February 2nd.
The deadline was fast approaching.
Ren arrived back in Yongen later than usual - a little after midnight, in fact - with a splitting headache. It had come on suddenly as he departed the train. He'd looked for a nearby convenience store, but none were open, which was highly irregular. He'd stopped by Takemi Clinic to see if he could get something there, but it, too, was closed. It was possible Sojiro had some medicine, especially with how much time Futaba spent in front of her computer, but he didn't want to disturb either Sakura's sleep just for some medicine. As such, he decided he'd just grin and bear it and go straight to bed once he got back to Leblanc.
Not that that would be a problem, it turned out, as he rounded the corner towards the café he'd been sleeping above for almost a year to find the lights inside on. Given the time, this should not be the case. Even if Sojiro had stayed late, this was too late. He'd left Morgana with Ann for the evening, figuring she could help him feel better about their defiance of Dr. Maruki costing him his chance to be a real human, so he doubted the cat had come back to leave the lights on for him. Maybe Futaba had come over for comfort over essentially having to prevent her mother from being restored by the good doctor. That, or she'd been sleepwalking again. Whatever the case may be, he quickened his pace.
"Good morning. We've been waiting for you."
What he found waiting for him was certainly not what he'd expected. Rather than Sojiro, Futaba or Morgana, it was Sae Niijima that greeted him as he passed through the unlocked door. Sojiro and Futaba were also there, but they weren't the only ones. Sojiro stood behind the counter, as usual. Futaba, meanwhile, was in the middle booth across from him, sat beside Haru and across from Ms. Kawakami. In the booth further back sat Ann, opposite Makoto and Mifune-san. And at the counter itself sat Kasumi, Dr. Takemi, Ohya-san and Hifumi-san. Every single female friend of his, save for Lavenza, was gathered here.
So many things about this situation were strange. First, that these specific people had all just randomly decided to gather at Leblanc, especially this late at night. Then, there were the cute packages each lady had in front of them. Also, only Sae-san and Sojiro seemed to have noticed him. All the rest, even four of his closest friends, simply sat in silence, looking disinterested in his arrival, as if they didn't notice him at all.
"What's happening?" Ren asked cautiously, not entirely sure he actually wanted an answer.
"Do we need to say it?" the younger Niijima sister asked, finally looking up and making eye contact with him.
"Isn't today Valentine's Day?" Haru asked from a little closer to him. As his eyes shot from one speaker to the next, Ren could almost swear he just about spotted Makoto's gaze out of the corner of his eye return to Ann across from her as soon as Haru started speaking.
"These girls came here for you," Sojiro explained from behind the counter. "They all wanted to give you chocolates."
...All of them?
"I was going to come alone," Ann said, diverting his attention before he could think more on the implications of those words, "but I met everyone else on the way here."
"Everyone was looking for you, Senpai," Kasumi- no, Sumire said. "We all wanted to give you our chocolates."
"So we decided to give you all our chocolates together," Futaba added, concluding the explanation that didn't explain anything.
"Although the process is a little abrupt, I think this is the best way," said the usually logical Makoto. How the hell was this the best way? And wait, Valentine's Day?
"Isn't today... the 2nd?"
"The 2nd?" Sae-san queried. She checked her phone before answering, "No, it's definitely the 14th."
Ren felt his stomach positively drop. "Then... what about Dr. Maruki?"
"Dr. Maruki?" Makoto asked with a lightly confused expression. "Ren, that was almost two weeks ago."
"Yeah, we already kicked that bonus dungeon boss' butt and changed his heart," Futaba added.
"Futaba!" Ren chastised in a low tone.
"Relax, Ren," Ann said in a reassuring tone. "There's no one here that doesn't know we're the Phantom Thieves."
Ren looked around. While it was true that Ms. Kawakami, Dr. Takemi, Ohya-san, Mifune-san and Hifumi-san did know Ren was a Phantom Thief, he was pretty sure none of them knew anyone else's identities, unless Ms. Kawakami had figured it out from seeing his expanding friend group. But aside from possibly her, no one outside of Sojiro, Sae-san and Dr. Maruki should know-
Dr. Maruki knew. Did he have something to do with this? But he'd removed any altered reality from the team's lives so they could contemplate his offer. He wanted to give them a fair chance to think about it out of respect, didn't he? So why would he do this now? Ren tried to think of who else might be responsible for this, but he honestly couldn't think of anyone.
"Ren-kun, are you okay?" Haru asked with slight concern, but an odd sense of confidence at the same time, as if she was absolutely sure that he was.
No, he wasn't, but he couldn't quite find the words to express it. As far as he could tell, this was all real. He couldn't see any other way they could all have come to discover the group's identities. Unless it happened in the missing two weeks. But why would he have a two-week gap in his memory? No one seemed to realise this was the case, so he likely hadn't suffered from a serious injury or ailment from a Shadow.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled after clearing his throat, not wanting to worry anyone.
