As the Phantom Thieves traveled along the outer garden of the museum, Ren thought back to how their encounter with Madarame's palace had gone before.
The first time around, they had gotten just past the entrance, coming upon the large statue of the Infinite Spring. It was here where they had learned of Madarame's exploitative nature and the true fate of his past pupils.
They had decided to conduct more research, wanting to gather enough evidence to decide whether or not they commit to targeting the artist. However, Ren didn't need such a thing. He already knew the palace like the back of his hand. It was only halfway through the palace where he would run into trouble.
For now, he would lead them through, accessing room after room, learning more and more of Madarame's secrets as they made their way for the treasure. It was also a chance to have them learn how to more effectively use their personas. In a more intense fight, he wouldn't have the time to teach them.
He especially wanted to get Shiho, or Sparrow as they had decided her code name would be, more comfortable with her role as a navigator. With no knowledge on her capabilities, the small fry of the palace would be her testing ground. All to prep them for the inevitable battles they would face against much tougher opponents.
As they entered the museum through the skylight, Ren walked them through, calmly explaining the nature of the palace to them.
"All of these portraits are of Madarame's current and past pupils," he said. "You can read their names below their paintings, but you'll notice that you don't recognize any of their names. Why would that be? How could such a renown artist like Madarame have pupils that aren't recognized by anyone?"
He turned to look at his companions as they walked through the corridors of the museum. There were dozens of pictures, an unbelievable amount of faces plastered the walls of the gallery. Yet none of them were known.
"He takes all of their works as his own. He takes their art and exchanges it for their livelihood. The power he holds in the world of art just isn't fair. That's why we're here," Ren said as he stopped in front of a particular painting.
In the largest frame of the room stood Yusuke Kitagawa. The Phantom Thieves stood in awe at the scale of the portrait compared to everyone else. There was a reason for Yusuke's larger presence. He was Madarame's most talented pupil. In the eyes of the man that had taken him in, he acknowledged that Yusuke was the most notable. He would be the one to make him millions. And he already started.
The painting of the Sayuri was one such work whose true nature was ripped from Yusuke's grasp. The child was covered up, and the mystery of what the woman was looking at came to be. No longer was the painting a self portrait of a proud mother. No, instead the painting was ruined with the desire to create a needlessly vague work. The last gift of a mother to her only son was tarnished in the name of vanity.
"That's him," Ren said as he looked at the painting. "He's the one we're saving. The shadows up ahead shouldn't be too difficult. I'll teach you guys the basics of fighting so you get comfortable with it. We'll have some tough battles in the future and I want you guys ready for all of them."
He decided that today would be spent more on training rather than trying to clear the palace. For starters, he knew he couldn't finish everything in one day. There was no way for them to get past the security in the courtyard without Madarame seeing someone enter the door in the real world. Another reason was that the art gallery wasn't even up yet. As far as he remembered, Madarame wasn't even around until a few days before his art exhibit. Hell, not even Maruki was here yet. His appearance was shortly after Kamoshida's arrival in the original timeline. Ren was sure he would show up soon.
As the Phantom Thieves continued their walk through the art gallery of Madarame's palace, Ren stopped them, motioning for them to gather around as he pressed against the wall. It was different from the time they had first entered the palace in his own time.
"We didn't have to deal with them in Kamoshida's palace, but do you guys see those things?" He asked, pointing to one of the patrolling shadows. The lobby of the palace contained two shadows in the form of security guards.
"Those are what we call shadows. They're beings created from the negative emotions that we feel. They're different from a person's own shadow. Unlike that shadow Kamoshida, these ones aren't tied to specific events. These are typically a lot less dangerous and a lot more predictable. You guys might've noticed it already, but the typical person can only use one persona. The shadows that we fight manifest into personas that I'm able to use. It's entirely possible that a shadow we fight can be persuaded into joining us."
As Ren continued to discuss the basics of personas and shadows, the team looked intently, soaking in all of the things he was saying. He turned to face the shadows in the lobby again before looking back at his teammates.
