Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of Persona 5 Royal, with the sequel set to cover 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!

25. Pancake Fluff! Rebellious Queen part 2

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5: The Phantom Files! I don't have a lot to say this time around, so let's hop straight into the disclaimer and such.

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way shape or form (bar the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made and thus does own) and the credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo! So all credit to them!

That said, hopefully the end of chapter A/N is longer but for now on to chapter 25!

Chapter 25: Confidant Building, Fluff and Pancake Problems! The Rebellious Queen part 2

(At the Aoyama Platform, with Ren and Morgana)

"So, what's the plan, Ren? Or were we just going to do nothing the rest of the afternoon?" Morgana asked Ren, after getting his attention by waving a paw in Ren's face to snap him out of the slight daze he was in. Ren just blinked at the question as he held the spot where Yoshizawa's lips had touched his cheek, still shocked that that had happened. Ren then shook himself slightly to bring his focus back to the present before looking at Morgana as he spoke up, giving the not-cat an apologetic look for being distracted for as long as he had as he spoke.

"Oh, um right, the plan. I figure we can either rank up a Confidant, or I can look around for jobs and stuff." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"I think there was one other job posting we never looked at in the underground." Morgana said as Ren nodded. The two then headed to the underground, where they ran into Yusuke who mentioned that he liked to people watch in the Underground and to contact him if anything comes up which Ren agreed to with a nod. After that, the two went to the job listings and found the job listing Morgana had mentioned which was for a part-time job at a flower shop by the name of 'Rafflesia' which Ren looked at as Morgana spoke up with a nod.

"A part-time job at a flower shop, huh? Being around all those flowers might boost your Kindness. It seems kinda tough, though. You sure you wanna do it?" Morgana asked Ren who smirked as he spoke up, giving Morgana a confident grin as he spoke.

"As long as I manage my time correctly, I think I can handle one more job to juggle. Let's do it." Ren said as he smirked. Morgana nodded as he looked up the number and spoke up, nodding in agreement with Ren as he spoke.

"Okay. Let's call them right now!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and dialed the number and after a couple of rings a female's voice answered.

"Hi, this is the flower shop Rafflesia. Would you like to order some flowers?" The voice asked as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"No, thank you. I'm calling in regards the ad you placed in the paper looking for part-time help." Ren said as the female voice blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, you saw our ad? Thank you. We don't have enough staff, so we need the help. As for what days...We can work around your schedule. Just come straight to the store next time you're available. We're in the Shibuya Underground Shopping Mall. I'll be waiting for you." The female voice said as she hung up the phone and Ren put his phone away while Morgana spoke up, giving Ren an impressed look while nodding as he spoke up.

"Whoa...You got the job! Nice going!" Morgana said as Ren smirked and nodded, speaking up with a laugh, though Morgana would end up groaning as Ren spoke.

"Yep, just call me Mr. Workin' Man." Ren joked as Morgana rolled his eyes and spoke up, frowning at the bad joke Ren had made as he spoke.

"That wasn't funny, Ren. You know that, right?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded. After a bit, Ren spoke up once more, looking at Morgana as he spoke.

"Now then, I think I should hang with one of my Confidants." Ren said as Morgana nodded approvingly. Ren looked at his map and saw that he could hang with Ryuji, Maruki or Takemi. After weighing the options, he opted to go see Takemi. Ren then headed to the clinic after dumping Morgana off on Kusa, where he walked up to the window and spoke to Takemi who looked up and saw Ren.

"There's no one here...It feels like a day off because I don't have many patients today...But it's raining, so I may get an influx of people with colds. So, what are you here for today?" Takemi asked Ren who smirked and spoke up.

"I figured since I had some time I'd see about doing a clinical trial if there's one ready." Ren said. Takemi smiled and spoke up.

"Good timing. In that case, my little guinea pig, there's something I want to test out today..." Takemi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Works for me. After all, I did agree to help you with your medicine for my end of our deal so I intend to live up to it." Ren said as Takemi laughed and spoke up.

"Good. Well then, please head into the examination room." Takemi said as Ren nodded and did as he was told. Once inside the exam room, Takemi had Ren test out some new meds and spoke up afterwards.

"Okay, that's all for today. If you're feeling okay you can go home now." Takemi said as the phone rang and she answered it.

"Hello. Doctor Takemi's Clinic of Internal Medicine. ...What? Again? That's, well... that ship's already sailed, so..." Takemi said as she frowned and hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Ugh, what a pain." Takemi said as Ren gave her a confused look making her explain.

"You remember that girl from the other day? The Chief of Staff Oyamada's patient? Her dad's bringing her here to be treated, even though I referred them to another hospital. I even told them about the medical error I made..." Takemi said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Clearly they trust you then, Doctor. That said, and you can tell me it's none of my business if you don't want to answer this, but was it really your fault?" Ren asked Takemi who blinked at the question before speaking up.

"Uh...Hmm, The medical error was well-documented. Everyone in my field knows about it. I led the development of a new drug for an incurable illness called 'Crawford-Ende's disease.' Although I wasn't the one who administered the medicine, it was the cause of the error." Takemi said as Ren blinked at this in confusion making Takemi sigh as she spoke up to explain the disease to Ren.

"With Crawford-Ende's, certain cells indiscriminately attack other cells throughout the body. When it reaches the muscles, the patient slowly begins to die...There hasn't been much progress made on it-partly because there haven't been many cases of it. I worked with a pharmaceutical company that had reached the final stage of production, but...One day, I was suddenly removed from my position. That Chief of Staff Oyamada, my superior at the time, took over the entire operation." Takemi said as her expression turned vaguely frustrated as she kept speaking.

"Tch! I don't know if he wanted the glory of developing a new drug or to become rich and famous, but...He made careless mistakes and rushed completion so he could use it on a patient named Miwa. Miwa-chan had a reaction and lapsed into critical condition. The chief panicked and laid the blame on me. Miwa-chan and her family resented me...No matter what I said, I couldn't change how they felt about me." Takemi said as Ren looked at Takemi in a mix of surprise, awe, respect and even slight sympathy, though he kept the latter off his face as best he could as he spoke up.

"I had no idea, Doctor. That said, it's not too late to make things right, you know." Ren said. Takemi sighed and spoke up.

"That's fine, I guess...Well, that doesn't matter...The development of the medicine was suspended, so I had no reason to stay at that hospital. At least now I can keep working as a general practitioner, on my own terms...with my guinea pig." Takemi said as Ren blinked at her calling him her guinea pig once again though she took his shocked look as one of confusion considering she spoke up again at that point.

"That's the new medicine I've been trying out on you. This version is in the final stage of testing. It searches for those cells that take the offensive and destroys them upon detection. That's why it's harmless for people who don't have the disease...probably." Takemi said as Ren blinked.

"That's good. At least I know I'm doing these trials for a good cause." Ren said honestly. Takemi smiled at Ren's response and spoke up.

"You have a lot of faith in me. Thank you...my little guinea pig. You'd better not flake on me this late in the game. I'm inching closer to the finish line, but I need your help to reach it. In exchange, I can offer you medicine at a special price. I'm counting on you, guinea pig." Takemi said as Ren nodded his agreement, feeling his bond with Takemi grow still deeper as he did so. At that point, the 'Death' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Death Confidant link with Takemi had grown to Rank 5, and as a result Takemi had opened up the 'Immunization' ability to Ren in addition to giving him a discount on the cost of medicines. After that, Takemi spoke up more.

"Hmm...Now, what should I do about that girl and her dad? Being mean and scaring them hasn't worked. It's been a while since I've had to deal with this kind of nuisance. it's stressing me out. Oh, sorry, that's all I wanted to talk to you about. You can go home now." Takemi said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his Guts go up from the clinical trial. As he left, Takemi spoke up once more.

"Okay, thanks for your hard work. Bye!" Takemi said as Ren left to return to Leblanc. As he got the door, his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he picked up the phone. Takemi's voice could then be heard on the other end.

"You doing okay, my little guinea pig? Just wanted to check up on you. Also... sorry for the long talk today. I wasn't planning on telling you all that." Takemi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"About Miwa-chan, you mean? That's okay, I don't mind lending an ear, so to speak, when it's needed Doctor. After all, you help me out a lot with your medicine so I figure least I can do is be there for you when you need an ear to vent into or a guinea pig to test your medicines." Ren said honestly. Takemi smiled as she spoke up.

"Yeah. You're the first person I've really shared all that with. But...It was also a good reminder. This is something I have to do, as the Plague. Thanks to you, the drug's development is progressing very there are no issues with this latest sample, I think we're right on the edge of finally finishing it...Oh, sorry, looks like I've got a patient. Maybe that girl and her dad came back. I have to go. See you later." Takemi said as Ren nodded and ended the call by hanging up the phone as he put his phone away and walked into Leblanc. Once inside, his phone went off to signify a group chat from Kusa, Yusuke, Ryuji and Ann, the latter of which sent the response to start it.