"Oh, good," Haru replied with a relieved sigh. "I thought you might have disagreed with our idea. This way, everyone can give you their chocolates. It's only fair, right?"
Fair? How was this fair to anyone?
"After all," Ann chimed in giddily, "everyone here is in love with you."
...
All of them?
Ren was flabbergasted. All ten of them? Was that even possible? Even if he'd been the most wide-eyed optimist in the world before, his life since the incident with Shido back home had left him far too jaded to think he could possibly be so lucky. And yet... they all seemed totally sincere. He was sure they'd never pull a prank like this, especially not the very responsible Makoto, Ms. Kawakami or Sae-san.
"I just want to thank you for everything," said the latter of the three most responsible members of the group. How she could possibly allow her own sister to be a part of this without being manipulated in some way, especially with everything he knew about her from Makoto's descriptions and his own interactions with her, was beyond Ren.
"You seem happy," Takemi chimed in. He wasn't sure where this assessment of hers came from, given how confused and afraid he was feeling, and how his stomach felt like it was trying to descend until it escaped his body entirely.
"Could you be feeling our love for you?" Ms. Kawakami suggested in a surprisingly playful manner.
"I hope you will accept this chocolate," Hifumi-san said simply, lightly tapping the box in front of her.
Chocolate? Was that what all the packages the girls had brought contained? Then they really did all believe it was Valentine's Day. But Ren was absolutely sure that there was still almost a fortnight to go until then. The only explanation, then, was that Dr. Maruki was responsible for this.
One of the things Ren had confided in the former Shujin counsellor was that he had been developing romantic feelings towards a number of the girls and women in his life, how he had somehow fallen in love with not only every girl in his friend group, but also a girl from another school, one of his teachers, his doctor, a reporter and a local fortune-teller. He'd been vague and nonspecific about who these women were, but from how far his power now extended, Maruki clearly didn't need to have spoken to anyone personally to know their hearts' desires, so that was clearly not an issue for him anymore. He had likely peered into Ren's heart, or found the information in theirs, and was now using that knowledge in one last effort to convince Ren - or rather, Joker - to accept this reality and not try to stop him. And the worst part was that it was working. In spite of everything, Ren couldn't deny the excitement he felt at the prospect of receiving chocolate from one of his crushes, let alone all ten.
Ren didn't know how the ten ladies felt about him in return, aside from Haru, but he had chosen not to admit his feelings to any of them once he realised he loved more than one of them. He felt like it would be unfair to whoever he didn't choose, and so chose to keep it to himself until either one of them found someone else, or his view on the matter changed. But that was back when it was just Ann and Ms. Kawakami. Since then, he had developed feelings for eight other women, and the situation had quickly grown beyond his control, making him even more hesitant to confess to any of them, even after Haru confessed to him first.
He had confided all of this in Dr. Maruki, feeling the need to tell someone and not knowing if any of his friends would view him the same way after, or if they would think him a degenerate. Dr. Maruki had reassured him that his feelings for multiple women were totally natural and that he shouldn't feel guilty about it. Ren had felt a little reassured, but only a little - he'd begun counting Dr. Maruki among his friends by then, after all, so his professional stance had felt tinted with a friend's desire to make him feel better. Of course, Dr. Maruki's stance back then had been that, so long as Ren didn't try to act on these feelings with multiple girls without their express permission, there was nothing immoral about his feelings.
But had that stance changed? Yes, technically, all ten of the ladies seemed okay with this arrangement, but was that how they truly felt? Had Maruki peered into their hearts and seen a willingness to share Ren with other girls, or had he seen the exact opposite and decided to change them? Ren wasn't so egotistical as to believe any girl would love him enough to be willing to share him with others in order to be with him - to sacrifice monogamy and being someone's one-and-only just to be with him. And Ren felt that they each deserve to find a man who could give them his undivided attention, not a man whose attention was divided between ten different girls.
And then there was the question of, had Dr. Maruki done this for his sake, rather than theirs? Had he peered into Ren's heart and found a desire somewhere in there for this much simpler solution to his problem? Was it Ren's fault this was happening?
No. Ren would never want this. He loved and respected them all too much to want any kind of change forced upon them. He loved them for who and what they were, even their flaws. To settle for these altered versions of them would be a complete mockery, the ultimate disrespect to both the women and the feelings he held for them. As much as he would love to accept this and let all the girls be 'happy' with him, it would be no different than Futaba denying her mother's death or Ann denying Suzui's suicide attempt. It was disrespectful to who those people were and the memory of what they had gone through. Ren would not submit to this false reality now, any more than he had back in January.
"Aww, look at your expression," Ohya-san teased in a manner not too dissimilar to her usual drunken teasing, but she was definitely sober for this. "Can't wait any longer?"
"That's so precious!" Mifune-san squealed. "I got you lots of chocolate, so please eat it with love."
Ren looked over to Sojiro, hoping the boss might have something to say about all this, might bail him out of this situation clearly about to go totally out of control.