"I want you guys to try and fight them. I'll stay with Morgana and make sure nothing goes wrong, but I want you guys to understand that what we're doing is dangerous. Go all out against them. Even if it seems like they're weak, you should always go into battle with a serious mindset. Any slip ups and you could be the one getting swept."
The three other Phantom Thieves nodded. Morgana would stay back for his healing support. He didn't need the practice as much as the others, so Ren had him sit this one out.
Ryuji was the first to make a move, charging in to strike the shadow from the back. As he leapt up onto the shadows back, he ripped the mask off of it revealing its true form. Stunned by the sudden attack, the shadows that emerged were too dazed to do anything as Ryuji let loose with Captain Kidd, focusing everything on his persona for maximum damage.
Lightning struck the two shadows, Mokoi and Apsaras. The effects differed greatly. On one hand, it was clear that one of the shadows had been barely affected by the hit. On the other, one shadow was stuck convulsing from the sudden shock. It was a surprisingly good chance to teach Ryuji firsthand about weaknesses and strengths. The Apsaras had gone down with the lightning strike, opening it up to another attack while the Mokoi was barely touched.
Ryuji hopped back as a swift counterattack came from the Mokoi, dodging the hit as he summoned his persona once more to finish off the downed opponent. Captain Kidd lunged forth, hitting the Apsaras and taking it down.
The battle quickly became a 3 on 1 as Ryuji's quick acting had swiftly disposed of one enemy. As he regrouped with Ann and Shiho, the latter had let loose a quick flash with her persona, greatly disorienting the remaining shadow. In its dizziness, Mokoi couldn't do anything while Ann stepped up to take a hit off of the shadow.
Rather than using her persona, she had gone for a head on attack utilizing her whip. Although not a specific interaction, Ann's physical attack had done more damage due to the state of the shadow. Ren had dubbed such instances "technicals," and knew that other status ailments had other technical pairings.
He was impressed with the rate in which his friends were learning to fight. He was glad that their progress was faster due to his own prior knowledge. As their leader and temporary teacher, he would be able to help them utilize their combat experience to their fullest potential. He could point out flaws and suggest changes in order to maximize their effectiveness in battle. If need be, he could act as a commander in the back, telling them what they needed to do.
As they took down the last shadow, they were quickly met by the remaining shadow in the room that had very quickly noticed their fight. They were put in a familiar situation as they were pitted against Hua Po and Jack Frost. Shiho acted quickly, reducing the defense of the Jack Frost while Ann quickly followed up with an agi from Carmen. The shadow had gone down in one hit thanks to the combo, while Ryuji faced off against the lone Hua Po. He had gone in for a swing only for the shadow to dodge completely, attacking him instead.
After Ryuji had gotten hit, he quickly stumbled back, getting away from the shadow to prevent any more damage. Ann on the other hand had pulled out her gun, spraying the remaining shadow with a hail of bullets, knocking it down. As it sat dazed on the floor, Ann and Ryuji surrounded the shadow, pointing their guns at it for intimidation.
"W-wait! I'm sorry okay?" The shadow said as it flinched.
"I'm impressed that you guys thought to do this," Ren said as he approached them. "From here on, you decide what to do."
"What do you know about Madarame, huh?" Ryuji asked.
"He's the owner of this museum," the shadow replied. "He thinks that his pupils are so easily exploitable that he'll just toss them off to the side if he thinks they've run their course. He doesn't care about them at all! Can I go now?" The shadow begged.
"Now listen here," Ryuji started.
"Drop it, she's said enough," Ren interrupted. He knew that the shadows could only take so much before they broke. He had developed a sort of soft spot for the shadows who he already had masks of. "You can go now, don't come back though or we'll have to fight you again, okay?" He told the shadow.
"Wait, I sense something within you," the shadow replied. "Almost as if I have a contract with you already."
"Yes, I've known your power once before, Hua Po. You should leave from here. I know there are others like you that we'll have to fight so get out of here while you can," Ren told it.
