7/9 – Saturday
After School
Cafe Leblanc

"You guys got any plans for the weekend?" Ryuji asked. He was sitting next to Ren on the couch, Ann kicking her feet off the side of the bed with Morgana in her lap, and Yusuke posed in one of the chairs, his sketchbook on his lap.

Ann raised an eyebrow. "We're all studying together this weekend."

Ryuji smacked himself in the forehead. "Right! Yeah, totally forgot. Damn." He leaned over, shoulder to shoulder with Ren. "Kinda feels like wasted time off."

"You could just skip," Ren offered. "I'd second whatever excuse you came up with."

Ryuji seemed to seriously consider that for a moment. "Nah," he said, "I mean what would I even do? Everyone cool is gonna be here. Might as well show up."

"Glad to hear you've some reason to study," Makoto quipped, stepping off the staircase into the attic. "Rather than, you know, your grades."

Ryuji waved a hand dismissively. "I got a B-minus on my last worksheet, I'll be fine."

"That's not how grades work, Sunshine," Ren snickered.

"Makoto," Yusuke said, "how are you?"

She raised an eyebrow, plopping down on the bed next to Ann. Ren could have sworn he heard the blonde girl squeak just a little as she did. "I'm doing well. Why do you ask?"

"It's not often one of us calls an emergency meeting like this," Yusuke explained. "I was a little concerned that something might have happened."

"Ah," Makoto said, smiling. "Well, something did happen, but I promise it's nothing to be concerned over." She took a long breath, staring up at the ceiling, something odd in her expression – wistful, maybe? "A man by the name of Junya Kaneshiro walked into the Shibuya police station this morning and confessed to his crimes. As we speak, the SIU is rounding up the remnants of his gang."

None of the Thieves said a word for a little while as that sunk in. When they did speak, they nearly drowned each other out.

"Holy shit!"

"That's wonderful news."

"Fuck yeah!"

"Another victory for the Phantom Thieves!"

Ren burst out laughing, raising a hand. "Alright, alright, calm down everyone." Despite his attempt at corralling their runaway enthusiasm, he was grinning just as wide as everyone else. "Makoto, are there any loose ends we need to keep in mind?"

She shook her head. "None that I'm aware of. My sister said there was already a case being built against Kaneshiro, it wasn't difficult at all to ensure his arrest would stick. As well, his confession included naming every single Zebul thug, as well as a number of associates outside of his gang." Makoto smirked. "For someone being handed such a gift, she seemed rather irritated the Phantom Thieves got to him before she did."

"Shoulda done her damn job sooner then," Ryuji grumbled. Ren reached over and took his boyfriend's hand, squeezing it.

"I agree," Makoto said. "But, regardless, I've spent the day reaching out to some of Kaneshiro's other victims. Apparently, before he turned himself in, he sent out a whole swarm of apology texts to the debtors he'd been exploiting." She smiled, soft and honest. "I think many of them were confused, but it seems to have taken a great deal of stress off their shoulders. Eiko even hugged me out of nowhere, I think she was just waiting for someone to ask."

"That's great," Morgana mewled.

A satisfied silence lingered in the room.

Yusuke was the first to break it. "Now that we've had our victory confirmed," he said, "I do believe it's proper time to plan a celebration."

"Oh yeah!" Ann grinned. "Plus, we gotta welcome our new teammate!"

Makoto chuckled. "So long as we wait until after exams, that sounds wonderful."

"Boo," Ryuji called, and Ren burst out laughing.

"Any ideas on what you want to do, Makoto?" Morgana asked. "We're celebrating you joining, after all."

She crossed one leg over the other, chin in her hand, humming in thought. "I can't really think of anything, sadly." She smiled, but seemed a little disappointed in herself. "I'd welcome any suggestions."

"Oh!" Ryuji straightened up in a rush. "Dude, there's like, a fair and a fireworks celebration in Odaiba a couple days after exams! We should totally hit that up!"

"That sounds like quite a lot of fun," Yusuke added, rubbing his chin. "I can break out my yukata for the occasion!"

