7/16 – Saturday
After School
Yongen-Jaya
"Remind me," Ren said, walking down the cramped street with the other Thieves, "how I got through last exams after running through Mementos, working rush hour, and telling Ann about the parcels?"
"You didn't," Morgana giggled. "You were a total zombie the whole time."
"Didn't you say you guessed half those answers?" Ann asked.
"That was more of an optimistic half," Ren admitted. "So closer to all of them."
Makoto stared at him like he'd just admitted to something vile. "You aced the exams after guessing every question!?"
"That does sound like Ren," Yusuke mused. "Plenty smart when it counts, and impossibly lucky every other time."
Ren rolled his eyes. "Thanks but also fuck off."
Yusuke just laughed.
Noticing Ryuji was both silent and now a foot behind the rest of the group, Ren paused a step to catch up with the lingering jock. "Hey Sunshine, you hanging in there?"
He smiled. "Yeah man, just...holy shit." Ryuji laughed. "I'm so fucking tired."
"Same." And they were quiet. "Oh, shit, I totally forgot to remind you to stop by your place on the train."
"No worries my dude," Ryuji said, hefting his bag, "I'm all set. Mom didn't let me leave till I was packed."
"Well at least someone in your house has brains," Morgana said, with a little mewling chuckle.
Ren expected Ryuji to fire back in kind, but the blond burst out laughing. "I'm not even gonna argue that. She's definitely the smart one between us."
A little flicker of anxiety, but Ren swallowed it. "I can't wait to meet her," he said, quietly. "I mean, it'd only be fair. You've met Sojiro after all." He took a long breath. "I'm a little worried, I guess. Not for any real reason, just...feels like I might not be good enough." He shrugged. "It's probably dumb."
Ryuji was quiet for a moment. "She's gonna love you," he said, confidently. "I mean, ever since I told her, she's been so so happy, giving me all this random advice and shit. Man, I kinda thought she might be like, I dunno, worried or something. Like I'd have to convince her." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I didn't. So, I get you're nervous, but don't sweat it. You're fucking amazing Ren, and my mom's gotta be smart enough to see that." He nodded to himself. "You've got nothing to be scared of."
Ren stared down at the small cardboard box in his lap, then at Ryuji sitting on his bed cross-legged with a huge, excited smile on his face. "You carried this around all day?" he said, careful to keep his voice down to avoid waking the nearby Morgana. "It's kinda heavy."
Ryuji just shrugged. "I'm a strong guy, whatever, just open it up already! You're killing me here Renren."
"Okay, okay." Ren peeled the packing tape off the top, and pulled open the lid. "Oh shit." He should have expected this, but the surprise was no less than divine. A pistol, yet another one of Ryuji's custom weapons no doubt, but this one blew his previous effort out of the water. It was sleek, black from handle to tip, with a long streak of red along its barrel that brought images of a certain gentleman thief to Ren's mind. "Did you get Yusuke to help you?" he asked, lifting the pistol out and hefting it in one hand. It was a little heavier than he was used to, but not uncomfortably so, and it fit his hand perfectly, the grip was almost pliable to the touch.
"Nah man, that was all me." Ryuji chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Took me like a week to get that bit on the barrel down, and I had to scrub for an hour to get all that spray-paint off my hands."
Ren flicked the safety on and off, let the magazine fall into his hand and then slid it back in. "It feels great." He gingerly placed the pistol back into its box, then glanced up towards his boyfriend. "Ryuji I fucking love you so much."
Ryuji broke into a huge grin, his cheeks a little flushed. "Yeah," he chuckled, "you too, Ren."
7/17 – Sunday
Morning
Shujin Academy, Gymnasium
Ren had assured Ryuji he didn't have to come with, but the jock was adamant. Not that Ren minded his company, but the thought of dragging Ryuji around soured his stomach for whatever reason.
"So which one is your friend?" Ryuji asked, staring down from their spot at the top of the bleachers at the half-dozen gymnasts stretching out before their performances. As if on cue, one of the gymnasts – a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail – happened to glance towards the pair, and dropped her stretch to wave frantically towards them.
"The one who's waving at us," Ren chuckled, and waved back.
