CONTENT WARNING: The second section of "8/25 – Wednesday, Evening, Cafe Leblanc, Attic" contains mentions of parental abuse and physical assault. Please take breaks or skip sections as necessary. Stay safe.


8/24 – Tuesday
Afternoon
Shibuya Central Street

Ren hadn't expected to see anyone he recognized when he'd left Leblanc earlier. He'd expected it to be a quiet, contemplative shopping trip to pick up some essentials for the cafe, and a few items for future infiltrations. So far, it had been. He had a list, even – not that he really needed it, considering the ever-attentive Morgana was coming with, but Sojiro didn't let him leave without one.

Futaba had stayed up late and was probably still asleep, Makoto was diligently studying, Yusuke was attending another student's exhibition, Ann had a gig and Ryuji was...having an off day, probably. He'd responded to the group chat only an hour ago, late even for him, and to Ren's further concerns with short, almost dismissive texts. He was fine. Don't worry about it. Just feeling weird.

He couldn't help but worry, even as he knew Ryuji would bounce back. He had to. He always did. It still didn't make the unease any simpler to bear. There was something between them that was like the implication of disaster, and perhaps Ren was the only one who saw it, or perhaps it only existed within him to begin with; but it terrified him.

Still, at least here Ren could be more alone, sort of. The eternally busy central street wasn't the most peaceful, but it was somehow comfortable too. Being around people who didn't know him, who would barely give him a second glance, was nice. There was something safe about not having to stand out. Not having to know anyone, and not having to be known.

"Isn't that Narukami coming out of Big Bang Burger?" Morgana asked, his paws up on Ren's shoulder.

Ren froze. Sure enough, two doors down, Yu Narukami had stepped out from underneath the Triple-B awning. All thoughts of solitude forgotten, Ren took a few quick steps forward to try and catch the young man before he disappeared into the crowd. It was only when he was within earshot that he noticed Yu wasn't alone.

"–the strongest woman I've ever met, can't you just hold yourself up!?" The exasperated voice came from a young man with short auburn hair and a casual t-shirt currently supporting a young woman – long green pants, a white crop top and brown hair in a bowlcut – who looked two seconds away from passing out. He glanced towards Yu, desperate. "C'mon, let me tag out. These arms are made for lifting boxes, not people."

Yu raised both hands, grinning. "Sorry partner, this one's all you."

"Yosuke," the young woman wheezed, "if you drop me..." She trailed off, seeming sort of mentally distant. "Don't do it."

"The mighty Chie, Dragon of Inaba," another young woman, this one in a bright red dress, high boots and long black hair that spilled over her shoulders, "laid low by a common burger."

"I told her she shouldn't skip ahead," Yu said. "Second-mate challenge was hard enough for me."

"And she," the young man, Yosuke, added in a bitter tone, "just had to go for the Captain."

"Miss Satonaka didn't raise a quitter," the slumped-over young woman, Chie, retorted.

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "She definitely raised a drama queen."

"Drama king," the other young woman corrected. "Please do not butch-er my girlfriend's identity." And as soon as the final word left her mouth, she burst into uncontrollable laughter, giggling and snorting.

Chie just looked over and stared at the young woman with the biggest skewed grin on her face. "I love you so much Yukiko holy shit."

Yu chuckled too, and turned away, and his eyes fell on Ren. He paused, then raised a hand. "Yo!" A quick word to his friends, barely a sentence and too quiet to pick up, and then he jogged over to Ren. "Hey, how's it going? Fancy meeting you here, in this incredibly popular place in the prefecture you live in." He cracked a wide smile. "Teddie told me you guys were in Mementos yesterday."

"We were, yeah." Ren blinked, trying to center his brain. "And things are going okay, I guess."

"We're going shopping for Boss!" Morgana added.

Yu nodded seriously. "Sounds like fun."

Ren glanced past Yu to see the young man's three friends staring his way. "Shouldn't you...you're out with them right now."

"Yeah," Yu said, and gave an odd look. Like he knew something Ren didn't. "You kinda look like you need someone to talk to, though."

