The Phantom Thieves delay determining their next target because they have to scramble to prepare for their imminent midterm exams. Meanwhile, Ren can't help but be disgusted by how Shujin is handling the aftermath of Kamoshida's confession.
Author's Notes:Hey all, NN010 here. I'll be addressing you excellent readers in this chapter's author's notes as it's the first Phantom Thieves-focused chapter of the fic and before proceeding any further, First off, I'd like to address the question of ships. As of posting this chapter, I have yet to lock down any ships for the Phantom Thieves. I have ruled out a couple of possibilities though. Those being:
Ren/Akechi. Their relationship is going to be fairly complicated in this fic (as it is in canon), but there won't be any romance between them.
Ren/Futaba: Mostly because I prefer interpreting them as siblings & Futaba just seems a bit too young for me to be comfortable considering her as an option for Ren romantically.
I won't go into any details as to which ships are currently in serious consideration, but if you'd like to argue the case for your favorite Persona 5 ship, you're welcome to do so in the comments below. Just be constructive about it. If you're reading this in the future and Phantom Thieves ships are tagged, then I've probably made a decision.
The second thing is that, due to the premise of this fic, I won't be using the interrogation framing device for the PT segments of this fic. Instead, I will cover the interrogation as a single chapter when it happens within the story. Keeping it would have just made things confusing jumping from the Shadow Operatives, Investigation Team & Akechi chapters to the Phantom Thieves chapters in terms of narration & perspective, so it made more sense in my head to do away with it.
The last thing I'd like to mention here is that originally this and Chapter 3 were going to be a single chapter, but to avoid making things too long, I've elected to split it in two. This chapter will cover the lead-up to & writing of midterms while Chapter 3 will cover the Phantom Thieves' first trip to Mementos and the beginning of the Madarame arc. Yes, this involves rearranging the timeline to make this split work, but this is an AU fic, so I'm willing to make that change in the name of a better story. Chapter 4 will switch gears back to the Shadow Operatives.
That's all for now! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2: Midterm Madness, by NN010The day after the buffet was a fairly normal one. Ren woke up, rode the ever-crammed Tokyo subway to Shujin & went to class. Gym class was canceled due to Kamoshida's change of heart, so instead Ren & Ann's class was stuck in homeroom. While they were there, their homeroom teacher, Kawakami (who also taught their Japanese class) would give them some "guidance".
"The gist is, don't go around talking about the incident. That's all," Kawakami said, putting an emphasis on "incident" to make it clear she was referring to Kamoshida's confession.
"The police are still investigating Mr. Kamoshida, so I can't say anything myself. As a teacher, though, I'm ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that…" Kawakami added. 'Are you though?' Ren couldn't help but wonder in his head, but nevertheless had enough restraint to avoid asking out loud.
"I'm not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like… well, a normal person. Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them..." Kawakami lamented. This baffled Ren. 'How naive is this woman?' Ren asked himself. Everyone has a side of themselves they hide from the rest of the world. 'Are all non-corrupt adults in power this foolish?! No wonder, people like Shido & Kamoshida can do whatever they want then…' Ren concluded.
But instead of despairing over the state of the world, this further convinced Ren of the necessity for the Phantom Thieves to continue their work. To "work in the dark to serve the light", to quote the Assassin's Creed series of video games that had gotten Ren through his trial.
Ren was snapped out of his train of thought by Morgana, noting how rough the teachers have it. Ren was glad he did after what came next.
"Oh yeah, I just remembered something I learned about psychology. They say that humans have several personalities hidden in their subconscious." Kawakami noted. This piqued both Ren & Morgana's attention. It got Ren thinking about this "Wild Card" power he had. How it allowed him to use multiple Personas when his companions were limited to one. What did it mean? Igor sure as hell made it sound like a good thing. No matter, it's useful for his new role, so he probably shouldn't dwell too much on it. Regardless, this was an interesting thing to learn.
The rest of the morning went by without much of note happening. Ren would meet up with Ryuji and Ann during lunch hour, and they spent the hour talking about this Phantom Aficionado website and browsing the requests people were making there.
"I wanna make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him." was the first request they saw. Ryuji immediately dismissed it, as that's the sort of thing the requester should probably deal with on their own. That was when Ann spotted two girls discussing the Phantom Thieves… but one of them immediately dismissed their actions as BS and even won over her friend.
"Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!" The dismissive student exclaimed. And they walked off as the other girl wondered what impact this would have on her college entrance.
"That's prolly a normal reaction for now, but… they'll see soon enough!" Ryuji tried to reassure them. Reiterating that if they could take down two or three big shots, then people will have no choice but to believe in their existence.
"So about those big shots… We don't have any leads yet, right? Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too…" Ann wondered. Ren was tempted to suggest Shido as a candidate, but from what he could tell, Shido was really good at staying out of the public eye. So maybe he wasn't the best choice for a target… yet.
"Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being. Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?" Morgana mused.