He shrugged. "Don't look at me, I don't know what to say. Of course, I won't judge either. Just don't make a mess."
"That's it?" Ren blurted out.
Again, Ren's guardian shrugged.
"But your daughter's a part of this."
"And she couldn't be happier," the older man said, as if this somehow made sense to him. Ren struggled to find words after this.
"In that case, it might be better if someone could take charge," Haru said, practically ignoring Ren's outburst.
"I'll do it," Sae-san replied. "Since we aren't lovers." Hearing the word come from Sae-san to describe Makoto and Ren gave him chills, but he wasn't sure what kind of chills.
"Really? Thank you, Sis," Makoto replied gratefully. How could she not find the very strict Sae-san's lack of reaction to something this unorthodox strange? Never mind that she was actively facilitating it!
"Having said that, I've never done this sort of thing before. But I'll do my best to ensure everyone's happiness." What the hell was she talking about?
Before he knew it, Ren was being dragged behind the counter by Sae-san while all the other girls gathered on the other side of it, placing their various packages down on the countertop. Each package looked like it had taken a not insignificant amount to time to put together. Despite everything, Ren could feel everyone's enthusiasm. As much as he tried to resist, he felt his heart flutter at the sight of the chocolate each woman he loved had prepared for him as a sign of how much they loved him back.
"Over here, Ren!" Ann was the first to unwrap hers, break off a piece and hold it out for Ren to try. "Open wide!"
He expected some kind of jealous outburst from someone, anyone, but no such thing occurred. Rather, each other woman took inspiration from Ann and began doing the same.
"Do you want more?" Haru asked, extending a piece into Ren's mouth before he could swallow Ann's. "Here you go."
"Time to eat up!" Futaba declared, doing the same.
"Senpai, could you also try my chocolates?" Kasumi asked, popping a piece into his mouth before he could even consider answering her.
Right now, it felt like the girls were intentionally trying to make him sick as some act of revenge for his emotional infidelity. But their faces and tones expressed no such anger or vindictiveness, nor the tranquil fury he might expect from Ms. Kawakami or Hifumi-san. Were they simply being overzealous in their attempts to show Ren how much they loved him? Whatever the case may be, he was so incredibly grateful to have such an active lifestyle as a Phantom Thief, or all this chocolate would fatten him up something fierce.
Somehow, against all odds (arguably the fiercest he had yet faced since coming to Tokyo), Ren managed to finish every last piece of chocolate. Each helping was more than enough for one person, so ten times that was a struggle. He felt his feelings grow exponentially for those that had gone for smaller amounts as he tried not to throw up.
"You ate all of the chocolate..." Makoto gaped in amazement.
"Impressive, as always," Hifumi-san said with a fond smile.
"I expected no less from someone who finished the Big Bang Burger Challenge," Haru swooned.
"You must've been super hungry, huh?" Futaba concluded incorrectly.
"Do you want more?" Ohya-san offered. "Because I can go get-"
Ren shook his head quickly and held up a hand. "'m good," he weakly muttered.
"That's great," Haru replied sweetly. "You look happy."
"Maybe it was a little too much," Dr. Takemi responded, but rather than concerned or regretful, she still sounded happy, as if him having eaten her chocolate was more important than anything else currently going on, even his potentially damaged health.
"Making all those chocolates was definitely worth it," Kasumi beamed.
"It really was a lot," Ms. Kawakami added, sounding slightly nervous, as if concerned about how much her student had just eaten.
"You're welcome," the actual doctor among them said nonchalantly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, my little guinea pig."
Pig was right. Ren felt like his stomach was about to burst. But he couldn't even be mad about it, since it was clear that the girls stuffing him full of chocolate was their way of showing their affection. And if there was enough chocolate to make his stomach burst, then there was certainly enough affection to make his heart burst as well.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked, finally sounding concerned about his wellbeing. "It wasn't too much, was it?"
"No way," Futaba replied confidently for him. "He's Joker. There's no way a little chocolate would be enough to get the best of him."
"You're right," Ann replied, sounding totally convinced despite having no reason to be.
"Do you want some more then?" Mifune-san asked quickly.
For some reason, Ren felt a compulsion to say 'yes'. But he managed to suppress that compulsion and say 'no' instead. The girls seemed almost disappointed by this, but accepted his decision without protest. Rather, they seemed to take this as the end of one segment of the event and the start of the next, led by Ann's cheerful proclamation that, "This is the best Valentine's Day ever!" the consensus seemed to be unanimous.
"Yes!" Futaba agreed. Everyone is so happy!" Although what Futaba said was quite evidently true, something in the wording struck Ren as unnatural.
"Yes," Haru concurred. "So very happy."
A chorus of yesses and 'I agree's followed. Some even came in perfect unison.
"Are you okay, Ren?" Makoto asked once again, as if intentionally going off-script to provoke a particular response from him. For whatever reason, Ren felt like the next few words he spoke would be among the most important he'd ever utter in his life.