Ann snickered. "Don't get too excited, we still need Makoto to confirm." She glanced over. "What do you say? Enthusiasm aside, how do you feel about it?"

Makoto opened her mouth, then closed it, as if she was trying to honestly consider the idea. "I believe," she said, slowly, "that would be wonderful. I look forward to it."


7/10 – Sunday
Afternoon
Cafe Leblanc

Ren stretched both arms over his head and yawned. "My eyes are starting to glaze over," he mumbled. "I'm gonna make some coffee, anyone else want some?"

A chorus of polite declines, and Ren scooted his way out of the booth.

"Nooo, Renren," Ryuji whined, reaching out his hand. "Take me with youuuu."

Makoto snickered from across the table. "Come on Ryuji," she said, "four more problems, then we can take a break."

"You heard the lady," Ren said.

Ryuji let out a frustrated huff, and fiddled with his pencil. "Fine," he grumbled.

Ren crossed around the counter, flicking on the coffee pot. He glanced over towards Sojiro, sitting in his stool behind the counter with a newspaper. "Thanks again for letting us study here," he said.

Sojiro chuckled. "Hey, anything to keep you on the straight-A narrow. If I have to kick a couple customers out so you can make valedictorian? I'm alright with that."

"Nice try," Ren shot back, grinning. "I wouldn't dare take that honor from Makoto. She'd probably kick my ass if I did."

"I would say you shouldn't be such a wimp," Sojiro replied, winking, "but that girl looks like she could bench press a truck."

A flicker of Kaneshiro's marble fountain exploding across the back of Ren's eyes. "You're not wrong," he said.

"Okay," Ann said, tapping her pencil against her lip, "I'm still confused here. Solving for X, I get, but there's a Y here. Am I just supposed to say 'nope it can't be solved' or am I missing something?"

"Oh," Makoto said. "Sorry, I should have explained that better I think." She leaned over, almost shoulder to shoulder with Ann. "So, you're supposed to simplify the equation as much as possible, and solve it if able. This one can't be solved, but you can still balance it out, make the two sides equivalent–"

"Provide an equivalency," the Witch said. Her fingers flickered across the wall of Mementos, weaving cognition into practiced patterns, deftly manipulating the fabric of the collective unconscious. "The unpayable cost must be paid. If not with her life, then with an equal abhorrence."

Equal to her life. The Trickster was silent a moment. "What else can you take from me?" he asked.

That caused Oxymoron pause, her hands stalling. "Beyond your name," she said, slowly, "there is much that I can take. Your memories must remain intact, but I can extract far more than your heart."

"You said you were purging my name from this iteration," he said. "Why not purge it from all iterations? Would that be unpayable enough?"

"Perhaps," Oxymoron replied, "but I doubt your future selves could accomplish much, should they lose that."

The Trickster thought. He racked his brain for anything, anything at all; what did he have that could weigh against his friend's life? Could he save her?

Before he could say a word, Oxymoron flinched. "There is," she mumbled, "something that might be equivalent." She turned, and her yellow eyes were cold, perhaps bitter, perhaps just tired. "The Fool–"

"Ren!"

His hand was on the counter. His arm hurt. His chest hurt. He must have crumbled, his legs given out, as if gravity had cashed in a debt. Ren's ears rang and his head spun and his chest felt tight. Not panic, not quite. Fuck.

"I'm okay," he mumbled, though they probably couldn't hear him, "I'm okay, I'm okay." He tried to stand back up, but there was no strength in his legs, and he crumpled back into a heap.

A strong hand on his shoulder, and another under his arm. "I gotcha, kid." He knew the voice. A little gruff, but kind. "Don't strain, deep breaths. Let's get you back up now." Sojiro pulled Ren up to standing, but didn't let go. One hand on Ren's shoulder, the other on his arm, a steady anchor. "One step at a time, you've got this." And he walked Ren over to the nearest booth.

The other Thieves were halfway scrambled out of their own booth, and they rushed over the moment Sojiro helped Ren sit down. "I'm okay," Ren mumbled, even as his head continued to spin. "I'm okay."

"I'll leave this to you all then," Sojiro said, and slipped out of the way.