"Um." Did he? That...well, maybe not just someone, but Yu's position as a Shadow Operative did throw a few particular subjects back into the front of Ren's brain. "I guess so. There's some stuff I want to ask you. Not immediate."

"Happy to answer em," Yu said. He looked about to say something further, but a passerby scooted past him, jostling his shoulder. "Probably not here though. I've already ate, but we could grab some coffee at the restaurant over there. Good place for talking."

Ren took another glance towards Yu's friends. This time, the black-haired woman, Yukiko, stared right at him. She nodded, slowly but purposefully. And Ren looked back towards Yu. "Sure. Thank you."


Two cups of coffee in front of them, and Yu took a long, vocal sip before gesturing to Ren. "So, what's your questions?"

Ren took a long breath as he figured out how best to phrase his thoughts. "When we ran into Labyrs last night, she mentioned something about Aigis. How she was going downhill after something happened to her 'sweetheart.'"

Yu's calm expression seemed to darken somewhat. Like a tension had inexplicably settled in him. He just nodded, a silent offer to continue.

"And a few weeks ago, Aigis mentioned something about a person named Arisato, who she hadn't seen in six years. And I sort of figured..." He swallowed hard. Maybe Yu's tension was getting to him. "They're the same person, aren't they? I know you didn't know about the ribbon, but do you know what happened to them?"

It took a while for Yu to even react. When he did, he lifted his cup, and let out a long breath which sent the steam cascading across the booth. Then he sipped, and placed the cup down. "I do. Secondhand, and I'm not going to tell you about what was mentioned to me privately – no way of knowing what was in confidence or not. But I think it's more than fair to fill you in on SRU's common knowledge. And Arisato..." He paused. "I guess I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I?"

"Please do," Morgana said, his paws up on the table.

"Minus a couple of exceptions," Yu began, "everyone in the SRU comes from one of two places." He lifted two fingers. "Back in high school, me and a bunch of friends started up this group called the Inaba Investigation Team. All three of the folks you saw me with earlier were part of that team, same with Teddie, Naoto, Kanji and Rise."

"Right," Ren said. "And everyone else is from..." He snapped his fingers, searching for the name.

"S.E.E.S.," Morgana cut in. "Mitsuru told Ren about that. She was the leader of that group before the SRU, wasn't she?"

Yu smiled. "Yes and no. She was the leader when the group was founded, but she actually handed over leadership for a time to someone else." He glanced down at his coffee. "That would be Arisato." A little wry chuckle escaped him. "I guess it's good you asked me, and not anyone from S.E.E.S. – they don't like talking about them. It's...saying it's a sore spot would be kinda euphemistic. More like an open wound." A pause, a moment of hesitation. "From how they tell it, when it came time for them to save the world, Arisato led them up there, and they didn't come back down."

Ren didn't know what to say to that. He'd half-known the answer before he'd even asked the question, and he found the confirmation sitting uneasy. Awful, and quiet, in his gut.

"I guess it's a little funny you're asking about them," Yu said. "Especially asking me. They were a Wild Card, you know."

He blinked. "Wait, but Aigis...I guess, I sort of expected–"

"One per group, right?" Yu chuckled. "I guess that's normally the case, but Aigis is special circumstances. She said she didn't get hers until after that whole shindig." He took another long sip, and Ren mimicked it with one of his own. "Hey, speaking of, you've been to the Velvet Room, right?"

Ren almost choked on his coffee.

"Velvet Room?" Morgana tilted his head. "What's that?"

"It's a thing for Wild Cards," Yu explained. "I mean, I used to think it was just a weird me thing, but Aigis told me her and Arisato have been there too, so I'm guessing every Wild Card gets to go there."

Morgana turned to glare at Ren. "Do they?"

"Well we're four for four," he mumbled, refusing to meet the not-a-cat's irritated gaze.

Yu grinned. "What's it look like for you? Aigis says hers and Arisato's was like a weird elevator, and mine was this super-cramped limo."

"A prison." Ren tried to imagine the gargoyle-grinning Igor in either of those two locations, and he couldn't quite make the image fit. "Wait, if you've been to the Velvet Room, does that mean you know Caroline and Justine?" For Morgana's sake, he elaborated. "Uh, they're twins. Kids, I think. Eyepatches, yellow eyes, silvery hair, matching blue outfits."