"No," he managed to say, in spite of everything pushing him to say just the opposite.
But despite what he said in response to Makoto's query, nobody else seemed to notice. They just kept smiling while staring at him with enough intensity to set him on fire. But although they were all positively beaming at him, there was no light behind their eyes. They each looked borderline dead inside. And they arguably were, for what is life without free will? If these feelings were truly their own, wouldn't their eyes shine as brightly as their smiles - those smiles that had made him fall in love with them all to begin with - as they always did?
Or was he just seeing things? Could it simply be a trick of the light or Ren's own concern clouding his vision? Or was that just what the part of his brain that wanted to accept this new reality wanted him to believe? Ren finally found his words.
"Do none of you have a problem with this?"
"A problem with what?" Ohya-san asked.
"This whole... harem thing. Ten of you... sharing me."
"Why would we have a problem with it?" Ann asked, seeming to not see any reason at all that they should.
"This way," Haru explained, "everyone gets to be happy and no one is left out." Haru, specifically, saying this broke Ren's heart. Was Dr. Maruki taking advantage of her own heartbreak to make her play her part in this sick scheme? Did the same apply to the rest?
"There are no losers, only winners." Did Futaba secretly love him?
"No losers." Or Hifumi-san?
"Only winners." Or Sae-san?
"Then why did none of you ever say anything about this before Dr. Maruki started altering reality?"
"Because none of us knew there were other girls who felt the same way about you, silly," Mifune-san replied cheerfully.
"In retrospect, though, that should've been obvious," Ohya-san added.
"That's true," Ms. Kawakami concurred. "Someone as wonderful as him? How could there not be at least ten people with an interest in him?"
Again, the synchronised agreements sounded like a hive mind in action. He felt like he was about to throw up; and he was damn sure the chocolate had nothing to do with it. His breathing grew heavy. He wondered if he was about to have a panic attack.
"Stop it," he wheezed out pathetically.
"What was that?" Sojiro asked.
Ren slammed his fist down on the counter. "I said stop it!" For once, the ladies responded in a natural way, jumping startled at his sudden outburst. "What the hell is wrong with you guys? How can you not see how fucked up this is!? Boss, Sae-san. Are you two really okay with your daughter and your sister dating a guy who can't give them the attention they deserve? Ann, Makoto. Are you two okay with being toyed with by a guy who's with multiple other girls? One being my teacher? Futaba. Are you really so okay with strangers now that you can share the guy you like with five of them? Haru... Was this what you wanted when you told me you loved me? To share me with nine other women? Kasumi. Aren't you Sumire?"
There was a moment of hesitation, Ren noticed, with each of them. Sojiro and Sae-san seemed to realise they wouldn't want their respective daughter and sister be part of a harem, actually. Ann remembered her history with Kamoshida and their battle with that Mementos target from a few months ago. Makoto remembered exposing Eiko-san's 'boyfriend' for his secret affairs with multiple girls. Futaba remembered how crowds scared her. Haru remembered her desire to spend the rest of her life with Ren, just the two of them. Kasumi remembered who she really was.
That was the way to stop this. He had to keep pushing them, just like this. Point out the contradictions in their values and beliefs. It had worked before, with his teammates. He just had to do it again.
"Ms. Kawakami. I know you're disgusted by what Kamoshida did, and how responsible and protective of your students you are. Is an open relationship with a student really something you would want to engage in? Especially the problem student who's already on thin ice as it is? Do you really want to paint a target on our backs like that?"
"A target? No, I... I want to... keep you safe. Like a teacher should..." One more expression of doubt.
"Ohya-san. Our boyfriend/girlfriend act was just that: an act. It was a symbol of how dedicated you were to the truth - to Kayo-san - that you were willing to destroy your reputation to keep your investigation under wraps. But when that was no longer a problem, did you feel any regret over our act coming to an end?"
"I don't... think so? Yeah, it was an act... right? I wasn't... serious?" Just three left.
"Hifumi-san. You were always treated like a prodigy, not like just a person. That was why you appreciated our friendship, right?"
"Th-That's true."
"Then why are you okay being treated like some disposable fancy, as if you're not unique and special, but just another girl for some philanderer to amuse himself with? Isn't that going way too far in the other direction?"
"I... I suppose I should... think that..." Almost there.
"Chihaya-san. You've read the fortunes of everyone here. Fate isn't set in stone, but you've never once foreseen you and everyone else ending up in some sort of harem, have you? Even with how accurate your predictions usually are. How come you never saw this?"
"I... well...destiny is..." That's it.
"And Doctor. You know at least something about how feelings of love form. How attached and possessive people get. How can you look at this situation and think it's in any way natural for none of you to have a problem with sharing me?"
"Well... you... have a point, actually..." Bingo. He was so close now, he could taste it. Just one last push, and this one was for everyone.
"And why did none of you act on these feelings before today, aside from Haru? Can any of you even remember when you realised you were in love with me?"
