CONTENT WARNING: The first scene of this chapter contains references to suicide ideation, while the section "7/30 – Saturday, Afternoon, Sojiro's House" contains references to parental abuse. While not graphic, this content still may be difficult or upsetting to read, so please take breaks or skip sections as needed. Stay safe.


█████
Afternoon
█████'s Palace

The Trickster was sitting alone. He'd done as much as he could for his allies, for his friends, but he'd reached his limit. He needed to be alone with his thoughts. So he sat, feet dangling off the side of a sheer drop, watching Shadows swarm far below. A few looked up at him, but none seemed eager to engage. They were welcome to try their luck, the Trickster decided, his fingers tightening on the edge.

Someone sat next to him. Crouched there, squatting with the tips of her toes off the side."It's too far to survive," she said, her voice quiet and twisted with distortion. "If you fell, you would die."

"Are you worried about me?" the Trickster asked.

The girl's Shadow said nothing.

"I won't fall," he said. "Tried to die once before after all, but it didn't stick. And I've fought too hard to live, to die now."

"Then why are you here?" she asked. "You are struggling against something you cannot change. I told you, you would abandon this place or you would die here."

He wasn't sure how to respond. "Do you want me to die?" The words slipped from his mouth before he could catch them. They itched at his throat even after they left, like choking on feathers.

"I don't." That caught him off guard. "I don't want anyone to die. No one but me."

The Trickster was quiet, for a moment. "█████," he said,"I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting. Tired of hurting and losing people. I don't want to die, but some days I want to give up." He glanced towards her, into those empty yellow eyes. "If I asked you to save me, would you?"

The girl's Shadow stared right back. "Would I have to stay alive to save you?"

He nodded.

She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. The girl looked down at the swarm of monsters dozens of feet below. "I'm tired too," she said.

"I know," he said.

"But I would try. You deserve that much."

The Trickster smiled, just a little. "I'll keep trying then. Push through one last time. Then, maybe we both can give up. No more fighting, but no more dying either."

She said nothing. And they were quiet together.


7/30 – Saturday
Afternoon
Sojiro's House

Unknown Number
Hey Ren?
Before you come over, could you grab bring some coffee from Leblanc?

Ren

Should I leave it outside your door?

Unknown Number
Uh
Would you be okay to like
bring it all the way to me?
I'll unlock my door for you.

Futaba's room felt cramped, at a glance. But Ren's eyes didn't focus much on the room. They focused on the girl.

She looked half-dead. Bags under her eyes distinct against pale skin, evident even in the dim light here. He'd been expecting exhaustion, but the sight still struck him like a gutpunch. She was definitely her Shadow's light, but her hair was a lot longer, messy orange spilling over her shoulders all the way down her back. She was sitting in a swivel chair, staring at him, her legs in against her chest. Shorts, a tee thrown over a long sleeve striped shirt, and a pair of headphones resting over her ears.

Ren lifted the cup in his hand a little higher, as if cheering with it. "Brought coffee," he said.

Futaba, silently, reached out and made grabby-hands motions. He handed her the mug and she downed a sizable gulp. "...'s good," she mumbled, and continued to take steady sips.

While she drank, Ren finally took a long look around the room. Futaba's chair was in front of a computer desk, with an absolute brick of a desktop computer beneath and two monitors atop – alongside a laptop on a perch stand. There were more wires than he could count, and the only light in the room came from those screens, humming away at some sort of process. Green text on black and black text on white. The room wasn't quite as cramped as he'd first thought, but most of of the floor was covered in thick books, bags of trash and newspaper articles. A starry curtain covered the only apparent window, behind a metal stand covered with various action figures and even more books. Futaba's bed was unmade, a thick comforter skewed across, and it was covered in maybe a dozen stuffed animals.

"–down," came Futaba's quiet voice again.

Ren glanced towards her. "Sorry?"

She looked away, taking hold of her desk to swivel herself halfway away from him. "Um," she said, "you can...sit down. On the bed. If you want. It's a mess, I'm sorry."

"Thank you," he replied. "Nothing you need to be sorry for though, I totally understand. I still haven't gotten around to fully dusting the attic." Ren carefully maneuvered his way around a few haphazard scraps and discarded tomes, and plopped down on her bed. A round grey cat rolled into his lap, and he gently picked it up and placed it back where it'd started. It rolled into his lap again.