"You haven't heard anything from the student council president, have you?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Niijima-san? Pretty sure she's too busy stalking Ren and Ryuji to be socializing much." Kusa sent as Ryuji huffed and sent a response.

"Shuddup, Kusa! And Miss Honor Student must be busy kissing ass somewhere." Ryuji sent bluntly, as Ren and Kusa frowned at his description of Niijima, as Ann sent a response.

"You don't have to be so harsh..." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response after glaring at what he saw as Ryuji unintentionally comparing Niijima to Yoshizawa.

"Nor do you have to call her 'Miss Honor Student' like that, Ryuji! Or need I remind you that she's not the only honor student that some of us know!? And I think Ren, for one, might be offended at you comparing Niijima-san to Yoshizawa-san like that, Ryuji." Kusa sent as Ren smirked at Kusa's response, even as he glared at Kusa for bringing up Yoshizawa like that. Yusuke chose that moment to insert himself into the conversation by sending a response.

"What's this about a student council president?" Yusuke sent as Kusa and Ann sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"In a nutshell Yusuke, our student council president is a tad bit overeager in doing her job, even though I get the feeling that Ryuji admires that about her. That said, recently she's apparently taking to following some of us around, as Ren and Ryuji can vouch for." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"That, and she's kinda been keeping tabs on us. I think she might be suspicious of us." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response that had both Kusa and Morgana stifling a laugh as they read it.

"Are you sure it is not merely a result of Ryuji's general misconduct?" Yusuke sent as Kusa and Morgana both smirked at the accurate statement as Ren and Ryuji huffed, the latter sending a response.

"Shuddup!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response, chuckling as he sent it.

"To be fair Ryuji, you do kinda have a label as the school troublemaker and all. So it's not entirely people's fault that they're apt to be wary of you. Granted, you know none of us believe that for a second and have your back." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Though to be honest, Ann, Ren, and Ryuji most certainly stand out. So do be careful, you three. Kusa, for his part, seems like he goes under the radar for the most part." Yusuke sent as Kusa smirked and sent a response.

"Eh, what can I say? I can be discreet and incognito when I choose to be." Kusa sent with a grin. Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. That said, I cannot be there to look over you at school, you know." Yusuke sent as Kusa actually laughed at this and sent a response.

"You? Look over Ryuji, Ann or Ren? Not likely to happen, Yusuke. You're a good guy and all, but Ren isn't the type to be looked over if he can help it. And both Ryuji and Ann from what I can tell are much the same way in that respect." Kusa sent. Yusuke nodded and sent a response.

"Fair enough, Kusa. That said, that duty thusly rests on your broad shoulders, Ren." Yusuke sent as Ryuji and Kusa both blinked at his message while Ann and Morgana smirked at the amusing word choice as Ren sent a response after actually laughing at Yusuke's unintentional flirting.

"My broad shoulders, you say? I didn't think you were watching me that closely to check me out, Yusuke. That said, got it." Ren sent as Kusa also laughed and sent a response.

"He meant that as a compliment, I'm sure. But also to be fair Ren, you do have a pretty chiseled physique from all the working out you do. So it's not entirely his fault that the results tend to stand out." Kusa sent with a teasing smirk. Ann laughed as she sent a response.

"As amusing as watching you and Ren banter is, isn't that Yoshizawa-san's job to comment on/compliment Ren's physique and not yours, Kusa? That said, I'll make it a point to keep an eye on Ryuji too." Ann sent as Kusa laughed and sent a response even as Ren sputtered at Ann bringing up Yoshizawa.

"Touche, Ann. Your point is well made. Wouldn't dream of stealing her thunder at all anyways. As to you keeping an eye on Ryuji, well can't have too many eyes on him, can we? No offense, Ryuji." Kusa sent as Ren and Ryuji sent responses close together, Ryuji's coming through first.

"Why do you gotta single me out...?" Ryuji sent as Ren's response came through.

"First of all, do NOT bring up Yoshizawa complimenting my physique like that, Ann! She'll do that if and/or when she's ready and no sooner. And Ryuji, better you than me, my friend." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Exactly. Also, keep the door unlocked, Ren. I'm on my way back now. Had to make a quick detour for Futaba before heading back." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away as Morgana spoke up.

"The others kinda overshadow you sometimes, but don't forget: You're famous too. Just make sure you're careful, okay?" Morgana said as Ren nodded. At that point his phone went off once more, making Ren groan as he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone before wincing as he recognized Caroline's voice as she spoke up.

"Hey, Inmate! We need to talk to you. Get over here right now!" Caroline said as Justine then spoke up.

"Caroline, that is not a sufficient explanation. Listen well...Inmate, come to the entrance of the Velvet Room before we change our minds." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"That's the door only we can see in your world! You'd better not go to the wrong place!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Then...We will be waiting for you. We expect great haste and enthusiasm from you." Justine said as Ren winced, nodded and hung up the phone as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, who were you talking to? They sounded really noisy..." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"That's a long story, Morgana. Suffice it to say, my presence is being requested for who knows why." Ren said. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"I see. If you're being summoned somewhere, you should probably get going." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After a bit of consideration, Ren headed to the Velvet Room door where the twins were waiting. As he approached, Justine spoke up.

"I was waiting...So you've come, Inmate." Justine said as Caroline huffed before she spoke up.

"Hmph! You're late! Next time we expect you in front of us within two seconds of our calling!" Caroline huffed as Justine spoke up.

"We've got some new duties lined up for you. Let's call them 'special assignments'! To the point: there are a number of places in your reality's society that may foster your rehabilitation. You will prove the value of these places to us-in person." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Listen up, Inmate! We will select various locations that we suspect could be vital to your rehabilitation. Should you recognize a place we mention, then you are to escort us there." Caroline said as Ren spoke up.

"Fair enough. You want to go explore? If so, I'm in no position to refuse you since as you say you're the Wardens and I'm the Inmate." Ren said with a nod. Justine sighed as she spoke up.

"Are those ears of yours just for decoration? These are special assignments for the sake of your rehabilitation. Work just as hard at them as you do the rest of your duties. We will await you in front of the door-like this-whenever a special assignment is available." Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph! Should you meet our expectations, we'll scrape together some sort of reward for you-so no slacking off!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"We ought to mention: these special assignments will not be available indefinitely. To phrase it for your comprehension, you will have until the end of the year to complete them. You are also required to continue working towards your rehabilitation to earn these assignments." Justine said as Caroline smirked and spoke up.

"We're really going out of our way for you here-don't tell us we never did anything special for you!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"That concludes our explanation. We will now introduce the first special assignment-are you prepared?" Justine said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I wasn't expecting this, but I am prepared." Ren said. Justine nodded approvingly as she spoke up.

"Very well. Then listen closely. The first location we have chosen is...one that has grown quite popular lately. It's purported to offer foods that simulate the feeling of being in space. " Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"The food is apparently massive enough to rival the size of the universe itself and resembles a mysterious spacecraft." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"If the food exemplifies both the unknown and the vast nothingness of space, it is sure to stimulate the heart. Does this description bring any locations to mind?" Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Well? If you know where it is, then escort us there immediately!" Caroline said as Ren blinked at her tone as he spoke up.

"Going from your description, I'd say that sounds like the Big Bang Burger restaurant over in Shibuya. Which is not that far from here if you want me to escort you there." Ren said as Caroline spoke up.

"What'll you do? So, what'll it be?" Caroline said as Ren spoke up.

"When you say all this, are you talking about the 'Big Bang Burger' restaurant in Shibuya?" Ren asked Caroline and Justine. Caroline blinked and spoke up.

"Big Bang Burger? The name is fitting, I suppose." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Guide me, Inmate! We shall confirm our intel for ourselves. Lead the way." Justine said as Ren nodded and guided the twins to Big Bang Burger. Once there, they ordered their meal and sat down.

"Hmm...Well, it is indeed shaped like a mysterious craft, but it's much smaller than I had expected." Caroline said with what could pass for a disappointed expression on her face. Justine spoke up, also looking disappointed.

"Is this the meal they boasted to be as immense as the cosmos? I'm quite disappointed." Justine said as Caroline looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Hey, Inmate-you don't really expect some kind of reward out of this, do you?" Caroline said to Ren who spoke up.

"Honestly? Not really. I figure getting my rehabilitation finished is a reward in and of itself, plus I'm not sure what sort of reward you two would manage to scrape together anyways. I got the sense you didn't have much to speak of, if I'm being honest. That said, don't be so quick to judge. This is just the beginning." Ren said. Caroline blinked in surprise at this.