Even Haru, who most certainly did remember, didn't nod her head, instead looking around the room in concern.
"It was tonight, wasn't it? You all, at the same time, realised you had to come here late at night to let me know? Nine of you came to this same realisation and all ten of youhad the same idea at the exact same time? None of you find that strange? Especially knowing what you do about changes of heart? Can you see now that you're all being manipulated? Even Sae-san and Boss are being made to accept this, because Dr. Maruki knows they never would, under normal circumstances, even in his ideal world. I know it hurts to cast aside this 'ideal' world, but I know you'll all understand once you do."
The air in the café shifted in an instant. It was as if a window had shattered, forcing the stagnant miasma that had been choking him all this time to finally leave. Ren truly felt as if a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders, as everyone's body language suggested a sudden shift in their own perceptions was accompanying this relief. It felt great.
That is, until everyone's eyes slowly shifted to him, twelve pairs of eyes making contact with his all at once. He tried to avert his eyes, but everywhere he looked, another pair was looking back at him. He suddenly felt extremely vulnerable, and like he was on the precipice of losing everything.
The room was in total silence, aside from the odd uncomfortable shuffling of clothes. It was only when Makoto spoke up, taking charge as she so often did, that Ren's stomach finally started to settle.
"Ren? What's happening?" She was scared, clearly. He could guess numerous reasons for why she would be, from Dr. Maruki seemingly going back on his word and displaying that he still had so much power over them, to the horror of the twisted fantasy she had been forced to engage in. And knowing whose fantasy it had been.
"If... If everyone could please take a seat, I'll... I'll explain everything."
Despite the clear discomfort of everyone involved, especially those unfamiliar with the current situation with the altered reality, everyone agreed and found a seat, all in different places from where they'd been when he entered.
As everyone took their seats, Makoto leaned in and whispered to Ren, "Are you sure we should discuss this so openly around... you know?"
Ren nodded. "They deserve to know what's going on."
Makoto looked him over a moment, as if trying to decide if he was in his right mind after all this manipulation. She nodded in understanding.
With everyone now seated, he explained the basics of how the Metaverse worked, with some help from Makoto and Futaba. Then, he explained the situation with Dr. Maruki and the altered reality. Once everyone was caught up, he asked them what they remembered about the circumstances that brought them here tonight.
"I don't know," Ann said, concerned. "I just woke up suddenly and felt this... need to be here."
"Indeed," Makoto concurred. "I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I had to come here and that I'd understand why once I arrived."
"And it did start to make sense once we got here," Haru added.
"But did we even come here at all, or were we just... placed here and given vague memories of needing to be here?" Futaba pondered.
"Whatever the case," Sae-san said, "we were all under the influence of this... altered reality. But, this seems to have an entirely different motive from what you just described."
"It seems far less idealistic," Dr. Takemi added. "Harder to justify the ethics."
"It's like something Kamoshida would do with this power," Ms. Kawakami proposed, "not someone like Dr. Maruki."
"Why would Dr. Maruki do something like this?" Sumire asked, sounding heartbroken.
"It's my fault."
Makoto shook her head, speaking in a soft, caring tone. "Ren, you can't just take responsibility for every bad thing-"
"I'm in love with all of you."
"Wh...What?"
"Over... Over the last year, I've fallen for Ann, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, Sumire, Hifumi-san, Ms. Kawakami, Dr. Takemi, Ohya-san and Chihaya-san."
Ren wasn't sure what emotions he was seeing on the faces of these ten incredible women around him, his infallible ability to read people denied to him at this most crucial juncture. But he was sure it was a mixture of pity and disgust. He knew for sure that Sojiro's expression was one of disappointment that the boy had turned out this way.
"I didn't think it was fair to choose between Ann and Ms. Kawakami, even though I knew it could never work out with a teacher, because it felt like I was rejecting the other. And by the time I realised I'd have to make a choice, I'd fallen for Makoto and Dr. Takemi too. And then, it just snowballed.
"I didn't know what to do with these feelings, and after Haru confessed to me, I... I had to confide in someone. Dr. Maruki seemed like the safest bet. He told me it was fine to feel this way, as long as I didn't act on it, but... I think he's getting desperate. I think he tried to use those feelings to convince me his ideal world was the best for everyone - not just for me, but for all of you as well."
The café fell into silence as everyone took in what Ren had just explained. He couldn't blame them for not saying anything. It had to be a lot to take in, knowing someone you're friends with had so many people he was interested in romantically, especially if you were one of those people. He was sure this was them being polite, holding back their thoughts because they didn't have anything particularly nice to say to him.
He could tell Sojiro had something to say, but was wisely keeping it to himself because, right now, it wasn't his place to do so. Each time one of the ladies' eyes passed over Ren's, they would quickly avert their gaze. Yeah. He wouldn't want to look at him right now either."
