Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of both Persona 5 Royal AND Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assault, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

77. Fishing Trip! Joker's Comeback part 6

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! I know I've been dragging this prep period section out a lot, but considering that Arc 8 isn't gonna have one due to how comparatively short the arc in question is, plus the fact that that Arc's Palace is literally done in a single day if I recall correctly, maybe two if one allows for the delay caused by having to re-gather the group after *REDACTED*, since that does cost a bit of time to recover from that. But despite the seemingly shorter length, Arc 8 is still very much a pivotal arc. But we're still on Arc 7 for now, so let's not get ahead of ourselves, yeah? Time for the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Slim, Akira, Mimille, Lumine, Kyori, and any other OCs that might pop up during the story, all of which are made and thus owned by sithlorde1988 unless otherwise noted) and the credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus, and to some extent, Koei Tecmo! So all main series ownership credit to them!

That being said, on with chapter 77! Keep reading after the chapter, as I'll probably have a slightly longer A/N there!

Chapter 77: Bonding, Birthdays and more prep shenanigans! Joker's Comeback part 6

(In the attic of Leblanc, after school with Morgana and Ren)

After talking it over with Morgana, who happened to be there visiting, Ren and Morgana decided to go sell some of the duplicate sooty items they had for several thousand yen and some points in Kichijoji. After that, Ren saw he had a Tower Persona on hand, so he fast-traveled to the arcade in Akihabara to see Shinya and rank him up. Once there, he saw that the crane game he usually played had changed the prize on offer. Morgana looked at the crane game and spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Hm? A crane game, eh? The prize right now is something called Lexy? Huh, not sure what that is, but if you want to try for it, more power to you. That said, it's charging you 300 yen per play to try the crane game. Did you want to give it a shot?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"You know what? Yeah, I kinda do want to try it out. I've had pretty good luck with this crane game the last few times I played it, so I figure it can't hurt to take a couple quick attempts to see if I can win this prize." Ren said decisively as he put 300 yen into the crane game, making the very retro-sounding music start up as Morgana spoke up.

"Okay, are you ready, Ren? Start!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, working the crane very deftly. Unsurprisingly, Ren once again scored the prize on his first try. Morgana gave Ren a closed-eye grin as he spoke up, evidently impressed with Ren's skill.

"Nice going, Ren! You did it! You got the prize on your first try! A Lexy doll, huh? You should put it somewhere in your room when you get home! I was going to say we, but odds are I'll end up heading back to the chief's house after we finish up here." Morgana said as Ren nodded his understanding while pocketing his prize, which was a 'Lexy Doll'. Afterwards, Ren walked over to Shinya and spoke up.

"Hey there, Oda-kun! How's it going?" Ren asked Shinya, who looked over at Ren and smiled as he spoke up.

"Oh! Hello, Amamiya-san! It's been going pretty well. I made a snowman at school today. I'll show you next time. Actually, maybe not. Well, I guess I could, but it'll probably melt before we get the chance. But even then, that doesn't change the fact that you're getting really good at this, Amamiya-san. You're going to train today too, right?" Shinya asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, definitely. I look forward to getting more of your tutelage today, Oda-sensei." Ren said with a respectful bow. Shinya smirked and pumped a fist as he cheered and spoke up.

"ALL RIGHT! Okaaay, if you say so. Let's just play a game then." Shinya said to Ren, who nodded. After the game, Shinya spoke up.

"Hey! How are the Phantom Thieves doing?" Shinya asked Ren, who gave Shinya a shocked look at his question before he spoke up.

"I wouldn't know. They don't share much about themselves, after all. But if I were them right now, I'd probably be trying to keep something of a low profile while all this heat is on them. Not to mention, those rumors about their leader killing himself while in police custody are pretty sketchy. So I'd imagine they're just trying to cope for now." Ren said evasively as Shinya spoke up.

"I see. That's too bad. If you see them, let them know that I'm still rooting for them. I hope they don't get discouraged and quit. Oh, but never mind that. The war's still going on, Amamiya-san. To be honest, it's probably because they think I'm weak. If only I were as strong as the Phantom Thieves, then I could better protect myself against the other side and get more of an edge in the war." Shinya said. Ren only had time to nod before a different voice spoke up, one that Shinya seemingly recognized if the look on his face when he heard the voice was any indication.

"Hey, kid. You may be small, but you played a great game." A voice said, as the owner of the voice, a male with similar-colored hair to Kusa's but kept short and cropped, glasses,, a red leather jacket worn zipped up over a black shirt, black fingerless gloves, dark blue jeans, and dark grey boots, walked up. Shinya huffed and spoke up.

"Whaat? What, so being big is better?" Shinya scoffed snarkily. The young man then spoke up again.

"Hah, my bad. I didn't mean it like that. I just thought we should be friends, since we're both gamers. The name's Takekuma. I make a living from gaming, more or less. Ever heard of me?" The now-named Takekuma said, making Shinya's eyes widen as he spun around to face Takekuma and spoke up.

"HUH!? Takekuma, the pro gamer!? Also, have I heard of you!? Uh, yeah! You're the guy from all those videos online!" Shinya said as Takekuma spoke up.

"Indeed. And you're the one they call the King, right? I've always wanted to play you, you know. But I don't know if it's a good idea to face you when the difference in our skill levels is so obvious. I mean, if I beat you, your rank will definitely drop. And I don't need people bashing me online for bullying a kid." Takekuma said as Shinya suddenly glared at Takekuma before he spoke up.

"YOU BASTARD! Take that back! You just called me weak! Ugh, that's it! We're playing! I won't lose!" Shinya said brashly. Takekuma chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, as I expected of the King. You are ever so quick to accept a challenge from a worthy opponent. That's an admirable trait, but also one that could bring about your downfall. Okay, let's get this started." Takekuma said as he and Shinya went to the Gun About machine and started playing their game while Ren leaned on the crane behind the two and watched. As they played, Shinya spoke up.

"ALL RIGHT! I'm gonna win! I have to win!" Shinya said confidently, but as the game continued, it became readily apparent that winning against Takekuma would be a pretty tall order for him as Takekuma quickly pulled ahead of Shinya and started widening the score gap between the two, leaving Shinya to gasp and speak up.

"WHAT!? No way! How is this possible?" Shinya said in horror as a nearby spectator spoke up.

"Can it be? The King is getting destroyed right now." An arcade spectator said as the loud spectator next to them spoke up

"Well, no wonder the King's losing! Look who he's up against! That's Takekuma, isn't it? He's awesome!" The loud spectator said as Shinya blinked and spoke up.

"HUH!? Impossible! I actually missed!?" Shinya said in horror. Soon enough, Takekuma finished Shinya off, leaving Shinya to gape in horror at his defeat as the nearby arcade spectator spoke up.

"No way! The King lost!" The arcade spectator said as Shinya huffed and spoke up.

"N-No! I didn't lose! That doesn't count! Let's play again!" Shinya said insistently as Takekuma smiled and nodded while speaking up.

"Heh, sure thing. You got it." Takekuma said to Shinya. A short time later, the arcade spectator spoke up once more.

"Unreal! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself! That's ten losses in a row for the King!" The arcade spectator said as the loud spectator next to him laughed and spoke up.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! The King got slaughtered! Ha! That's hilarious!" The loud spectator said as a weary Shinya spoke up.

"One more time! One more game!" Shinya said as Takekuma shook his head and spoke up.

"Sorry, but no can do. No matter how many times we play, the end result will be the same. We should probably stop, for your sake." Takekuma said as Shinya huffed and spoke up.

"Shut up! YOU BASTARD! You cheated, didn't you!?" Shinya said to Takekuma. Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Language aside, that's the way to stand up for yourself, Oda-kun! Yeah, you tell him!" Ren said encouragingly. Shinya nodded and spoke up.

"Right!? There's no way I could've lost to Takekuma ten times in a row legitimately!" Shinya said as Takekuma scoffed and spoke up.

"Man, how pitiful! I guess the King is just a little kid after all, as it turns out. Looks like I overestimated your ability. I'd feel bad beating you again, so I'm going to go. Make sure you practice for the next time we play." Takekuma said as he left. Afterwards, Shinya looked at Ren before frowning as he spoke up.

"Dammit, how could this have happened? I very rarely lose, or I did before today! You've gotta be kidding me, Amamiya-san. " Shinya said as Ren spoke up.

"I probably shouldn't be saying this and encouraging bad behavior, but that guy was kind of a dick to you. So in my opinion, I wouldn't be very upset with you if you decided to get your revenge on him." Ren said wisely. Shinya smiled at Ren and nodded as he spoke up.

"Very true, Amamiya-san! And I will! I'm the one who's gonna win in the end! If I lose, it's all over for me!" Shinya said as Ren sweatdropped at the intensity in Shinya's voice as he kept speaking, a frown on his face at that point.

"I'm gonna beat him next time for sure. This isn't over. The strongest always prevails in the end. Just like the Phantom Thieves. They almost never lose. Other than recently, when they seemingly lost their leader. But never mind that. Watch, I'll win for sure next time! I'm not a loser, Amamiya-san. You'll see!" Shinya said to Ren, who nodded in approval, noting as he did so that Shinya seemed more motivated in that moment than he'd ever been before.

At that point, the 'Tower' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming an 'IV' to signify that his Tower Confidant link with Shinya had reached Rank 4, but no new skill was gained for the rank-up this time. Afterwards, Shinya spoke up, his eyes widening as he saw the time.

"Oh, no! Crap, it's late. I gotta go home now! Whaat? Man, that Takekuma though! Telling me to practice for next time like he's better than me. Tch, a grown-up shouldn't spend so much time playing video games!" Shinya said as Ren nodded, feeling as if his heart had grown from interacting with Shinya, netting him a modest, if unneeded, boost to his Kindness. At that point, Shinya stood up to leave and spoke up.

"Well, bye! Sorry, but today tired me out. I'll see ya later, Amamiya-san!" Shinya said as Ren and Shinya parted ways on that note, Ren heading back to Leblanc after dropping Morgana off by the Sakura house on his way back to Leblanc. Once inside, he saw he had two new chats, one each from Hifumi and Kawakami. Ren thought about it, and after recalling he had plans for early in the morning, figured it'd be more practical to request Kawakami and rank her up at this point. He then walked over to the yellow phone and dialed the number for the service. After a couple of rings, Kawakami answered.

"Hiii, Becky is so drenched and wet right now- Oh, wait. It's you. Ugh, rain is the worst. It takes longer for all my laundry to dry up and makes it more difficult. And I have to run the dryer for ten minutes longer than usual to accommodate the extra wetness from the rain. Does your room need cleaning, or did you need me to cook for you? I provide all sorts of services! But, um, to be honest? There's stuff I need to talk to you about, so would you request me?" Kawakami asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Sure, why not? I needed to stay in tonight anyways, since I have plans in the morning. So sure, I'll request you." Ren said as he paid the 5,000 yen to request Kawakami, who smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you! I'll head over right now. I'll be heading over right away, thennn. Please wait for me, Master!" Kawakami said as Ren hung up and waited for her arrival. A short time later, Kawakami walked up the stairs into Ren's room and spoke up.

"Hey, hey, hey! I actually really like the antique feel of this room. Alas, but I have to say goodbye to it today." Kawakami said as Ren gave her a confused look, prompting her to keep speaking.

"Umm, sorry. The thing is, I've decided to quit! As it turns out, my boss found me a part-time job that pays better than this one." Kawakami said as Ren gaped at this while Kawakami kept speaking.

"Takase-kun's guardians keep increasing their demands whenever they feel like it. And because it's becoming too much to handle on my current salary, I have no choice. I might not like it, but I have to move on, no matter how much I don't want to. Even so, this is just what I have to do." Kawakami said as Ren finally found his voice and spoke up.

"Seriously!? I get we only interact like this because we have a deal, but I had felt like we were starting to become friends of a sort by now? But never mind that. Is this really what you want, Miss Kawkami?" Ren asked Kawakami. Kawakami gave Ren a surprised look as she spoke up.

"R-Really? You think of me as a friend, Amamiya-kun? Wait, hold up. What I want, you say? That's a tough one. But regardless of what I want, Takase-kun's guardians say the only true way to apologize to Takase-kun is by paying them. If that's not true, then what's the right thing to do here, Master? Hm, I wonder if I can escape all this if I quit being a teacher. People like me have no right being a teacher. If I quit on my own, I won't have to pay them with any luck. That's why I'm going to quit both my teaching job and my night job, Master. What do you think?" Kawakami said to Ren, who sighed at this and spoke up.

"I'm not thrilled with it, but it's your choice in the end, Miss Kawakami. And if that's what you decided, I have no place to try and tell you otherwise. It is your life, after all. So I can only give advice on what I'd do in your position. You're the only one who can actually make any decisions about your situation, though. I will say, though, I'm going to miss our chats when you quit. Even if we're just friends, I'd like to think we've gotten to have something of an increased respect, or at least tolerance, of one another." Ren said wisely. Kawakami frowned, surprised by Ren's heartfelt words as she spoke up.

"That's true. I'm not thrilled about it either, but that's what I decided to do about my situation. But did I really decide it on my own, or did the pressure that Takase-kun's guardians put on me influence my decision? Actually, now that I think about it, it's too late for me to stop being a teacher. If I really felt bad for what happened, I would've resigned the day he died. And yet, I still feel the need to teach despite what happened. I wonder why I feel that way even now." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"To be honest? That might be your answer right there, Miss Kawakami. But just to be safe, I suggest you take a good hard look at yourself and try to decide if you want to give up what you love doing just to get out of a very messed-up situation." Ren said. Kawakami blinked at this and spoke up.

"Oh! That's rather profound coming from you, Amamiya-kun. Hm? Oh, that's right, I forgot. I decided the way to apologize to him was to make sure there won't ever be another student like him. Because I might've been able to save him if I hadn't been afraid of rumors or labels back then. I wanted to become a teacher who takes care of her students. That's the mindset I had!

But now, I spend all my free time at part-time jobs, just so I can continue working as a teacher. I put the critical work of a teacher on the back burner, just so I could make 'apology' money. That's where it all went wrong, I think. I can't make things right with Takase-kun like this, can I?" Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"Again, I can't tell you what decisions to make, but I can give my opinion. And my opinion here is that it's not too late. They say that mistakes can be fixed, so you can still try to prevent any more students from ending up like Takase-kun. I might not be able to do much to assist with that, but I can at least give you whatever moral support I'm capable of providing, both as your student and as your friend." Ren said. Kawakami smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"You know what? You're right. I'll be the teacher I aspire to be, Amamiya-kun. That's the right way for me to make amends to Takase-kun. From here on, I refuse to pay them any more money! And that is my answer! Be honest with me, Amamiya-kun. I know that might be surprising, but well, what do you think?" Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"First of all, be confident in your answer. That said, I think you're making the right choice here. But be sure you stick to your guns when the time comes that the Takases come storming in to confront you over your choice to stop paying them. You can't back down from your decision the first time they try to intimidate you. You have to stick to your convictions once you make up your mind, Miss Kawakami!" Ren said wisely. Kawakami blinked before giving Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Heh, you're right! You can't get the right answer from someone else. It can only be found from within. And surprisingly, I learned that from you. So in a way, you're MY teacher. Hee hee, nah, just kidding." Kawakami said teasingly as Ren smiled wryly, feeling as if Kawakami's trust in him was strengthening. At that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VII' turning into a 'VIII' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached Rank 8. However, no new skills were gained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Kawakami kept speaking.