"Gotcha." Before Ren could protest, Ryuji cupped his hands. "Fuck em up Kasumi!" His voice echoed in the quiet gym. Every other student turned around to glare at them, and Ren resisted the urge to bolt from the irritated gaze of his peers. Kasumi looked a little confused, but she raised a tentative thumbs-up.
"Classy," Morgana said from his bag, completely deadpan.
Ren had been preparing some form of 'second-place is still great' speech, but judging by the enormous grin on Kasumi's face as he walked up towards her, he probably didn't need to. "Great work," he said, "you looked awesome out there."
She giggled, light and airy, bouncing on the heels of her feet. "I'm so happy you could make it Ren!" Kasumi waved her arms forward and back. "That was a really hard movement but the j-judges said that I was improving a lot and it was my best score yet and I got to show my friend and I'm just..." She flapped her hands faster, giggling again. "Aaaah!"
Her jubilation was nothing short of infectious, and Ren couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Hell yeah! I'm so glad I could see it too."
Hurried footsteps, and Ryuji hurried up to the pair. "Sorry I couldn't see the end," he said, stumbling over his own words a little, "nature's call, you know? What'd I miss?"
Kasumi screwed up her nose, and Ren chuckled. "She got second place. Her best score yet."
Ryuji's face lit up. "Yo, for real? That's fucking awesome, congrats! You really kicked ass out there."
Kasumi nodded, looking a little tense. "I, uh," she said, a little awkwardly, "I fucked em up?"
Ryuji raised an eyebrow, and then burst out laughing. "Fuck yeah you did! Ren, your friend knows what's good."
Ren just rolled his eyes. "Kasumi, this is Ryuji. He's, uh," he hesitated, "my boyfriend." It felt...right, introducing him like that. A little odd, but right.
"Oh!" She smiled at Ryuji. "It's nice to meet you, mist-mi-um, Ryuji."
"Same here," he replied, grinning back, hands in his pockets. Ren was almost thankful he hadn't offered a handshake, given Kasumi's particular disposition towards physical contact like that.
Kasumi glanced fro Ren to Ryuji and back again. "How long have you two been together?"
Ryuji raised a hand, counting on his fingers, but Ren answered first. "Two weeks. On the dot, I think."
"Shit," Ryuji mumbled. "Man, that still feels like yesterday."
"Then," Kasumi said, "congr-atulations to you both too!"
"Kasumi," came an unfamiliar voice, causing the trio to flinch in unison. A woman, maybe her late twenties or early thirties, with short brown hair.
"Oh!" Kasumi perked up. "Hello Coach Hiraguchi."
The woman smiled at the gymnast. "I think," she said, a little slowly, "that the judges gave a very accurate assessment of your abilities. You've applied your improvements during practice to your performance. Well done."
It didn't feel much much in the way of praise, but Kasumi was absolutely beaming. "Thank you so much," she said, quietly.
Hiraguchi nodded. "Sumire would be proud of you." And with that, the woman turned and left.
Kasumi didn't move. The smile was gone from her face, replaced with something...was it truly neutral, or some other repressed emotion?
"Kasumi?" Ren said. "Is everything okay?"
She just nodded. "Oh," she said, her voice still quiet, "I didn't tell you, did I?" And her smile was distinctly mournful. "That's...my sister's name. Sumire."
7/18 – Monday
Evening
Odaiba
The festival wasn't quite packed, but it was busy, dozens of high-schoolers and families alike, playing games at the booths. "Where to next?" Ren asked Makoto – the other Thieves had split off, wandering farther into the festival in search of something or other.
"I'm not quite sure," she admitted. "The last time I was at a festival like this, I was in charge of planning it." Makoto chuckled.
"What about when you were a kid?" Morgana asked, poking his head out of Ren's bag. "Did your parents ever take you to somewhere like this before?"
Makoto nodded. "Once or twice. My father would let me and my sister run around unsupervised while he caught up with his work friends." She looked a little sheepish. "I believe I may have gotten kicked out of a fairgrounds for popping an entire bushel of balloons."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Never would have thought you had a mischievous streak."