Ryuji crouched down next to the booth, taking Ren's hand and squeezing it tight. Morgana hopped up and pressed himself against his side, purring loudly. Ann, slipping onto the booth across from him, a quiet presence. Yusuke, silent but open, neither judgement nor pressure. Makoto standing a little awkwardly, but still looking ready to help. Ren wanted to speak, wanted to explain, but it took him a while to find his voice. "Remembered stuff again," he said, as loud as he could bear it. "It just hit me kinda hard. I'm okay." He wanted to force a smile, but it felt far too honest on his lips. "I'm okay."


7/11 – Monday
After School
Shibuya, Cafe

"I can't believe you two already know each other!" Kasumi said, grinning across the table, almost spilling the cup of tea she'd been stirring for the past ten minutes. "I guess that means my whole introduction scheme kinda failed." She stuck her tongue out.

Ren shrugged, glancing towards Akechi, who was currently in the process of emptying yet another sugar packet into his second cup of coffee; he'd downed the first with frightening haste. "Well, it's still nice to catch up with a friend." Akechi made a sound like a scoff, and Ren forced himself not to retort. He wanted to play nice, especially with Kasumi there. She deserved better than to watch two of her friends at each others' throats. "How did you two meet, anyway?"

"Her father is the director of Good Morning Japan, among other similar talk shows," Akechi said. Right, 'Director Yoshizawa,' Ren remembered that from his first meeting with the Detective Prince.

"He used to bring me to work with him," Kasumi added. "I mean, not since I started at Shujin. But that's where I met Mister Akechi!"

Akechi chuckled. "I've told you before, you don't need to be quite so formal with me, Yoshizawa." He raised his cup as if cheering the other two, then took a long sip.

"I suppose talk shows like that must be a good place to meet people," Ren said with a little smile, "considering that's where we met too, Akechi."

"Somehow," Akechi replied dryly, "I have the feeling you both are the exception, not the rule."

Kasumi giggled, and sipped loudly at her tea.

"By the way Kasumi," Ren said, "did you ever end up spending any time with Ann? It looked like you two really hit it off."

Maybe it was just the warmth of her drink, but Ren got the distinct impression her face got a little redder at the question. "I said hello a few times ar-ound school," she admitted, "but I don't know if she likes me well enough to hang out."

"Whoever it is you're speaking of," Akechi said, taking another small sip, "I doubt she is outside of your league, if that's your concern." He chuckled. "I do believe you seemed similarly shy when we first became friends. And yet, here we are."

Kasumi sent him a glare, though she broke into a smile in seconds. "I guess so." She shrugged. "Um, but you were the one who kept texting me, so that helped a lot."

And now it was Akechi's turn to look quite a bit bashful. He glanced towards Ren. "Wipe that smirk off your face," the Prince grumbled.

Choosing not to address Akechi, Ren nodded to Kasumi. "I'd be happy to give her your phone number," he said. "Fair warning, she likes to text a lot of random pictures to her friends at really weird times. So you might get a bunch of random cat photos at 10pm."

"Um," Kasumi said, hesitating, "I don't want to be a b-other."

"You wouldn't be," Ren assured, "I promise."

"Hm." Kasumi seemed to consider that, stirring her tea further. "I think...that would be nice."

"I'll let her know," Ren said.

Akechi put his now-empty cup down on the table and closed his eyes, taking a long breath in and out. Then he signaled to the nearby waitress. "Could I get another of the same, please? Thank you."

"Three cups at 4 in the afternoon?" Ren questioned.

"If you must know," Akechi said, dryly, "my sleep schedule is rather abysmal, and I have quite a lot of work left to do today." He sighed. "Considering recent developments, investigations into the Phantom Thieves have been quite distinctly emphasized. Even a celebrity like myself isn't immune to that frantic effort."

A spark of nervous energy across Ren's hands. He'd expected the police to steadily step up their efforts as more hearts were changed, but the thought of facing that resistance more directly? That worried him.

Akechi didn't notice or didn't comment on Ren's silence, continuing on. "That reminds me," he said. "I've heard Amamiya's quite strong opinion on the Thieves many times before, but you're a Shujin student too, Yoshizawa." Maybe he was smirking, or maybe just smiling. It was hard to tell. "Would you consider yourself to be – what's the term – a 'Phangirl'?"