"I'm not good at talking," Futaba said, reaching out to hold onto the edge of her desk, swiveling back and forth. "That's why I did the texts. Different in person."

Ren nodded. "I know the feeling. Talking kinda sucks, I'm not that great at it either."

"Better than me." Futaba winced as if her own words had burned her. "Sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he assured. "Bad habits; I get it, I promise I do. Not your fault, Futaba."

Futaba didn't say anything.

Ren shifted, his foot colliding with one of the books on the floor, and he glanced down at it. The title caught his eye. "Cognitive Pscience," he read aloud. Something started to click in the back of his head. The gears in his brain struggling to turn. "You were reading books about cognition."

"Yeah," Futaba said. "It's...what my mom was studying. She was trying to find a way to influence a Cognitive Overhaul for people with distorted cognitions; inverting a False State into the acceptance of the True Self." She spoke steadily, quietly, but quickly, the words left her mouth with incredible haste and articulation. Futaba sounded like an expert whispering a seminar to an audience of one.

"False State meaning a Shadow," Ren said, slowly, "and if that True Self thing is an inversion, that'd be a Persona." He momentarily thought back to Mitsuru, to the Kirijo Group's history with the Metaverse. "Your mom was trying to make Personas?"

Futaba shook her head insistently. "No, she was just...I mean...I don't think so." She swiveled towards her desk, away from Ren. "My mom's research notes are all classified. Her lab was government funded, so they own all her findings. I've read some of her old papers that she published publicly, but all the important stuff is locked away. Cognitive Pscience is supposed to be all speculation though, they don't know about the Metaverse, they're just observing psychological patterns."

Ren nodded. Things were starting to fall into place now. "Were you listening to us to trying to figure out stuff about your mom's research? We know about the Metaverse, so–"

She made a sound that knocked the breath from Ren's mouth. Nothing concrete, almost a whine, or a stutter. But Futaba shook her head again. "-ed," she mumbled, then took a long breath, "was scared."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I forgot that was something that upset you. Got in my own head again, I'll do better next time, promise."

"I'm just being dumb," she said, swiveling to face the computer desk, her back to Ren.

"Sometimes things just hurt and you don't know why, right?" His right hand found his left wrist. "Believe me, I know what that's like. It's not your fault, Futaba."

She was silent, maybe considering that, maybe just unsure what to say. "Can I ask you something?" she said, quietly.

"Of course," Ren replied. "You can ask me whatever you want, anytime you'd like. There's probably some questions I might not be ready to answer, but I don't think there's anything you could ask that would upset me."

"Could you tell me about your parents?" It didn't upset him, true to his word. But the inquiry did hit him with palpable force. "I'm kinda...I dunno. I've been thinking a lot about my mom, about, um, uh, if she loved me." Futaba shifted, fiddling with the armrests, rocking back and forth. "Sojiro said your parents were assholes."

Ren couldn't help but smile. Despite how much the girl had gone out of her way to avoid potentially upsetting him, she could be very blunt at times. For whatever reason, from her, he didn't mind that one bit. Felt kind of nice, honestly. "They were definitely assholes," he confirmed. "I mean, I don't remember everything, lots of holes in my memory from back then. But I remember some stuff. Dad would yell at me when I disagreed with him, make me feel like an idiot when I stuttered or got confused. Mom would tell me how ungrateful I was, how much she sacrificed for me, even as she'd drag her feet about anything that mattered to me." He took a long breath, letting all the tension out. They weren't here. He was, and they weren't. "So, even if they were nice to me all the times I can't remember, there's a lot of awful shit I still do."

"I'm, uh," Futaba said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ren smiled, and he hoped she could hear it in his voice. "I would have let you know if I wasn't up for talking about it. Still kinda hurts, but I don't mind. It feels really nice to tell someone I trust, I think."

"Trust," she echoed. "My, um, ah..."

"You don't have to–" Ren started.

"My mom didn't do any of that," she said, almost all in one breath. "She would scold me when I threw a fit but she never said anything..." Futaba's voice caught, and she took an unsteady breath. "Never said anything bad like that."

"Thank you," Ren said, before he could stop the words.

"Mmm," Futaba replied, shuddering, her chair squeaking with every movement. Her hands moved up by her ears.

Ren stood up, careful not to disturb any of the stuffed animals. "Futaba," he said, slowly and carefully, "you can answer just yes or no, no explanation needed. You can even just text me if you want. I promise, no matter what you say, I won't be upset." He let her take that in. "Would you like a hug?"