"Um... If I may?" Haru, soft-spoken Haru, sat in one of the booths right beside where he stood in the aisle, was the first to speak after Ren's confession. "This is all... a lot to take in. But, even though you rejected me, Ren-kun, I don't hold it against you. It actually makes me happy that you were thinking of my feelings when you did it."
"Haru-"
"Please, let me finish," she interrupted with unusual fervour. "I also don't think it would be fair to judge you for falling in love with more than one person. Some people do fall in love easily. And with Ann-chan, Mako-chan, Futaba-chan, Sumire-chan... I think I'd be happy if you fell in love with one of them and could make them happy. And from the things you've told us about Ms. Kawakami, Dr. Takemi and the others, I can imagine why you might start to fall for them as well.
"I don't think falling in love with any, or even all of us is necessarily a bad thing. But I do think you should have discussed this with us before now. This feels like those feelings finally boiling over after being bottled up for so long. It seems that this has become your big temptation, like me having my father returned, or what the others were offered - that impossible dream that only Dr. Maruki's power can grant."
"Your dream is for someone else's-"
"No, Ren-kun," Haru interrupted, uncharacteristically forcefully for the Okumura heiress. "You, yourself, told me that the father I was given was not the real him. He was an idealised version of him who placed me before his own aspirations. It was solely for my own sake, not his. It was entirely selfish. No different than your wish.
"But you've been through so much pain and misfortune; far more than you deserve. I don't know how much of your past you've told everyone else, but I know enough to know you didn't deserve any of it. And after how much you've helped me, and everyone else here, and countless strangers in our Phantom Thieves escapades... you deserve to be happy, Ren-kun. I'm sure we all agree."
"You absolutely do," Ann agreed.
"One hundred percent," said Makoto.
"For sure," Futaba added.
"Absolutely," Sumire confirmed.
"That's not even in question," Ms. Kawakami asserted.
"You're too good a kid to deserve any less," Ohya-san claimed.
"Even if fate thinks otherwise," Chihaya-san affirmed.
"You have the perseverance to take what you deserve," Hifumi-san declared.
"And you're smart enough to know where the limits are, regardless of what your heart may want," Dr. Takemi concluded.
"So, please don't get the wrong idea. We all want you to be happy, even if this particular way is..."
"Messed up? Impossible? Immoral? A sign of how screwed-up in the head I am, that I'm no different from Dr. Maruki?"
Ann was on her feet in an instant. "Don't say stuff like that! Haru's right. There's nothing wrong with having these feelings."
"Everyone has messed-up thoughts sometimes," Futaba insisted. "That doesn't make you a bad person."
"And everyone has things they wish could be real, but can't," Sumire added.
"It's an inescapable part of the human condition," said Dr. Takemi. "Even I've not been immune to this manipulation based on own desires. I'm sure you've been too busy with things on your end to notice, but Miwa-chan is completely healthy in this reality. I'm sure the same is true for the others here."
"Taiki-kun is alive and well," Ms. Kawakami confirmed.
"Same with Kayo," Ohya-san added.
"And the cult never existed," Chihaya-san claimed.
"And I have been finding great success in shogi, without my mother's cheating," Hifumi-san revealed.
"Nobody goes through life without having an impossible wish," Sojiro asserted. "Especially when you're trying to do the right thing. You ended up here because you tried to do the right thing, right? Unfortunately, that is how life is. It's cruel and it's unfair. There rarely is an outcome where everyone gets to be happy. You're a good kid, wanting to make sure no one you care about ends up feeling sad.
"But imagine if any of these other ladies really did feel the same way about you. If they don't know how you view all this, they'll be stuck in a rut, waiting for you to come around. Even by trying not to hurt someone, you very often end up doing it anyway. It's a sad fact, but it is a fact. And it's a fact this doctor friend of yours preyed on to try and manipulate you."
"He's right," Sae-san interjected. "This Dr. Maruki is clearly getting desperate, if he's willing to go this far. He knows you and your team can stop him. I think, for now, it's for the best that you focus on making sure he can't do this again. Then, once that's over with, you can make your decision about who it is you love the most. Then, you can let the others know and set them all free."
Ren nodded his head slowly. She was right. They were all right. It didn't matter what conviction he found or what decision he made, so long as Dr. Maruki had the power and motive to put him and the girls through this again.
"Maybe we should all tell Ren privately whether or not we feel the same way," Makoto suggested. "That should help to focus him on those of us who do."
"That seems like a good idea," Sae-san concurred.
"Anyone who needs time to think through their response should head home for tonight," Dr. Takemi advised. "It's already been a long day for a lot of us, and this... It's all a lot to take in. If nothing else, Amamiya deserves a proper response, not a tired, hasty decision."
The others seemed to agree with this notion, and Ren did too. He certainly didn't want any of them to accidentally accept his feelings and be stuck with him if they really weren't into him.