"WHAT!? Wha-!? Then what's the main event look like!?" Caroline asked as Ren winced and spoke up.

"I've not even gotten far enough in the Big Bang Challenge, which is what this is, to see the big event myself, so I have no idea what it looks like." Ren said as Justine spoke up.

"Stop wasting our time and tell us." Justine said as Ren spoke up.

"From what I've heard about it, the top level of the Big Bang Challenge has a very tall burger that is said to be very difficult to overcome, and has been bested by few." Ren said. Caroline blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, so they can get THAT large?" Caroline said as Justine spoke up and changed the subject, thankfully for Ren.

"The Big Bang Challenge...what an interesting concept. For the sake of your rehabilitation, you are to take this challenge. Of course, you will take the largest they offer." Justine said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"The largest!? I haven't even passed the second level yet! I'm pretty sure you have to work your way up to the top so I don't think I can just jump right to the top." Ren said as Caroline spoke up, not hearing Ren's response.

"Any objections, Inmate?" Caroline said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I'm not ranked high enough to take the highest level of the challenge. At best, I can take the second level on with my current rank." Ren said. Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, yes, I did overhear that the challenge required advancement through a number of previous stages." Justine said agreeably as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Quit spacing out! I don't care! You're taking that challenge, one way or another. Get on your knees and beg if you have to!" Caroline demanded as Ren sweatdropped.

'I mean, I might as well give it a shot, if for no other reason than to avoid Caroline throwing a tantrum if I tell her no. Ugh, for wardens, they can act rather bratty when they want to.' Ren thought to himself. A short time later, the waitress brought out the top stage burger for Ren to attempt, to the shocked looks on Caroline and Justine's faces as the waitress spoke up.

"Thank you for waiting!" The waitress said as Caroline spoke up, clearly overwhelmed by the massive burger in front of Ren as she spoke up.

"Don't tell me...You're really doing this!?" Caroline said as the waitress smiled and spoke up.

"Not only that, buuuut you're our 10,000th customer! To show our appreciation, we're treating you with the highest tier of the Big Bang Challenge: the Cosmic Tower Burger!" The waitress said as Caroline spoke up, her eyes widened as she spoke.

"W-Wow...Lucky you..." Caroline said as the waitress spoke up.

"Well then, it's time to get the thirty-minute Big Bang Challenge started! Ready...Begin!" The waitress said as Justine spoke up.

"The last burger was downright insignificant by comparison..." Justine said as Caroline spoke up in surprise.

"It's bigger than the Inmate's entire stomach...Perhaps the moniker implies that any diner's stomach will suffer its own Big Bang?" Caroline said as Ren spoke up.

"I'd agree with that. As it is, I'm going to be lucky if I don't pop eating this. But I'll give it my best shot." Ren said. Justine spoke up with a smirk.

"Complaining before the challenge has even begun...Perhaps one could say you don't have the guts for this?" Justine said as Caroline smirked and spoke up.

"Just so you know, even if you do pop, we won't feel responsible." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"I predict this challenge shall be a fairly difficult one...Be that as it may, you must finish the food tower in its entirety. Failing to join the clean plate club is a grave offense..." Justine said as Caroline spoke up with wide eyes.

"Do you think it's a good idea to add even more crimes to your record!? Get to the rehabilitating, Inmate!" Caroline said as Ren nodded and started eating as Caroline kept speaking.

"Hmph, not a bad start." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"But you've only just begun..." Justine said as Ren mentally noted that he already felt full. Justine frowned as she spoke up.

"You're stopping?" Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Tch...Listen up! Who said you could stop!? No breaks! Work that jaw!" Caroline said as Ren complied, feeling as if his stomach was going to burst. Caroline's eyes went wide as she looked at Ren before speaking to Justine.

"Hmm don't his eyes look rather... dead to you?" Caroline asked as Justine spoke up.

"Perhaps he is glimpsing the vast emptiness of outer space?" Justine suggested as Caroline looked over and winced.

"Uh, hey...Is he really all right? He's not about to keel over, is he?" Caroline asked as Ren started doubting he could finish the burger. Caroline blinked and spoke up.

"I think he's about to pass out." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"...It appears this truly was too much for him to handle. Very well, let us pitch in." Justine said as Caroline turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Hey! You're hopeless, Inmate. You'd better be grateful that we're bailing you out of this!" Caroline chastised Ren as she and Justine helped finish the burger. Afterward, Ren was seen slumped over as Caroline spoke up.

"Phew...We did it." Caroline said as she looked at Ren in respect and spoke up.

"I have to say, you really held your own there." Caroline said as Justine smiled and spoke up.

"You almost didn't make it through, but we'll call this a success since your stomach didn't burst. I must say though, I'm rather dissatisfied with this place's usage of the moniker 'Big Bang Burger.' They certainly craft a meal of impressive size, but when compared to what the big bang created, it's not grand in the least. Do humans have some sort of compulsion for exaggerating the sizes of things?" Justine said as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"Good question. In fact, this challenge raises quite a few of them. You took the challenge for the sake of your rehabilitation, but who in their right mind would willingly consume so much food? Maybe I don't understand humanity at all...Say, Inmate: why are humans always testing and pushing their limits?" Caroline asked Ren who spoke up after catching his breath so he could speak.

"To be honest, I'd say that we humans do it as a sort of training. From my experience, it seems pushing our limits and testing them enables us to grow stronger by reaching and surpassing our limits, thus bettering ourselves in the process." Ren said as he sat up to look at Caroline and Justine. Justine frowned as she spoke up.

"Aren't there more practical approaches to training than such behavior?" Justine asked as Caroline spoke up.

:Hey, Justine. Maybe we should take the challenge ourselves." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"I just had the very same thought. If we were to thrust ourselves into this ordeal, perhaps we would discover some answers." Justine said as a waitress walked past, prompting Caroline to speak up, ignoring the wide-eyed and shocked looks on Justine and Ren's faces as she got the female employee's attention as she spoke.

"Hey! Person!" Caroline called out as the female employee spoke up, unnerved by how Caroline had addressed her.

"H-How can I help you?" The waitress said as Caroline spoke up, looking at the waitress as she spoke up.

"We're taking the Big Bang Challenge." Caroline said as the waitress frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, there's a minimum age requirement to be eligible for the challenge...Ooh! Could I interest you in our Lil Bang Meal instead? It even comes with a toy! Don't you want a cute little spaceship?" The waitress asked as Caroline blinked and spoke up.

"A spaceship?" Caroline said as the waitress nodded and bowed as she spoke up.

"Indeed. That's a burger, fries, and a juice for 500 yen! It'll be right up!" The waitress said as she walked off leaving a sputtering Caroline behind as she spoke up.

"Wait! We didn't ask for..." Caroline said as Justine put a hand on Caroline's arm to calm her before she spoke up.

"It's too late now-let's just settle for that today...I admit I'm intrigued by the diminutive spaceship." Justine said as the twins finished their meal and Ren paid the bill and the three left. Once outside, Caroline spoke up.

"Well, we didn't experience any of the wonders of space, but at least the taste was passable." Caroline said as Justine smirked and spoke up.

"You seemed much more excited by the toy than the taste, anyway." Justine said with a teasing smirk as Caroline sputtered and huffed as she spoke up with wide eyes.

"Sh-Shut up! I saw you eating around those 'pickle' things or whatever they are, Justine!" Caroline said as Justine sputtered and spoke up.

"Th-That wasn't food from this earth. It was clearly, ah...alien spawn of some sort." Justine said as Caroline gasped and spoke up.

"WHAT!? Is this true!?" Caroline asked. Ren spoke up with a smile.

"Not at all. Pickles are just something of an acquired taste. I myself am at best neutral on them even if I don't eat them on my food." Ren said. Caroline looked at Ren and huffed cutely as she spoke up.

"H-Hey, is it true or not? I ate all of mine, you know!" Caroline said as Ren spoke up.

"No it's not true. Though you'd be surprised at how many people don't strictly like the taste of pickles." Ren said, hoping to make Justine feel better about not liking pickles. Caroline huffed as she spoke up.

"They actually tasted rather good." Caroline said in a pouting tone as Justine chuckled and spoke up.

"Calm down, Caroline. We're getting off track." Justine said as Caroline growled as she spoke up.

"Grrr...Well, at any rate, we've determined that hamburgers are incapable of conveying the majesty of space. While the toy spaceship helped to soften the blow, there is no denying the truth. Now we will formally acknowledge the completion of your task." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Here is your reward." Justine said as she handed Ren the Mabufu and Maragi skill cards as Caroline spoke up.