She shook her head firmly, mumbling something, maybe an attempt at articulation.

"That's alright," he said, as calm and pleasant as he could. "Would you like me to stay here for a bit longer?"

Futaba hesitated. "Yeah," she said. "P-please."

"I'll stay, then." He sat back, careful as before. The round grey cat rolled into his lap again, and he chuckled. "I'll be right here if you want to talk more, or we can just be quiet like before. Whatever would make you feel the most comfortable."

"Thank you," she said.

"Of course," he replied.


Ren's phone rang, and it flinched him awake. He hadn't exactly been fully asleep, but the quiet hum of computer monitors and Futaba's typing had lulled him off. He blinked to see Futaba staring at him from her chair, wide-eyed. The sound must have startled her too. "Sorry, forgot to turn it down." He pulled the phone from his pocket and answered. "Ren here."

Makoto's voice, distinct and triumphant: "We made it."

Ren sat up a little straighter. "Just to be clear, you mean–"

"Not exactly all the way," she clarified, "there's still one final barrier between us and the Treasure. Some sort of door, it's got some caution tape and a keep out sign. But Mona is positive the Treasure is beyond that door."

Caution tape and a sign... "That's the door to Futaba's bedroom." Futaba herself tilted her head at the statement. "I'm on speaker phone right?"

"Uh," a momentary rustling, "you are now."

"That last door you're in front of," he said, raising his voice just a little to make sure the Thieves could hear him, "from how Queen described it, that should be the door to Futaba's bedroom."

"Oh!" Morgana's voice now. "She must not trust any of us inside her room. That's where her comfort zone is, so her Palace must be treating that as the safest place for her Treasure."

"So how do we get inside?" Ann asked. A knock through the receiver.

"If the door does not open for us," Yusuke said, "it should mean her cognition still considers us unwelcome."

"Shit," Ryuji said, "that's probably a hell of a problem then."

Ren cracked a grin. "Not as much as you might think." He smiled at Futaba, who just stared back at him.

A pin could have dropped on the other end. "Joker," Makoto said, slowly, "are you in Futaba's room right now?"

"Yep, she let me in."

"Yoooo," Ryuji replied, and Ren couldn't help but laugh.

"We're really proud of you Futaba!" Ann yelled. "That's a big step!"

Ren lowered the phone for a moment. "Panther's really proud of you."

"Oh," Futaba said. Bashful, maybe.

He raised the phone again. "So as long as I'm around during the final infiltration, we should be all set. We've got our route."


7/30 – Saturday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc

"How'd it go today?" Sojiro asked.

Ren put his bag down on one of the nearby tables. Morgana barely stirred, probably too tired to even poke his head out. "It went well. Futaba's doing amazing. She even let me inside her room today."

Sojiro was silent. Ren glanced over to see the man's eyes wide, his expression shocked. "She..." He blinked. Took a long, unsteady breath. Laughed, for a moment. He covered his mouth. "She let you in."

"Yeah," he said, slowly.

Sojiro took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He shuddered. He was crying? Holy shit he was crying Sojiro was– "Sorry, I'm sorry," he mumbled, laughing again. "Didn't want you to see me like this. Either of you, I guess." Sojiro took another long breath and wiped his eyes on his hand towel. "She hasn't let anyone into that room for almost a whole year. Not even me. And you got her to open her door for you in less a week? I didn't think it was possible."

Ren swallowed. Was Sojiro suspicious? Should he apologize, or...

Sojiro lowered his hand, smiling at Ren, beaming at him. "You're amazing, Ren. I don't know how you did it, but I'm so fucking glad you did. Thank you. Thank you for helping her."

"Oh," he said. "Uh, yeah. My pleasure, I guess."

"One step at a time," Sojiro said, almost like he was reminding himself. "I guess...don't get too discouraged if it takes her even longer to make another one like that. Futaba's trying really hard, but she's dealing with a lot. So, let's both keep being patient with her, all right? I hope you don't mind that."

"I don't mind that at all," Ren replied. "Happy to give her as much time as she needs."

Sojiro chuckled. "Gotta say Ren, I honestly wish you'd have come and lived here sooner. I bet Futaba would have liked having someone like you around."

