**November 27th, 2016 - Cruiser of Wrath**

"...I got this." Everyone turned to Ryuji as he said this before he himself turned to his fellow teammates. "Hang tight. I'll nab the boat!"

And just like that, he was off.

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts watched as their teammate, Ryuji Sakamoto, codename: Skull, sprinted down the side of the sinking ship that once served as the physical manifestation of Masayoshi Shido's distorted desires in order to save his best friends. Ryuji had not pushed himself to run this hard since his leg was broken by former olympian-turned-teacher and all-around scumbag Suguru Kamoshida, but he knew it was now and never to push himself to his limit. Ryuji was never the sharpest tool in the shed, but when push came to shove, he was willing to risk it all for those he cared about.

The Thieves were briefly startled by a sudden explosion as Ryuji leaped from one part of the sinking boat to the other. He felt his leg begin to buckle under the pressure he was putting on it but remained undeterred. Ryuji punched his leg, forcing himself to fight through the pain as he sprinted up what seemed like a seventy-degree angle. He could hear his friends worry for him, but he also heard them cheering him on. For a brief moment, Ryuji felt like he was back in the past, sprinting for the track team at Shujin Academy. Then, Ryuji caught a glimpse of a possible future where he would run for the Japanese track team in the Olympics with the friends he made during this crazy year and the girl he was secretly in love with watching him as he crossed the finish line.

Ryuji took one last leap of faith and jumped up to grab the lever that pulled down the remaining lifeboat. If the Titanic didn't have enough lifeboats, what were the odds Masayoshi Shido's vitriolic vessel would? It was a miracle that it even had one. Shido didn't care about the ones around him; to him, all that mattered in a life or death situation was that he survived, women and children be damned. The Phantom Thieves jumped with joy and pride at their teammate's accomplishment as the lifeboat lowered into the water. Ryuji, equally happy with his feat of bravery, gave a wink and a grinning thumbs up. As Yusuke, codename: Fox, got the lifeboat started, the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Ren Amamiya, codename: Joker, yelled up to his right-hand muscle and best friend to hang on.

"Well, not like I gotta choice now, do I? Hehe..." They could faintly hear Ryuji yell back. They finally got the boat moving; the problem was how they were going to get Ryuji down. Could Joker use his grappling hook? Would Ryuji have to just drop down in the water? It was a high drop, and even though it was water, a fall from that high cou-

*BANG*


Just remembering the sound of the boat exploding brought Ren Amamiya out of his daydream and back to the cold winter night of December 18th, 2026. He was looking down at the snow-covered ground as he felt a shiver down his spine, not knowing if it was from the cold temperature or the memory he just recalled. Either way, Ren Amamiya was shaken to his core.

"Ren?" A female voice called out to him as he felt a hand on his arm. Ren looked to his left and saw the concerned face of his former wife, Makoto Niijima. "Are you okay?"

"...y-yeah, sorry. I was just... thinking..." Ren responded; he looked forward and saw that Mishima was gone. "Did Yuuki take off?"

"Yes, just now."

"Gotcha..." Ren said as he pulled out and lit another cigarette. "You want a smoke?" He offered.

"No, thanks." Makoto waved it off. "I'm trying to quit-in fact..." She trailed off as she pulled out some Nicorette gum and started chewing.

"Well, that's new..." Ren raised his eyebrow. "Didn't even know you quit. How long have you been on the gum?"

"About a few weeks, I'm certain Kenny is getting sick of my nicotine withdrawal." Makoto chuckled.

"Huh," Ren furrowed his brow as he blew out a cloud of smoke. "So that means no more friendly smoke conversations between us?" Ren smirked.

Makoto blushed slightly and snickered. "Cut out the middle man, and we can still have friendly conversations." She smirked at him.

"Hehe, sounds good to me." Ren smiled; he had a nice moment with Makoto but came crashing back down to reality when he remembered he was holding his supposedly dead best friend's t-shirt in his left hand. "Hey," he began, "so I kinda lost my train of thought after Yuuki mentioned Akechi's name. Did he say anything else I might've missed?"