Yu just stared at him. "I mean, yellow eyes, silver hair and a blue outfit definitely sounds like an Attendant. I had one of those too, her name was Margaret. Apparently Aigis's and Arisato's was named Elizabeth." He frowned. "I mean, it's not much of a precedent, but I'm kinda surprised you got assigned two of them. I mean, there was this gal named Marie who hung out in mine sometimes, but she was not an Attendant." He laughed, like an inside joke only he got, before composing himself. "And you said they're kids?"

"Yeah. They look like kids, at least." Attendant. Caroline and Justine had described themselves as Wardens, right? Something was starting to not quite add up, itching at the back of his head. "I don't think they're exactly...human, though. I mean, they've got Shadow's eyes, for one thing." And they weren't the only ones. There was a certain Witch with those very same eyes, and the thought made Ren shiver.

"Maybe they are't. Didn't really think it was polite to ask, when I had a chance." Yu smiled, but there was something melancholy in it. "And I haven't seen Margaret in...damn, years I think. Marie either." He leaned back in his booth and let out a long breath. "I think I kinda miss how it used to be, back when we started the Investigation Team. Shit kinda sucked back then, but it was simple, too. And to think we were all just holding our breath waiting for it to be over." A laugh, and then he looked back at Ren. "I guess kids never know how good they have it till it's gone."

Ren didn't meet his gaze. "I think it's more like the adults don't actually remember what it's like. They just think they do. Or," he glanced towards Yu for as long as he dared, "maybe we weren't the same kind of kids at all."

Yu nodded, slowly. "Yeah. I think that's pretty likely too."


8/25 – Wednesday
Afternoon
Takemi Medical Clinic

"Oyamada held a press conference earlier today," Takemi said. She was facing away from him, typing on her computer in the examination room. "I wasn't invited, of course, but I can guess as to the subject, considering the email I received from the department lawyer handing over the rights to my work on the Crawford-Ende treatment."

"Looks like that's mission accomplished!" Morgana whisper-mewled from his bag.

Ren wanted to celebrate himself, even for a moment, but he still had to try and throw the sharp doctor off his trail. "I read the article," he offered. "Ohya works really quick. I guess it caught on."

"Hm." She was quiet for a time. "I have a phone too, you know. I browse. Sometimes I even visit the popular sites that everyone talks about." Takemi laughed, and there wasn't an ounce of humor in it. "I saw the forum on that Afficianado website asking for the Phantom Thieves to change Oyamada's heart. And I saw that they fulfilled that request that very same day. Almost as if they had been prepared for it."

Oh. Oh fuck. "Sometimes it just lines up like that," Ren said. It was a poor excuse, and he prayed it didn't show. "I don't know how the Phantom Thieves change hearts, but–"

"Ren." Her voice was stern. "Don't lie to me, please. I know you well enough to know when that's the case, at least."

And all semblance of articulation dropped away.

"I recognize why you didn't tell me," Takemi continued. "What you're doing is dangerous, and there is safety in living a double life. But I think you and I both know that truth has a habit of bubbling to the surface, sooner or later."

"Okay," he said. What else was he supposed to say? What else was he supposed to do?

"So be more careful." And with that, she hit enter, and stood. "That'll be 2500 yen for checkup and testosterone, as usual."

Ren blinked. "You're not going to...tell anyone, are you? Or call the police on me, or something?"

Takemi burst out laughing. "Fun thing about doctor-patient confidentiality. Even if you openly confess to a felony within my office – barring a few particularly heinous exceptions – I am legally obliged to keep that information to myself. So no, I won't be turning you in. And regardless of if you continue to be my patient, that knowledge remains between the two of us." She glanced towards him, her expression still stoic, but the hint of a smile gracing her lips. "And that would be ignoring the fact that I now owe you for helping me. I can't say that my name will ever be clear again, but I've had a chance to redeem myself. That's not something many people in my position can say. I'm grateful."

It took him a while to take that all in. "Thank you. And, of course."

She breathed out a chuckle. "I would like to ask that in the future, you disclose your full medical needs a little more honestly. I assume the painkillers are for Thievery?"