"Oh, that's right! I've been so worried about making money that I haven't been paying attention to my students. Especially to you. I averted my eyes from you because you were labeled, just like Takase-kun was when he was alive. But from now on, I'm going to protect you too. As your teacher, I will never betray you." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Miss Kawakami. As your friend, it makes me want to protect you as best I can. But as your student, I find your words to be very reassuring. So thank you for that." Ren said honestly to Kawakami while he sat down on the couch, making Kawakami frown slightly as she spoke up.

"Oh, is that so? Leave it to me! I can be decisive when it counts! I'll speak with the Takases. I'm not going to run anymore. Everything should be fine as long as I talk to them face to face." Kawakami said while dropping a curtsy as she kept speaking.

"All right, it's time for me to go. Thank you. See you later." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, escorting Kawakami downstairs to the front door, where she smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Thank you for being such a gentleman, Amamiya-kun. Yoshizawa-san is a very lucky woman to have someone like you in her life, you know. Make sure you never do anything to risk losing her. And on that note, good night." Kawakami said as she stepped outside and left Leblanc, leaving Ren to lock up as he headed upstairs. At that point, his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello? Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Kawakami's voice on the other end.

"Oh, is this Master? Thank you so much for today! Oh, wait, that's right. I was supposed to stop working as Becky by today. But to be honest? I always kind of knew in my heart I couldn't go on like this forever, whether I wanted to or not. But I felt so stuck facing it alone. It's thanks to you that I actually figured out what I need to do." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"You're welcome, Miss Kawakami. As your friend, I assure you that within reason, I'll do whatever I can to have your back the way you've had mine, even if you've had to play a certain part for the sake of appearances while doing so." Ren said sincerely. Kawakami giggled as she spoke up.

"Hee hee, is that so? Thank you, Amamiya-kun. You're a sweet kid. But to be honest, I haven't really recognized all you've done, so from the bottom of my heart? Thank you, really. Make sure you get to bed early tonight. Lack of sleep is basically poison for your body and mind, okay? Also, you said something about early-morning plans tomorrow? So that's more reason to get to bed early. And on that note, good night." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and hung up his phone, getting comfortable before nodding off for the night, wondering if Kusa's night was as eventful as his own had been...

(Earlier that evening, at the Sakura residence, in the kitchen with Sojiro, Futaba, and Kusa)

"Oh that's right. We're supposed to be going fishing with Ren in the morning, aren't we?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that was the plan, Sojiro. However, I'm pretty sure Morgana told me it was starting to rain when he got back, so we might have to check the weather and make sure it's going to be appropriate weather for a fishing trip. No sense in having the trip, only for it to get rained out, yeah?" Kusa said as Sojiro nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. Let me put the news on so we can check on that." Sojiro said as he turned the TV on, and the two watched the news, smiling as it was reported to be sunny outside tomorrow. Sojiro spoke up with a nod.

"Well, that settles that, I'd say. We're good to go for tomorrow." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Just gotta make sure one or both of us set an alarm so we can get up early enough. I'm guessing you want to be up and on the way to the fishing place early, yeah?" Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be smarter to get out of town before it gets light out, to lessen the chances of someone recognizing either of you when we drive to the place. So I'm thinking if we set the alarm for say about 5:30 or 6:00 AM, and figure on being ready to roll out by 6:30, or 7:00 at the latest, we should be on the road and out of sight well before it gets light out. But I'll leave it up to you to get Ren up and over here in the morning." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"That's fair. I'll also have to make sure we don't wake up Morgana when we go, so he doesn't try to tag along. Not that I mind if he does, but I feel like his presence might be slightly counter-productive, if not counter-intuitive, to the point of the trip. Since he'd probably just eat most of what we catch. But we should definitely see if we can bring some of what we catch back so we can cook it up for him." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That's reasonable. Well, I suppose we should get to bed early then, if we're going to have an early start." Sojiro suggested as Kusa nodded and went to lay down on the hide-a-bed, carefully lifting Morgana up so he could get comfortable, gently setting the dozing not-cat on his chest as he also dozed off for the evening...

(A few hours later, early morning, with Sojiro and Kusa)

Kusa groaned as his alarm went off by his head, waking him up with its' relative loudness. Kusa quickly sat up and shut it off, stretching while quietly yawning. After he got up and got dressed, he quickly wrote a note for Futaba, that he left on the table next to the hide-a-bed, before gently patting Morgana on the head once and heading into the kitchen to see if Sojiro was up, which he was. Sojiro smiled at Kusa and spoke up.

"Morning, Kusa. I see you're up early today. That's good, since we need the early start. Now we just have to get Ren up." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"Leave that to me." Kusa said as he quickly dialed Ren's phone number and waited until a groggy-sounding Ren answered after several rings.

"H-Hello? Who's calling this early in the morning?" Ren said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Very funny, Ren. It's Kusa. You do remember that we had plans to get up early and go fishing with Sojiro this morning, right? Or were you up too late to get up for them?" Kusa said with a chuckle as Ren groaned and spoke up.

"Shit! That was this morning, wasn't it!?" Ren said before he saw the time and kept speaking.

"All right, I'm up. Let me lock up the place again after I get ready, and I'll be over shortly." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Sounds good. See you when you get here, Ren." Kusa said as he hung up his phone and sat down to enjoy the breakfast that Sojiro had made for the two of them and Ren. As Sojiro and Kusa were eating, the front door opened and Ren quietly walked into the kitchen and sat down, yawning slightly as he spoke up.

"M-Morning, you two. Sorry for the yawning, I forgot to set an alarm so I was literally jarred out of a dead sleep, so to speak, when Kusa called to remind me of our plans. Thank you for that, by the way." Ren said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"No problem, Ren. I had a feeling you'd forget, so I planned on having to call and wake you up. As for you being tired, I believe Sojiro has coffee brewing right now, so that should be ready shortly. For now, let's enjoy his cooking while we wait." Kusa said as Ren nodded.

"Agreed. This does look appetizing." Ren said as he and Kusa spoke up in unison while bowing.

"THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD!" Ren and Kusa said as they started eating their breakfast. After a bit, the two had finished and Sojiro walked in with a cup of coffee in each hand, setting one each in front of Ren and Kusa, the latter of whom spoke up.

"Here, I've got that, Sojiro. You should sit down and enjoy your meal. I'll go get your coffee for you, if you want." Kusa offered as Sojiro smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, thank you, Kusa. Please do." Sojiro said as Kusa disappeared into the kitchen, returning shortly after with Sojiro's coffee, which he set down in front of Sojiro. Ren and Kusa then slowly drank their coffee while Sojiro finished his breakfast. Afterwards, the trio got ready and headed to the car, Sojiro having Kusa sit up front while Ren sat in the back as the trio started the drive to the fishing spot. A little while later, the group arrived at the fishing spot, which was a rather rustic-looking pond out in the countryside that was about an hour and a half outside of Yongen.

With a start, Ren blinked as he recognized the scenery of the area, as it was similar to that of Inokaishira Park. Once the trio got out of the car, Sojiro went to get the houseboat he'd rented for the morning, leaving Kusa and Ren to get out the fishing gear, which they did quietly. After they finished, Ren and Kusa's jaws both dropped as they saw the massive boat that Sojiro had rented for them to use for the morning. Kusa then spoke up.

"Wow, is that for us, Sojiro? That's pretty massive!" Kusa said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Of course. It's gotta be massive if we're gonna be able to hold a lot of fish on it to bring back. Plus, what sort of a morning on the river would it be if we didn't have a nice boat to enjoy it on?" Sojiro said with a smirk as Ren and Kusa nodded their agreement before loading the fishing gear onto the boat as they headed out onto the water, travelling out a little ways until Sojiro carefully tossed the anchor down a little ways out into the water.

Sojiro doing so when he did had the result of allowing Ren and Kusa to smile as they looked out into the distance, being able to admire the sight of the sky as the sun started rising, making the sky look a vibrant cross of yellow, pink and red, making for a rather beautiful view. Ren then spoke up while Sojiro stepped out of the room to give Ren and Kusa some privacy.

"Wow, isn't that sunrise gorgeous, Kusa?" Ren said as Kusa smiled and nodded, blue sparkling music notes going up over his head as he spoke up.

"Yep, that's right. It's most definitely gorgeous. And just think. Because of how often we sleep in, we rarely, if ever, get to take in this very picture-esque and scenic view. To be quite honest? I feel like we should've invited Yusuke along, if only because he could've done an admirable job capturing that sunset on his canvas. But we can settle for capturing it in our hearts, memories, and maybe our phones." Kusa said wisely as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Kusa. This sunrise is also symbolic in a way, if you think about it." Ren said as Kusa blinked at this and spoke up, more sparkling music notes going up over his head while he spoke.

"Oh, yeah? And how do you figure that, Ren?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"Think about it! The sunrise symbolizes our rising up as the new and improved Phantom Thieves, made stronger than ever by what that traitor did! And it also marks the rise of what I'm sure is the first of many opportunities we'll have to be able to enjoy meaningful bonding opportunities, both with the two of us, and even with Boss on occasion, much like how we're out here with him this morning. So it's both the herald of a new beginning and a new day." Ren said as Kusa smiled and spoke up, more sparkling blue notes going up over his head while he spoke.

"How wise you sound right now, Ren. I like it. To be honest, for all that I rag on you at times, you truly have come a long way since we moved out here, not just as a man, but as a brother and a budget-stretcher. At this point, you've come so far that there's precious little left I can still teach you. Sure, there are still probably a few things I could show you, but to be honest, I think you're at the point where you could probably do a passable job of managing a budget on your own.

Just, um, do me a favor, Ren? Think before you take on any more costly decisions like you did the time you blew 100,000 yen out of your ass on that not-so-Holy Stone that Mifune-san sold you! But I'm not going to rebuke you for that right now. There's no reason for it. If anything, I owe you an apology, Ren." Kusa said, making Ren look at Kusa in surprise as he spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? And what might you need to apologize to me for?" Ren asked as Kusa turned a slightly regretful look onto Ren as he spoke up.

"For starters, because Ryuji had a point before when he said I was continually undermining your authority as the leader of the group. Sure, I did it with good intentions, but in the end, I still went against your decisions not once, but twice. And both times were times when you were probably right to decide what you did. Granted, in Kasumi's case, I don't regret what I did as much.

Especially since I felt then, and I still feel now, that Kasumi deserved the chance to be able to be part of our team, even if you and Morgana were trying to keep her away for her own protection. But I stand by what I said before about it being equally dangerous for her not to join, since only a fool wouldn't assume that Akechi probably ran his mouth to Shido about your relationship with Kasumi by now. But also, because I've been being rather resentful and jealous of you, even if I haven't vocalized that jealousy or resentment as of yet." Kusa said as Ren blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"You? Jealous and resentful? Of me?" Ren said in surprise as Kusa shamefully nodded and spoke up.

"It's true. In addition to what I told you before about feeling like people were more in the team to be friends with is for you rather than for me, I also felt like most people we've met might prefer you over me, purely because you're the older brother out of us. I now realize that such a line of thought was foolish and wrong of me, but it was legitimately how I felt, Ren. Also, I might have been keeping a secret from you for some time now.

Granted, it's not entirely my secret to tell, since it's also partially Kasumi's secret as well. Suffice it to say, it involves her and her sister. You see, shortly after you and I introduced Futaba to Kasumi, she got confused by Kasumi's name, and did some research. As it turns out, she had a very good reason to be confused. Ren, do you remember when we first moved here, when Sojiro told us about that accident where the girl who had died was only fifteen?" Kusa asked Ren. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. The one where it was a very bad accident?" Ren asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, that's the one. As it turns out, Futaba found an article that gave the name of the girl who died in that accident. And this is the part that I'm uncertain if you'll believe it once I tell you, but you need to hear it just the same. Are you ready, Ren?" Kusa said as Ren nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. Brace yourself. The name of the girl who died in that accident was, ready for it? Kasumi Yoshizawa!" Kusa said as Ren's jaw dropped in shock as he spoke up.

"WHAT!? Are you sure? That's my girlfriend's name!" Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm aware of that. Truth be told, Futaba and I confronted Kasumi about it shortly after. She told us that the article had gotten the name wrong and that the girl who had died was evidently her sister, Sumire Yoshizawa. But I saw a picture of the dead girl and she had a beauty mark on her face on one side, and the Kasumi we know doesn't have one. I also found a picture of Sumire Yoshizawa, and as it turns out, she has the same color hair that Kasumi does, AND, like Kasumi, she has no beauty mark on her face. So to be honest, this means one of two things, Ren.

Either Sumire and Kasumi are twins and Kasumi wears concealer to hide her beauty mark out of self-consciousness, OR, wait for it, Kasumi's not really Kasumi. Kasumi could, in point of fact, be her sister Sumire. But she insists that she's not lying about being Kasumi. And I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt on that, since I get the sense that there's more to the story that we don't know yet.

Not to mention she quite literally, and I apologize in advance for the crass language I'm about to use, but it's needed. That being said, Kasumi quite literally bitch-slapped some sense into me after I implied she was lying. I might have been mortified at the time, but I heard Futaba giggling afterwards, so I figure it was worth it to see her smile.

So, getting back on to the initial topic I brought up, Ren. It might be rough, but for now, I advise that you not confront her about it just yet. Wait until after we've dealt with Shido before you do that, since we might need her help for that fight.

Especially since I have this slightly nagging feeling in my gut like one of us might have something happen to them before the end of this current Palace. And if I'm being honest with you, Ren? I'd rather it not be you a second time! So if that means I have to shoulder more of the load to make things easier on you and keep you safe, then so be it! So please, believe in me like I believe in you, and let's work together to do our best to ensure our team has the best chance possible of coming out of this Palace unscathed." Kusa said, a pleading look on his face as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Not a problem, Kusa! I'm your older brother, after all. So if you say you want to shoulder more of the work to keep me safe, I trust you to do so. And please, don't be afraid to be honest with me from now on if you feel jealous of me, or resentful, or whatever else. I'd rather be able to talk you through it if I can, so it doesn't cause more friction and resentment between us. I feel like we're much stronger as a team than apart.