Makoto slowed her gum chewing. "The only other thing he mentioned was that whoever murdered the victim and attacked him dropped a name of his their own: Anne."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "You sure he didn't mean 'Ann'?"

Makoto shook her head. "Mishima-kun was adamant that the suspect said 'Anne'."

"That's weird..." Ren dragged on his cigarette. "...still, knowing that worries me."

"Why is that?"

"If Akechi really is back, I'm afraid he might want to finish what he started back in Shido's ship."

"You don't mean..." Makoto began as Ren nodded his head. "Ren... he saved us before he died."

"But he's not dead anymore, is he, Makoto?" Ren drew on his cigarette. "And, he might have metaverse powers here in the real world."

"We don't know that for sure. Mishima-kun said it himself; he wasn't sure what he saw."

"Makoto," Ren looked deep into her eyes. "What if the metaverse is back?"

"That's... impossible." Makoto didn't know what to say.

"Then what about these, huh!?" Ren snapped as he showed the 'ZOMG' t-shirt and Shujin ID card to Makoto. "HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THESE, MAKOTO!?"

"I DON'T KNOW! BUT DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT ME, REN AMAMIYA!" Makoto fired back. Ren wanted to push further but decided to pull back. He lowered the items and finished his cigarette before throwing down and stamping it out. "Look..." Makoto began after calming herself down. "I don't know what any of this means... maybe Ryuji is still alive... maybe Akechi-kun is as well... but right now, I have a job to do."

"It's always about the job with you, huh?" Ren bitterly said, trying not to sound too bitter. Makoto didn't appreciate that comment; Ren noticed her face turn sour and felt bad. "...sorry," Ren sighed. "I was a bit out of line there... I just..." Ren looked back at the items in his hands. "I don't know what to believe right now..."

"I understand..." Makoto found she couldn't stay mad at her ex for too long. Especially considering what he was going through, having just found out his best friend might still be alive. "So much for 'friendly conversation,' huh?" Makoto cracked a hint of a smile, as did

Ren.

"You sure I can't tempt you with a cigarette?" Ren asked.

"Thank you, but I'm going to pass." She kindly declined. "Look... if I find anything out about either Ryuji or Akechi-kun, I'll let you know..."

"Can you tell me where you found these?" Ren asked about the t-shirt and ID.

"There was a break-in at a clothing store ten minutes East of here, also in Shinjuku," Makoto said before pulling out her notebook and flipping through the pages. "According to the officer that arrived at the scene before us, the break-in took place at... two hours ago."

Ren checked his watch. "Damn it; he could be anywhere by now..." He muttered to himself before sighing. "Well, thanks anyway; I appreciate it."

"Hold on; I'm going to need those back..." She stuck her hand out, asking for the shirt and ID.

"Sorry, but no." Ren shook his head. "I'm hanging on to these."

"Ren!" Makoto raised her voice slightly before lowering it again. "They're evidence from a crime scene."

"Oh?" Ren raised his eyebrow. "Then what were you doing with them in the first place?"

"...U-Uh...uhm..." Makoto was stuck.

"I may not be an honest cop like you, but I do know that it's usually the CSIs who are supposed to bag and tag evidence, and, unless you switched jobs since we split up, you're not a CSI, are you, Makoto?" The blushing cop had no words; Ren was right. Besides, she would be in trouble if they found out she removed evidence from a crime scene, but she would have an even worse problem if the department found out she handed it off to a civilian. Ren saw her bite her lip and look to the side, and sighed. "...here," He handed her the shirt. "But, I'm keeping the ID. They won't miss it; it'll be our secret." He winked at her as he pocketed it.

"Ren..." She began with a sigh.

"Niijima! You coming or what?" Kenny yelled out at her from the alleyway. She sighed and looked back at Ren.

"You better go; duty calls..." Ren said before he began walking off in the other direction.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, but it was a rhetorical question. Makoto knew exactly what Ren was going to do.