"Oh, I was an absolute rascal. I had to get my father's attention somehow." She smiled, but it faded. "That...didn't last, after my father passed. I suppose I didn't have very much reason to cause trouble, after that."
"I'm sorry," Ren said.
Makoto shook her head. "Thank you, but that's in the past. For the moment, I believe the more pressing concern is what to do with our time here this evening."
"May I suggest," Yusuke said, walking up to the other Thieves, holding a half-eaten tray of spherical snacks in one hand, "trying the takoyaki booth near the entrance? They're well equipped with a delightful array of exotic flavors." He paused. "I wouldn't recommend the custard ones, though."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "That sounds really gross."
"The taste isn't half bad," Yusuke assured, "but the texture is rather...eggy."
"Ew," Makoto said, laughing and shuddering at the same time. "I think I'll steer clear, if it's all the same to you."
"By the way," Ren added, "Yusuke, you look really good in a yukata."
The young man beamed. "That's very kind of you to say, Ren." His gaze seemed somewhat distant. "To the best of my knowledge, it was my mother's. I'm very happy to know it fits me well."
"If you guys are thinking of hitting up the games," Ryuji said, strolling up and immediately leaning against Ren, "don't bother. Pretty sure Ann just cleaned em out."
"Aren't festival games all supposed to be rigged?" Morgana asked.
"Probably!" Ann chirped, strolling up to the group with a large stuffed animal the approximate size of an infant under each arm, "but I still won!" She adjusted her grip, pushing a panda bear into Makoto's surprised grasp. "Here ya go, Makoto. Congrats on kicking Kaneshiro's ass."
She stared down at the stuffed panda, first stunned, but a smile soon spread across her face. "How did you know I liked pandas so much?" she asked, a wonderful little lilt in her voice.
"You've that pencil case you always carry around," Ann said, trying to fit the other stuffed animal – a floppy-eared dog – into her bag, "with that old cartoon panda on it. Bushi-something-or-other."
"Buchimaru," Makoto corrected. She let out a long breath, and then practically beamed at Ann. "Thank you so much. This is wonderful."
Ann grinned back, giving up on transporting the dog in her bag, and simply holding it in both arms.
"Excuse me?" A stranger's voice, and the Ren glanced over to see a young woman wearing a uniform of what must have been Odaiba's local high school. The young woman grinned awkwardly at Makoto. "Your hair looks super awesome."
"Oh," she said. "Uh, thank you." The panda bear under one arm, Makoto ran her hand across the buzzed back of her hair.
"I was thinking of getting my hair cut like that sometime," the young woman continued, almost stumbling over her words, "but, like, really short all over? Like a pixiecut, I think. But I haven't found a good place for it; where'd you get yours cut?"
"Oh, I did it myself," Makoto replied, with a note of what might have been either embarrassment or pride. "I got an electric razor from downtown Shibuya."
The young woman's jaw dropped, and Ren could practically see an ecstatic glow in her eyes. "No fucking way. That's so metal, holy shit!"
"Yeah, right!?" Ryuji cut in, but the young woman paid him no mind.
She reached out and grabbed Makoto's hand, tugging her away. "Come on come on, I wanna introduce you to my friends, they're really cool I'll bet you'll love them."
Makoto glanced towards the other Thieves, digging in her heels a little to keep from being dragged off. "Uh," she said, looking distinctly awkward but not uncomfortable.
"Don't worry bout us!" Ann said, waving a hand. "Go have fun. We'll meet back up later."
Makoto smiled, visibly thankful, and then let the young woman pull her into the crowd and out of sight.
Ryuji checked his watch. "Is she gonna make it here in time? Fireworks are starting in like, five minutes." He was a little muffled through the earplugs Ren had picked up on the way, but he could hear him well enough. The five Thieves had managed to procure a pretty solid spot on a hill overlooking the bay, though the area around them was a little bit cramped from a dozen other families and friend-groups with the same idea.
"I certainly hope so," Yusuke said. "It would be a shame for her to miss this."
"Sorry I'm late!" Makoto said, scooting past another gaggle of teenagers to plop down next to Ann, letting out all the breath in her lungs at once. "I lost track of time, and it took me a while to check my phone."