"T-thank you for your kindness," the shadow said before taking off.
"Dude, what was that for?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The shadows that we fight are just embodiments of the negative feelings we have. They aren't necessarily bad, so I don't think it's right to just finish off every single one if we don't have to. They've helped me more than enough in my own battles. Although they aren't all the same, they're still connected. Maybe it's stupid, but I would feel bad destroying a persona that's helped me before."
Ren took off his mask and examined it as he spoke, Arséne appearing behind him.
"It isn't healthy to keep these feelings pent up. When we finish off shadows, we destroy any chance at them expressing themselves. We build up those negative feelings in the host and they begin to forget what it's like to feel. We aren't murderers. We're just doing what's right," he said.
The team continued on past the lobby, entering the room housing the Infinite Spring. They looked in awe at the golden statue, impressed by its scale, yet also disgusted by the implication.
Their resolve strengthened as their leader moved on, leaving the statue behind without another word. They followed him into a room with an enormous golden vase.
"The palaces we enter are always full of traps," Ren said wistfully. "Don't ever forget that." The amount of times he and his friends had been caught unprepared was a little embarrassing. Despite their desire to act like heroes, infiltrating and fighting the evils of the world, they had rarely had the foresight to see any sort of trap that might have awaited them. This exact room had been one of their more notable ones. Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana had all gotten trapped while Ren was quick enough on his feet to have avoided the laser grid.
As such, he urged them to move on ahead of him. It didn't take long for Morgana to completely forget what he had just said, pouncing on the gold treasure in the middle of the room.
The laser grid near instantly went up as Ren stayed out of range. All four of his teammates on the other hand, weren't so lucky.
It taught them a valuable lesson: some things are too good to be true. There was no way that Madarame would just leave an important or expensive treasure out in the open. The man may have flaunted his wealth, but he knew not to have anything of value out. It explained the amount of Sayuri counterfeits he had stored in the closet. The same was true for when they had believed to have taken the treasure.
Despite thinking that they were spot on, they had been fooled into taking a dummy painting. It led to Madarame's encounter, fighting the man's shadow for the treasure before leaving the palace as it collapsed.
He knew the treasure was still going to be a fake. He couldn't even guess where the real one was though. He had nothing to go off. At best, they would breeze through all the previous traps set by Madarame. Their plan stayed the same. Morgana would be lowered into the fake treasure's display, stealing it and having Madarame separate from his guards. That way, at least the fight would remain in their favor.
The desire to keep some things consistent was reasonable. The more he tried changing things, the less predictable the future would be. Of course, he had already done two major things to offset the course of history. Although it didn't spell any sort of suspicion from anyone, Kasumi's survival and helping Sumire's shadow hadn't affected anything just yet. For now, they just had to wait and see.
Of course, the most notable thing would be Maruki's lack of a proper grasp of his power. Yet that hadn't actually affected anything. Not yet at least. Sumire was her normal self and Kasumi was alive. Nothing more to it.
Shiho on the other hand was a much more severe case. His tampering with her fate had led her straight into the arms of the Phantom Thieves. An entirely new member. Along with her recruitment, Kamoshida's confession also came earlier than expected, and somehow sparked the interest of a few detectives from Inaba. Perhaps their involvement was due to being in the wrong place in the wrong time.
Although he didn't remember everything from his childhood, he remembered the silver haired man as someone who seemed to find himself around the victims of the attempted murder spree that haunted Inaba all those years ago.
Ren shook his head, discarding those thoughts for later. Right now, he had a job to do. He wanted to complete palaces in as little time as possible. Their heists always seemed to have deadlines. Even though the deadline wasn't quite set in stone yet, force of habit had led him to always prefer finishing the palace as soon as possible.
He disabled the laser grid around his teammates before looking at them with an amused expression.
"What the hell was that? You moved so fast!" Ryuji exclaimed as they grouped up in front of the golden vase.