He stopped and looked back at her. "Like you, I'll let you know if I find anything... but for right now, you do your job, and I'll do mine..."

"Ren...?"

"Yeah?"

Makoto flashed him a smile. "Don't do anything stupid."

Ren smiled back. "No promises," he grinned before walking away.

Like her ex-husband before her, Makoto didn't know if it was because of the cold temperature or because of her blushing profusely, but either way, her cheeks were bright red. She never could resist his debonair charm; it was one of the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place, after all. After a minute, she heard her partner call her to the alleyway once again. She made her way over to where the body was. She found Kenny trying to fend off Ohya at the other end. Makoto remembered what Ren had said to her about the two of them having the occasional hookup. She wasn't typically the jealous type but seeing Ohya sent her in a foul mood. She made her way down the alley.

"Oh, come on! One look, please!?" Ohya pleaded. "I was one of the last people to see the guy alive after all!"

"And how do you know who the victim is, Ohya-san?" Kenny folded his arms and raised his eyebrow. "Are you saying you had something to do with the victim's murder?"

"Wh-No! Are you fucking kidding me? I-uh..." Ohya was flustered.

"Look, for the last time, you're not supposed to be here. This is a crime scene." Kenny replied, trying his best to stop her. Makoto stepped up.

"Good evening, Ichiko..." Makoto glared at her, but Ohya didn't catch it; she was too drunk to notice.

"OH! Yes! Makoto! Thank God you're here! I-I was just hoping you'd let me have a quick-"

"Let me stop you right there," Makoto put her hand up. "You're not getting near the crime scene. My suggestion for you is to go home and sleep off your current buzz before I have you arrested for interfering with police business." She scornfully said.

"Woah... what's with the hostility?" Ohya asked, placing her hands on her hips. She may have been drunk, but she wasn't dumb enough to pick a fight with Inspector Niijima, especially not after a two-hour bender at Crossroads. "...fine, it's colder than a witch's tit anyway..." She shrugged. "See you guys around, I guess..." She metaphorically dropped her guns and waved before departing the scene.

"God, I hope not..." Kenny muttered and shook his head before turning to Makoto. "Thanks for that..." He exhaled. "...swear to God, that woman's a god damn hurricane... heh, maybe that was her drink of choice tonight, hahaha." He laughed.

"Doubt it, she's not into those kinds of sweet fruity cocktails," Makoto replied, unamused.

Kenny shrugged as they made their way back to the cadaver. By now, CSI had shown up and was already scoping out the alleyway. They did their jobs and looked around, focusing most of their attention on the body. The face was practically burnt off, and the upper body was charred. Neither Makoto nor Kenny had any clue what did this at first glance. They hoped the autopsy would shed some more light, but from what Mishima had said, Makoto didn't get her hopes up. They finished their sweep and walked back to their car parked outside of the clothing store.

"Phew... it's cold out." Kenny said as he turned on the ignition and the heater. "So, everything okay between you and Bogart?" Kenny asked.

Makoto looked at him, confused. "Bogart?"

"Yeah, you know, Humphrey Bogart? Private investigator Sam Spade? Maltese Falcon?"

"Urrgh..." Makoto rubbed her temple. "Is Sam Spade from a Yakuza movie?"

"Jeez..." Kenny scoffed. "You've seen every Yakuza movie known to humankind yet have no clue who Sam Spade is..." He shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Why are you asking about Ren and me anyway?"

"I mean, you two were so loud, I was certain people in Shibuya were gonna call in some noise complaints."

Makoto got worried. "H-How much... did you hear?" She winced.

"Uh... I heard Ren shouting something about 'how do you explain these?' What was he talking about?"

"Uh-uhm... just something personal... between us..." Well, it technically wasn't a complete lie.

"Huh, okay then." Kenny shrugged; Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, don't worry; I won't tell anyone back at the precinct about you taking evidence."

"H-HUH!?" Makoto felt the blood drain from her face as she turned to Kenny. "H-How did-?"

