as maybe being more on the boring side for some/many people as far as this chapter is concerned, but there was a reason I wanted this included and that's primarily going to pay off a bit later.

Rise Living Across from Yu: Yes, God does have a soft spot for her.

The Cake Knight : This is a reference to P5 itself. When you go to the movie theatre, early on one of the movies you can see is the Cake Knight Rises, which is just a spoof on the Dark Knight Rises, so Dark Knight Series is just the Cake Knights series. I thought about putting a serious movie there, but this was too tempting. Not to say the actual Dark Knight wouldn't be a good pick, because it actually is one of the better movies of all time IMO, but you get what I mean.

Ren's Favorite Color: Red just being the main color of P5. That's the main reason.