Kasumi giggled. "I don't think I would." She hummed to herself, as if in thought. "I think what you said a while ago about how the Thieves might be manip-ulating people...that's pretty scary to think about." Kasumi fiddled with her spoon. "Even if they aren't doing that, I still don't like the idea of changing someone's head by force like that."

Ren didn't know what to say, so he stared down at his empty cup, fingers idle on the table. It stung. Kasumi wasn't wrong, but her disapproval still hurt. He wanted to protest, wanted to defend himself and his friends, but he bit back his dissension. Kasumi was her own person. It wasn't fair for Ren to try and control her opinion, especially not for something as stupid as his own pride.

"Ren," she said, and he started, glancing up to meet her eyes. Not particularly judgmental, probably just curious. "Um, you know about the Phantom Thieves a lot right? Have they ever changed anyone's heart who, um, who wasn't a really bad person?"

He blinked, not really sure how to answer the question. "Yeah," Ren said, slowly, "I think so. Uh, there was a stalker guy who was creeping out his ex, but didn't actually hurt her at all. And this one boss who was overworking his employees. They weren't evil at all, just stuck in their own distorted thoughts."

Kasumi nodded slowly. "I think," she said, "that's okay then. Changing hearts like that." Ren hadn't expected that. Not at all.

Akechi seemed to almost flinch. "Really?" he asked, calm, but Ren could hear a tinge of irritation in his voice.

"I guess," Kasumi mumbled, "that it's like...an int-ervention? Like making someone stop doing something bad, even if they don't see it that way. Or someone asking for help for their friend who is in a bad place. I think?"

"I hadn't thought about that," Ren mumbled out loud.

"And would you feel the same if a friend of yours judged you as 'distorted'?" Akechi shot back, frustration clearly evident.

"I would!" Kasumi said, looking a little surprised but holding her ground. "If I was going to hurt someone, or...or..." She took a long breath, staring down at the table. "Or myself." The two words were like a whisper from her lips. "Then it'd be good for someone to change my heart, even if I didn't want them to at the time."

"Maybe so," Akechi replied, his tone distinctly sour, "but there are far better ways of accomplishing such a thing without a cognitive assault. It's an invasion of privacy at minimum, and utter brainwashing at worst."

This was...enlightening, maybe. Ren felt a little lost for words. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

"Is Akechi scared about the Thieves looking at his heart?" Mona mumbled from inside his bag. "Maybe he's got secrets he doesn't want anyone to know."

That knocked Ren's brain back into lucidity. The inquiries writhed like gears. "Are you worried about what someone might find if they go rooting around in your cognition?"

Akechi's eyes narrowed. A sneer pulled at his lips. Anger, pure and simple fury, some bubbling hatred that had burned its way up from the detective's gut. He opened his mouth, and Ren braced himself for whatever vile curse would be slung his way. But Akechi did not say anything. He sighed, and forced a smile. "Well," he said, utterly calm, "I suppose that's not an inaccurate assessment. I seriously doubt anyone would want a stranger exposing every dark and secret thought that might permeate their subconscious." He turned towards Ren, eyes once more sparking with some barely withheld furor. "I might turn the question back at you, Amamiya. If someone threatened to peel open your soul and thrust your every impulse to the world, would you be scared as well?"

His right hand found his left wrist. Ren looked away. Of course he'd be scared. He was already scared, even the implication of surrendering his heart was a mortifying prospect. Putting aside the harm those secrets might bring, putting aside the burden that might suffocate his friends, every scar would be plain to see. Every shame, stark and evident. There would be no hiding from himself anymore, he would have to face it all. Could he even–

"I think I'm still mad at you. You lied to me, and I'm pissed about that. But I think I forgive you."

"There's parts of...all of this that I'm still figuring out. Once I do, once I understand what's going on, then I'll tell you everything."

"Don't you dare apologize, Ren. Don't you dare take it back."