"Remember when I said people in Shibuya could hear you two shouting? Well, it turns out I could hear your regular speaking voice just fine from the alleyway as well." Makoto nervously rubbed her hands together as Kenny continued. "Judging from your face when you saw the ID and the way you clung to that t-shirt back at the clothing store, I'm assuming your shouting match had something to do with those two items? Is that what was personal?"

Makoto looked down in shame. "...yes."

Kenny nodded in understanding. "Hey, don't worry, Makoto." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I won't ask if you don't want me to, and I have no intention of ratting you out either."

Makoto took comfort and smiled at her partner. "Thank you, Kenny; I appreciate it."

"All I ask is that you buy the first round when we're done with the paperwork, deal?" Kenny asked before winking.

Makoto chuckled. "Deal, now get us back to the precinct, will you?"

"You got it." The two nodded at each other before Kenny started driving. "Oh, and you're coming over some time, and we're watching 'The Maltese Falcon.'"

Makoto laughed some more. "Fine..."


Ren Amamiya scrapped the ice off his windshield and got into his car. He pulled the ID back out of his pocket and looked at it again. It was partially burnt around the edges but not enough that he couldn't make out the name and face.

"Ryuji..."

The longer Ren stared at it, the more his eyes began to well up. Ryuji was his best friend, the first friend he made when he was first forced to move to Tokyo for a year after an unfortunate bit of bad luck back home. Ren had to admit; he didn't think much of Ryuji when he first met him. From his bleached blonde hair and disregard for proper school attire, Ryuji seemed like just another delinquent of the type Ren was familiar with back in his hometown. However, like with pretty much all of his other former Phantom Thief companions, he learned not to judge a book by its cover. Like him, Ryuji had also been a victim of injustice. It wasn't just their shared misfortune that brought them together, but it did help them stay together.

The heavy snowfall continued with no signs of letting up. Ren looked out at his window and found himself getting absorbed in the frenzied storm. He decided to close his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, he was outside the diet building with the other Phantom Thieves, except there was no snow. The only thing that was falling was tears from his friends' eyes.

"R-R-Ryuji..." Ann quietly began. "...RYUJI!"

She erupted in loud sobs. Futaba and Makoto joined her as they both sniffed and sobbed. Haru looked away from the others and covered her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks and into the side of her palms. The feeling must've physically hit Yusuke in the gut as he bent forward and began breathing erratically, unable to comprehend the loss of the blonde runner, let alone breathe properly. Despite he and Ryuji never really getting along, Morgana still felt crushed by his absence, like a star had been extinguished in the Phantom Thieves' solar system.

The only that didn't react right away was Ren. He couldn't believe it, or maybe he didn't want to. He picked something off the ground; it was a legislator's pin. Without reacting in any way, he pocketed it. Ren stood frozen in place for a while until Makoto gently put her hands on his back and led him back to Leblanc. The others followed because, at this time, they didn't know what else to do.

Leblanc was empty; Sojiro must've closed up and gone home. It was getting late in the evening, after all. Ren still hadn't reacted in any way to Ryuji being gone. He hadn't said a word or even shed a tear, and by now, the others were beginning to worry. They all went upstairs to Ren's attic bedroom and watched as the frizzy-haired boy walked over to his shelf and picked up the decorative Ramen bowl. His eyes began to well up slightly, and he sniffed.

"...Ren?" Makoto softly called out.

"He... always did love his ramen, didn't he?" Ren asked without looking back at the others. "He asked me what I thought of the soy sauce..." Ren began to chuckle slightly. "Ha... haha... h-he made fun of me... because I said it lacked in unami..." Ren chuckled some more, but the others could tell he was hurting. Ren then walked over to his desk and picked up the featherman doll Ryuji had gifted him when they went to Nakano Shopping Mall just the other day. He felt a single tear strew down his face.