So please, Kusa. Don't be afraid to trust your older brother! I promise to try and make more time for you and everything! And I have a feeling that even though it might not seem like it now, our bond is only just getting started on hitting its' fullest potential! So let's keep working to make our brotherly bond good and strong, Kusa." Ren said honestly as Kusa nodded, smiling at Ren as he extended a hand out and spoke up.

"I agree whole-heartedly, Ren. Let's keep moving forward together, not just as friends or as teammates, but as brothers!" Kusa said resolutely, smiling as Ren eagerly shook his extended hand, making Ren smile as he could feel a surge of strengthened trust and brotherly affection coming from Kusa.

At that point, an expected voice rang in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast transformed a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of The World, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard in his mind as the 'World' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' becoming an 'X' as his World Confidant link with Kusa reached rank 10, also noted on the card as 'MAX Rank'.

From the maxed-out rank-up, Kusa had awoken to not one, but TWO new abilities. Firstly, he had enabled Ren to awaken to the boon of 'Financial Mastery', making it so that the effects of 'Business Acumen', 'Financial Fortification', and 'Haggle' were all upgraded. The boost of 20% Ren was getting to his yen drops from 'Business Acumen' had now increased to 30%.

In addition, the effect of 'Financial Fortification' had doubled, making it so that instead of 5% extra yen earned per backup member, Ren now earned 10% extra yen after a battle for each backup member, up to a limit of 7, making it so that his total yen drops were now boosted by a full total of 100%. Finally, the chances of 'Haggle' succeeding had increased from 10% to a whopping 25%, making it so that Ren had a roughly 1 in 4 shot at it triggering when selling goods.

The other new ability Kusa had awoken to was 'Second Awakening', which basically means that Kusa's Persona would now be transformed into a mythological trickster, much the same as how both Ryuji and Ann's Personas had previously transformed.

From there, Ren's phone flashed with the message 'FUSION UNLOCKED', alerting Ren that he could now fuse Atlas, or the strongest Persona of the World Arcana. *1*

After that, Kusa spoke up, while looking at Ren with a genuine smile on his face.

"Glad we had this talk, Ren. Makes this trip worth it for that alone. Oh! Look at the sunrise!" Kusa said, pointing out at the sky as the sun came up. At that same time, to the shock of both Ren and Kusa, Kusa's 'Smaug' Persona manifested in the light of the sun, briefly flashing with blue light, before a new being appeared in Smaug's place. This new being was considerably different to Smaug, in that where Smaug was a floating dragon with four legs, this new being had legs and arms, and large imposing black wings with purple undersides that folded out behind him.

The first thing Kusa took notice of with his new Persona was that where Smaug had mostly been black, gold, and red, with small traces of yellow, this Persona had mostly dark-purple, almost black, coloration along its skin line, and oddly enough, it had a mane of long silver hair flowing down its head and along its neck, ending at the base of its back. To Kusa's surprise, he could also see the hints of a sheathed sword on the black leather belt his new Persona wore, which was itself attached to a forest-green loincloth that went to its' knees, and from under that loincloth, Kusa could see the long dark purple tail flowing outwards. Kusa blinked at this and spoke up.

"Wow, I can feel this new strength. Is this my true power!?" Kusa said in disbelief as his and Ren's phones, along with the others', pinged with the notification that Kusa's 'Smaug' Persona had transformed from 'Smaug' to 'Thailog'. At that point, the screen cut to an up-close shot of Thailog, complete with his move list, indicating that he'd gained two new moves from his transformation in the support skill 'Warrior's Resolve', as well as the attack skill 'Nocturnal Rush'. Kusa blinked at this and spoke up.

"Wow, TWO new skills? I knew transformation makes a Persona powerful, but damn, I wasn't expecting THAT big of a buff." Kusa said in shock as Ren nodded his agreement while Thailog acquired both 'Warrior's Resolve' and 'Nocturnal Rush'. Afterwards, Kusa smiled and kept speaking. *2*

"Wow, I don't know why Smaug suddenly transformed like that, but I feel much better now after seeing it. Oh, but weren't we supposed to be fishing?" Kusa said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up as he knew Kusa would ask that question.

"That's correct. I do believe that Boss went to go get our rods ready for it, last I checked." Ren said as Sojiro chose that moment to walk out, rods in hand, a sheepish look on his face as he looked at the inquisitive looks that Ren and Kusa were giving him while he spoke up.

"Here they are. Um, sorry, you two. I didn't mean to, but, I kinda just heard most of your conversation. But I'm pleased to see you two putting your differences aside to some degree now. I prefer seeing you two get along rather than living with the two of you being at odds.

That said, since I have you both here, and it's just us three, I think there's something I need to tell Kusa. Kusa, you remember that test I had you help me with?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"The one where I gave you a sample of my DNA?" Kusa asked and Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, that's the one. I just got the results back from it a couple days ago, but forgot to tell you until now. Anyways, let me just come out with it. The test came back a complete match. So, congratulations, Kusa. Your real father is one Masayoshi Shido." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa gasped at this before Kusa sighed and spoke up.

"I was afraid that would be the case. Especially since it likely means that I have a second half-brother in the form of one Goro Akechi, or the traitorous bastard who sold us out." Kusa said as Sojiro smiled and spoke up.

"True, but don't forget Kusa, regardless of your paternity or any baggage thereof, your friends are all still here for you regardless, as are myself, Ren, and Futaba. We all have your back unconditionally. And as for me, I might not say it much, but regardless of if Shido's your biological father or not, I see you as the son I never had. So never doubt that you will always have a place with me and Futaba." Sojiro said reassuringly as Kusa turned to face Sojiro, blinked in shock, and smiled as he hugged Sojiro, surprising both Sojiro and Ren with his sudden display of affection. After a bit, Kusa stepped away and smiled at Sojiro before he spoke up gratefully.

"Sojiro? Thank you. That means a lot to me." Kusa said honestly as Sojiro nodded. After a brief, yet awkward silence, Sojiro turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Glad we got that out of the way. Oh, and Ren? I don't know what exactly she's keeping from you, but don't be too hard on your girlfriend if you do confront her on what Kusa told you. I'm sure she had a good reason for not trusting you with her secret, so try to hear her out and give her the benefit of the doubt before you do anything too brash or reckless." Sojiro said. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I understand, Boss. I'll do my best to hear her out with the time comes to speak to her about this." Ren said sincerely as the trio started fishing, having minimal success for the most part, with the exception of Ren, who proved himself a surprisingly apt fisherman when he caught quite a few fish. For their part, Kusa and Sojiro caught a few fish each as well. By the time they were finished, the trio had a full cooler of fish to appraise.

After some time had passed and the sun was fully up in the sky, Sojiro raised the anchor and started moving the boat back to shore, after which he, Ren, and Kusa all worked together to load the cooler and fishing gear into the trunk of the car before getting into the car to start the trip home.

After another longish drive, the group was back at Leblanc, where Sojiro headed over to open up shop while Ren decided to go have a sit upstairs to ponder his options. At that point, a group chat came in with Ryuji, Kusa, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Kasumi, with Yusuke sending the first response.

"Hm. It may be a Sunday, but that time of relaxation is ruined by all of the noise outside." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yup. No matter where I go, I keep hearing election speeches." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"It'd be fine if that was all, but we all know there's more to it than just a simple election. Especially Ren and Kusa, since there's a lot more riding on this for them than for the rest of us, moreso for Ren than for Kusa, but it's still extra-personal for both of them." Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Good point, Ryuji. Shido's calling himself a brave hero who stood up to vile terrorists. Tch, don't make me laugh. He's nothing but rotten scum." Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"It seems he's been using the Phantom Thieves as ammunition for his political activities." Haru sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"I don't watch a lot of news since Coach Hiraguchi has me busy training most of the time, but I did get to see a bit of it when I had breakfast with my mom and dad recently, and I got the sense Shido intends to use the Phantom Thieves as scapegoats for his rise to power. If that happens to include a certain traitorous ex-Phantom Thief in the collateral damage, then that's just two birds with one stone as far as he's concerned.

Or at least, I'm guessing that's his current thought process. I'd guess that Kusa-kun has more insight into such nuanced subjects than I do, though, considering he and Makoto-senpai are the tactical minds of the group. Speaking of which, how do I address you guys, now that I'm one of you? Would most of you prefer I call you by your last name, or would you prefer I call you by first name?" Kasumi sent as Ann sent a response, closely followed by Futaba.

"Only two weeks until elections start. We've got time, but our window of opportunity is starting to shrink a bit. And to your question, provided you don't mind us calling you by your first name, I see no reason we can't all be on a first-name basis here, Kasumi." Ann sent. Makoto chose then to send a response.

"And it's been exactly two weeks since the news of Ren's suicide. Also, I agree with Ann. I'm okay with it if you want to be on a first-name basis with us, Yoshizawa-san. That said, we should probably hurry. Ren will probably be killed if the enemy realizes he's still alive." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"I'm aware of that, Makoto. I've been careful to keep a low profile. Also, other than Haru's birthday tomorrow, there's not much else we need to attend to, so I'm okay with ending our prep week on 12/7 instead of our original date of 12/9." Ren sent as Futaba's response finally came through.

"You know by now I'm okay with you calling me by my first name if I can do the same for you, Kasumi. Also, what did you two talk about on that fishing trip, Ren? Since he got back, Kusa's been napping. Granted, he did speak to me a bit, but all he said was 'Our theory was right, Taba', before he laid down. I mean, he was probably just tired from having to wake up so early for the trip, but I got the sense he had something on his mind too. Maybe it's just me though?" Futaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"We just had some brotherly bonding time, that's all. I made it a point to reassure him that I had his back and that he could trust me with stuff. There may or may not have also been a part where he and Boss had a moment near the end of the trip, but if they ask, you didn't hear that from me. Also, Boss did tell Kusa the results were in on some test he helped get run for Kusa. Something to do with a paternity test? I wasn't entirely paying attention to most of what was said, honestly, since it was still early and my brain hadn't quite fired up fully, even with the coffee Boss made me and Kusa.

But I vaguely recall he told Kusa that the results were a confirmed match to Shido? And I think he told Kusa that Shido is his biological father? That seemed to mean more to Kusa than to me, considering I heard him muttering 'fan-freaking-tastic. I have a father who wants me and my friends dead, and might have a half-brother who was the reason we ended up in this whole mess to begin with.' under his breath after that reveal." Ren sent as Kasumi and Futaba sent responses close together, Kasumi's coming through first.

"Wait, WHAT!? Kusa's biological father is the guy running to be the next prime minister!? And I'm guessing his other comment implies that he might also be related to HIM? Interesting, if it's true." Kasumi sent as Futaba's response came through.

"Agreed, Kasumi. Also, Ren? Once Kusa wakes up, I'll have him get the ball rolling on you-know-what, so keep an eye out for that. Back on topic though, just give the word when you're ready and we'll all come over to get back into the Palace!" Futaba sent as Ren put his phone away. Ren looked over his options at that point after finishing a trip to the Velvet Room for some Persona management shenanigans after the twins called to remind him he needed to pick up his Persona from Lockdown.

Once Ren pulled out his phone and studied his options, he frowned as he saw that apart from Takemi, who was available a lot that he'd noticed, his other options were Futaba, Yusuke, or Makoto. He did idly notice that Kasumi was also available, but he had a hunch he needed to prioritize his Confidants he could still get rank-ups with moreso than the ones that were gated off/maxed out.

Frowning at what he was about to do, he decided to go hang out with Makoto since she was technically the lowest-ranked of his available options, being the only one of them below Rank 7. Ren thus traveled to the area behind Shujin to hang out with Makoto. He eventually found her at the train station, where he walked up to her and spoke up.

"Hello there, Makoto. How are you today?" Ren asked Makoto, who blinked before smiling as she spoke up.

"Hey there. Oh, Ren-kun. Have you decided on our plans for today?" Makoto asked Ren, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"I have. I know this probably isn't the time for it, given our current time limit, but I figured we could hang out today, since I did kind of bail on you the last time so I could spend time with Kasumi. And I know you were probably a bit bothered by that." Ren said. Makoto sighed as she spoke up.

"Oh? You want us to hang out, now? First of all, isn't it dangerous for you to be outside? They might find you if you're not careful, you know." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"It'll be fine. I'm keeping a low profile. Also, don't be so loud. You'll draw attention to us. Just relax, Makoto." Ren said reassuringly as Makoto spoke up.

"Hm, that's true. Well, I suppose it should be okay as long as you keep a low profile, which you have been. That said, I'm glad you showed up when you did. This might be a bit awkward, but hey, do you have some time to talk about Eiko's boyfriend?" Makoto asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Of course I have time for you, Makoto. You're my friend and teammate, after all. So I'll always make time for you where I can." Ren said honestly as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-kun. That means a lot. Let's meet in the student council room. We can take the back entrance into school." Makoto said as she guided Ren up to the Student Council Room, where the two got comfortable before Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"Thank you for taking the time to listen to me, Ren. That said, Eiko's boyfriend, Tsukasa, has been sending me a lot of texts recently. His days and nights are often reversed due to his work, so he often sends me a 'good morning' late at night, and so on." Makoto said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"That's surprising. Does Eiko know about this? There's also reason enough for us to question if he likes you, but let's focus on the more important issue first." Ren said carefully as Makoto spoke up with an unreadable look on her face.

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. I'd definitely tell Eiko if he asked me on a date, since I'm not the type of woman to get with another woman's boyfriend. But for now, things are generally pretty normal. Mostly messages like 'how's ur bf' and 'hope you had a gr8 day 2day.' I wonder, though. Ren-kun, do you think their relationship could actually be serious? Was I just biased to think that all he wants from Eiko is her money?" Makoto asked as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Absolutely not, Makoto! Sure, he could be on the level, but we both saw how insistently he was trying to get your number the other day. Hell, Kasumi even witnessed that from where she was having her meal, from what she told me later. So I'd say he's definitely suspicious." Ren said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. I mean, it does sound like a TV show. A lying host that tricks women into debt, then forces them to sell their bodies to pay the debt off. But never mind the fact that that sounds awfully similar to what we saved Futaba's friend Kana from, those kinds of things exist in reality as well. Immoral hosts, human trafficking rings, and so on. My father even mentioned to me about gangs of men that look specifically for depressed women in Shinjuku in particular." Makoto said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"For real!? Damn, I'm seriously glad Kusa and I got to our girlfriends when we did. I don't like to think that they could've ended up targets of those types of men." Ren said with a shudder as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. It seems that they take advantage of the loneliness those girls feel to force them into horribly abusive situations to help raise the debt. Then after ensuring the girls are buried in crippling debt, they make them sell their bodies to pay it off. There are other ways they force girls into it as well. Blackmail, illegal immigration, and so on. There are countless victims of schemes like that all over Tokyo, I'm sure. Similarly, there are also countless gangs as well. My father was going after a particularly notorious one when he, well, when he passed away." Makoto said before having a seat on the couch behind her to steel herself before she kept speaking.