Ren glanced up towards Kasumi, who seemed to be waiting on his answer, patient yet curious. If she knew what he was hiding, would she hate him? Even if she did, even if she was bitter or furious or angry, would that be reason enough to keep it from her? The more he thought about it, the more his mind settled, the more his heart calmed, the more his pulse evened. "I've got stuff I'm ashamed about," he said, finally, "sure. Everyone does." Ren couldn't help but smile. "But that doesn't mean I should feel that way. Scary doesn't mean bad, and shameful doesn't mean evil. I feel like if I spent my whole life ashamed of myself, it'd be a pretty lonely time."

"How very philistine of you," Akechi droned.

"Akechi!" Kasumi snapped, sending a glare his way. "Don't be a jerk." Then she beamed at Ren. "I think that's a very sweet way of thinking about it. I don't know that I feel the same, but I think I really want to." She looked down at her tea. "I don't like keeping secrets. I'm still too scared to say everyth-ing out loud, but I don't want to keep them forever."

The table was silent. And then Akechi sighed. "I apologize for...my earlier hostility." He didn't sound entirely genuine, but Ren could appreciate the thought, at least. "Sleep deprivation has weighed far more on my temper than I anticipated." The detective seemed torn, or frustrated at himself. "Amamiya, I can appreciate your sentiment. I cannot in good faith agree with you, but I do not think any less of you for it. A foolish outlook, but a well-meaning one. I...will not hold that against you."

"Thanks?" Ren said. It was a rather backhanded compliment, but he'd received far worse from Akechi. Step in the right direction, he supposed.

Rather than linger, Akechi nodded towards Kasumi. "Yoshizawa, I don't believe you told me the outcome of your last meet. Did you swamp the competition as usual, or was there some up-and-coming rival who gave you a hard time?"

Kasumi burst out laughing. She answered, and Ren tried his best to listen, but he found his attention drifting. Kasumi had mentioned her own distorted thoughts, or the implication of them at least. He hadn't seen any behavior from her that would indicate that, but if she was truly in need of a change of heart, would he be capable of pulling that off? Of changing his friend's heart? And beyond that, if he needed to change Kasumi's heart, could he bear to keep the truth from her any longer?

Ren wasn't sure. But he wanted to tell her. About the Phantom Thieves, about the parcels, about the mental shutdowns; everything. He wanted to. When the time was right; maybe he would.


7/12 – Tuesday
After School
Kanda Church

"Any idea why that fortune teller lady wanted us to go here?" Morgana asked.

Ren, his hands in his lap, stared at the enormous stained glass window. "None," he replied. "She just said 'fateful encounter' over the phone. That could mean anything." The ambiance of this place was kind of nice. It felt a little bit weird to pop into a church without intent to pray, but the blended echoes of devoted whispers, footsteps on the stone floor and the somehow muffled organ music painted a very calming sonic picture. With how much studying he'd done over the past few days, a change of pace like this was well-appreciated.

"Excuse me," a girl's quiet, polite voice from his left. "Were you waiting for me?"

Ren glanced over to see a young woman in a navy...blue... "Oh!" It was that young woman who got her fortune told, what was her name again...

"Oh," she said, her expression falling as she no doubt recognized Ren as well. She sighed, adjusting the strap of a canvas bag on her shoulder. As she did, a flash of red in her hair caught Ren's eye – some sort of hairclip with a three-leaf clover design, and a thin red string hanging down from it. "What do you want?" Her tone was utterly frigid.

"Uh," right, right he remembered now, "Hifumi – er, Miss Togo." Ren stood up and bowed his head slightly. "I didn't exactly know you'd be here I promise, but now that you are I want to apologize for any discomfort you might have felt during that fortune and I want to let you know that I'm happy to leave you alone completely from now on."

Silence. Well, that was a little messy of an apology. In his own defense, Ren hadn't exactly prepped it, not like he was supposed to–

"Cute sentiment from a con-artist's apprentice," Hifumi said. She stepped around him and sat down on the bench, slipping her bag off her shoulder and glaring daggers at Ren.

"Ex-apprentice," he corrected. She raised an eyebrow at that.