"...Ren..." Makoto walked over and put her hand on his back, trying her best not to shed a tear. Ren put the doll back down and pulled the legislator's pin. His sadness began turning to wrath as he looked at this tiny worthless piece of shit that cost his best friend his life. "...R-"

*SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM*

"EEEP!" Makoto yelped, and the others gasped as Ren slammed his fist on his desk repeatedly. "Ren, please..." Makoto choked out in between loud sobs.

"GOD DAMMIT!" Ren screamed in furious anger as tears fell from his face. "GAAAARRRHHHHHH!" He swept the items off his desk with arms and began shaking the desk. He wanted to pick it up and toss it out the window; he was so angry he very well could've. "RYUJI! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY!? W-WHYYyyyyy!?"

"Ren, please stop it..." Makoto tried her best to calm him down. Her voice cracked as she tried to grab him. "Ren, I-I know you're hurting... we all are... but please try to calm down..." She said, but even she couldn't take her own advice as by now, everyone in the room was sobbing. Ann fell to the floor and cried in her hands, Yusuke and Haru were sobbing in each other's arms, and Morgana was trying his best to comfort a weeping Futaba. "Ren..." Makoto tried to continue but had no words. Ren started walking towards the stairs but lost his footing and fell to his knees. Within a few seconds, he felt nauseous, dry-heaved, and threw up on the floor. He then stood back up and walked down the stairs as if nothing happened. "REN!" Makoto yelled as she tried to go after him.

"L-Let him go, Makoto..." Morgana mewled as they heard the bell chime. Moments later, they listened to Ren as he stood in the backstreets of Leblanc, shouting into the night.

"RYUJI! RYUJI, WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Makoto couldn't stand up straight anymore. Her legs buckled under her sadness, and she dropped to the floor to shed tears with the others.

"RYUJIIIIII!"

Ren reopened his eyes; he was back in his car that was fast being covered by falling mercury. His cheeks were ice-cold; he touched them, and they felt wet. Ren figured he was crying in his sleep; if he even was asleep, he wasn't sure. Ren didn't quite know what to do. Both Makoto and Mishima had just dropped massive bombshells on him, and now he didn't know what to think. Should he tell the others? Maybe. After all, Ryuji was their friend too; they were just as heartbroken when he... well, 'died' isn't exactly the correct term anymore now, is it? Should he tell Ryuji's mom? Maybe at some point, but it probably wouldn't be right to fill her with optimism without being sure first. How could Ryuji have even escaped? How could Akechi? This couldn't be real... real... reality...?

"Maruki..." Ren thought.

He checked his watch; it was still early enough. Maruki might still be on his taxi driving shift... if that's all, he was really doing. Ren pulled out his phone and decided to give Maruki a phone call. It had been about almost ten years since the two last spoke; Ren would prefer to forget what happened in January 2017. The false reality that Ren almost accepted, knowing it was all a lie. The physical manifestation of "the accident was years ago; you have to let me go."

Ren pulled Maruki's contact and pressed the call button. The phone started ringing; Ren hoped Maruki changed his number in all these years.

"Hello...?"

"Is this Takuto Maruki?"

"This is he; who am I speaking to?"

"Ren Amamiya."

"...O-Oh, Amamiya-kun?"

"You can drop the 'kun,' doc. I'm pushing thirty."

"Haha, right, I'm sorry." Maruki chuckled, but Ren did not. "Well then, you can drop the 'doc,' I haven't been involved in medicine in almost ten years."

"I don't know if I believe that..."

"W-What do you mean, Amamiya-san?"

Ren didn't try to hide the fact that he wasn't in a pleasant mood. He still suspected Maruki of tampering with either reality, the cognitive world, or maybe both.

Ren sighed. "...we need to talk. Face to face; now, if possible."

"May I ask why?"

"It involves cognitive psience."

"I see..." Maruki paused for a moment. "Do you have a place where you would like to meet?"

"My office in Shibuya. I'll text you the address; meet me there in an hour."

"Understood. If you don't mind me asking, why do you need to talk to me specifically?"

"January 2017, doc."