"In the course of his investigation, he was hit by an errant truck out of nowhere. Sadly, the impact killed him instantly." Makoto said as Ren gave Makoto a shocked look and spoke up.

"Makoto, I'm so sorry to hear that happened." Ren said sympathetically as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-kun. That means a lot. Anyways, at first it was thought to be an accident that he died. But at the funeral, I overheard my father's supervisor speaking with my sister. I heard him tell Sis that my father had likely been assassinated. They suspected that the gang he was investigating hired the driver to eliminate him." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"That's horrible. Do they know which gang it was, or even who the leader of the gang was?" Ren asked. Makoto frowned as she spoke up.

"Honestly? I don't know. The driver died on impact as well, from what Sis was later told. But apparently, they found drugs in his bloodstream." Makoto said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Drugs, eh? Sounds like your father might have been a victim of a DUI-related accident, if I had to guess." Ren said as Makoto spoke up.

"That was my thought process as well. Either way, that gang has been pushed back into the shadows thanks to the Shinjuku cleanup operation that took place shortly after my father passed. I'm not sure any of that would have happened if not for the incident with my father, to be honest with you." Makoto said to Ren, who looked at Makoto as he spoke up.

"That sucks that you and your sis had to go through that. But to be honest? Your dad sounds like he was a very noble man." Ren said honestly. Makoto chuckled and smiled before she spoke up.

"He truly was, wasn't he? I wish I could be a little more like him myself, to be honest. Instead, I've just been hesitant. Honestly, the incident with my father is actually why my sister became a prosecutor to begin with. She couldn't stand by and watch as evil prevailed over justice time and again. I'm sure that passion undoubtedly came from our father. Honestly? Our mother passed away many years back, so when our father was killed, we had to survive on our own. The responsibility for being head of the family, and the burden of raising me. The pressure of that all fell on my sister.

Because of that, she can't help but talk down on our father at times, even though I know she's just speaking out of hurt and doesn't mean what she says. She says death is no different than surrender, and that our father was weak to let himself leave us so easily. But, in my heart, I still look up to him. I was often lonely because of how much time he spent at work, and constantly working cases. But seeing him tirelessly pursue one case after the next was nothing short of incredible. That was how my father chose to live his life, you know. Trying to bring justice and order to the world around him." Makoto said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That's very admirable, Makoto. Your father was a great man, for sure." Ren said confidently. Makoto smiled at this and nodded.

"Yeah, that's right. Although come to think of it, there was something he used to say to me all the time when I was younger. He'd tell me, 'The most important part of your life is how you choose to live it.' Hm, such wise words. But still, look at me. How have I chosen to live my life, Ren-kun? And more importantly, how do I want to live my life going forward?" Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm not sure I could tell you the answer to that, Makoto. However, between us? I'm sure you can figure that out now if you wanted to. But that's an answer you'll have to figure out for yourself, since as I just got done telling someone else recently, only you can decide how you live our own life. Or, to borrow a phrase I once heard Kusa tell Akechi, 'We are what we let our choices make us into.' By that, I believe he meant to say that our choices have a very distinct impact on how our lives unfold. Either way, I thought it was a very wise quote from him." Ren said. Makoto blinked at this and spoke up.

"Now, you say? I see. You're right. I can still change my path going forward. And I agree, that does sound like the sort of wise and profound stuff Kusa-kun would say. But back on topic for now. To be honest, I've been determined to follow the path my sister laid for me for so long. After my father's death, I wanted to lighten the burden on her as much as I possibly could, since I knew she had to be suffering a great deal as well. O-Oh, but we were supposed to be talking about Eiko here. Sorry for going so off-topic like that, Ren-kun." Makoto said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Makoto. It was actually rather enlightening and refreshing to have you talk about yourself a bit. I know you're one of the older members of our team, but you're probably one of the ones who comes closest to matching Kusa when it comes to keeping stuff about yourself wrapped in mystery. Not to say that's a bad thing, mind you. Just saying that you shouldn't have to feel like you need to deal with things on your own. You are part of a team, after all. And I'd like to think we could help one another shoulder our burdens together." Ren said wisely as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, that's true, isn't it? Wouldn't want to end up as stoic and mysterious as Kusa can be at times. But you know, I've never actually talked to anyone about my father. It's such a painful memory to look back on, to be honest. But I feel comfortable discussing it with you. And beyond that, I think I understand my life a bit better now, Ren-kun. So for that alone, I thank you. Thank you very much." Makoto said as Ren nodded, feeling as if he could sense a deep bond of trust from Makoto.

At that point, the 'Priestess' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Priestess Confidant link with Makoto had reached Rank 7. From the rank-up, Makoto had awakened to the power of 'Shadow Factorization', making it so that Ren could now see when a highlighted enemy could 'Null', 'Repel' and/or 'Drain' an incoming attack after being analyzed in battle. Afterwards, Makoto's phone went off with a text, making her blink as she spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, it's Eiko. No doubt she's gloating about her boyfriend again. She says 'Mayb I'll like, skip college n just get married 2 Tsukasa insted.' I guess she's choosing how she wants to live too. As long as she's sure she'll be happy, I guess that's the important thing here. Oh, I have another message. Huh, it's from Eiko again? She says, 'U serious abt Amamiya-kun?' 'Wanna hav a double wedding?' Ugh." Makoto said as Ren frowned and spoke up. *3*

"I know we're pretending to date so you can get intel on Tsukasa, but refuse her for me, please. I don't think Kasumi would be very pleased if we agreed to have a double wedding with Eiko and Tsukasa. And I'd rather not have my girlfriend pissed at me." Ren said honestly. Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"You're right. Kasumi was nice enough about it when she caught us before. We need to make sure she doesn't go and reserve a wedding hall for us. Ignoring the fact that Kasumi would probably kill me before breaking up with you if we pretended to get married, I couldn't even begin to think about marriage at this point in my life. Oh, speaking of which. I know you'll have to probably run it by Kasumi first, but can you keep pretending to be my boyfriend for a bit longer? I'm sorry, but that's the best method I have of keeping tabs on Eiko and Tsukasa." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Hold up, let's run it by Kasumi first." Ren said as he pulled out his phone to start a group chat with Makoto and Kasumi, sending a response to it.

"Kasumi, I know you might be busy with training right now, but if you see this, Makoto just asked me to keep pretending to be her boyfriend for a bit longer so she could get more info on Tsukasa. But I wanted to run it by you first to see if you were comfortable with that, since you're the woman I love and want to date. And I know you weren't happy with Makoto when you found her claiming to be my girlfriend the other day. So I want you to feel included in this decision as well, since it affects you. So please respond to this when you can." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Ren-kun, I don't expect her to respond right away to that, since she's probably busy." Makoto sent, but to her and Ren's shock, Kasumi responded right then.

"Hi, Ren! Thank you for reaching out to me first this time. I appreciate that you're so considerate of me. I'm not happy with it, but as long as Makoto understands this is JUST a pretense for her to gather dirt on that Tsukasa guy, I'm fine with the two of you fake-dating. But she'd better not take that as an invitation to actually make a move on you! I swear, aikido training or not, she won't like what I do to her if she tries to actually make a move on you. But yes, I'm fine with you pretending to be her boyfriend." Kasumi sent as Makoto winced and sent a response.

"Not to worry, Kasumi. As I just told Ren-kun, I'm not the type of woman to steal another woman's boyfriend. Plus I believe you two are adorable together and have no intention of getting in the way of your happiness together. So thank you for being so understanding of my predicament. Sorry to bother you when you were no doubt busy with training." Makoto sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"That's okay, Makoto-senpai! I'm actually still free from training for another few days, since my coach said I don't have to go back to training until the 14th. So I've got some free time until then, for the most part." Kasumi sent as Ren sent a response.

"I see. Glad to hear you have some downtime for now, Sumi! You've earned it! Also, be advised that tomorrow is Haru's birthday, so there's a better than fair chance that Kusa and/or Futaba might have reached out to continue planning for her party. So I'm hoping you'll keep your schedule free tomorrow so you can come help us celebrate Haru's birthday with her." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Oh, shoot! That's right! I forgot about that! I hope Futaba's been keeping that ball rolling!" Makoto sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"Of course I kept my schedule free for Haru-senpai's birthday, Ren! She's my friend and teammate, after all! Also, hopefully Kusa shakes off whatever's bothering him so that he can be in a party-hardy mood tomorrow." Kasumi sent as Ren sent a response.

"Don't worry about Kusa, Sumi. He'll be fine. He probably just needs to sleep it off, and he'll be in a much better mood once he gets up." Ren sent as he and Makoto put their phones away, at which point Makoto spoke up.

"Well, glad that's settled. At any rate, thanks for listening to me today. I'll let you know if anything urgent comes up." Makoto said as Ren nodded agreeably as Makoto kept speaking.

"All right then, see you later. Be safe going home, Ren-kun." Makoto said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, making him answer it.

"Hello? Ren speaking." Ren said as he answered his phone, hearing Makoto's voice on the other end as she spoke up.

"Hey, it's Makoto again. Do you have time right now? Sorry for venting so much before. I just wanted to talk about Eiko, but I got a little off-topic. That said, thanks for still pretending to be my boyfriend again. I'm glad that Kasumi is such an understanding woman. I feel like most women would be more bothered that their boyfriend is pretending to date another woman, even if it's for a good cause and to help a friend. I don't trust Eiko's boyfriend yet, so until I either manage to trust him or get sufficient proof that he's up to no good, can we keep this up until I can make a call one way or the other?" Makoto asked as Ren spoke up.

"Of course we can. After all, Kasumi herself gave her blessing for us to fake-date. She only asked that you not make any actual moves on me, which is very reasonable of her. She could've been a lot worse about it, I feel." Ren said. Makoto smiled on her end and nodded as she spoke up.

"Hm, that's true. She was rather nice about it, wasn't she? But thanks Ren-kun, I'm counting on you. Let's see how convincing a boyfriend you can be." Makoto said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Leave it to me. I'll play my part well. However, I draw the line at paying you compliments and maybe a bit of close embracing, things like that. I won't do any physical/intimate gestures of affection while pretending to date you, as that's both unfair to Kasumi and entirely unnecessary to our pretense." Ren said firmly as Makoto spoke up.

"That's more than fair, Ren-kun. Well, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Makoto said as she hung up the phone on her end, after which Ren went inside, unaware of what had gone on while he was hanging out with Makoto...

(Earlier that afternoon, while Ren and Makoto were hanging out, at the Sakura house with Futaba and Kusa)

As Futaba and Morgana were curled up together on the hide-a-bed watching TV, they heard the front door open, both smiling as they saw Kusa walk in, yawning slightly as he kicked his shoes off and hopped up on the hide-a-bed to sit next to Futaba and Morgana and smile at them as he spoke up.

"Hey, you two. I'm home. How was your morning?" Kusa asked Futaba, who smiled and spoke up.

"Surprisingly peaceful, actually. Morgana and I just cuddled up together and watched TV, since none of the girls ever showed up for our girls' day. But I'm surprisingly not bothered by that, since I enjoyed the quiet time with Morgana. For a not-cat, he's quite a cuddly guy." Futaba said as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! But of course! I AM a gentleman, after all. That, and I knew Kusa would want me to keep you company while he was out fishing." Morgana said as Kusa gave Morgana an unimpressed look while speaking up.

"As long as you realize that there's a difference between keeping Taba company and trying to get too close to her. I trust you Morgana, but you can't fault me for being duly cautious when it comes to those I care about." Kusa said before surprising Futaba and Morgana as he sighed and leaned back on the hide-a-bed, making Futaba look at Kusa in a mix of surprise and concern as she spoke up.

"Everything okay with you, Kusa?" Futaba asked as Kusa sighed and spoke up while looking Futaba in the eyes.

"Honestly? Not really. Apparently, Sojiro got the results of that DNA test back, and shared them with me and Ren. We now have confirmation that my biological father is none other than that scumbag Masayoshi Shido. Meanwhile, assuming our other theory is right, that means I have a second half-brother. And, of all people for it to be, it would of course have to be that traitorous douche, Goro Akechi. So to be honest? I kinda feel like my life has turned on its head a bit right now." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and looked up at Kusa as she spoke up.

"I understand. That's gotta be a lot to take in. But believe me when I say that I don't care who you're related to. You're still the same kind, wise, gentle man I love." Futaba said understandingly as she leaned up to kiss Kusa, which he smiled at as he returned the kiss, gently wrapping his arms carefully around Futaba's waist as he gently pulled her up so she was laying on him while they kissed. After a bit, they pulled away for air, as Futaba kept speaking.

"That was glorious, to be sure. But as much as I could quite happily keep doing that, I do think we have more important things to worry about." Futaba said as Kusa frowned before his eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Crap! You're right! We still have to finish planning Haru's birthday before tomorrow, don't we!?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded and Kusa pulled out his phone to send a response to the group chat he'd started before with Ren, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Kasumi.

"Sorry for the late start on this today. Just got back from a fishing trip with Ren and Boss. It was a very fun time, but also very informative. But that's not what we're here to discuss. I believe we're here to discuss planning a certain someone's surprise for tomorrow, yes?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response fairly quickly.

"Yo! What's bonkin', Kusa!? Glad to see you're actually in a sociable mood now. Way Ren and Futaba told it before, you were a bit out of it." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"RYUJI! Tact, please! What I said was that Kusa was probably a bit emotionally exhausted from what Boss told him. But I won't say what that was, out of respect for his privacy. If he wants to share with us, he can." Ren sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"I agree, Ren! The important thing is that Kusa seems okay and that we need to be ready to surprise Haru tomorrow. So, what we have so far is a surprise party for her at Leblanc, which I'm guessing you two forgot to ask Boss about using for the party?" Kasumi sent as Ren and Kusa both winced, as she was exactly right. Futaba surprised them both by sending a response.

"Mwehehe! Luckily for us all, I had a feeling they'd forget, so I took it upon myself to ask for them! And we're good to use the cafe! The only condition Sojiro had was that we cook any food we eat and brew any coffee we drink, which is more than fair since we'll probably bring our own food and drinks for the party anyways." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"Ah, apologies for the late response. I was busy working on a painting. Have I missed much?" Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Not really. Just Kusa sending us a response explaining that he and Ren went on a fishing trip this morning with Boss, and then us resuming our discussion for how to surprise Haru for her birthday tomorrow." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I see. That's nice. To be honest, wouldn't a really good way to surprise Haru for her birthday be to do something about that fiance of hers?" Yusuke sent, as both Makoto and Kusa sent responses close together, Makoto's coming through first.

"Ignoring the fact that we're less than a day from Haru's birthday, isn't that kind of an impractical suggestion, Yusuke? Besides, it's not like we could get anything done to him for being an abusive jerk." Makoto sent as Kusa's eyes widened before he sent a response.

"Wait, abusive? Makoto, has anyone ever told you you're a genius?" Kusa sent as Makoto blinked and sent a response.