"Ex-apprentice," she repeated. "Hrm." Cold green eyes, unyielding. Then, she smirked. "Sit down."

He wasn't sure how to react to that, but he did so.

"I'm not the best at reading people," Hifumi admitted, reaching into her canvas bag and pulling out a rectangular wooden object, "but shogi is my battlefield." She peeled the object open, unfolding it into a portable shogi board with the pieces already in place, and she placed it between the two. "How much experience do you have with the game?"

"There was a shogi mobile game that came out a few months ago," Ren replied. "I played that for, like, a couple hours. So I know the rules."

She seemed unsatisfied with the answer, but nodded. "Good enough. If you really wish my forgiveness, face me as my opponent. Let our wills clash on the wooden battlefield."

"Okay," Ren said, feeling honestly more than a little intimidated by the girl's sudden shift in attitude.

"I shall handicap myself to match your inexperience," Hifumi offered, reaching out to pluck one of her rooks from the board.

Ren shook his head. For whatever reason, he thought of Caroline and Justine. He hadn't succeeded so far by asking his opponents to underestimate him. "Please don't. I appreciate the gesture, but I think I'd like to face you at your full strength."

She raised an eyebrow, but her smirk widened into what seemed like an honest smile. "Very well. Then, Mister Ex-Apprentice, please show me your tenacity firsthand."

"Don't lose?" Morgana offered from his bag.

Great advice. Ren sighed. Well, he'd try his best.


Well, he tried his best. "Thank you for the game," he said, bowing his head slightly.

Hifumi did not answer. Her eyes were locked on the board still, holding her chin in one hand. She'd stopped analyzing his moves out loud midway through the game, and slipped into what Ren could only assume was her professional cold competitive front.

That sent a pretty clear message, if Ren was reading her correctly. He leaned down to grab Morgana's bag from the floor.

Hifumi started, putting up a hand. "Please, stay a moment." She still seemed lost in thought.

He settled back down on the bench, waiting for the young woman's next words.

"Your technique is very interesting," Hifumi said, after another silence, "you seem very well-versed in mimicry."

Ren couldn't help but wince.

Hifumi smiled softly at him. "I mean that as a compliment." Her gaze returned to the board. "It is a clever novice tactic, to emulate a far more experienced foe's moves, even as one does not recognize the depth of the opponent's strategy. Though, I would say, it is somewhat of a fool's errand."

"Seems it," Ren replied, "I lost pretty definitely."

"But," Hifumi continued, as if she hadn't heard Ren speak at all, "your mimicry seems far more advanced. You weren't copying my strategy in process, you were emulating my moves before I made them." She glanced back up at him, and he could see some excitement flickering in her eyes. "You are obviously inexperienced, but your technique is fascinating."

"So," Ren said, trying to follow the young woman's words, even though most of them flew over his head, "you believe me then?"

Hifumi seemed confused, and then she burst into quiet laughter. "Oh, of course, that. Yes, I believed your apology the moment you accepted my challenge."

Well, Ren felt just a little bit dumb now.

Hifumi hummed, looking as if she was rolling something around in her head. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Ren Amamiya," he said.

"Ren," she addressed him directly, "I would like to ask for your assistance."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Assistance with what?"

"I'm a professional shogi player," she said, as if reciting, "and I am..." She hesitated. "I believe I have reached somewhat of a peak in my abilities. There are plenty of professional players who I vastly exceed in skill, but there are far many more who I have simply been unable to defeat." She reached a hand up, fiddling with the red string tied to her hairclip. "I believe there is some further strategic experimentation that is required, but my mother refuses to allow me to compete with any player with a lower rank than my own."

Ren took that all in. "Are you asking me to help you, what, hone your strategies?"

"Yes," she said, "please."

"You should say yes!" Morgana whispered. "A strategic mind like that could be a valuable asset to the Phantom Thieves."

He wasn't sure that would be the case, but there didn't seem any harm in the arrangement. At least, it might aid one of them, and it could aid them both. "Alright," he said, extended a hand to her over the board, "sounds like a deal."

Hifumi glanced down at his hand, then up at his face, and gingerly accepted the handshake. "I look forward to our next game."