"Like I said," Ren stated as he walked toward the vase. "Traps and the like are everywhere. Always stay vigilant or always stay behind me. I know I told you guys to go on, but I wanted to see how you would have approached the situation. It's just a lesson to be had. The lasers aren't dangerous or anything. Just a quick spike in security is all," he said with a laugh.
"What the- quick spike in security?! I know we've fought a bit but don't you think that'd be too much?" Ryuji asked with a sigh.
As the Phantom Thieves continued their mission in scouting out the palace ahead, they soon stumbled upon the one thing that had stopped them once before. The door to Madarame's closet.
Of course things wouldn't change. It was even harder now that Yusuke hadn't yet made contact with them. Ren would have to force an interaction, something he wasn't entirely confident would work but he needed to do something. As the Phantom Thieves pulled out, their leader continued to brainstorm ideas. Eventually he settled for one plan.
His time in the metaverse wasn't for nothing. Not to mention, his prior experience within Madarame's studio meant he knew some of the quirks associated with it. To him, lockpicking was a simple task especially with the shoddy security of the art studio. Ren would find his way into the art studio by himself whenever no one was there. From there, he'd pick any lock Madarame had on the door and would leave the door just slightly open without doing anything else.
Of course, this alone wouldn't have the same effect as it had when Ann had opened it in front of the artist. No, instead Ren would condition the man into realizing that his secrets had been exposed. He would break in and unlock the door as many times as he needed to until the palace door had opened. In the meantime, in order to get Yusuke on their side once more, he planned for the Phantom Thieves to meet Yusuke during the art exhibit that Madarame had planned. If instead he approached them first then all the better.
Two weeks passed before Madarame had finally broken. The door within the metaverse was open, the security systems all down. It was swift work to secure their route to the treasure. They tested all of the switches in the security room once more to learn what they did and left the palace after having a meeting for their plans.
Now, all they had to do was send the calling card and steal Madarame's desires. The rest would follow as his punishment came for him. For now, Ren wasn't afraid of Akechi's involvement within the metaverse. He knew the first couple targets of the Phantom Thieves were safe. He would have to wait for Okumura's palace before things would become uncertain.
For now, he had some relationships to improve. His time spent as a regular student helped to build the relationships within his teammates and a few other people. Most notably, his future teammate Sumire, her sister Kasumi, their website manager Mishima, his homeroom teacher Kawakami, and finally, the man behind it all, Takuto Maruki.
His relationship with Kawakami was coming along well. His status as one of her customers certainly helped. As he continued to call her in for her services, he slowly upped the amount that he paid her, easing the burden of her dues to Takase's parents. Although it wasn't the solution he would stick with, he knew she needed at least a little bit of stress relief. Helping her financially was honestly the least he could do.
Unfortunately he just didn't have access to the section of Mementos that housed the shadows of Takase's guardians. For now, Kawakami would at least be more financially stable.
The Yoshizawa twins were also coming along smoothly. Although he hadn't exposed Sumire to the world of the Metaverse, he was still sure to build comfortable friendships with the two of them.
Even though they had been there since the start of the semester, the twins still weren't fully acclimated to the school. Despite their athletic prowess, their busy, hardworking nature meant that not many people could approach them. It wasn't like they weren't liked, instead, almost no one was able to even get close to them due to them never being available.
Ren on the other hand knew their schedule already. His time spent with Sumire was well spent in his past as he was always able to catch the two of them whenever they were free. Most times, he would invite them along with the Phantom Thieves for everyday activities. He wanted them to feel welcome. If there was anything he knew from spending time with Sumire before, she had been outcast for being "too perfect."
Some of the other students envied her athletic ability and others, her looks. It was true after all that both Sumire and Kasumi were star athletes along with being very cute to top it all off. Their relationship was solid as they all saw each other as good friends as time passed. Occasionally, he would invite the two sisters alone to either get food or to sometimes even talk about their gymnastic routines. He had the past Sumire to thank for his extensive knowledge of gymnastics, giving him something that the two girls could obviously relate to.