"What of it?"

"If you ask me, you still owe me."

Ren could hear Maruki sigh on the other line. "Alright, I understand... see you in an hour," Maruki said before hanging up. Ren texted Maruki the address to his private office, started his car, and headed towards Shibuya. On the way, he made sure to call ahead to Leblanc and let Futaba know he wouldn't make it to dinner.


**Café Leblanc**

"Damn it..." Futaba said as she came downstairs and took a seat at the counter.

"What's wrong, Futaba?"

"Urrgh... Ren just called and let me know he wasn't coming to dinner." Futaba said, dejected, as she nonchalantly dropped her phone on the counter. Sojiro was working behind the counter, cleaning some cups of coffee as the curry was cooking on the stove.

"Well, that's too bad. He probably got caught up at work."

"Whatever it is, it better be worth dying for. I miss the big lug." Futaba said with a pout.

"Hehe, so do I, but you know that's what happens when people have jobs. You see your friends less and less."

"It just feels like the group is drifting apart, ya know?" Futaba pondered. "Haru and Inari are married, Makoto's working up the police totem pole, Sumire moved away, Sophia and Ichinose are traveling the world still, Zenkichi's... well... eh, I don't really miss Gramps that much, Ren's gettin' busier and busier. Hell, Ann's a freakin' world-famous supermodel, and I still see and hear from her more often than the others. How the hell does that even work!?"

"You had the wedding at least; everyone was there, right?"

"Yeah..." She sighed. "That was the last time we were all together since..." Futaba trailed off as her mind accidentally dug up a repressed memory.

"Since when?" Sojiro asked without looking up from his dishes.

Futaba's cheeks turned red. "...s-since the summer trip we all took..." She stammered.

Sojiro looked up and furrowed his brow. "You mean... the one you all took in the summer of 2017?" Futaba nodded. "That was really the last time you were all together before the wedding two weeks ago?" Futaba nodded again. "I thought it was Ren and Niijima-san's wedding?"

"O-Oh right... I-I forgot about that, hehe..." Futaba stammered. "Damn it, Sojiro... I was trying to forget that. Why'd you have to go and bring that up?" She cursed in her thoughts and cringed as she remembered a memory from the night before their wedding.

In August of 2020, Ren, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Ann, Sumire, and Yusuke had a fusion of a bachelor/bachelorette party in one of Paris' most luxurious hotels. As a wedding gift to Ren and Makoto, Haru had rented out the entirety of the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris. She had gotten the bride and groom to be a luxurious suite, which they invited their former partners in thievery to all hang out for a Phantom Thieves reunion. It wasn't a complete reunion, as a few members were missing. One was busy being the commissioner for the Kyoto police department; one was busy exploring Paris at night with her programmer/mother; one disappeared after they defeated the God of Control, and the last one was dead. All in all, it wasn't lost on any of them that it was a bittersweet reunion.

The night started amazingly; they swapped war stories, caught up, shared a ton of laughs, had a few drinks, some bottles of French wine, some pitchers of IPA, and some mixed drinks on the side. It was the first time Futaba and Sumire ever got drunk. They were of age in Paris, so they figured, 'why not?' The drunker everyone got, the sadder they all got as well. Ren, especially, felt the absence of his best friend. He recalled the time Ryuji openly offered the track team members the chance to take a swing at him to get them to stop going for each other's throats. One by one, they all shared stories of Ryuji, except Sumire, who didn't know him as well as everyone else. Having known him the longest, Ann told stories from him in middle school, including the time she loaned him some money for the train home from the aquarium because he had spent all of his money on a dolphin keychain for his mother. Ryuji really did have a heart of gold.