Ren's chest ached. It wasn't exactly...it kinda hurt to hear that, but not in a bad way. Like stretching a sore muscle. Like he'd been waiting to hear it.


7/31 – Sunday
Afternoon
Cafe Leblanc

Unknown Number
What's gonna happen to me after my heart is changed?

Yusuke crossed one leg over the other, humming in thought. "Judging by my observations of Madarame, as well as what the other Phantom Thieves have reported, it should take a few weeks for your change of heart to manifest fully. During that time, you'll likely feel rather disoriented as your cognition attempts to come to terms with a changed view of the world."

"Anything else to add, Morgana?" Ryuji asked, tone kinder than his words might suggest.

The feline's ears wilted. "She wouldn't understand me anyway," he mumbled, and curled up into a ball. Like he was ashamed to even be asked.

"Uh," Ryuji said, scratching his head, "guess that's a no."

"We'll be right there the whole time," Ann added. "You won't be alone. I mean, Ren will be there."

"It's a little rude to make that promise for me," Ren teased. "But you're right. I'll be there the whole time, as long as Futaba needs."

Unknown Number
Thank you.
You've all been really really nice to me.
Would it
Be okay if I listened to you guys plan?

"Of course," Makoto said. "I'd genuinely welcome your input, if you had any." She glanced up at the other Thieves, as if inviting them to voice dissent. When no did, she continued. "It's your heart, Futaba. You should get the final say."

Unknown Number
Ohhh.
Ty.

Makoto cleared her throat. "Now that we've secured our infiltration route – or, as far as we can get now – I think we should begin working on the calling card. Ren can deliver it directly to Futaba, there's no need for obfuscation here."

"We need Ren with us when we go get the Treasure," Yusuke added. "Morgana, do you foresee any issue with his inability to keep Futaba company at that time?"

"Futaba's cognition is already going to be putting up full resistance once we send the calling card," Morgana said, as if he was answering a tired question. "Even if Ren spent that whole day with her, that wouldn't change her Palace's security."

"No issues then," Ren said. "Futaba, would you prefer if one of us stayed with you?"

Unknown Number
I don't want any of you to get hurt.

"Will you be alright to wait for us?" Ann asked. "It shouldn't be more than an hour, time tends to pass pretty fast in there."

Unknown Number
That should be fine.
I'll put on some music or something.
I wish I could come with you all, I guess.

Ryuji chuckled. "Into your own Palace? I mean, I'd be happy to invite you along, but uh..." He paused. "I dunno, is that even like, a thing?"

"Of course it isn't," Morgana mumbled. "Distortions are subconscious, people are conscious. Confrontation leads to cognitive dissonance leads to..." He trailed off. "It's not a thing."

Hm. Was there something there he was missing? This conversation was catching in his head, clicking insistently at its own importance, but he couldn't tell...oh my god. "When the time comes, bring her with you."

The rest of the Thieves looked at him oddly, but he watched realization dawn on Morgana's feline face. "No," he said. "Final say is fine, she can choose what happens, but that's..." He bit off his words, turning sharply away. "That's not supposed to happen. I don't know what that'll do."

Ann glanced between the two boys. "Sorry, am I missing something?"

"The parcel with Anachronism's phone in it had a note. 'When the time comes, bring her with you.' I think..." Ren let out a breath. "It's a hunch again, but I think it was talking about Futaba."

"Are you saying Oxymoron wishes us to take Futaba into her own Palace?" Yusuke said, leaning forward in his chair, as Morgana curled in further on himself.

"I think so," Ren said.

Unknown Number
Oh
Ohhhhhhhh

Makoto crossed her arms, brow furrowed. "I think I might be with Morgana on this one. He's our expert on cognition, if he says it's dangerous..." She threw a glance towards Morgana, who did not respond. "Especially if it's a plan from Oxymoron."

"Oxymoron wants us to succeed, remember?" Ren added.

"And what's the road to hell paved in, exactly?" Ann cut in, with a dry and strained smile. "Ren, she threatened you. Twice. I'm not going to trust someone like that with Futaba's well being. She's too important."

Unknown Number
Wowie
Um
Can I still be important and ask a question?

"Shoot away, Taba!" Ryuji offered the world's biggest grin to the listening device that couldn't see him.

Unknown Number
Um uh uh
If it's okay
Its a question for Morgana

The feline immediately perked up.