The last of the students other than his teammates was Mishima. Being the manager of the Phantom Thieves' website meant that he almost always had something to talk to Ren about whenever they were alone. While it was clear to him that Mishima was still walking down the path of his own selfishness, Ren didn't do anything to change his ways. The use of the metaverse was meant to be a last resort. He still wanted his friends to grow up as normally as they could. He didn't want to make too many forceful changes when he didn't have to.
Finally, Takuto Maruki. The school had called him in for student mental health checks following the end of Kamoshida's abuse. Although it was just an attempt to save face by the school, Maruki took his job seriously. This was what made it so hard for the Phantom Thieves once before.
Maruki wasn't evil. He was far from it. But when the ideals of one man clash with the free will of the collective, it was difficult to agree with his views even if it meant the world could be free of pain and suffering. His ideal world was not the ideal outcome. People deserved happiness, but the past couldn't be changed. Likewise, the present couldn't be changed either. Maruki's world had too many discrepancies with the real world. That false sense of relief and joy wasn't something the world could settle with.
Ren made time to see the therapist when he was free. Although he knew that by spending time with him, he was slowly giving up more and more of his secrets, Maruki wouldn't yet know of the metaverse. After all, he was much more careful with his appearances into and out of the Metaverse following the slip up he had when Shiho had spotted him.
For now, he would continue to observe Maruki's progress. He just hoped the outcome could change before they had to fight once more. He knew it was wishful thinking however. Maruki's fiancée was already bedridden. The trauma of her parents' murder was something not even Ren or the Phantom Thieves could change.
As Ren walked with his friends to the station, he felt the sensation of a pair of eyes on him. As his third eye kicked in, he found that his hopes had been met. A certain artist was following them.
Instead of confronting him like they once had Ren chose to turn their current conversation a different way. Ren interrupted the debate between Ryuji and Sumire about the best ramen shop to ask everyone about the upcoming art exhibit to be hosted by Madarame. Although he hadn't paid much attention to it the first time around, he knew the news of Madarame's exhibit was already out there.
"Might you all be interested in attending the exhibit?" A voice called out to them from behind. As Ren turned around, he was glad to see Yusuke Kitagawa, the same as when they had first met. Though the circumstances were much more tame compared to the first time they had met, it was clear that Yusuke was still his socially awkward self. So far, none of the changes to the world had affected him yet. Up until now, that is.
"Yeah we are," Ren replied as he faced the art prodigy. "I heard he had some good pieces that would be on display during the next one. What about you?" He asked.
"I must admit, I am also interested in what he has to show at the exhibit," Yusuke said calmly. "You see, I am Madarame's pupil, Yusuke Kitagawa. He's helped mentor me ever since I was young. I could get you all in if you wouldn't mind doing me a little favor."
His eyes shifted to Ann before he bowed. "Please consider being the model of my next piece," he told her. "Your beauty has captivated me and inspired me to create a new piece!"
The sudden request left Ann blushing a little. Although Ren had told them about his… eccentric behavior, she still wasn't quite ready for the real deal. She looked to Ren as Yusuke waited for her response, silently asking for guidance. Instead of any definitive answer, Ren just shrugged and smiled at her. He wanted her to make the choice herself. He wasn't going to make her do anything she wasn't comfortable with.
"Well, I'm no stranger to having my face on display," Ann said with a laugh. "I'll help you. Not like it's my first time being a model after all."
As they all walked, exchanging jokes and general conversation, Madarame himself had pulled up looking for Yusuke. They parted ways, waving goodbye to Yusuke as he left with the artist. As they left, the gang continued on. Destination: Shinjuku.
The day of Madarame's exhibit was here. In all of that time, Ren had met a few old faces as he began to reconnect with some of his old confidants. Chihaya, Hifumi, Takemi, Yoshida, Iwai, and Ohya.