By midnight, which made it seven a.m. in Tokyo, everyone was tired and sad. Despite all of them being together, it still felt empty without Ryuji. They always regretted not having a proper chance to say 'goodbye' as they did with Morgana, even though that also happened quickly. Not wanting to end the night on a sour note, Ann suggested they all play a game of 'Never-Have-I-Ever.' It started out innocently enough, but like most games involving alcohol, it quickly de-evolved into anything but. They all learned a lot more about each other, including sexual preferences, orientations, crushes, et cetera. Then, because they were young, dumb, in Paris, and full of booze, they decided to let their libidos take control of their inhibitions. Looks were exchanged, lips locked, clothes were shed, and before they all knew it, seven naked bodies were all rolling around on one Alaskan King-sized bed.

"NOPE! NOPE!" Alarm bells went off in Futaba's head. "Drink! Drink!"

"You okay, Futaba?" Sojiro asked.

"Y-Yep, aces, hehe... Uh-Uhm, can you pour me a drink?"

"Coffee? Water?"

"Wine." She quickly said.

Sojiro scratched his head. "Since when do you-"

"SOJIRO!"

"Okay, okay, jeez..." Sojiro lifted his hands in surrender before pouring his twenty-five-year-old pseudo daughter a glass of white wine. He watched as she downed it in one gulp. "You know, you're not supposed to chug that like it's a jello-shot."

"I was thirsty, okay?" Futaba glared as she asked for another. Sojiro shrugged and poured her another glass. She took her time with this one, trying to forget about the fact that most of the original Phantom Thieves have all slept with each other. It wasn't a bad memory, and they would later admit to enjoying it despite everything. Nevertheless, Haru and Yusuke's wedding proved their one night in Paris would make all future reunions awkward. "Anyway..." She huffed. "What were we talking about?"

"Why don't you give her a call?"

"Who, Ann?" Sojiro nodded. "Eh, don't feel like asking her to come out in the snowstorm."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry! We're closed!" Sojiro yelled out. There was another knock.

"Oh, for the love of Featherman," Futaba grunted, got off her stool, and went to unlock the door.

"Futaba, be careful!" Sojiro worriedly said.

"Don't worry; I won't open it all the way," Futaba said before unlocking the door and opening it slightly. "Hey, sorry, but we're closed." She said to a shivering man who had long dark hair with a yellow streak and a long beard. He was bundled up in a long dark-brown trench coat, a pair of dark-green winter pants, and black winter boots. She couldn't quite make out his face.

"P-Please..." The man began. "I-I was hoping I c-could just come inside and w-warm-up for a second... everywhere else is c-closed because of the storm." Futaba felt bad for this poor man.

"Sorry, but no," Sojiro said as he came to the door.

"Oh, come on, Sojiro," Futaba began. "You're not seriously gonna turn someone down in this weather, are you?"

"I-I swear... I won't stay long." The man added.

Sojiro sighed and rubbed his head. "Alright, fine... come on in."

"Thank you, sir... and uh-miss." The man bowed as he entered the warm café. As he did, the lights began to flicker slightly.

"Damn it..." Sojiro huffed. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised the storm is messing with the power grid." After a few seconds, the lights stopped flickering. "Take a seat in one of the booths; you want some coffee?" Sojiro offered the man.

"I-I-uh..." The man began as he rubbed his hands together for warmth. "I don't have anything to pay you with..."

"On the house, don't worry about it," Sojiro said.

"There you go with your freebies again, mwehehe." Futaba chuckled.

"W-Well, then... sure," The man replied as he took a seat in one of the booths. "Thank you... Uhm..."

"Sojiro Sakura, but you can just call me 'Boss,' everyone calls me that." Sojiro nodded. "Oh, and that's my daughter, Futaba."

"Futaba Sakura... so this must be the famous Oracle he mentioned..." The man thought. "Pleasure to meet you both."

"What about you?" Futaba asked as she brought the man a warm cup of coffee and took a seat opposite him. "You got a name?" The man took a sip of his coffee before answering, finally looking up and revealing his face, which had burn scars on the right side.

"Call me... James... James Kidd."


Author's notes:

Probably should've mentioned this in the first chapter's notes but the chapters won't come as quickly as they did with "Is Akira Okay?"

That's it for notes, hope you enjoyed ;)