"Ms. Kawakami stood up and approached Ren, evidently trying to psyche herself up to tell him how she felt, when Dr. Takemi put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to force yourself, just because of your position. Amamiya's a good kid. No one here could blame you if you did fall for him. I certainly won't. But I'll judge you if you make a hasty decision now."
Ms. Kawakami slowly nodded, seeming to take the doctor's words to heart. "Y-Yeah. Okay. Sorry, Amamiya-kun. I need some time."
"I understand, Sensei. No hard feelings if you don't feel the same way. I just want you to be happy, either way."
She smiled, that way she did when he reminded her just how much she was valued and respected by him and her other students. It was a smile he and his friends had given back to her. Two of those friends were now avoiding eye contact with her. It wasn't in a hateful way, but it was clear that Ann and Makoto were unsure how to feel about Ms. Kawakami as she left the café for the night.
"For the record, Amamiya," Dr. Takemi said in an unusually soft tone, "you're not really my type. It's not you, honest. But I bet you are a lot of other people's type. I'm sure at least one of these other ladies will be compatible with you. Keep your chin up, okay?" Ren noticed her lips move in a way that suggested she was about to say more - to call him her little guinea pig, as she usually did - but thought better of it, given the circumstances.
One-by-one, the other women filed out of the café. Ren was certain it was not time to figure out their feelings that they needed, but time to figure out how best to gently let him down. His fellow thieves hung around a little longer, but it was clear that Ann, Makoto and Haru were more than a little uncomfortable about all of this.
"I'm sorry," he croaked out. "I bet you're all disappointed to know I like so many girls at once, including a teacher."
The short pause before Makoto answered was all the confirmation he needed. "N-No, I wouldn't say 'disappointed'."
"'Disgusted' then."
"Ren, stop," Ann pleaded. "We're not disappointed or disgusted or... anything like that. I'm a little uncomfortable that you have a thing for Ms. Kawakami, sure, but stuff like that is natural. It's just because of my specific experiences that I feel this way."
"Because I betrayed you by falling for her."
"We can't decide who we fall in love with, Ren-kun," Haru assured him. "Or how many. You deciding not to act on multiple of them is quite commendable. Your self-control is one of the things I like about you. But..."
"But you have a tendency to internalise things in an unhealthy way," Makoto continued. "And you don't reach out to others for help. It's not that you developed feelings for so many of us that let us down. It's that you didn't tell any of us about it, and you suffered in silence all this time because of it." She honestly seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"You've done so much for us this last year, Senpai," Sumire continued. "Always taking the time to lend us an ear and help with our problems. But you never open up to us about what you're going through."
"I'm like a completely different person thanks to your help," Futaba enthused. "I want to do that for you too."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Ren repeated over and over to himself. Ann came over and wrapped her arms around her friend. Futaba then did the same. Then Haru, Sumire and Makoto.
Ren remined silent after he calmed down. Sojiro suggested they all head home for the night, against their protests. Sae-san agreed and offered to take Futaba home. That left just Ren and Sojiro alone in the café. "You okay, kid?" Sojiro asked.
Ren didn't reply.
"I get it. I used to get up to all sorts of stuff with different girls when I was your age. 'Course, they're always find out in the end, and I'd be left looking sorta like you do now."
Ren's silence made it clear that jokes were not going to help right now. Sojiro took a deep drag of his cigarette before continuing.
"The point is, it wasn't all just meaningless flirting. There was always some interest there, on my part. Sometimes, I'd fall really hard for a girl and take my shot. Sometimes, I'd fall for a few at once. At one point, I had five girls I was really into. I took my shots and none of them worked out in the end. One of those five was Wakaba. And I fell for her really hard.
"Of course, nothing came of it, but we still had a strong bond. She'd bring Futaba over all the time to eat some of my curry while she and I talked. I'd babysit occasionally too. There wasn't a lot I wouldn't do for that woman, and she knew it. But she never took advantage of me. She knew she could trust me to help her with Futaba. And after she died, I kept that up and took Futaba in.
"Now, you may be listening to all this and thinking that nothing ever came of it, that I'm sad and alone. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm content with where I am now. Wakaba may be gone, but I get so much joy from watching Futaba grow and mature, and learn to love life again. And that's all because of you and your friends. And I'm sure you would've ended up finding out and helping anyway, even if you never were a Phantom Thief. You're just that good a guy.
"And all of those girls you like? They know it too. You've saved every one of 'em this past year. You've left an undeniable mark on each of their hearts, whether they caught feelings for you or not. Maybe you'll find one among them you'll have something more intimate with. If it's Futaba, you have my blessing. But even the ones you don't end up with will always be your Wakabas - girls who know they can rely on you, who can be at ease knowing you'll always be there to help them out. Who want to help you out, in turn, like Wakaba did with my recipes. They'll stay a part of your life, even if they don't feel the same way, or if you pick someone else. Your relationships with them are built on trust and friendship. That won't go away just because of this.