Chihaya's meeting was one of pure surprise for the fortune teller. She revealed the fate of the fool to him. Although he was already sure of it, she talked about how the fate of the fool was one she had not ever seen. It seemed the fool would be surrounded by many of the other arcanas much to her surprise.
Not only was his initial fortune telling incredible, he also very quickly called her out for her scheme selling the "holy stones." Furthermore, he was adamant that fate could be changed. It wasn't until he had come back with the news of the change of heart that she began to believe him. To her, the idea that fate could be changed was nonsense. However, she was proven wrong. Her predictions up until just then had always been accurate. He was a total curveball in her expectations. For the first time ever since she began telling fortunes, Chihaya Mifune was wrong.
Hifumi's meeting was the same as ever. He had met her in the church in Kanda and had introduced himself as a friend of Yusuke. Being from the same school, it was a name she was familiar with. He asked her to teach him Shogi. His experience from having played with her in the past came through and made their first game a lot more interesting than it had been the first time around.
It was clear to the girl that he was no slouch. He was able to learn some of her habits on the fly and was able to counter play her for a decent portion of the match. Even so, she finished strong, beating Ren before admitting that she enjoyed their game. She wanted to continue their meetings, asking if he wouldn't mind if she experimented with her techniques against him in the future.
Although originally she hadn't had much contact with the other Phantom Thieves, Ren didn't feel right leaving her out of their everyday lives. Although most of her time was spent playing Shogi, whenever they were free, Ren would occasionally invite her to come along with them.
"Hifumi Togo? She also goes to Kosei. How did you two meet?" Yusuke asked when her name came up.
"Oh, I was in Kanda and recognized her. She's a pretty good shogi player after all. I asked her for a game and she was happy to play me," Ren explained. They were currently on Central Street as they waited for everyone to arrive. They had some free time so they decided to meet up for ramen.
Unfortunately, Ann had some modeling business to attend to and Shiho had gone with her. Ryuji was free and late as always. Sumire and Kasumi were both free as well. They were also excited at the idea of food and were for sure going to show up. Ren had worked with Hifumi's schedule. He asked to meet up for some food with a few friends and surprisingly enough, she agreed.
"Ah, hello Yusuke, I see you and Ren are friends as well," Hifumi said as she arrived. "Thank you for the invite. It isn't often that I'm able to eat with others," she said with a bow.
Ren gave her a smile and nodded. "No problem. I figured since you and Yusuke went to the same school, you probably knew each other."
Just then, the three of them heard the voice of a certain boy as he made his way towards them.
"-tellin you, that place is pretty good," Ryuji said to the two girls with him. He had ended up running into Sumire and Kasumi at the station and they had decided to walk together to meet up with the rest of them.
As they arrived, Kasumi's eyes widened as she saw who they were with. "Woah, Hifumi Togo?" She asked, surprised at the girl's presence. Although it wasn't her strong suit, she was still interested in shogi. Being the champion of the Women's Shogi League, of course she knew Hifumi's name.
Hifumi blushed at the sudden attention. Although she knew her status as a champion would bring her some attention, she wasn't entirely sure how to deal with her fans. Yet as she turned to see the smile on Ren's face as he looked towards the three that had arrived, she knew she could smile too.
The six enjoyed their evening at the ramen shop, getting to know more about each other. Although Hifumi was somewhat of a loner due to her extreme focus on becoming a professional shogi player, she cherished the people that she had been introduced to.
They left the ramen shop and walked toward the station as they began to part ways to go back home.
"Thank you again for the invite, Ren. I really can't express my gratitude enough," Hifumi said with a genuine smile.
"Ah no worries. It's a shame Ann and Shiho had plans today. Maybe you'll meet them next time, eh?"
"Next time?" She asked.
"Of course! We're friends after all. I'd like you to meet them too. I'm sure they'd love to learn more about all the coverage you get in those shogi articles. Ann's a model to media publicity is something she's more than aware of," Ren laughed. "I'm sure she might want to ask how you deal with the attention."