Unknown Number
Could someone say what he says?
I don't understand kittycat talk
(I can meow real good though but he can't hear it cuz I am in Sojiro house)

Ann stifled a giggle behind one hand, and Morgana's fur ruffled, but he still sat up on his haunches. "Ren," he said, with sudden confidence. "You are now my translator."

Ren held up his phone. "I'm already speaking for Futaba. Won't that be confusing?"

Morgana hummed a thought. He pivoted on a dime to face Yusuke. "Yusuke. You are now my translator."

"As appointed, so I shall be," Yusuke replied, with equal parts solemnity and blithe. "Miss Sakura, my words henceforth shall be Morgana's words, as I am translating for him."

Unknown Number
Okie
Morgana
What does a Treasure look like?

Morgana tilted his head. "It's a cognitive object. It looks like...anything that reminds the Palace's Ruler of their distortions."

Unknown Number
How do people get rid of distortions without changes of heart?

"By consciously addressing whatever issues caused the distortion," Morgana answered, his tail flicking back and forth steadily. "And being able to let go of the shame that keeps them from...from looking at it." His little blue eyes widened. He slowly, inch by inch, turned towards Ren. "Exposure therapy."

Ren blinked as the logic pieced itself together. "A change of heart is an intervention," he said, slowly. "And taking someone into their Palace is exposure therapy?"

"I guess!" Morgana sprang up, pacing back and forth rapidly. "I still don't know what would happen, this isn't something I know anything about, it's just not, it's, the theory makes sense, it makes perfect sense, but I, I don't know!"

Unknown Number
Sorry
I didn't wanna stress kitty out
Is he okay?

"I've got blind spots!" Morgana yowled, and resumed his pacing.

"He's okay," Ren said, trying to hide a smile. "He's just worried about you."

"It's a risk!" he added, mid-turn. "Her conscious mind could fully reject reality. Her distortion could influence her actions. Her Shadow could try to hurt her. I don't know!" He finally stopped pacing and sat down again, panting in a distinctly canine manner. "It's...a good idea. If Futaba thinks it's worth the risk, I vote yes." And with that, he fully flopped onto his belly, still out of breath.

Unknown Number
Um
uh
i dont know
thats. scary

"It's alright Futaba, deep breaths." Ren kept his voice calm. "You can take as long as you'd like to figure it out. There's no rush. It'll take at least a day to get the calling card ready, an extra day or two of rest won't harm anything."

Unknown Number
maybe
I can
decide
two days?
ill decide two days
then palace three days?

"Of course," Ann said, soft and sweet. "Like Ren said, as long as you need."

Unknown Number
okay
ill try


8/1 – Monday
Afternoon
Shibuya Family Diner

"How's your break been so far?" Ren asked. "Taking it easy?"

Kasumi shook her head, washing down a mouthful of omelette. "I've been practicing a lot!" she chirped, beaming like she was proud of herself for the effort.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Your last meet wasn't that long ago. Is the next one coming up soon?"

"Not till after Summer," Kasumi replied. She took another massive bite.

Ren waited until her mouth was clear. "Guess you really wanna aim for the gold," he teased.

The smile left her face. "I dunno," she said. "I'm pretty proud of how I did d-uring the last meet, but my parents think I should have tried harder."

Ren felt his stomach turn a little. "You got your best ever score a few weeks ago, I think they should cut you a least a little slack for that."

"Maybe," Kasumi said, "but they're not wrong. I should keep trying harder."

He wanted to correct her, but he couldn't find the words. Nothing sounded right in his head. "I still think you did amazing," he said, finally.

She smiled, twiddling her fork a little in one hand. "Thank you." Kasumi shook her head, as if clearing something from her mind. "How about you Ren? Busy S-ummer break too?"

"Guess you could say that," Ren replied. He might have been tempted to spill the beans, even a little, but their current location wasn't exactly private. "I've helping someone out."

Kasumi nodded, gesturing him to continue.

Ren laughed. "Uh, she's the daughter of the guy who's been taking care of me. She's been struggling with being around people, so I'm doing my best to help her come out of her shell."

"The guy who's been taking care of you," Kasumi repeated, looking a little confused.

"It's sorta complicated." Ren leaned back in the booth, trying to figure out the best way to phrase the situation. "His name's Sojiro, he's a...family friend I guess? Offered to take me in after I got on parole, and I'm pretty sure he's legally my guardian right now."