"You better work just as hard next time! We know about all sorts of locations that would aid your rehabilitation!" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"I'm still taken aback by the truth...Your world is absolutely full of these 'shop' places...For a reasonable fee, nearly every desire can be fulfilled, all as if it were nothing." Justine said as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"That does sound interesting. I believe it may merit further research. Anyways, good work, Inmate. Your final task for the day is to escort us back to the Velvet Room. Let's move!" Caroline said as Ren nodded and escorted the twins back to the Velvet Room as ordered. After that, Ren went back to Leblanc, where he flopped down onto his bed after getting into his pajamas, smirking as he saw Morgana curled up contentedly on Kusa's chest, Kusa smirking as he dozed peacefully while gently draping an arm over Morgana. Ren eventually dozed off after relaxing from the long night he'd had...

(The next morning on the train to school with Morgana, Ren and Kusa)

"Are we there yet? I'm hot! It's hard to breathe in here..." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up from nearby.

"Again, that's because you have fur. Be patient and we'll be out of the heat soon enough." Kusa said as Morgana nodded as the trio listened to the Train Headlines. As it happened, the headline was about the calling card at the Madarame exhibit, before talking about a scam outbreak in Shibuya which was suspected to be the work of organized crime. Morgana blinked at hearing this and spoke up.

"Hey, hey! Students getting scammed? That's scary...You should be careful when you go to Shibuya." Morgana said as the rest of the train ride passed uneventfully...

(At school, on the way to class with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Ren and Kusa blinked as they heard students talking, stopping to listen in out of curiousity.

"What's this? 'A request to the student body'?" A female student said as another female student spoke up.

"It says they're looking for information. I heard Principal Kobayakawa put it up." The second female said as the first spoke up while reading the sign.

"It also says 'Please consult the student council president if you have any details.' Why don't I believe that?" The first female said as the male that was with the females spoke up.

"So we can go to her for anything? Why the student council president though? What does she have to do with Principal Kobayakawa?" The male asked as the second female spoke up with a shrug.

"I mean, Niijima-san is his favorite. Maybe that's why he asked her to do it." The second female said as Ren and Kusa shrugged and headed to their respective classes at that point...

(In class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

"How tragic...It seems like most of society was surprised about what that artist did." Hiruta said as he addressed Ren's class. Hiruta then kept speaking.

"He was someone who represented Japan. They probably trusted him based on his name alone. Indeed, we're easily manipulated by the names we see. However, this world is filled with fake names. For instance, this creature, which you know well. It's called the red king crab, but it has a form that a crab should not have. Amamiya-kun the elder, look at this picture." Hiruta said as Ren looked up at the picture and gave Hiruta his full attention.

"Give it a try! The red king crab is biologically related to the hermit crab. So how is it different from a crab...? Do you know?" Hiruta asked Ren who blinked before he smiled, recalling Morgana complaining about this the last time the group had gotten seafood and spoke up, mentally thanking Morgana as he did so.

"This is it! The answer is the number of legs." Ren said confidently. Hiruta smiled and clapped as he spoke up.

"Heh, that's it! Not bad. That's correct. Crabs have five pairs of legs, but red king crabs only have four pairs. The direction the legs unfold is reversed too. Typically they face forward, but a red king's do not." Hiruta said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence ensued and Morgana looked up to compliment Ren's intelligence as Ren's Knowledge got a sizable boost. At that point, Hiruta spoke up once more.

"Incidentally, the tomalley of a crab isn't its brain, as some say. It's actually the crab's liver and pancreas. As you can see, the world is full of deception." Hiruta said as Morgana spoke up.

"Uhm, I saw some kind of paste like that in the fridge at Leblanc...but it's not often you see real crab meat. Hey, why don't we get sushi for our next celebration?" Morgana said as the rest of the class passed uneventfully...

(That afternoon, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

Ren and Ann's phones went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Kusa and Yusuke, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Our name did spread a bit thanks to Madarame...But I bet people still wouldn't care if we came out and said we're the Phantom Thieves." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"And why would we do that, Ryuji? I thought the point of a phantom thief was to work from the shadows and not need recognition or acknowledgement." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"You're probably right, Ryuji. That said though, I don't know why we would tell people who we are. That seems counter-productive." Ren sent. Yusuke sent a response afterwards.

"I must agree. But as Kusa mentioned, what good would come of telling people our identities? That doesn't seem very smart to me." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Exactly! Sure, we might get some recognition and fame, but in the long-term I feel that might do more harm than good to us. After all, isn't it said that fame can corrupt?" Kusa sent. Ryuji sent a response.

"Perhaps, but maybe they'd at least start treating us with some respect." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Well, I can understand why you feel that way..." Yusuke sent as Ann finally sent a response.

"That's just how things are now, but if we keep doing stuff like this, that will definitely change." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"We simply need to devote ourselves to the cause. Our praise will come later." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Indeed, though I think we should be cautious not to let said praise go to our heads, lest we lose sight of our purpose." Kusa sent. Ann sent a response at that point.

"What Yusuke said! But I agree with Kusa's point as well. I'm sure some people out there will understand." Ann sent. Ryuji huffed and sent a response.

"Ugh, I guess we just gotta act like modest heroes for now..." Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away at that point and focused on class...

(After school, in the student council room with Makoto)

"President...What is the meaning of that posting?" One of the male council members asked Makoto as she walked up making Makoto huff as she spoke up.

"Principal Kobayakawa put that up without my-" Makoto said as the female council member sat across from the male council member spoke up.

"We've already received some anonymous information. 'I heard some students are getting threatened. I'm so scared. Please do something.' That's what the info said." The female council member said as Makoto's eyes went wide and she spoke up.

"What!?" Makoto asked as the male council member then spoke up reading a different info post.

"This one says 'They have dirt on me, and they're demanding money. I can't go to the police...What should I do?' Isn't this talking about the crimes that have been rumored to be occurring in Shibuya?" The male council member said as the female council member spoke up.

"So there are even victims at our school...What should we do?" The female council member said as the male council member huffed and spoke up.

"This isn't the responsibility of the student council. This is frightening for us too...Principal Kobayakawa called you in yesterday, right? Did he tell you anything about this?" The male council member asked Makoto. Makoto winced as she spoke up.

"Well, no...He's out today, but I will ask him tomorrow. Please wait on this for the time being..." Makoto said as the male council member sighed and nodded as he spoke up.

"If you say so..." The male council member said as Makoto shook her head and spoke up.

"My apologies for the confusion. Don't worry. I'll do something about all of this..." Makoto said as the council members nodded and left it at that...

(At that same time, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Hey! If we keep this up, I'm sure we'll get more supporters. But first we need a new target. I hope we can find a good one..." Morgana said as right at that moment, Ren's phone went off to signify a private chat from Mishima.

"I have some new info! Apparently there's a group of burglars terrorizing Shibuya. From what I hear, they only target restaurants and break in after they close for the day. Someone online was asking if it was the work of the Phantom Thieves...Just reading that got me really pissed off! We can't let people lump you guys in with petty thieves, right!?" Mishima sent as Ren sent a response.

"No way. The Phantom Thieves would never do something like that!" Ren sent. Mishima nodded and sent a response.

"Yeah! You guys are way better than these jerks! Anyway, I heard they've been running away without leaving even a trace of evidence. That's all the information I have on them right now...Sorry. For now, I'll make a post on the Phan-Site and ask for any more details people might know." Mishima sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm...Man, being famous really brings its own unique set of problems...But we don't really have any info. We'll just have to wait for Mishima to get a more solid lead. That said, it's raining...Weather very well may have the same effect on Mementos that it has on humans." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True...Actually, since it's rainy, wouldn't this mean this would be a good opportunity to make use of the diner to study and boost up some stats? From what I can see, the only Confidant available to hang out with is Ryuji, and I can rank him up most anytime." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. Not to mention there might not be a lot of people because of today's weather. You wanna study at the diner?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren nodded.

"Let's go on in." Ren said with a nod. Morgana agreed and the two went inside to boost up Ren's Knowledge and Guts. Unbeknownst to them, the reason Maruki was unavailable was because he had another client, and not one most would expect...

(At the same time as Ren and Morgana's conversation, in the nurse's office)

Maruki was going over his paperwork, mainly out of not having anything else to do, when he heard someone approach the door before lightly knocking on it, making Maruki blink before he spoke up, curious who was there, but not looking up from what he was doing as he spoke.

"Yes? Who's there?" Maruki called out without looking to see who it was, and he was surprised when he heard the response.

"It's Kusa. I know you probably weren't expecting me to come in, but I did say I would stop in at one point for a session, and as today is kind of a rainy day, and I didn't have a lot else going on, I figured why not? Of course, I can come back later if you're busy." Kusa said as Maruki smiled and spoke up, glad to finally have Kusa coming in for a session as he spoke.