Ren blinked, and found himself nodding.

"Figures." Takemi shook her head. "And here I was giving you toned-down doses for daily use." She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a small orange bottle, tossing it to Ren. "Next time you change someone's heart, try those on for size. They'll burn out after an hour, but they're a lot stronger than the ones I've been giving you. Might be just the kick you need."

"Maybe we should have told her sooner," Morgana mumbled. "I like this new Takemi."


8/25 – Wednesday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc, Attic

Futaba had invited herself upstairs – not that Ren minded in the slightest – and was now sitting on his couch, kicking her feet off the side. She glanced over at Ren, her phone held in both hands. "Could you tell me more about your doctor?" It made sense for her to be asking, Ren had just informed the group chat that she was now aware he was a Phantom Thief.

He nodded, putting down the makeshift smoke bomb he'd been fiddling with and turning in his chair to give the girl his undivided attention. "Her name's Takemi. She's in a clinic right nearby, makes her own medication. She's sort of...morbid? Uh, goth, I think. I went to her to get painkillers for the Thieves, but she ended up starting me on some anti anxiety stuff too, and then even treated my dysphoria."

Futaba looked vaguely interested throughout, but that last bit perked her up immediately. "Oh! Does she...have a lot of experience with that? Dysphoria stuff. Like does she do a good job?"

"She said she's treated a bunch of different people besides just Ren," Morgana cut in. "And she seemed pretty well educated, from what I heard."

"Ooh." She seemed impressed by that. "Do you think she'd be good for, like, heavier medication?" Futaba squirmed in place. "I dunno. Kinda dumb."

"Heavier medication..." Ren mumbled. And then he caught her drift. "Futaba–"

"For hallucination stuff," she hurriedly corrected. "I don't need a doctor for my hormones, but I think...I don't want to have a breakdown in the middle of an infiltration or something." She pulled her legs in towards her chest, hugging herself for a moment. "I don't wanna be bad."

He took a breath, trying to pull together disparate thoughts. "You're not," he said, "and you won't be. All the Thieves struggle, we all have off days. Me included. I'm not invincible. Far, far from it."

"You don't hear things that aren't there," she mumbled.

"I've memories in my head that aren't mine." Ren wanted to smile, but he wasn't sure why. "And even if I didn't, I'm still kind of a grab-bag of mental bullshit." He tapped his heel against the floor. "It means a lot, that you want to try your hardest for the Thieves. It really does. But I promise you don't have anything you need to prove to any of us. You're part of the team, and we support each other here."

Futaba smiled softly. "It still doesn't seem fair. But...okay."


Ryuji
yo
sorry if i woke you up or anything

Ren
Nah, its okay
I was about to pass out like an hour ago, but I got caught up in a game
What's up?

Ryuji
oh uh
dude idk words are fucking hard

Ren
If you need time, you can take some
Not in a rush to go to sleep or anything
I'm kind of an insomniac if you haven't noticed lol

Ryuji
ren sometimes you do this thing where you say something kinda reasonable but also kinda fucked up and then you backpedal a ton and its kinda awful

Ren
I'm sorry
I want to do better about that, and I should, you're right
I think I just feel like I shouldn't feel those things

Ryuji
dude its okay im just like
ugh im such a dipshit i texted you to apologize and now im guilt tripping you over stuff

Ren
No self loathing please
Apologize for what?

Ryuji
kinda ghosting you for the past few days?
its just been shit and ive wanted to say something but like
fuck
you know?
i say that like i just made any sense at all lmao

Ren
I think that makes sense
You were having a rough day
Or rough few days, or however long
I don't blame you for wanting space

Ryuji
i guess
still makes me kind of a bad boyfriend right?
just going awol like that

Ren
No?
Why would it?
I love spending time with you but that doesn't mean we need to talk every single day
And if taking some time to yourself helps, I'd rather that than you force yourself to be with me while it makes you miserable

Ryuji
idk
being with you doesn't make me miserable though
i just felt like
too tired for that i guess
fair nuff tho

Ren
Do you wanna talk at all?