"Not really, no. Why?" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Because your response gave me an idea! Ren, do you still have that reporter's contact info?" Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"You mean Ohya-san? Yeah, I do. Why?" Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Simple. Assuming we can get the info to her in time, we could probably get her to post an expose on how that Sugimaru guy, if I have Haru's fiance's name right, is a dirty rotten scumbag who not only hits women, but abuses animals.

Furthermore, thanks to the footage I took of him kicking Morgana into a wall the night we all reconciled, as well as of him manhandling poor Haru, we could probably cause a lot of scandal for him and make it impossible for him to still marry Haru without breaching that contract he mentioned. Assuming that prick didn't lie about there being a contract, anyways. But either way, it seems like a good idea to me. Shoot me that info when you can, Ren." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"FOR REAL!? Kusa, that's brilliant! Granted, we'll have to keep Haru's name out of it, so that no backlash reaches her or her company." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Naturally. Also, speaking of Haru's birthday, is there enough time to request a painting from you, Yusuke? Because I think I have an idea of a good one you could do for Haru, if you have time." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"But of course! I might have to be up late working on it, but I can have it done before the party tomorrow. What did you have in mind?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I was thinking of having you do a painting of Haru dancing with her Persona, but in her normal outfit rather than her Phantom Thief attire. If people ask about Haru's Persona, we can say it was how Haru remembers her mother. That way, you could possibly have a chance to capture something similarly beautiful to the 'Sayuri', but maybe not quite as pure and blessed as your mother's work.

But it could be a good chance for you to test your artistic talents. And with any luck, you could create a work of pure beauty to rival the 'Sayuri'. If it came to it, we could even call it the 'Coup de Grace', as a reference to the fact that Haru's code name is the only French code name among our group. But that's just a suggestion." Kusa sent as Yusuke smiled and sent a response.

"That's brilliant, Kusa! I'll get started on it right away!" Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"Heh, and there goes Inari, off on another art mission. I hope you realize anything that comes of it is your fault for giving him the idea, Kusa." Futaba sent as Kasumi sent a response.

"That may be so Futaba-chan, but I'm sure Kusa views it as worth it if it makes Haru-senpai happy. After all, I recall he once said he and Ren view her as a mix of a big sister and sort of a mother-like figure to the whole group." Kasumi sent as Ann sent a response.

"Not only does that sound incredibly like those two, that's so totally sweet! I'm guessing in the meantime, the rest of us should go and pick out gifts for Haru? And I suppose we can ask Ren-kun to keep her busy tomorrow until the party?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"Can do! I was likely gonna hang out with her tomorrow if she was available, anyways." Ren sent agreeably as Makoto sent a response.

"I see. Well, as sweet as this all is, I think we need to table it here for now. Let's agree that everyone except for Ren can meet up, if she's okay with it, at Futaba's house tomorrow to plan the party, and then we can have it start around 5 or 6 in the evening, like the last couple parties we've had. Does that sound good, everyone?" Makoto sent as the others all sent affirmative responses, even Yusuke, and Ren put his phone away after walking into Leblanc. After a bit, he went to the laundromat to put a load of sooty gear into the laundry, deciding to ask Kawakami to do it. A short time later, Kawakami showed up in her maid uniform and spoke up.

"HI! Thanks for calling me. I came here just for you on my day off, Master. You'd better be grateful." Kawakami said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"I sure am, Miss Kawakami." Ren said as Kawakami spoke up.

"Good, see that you are! Technically, this is still work, so I wore my maid outfit. That said, I still charge my usual rate on my days off. That'll be 5,000 yen, please." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, paying the requested 5,000 yen to Kawakami. Afterwards, Ren headed over to Untouchable to hang out with Iwai, as he'd seen that Iwai had sent a private chat asking for Ren's assistance. Once he reached the airsoft shop, Ren approached Iwai, who spoke up.

"Evening, part-timer! Oh, it's freezin'! It's been really cold lately, but I gotta be careful of dust and humidity. Static electricity is the enemy of detail work, so I gotta keep an eye out for it. So, you're here because you saw my message, right?" Iwai asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. I saw you needed my help, so here I am, ready to work." Ren said honestly. Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Good. I need you to handle some chores around the place today. No gettin' out of it. In addition, there's also something I wanna talk about. Got time?" Iwai asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Yep, I've got time for you, boss." Ren said agreeably. Iwai chuckled and nodded before he spoke up.

"Good! Okay. Get to work, ya little gun nerd. " Iwai said as Ren nodded and got to work. After a while, Iwai called Ren into the back and spoke up.

"Got a minute? All right, that's good for today. Oh, but while I've got you here, there's somethin' I wanna talk to you about. To be honest, it's about that secret Tsuda mentioned. There's more to it than my havin' been in the yakuza. I just wanna make sure you don't go sayin' somethin' stupid if you run into Kaoru 'round here at some point." Iwai said as Ren nodded his understanding before Iwai kept speaking.

"Okay, back when I was workin' with the Hashiba Clan, some crazy lady came 'round our office. Must've been over ten years ago. She had this baby with her, and the whole time she was there she kept goin' on about how she wanted to sell it." Iwai said as Ren blinked at this and spoke up.

"For real!? This chick sounds like a very bad mother, if you ask me." Ren said as Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"My thoughts exactly, kid. Figured she was just some cracked-up junkie lookin' for drug money. But then when I told her no, she sat the baby down and ran off. As you can probably guess by now, that baby was Kaoru." Iwai said, laughing at the stunned look on Ren's face at this reveal before he kept speaking.

"Hah! Your face is so priceless right now, kid! Anyways, thinkin' back on it, I'm still not really sure why I took him in at that point. Not only did I have to leave the clan, but now I'm stuck runnin' this shop I don't even like. Heh, every day's an uphill battle. I still haven't managed to tell Kaoru I was in the yakuza though, to be honest." Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"You shouldn't lie to your son, Iwai-san. But then I suppose you don't need me to tell you that only real scum would lie to their children, unless it was for their own good or something like that." Ren said bluntly. Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Good point, kid. Now, lemme ask you somethin'. How would you feel if you found out your parents were wrapped up in some dirty shit? To be honest, that's how my mom was. She'd spend every night out drinkin', runnin' around town with all sortsa guys. I couldn't stand to see her destroy herself like that. Often I wished I could've had someone else as my mom. So naturally, I didn't wanna make Kaoru go through the same thing.

I wanted to make sure he had a good childhood. That's why I left the clan. I did everythin' according to the code, but now Tsuda's draggin' me back in, whether I like it or not. Once he remembered I ran this fake gun shop, he came by askin' me to make custom models for him." Iwai said before standing up, a firm yet irritated look on his face as he kept speaking.

"Tch! Though he wasn't really askin', now that I think more about it. The bastard forced me into it by threatenin' to tell Kaoru everythin'. Truth is, Tsuda's got all sortsa dirt. Not just on what happened when Kaoru was a baby, but on me and the rest of my family too. Who knows what'd happen if Kaoru learned the truth now. Tsuda isn't gonna stop there though. I'm sure he'd go on and tell everyone else he could. So, when it's all said and done, he's gonna try and take everythin' I have.

Shit! If word gets out about my past, people're gonna treat Kaoru like he's no different from me. After all, everyone knows shitty parents end up makin' shitty kids, when all is said and done. And once he's got that stigma, he'll be stuck with it. When shit goes wrong, he'll always be the one who gets blamed. That's how it was with me. And in the end, that's why I turned to the yakuza. Nobody else would accept me. That's also why I can't turn Tsuda down. He's just got too much power to turn down." Iwai said as Ren scoffed and spoke up.

"You're pathetic, Iwai-san. Sure, Tsuda has a lot of power. But isn't there usually a low-tolerance policy for snitches? So I feel like he'd be screwing himself just as much as he'd be screwing you if he went around snitching about you to anyone he can." Ren said warily. Iwai chuckled at this, impressed with Ren's gumption, before he spoke up, giving Ren an unreadable look while he spoke.

"Heh! You got that right. I bet Kaoru's sick of havin' a weak-ass dad like me. Anyways, I was tryin' to stall out Tsuda with bullshit prototypes while I figured out a way to stop him, if I could. But that bastard's really good at keepin' his cards close to his chest. Plus, he caught wind of what I was tryin' to do and started keepin' tabs on me 24/7. Thankfully, that's just about when you showed up, kid." Iwai said as Ren nodded his understanding before Iwai kept speaking.

"Ugh, sorry for bringin' all that shit up out of the blue. Be honest with me here, you prolly don't want anythin' to do with me after that, huh?" Iwai said as Ren tried to keep a straight face while he spoke up.

"Well, you said it, not me. But at the same time, I'm not the type to bail out on someone who's helped me out, and you letting me work part-time for you has been quite helpful, since it gives me a lot of valuable insight into guns, as well as some good life lessons. But if you wanted an honest answer? I'll stick around for the guns." Ren said honestly. Iwai laughed at that and spoke up.

"Man, kid, you're seriously into this enthusiast shit. Oh, right. Just remembered I never gave you a reward for that info. You're right, though. I have been teaching you a lot of valuable things. Hm, what to do for a reward? Ah, I know. How 'bout I give you a discount on that special menu? That should keep you quiet for a while. Pretty good deal, huh?" Iwai asked Ren, who nodded, inwardly smiling as he got the feeling that his bond with Iwai had begun to grow ever deeper.

At that point, the 'Hanged-Man' card appeared in Ren's mind, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Hanged-Man Confidant link with Iwai had reached Rank 5, and as a result of the rank-up, Iwai had bestowed the boon of 'Discount' onto Ren, basically giving Ren a price reduction on gun customization. Afterwards, Iwai spoke up after looking at a clock behind Ren.

"Oh, shit. Is it that time already? Damn, it's late. Should be gettin' home. Kaoru's been eatin' a tone lately after cram school. He's prolly gonna have another growth spurt soon. Anyways, I'm closin' up for today. You should head home too." Iwai said to Ren, who nodded as he noted that working with Iwai felt like it honed his Proficiency, netting him a modest, if unneeded, boost to his Proficiency. Afterwards, Ren pulled his hood up and started the walk back to Leblanc, but not before Iwai called after him for one last comment.

"Later! Take it easy, kid." Iwai said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where the phone rang as he got to the doorstep, and he answered it.

"Hello? Ren speaking." Ren said as he answered his phone, not at all surprised to hear Iwai's voice on the other end.

"Hey. Sorry about earlier. Didn't mean to get talkin' about that heavy shit. But I gotta protect that secret, no matter what. For Kaoru's sake." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"You're right. I can completely understand that. Family should be the most important thing to a man, after all. Outside of himself, that is. But I feel like that probably goes without saying." Ren said. Iwai chuckled as he spoke up.

"Well said, kid! Yeah, I'll do whatever it takes. I guess that's why I brought it up at all. Right now, I still don't know what Tsuda's next move's gonna be. We gotta stay on guard 24/7. Don't wanna get killed in your sleep, right? All right, see you." Iwai said as Ren nodded, hanging up his phone and heading inside of Leblanc to lock up and get comfortable for the night, unaware of the night Kusa had had while this was going on...

(Earlier that evening, while Ren went to rank up Iwai, at the Sakura residence, with Kusa and Futaba)

"Well, at least we have the ball rolling on things for tomorrow, so that's good. At this point, all that's left now is getting Haru's opinion on what she wants to do for her special day, so we can reflect that in our plans." Kusa said to Futaba, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Tell you what, why don't you give Haru a call and sort that out, while I keep the chat going with the others so we can fine-tune the particulars for the party tomorrow? Does that sound good?" Futaba asked Kusa, who nodded and got out his phone before heading outside to go call Haru, being careful to move where Futaba's chatting couldn't be heard. After he dialed Haru's number, he waited for a couple rings, before Haru eventually answered.

"Hello? Haru Okumura's phone, Haru speaking." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"Ah, good. You're still up. Wasn't sure if you would be or not. Anyways, it's Kusa." Kusa said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Oh! Hi, Kusa-kun! Wasn't expecting to hear from you, but considering what tomorrow is, maybe I should have expected it." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"Heh, you know me so well. But in all seriousness, I was calling to ask what, if anything, you wanted to do for your special day. Figured it would be a wise move to get the birthday girl's input on how she would like to spend her special day." Kusa said as Haru spoke up again.

"Oh. Honestly, I don't mind just having a get-together with you and the others. I'd rather it not be too big or fancy, just to minimize the chances of Sugimura trying to gate-crash it and throw his weight around as my 'fiance'. Ugh, the sooner I get that marriage contract dealt with, the better." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, I almost forgot about that douche. Well, we'll just have to be careful not to let him catch wind of the plans for tomorrow, then. All I will say is that I'd advise you keep your schedule open tomorrow afternoon, if possible. Because we'll probably have the get-together in the afternoon, just so people are up in time and we can work around everyone's schedules for the most part." Kusa said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Perfect! I was wondering how I was going to get out of Sugimura's attempts to get me to join him for dinner then, so this works rather nicely, I think. Thank you for being considerate enough to call and get my opinion, Kusa-kun. I appreciate that a lot." Haru said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. I do try to be considerate of my friends/teammates/family where I can, after all." Kusa said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Good point. Our group is kind of like a dysfunctional family of sorts at times, isn't it? Especially where it comes to the dynamic between Ryuji-kun and Mona-chan, as well as that of Yusuke-kun and Futaba-chan. I swear, those two fight like old married couples. Hee hee!" Haru said as Kusa shuddered and spoke up.

"Kindly never make that reference again, please. I'm pretty sure Ryuji sees Morgana as a bro, if that. And I know for a fact Yusuke's not into Futaba, as I have it on good authority that he has his sights on a certain someone else. But I get that you were teasing, so I take no offense to your comparisons there. Well, since we sorted that out, I suppose I should let you get back to what you were doing for now, while I get back to what I was doing." Kusa said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! We both have work to do, I'm sure. Good night, Kusa-kun!" Haru said as she hung up the phone on her end, after which Kusa tucked his phone away and went back inside to check on Futaba, pleased that he'd gotten Haru's input on things...

(A bit later, at Leblanc with Ren, after getting back from ranking up Iwai)

As Ren got back into Leblanc, he heard a knock on the door, and blinked as he recalled asking Kawakami to do laundry for him. He opened up the door to let Kawakami in, making her smile as she walked in and spoke up.

"MASTER! Thank you for waitinggg! Here you go!" Kawkami said as Ren got several clean armors, including the following: 'Lil Devil Undershirt', 'Old Ghillie Vest', 'Snakeskin Scarf', and 'Old Coat'. At that point, Kawakami spoke up once more.

"All right, that's all done. Take care, Master! I'll see you later." Kawakami said as she left, leaving Ren to get comfortable for the evening...

(The next morning, on the train to school with Ryuji)

Ryuji frowned as he heard some office workers nearby speaking up.