"Ah, Amamiya-kun the younger, err I mean Kusa. No, I'm not busy right now. I was just going over some paperwork again since I literally had little else to do so in actuality, you picked a very good time to come in. Please, have a seat." Maruki said as Kusa nodded and sat down, looking a bit surprised at his own decision to come in, but knowing he had to do so eventually. After he sat down, Maruki spoke up, giving Kusa his attention as he spoke.

"So, how's things been going for you since last we spoke?" Maruki asked Kusa, who stroked his chin before speaking up, briefly pondering the question as he spoke.

"Honestly? They've been going okay, all things considered. Could be better, but I'm not in a position to really complain much, or at least so I figure." Kusa said with a shrug as Maruki spoke up, fixing Kusa with an appraising glance as he spoke, both amused and intrigued as he tried to size up the ponytail-wearing first-year sitting across from him with crossed arms before his eyes lit up with realization as he spoke.

"Ah yes, that's right. You don't really have that many friends here your own age, since you mostly hang with your brother and his friends. And going from the interactions I saw between you four that day I approached you all for counselling, I got the impression that while they respect and appreciate you, they also just see you as their friend's younger brother more than anything." Maruki observed as Kusa blinked before speaking up, both surprised at Maruki's remarks and curious as to why he thought what he did as he spoke, though his eyes did widen slightly at the remarks Maruki made about Ann and Ryuji.

"Honestly? I think Ryuji might see things that way, but I got the impression that Ann saw me as a younger sibling in my own right, rather than just as Ren's little brother. Which I'm okay with that since I see her pretty much as a sister anyways." Kusa said with a shrug as Maruki smirked and spoke up, fixing Kusa with a knowing look as he spoke.

"Ah yes, much like how you see a certain honor student that's your age as a sister?" Maruki asked as Kusa blinked before speaking up, not sure how Maruki knew of Yoshizawa, but being cautious just the same as he spoke.

"If you're referring to Yoshizawa-san, then you're not wrong. But given how much anyone with eyes can see the chemistry between her and Ren, it's not a matter of IF, but of WHEN, the day comes that they end up together. And if that happens, fate willing, she pretty much will be my sister someday. So I'm not fussed about that." Kusa said as Maruki spoke up, chuckling at Kusa's observations while wincing as he recalled what Kusa had said to him the other day as he spoke.

"I see. I apologize for overstepping the other day with my assessment of you. I got the sense that you were bothered by it." Maruki said as Kusa spoke up to correct him, seemingly hesitating a bit at first, before sighing and then nodding before giving Maruki an uncertain glance for his observation as he spoke.

"Not so much bothered, as caught off-guard and slightly irritated by the blunt questioning. Not to mention, you could've done without implying that the others don't appreciate me, because I know for a fact that they do, or at least that Ann, Ren, Morgana and Yusuke seem to do so. Ryuji, for all he comes off as a good guy, isn't exactly one for tact. But I suppose that's just who he is.

Nevertheless, who tells someone, TO THEIR FACE NO LESS, that they might not be needed? Wouldn't you be hurt if that had happened to you?" Kusa asked with a huff, as Maruki blinked at the unexpected remark and spoke up warily, hearing the slight irritation and anger in Kusa's tone and knowing he had to choose his words carefully, as he spoke with what he hoped was a comforting tone, not wanting any of Kusa's ire aimed at him.

"Yes, I very much would. But at the same time, I think he said that in the heat of the moment and meant no offense by it. However, I also would advise you not pay it much mind, since you know that you're a valuable and useful person to know. Nonetheless, I can see how something like that can be upsetting to hear. And honestly, looking at you, I get the impression that you appear to have an internal struggle with being appreciated and valued. And given that you've had your life uprooted twice already, I can't say I blame you for feeling that way." Maruki said to Kusa, who nodded and spoke up, pleased by Maruki's observation and not inclined to disagree at all as he spoke.

"That is true, Doc. But at the same time, I think I'm entitled to be a bit worried and self-conscious when most of my friends are also friends with my older brother. I'm not saying I feel overshadowed by him or anything, but at the same time, a bit more appreciation couldn't hurt. However, I don't do what I do for the recognition or appreciation. I do it because it's the right thing to do." Kusa said as he crossed his arms with a sigh as Maruki smiled and spoke up.

"That's fair, Kusa. And I do think that your friends appreciate you for who you are. And in time, who knows? Maybe you'll luck out and find friends who are friends with you first, rather than with your brother. Like this Morgana you spoke of. From what I've seen and observed, he seems closer to you than to your brother. So maybe you could say he's like a best friend to you?" Maruki said as Kusa blinked at this but nodded as he spoke up, not really able to disagree with Maruki's point as he spoke.

"That's fair. I do feel as though he's like a best friend, but also like a brother. But then, honestly? If you're me, you learn to appreciate any friends you can get, since you never know how long you're going to have with them before things get uprooted for you yet again. Not to mention, it doesn't help when your brother is only your half-brother. But that's another story entirely, since it in part involves Ren and I's mother, as well as Ren." Kusa said as Maruki blinked at this and spoke up, both surprised by what Kusa had just said and intrigued to hear the explanation behind it as he spoke.

"Half-brother, you say? I take that to mean you and your brother only have one common parent?" Maruki asked as Kusa sighed and nodded before speaking up.

"Yeah, we have the same mom, but different fathers. Truth be told, Mother wouldn't say who my real dad is, leading me to think he's not someone I'd want to know anyways, especially if she seems to fear even speaking of his name." Kusa said huffily as Maruki nodded and spoke up, frowning as he looked at a clock and saw the time as he spoke.

"That's fair, Kusa. And honestly, as interesting as all this is, and as much as I don't want to, I think our time's just about up. So let's leave it at that for now, and we can resume this next time you come in?" Maruki said as Kusa nodded and spoke up, giving Maruki an appraising look before he smiled as he spoke.

"Yeah, I can do that. To be honest, I know I gave you grief before Doc, but if we're being real here, you're not that bad when you get down to it. A bit of a clown and a bit show-offish at times, but when it counts, you're a stand-up guy. So I apologize for being so harsh on you at first, but you have to admit you didn't give the best first impression." Kusa said as Maruki laughed and nodded, getting the sense as he spoke up that Kusa might be slowly starting to relax around him, but not being fully sure of that as he spoke.

"Indeed I didn't. I'll give you that one. Well, see you next time then, yeah?" Maruki said as Kusa nodded, and after he and Maruki shook hands, Kusa went to figure out his next move, feeling slightly better after having gone to see Maruki...

(Meanwhile, back at the diner with Ren and Morgana)

Ren looked at the menu and ended up ordering the Surprise Sando. When he placed his order with a passing waitress, the waitress bowed and smiled as she spoke up.

"Got it. I'll be right back with your order." The waitress said. After she brought the food back, Ren scarfed it down as he studied, making Morgana gape.

"Whoa, for real!? You just scarfed that down without even blinking. That takes some impressive Guts there! I'm impressed!" Morgana said as Ren's Guts increased. After that, Morgana spoke up.

"Even with all the customers coming in and out, you stayed focused on your work! I'm impressed!" Morgana said as Ren's Knowledge got a sizable boost. After that, Morgana kept speaking.

"That should be sufficient for today. Come on, let's go home." Morgana said as Ren nodded and returned to Leblanc...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

After exchanging the usual curt nod of greeting with Sojiro, Ren saw a crossword and decided to try it. He frowned at the main part, 'Label for an unparalleled artist', as he filled in the other parts with Rembrandt and Sketch, before filling in the main bit as Master. Kusa walked in at that point and scoffed as he saw the crossword, speaking up as he looked at Ren and smirked as he spoke.

"Hah! Label for an unparalleled artist? That's a good one." Kusa said dryly as Ren looked up and saw Kusa, giving his brother a curt nod of greeting as he spoke up, looking at Kusa as he spoke.

"Oh, hey. When'd you get back?" Ren asked Kusa who spoke up, sitting down across from Ren and frowning slightly as he spoke, to Ren's surprise.

"Just now. Had a lot to think about after breaking down and going in for a session with the Doc." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana blinked at this, the latter's eyes widening slightly at what Kusa had said while speaking up, giving Kusa a shocked look as he spoke.

"You went in to see Maruki, Kusa!? Also wow, Ren. Even I couldn't figure that one out. Maybe you got a bit smarter after solving these crossword puzzles." Morgana said as Ren's Knowledge went up slightly. After that, Kusa spoke up in what he figured to be a conversational tone.

"So, crosswords aside, what's your plans for the evening?" Kusa asked Ren who spoke up.

"I'm not sure yet. To be honest, let me look at something real quick." Ren said as he consulted his map.

"Interesting. It seems according to this, Mishima's able to be ranked up. So I might go do that since he's been sitting patiently for a while. Why do you ask?" Ren said to Kusa who shrugged before looking at Ren as he spoke up.