Ryuji
idk this shit just kinda happens sometimes
i guess i haven't mentioned it before
my dad doesnt stay in touch bc my moms got a restraining order
but i still just like
look at what hes up to
like stalk his social media sometimes
idk its fucking dumb its stupid but i cant help it
i just wanna feel like im doing better than that smug prick
he hurt me and he hurt my mom and i wanna be better than him
and today he just posted
hes having another kid

Ren
Oh
Fuck

Ryuji
and like holy fuck
like a: im going to fucking murder him cause hes doing the same shit again like in few years im gonna have a half brother out there somewhere and hes probably gonna be just as fucked up as me and it'll the same fucking guy's fault like he learned nothing
and b: i just got like pissed off and angry and sad all at the same time like i felt like i was being replaced
which is stupid?
cause fuck this guy!
he's an asshole and he treated me like shit
but the thought of him having another kid after all the shit he did, after never saying so much as "sorry for fucking abusing you," just made me fuckin
like so angry i couldn't feel angry anymore and i just wanted to lie down and not get back up

Ren
I'm so sorry Ryuji
For all of that
It's bullshit

Ryuji
yeah man
idk this feels weird cause its old hurt you know?
this aint new
felt this way when he left, felt this way while he was around
but it feels so new every single time, like it just happened
idk im just like
still fucked up about it
i wanna get over it i wanna BE over it i wanna stop thinking about this piece of shit
but i cant its like a song stuck in my brain just going on and on and on

Ren
Do you think you wish that he didn't hurt you?
Like that he was a good dad?

Ryuji
dude i dont even know
like yeah
but i also just want to never think of him again
but i also just want to fucking hurt the guy like get even or some shit
but i ALSO just want to prove im better than he treated me
i want like ten different things and most of them hate each other lol

Ren
Gotcha
Well, if you could pick something you want right now, what would it be?
Like, anything

Ryuji
probably hug you for four hours and cry a bunch

Ren
Haha
Well maybe not four hours
But we could do an hour hug and see how that feels
I'm not the best at this, I think
Not over text at least
Sorry, I wish I was better

Ryuji
dude renren youre doing fine my guy
im just like
i guess this is gonna keep fucking me up until it doesnt
last time this came up i was mad for a week and then it just stopped and i was fine again
so uh
till i find some better way of dealing with all this shit
be patient with me please? if thats not too much to ask

Ren
It's not at all
Of course I will be
Take all the time you need
I'll be here if you need me

Ryuji
i always do
just like
hard to reach out
ill try tho

Ren
Do you want me to keep checking in?
I wouldn't want to bother you if space would be helpful

Ryuji
nah ren talking to you is like the highlight of my life tbh
now and always
uh if you dont feel like checking in or chatting with me when im feeling like crap, then dont worry bout it
ill get through this

Ren
You shouldn't have to feel that way alone
And I like talking with you too
Even if it's about awful stuff like this
I'd still rather be here with you than asleep lol

Ryuji
dude youre a mess and you NEED to pass out lmao
thanks tho
ill keep my fingers crossed this passes quick so i can get back to being normal me again

Ren
I'll cross my fingers for you too
Here, look I'll send you a picture

Ren sent

Ren
See?
Fingers crossed

Ryuji
dude is that monas tail in the background
is he sitting on your chest

Ren
Yeah he does that when I take a while to sleep haha

Ryuji
omg ren holy shit
thats fucking precious what the absolute fuck
DUDE
HOW IS HE NOT A CAT
whoops capslock
srsly tho like how?

Ren
Guess we'll find out when he gets his memory back
Do you think he's acting like a cat because he's in a cat body, or was he just always like that?

Ryuji
fuck
holy shit i dunno but now i wanna know
should i ask him?

Ren
He will kill you

Ryuji
i still wanna know tho?

Ren
I will not pay for your funeral

Ryuji
you have four million yen in your ceiling and you're not gonna pay for your boyfriends fuckin funeral?
worst bf ever

Ren
Call me Scrooge Amamiya

Ryuji
dude
get the fuck some sleep

Ren
Yeah
Gnight Ryuji

Ryuji
gnight ren

Ren
Love ya

Ryuji
u too