"Akechi-kun is so impressive! I can't believe he's still in high school." The elite office worker said as the new recruit with him nodded and spoke up.

"Me either. Did you watch that TV special about the heroes who took down the Phantom Thieves? I saw it too! It did make me like Akechi-kun more, but honestly now I'm a really big fan of Shido-san!" The new recruit said as the elite office worker spoke up.

"Agreed! I'd follow him no matter where he went if he was my boss." The elite office worker said as Ryuji scoffed and grumbled under his breath.

"Tch! God, can't people see past their own fat noses? They're even crazier about Shido than ever, and it makes me sick! Still, when I think about how he used us as scapegoats to launch his career? Dammit! It pisses me right the hell off. Well, no matter. It'll be fine. The better his rep gets, the more I look forward to tearin' it down. We'll make him own up to all this bullshit. Then they'll see who the real heroes are." Ryuji grumbled under his breath as the rest of the train ride passed uneventfully...

(That afternoon, at the Sakura residence, with Kusa and Futaba)

"Hmhmhm. Well, another day, another party to plan. Pretty exciting, right Kusa?" Futaba asked, before blinking as she looked over and noticed that Kusa was still sleeping, making her chuckle, as it was rare that she was up before Kusa. Futaba let herself look Kusa over, smiling at how content he looked lying there on the bed next to her, a rare unguarded look on his face. Futaba then chuckled before deciding to watch some TV, only for her attention to be grabbed when she felt Kusa moving around, and heard him muttering in his sleep.

"...no. You take that back! I'm nothing like you, you scumbag! So don't you dare suggest that we're anything alike!" Kusa muttered to himself, confusing Futaba, until she realized he was talking in his sleep. This was made much more apparent a bit later, when he suddenly started groaning and muttering louder.

"WHAT!? How dare you!? You take your filthy hands off of her, you coward! Your grudge is with me! ...What? No! Don't you dare hurt her! NO!" Kusa said to himself before seemingly acting like he was diving in the way of an attack aimed for someone, only to make himself fall out of bed, waking himself up as he hit the ground lightly, the blanket landing on top of him, which he quickly pushed off of him and looked around, frowning as he realized he was lying on the floor. Futaba then giggled and spoke up.

"Oh, do you always act this silly when you're dreaming, Kusa?" Futaba asked Kusa, who looked over and smiled at her before sitting back up on the bed, pulling her into a hug, gently pressing a kiss to her cheek as he spoke up.

"Oh, good, it was just a nightmare! I thought for a moment I had just been forced to leap in the path of a bullet to keep you safe, Taba. I was about to be very livid with a certain low-life in a Black Mask afterwards." Kusa said sheepishly as Futaba spoke up with a knowing look on her face as she just patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.

"Let me guess. You had that same dream about Black Mask again?" Futaba asked knowingly as Kusa nodded sheepishly and spoke up.

"Mm-hm. I have no idea why I keep having it, but it happens a lot more these days, especially after we got confirmation that Shido's my biological father. If I had to guess, it's probably my body's way of trying to cope with the unspoken fear that things might be about to get messy in this next Palace. But I hope you realize from this dream that I would literally use myself as a shield to keep you safe if I had to, Futaba." Kusa said firmly as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"I understand that, Kusa. It's natural to be concerned about this. You're probably still having anxiety over the idea of being related to two of our biggest problems." Futaba said as Kusa nodded before speaking up once more.

"That's true. But never mind that for now. It's Haru's birthday! So we need to get the ball rolling on things! Which means we should probably get dressed, unless we plan to scare people by going to the party in our underwear, which I doubt we're that brave or bold to do something like that." Kusa said as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"Nope, not gonna happen. Only I get to see you in your underwear, Kusa! Mwehehe. But yes, let's get dressed and get to work." Futaba said.

Kusa and Futaba then got dressed before the former pulled up the group chat from yesterday and sent a response.

"Afternoon, party planners! How's everyone doing?" Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Ah, good afternoon to you as well, Kusa. Good timing. I just finished the piece you requested. I'll probably bring it by Leblanc later so we can start decorating for Haru's birthday party. Speaking of, I believe we agreed on Ren keeping the birthday girl busy?" Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"Naturally. And since Boss apparently brought him over to see me, I'll probably have Morgana with me. But yeah, I was figuring on keeping Haru busy. Partly since I had a crop to harvest with her anyways, so I can just go ahead and hang out with her while I'm there and keep her busy. Meanwhile, I'm guessing the rest of you will coordinate your plans to decorate Leblanc and/or get Haru's gifts brought there for the party? Though I question if Kasumi will have time to do more than just show up for the party?" Ren sent as Kasumi chose then to send a response.

"Hi, Senpai! I actually got the afternoon off for the party! I had to go in super-early and train as a trade-off, but I'm just about done now. I'll probably swing by Leblanc after that to help decorate and stuff. That, or I'll keep Futaba-chan company if she wants, since I get the sense that Boss probably won't want her helping out, much like was the case for the last couple parties she was on the team for, meaning Ann-senpai's and Kusa's, though she slept through the latter from what I recall hearing from her and Kusa afterwards. Either way, I'm for sure free to help out." Kasumi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Sojiro said I can help out. But that'll probably translate to me having to do dishes in the back or some such. You can help me tag-team that though, if you want, Kasumi. That way Kusa can help the others organize the decorating, since he has such a keen tactical mind, with all apologies to Makoto, who is also a tactical expert." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Heh, no need to apologize, Futaba. I understand where you were coming from with that. And I'll try to swing by once school lets out." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Aww yeah, forgot for a moment it was Haru's birthday today! I could use something positive to think about after the bullshit I had to sit through on the train ride to school! So many mindless effing sheep bleating Shido and Akechi's praises! It made me sick! I swear, I get so pissed off hearing that!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Calm down, Ryuji. We only have a couple more prep days left, then we'll be heading back into the Palace to deal with Shido. And if we're lucky, we can deal with Akechi as well while we're at it." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Akechi, you say? I wouldn't be surprised if that rat bastard shows his face when we infiltrate Shido's Palace. If he's gonna finish what he started, that would probably be the time to do so. As such, I'm going to advise we keep our guards up, especially once we get down to the last couple letters of introduction, as that will most likely be when Akechi makes his move, if he does at all. And if this ominous feeling I've been getting lately is any indication, we need to NOT underestimate him. I get the sense he's more dangerous than we're giving him credit for." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"As long as you don't use that as an excuse to go off half-cocked on your own, we'll be careful." Ren said as Futaba sent a response.

"Ooookay, changing the subject! Are we figuring on heading over towards Leblanc soonish, those of us who're decorating? Probably around the same time Ren heads out to meet up with Haru?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Exactly, Taba! The party's ear-marked for about 5 or 6 this evening, and I believe it's almost 1PM now, so those of us who aren't in school should probably figure on heading over to Leblanc to start decorating around 2:30 or so? That'll give us like two and a half, maybe three, hours to decorate before the party, as well as put away gifts where needed. And Ren? If you see this, make sure Haru comes back with you after you two hang out, since that should be around perfect timing for the party to start. And if you do, send a message ahead so we can start preparing to set the surprise in motion." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Got it. And I'll be sure to have Morgana remind me afterwards, just in case. Unless he decides to not come along when I go hang out with Haru." Ren sent as the group agreed to meet up later before everyone put their phones away.

(A short while later, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, it's time to go meet up with Haru, methinks. Ready, Morgana?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded as Ren fast-traveled the two to the school gate, where Morgana spoke up.

"So, now that you're here, what are you going to do now?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up.

"That's easy! We're heading to the rooftop to see Haru." Ren said so only Morgana could hear, as the two decided to sneak past people and go up the emergency exit to reach the rooftop. Once there, Ren walked up to Haru and spoke up.

"Afternoon, Haru. Happy birthday." Ren said to Haru, who smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Thank you, Joker. What can I do for you today?" Haru asked as Ren had Haru help him harvest the finished crop, getting 3 'Moonlight Carrot' items for his troubles, after which he planted some more Sun Tomatoes, figuring he'd see how much Haru's 'Bumper Crop' skill upped that crop's yield. Haru then told him that the new crop would be finished on 12/11, making Ren nod as he decided to make sure to wait until then to send the calling card, assuming they secure the Treasure route by then. Afterwards, Ren then spoke up once more.

"And now that we've tended to the veggies, now we come to the part where we hang out so I can keep you company for a while for your birthday. I was instructed to make sure that you accompany me back to Leblanc afterwards, however. Not sure why, but passing along what I was told to tell you." Ren said as Haru blinked and spoke up.

"Oh? I get it's my birthday, but you want to hang out? At a time like this, of all times? Hm, is this perhaps part of your grand infiltration strategy?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up.

"As is the case with every time you ask me that, it's a secret, Haru." Ren said. Haru giggled and spoke up.

"That's true. Well, you make it sound like it's really important, at least. Well, I suppose relaxation IS pretty vital at times like these, so that makes sense. To be honest, I'm thinking of going to find some books to help me study coffee. Would you mind coming with me?" Haru asked Ren. Morgana then spoke up.

"Y'know, to be honest? Nobody thinks you're alive at this point, so it should be fine so long as you're careful. So, what'll it be, Ren? Are you going to escort the birthday girl to look for books?" Morgana asked Ren, as he looked at both Haru and Morgana and nodded while speaking up, addressing Haru moreso than Morgana.

"I would be honored to accompany you while you look for books today, Haru." Ren said honestly as Morgana nodded approvingly as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Oh! Thank you! How about Jinbocho? It would be the perfect place to look. Well, let's get going." Haru said as Ren followed Haru to Jinbocho...

(In Jinbocho, outside the bookstore with Ren and Haru)

"Hm, hm. I see, hee hee. That's so interesting. So there are eight different ways to roast coffee beans. Apparently the light roast is the most acidic. It says here that the type of roast should differ depending on how you want to drink your coffee." Haru said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, that's fascinating, Haru." Ren said agreeably as Haru nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Yes, it really is. I think I'd like to try hand-roasting each type someday. You know, to be honest, Okumura Foods didn't start out as a burger chain, Ren-kun. Originally, it was nothing more than a small cafe run by my grandfather. That particular shop closed before I was old enough to appreciate the finer intricacies of coffee, anyways. But that's where the real origin of our family business lies." Haru said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Wow, I had no idea, Haru. That's amazing." Ren said agreeably. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, I didn't either. My father only mentioned it to me first about a year or two ago. Um, but at any rate, after my grandfather passed, the company shut the cafe down due to its steady loss of revenue. He had never cared about turning a profit, though. His only goal was to make people happy. He built a strong community around the cafe, which was beloved by all who partook of it. He'd even give out free meals to those who couldn't afford it.

Then the day it closed, people lined up for blocks to give flowers. They really loved that place while it was open. But, still. I wonder how many people would line up for Big Bang Burger if it suddenly went out of business one day. I know we need to do well to keep our employees paid, but I can't help but think we've lost something important. I mean, Takakura-san seems to be only focused on profits and little else. At this rate, we'll never lose our black image." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"That's a good point, Haru. That would be bad if people kept having a negative image of Okumura Foods." Ren said agreeably, also privately being amazed by how kind and generous Haru's grandfather sounded. Haru nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Yes, I quite agree. I have to figure out a way I can turn things around. Ugh, but I think what I really need above all else, is to get stronger. I mean, I can act tough in front of my employees for appearances' sake. But you know how weak I am inside. And to tell you the truth? I have a plan, though. Before I can really determine who I trust, I first need to know what it means to have others trust in me. So I'm going to get stronger and stronger, until I'm strong enough for you and the others to rely on me!" Haru said as Ren chuckled, amused at how similar Kusa and Haru could be. Ren also smiled as he could sense a strong resolve from Haru.

At that point, the 'Empress' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Empress Confidant link with Haru had reached Rank 6. And as a result of the rank-up, Haru had awoken to the power of 'Harisen Recovery', making it so that like most every other thief with the exceptions of Ren and Kasumi, Haru could now occasionally recover status ailments inflicted upon party members in battle. Afterwards, Haru spoke up once more.

"Hm, well it's easy to say that I can get others to trust me. But how am I supposed to gain the trust of my employees? I'm not great at public speaking, as you might have guessed. And even just giving my opinion makes me a little nervous and anxious." Haru said. However, before Ren could even begin to start reassuring her, a man's voice could be heard from nearby.

"Haru?" Ren and Haru heard, shortly before a very familiar red-headed male in a white business suit strolled over and frowned at Ren and Haru, making Haru gasp as she recognized the male and spoke up.

"OH! S-Sugimura-san! I didn't know you were out and about!? What are you doing here?" Haru asked the now-named Sugimura, who frowned and spoke up.

"Good question. I was just heading home from a business engagement, when I saw you from my car window." Sugimura said before blinking as he looked Ren over and kept speaking.

"Hm? Do I know you from somewhere? Oh, I remember now! You're one of those brats from before, the ones who stepped in when I was trying to have a private discussion with my fiance here." Sugimura said as Ren growled at the reference to the day that he and the others had had to step in to save Haru from a messy situation, as it was also the day Morgana literally got kicked into a wall trying to protect Haru. Before Ren could do more than glare at Sugimura, Haru cut in and spoke up.

"Um, this is a friend from school. He's helping me look for some books today. Anyway, we should be getting back to our shopping. Please excuse us." Haru said as Sugimura frowned and spoke up.

"Hm? Now hold on, Haru. You think you can go on a date with another man and leave your fiance in the dust?" Sugimura sneered at Haru, who winced and spoke up.

"You are not my fiance, Sugimura-san! I already told you, I'm not going to marry you." Haru said as Sugimura frowned and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? And what about the contract I made with your father?" Sugimura asked Haru, who winced but spoke up, ignoring the livid look on Ren's face as he glared at Sugimura while she spoke.

"Th-That's besides the point! And F-Father is no longer here, as you well know. Besides marriage is something you go into with your own free well, or at least that's what I believe. A contract could never hold the same weight as a decision made from mutually-built love and trust." Haru said as Sugimura scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch! Are you sure about that? think about the reparations clause. If you back out of the deal now, you will lose everything you own. Okumura Foods, your estate, everything." Sugimura said as Ren glared at Sugimura and spoke up.

"Oh yeah? And where's this contract you speak of? Should Haru even believe it exists?" Ren said irately as Haru smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"R-Ren-kun, thank you. But I can handle this. And Sugimura? Even so, I refuse to wed you. I won't be another generation of Okumura who folded under the pressure of expectations being foisted upon them, like my father and grandfather were." Haru said as Sugimura spoke up.

"I see. And what about your employees? Are you really willing to put their jobs on the line for the sake of your selfishness? Besides, this marriage is exactly what Okumura Foods needs right now. My father would have no trouble managing your shares or sweeping away your company's tarnished image." Sugimura said persuasively, trying to get Haru to see things his way. Ren gritted his teeth angrily at this, but said nothing for now, trusting Haru to handle this herself, but being ready to jump in if needed. Haru winced at this, but said nothing as Sugimura kept speaking.