"No reason, just curious I suppose. I guess if you want to do that, I can take Morgana off your hands so you can go see Mishima if you want, unless he wants to accompany you." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm okay with that, but it's Morgana's choice in the end what he does." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"I could do with having some one on one time with Kusa, I suppose. You go on ahead and see Mishima, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded, setting Morgana in Kusa's lap and heading to Central Street to see Mishima. He walked over and spoke up to Mishima.

"Hey, how's it hanging, Mr. Strategic Image Management Representative?" Ren asked Mishima who blinked as he spoke up.

"Oh, hey Amamiya! And nice, you remembered my title this time! That said, the Phantom Thieves have finally made their big primetime debut! Info has started pouring into the Phan-Site too. I'm gonna be a busy bee! So, you did the request I asked you to do. Thanks! Oh yeah! As your strategic image management rep, I thought I should come up with more ways to help you. Do you have time today?" Mishima asked Ren who nodded.

"That is what I'm here for after all, Mishima. So yes, I have time." Ren said with a nod. Mishima smiled and spoke up.

"Cool! How does the diner sound to you?" Mishima asked Ren who spoke up.

"I was just there earlier studying, but I suppose I can go back." Ren said with a nod as Mishima spoke up.

"Good. Hurry up, come on!" Mishima said as he and Ren headed towards the diner where Mishima spoke up.

"Now that you mention it...Oh, I forgot to mention...But we're meeting up with some Phangirls today..." Mishima said as Ren sputtered and spoke up, giving Mishima a look that was a mix of concerned and skeptical as he spoke.

"Phangirls!? Mishima, what did you do?" Ren asked in a mix of shock, annoyance and wariness. Mishima chuckled and spoke up.

"Relax, Amamiya. All thieves are supposed to have some special ladies, right?" Mishima said as Ren blinked, unable to believe what Mishima had just said.

"Yeah, all thieves that don't have someone special already. But that said, that is a great idea nonetheless." Ren said. Mishima chuckled as he spoke up.

"Yeah, you've gotta steal a girl's heart if you want to be called a phantom thief. Let's do this! Actually...Basically, I met some cool girls on the Phan-Site, and we thought it'd be fun to do an in-person meet-up. Oh, that reminds me, they think we're just part of the Phandom. I made up this whole story about how we stumbled onto the Phan-Site one day, so let's stick to that. Don't spill the beans, okay?" Mishima said to Ren, who shrugged as he spoke up, even as he winced at the term Mishima had given to fans of the Phantom Thieves as he spoke.

"We're part of...the Phandom? That sounds rather like a lot to keep straight. Wouldn't it just be easier to tell them the truth? After all, isn't it oft stated that honesty is the best policy?" Ren said uncertainly. Mishima blinked at that and spoke up uneasily.

"Well I want to...But not everyone's as good at keeping a secret as I am. Let's err on the side of caution here. Either way, you should be excited about this! Mingling with your loyal supporters is a noble cause indeed!" Mishima said as Ren shrugged even though inwardly he was seething.

'Noble cause, my effing ass! He'd best pray this doesn't find its' way back to Kasumi, otherwise I get to blame him if she get pissed at me. How dare he rope me into this without consulting me?' Ren internally raged, though externally he just nodded his agreement with Mishima for the sake of keeping the peace. Mishima then kept speaking.

"Plus, remember how I said I'd help publicize the Phantom Thieves? This is just the beginning!" Mishima said as he and Ren both blinked at that, before Mishima sighed and hung his head before speaking up once more.

"Though to be honest, I've never actually met someone from online in person...I wonder if I'll be able to do it right...I did lots of research though. I know all about footing the bill and buying desserts for the girl." Mishima said as Ren blinked at the bit about buying desserts for the girl, as he'd not heard that bit before. Mishima then stuttered as he kept speaking, clearly sounding nervous.

"Apparently if things go well, you might even t-t-take her home..." Mishima said as Ren sweatdropped and spoke up.

"I'm pretty sure that only happens on like a second or third date, if not a fourth or fifth date. So I doubt we'll have that much luck on this occasion." Ren said, inwardly hoping the girls were a no-show, since that would be much easier on him. Mishima blinked as he looked at his phone and spoke up.

"Huh? It's way past our meeting time..." Mishima said as he dialed up the number of the girls he'd arranged to meet with and spoke up as one of them answered the phone.

"Um...H-Hello? It's Mishi-it's the guy you met on the Phan-Site...About our meet-up...HUH!? You're still at home!? And...what about your friend? Oh, um...yeah. Uh-huh...No, we'll be waiting here...Wait, was that a train announcement? I could swear I just heard someone say 'Shibuya' over a loudspeaker...Are you close by? Huh? Oh, no! I'm not calling you a liar...Okay...Yeah...Maybe next time..." Mishima said as he hung up the phone and gave Ren a dejected look.

"S-So...both of them apparently got sick? They're just gonna stay home. Ahaha...agh. It seemed like they were really into the idea on the forum...O-Oh well...My bad! I was so busy with all the new forum posts, I didn't have time to really vet them too much." Mishima said sheepishly as Ren spoke up.

"It's not your fault, Mishima. Those girls were probably just trying to appease you, then decided to duck out on us when you called them on being late. It could happen to anyone. To be honest, I'm low-key relieved they cancelled, since I wasn't looking forward to having to explain this away if us meeting them had somehow leaked to the school grapevine, especially if a certain red-headed honor student were to find out about it. And I for one, have no interest in hurting her if it can be avoided, since she's so nice and caring and amazing." Ren said, a slightly goofy grin crossing his face as he let himself wax poetic a bit about all of Yoshizawa's good qualities as Mishima laughed and spoke up, grinning at the now slightly embarrassed Ren as he spoke, amused at how obvious Ren was being about his feelings for Yoshizawa..

"Thanks for the reassurance, Amamiya. And honestly, I had no idea you were so hung up on Yoshizawa-san, or I wouldn't have arranged for the meet-up to happen. My bad, man." Mishima said as Ren sputtered and spoke up, both shocked at what Mishima had said and offended at how casually Mishima had brought up Yoshizawa as he spoke.

"Me? Hung up on Yoshizawa!? I think you're delusional, Mishima!" Ren said huffily, as Mishima laughed before smirking at Ren as he spoke up, easily able to tell that Ren at least had a crush on Yoshizawa, if not outright had it bad for the red-headed first year, as he spoke.

"Nah, you're just in denial, Amamiya. I bet even Sakamoto could see that you've got it bad for her, from how you're acting." Mishima said with a laugh as Ren huffed. Mishima then shook his head and spoke up, both amused at Ren's reaction and feeling bad for how much Ren was clearly denying his feelings as he spoke.

"But anyways, back on topic, and all joking aside, I have some really good info ready for you guys! I won't let you down...I'll prove just how useful I can be to the Phantom Thieves!" Mishima said as Ren nodded, idly noting as he did so that Mishima seemed extra motivated. At that point, the 'Moon' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that Ren's Moon Confidant link with Mishima had reached level 3.

On top of that, as a result of the rank up, Ren could sense 'Mishima's Enthusiasm', which would up the amount of EXP he would get from battles. After that, Mishima spoke up more, clearly disappointed and embarrassed that he and Ren had gotten flaked on by girls he himself had arranged to meet up with as he spoke.

"Ugh, but it wasn't supposed to turn out like this though...I bet those girls would never have flaked on me if they knew I'm friends with the real live Phantom Thieves. Ugh, being a guardian of justice isn't so easy, huh...?" Mishima said as Ren rubbed the back of his head awkwardly before speaking up.

"It never is easy doing the right thing, but more often than not, doing the right thing can be its' own reward so we should keep doing what we're doing, if for no other reason than for the sake of all those who need us." Ren said sagely, as Mishima nodded and spoke up once more.

"Fair enough. Well, let's head home." Mishima said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he heard Mishima's voice on the other end as he spoke up.

"Oh, Amamiya? Sorry for dragging you out for no reason. People typically use an alias online, so a lot of them don't hold back when they comment. Mmm, I thought it was going to be a great opportunity to hear their opinions on the Phantom Thieves...It's always better to hear that kinda stuff i person, right?" Mishima said as Ren spoke up.

"Of course. Granted, sometimes opinions can hurt to hear, but it's still necessary to hear those opinions since you won't much be able to better yourself if you don't hear all opinions of you so you can be able to make yourself even better as a person." Ren said sagely. Mishima smiled as he spoke up.