"So, you take some time to think about it. Figure out who you really feel the most for. Find out if she feels the same and... see where that path takes you. You're gonna be okay, Ren. If anyone can make the most of a bad situation, it's the punk kid who put his neck on the line to save a stranger, got shipped here to live in my attic, and became a Phantom Thief to continue helping people. So keep your chin up, yeah? You'll get through this, and you'll find the one who's right for you, whether she's part of this group or not."
Ren removed his glasses and started crying quietly into his hands. He tried to thank Sojiro for everything he'd done for him, but the words refused to leave his mouth.
"Uh, I'm not really one for hugs, but-"
The shop bell interrupted Sojiro's awkward response as Futaba marched into the café in her pyjamas and boots, and wrapped her arms around Ren.
"Futaba, what- ...You still have this place bugged, don't you?"
"Hugs now, apologies later," Futaba insisted, grabbing Sojiro by the collar and pulling him into their hug as well.
Once Ren was done crying, Sojiro and Futaba finally returned home, leaving Ren alone with his thoughts as he lay awake in his bed.
This evening had shattered Ren's confidence in anything positive or reliable, so long as Dr. Maruki continued to reign over Tokyo. He couldn't rely on anything the girls said regarding their feelings, unless it was that they didn't feel the same way, since the good doctor may still be trying to manipulate him by focusing on one or two of the girls to be less obvious.
And he didn't think he could rely on his friends to have his back in the Metaverse now, since they'd all fallen under Dr. Maruki's sway before, and tonight's incident had proven he could do it all over again at any time. He could, most likely, even brainwash them all during their confrontation if things weren't going his way.
At this point, there was only one person Ren was fairly certain had not been affected by Dr. Maruki's power yet: Akechi. Perhaps it was because he had been brought back for Ren's sake and had some sort of connection to Ren's resistance to that power, or maybe it was a Wildcard thing. Either way, Ren was starting to feel like the only person he could put absolute faith in to not give in to Dr. Maruki's power was Akechi. The person who had tried to murder Ren and his friends on more than one occasion.
Of course, there were Igor and Lavenza, but Igor had been a manipulative imposter for the vast majority of the time Ren had known him, and the two seemed bound by some inability to help him more directly than assisting with Persona enhancement. So he really was stuck with just the psychotic murderer whose only respectable trait was his refusal to bow to anyone, even someone offering him his perfect life, choosing instead to die for his freedom. Ren wished he had that kind of resolve.
Ren didn't know if any of the girls really had feelings for him, and he didn't want to know. If he found out they did, he was sure his will would crumble at the first offer Dr. Maruki made. He had to make himself believe that it had all been Maruki's doing. He had to. It was the only way he'd ever be strong enough to stop him, and make sure that none of what had been done to the women he loved could happen again.
He thought about those women as his eyes closed in a bid to force himself to sleep. Ann Takamaki, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura, Sumire Yoshizawa, Sadayo Kawakami, Tae Takemi, Hifumi Togo, Chihaya Mifune, and Ichiko Ohya. Each and every one of them was special. Each on deserved happiness. And he wanted to be able to give them that happiness.
But he could only do that by sacrificing his principles and submitting to Maruki's world. Those principles were something his friends often praised. Betraying them would be giving up a part of himself that had allowed him to meet, help, and fall for these incredible women to begin with. He refused to give up that part of himself.
Ren resolved himself to see this through to the end, no matter the potential heartbreak. Once he knew he could trust their words again, he would ask each of them how they felt about him, face reality with his head held high and assure them he accepted their decision. Even if none of them did, ultimately, feel the same way, he would accept that this was reality. He'd suffered for worse than not having his love reciprocated, after all. This loss was something he had to accept. An inability to do so was what had led Dr. Maruki to where he was right now, after all. So Ren knew well why he must persevere, no matter what.
Ren picked up his phone and hit the power button. The lock screen lit up with a photo of the one he most wanted to be with. The one who, if he truly had the choice, he felt confident he could choose and dedicate himself to wholeheartedly. He told himself that he would accept it, if even she did not feel the same way in the end.
Hope. It was something he had struggled to hold onto, ever since his first run-in with Shido last year. But there were so many people he had met this year, from his friends, to his confidants, to the denizens of the Velvet Room. They had all accepted him, put their absolute faith and trust in him, and he was now left with a strange sense of ease as he realised that they had all made these feelings clear before any of this altered reality stuff.
He was going to get through this. He was going to win. And then, he was going to tell her how he felt. And maybe, she'd tell him the same.
This scene is based on the cut Valentine's harem scene from P5R. It's not known if the scene was intended as an alternative to the original cheater beat-down scene, or for the bad ending, like the graduation scene. The creepy vibes could simply be down to the scene being unfinished, but I do read it as an eerie scene meant to contrast the original, to highlight how much everyone's minds have been twisted to support Maruki's world.
All I did was explore the character of a Ren who is in love with the girls, but doesn't cheat on anyone, since that inherently makes Ren completely unlikeable. So, an indecisive Ren was what worked best for the story.