"Hm. That reminds me, did Takakura-san tell you about the wedding hall? He got us the Phoenix Wing over at the Wilton hotel." Sugimura said as Haru gasped and spoke up in shock, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened in shock at this info.

"Wh-What!?" Haru asked in shock as Sugimura grinned and spoke up.

"It's true. He made a provisional reservation for ten days this coming spring. After all, the sooner the better." Sugimura said as Haru frowned and spoke up, a frown on her face.

"W-Wait a minute!" Haru said irately as Sugimura spoke up as if Haru hadn't said anything.

"We'll have to look into our guests' schedules as well. There'll be over three hundred of them, you know. Takakura-san can handle Okumura Foods in the meantime. Why don't you make some time to go stop by the gym or something, Haru? I mean, if you have time to mess around with this punk, you damn well have time to get a little thinner." Sugimura said as Ren swore and gave Sugimura the iciest stare he could muster before he spoke up.

"EXCUSE YOU!? What did you just say about Haru!? I don't care if you call me a punk, since you're entitled to your own opinion, however incorrect said opinion may be. But I will NOT sit by and let you basically insult her in front of me like that! I don't care if you ARE her fiance! You NEVER comment on a lady's weight, much less insult it like you basically just did!

Between that and the fact that you kicked my cat into a wall the last time my friends and I saw you, I feel like it's not a surprise that it's taking everything I have to keep calm right now and not break your effing nose, even though you would totally deserve it!" Ren snarled at Sugimura, surprising Haru with how vehemently he was standing up for her. Sugimura scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch! Whatever. Once a punk, always a punk. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you. I'm out of here." Sugimura said before turning on his heel and walking off, after which Haru turned to Ren and spoke up apologetically.

"I'm sorry about that, Ren-kun. But thank you for coming to my defense like you did." Haru said as Ren smiled at Haru and spoke up.

"You have nothing to apologize for, sis. It's not your fault your 'fiance', as he calls himself, is a gigantic effing douchebag that gets his kicks out of insulting people and abusing animals, like he did to Morgana that one time. Put simply, that guy is horrible!" Ren said. Haru winced as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-kun. And you're not wrong about any of what you just said. However, that doesn't change the fact that in the public's eye, he has everything. Whether it be fame, intelligence, etiquette, pedigree, even wealth. The only thing he needs now is a wife he can control, or so he thinks. And I guess I'm the perfect target in his eyes. He's going to get Okumura Foods as well as my entire inheritance, and probably even my shares in the company. And I'm totally powerless against him, which is the worst part." Haru said sadly as Ren surprised her by hugging her encouragingly before smiling at her and speaking up.

"You? Powerless against that effing asshole!? I don't think so! You need to be strong, Haru. If nothing else, the rest of us have your back no matter what, sis! And between myself, Ryuji, Morgana, and Kusa, that man's in for one hell of a whooping if he tries ANYTHING with you! And that's not counting what Ann, Makoto and probably both Futaba and Kasumi are gonna do to the guy, since I know for a fact none of the others are fans of his after what he did to Morgana. So hang in there." Ren said kindly to Haru while trying to provide whatever comfort he could by way of a hug. Haru looked up at Ren and smiled widely as she spoke up.

"Ren? You're right, of course. I can't afford to drag myself down with such negativity. Hee hee, thank you." Haru said as Ren stepped away after breaking the hug and spoke up.

"You're welcome, sis. You know you can reach out to me anytime, day or night, if you need to talk to me, right? Because you can." Ren said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks, Ren-kun. That's reassuring. Anyway, um, I hope I can share with you again some other time. For today though, it's getting late, and I'm rather tired. Would it be okay if we ended our conversation here before heading over for the party?" Haru asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Of course. We need to start heading back anyways, so that's good timing actually." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"R-Right. Well, let's get going, yes?" Haru said as Ren nodded and guided Haru back to Leblanc. As they got on the train back, Haru looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, I'm sorry for Sugimura's behavior today. I feel embarrassed that he basically said that stuff in front of you." Haru said as she winced and spoke up.

"The thing is, Sugimura-san sent me some rather angry texts after he stormed off, and I only just found them. I'd really rather not talk to him, but I couldn't stand him using the company to threaten me, and even speaking badly of you the way he did before. And that's not mentioning the fact he was so callous and uncaring about kicking Mona-chan into a wall before. The negativity felt so painful, too much to handle alone, and well, before I knew it, here I am venting to you again." Haru said as Ren smiled and gently wrapped an arm around Haru's waist comfortingly as he spoke up while looking into her eyes kindly.

"It's okay, sis. You can talk to me anytime about this, day or night. I'm always here for you. You and the others aren't just my teammates anymore. You're all basically like family to me by now. Even HIM, despite what he did. But I see HIM as more of a casual acquaintance than family right now." Ren said reassuringly. Haru smiled as she leaned into Ren's comforting hug, looking up into his eyes as she spoke up.

"Hee hee! Hearing that makes me so happy. Thank you, Ren-kun. It's nice to know how much you care. Even though I just promised myself I'd get stronger, I suppose I'm still just depending on you. But still, I can't help but worry about the contract he mentioned. Ugh, how frustrating. I can't just let them keep manipulating me like a puppet. I have to find some way I can change this. Talking to you like this has really helped me calm down. Thank you, really. I appreciate it, bro. We'll keep having talks like this, right?" Haru said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Of course we will, sis. Oh, but we're here already. Guess we'd better get ready to get off the train and head to Leblanc." Ren said as Haru nodded and the two humans plus the not-cat napping in Ren's bag got off the train, both unaware of the planning happening at Leblanc around that same time...

(Earlier that afternoon, while Ren and Haru were hanging out, at Leblanc with Sojiro, Kusa, Futaba, Kasumi, Yusuke, Ryuji, Ann, and Makoto)

"Hmm, I see. So we have just a few hours to finish decorating this place and get the presents stashed before Ren and Morgana get back here with the birthday girl." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely. As such, I figure we can split this up and have this group split off into teams, as it were. Let's say we have Ryuji, Ann, Makoto and Yusuke go out and pick out gifts for the birthday girl, while Boss and I handle the decorating, leaving Kasumi, if she's agreeable to it, to either help decorate or go ahead and keep Taba company for the afternoon while we decorate. This, of course, assumes that Boss doesn't want Taba helping with the decorating, since I recall he asked her to stay out and about when we planned out Ann's birthday last month. But that's up to Boss if he wants Taba to help or not." Kusa said as Futaba cutely pouted and spoke up.

"I still don't get why I had to go hang with Ren while the rest of you helped decorate last time." Futaba said in a slightly whiny tone, ignoring the fondly amused chuckle from Kusa as Sojiro spoke up.

"That's because I didn't think you'd be much help with how much heavy lifting was involved before. This time, we can probably have you help coordinate things with Kusa, if you really want to help. I'm sorry for not letting you help before, Futaba. I was just being protective of you, as is my right as your father figure." Sojiro said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Sounds like a plan to me. And I doubt that Kusa will object to that either, even if it means he has to leave most of the decorating to you in order to help me oversee things." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"You say that like I can't just have Ann and Makoto handle the shopping and re-route Ryuji and Yusuke to help Boss while I help you oversee things. Or did you forget I have a very adaptable and flexible tactical mind?" Kusa said in a mock-snooty tone, making Ryuji and Yusuke both laugh at the idea of Kusa pretending to be snooty. Futaba, for her part, just stuck her tongue out cutely as she spoke up.

"No, I didn't forget your skills, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"And well you shouldn't. I'd like to think I'm pretty good about keeping them fresh in your mind when opportunity permits. But enough about that. Here's a better idea. While Taba and I oversee everything and coordinate everyone's efforts via our phones, we can have Yusuke and Ryuji handle the decorating with Boss, while Kasumi, Ann, and Makoto can all go out gift shopping. Is everyone okay with this?" Kusa suggested as he was met with a unanimous chorus of affirmative responses as Ryuji and Yusuke followed Sojiro into the back to gather the decorations, while Kusa walked over to Kasumi, Ann, and Makoto before he kept speaking.

"Okay, well, here's the thing. Apart from knowing that Haru's the likely heir to the leadership position at a very expensive fast-food chain, I know very little of what she'd want to get for her birthday. However, I feel like Makoto would probably have the best idea of what to get, as the one who's probably known her the longest, thanks to being on the Student Council with her. But that's purely a guess on my part.

Although, come to think of it, I recall Ren once mentioned that Haru told him she was into gardening and coffee, so maybe we can get her gifts related to that? And as for the coffee side, if he agrees, maybe I can get Boss to give Haru a few samples of some of his less expensive coffee beans to experiment with for her own coffee. Just a thought." Kusa said as Makoto spoke up.

"That makes sense to me. However, I don't know her THAT well, even with being on the Student Council with her. So I think we'll go with your idea. As for what sort of cake she likes? I do know that she's into keeping it simple, so probably just a yellow cake with chocolate frosting would work." Makoto said as Kasumi smiled and spoke up, while giving Kusa a playful smirk as she spoke up.

"Mm-hm. And the fact that it's chocolate will just be perfect for Kusa, who we all know has a weakness for chocolate." Kasumi said teasingly as Kusa pouted while the other girls giggled at the put-out expression on Kusa's face as he spoke up.

"Very funny, Kasumi. And you have no room to talk about liking chocolate, you know. Or need I point out that Ren told me about you two sneaking off-campus to go get chocolate cupcakes together on Ren's actual birthday? Sure, you had a healthy lunch afterwards and worked off the calories when you trained with him, but the point stands that you're just as into chocolate as I am." Kusa said as Kasumi smiled and spoke up.

"You say that like I'm even remotely ashamed of, much less bothered by, people knowing that I have a bit of a sweet tooth on occasion. Besides, we all know Ann has the biggest sweet tooth of any of us. Also, is it my fault your brother is too persuasive for his own good half the time? And when he's not, he's just so smooth and suave that he can still talk me into most things." Kasumi said as Ann spoke up with a laugh.

"True. Ren is a bit of a smooth operator like that. Luckily for you, he sees pretty much every girl he knows, other than you and that Ohya lady at least, as sisters. And he barely considers Ohya-san an acquaintance from what I heard him telling Morgana once. So that's a thing. Anyways, let's go shopping, girls. That way Kusa can go back to overseeing with his girlfriend. I was going to call her your future wife, but that's both presumptuous and a little uncalled for to tease you like that, Kusa." Ann said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, can't argue with you when you're stating facts, Ann. But you are right that it's a bit soon to be throwing around words like 'future wife', 'marriage', or 'getting serious'. Both because I'd rather not give Boss a heart attack, and because those of us who're in relationships haven't been dating for more than a few weeks. From what I recall, it's not usually until AT LEAST the half-a-year mark that most couples even begin to consider the idea of being together long-term. Much less getting serious. But still, I can't be mad at you when you're just stating the truth." Kusa said with a nod as he walked over to Futaba as the girls left to go gift-shopping.

At that point, Kusa's phone went off with a private chat from Ren. Kusa decided to open it, curious to why Ren was private chatting him.

"Hey Kusa, how far is everyone into setting up for the party?" Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Ann, Kasumi, and Makoto just went out gift-shopping, while Yusuke and Ryuji are helping Boss get the decorations out to put them up. Meanwhile, Taba and I are in charge of overseeing things in the interim while you and Morgana keep Haru busy. Why do you ask?" Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Oh, just wondering. Haru and I just had a very stressful run-in with that asshole who calls himself her fiance. I think she said his name was Sugimura? But in any case, I got the impression he's a real piece of shit. And the fact he basically called Haru fat without actually saying so didn't help matters." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"HE WHAT!? That man is not only an asshole, he's a total bastard on top of that! No self-respecting gentleman EVER makes comments on, much less pokes fun at, a lady's weight. We both know that's a big no-no, Ren. But if all he did was insult Haru, there's not much we can do about him, unfortunately. However, that doesn't mean we can't keep his name under consideration for if we need more Mementos targets in future. Because if he's gonna keep treating Haru like that, I think he might just find himself considered a legitimate option to give a change of heart." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"My thoughts exactly, but we can't do anything about it unless Haru asks us to, since we do go by a 'unanimous decisions' rule in the Phantom Thieves." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Precisely. Incidentally, what was Morgana doing during all this!? I feel like he would've been right in that douchebag's face if he had heard that! We both know he's just about as protective of Haru as he is of Ann, anyways." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Agreed! Also, he was taking a nap to prepare for the party. Still is, actually. But never mind that. I gotta get going since we're about to take the train back. Hopefully you guys will be done decorating by then." Ren sent as Kusa swore and put his phone away before looking at Futaba and speaking up.

"Taba? Did Boss, Ryuji, and Yusuke ever get the decorations out?" Kusa asked as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Mm-hm. They started decorating around the time you started messaging what I'm guessing is Ren. How are things on his end, anyways?" Futaba asked Kusa, who frowned and spoke up.

"So-so, I suppose. He told me that he and Haru had a fairly productive outing looking for books on coffee brewing, but then they ran into that shithead Sugimura. Y'know, the one that says he's Haru's fiance? Or, the dick that I suspect hurt Morgana that time we found him slumped over by the wall near Haru, the day we first brought her over here and reconciled the group." Kusa said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, I remember him. He was mean, too." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Anyways, Ren apparently had to stop himself from attacking Sugimura a little bit ago when he basically called Haru fat. Which is totally scummy of him to do, by the way. He's lucky I wasn't there, or I probably would've broken his freaking nose on principle. No self-respecting man says something like that about a woman!" Kusa said with a frown as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. He's lucky we have restraint. But never mind him, let's focus on the positives. It's Haru's birthday, and we're about to give her a very kick-ass party! Let's look forward to that, yeah? Mwehehe!" Futaba said as Kusa nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"Good point, Taba. Let's do it." Kusa said as he and Futaba went back to overseeing things. A little while later, Leblanc was decorated, and the girls came back with the gifts, which Sojiro and Kusa helped them put in the back for safekeeping. After a bit, Kusa's phone went off with another private chat from Ren.

"Just sending you a heads-up, Kusa. We just got off the train, and are headed towards Leblanc. I'll probably send Morgana on ahead so he can get into place with you guys to surprise Haru. But wait until I walk in so I can also get into place before Haru walks in." Ren sent as Kusa put his phone away and spoke up.

"Listen up, everyone! Ren's on his way back with the birthday girl. He's apparently sending Morgana ahead to get into place with us. He said he'd walk in ahead of Haru, which would be our cue to kill the lights and surprise her. So let's get into places, everyone!" Kusa said as everyone hurried to get into place, the couples in the room sitting together, while Ann and Kasumi got a booth together, leaving plenty of room next to Kasumi for Ren to sit. Shortly afterwards, the door opened, and Morgana padded in, walking over to Kusa, who carefully lifted the not-cat into his lap, right as the door opened once more and Ren walked in. He looked over at the group and spoke up.