"Right? I knew you'd feel the same way. And I'm aware about hurtful opinions. Maaan, we could've met some really hot gir-I mean gotten some really valuable information..." Mishima said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"HA! I knew you were trying to hook up with girls, Mishima! Not that I blame you, man. Being single is overrated. Though it has its perks as well, I suppose. But for now, I guess it's back to modding for you, yeah?" Ren said as Mishima nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! Sorry again for not asking first before setting up that meet-up. That said, all right, I'll get back to modding. Trust me, everything's going to turn out awesome! See ya!" Mishima said as Ren hung up the phone and went inside to lock up, smiling as he saw Kusa asleep on the sofa, one arm draped protectively over Morgana who was curled up on his chest, making Ren smirk, especially as he could hear Morgana purring contentedly, having to keep himself from snapping a picture of the two as he went to bed...

(The next day, on the walk to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"Hey, that calling card sent to the Madarame exhibit. Do you think..." One of the two females walking in front of Kusa and Ren said as the other female spoke up.

"I was wondering about that. Yeah, I think it's just like the one sent to Kamoshida. People online are saying the Phantom Thieves are behind this. That's cool if so. There's already a Phan-Site with a bunch of requests posted on it. I can't believe there are real-life superheroes. If it's happened twice, it's probably going to happen again. Can't wait to see who's next." The second female said as Kusa huffed and spoke up as the girls moved out of earshot, very clearly insulted at having his calling card compared to Ryuji's as he spoke, to Ren's amusement.

"Hmph, how dare they compare my handiwork to what Ryuji sent to Kamoshida!? That's such an insult, it's not funny. Not to mention, my calling card was way better than Ryuji's! Tch, as if he needs more reason to basically think less of me!" Kusa huffed, ignoring the confused/surprised look on Ren's face at his remark about Ryuji thinking less of him as he and Ren finished the walk to school in silence...

(In class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

"Sounds like a lot of people are going to be on that trip to the studio tomorrow. Do you guys get to see the show, too? I wouldn't mind seeing that. I like talk shows...ooh, and variety shows! Wonder if they'll talk about the Phantom Thieves. They certainly get plenty of attention on TV and the internet. Though I'm a little worried about what might happen if the media gets people too riled up...Oh, that reminds me. Have you guys covered totalitarianism yet?

It's a governmental structure that unites its people under a single ideology and authoritarian control of the masses. In theory, it brings the people together under one ideal. That definitely comes with logistical benefits...But it also means forcing ideals on people. Assimilating the unwilling. And that's how wars get started. Okay, how about...you? All right, Amamiya-kun. Here's a question." Maruki said as Ren sat up to give Maruki his full attention. Maruki then kept speaking.

"Where does totalitarianism take things a step further than authoritarianism?" Maruki asked Ren who thought about the question before blinking as he realized Maruki himself had already said the answer and spoke up with confidence.

"This is it! You said it yourself, sir. It goes that step further when controlling public thought." Ren said confidently. Maruki smiled and clapped as he spoke up.

"Exactly! Well said! Wow! I'm surprised you knew that. Yes, a totalitarian government tries to control the culture, morals, and even thoughts of its people. To minimize dissidence, they try to assimilate everyone into one ideology. Even reading the room cam be seen as a form of personal assimilation. You all do that too, right? I try to, though I'm not great at it. It's not a bad skill to have.

It can even help you survive the modern world. But you can't do it too much. If you make an echo chamber, then the people whose opinions differ might get hurt." Maruki said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence ensued followed by Morgana complimenting Ren on his smarts as Ren's Knowledge went up. Maruki then kept speaking.

"So...I'd like to remind you all to keep a strong sense of self and an open mind, so we can disagree and still live in harmony. ...I guess class is almost over. That's it for today." Maruki said as Morgana spoke up.

"Hmmm...A strong sense of self, huh...? We need to make sure we don't lose sight of what we believe in, too." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the class ended from there...

(At lunchtime, in the courtyard with Ann)

Ann went to get something from the vending machines when she heard some nearby girls speaking.

"Sounds like the principal's trying to get info on the students. Why do you think he's doing that?" One of the two girls said as the other spoke up in a much quieter voice though Ann could still hear her.

"It's probably because of Mister Kamoshida, right? Considering what happened with Suzui-san..." The other girl said as Ann blinked.

"Huh?" Ann muttered to herself as she kept listening in as the second girl spoke up once more.

"I heard Principal Kobayakawa knew about the sexual harassment too and turned a blind eye to it. I bet he wants to snuff out any rumors now. Even the volleyball team was told to keep quiet..." The second girl said as the first girl spoke up and Ann blinked at what she said.

"That's the worst... So that's what he's using Niijima-senpai for?" The first girl said as Ann gasped at this.

"Huh!?" Ann said to herself in shock. The second girl spoke up once more as Ann frowned at what she said.

"Oh yeah, rumor has it she knew as well. Isn't that horrible? She acts all noble about it too." The second girl said as Ann frowned as she muttered a single sentence to herself.

"Niijima-senpai knew...? Ugh!" Ann huffed to herself as she walked off angrily...

(Meanwhile, around that same time in the principal's office with Makoto and Kobayakawa)

"What is the meaning of this, Principal Kobayakawa? Why did you post that notice?" Makoto asked angrily Kobayakawa smiled as he spoke up.

"It was all for your sake. I thought the more information you had, the easier your investigation would become. And? Did any information arise about the case I asked you to look into?" Kobayakawa asked Makoto who sighed and shook her head as she spoke up.

"No, nothing yet. I will pass the details along if anything comes up. Right now, there is a more pressing issue...It appears there are students at Shujin who are being threatened by a criminal organization." Makoto said as Kobayakawa grunted in surprise.

"Ugh!?" Kobayakawa grunted as Makoto kept speaking, not giving Kobayakawa a chance to say more than he had already said as she spoke.

"A student who saw your posting came to us looking for help...I'd like to request a countermeasure." Makoto said as Kobayakawa shook his head and spoke up.

"Isn't this some sort of mistake? I can't believe this would happen to the students of our academy! Now is no time for such problems. There is still lingering concern regarding the Phantom Thieves..." Kobayakawa said, trailing off as Makoto sputtered in surprise as she spoke up.

"But we received a request for help..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa cut her off by speaking up.

"I-I'm rather busy at the moment. if you wish to do something, you will have to act on your own." Kobayakawa said forcefully as Makoto looked at him with wide eyes and spoke up in shock and disbelief.

"Sir!? A-Are you sure about this!? I am still investigating your case as well..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa nodded and spoke up, an idea coming to him as he spoke.

"Y-Yes, that's correct. It all works out perfectly! My intentions have borne fruit. This criminal organization must be the connecting factor. If you pursue this criminal issue, you'll surely find clues about the Phantom Thieves!" Kobayakawa said as Makoto sputtered before speaking up once more.

"But that's absurd..." Makoto said as Kobayakawa turned a mocking/unconcerned glare onto her as he spoke up, frowning disapprovingly at Makoto as he spoke.

"So...Let's say this rumor IS true. Do you intend to ignore those students in trouble?" Kobayakawa asked Makoto who frowned as she spoke up.

"I..." Makoto said uncertainly as Kobayakawa turned the knife, so to speak, with what he said next.

"Your sister would have solved this easily if she were in your position. My expectations of you are very high. I hope you don't disappoint." Kobayakawa said firmly as Makoto gaped at his remark, unable to do more than sputter a bit and grunt in frustration, as she turned and left the office with an annoyed look on her face. As she went to leave the office, she frowned, realizing she was going to have to take things into her own hands if she was going to get anything done.

Had she not been pre-occupied when she stormed out of Kobayakawa's office, Makoto might have noticed the gaping ponytailed first year crouched behind a planter, clearly eavesdropping on her and Kobayakawa's conversation, his eyes wide in surprise at what he'd overheard as he discreetly darted off to find Ren and the others...

(Later that afternoon, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

Ren and Ann's phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa and Yusuke. Ryuji sent the first response.

"So, what kind of person would be a bigger target than Madarame?" Ryuji sent. Ann and Kusa sent responses close together.

"Hmm...I wonder...I guess it'd have to be someone who's the talk of the town?" Ann sent as Kusa sent his response, a thought occurring to him as he did so.

"That depends, Ryuji. Are we talking bigger in a metaphorical sense, or bigger in a literal sense?" Kusa sent. Both Ren and Yusuke blinked at Kusa's response as the latter of the two sent his own response while Ryuji was replying to Kusa.

"That's quite a vague prerequisite, Ryuji...Don't we have any more specific ideas? And judging from his response, Kusa might have one." Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"Given that Madarame was a master artist with the eye of most of the media, the logical next step would have to be probably a crooked politician." Ren sent. Yusuke nodded and sent a response, pleased by Ren's use of logic in his response.

"Ah, yes. That is an interesting line of thought. Either way, we'll need a lead before we can begin anything." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"We'll just have to look for that as we go..." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"To your question, Kusa, probably both. Man, if only there was a big target just lying around for us..." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I'd say there is, but we'd have to get proof first. And given who the potential idea I had is, that might be tricky to do, given how much influence they have in Shujin." Kusa sent as Ann blinked as she sent a response, unintentionally mis-reading Kusa's response as her eyes went wide in surprise at what Kusa was suggesting.