"I suppose I can always free up some time. Please let me know when we might meet up again." Hifumi's eyes sharpened as her competitive nature began to show. "Please do come by whenever as well. I still have many techniques that I would like to try out."
With that, the remnants of the group had split, everyone having boarded their train back home. As the light shined through the windows of the subway, Ren sighed and sat back in his seat as he soaked in the reality of his situation. With the knowledge he once had, he was able to reunite with most of his friends. He knew there was still more to come, but he was certain that he would succeed. He'd done it once already. What could stop him?
He knew he had to still be safe. That much was a given. However, now instead of focusing on bettering himself and improving, he could focus on the relationships he had. He wanted to bring everyone closer. It wasn't going to be an easy task, that much was certain. Still, he was going to do whatever he could to ensure a bright future for everyone. As the leader of the Phantom Thieves, the well-being of his friends was at the top of his interests.
As such, his relationship with Tae Takemi, the back alley Doctor was also incredibly important to him. Not only did he appreciate everything she had done for the Phantom Thieves in the past, the work she did outside of that was something he respected. He knew Takemi's situation well. Having fallen from grace after taking the fall for a failed clinical trial, Takemi had gone from a very promising career, down to being called "The Plague."
Despite this, she never once tried to take revenge on those that had wronged her. Instead of working to expose anyone for her fall, she chose to perfect the medicine that had been used in the clinical trial. To do so, Ren had unknowingly been her test subject as she worked on the medicine in hopes that no one would ever fall victim to results of the clinical trial that had failed once before.
Ren's assistance for Yoshida was straightforward as always. No punches were held when he spoke to the older politician. He knew the man appreciated honesty and an open mind. His rallies were always interesting and very relevant to the same fight that the Phantom Thieves were fighting.
Iwai's shop on the other hand was as gritty as Ren remembered. The ex-Yakuza was still as grumpy and defensive as ever, always weary of the customers that entered his shop. His work there was also the same as always. Despite his tough exterior, Ren knew Iwai was still a family man. If there was anything the past taught him, it was to never judge someone by their looks or even by the first impression. People always said it was first impressions that counted. Iwai was the living embodiment of the opposite.
He was surprisingly selfless despite the attitude he had at the shop. His serious attitude had been adopted from his time in the Yakuza, always staying on his toes to never get caught doing anything illegal within his shop. Even so, Ren knew just what to say to make the man almost crack a smile.
His meeting with Ohya had also been around the same as before. She had spotted him when he had left Yusuke's house one day, asking him about the artist's life. Of course, he was sure to only give vague details, something that she picked up on quickly, but didn't pry further. Instead, she acknowledged his skill with dealing with people like her. He was good at saying just enough to convince people, yet not enough to reveal everything.
All the while, his movements were still occasionally being monitored. His involvement with the Kamoshida case had no concrete evidence against him. After all, how could anyone without access to the metaverse ever prove that he changed someone's heart?
Still, the feeling he had gotten when facing the silver hair detective still irked him, he never thought much about it. The detective on the other hand was still interested in the case. As such, Yu Narukami hadn't yet let up on the case regarding Suguru Kamoshida and the emergence of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
Although his surveillance was kept to a minimum to avoid suspicion, he knew a time would come where he would have to confront the one student that sparked his curiosity in the case. What secrets did he bear?
Only time would tell.
Yeah it's been a while oh well. You'd think going on winter break would make me write more but instead I've taken the time to do literally everything else.
I would have probably finished Persona 3, but my hard drive broke and now I have no motivation to grind back the 8 or so hours that I put into that game. I'll get to it eventually so expect something to do with the P3 characters at some point. Just not anytime soon.
On the other hand, I played through Fire Emblem Three Houses and really enjoyed that game so if anyone is interested in me writing something to do with that game, let me know. I looked around and there's a huge lack of Byleth harem fics on this site.
Thanks for reading though and sorry for the wait. It took me a while to write this chapter and a couple revisions later and I still don't like it. Tough.