"Good thinking Mona. On that note, I'm also thinking we should wait on that thing you said you wanted to do tomorrow until after our midterms are complete. I've honestly been so busy between Phantom Thieves stuff and my obligations to others that I've scarcely had much opportunity to study." Ren replied.
Ryuji, as if not wanting to touch the midterm issue, instead said, "I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around."
Ann followed up by promising to dig up dirt online.
"We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target…" Ryuji lamented. Ann comforted him as best she could.
And with that, they parted ways to actually eat lunch.
That afternoon, while Ren was trying to focus on class, his and Ann's phones vibrated due to a message from Ryuji…
/
Skull: The police are really here… I saw them at the entrance!
Panther: I saw them too! They were talking to the teachers!
Skull: That change of heart thing's seriously amazing, huh!?
Panther: I hope they don't find out we're responsible…
Skull: I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. There's no proof it was us.
Joker: Unless they decide to question us and one of us breaks, I don't think we need to worry about anything.
Joker: Besides, (AFAWK) we're the only ones who even know the Metaverse exists!
Panther: You sound so sure of yourself Ren…
Panther: But haven't rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?
Skull: This world's Kamoshida shouldn't know anything about what actually happened to him though.
Panther: Still…
Skull: We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label.
Panther: I guess that's true…
Skull: Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life!
Joker: Don't get too carried away! I'd rather not get exposed and be sent to prison because you couldn't keep your mouth shut Ryuji!
Skull: Right. Don't want that. Either way, We're going to be counting on you, Ren!
\\
Unfortunately, the teacher (Mr. Ushimaru, Ren's Social Studies teacher) caught Ren being on his phone.
"Hey, Amamiya! Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you!?" Mr. Ushimaru exclaimed as he threw some chalk at Ren. He then proceeded to rant about "kids these days". Meanwhile, Ren just noted that he really needs to work on his reflexes. If he can't dodge some chalk thrown by a teacher, he's in really deep trouble if a Shadow gets too close…
Fortunately, the rest of the day went by without incident. It was after school that Mishima, a student who'd helped Ren and Ryuji with getting dirt on Kamoshida before the two, decided to change his heart.
"Hey. Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?" he asked. Ren had a sneaking suspicion of where this was going but decided to humour him anyway, just in case.
"I've heard of it," Ren responded.
"I'm the one who started it," Mishima said with pride in his voice. 'I knew it,' Ren thought to himself.
What he didn't expect (but maybe should have) was what came next.
"Um… You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Mishima asked as he got a bit too close to Ren for comfort.
"Please give me some space," Ren simply responded, trying to dodge the question.
Mishima apologized when he realized what he'd done.
"Although… if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret." Mishima followed up with, much to Ren's relief.
He then went on about Kamoshida, how he used Mishima and how he wanted to make amends for what he did to Ren & his friends by helping them in any way he could.
"That's great, but…" Ren responded. He then went on about evil adults in the world and how he's sure the Phantom Thieves will do something about it.
"That's why I created a forum for people to post about their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site." Mishima told him.
The current poll was whether people believed the Phantom Thieves are just. The current results weren't great, but it could still trend in a different direction.
Ren decided to encourage Mishima to do what he wanted, trusting that Mishima probably had more experience with this stuff than he did. And that was when he noticed the telltale feeling of a Confidant bond forming. Specifically, that of the Moon Arcana.
Mishima then left, and both Ryuji and Ann walked in, having heard the whole thing.
"Has he figured out our identities?" Morgana asked in a panicked tone.
"Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool." Ann noted.
"I will say though… a forum where people can post problems may prove surprisingly useful," Morgana noted.
"Yeah… Maybe it'll help us narrow down a big shot to go after!" Ren mused.
"Anyways, we gotta get looking for a new target," Ryuji noted.
"And we need to stay sharp until we find one. Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and-" Ann said before being cut off by Ryuji.
"Wait, OH CRAP!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"What's with you?!" Ann said in an annoyed tone.
"Don't we have an exam coming up!?" Ryuji panicked.
"Yep. We do have midterm exams coming up this week. I literally mentioned it earlier," Ren answered in a not-so-reassuring manner.
"... Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?" Ann asked.
"It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is… English!" Ryuji replied.
And then the whole thing devolved into a bickering contest between Ryuji, Ann & Morgana. Ren was going to leave them to it until Morgana and Ryuji threatened violence against each other… again.
"ENOUGH! We'll just have to spend the next few days prepping for those midterms without trying to kill each other. Think of it as a team-building exercise ahead of our resumption of Phantom Thievery. Meet me at Leblanc Cafe in Yongen-Jaya. We can study there undisturbed," Ren reasoned with the tone & authority a leader should have. And that was that.
That night, Ren arrived back in Leblanc. Ryuji & Ann weren't here yet, so he had some time to give Sojiro a heads-up.
"Just to let you know Sojiro, I'm going to have some friends over for the next few days, midterms are coming up, and my friends need all the help they can get." Ren told him in a respectful tone. From the time Ren had spent with him, Sojiro wasn't a rude man, he'll surely understand. ((Ren has reached Rank 2 in Sojiro's Confidant already by the start of the story))
"Go ahead, it's good to see you taking your future seriously and it's not as if I get much in the way of customers in the evening anyway," Sojiro responded, with no hint of anger or dejection in his voice.