"Why didn't your parents take you in?" Kasumi asked.

"They're assholes," he replied, more matter-of-fact than he'd intended.

"Oh," Kasumi said, solemnly. "So if Soj-iro is taking care of you, then his daughter is like...your sister?"

Ren couldn't help but laugh, despite the glare Kasumi immediately gave him. It wasn't that he disliked the idea, it was just surprising. But...it did sort of fit. Maybe, just a little. "I don't know if she'd see it that way."

Kasumi took a sip of water. "Do you?"

The question took him aback. "I don't know," he said. "I just met her last week."

She grinned at him, a little honest, a little mischievous. "Figure it out then," she said, simply, then burst into a cascade of giggles.


8/1 – Monday
Evening
Shibuya Central Square

"Thank you again for the help, Ren," Yoshida said. He stepped off the raised wooden podium and wiped some sweat off his brow. "I know sign-holding isn't a glamorous job, but I still appreciate it nonetheless."

"Anything for my favorite candidate." Ren placed the sign next to the rest of Yoshida's belongings. "Your speech was really good this time, by the way."

Yoshida chuckled. "I can credit mu hecklers for not showing tonight, I suppose."

"Sure," Ren said, "but you still did a good job."

"Thank you very much," Yoshida replied. "I don't suppose my meager audience would agree, but I am nonetheless grateful for your words of praise." He sighed, glancing towards the apathetic few who happened to be nearby during his speech. "I hope at least my words might have taught you a little something, Ren."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "About municipal practices?"

Yoshida burst out laughing. "About public speaking! I doubt you've been hanging around me just because you believe in my cause." He gave Ren a knowing look. "You might fool someone else, but you can't fool me. You've got the makings of a real Diet member in you."

"I don't know that I want to pursue politics," Ren protested.

"Entirely fair," Yoshida said, "but I wouldn't discount oration. You have a way with words young man, you've shown some real charisma to me the last few times we've spoken. Even if politics isn't your passion, you seem like a natural leader to me."

It all felt like fluff, like unfitting praise, praise for a mask and not a person. But...well, if Ren was cast a public speaker, he might as well play the part. "I think," he said, slowly, "I've been struggling with that, actually. Do you think you teach me how to reach someone with words?"

Yoshida considered the question. "Is there someone in particular you want to reach?"

Futaba came to mind, of course. But there were others. Shiho, Mishima, Kasumi; even Akechi popped into his head, for whatever reason. "A few. I don't really care much for public speaking, but I feel like there's a lot of worth in figuring out how to say the right things at the right time. I want to do good by that, if I can. I think some of my friends have been looking for that."

The man nodded. "I see, I see." He hummed some thoughtful note, deep and curious. "Unfortunately, I can't give you much universal advice. No single speech can reach everyone, that's why politicians tend to speak about all sorts of unrelated things. It helps to know your audience. Sometimes a soft tone may be unwelcome, while a harsh one is well-appreciated. But others will deeply value that kindness."

"Right," Ren said.

"I would strongly recommend against bending the truth," Yoshida continued. "Be honest about your feelings, however you decided the best way to express them is. Oration can be used to manipulate people, even in good faith, and I cannot say how strongly I feel you should avoid doing so. Results are important, but method is just as vital."

Ren nodded. None of this felt that far outside of what he was already trying to do, but it was a nice reminder that he was on the right track.

"And finally..." Yoshida paused, as if mulling over the best way to articulate himself. "I feel it is important to let go of control when necessary."

Ren blinked. "Let go of control when speaking?"

"Not exactly." The man screwed up his face, clearly struggling with words. "You said your friends have been searching for someone who can say the right things at the right time. There is nothing wrong with attempting to fill that role, but it shouldn't become you. Sometimes stepping away from a situation is the best way to handle it." He held up a hand, preemptively cutting off Ren's response. "I recognize that you care about your friends. I don't suggest you leave them to their own struggles. There is, however, value in recognizing when someone may simply need time to think things through. A kind and proper meddling is a wonderful thing, but it isn't always the best answer."

It was tough to accept that. Something about the concept was difficult to swallow, some anxiety rebelling against that truth. But Ren knew Yoshida was right. "I think it's gonna take some time for me to be good at that," he admitted, "it's hard for me to let go when something feels important. I've been trying, but it's still really hard. I'll...I'll do my best."

"That's all anyone should ask," Yoshida replied.