"You're just in time," Morgana chirped, kneading his paws on the edge of Ren's bag, "it hasn't started yet."
"I'm still sorry," Makoto said, brushing a strand of hair away from her ear. As she did, Ren noticed a some sort of mark on her cheek, red paint or something similar in the shape of...someone's lips.
"Makoto," he said, as quietly as he could, and motioned to his own cheek. "Got, uh, got something there."
Makoto, catching onto the implication, blushed furiously and quickly dove into her bag to find something to wipe the lipstick off her cheek.
Before anyone could say anything further, a brilliant flash and deafening explosion rocked the air over the bay. Ren glanced over to see fading red sparks falling down across the water. And then, another firework went off, and another. It was...well, Ren wouldn't describe it as exactly pleasant. Far too loud and bright for his tastes, but it was beautiful, in a way. And, finding his hand in Ryuji's, Ren couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be.
7/19 – Tuesday
After School
Shujin Academy, School Entrance
Mishima stared at Ren expectantly, waiting for him to finish reading.
"To the Phantom Thieves and their supporters," Ren read aloud, "we are the hacker group known as Medjed. As the Phantom Thieves steal the hearts of the corrupt, we are committed to exposing similar corruption. As such, we would like to formally announce our decision to fully support you in your efforts, and offer our hand for whatever assistance you might require. To any who have supported us in the past, we urge you to extend that same support to the Phantom Thieves. They are, without a shadow of a doubt, as committed to justice as we are. Signed, representatives Sobek and Anu of Medjed." He handed Mishima's phone back, considering the public statement. "Okay, yeah, you're right, that's definitely suspicious."
"Right!?" Mishima missed his pocket, dropping his phone and then scrambling to pick it up. "Like, Medjed seems pretty solid, but there's tons of people talking about how its representatives would hide behind the group name to get away with some really gross shit."
"I don't know anything about Medjed," Ren admitted, "but I know this seems a little more like an advertisement for them than a statement of support."
Mishima nodded furiously. Another couple students passed by the two, giving them an odd look for lingering in the hallway. "Yeah, I thought that too. Plus, they made this statement on their own site, but none of their representatives got in contact with me or, uh..." He trailed off, looking sheepish. "That sounds really self-centered when I say it out loud."
Ren shook his head. "The Phan-site's the biggest gathering of Phantom Thief supporters so far, right? It's definitely odd they haven't reached out."
"Maybe they value their anonymity too much?" Morgana offered from inside his bag. Ren considered that. Maybe, but it was just as likely that they simply didn't take the Phan-site seriously.
Mishima was quiet for a moment. "Do you think I should, like..." He shrugged. "Make some sort of counter-statement? I don't know, that seems a little too mean."
Ren twisted a lock of hair between his fingers. What was the best way to play this? He didn't want anything to happen to the Thieves, obviously, but he didn't want Mishima to get in trouble either. "I think, maybe make a statement thanking them for the message of support, and leave it at that. Put the ball back in their court to show if they mean what they say or if they're just looking to get more attention from everyone talking about the Thieves right now."
Mishima nodded. "Guess I've gotta play nice, then?"
Ren smiled. "At least a little."
"That's a bummer," Mishima said with a dramatic sigh. "But, yeah, you're right. Thanks, Ren."
"Anytime," he replied.
7/21 – Thursday
After School
Cafe Leblanc
Unknown Number
I'm sorry to have to reach out to you this way, but I'm out of options.
Ren
Sorry, who is this?
Unknown Number
You can refer to me as Osiris.
You wouldn't know what that means though, right?
Ren
I think you might have the wrong number
Unknown Number
I assure you Joker, I don't.
Ren
Okay
Who are you and what the fuck do you want?
Unknown Number
I can't tell you my name yet, but I need your help.
Please.
I need you to change my heart.
No one said a word for a long while.
"Does anyone know an Osiris?" Makoto asked, finally. "Or what that might 'mean,' as they said."
"Osiris was the Egyptian god of death and resurrection," Yusuke offered. "Perhaps they simply didn't know if Ren was aware of that fact."
"I dunno," Ann said, rubbing her chin, "it seems like it might be more than that."
Before he could say anything more, Ren's phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number
I know you haven't agreed to anything yet, but thank you for hearing me out.