"Great. My friends should arrive within an hour or two, train schedule permitting," Ren responded.
And with that, he sat down and started getting ready. He laid his homework & study material on a table. Sojiro had left, so Ren took it upon himself to prepare coffee & food for Ryuji and Ann. He figured that some curry paired with chips from the nearby convenience store he'd picked up earlier should do it.
Shortly after Ren finished setting everything up, Ryuji and Ann finally arrived.
"You're here!" Ren exclaimed as he motioned the two to sit down.
"That we are," Ann said, trying to show some cheer as she & Ryuji sat down.
"So, what are we doing first?" Ryuji said, clearly dejected.
"Let's go with Math. Since I gather from the bickering earlier that you two both need help in that department. Plus, I could use a bit of brushing up anyway & what better way to understand it than to teach it to you two? Morgana, you can help too if you're able," Ren answered.
"Isn't Biology the first test?" Ann asked.
"It is, but we'll get to that tomorrow," Ren replied.
And with that, it was time to get to studying. Ren was glad he'd chosen math first because it quickly became clear that both Ann & Ryuji sorely needed the help. He spent more time than he'd expected on clarifying certain concepts that Ryuji and Ann were unclear on like Pythagoras and Trigonometry. By the time they were done, it was late & his new friends would have to go home. To his surprise, the two thanked him for all his help and agreed to do it again tomorrow.
So the next few afternoons would play out in a similar fashion. The group would study one or two of their subjects, with Ren clarifying any confusion or misunderstandings as best he could. While Ren was a little surprised by some of the things the two needed clarification about (Social Studies in particular turned out to be a blind spot for the two), he was happy to do so. It'd been a while since he'd been able to study with others. While Ren was never the most popular student back home, pretty much all his then-friends refused to have anything to do with him once word about his arrest got out. Then the trial process was dragged out over almost a year thanks to his case being bounced between numerous different judges across the country. And the worst part was that he & his parents all knew Shido was going to win. That's just how things are in this country. The house always wins. It wasn't that far removed from a casino. To be honest, he was thankful he'd simply been put on probation after all that rather than being locked up with the key being thrown away. Not that he'd let any fear of that stop him from being a Phantom Thief, though.
But this time felt different. Maybe it was just the difference between city folk & country folk, maybe it was being around fellow outcasts, or maybe it was this whole "Wild Card" thing he had going now, but he already felt as though he had a deeper bond with Ryuji, Ann & Morgana than he'd had with anyone barring his parents in his life. So it made these simple study sessions feel much more enjoyable than the ones he'd participated in back home. And while it didn't entirely erase the lingering resentment & cynicism he'd developed over the last year and a bit, he felt like a little faith in humanity had been restored in him.
And just like that, midterms had come. He'd done all he could for Ryuji & Ann, but now all he could do is have faith that the study sessions were enough and give these tests his A-game.
First was Biology, this was one of Ren's weaker subjects, but he still had faith in his ability to do well. And while a few questions gave him some trouble, he was able to finish the test with some extra time to proofread his answers and make sure he was confident in his answers. It was a comforting start to midterms for Ren, if he was honest.
The next day, it was time for history, which happened to be one of Ren's strongest subjects. Just as he figured, it was a pretty easy test for him, with him having plenty of time for double-checking & thinking about potential next targets for the Phantom Thieves. Then it was time for English. And while he wasn't quite as fluent in the language as Ann & this did take him the most time to complete of these midterms, he was able to complete it on time with reasonable confidence in his answers.
And with that, it was on to the final day. Time for the Social Studies exam. This is the one where he was most worried about Ann & Ryuji. While he'd done what he could to help them, this was clearly a subject at which they struggled. Nothing he could do for them now, though, so Ren did his best to focus on the task at hand. Fortunately, though, his worries weren't enough to get in the way of his own performance, and he was able to double-check his answers before handing them in.
Overall, Ren would say those midterms went pretty well for him. Hopefully, he'll be able to check in with Ann & Ryuji soon. Both to see how they think they did & to start nailing down a next target.
Author's Notes:If you enjoyed this chapter and you haven't already, give this fic a Kudos! Slimeboyo2 & I appreciate it. We'd also appreciate your praise & constructive criticism in the comments if you're inclined to share.
Now that all that's out of the way… If you're looking for more Persona, I've got you covered. While I don't have any other fics of my own to recommend today (although I've got a rewrite of my Fallout 4 fic Two Sides to a Story coming soon), I would be remiss if I didn't mention Heavenly Chat, Slimeboyo2's other Persona fic. Heavenly Chat is about the Persona 3 protagonists chatting with other Persona users after the events of Persona 3. It's currently in its Persona 4 arc, so if you are into a mix of fluff, heartwarming moments and some tearjerkers, give it a read. More recommendations to come in the future, at least some of which won't be stuff written by Slimeboy2 or myself!