"Hurry up and kill the lights. I walked on a little ahead of Haru, but she's not that far behind." Ren said as Sojiro nodded and turned the lights off once Ren was sat down next to a smiling Kasumi. A couple minutes later, the group heard the door open once more, and Haru walked in, blinking at how dark Leblanc was.

"Um, was there a power outage I was unaware of, or did-?" Haru said, not getting to finish her sentence before the lights switched on and ten different voices spoke up in unison.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARU/HARU-SENPAI!" Haru heard, holding her hand to her chest in surprise as she looked at the gathered group and smiled while speaking up.

"Oh, my! You did all this for me!? Thank you, everyone! And I'm happy you all remembered!" Haru said as Kusa smiled at Haru and spoke up.

"Of course we remembered your birthday, Haru! We're not gonna forget your special day! Go ahead and have a seat over there by Ann while Boss, Ren and I go start bringing out the cake. Or would you prefer we bring out your presents first?" Kusa said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Let's start with the presents first, I think." Haru said agreeably as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Very well, as the birthday girl wishes." Kusa said as he, Ren, and Sojiro went into the back, eventually emerging with several presents each that they set down in front of a surprised Haru, who smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, wow! Should I start opening them, then?" Haru said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"If you want. It IS your birthday after all, Haru-chan." Sojiro said as Haru nodded and opened up her presents.

From Ann, Haru got some very stylish sunglasses, making her smile gratefully at Ann as she hugged her.

From Futaba and Sojiro, Haru got an assortment of gardening-related gear, as well as some coffee beans, making Kusa smirk at realizing Sojiro was on his brain wave while Haru gratefully hugged them both.

From Kasumi, Haru got some very nice gardening gloves as well as a cute hat that Kasumi had seen and picked out for Haru, making her thank Kasumi before hugging her, to Ren and Kusa's amusement.

From Kusa, Haru got a new axe that had her smiling ear-to-ear as she pulled him into a hug, while both Ren and Futaba exchanged confused looks, unsure where Kusa would have found an axe for Haru.

From Makoto, Haru got a new homework planner and, to Haru's surprise, a taser. When Haru turned to give Makoto an inquiring look, Makoto sheepishly spoke up.

"I may or may not have had Sis buy one for you, so you could have a means of self-defense against that fiance of yours." Makoto said honestly as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you so much, Mako-chan! I love it!" Haru said happily as she pulled Makoto into a big hug, to the amusement of Ryuji, Ren and Kusa.

From Morgana, Haru got a card with a paw-print on the front, and writing on the inside that read 'Sorry I can't do more for you on your special day, but you know how it is with this form. I had to have Kusa help me make this, in case you were wondering how this happened. But anyways, Happy Birthday, Haru! Best wishes and with much sincerity, Morgana.', making Haru smile fondly at the not-cat before leaning down to lightly pat him on the head before kissing him on the cheek.

"Aw, you didn't have to do that, Mona-chan. That's sweet of you to make me a card. I appreciate it a lot." Haru said as she gently gave a smiling Morgana a one-armed hug, ignoring the amused smirks on Ren and Kusa's faces, as well as the near-unified cry of 'Aww!' that came from Ann, Futaba, and Kasumi, while Ryuji and Makoto just grinned in enjoyment.

From Ren, Haru got a bouquet of flowers and a note that read "Happy birthday! Couldn't decide on what to get you, so I just got you a bouquet of flowers as a means of hopefully making you feel better on your special day. Cheer up, sis! -Ren', making Haru smile at Ren as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-kun! You didn't have to do that for me! But they're lovely!" Haru said as she hugged Ren, who spoke up.

"I wanted to though, sis. You deserve this sort of a pick-me-up after that crap we had to deal with earlier." Ren said honestly as Kasumi and Haru smiled at him.

From Ryuji, Haru got a charm bracelet, to her surprise. Ryuji saw the uncertain look on her face and spoke up.

"Yeah, kinda drew a blank on what to give you, so my mom helped me make that for you. I hope you like it." Ryuji said sheepishly as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ryuji-kun! It's adorable! And thank your mother for me, too! She did great work!" Haru said honestly as she put the bracelet on.

And finally, from Yusuke, Haru got a present shaped suspiciously like a painting. Haru opened it up and gasped, as it was a painting of her in her normal outfit dancing with her Persona, Milady. She saw the note next to it, which read, 'I hope you don't mind the last-minute gift idea. Kusa pitched the idea to me, and I thought it was wonderful, so I ran with it! I hope I did you and your Persona justice in this painting! Enjoy your birthday! -Yusuke', making Haru smile at Yusuke as she hugged him before speaking up.

"Aww, thanks so much, Yusuke! I love it! I like the attention to detail you put into recreating Milady! You really are a fantastic artist, you know." Haru said honestly as Yusuke spoke up.

"You're welcome. As I said in the note, it was partly Kusa's idea as well, so he gets some credit for it too." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, but you're the one who did the painting, so it's strictly a Yusuke Kitagawa masterpiece." Kusa said honestly. Afterwards, Sojiro brought out the cake and Haru sliced it up after everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. After the group hung out together for a bit, the party started winding down as most of the group headed home, due to it being a school night. Eventually, just Ren remained sitting in Leblanc's lower level, while Sojiro finished closing up.

At that point, Ren decided to go hang out with Hifumi, as he had checked his available options, and saw that it was only Hifumi and Ohya available. After reaching the church in Kanda, Ren looked at Hifumi and spoke up.

"Hey, just got your message. Sorry, I was finishing up a birthday party for a friend. What's up?" Ren said to Hifumi, who spoke up.

"Oh! Amamiya-kun, you came. You see, the thing is, something unexpected happened to me recently. Can we talk about it?" Hifumi asked as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Of course! That's what I'm here for, Togo-san." Ren said to Hifumi. Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you very much! Please sit down so we can talk." Hifumi said as Ren nodded and took a seat, being careful of Hifumi's shogi board that was set down next to her. At that point, Hifumi kept speaking.

"Actually, the truth is, the most unexpected thing happened to my mother. Well, you see, my mother finally talked to me recently. She told me that in truth, most of my matches thus far had been fixed in my favor, by her no less. She also admitted that she was the one who sold that story to the weekly magazine that ran the article on us. I was stunned when I heard. I had no idea. I feel so ashamed right now. However, thinking back, I do recall some of my opponents making poor moves at odd times out of nowhere. Hm. I've always wanted people to recognize my shogi skills for what they are, but I suppose I never had any.

I became so conceited as a result of all those fake victories that I'd been handed. Oh, why did my mother confess all of a sudden? It's as if she had a change of heart or something, but is that possible? I thought the Phantom Thieves were finished? Oh, wait! A change of heart? Could it actually have been the Phantom Thieves!? No, that can't be. I heard their leader died on the news, and I get the sense they wouldn't have been able to recoup from that enough for any changes of heart. But perhaps they eavesdropped on our conversation?" Hifumi said uncertainly as Ren spoke up.

"Hard to say one way or the other, Togo-san. But I am glad your mother's heart changed. Maybe now you and her can start the path towards potential reconciliation. Plus I'm sure Yusuke's happy for you as well." Ren said as Hifumi smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes, that's true. It was painful to hear the truth, but I'm glad that my mother had a change of heart. That said, I've decided not to give up on shogi. Moreover, I'm not going to lose." Hifumi said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"What are you talking about? You're not the type to lose anything, Togo-san." Ren said. Hifumi blinked before giving Ren a sheepish look as she spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, sorry! I was referring to the exhibition match I told you about before. That said, I'm going through with it, as planned. I owe that to my mother since she did go to the trouble of arranging it. However, before that, I'm going to confess everything." Hifumi said as Ren gave her a shocked look while she kept speaking.

"Yes, I know that must be a shock to you. And I know that I'll receive a lot of criticism when I reveal the truth, but I must ensure the truth is known. But in any case, this next match will showcase my true talents. I don't know how it's going to go, if I'm being honest with you. But even so, I hope you'll watch. As your teacher, I promise to put up a good fight so I don't embarrass myself." Hifumi said honestly as Ren nodded, getting a feeling as if he could feel Hifumi's trust in him growing.

At that point, the 'Star' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VII' becoming a 'VIII' to signify that his Star Confidant link with Hifumi had reached Rank 8, though no new skills were gained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Hifumi kept speaking.

"That being said, I would be lying if I told you that I'm not scared. My kingdom is a house of cards at this point, so I'm not sure if it can withstand a true battle. However, I intend to fight with dignity to the very end, as a queen should. As such, there's a new move I'd like to test out for the exhibition, if you'd be willing to help me. I look forward to it! Will you stay for another game?" Hifumi asked Ren, who nodded agreeably, curious what this new move was Hifumi had mentioned. Hifumi smiled at Ren's response and kept speaking.

"Please come at me with all you have, Amamiya-kun. That is, if you can get past the valiant knights who guard my Togo Kingdom! I'll start!" Hifumi said as she and Ren played a game of shogi together, and Ren felt as if the ensuing game of shogi with Hifumi had helped him sharpen his Knowledge, netting him a slight, yet unneeded, boost to his Knowledge. After the game, Hifumi spoke up once more.

"Ah, I've won. But it wasn't an easily fought victory. You're getting better with each game, Amamiya-kun. Ah, I see, so there's still room for improvement. I'd like to do this again some time. Well, until next time, Amamiya-kun. Good night." Hifumi said as Ren nodded and bowed before heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, prompting him to answer it, which he did.

"Hello? Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Hifumi's voice on the other end.

"Um, hello again, Amamiya-kun. It's me. May I have a little bit of your time?" Hifumi said as Ren spoke up.

"Of course. What's up?" Ren said as Hifumi spoke up once more.

"I was just a little curious about your thoughts. Regarding my decision to reveal my fixed matches, that is." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up.

"I support it. It's your choice in the end, but if you think telling the truth is the best way to handle things, then I support your choice wholeheartedly." Ren said sincerely. Hifumi smiled as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Amamiya-kun. I'm so glad to hear that. You're the reason I managed to make that decision, after all. Our talks helped me realize I should play with the utmost sincerity. Ah, right. I'm sorry. I only wanted to convey my gratitude for you and all that you've done for me so far, Amamiya-kun. That said, I must prepare for my exhibition match, so I'll be going now. I'll see you at the church again sometime, yeah?" Hifumi said as Ren spoke up.

"Definitely! Good night, Togo-san." Ren said as he hung up the phone and headed inside before getting comfortable for the night...

(The next morning, in class with Ann)

"You think Shido's gonna become the prime minister at this rate? With Akechi-kun and Shido-san, it feels like some heroes have been born this year!" Ann heard a female student say to her friends nearby. At that point, Inui spoke up.

"Yes, let us begin! That's right. The turning point of any era is when a hero is born. They address everyone's fears and worries and skillfully carry out a revolution. Representative Shido is like that, don't you think?" Inui said as Ann scoffed and spoke up.

"A hero? Him? Is that a joke? Don't make me laugh." Ann said to herself as she kept muttering to herself.

"This is getting really bad. We need to make everyone realize it." Ann said to herself as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren)

Ren sized up his options, seeing that he had Takemi, Makoto, Haru, and Shinya available to rank up. However, he'd literally just ranked Haru up yesterday, and Makoto the day before, so he was in no hurry to rank them up. And he wasn't entirely in a mood to hang out with Shinya or Takemi. Ren then had a seat on his bed, idly wondering if maybe he needed to scrap his plans for an extra prep day and gather the group together to hit the Palace instead...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And it was quite an eventful chapter too! Not only did we get quite a few Confidant rank-ups in this chapter (Shinya, Kawakami, Kusa, Makoto, Iwai, Haru, and Hifumi), but we also fit in Haru's birthday party, which admittedly was probably not as eventful as the last couple (specifically Ann's birthday), but was still interesting. That said, prepare yourselves, since the next chapter will more than likely be the return to Shido's Palace!

And within a couple of chapters of that point will be the infamous 'Black Mask reveal' sequence where a certain Persona makes its first in-game appearance. However, without going into specifics, let me just say this version of that sequence might be a bit different, due to the extra two characters involved in it, but we'll see what happens.

But I will say that there's still a handful of chapters left for Arc 7, (probably around 4 to 5, maybe 6) before Arc 8 begins. But first we have to get through the rest of Arc 7, no matter how eventful and arguably painful parts of it will be to write. But you'll see what I mean when we get to that point.

In any case, thanks to everyone who's been supporting this story thus far, as your support is greatly appreciated! Feel free to keep on supporting it, whether it be through leaving a review, favoriting the story, adding it to your Story Alerts list to get notifications when new chapters go up, or even just PMing me your feedback! I welcome hearing from my readers, as it gives me valuable insight on how the story is being received! So don't be shy about offering your input! Whether that feedback is left in a review or in a PM makes no difference to me, I welcome the feedback just the same!

And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - YES, I had the ultimate Persona of the World Arcana be Atlas. But before anyone asks, that wasn't a nod to Atlus. That was a reference to the fact that Atlas is the titan known for literally carrying the world on his shoulders in mythology, so what better choice to represent the ultimate Persona of the World Arcana, am I right?

*2* - And YES, I gave Kusa two new skills for his Persona's Tier 2 form. 'Warrior's Resolve' is a support skill that can raise a single ally's Critical rate for 3 turns as well as provide that ally with the effects of both 'Charge' and 'Concentrate' in one move. However, to avoid it being excessively broken, the move has a rather steep SP cost at a whopping 69 SP (nice!) to cast it.

As for 'Nocturnal Rush', it's an attack skill that, for a cost of 169 HP, does heavy Physical damage to all enemies with around a 15% chance of randomly inflicting a target with either Panic, Despair, or even insta-killing them, though the insta-kill effect only has a 5% chance of going off compared to the 15% chance of the other two possible secondary effects. Hopefully I didn't make it TOO broken of a move.

*3* - Yeah, the amount of misspelled words and/or textspeak in the later ranks of Makoto's Confidant link is staggering. But also very intentional, since that's how the devs wrote it. I'm just adapting it as it shows up. Personally, I feel like they could've left out the text-speak and it'd have still been fine, but that's just my opinion.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 77

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Mona/Morgana) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 7

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 6

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 7

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank MAX (10)

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank MAX (10)

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank MAX (10)

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 8

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 7.5

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 5

STRENGTH (Justine and Caroline/Twin Wardens) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 5

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 8

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 8

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 4

TOWER (Shinya/The King/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 4

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 8

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 7

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank MAX (10)

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank MAX (10)

FAITH (Kasumi/Sumi/Yoshizawa) - Rank 5 *MAX*

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank MAX (10)

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank MAX (10)

**ALL CONFIDANTS UNLOCKED!**