After reading the message out loud, he glanced up at the other Thieves. "So, what do we think? Should we agree to help them? Or, at least to try?"
"Not off of nothing!" Morgana said, indignantly. "We can't just rush into changing someone's heart until we know more."
Ann nodded. "Plus, they apparently know you're a Phantom Thief, but they can't tell you their name? Is this some sort of Oxymoron situation again?"
"I hope not," Ren mumbled, and his phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number
Before we continue, I'd like to let you know something.
There's a listening device planted in Leblanc.
The entire room flinched in unison.
Unknown Number
If you look on the third lamp from the left side above the counter, there should be a small black object on its stem.
Ryuji immediately scrambled off his chair and half-dove down the stairs. Ren was internally thankful that Sojiro had already gone home for the day. After a silent minute, Ryuji walked back up the stairs, holding something in the palm of his hand, a sour expression on his face. "Fuckin found it," he mumbled, and dropped the listening device on the table between the Thieves. It was tiny, barely bigger than a pea, a little black box with a switch on one side.
Unknown Number
I think it would make this conversation easier to leave it on.
But if you wish to turn it off or destroy it, I understand completely.
"How did they know about the device in the first place?" Yusuke mused out loud.
Unknown Number
I had it installed before you moved into Leblanc.
"Why?" Ren asked. "Why plant a bug in a little coffee shop like this?"
Unknown Number
I can't say.
"Can you say fucking something, at least?" Ryuji snapped.
Unknown Number
I'm sorry.
Please, I still need your help.
Ann sighed. "Well, we should at least hear them out, right?"
"I think I agree with Morgana," Makoto said. "I can't in good faith agree to take any action as drastic as changing a heart without proper understanding of what we're getting ourselves into."
"Osiris, can you at least tell us why you want your heart changed?" Ren asked.
Unknown Number
My cognition is distorted. I can't say too much.
I've tried changing it myself, but nothing works.
The Phantom Thieves change cognition, so they should be able to change mine.
"What sort of distortion?" Yusuke asked.
Unknown Number
Can't say.
"Mona," Ryuji said, "is it possible to be distorted and still know about it?"
"Distorted cognition requires some level of self awareness," Morgana replied, pacing back and forth on the couch, "but most Shadows form from a sense of repression, a desire to shove down that awareness. It's certainly possible for someone to know consciously about their own distortion, but that's not at all common."
Unknown Number
I'm not lying.
I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but I promise I'm telling the truth.
Ren let out a long breath. This was...difficult in a way he wasn't quite used to. Well, in lieu of anything else, he could at least trust his gut. "I want to help, if that's alright with the rest of you. I think we should reserve the right to back out, if we decide to, but I'll take Osiris at their word."
Ann fiddled with one of her ponytails. "Sounds fine to me. I'm not quite sure if I trust them, but its the job of the Phantom Thieves to change distorted hearts, right?"
"Fair point," Makoto said. She sighed. "Alright, I'm in as well."
"Yeah, same here," Ryuji grumbled, though he still glared at the listening device on the table.
"I as well," Yusuke said.
"Me too," Morgana added.
Unknown Number
Thank you all.
"Well, first we need to find out if you have a Palace," Ren said. It honestly felt utterly weird to say those words out loud. "We can't take any steps forward until we find out your name."
Unknown Number
Right.
Of course, yes.
I'm
My name is Futaba.
The name didn't ring any bells. Judging from a glance around the rest of the Thieves, none of them seemed to recognize it either. "I'm sorry," he said, "we need more information first. Your full name, just as a start."
Unknown Number
I can't
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
"Osiris," Makoto said, then corrected herself, "Futaba. Please, tell us what's going on."
Ren waited for another text. Silence. None came. "Futaba?" he said. Nothing. "Are you still there?" Nothing. Without another word, Ren reached over to the table, picked up the listening device, and flicked a switch on the side of the box.
"What exactly should we do now?" Yusuke asked.
"We agreed to help," Morgana said, "and the Phantom Thieves don't go back on their word."
Ren nodded. "Yeah." He couldn't help but smile. "Alright then. Let's start our investigation."