"Influence...? Kusa, are you suggesting who I think you're suggesting!? Because if so, they knew about Kamoshida and did nothing, so I'd agree with them as a target! But how much influence could a student council president have?" Ann sent as Kusa blinked and sent a response while chuckling as he realized Ann had thought he meant Niijima.

"Um, Ann? I wasn't talking about Niijima-san. And besides, she's hardly a 'big' target in ANY sense of the word, her ego aside." Kusa sent as Ann, Ren AND Ryuji's eyes all got huge, as Kusa's meaning sank in at that moment. Ren then put his phone away, intrigued by Kusa's suggestion of Kobayakawa as a target. Ren admitted it wasn't a bad idea, but Kusa was right that they'd need an irrefutable and solid reason to go after him. But it was worth considering at least. After school, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, tomorrow's field trip is to the TV station, isn't it? Maybe our next target will be a celebrity?" Morgana said as Ren shrugged.

"With our luck Morgana, that's very possible." Ren said as his phone went off, signalling a private chat from Mishima.

"This one's super special! It's not even anywhere on the forum yet...Anyway, do you remember that bully Daisuke Takanashi, whose heart you changed earlier? Well...it turns out there was someone pulling the strings the whole time! It seems like Takanashi didn't have a choice but to listen to what this guy told him to do. But ordering someone to bully other people is a pretty crappy thing to do, isn't it?" Mishima said as Ren sent a response.

"I agree. That's horrible." Ren sent as Mishima sent a response.

"Right!? It's totally unacceptable. This person has to be somewhere in our school, right? You should go take a look around. In the meantime, I'll secretly do a little more research too!" Mishima sent as Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm..If we want to go after this target, we'll need a name. Let's go investigate the school." Morgana said as Ren's phone signaled the receipt of a request titled 'One Who Bullies Bullies'. After that, Ren saw he had another IM, opening it up to be pleasantly surprised to find a private chat from Kasumi, which made Ren smile widely as he opened it up to look at it, always happy to get a message from Kasumi.

"Senpai, do you have time today? I was thinking I need to make good on our deal. No time like the present, right? We can start hammering those basics into you anytime!" Kasumi sent as Morgana smirked at the excited look on Ren's face and spoke up, grinning widely at the clear and present happiness in Ren's eyes as he spoke.

"Ah, I see someone's excited to have some one-on-one time with their crush. Probably a stupid question, but are you going to go spend some time with Yoshizawa?" Morgana asked as Ren glared at Morgana and spoke up, giving the not-cat a very unimpressed frown as he spoke.

"Does a bear shit in the woods? In other words, hell yeah I'm spending time with her! If you don't want to tag along, maybe go find Kusa and see what the two of you can dig up on that bully. I bet he can find them easily." Ren said as Morgana nodded his agreement. Ren then sent a response to Kasumi.

"Sorry, had to sort something out. That said, I'd be delighted to train with you if you're free, Kasumi! So sure, let's hang out and train." Ren sent as Kasumi read the response and couldn't resist smiling widely, pleased that Ren had said yes. She then sent a response of her own.

"Thank you, Senpai! Then how about we meet in Inokaishira Park? Oh. Sorry, I never know when this phone is actually working. Anyways, Inokaishira Park, then. I'll see you there!" Kasumi sent as Ren smiled and sent a response, already eager to spend more time with Kasumi.

"Great! Inokaishira Park it is! See you there! Looking forward to training with you!" Ren sent as he put his phone away and headed to Inokaishira Park while Morgana padded off to go find Kusa...

(At Inokaishira Park with Ren and Kasumi)

"I think that's good! Not bad, Amamiya-senpai. You're pretty flexible, and you catch on so fast! At this rate, you'll have the fundamentals down in a heartbeat." Kasumi said to Ren, who nodded happily, even as he felt his body aching from mimicking Kasumi's poses. However, he saw the aches he currently had as worth it for the brilliant smile currently on Kasumi's face, which Ren found himself unable to get enough of, for some odd reason. Kasumi then kept speaking, both pleased to help Ren learn gymnastics and oddly happy to spend time with him, smiling at Ren as she spoke.

"It's all about the harmony between the internal and external oblique muscles...I can't get enough of it!" Kasumi said as Ren nodded and spoke up in agreement.

"Agreed. And think, we just got started. That means we've got a ways left to go." Ren said happily. Kasumi smiled prettily as she spoke up, pleased by Ren's answer.

"Well! Feisty, are we? I'm glad to hear it! Expert-level gymnastics are beautiful, but they demand a lot of stretching. All right! Let's continue!" Kasumi said as she and Ren stretched together, Ren trying to stay focused on the training, and not on how limber and flexible Kasumi was, even if he looked at her more than he probably should. After a bit, Ren and Kasumi sat on a bench where Kasumi spoke up, both pleased with Ren's progress and secretly flattered at how many times she caught him checking her out as she spoke.

"Good effort! I think that's enough stretching for now. Good effort, Senpai! And, um, I'd like to continue with our training, but...I'm actually not doing so great at the moment, so I'm not sure I could manage anything too strenuous." Kasumi said, making Ren give her an understanding smile as he spoke up, his concern evident in his tone as he spoke.

"That's too bad. Sorry to hear you're not doing so great, Kasumi. Next time, then. Wouldn't want you over-doing it because of me, after all. That would be terrible." Ren said with a smile that Kasumi found herself imitating even as she internally had to stop from swooning at how winsome and handsome she found Ren's smile as she spoke up

"Thank you for understanding. I was thinking..Do you remember how I said I wanted to talk to you about something? I've been feeling like...I'm stuck in this slump. No matter how much I practice, I just can't get any better. I went to my coach about it, but...She told me to take some time off from gymnastics. According to her, I need to think about who I really am. The idea's not to stop doing gymnastics, just...she wants me to take a break." Kasumi said as Ren spoke while looking at her.

"I see. So you're taking time to try and find yourself, so to speak, before you return to gymnastics. I can appreciate that you'd need to do that since Kusa had a similar issue when he was younger. He used to be a big-time shut-in after we had to move and he was separated from some friends he'd made without warning. It took quite awhile for myself as well as our mother to snap him out of it, but once we did, he seemed to be a much different person than he'd been previously.

That is, until I was ordered to move here, and Kusa was basically ordered to accompany me as a court-appointed overseer, against his protests no less, since he'd managed to build up a rather niche life for himself as the captain of our previous school's karate team, as well as possibly having the attentions of the most popular girl at our school.

Granted, it was revealed later on that she was shallow, mean, and spiteful. As such, I personally think Kusa dodged a bullet not hooking up with her, even if he was rather annoyed by it at first.

Needless to say, I'm surprised Kusa hasn't reverted back to his shut-in ways, but I think between hanging out with me and my friends, and us basically taking in a stray cat named Morgana, who is actually the same cat who can more often than not be seen riding shotgun in my bag, though for today he decided to go hang out with Kusa so we could have this time together just the two of us, that was enough to seemingly keep Kusa from having a relapse, so to speak. As to how that relates to you, Kusa never really let himself show his true self much, for fear of having his life uprooted yet again when he started managing to build one again.

So my point is, being true to yourself is very, very important. So I both support and understand you needing to take a break, Kasumi. And I'm here for you." Ren said honestly. Kasumi looked at Ren in surprise as she spoke up, her red eyes full of mixed surprise and understanding, and even a hint of sympathy for Kusa as she spoke.

"Oh, wow...I had no idea that Kusa had that rough of a past. But back on topic, I've never had an issue that practice couldn't solve. But now...I have no idea what to do. So...um...I want you to help me, Ren-senpai. You know, even if we're not doing gymnastics, will you still keep going out with me!?" Kasumi asked Ren whose eyes went comically wide at her question, briefly having his mind shut down when he realized she was asking him to continue going out with her, before he registered she meant that in a non-romantic way and smiled as he looked at her as he spoke up, his brown eyes looking into Kasumi's red eyes understandingly as he spoke.

"No problem, Kasumi. I did just say I'm here for you, did I not? If it's in my power to do so, I'd do most anything I could if it would help you out. And hopefully between the two of us, we can find a way to get you out of that slump and back to doing what you love." Ren said sincerely, hoping he wasn't blushing too much as he finished speaking. Kasumi looked at Ren in surprise before her face slowly split into a shy smile as her face got a tad red as she spoke up in a mix of gratitude and relief, making herself look Ren in the eyes as she spoke.

"R-Really!? Thank you so much! I've heard my coach praising me. She says 'Kasumi's greatest weapon has always been her boldness'. And honestly, that used to be true. I was totally fearless, confident...Gymnastics was a fun challenge. But ever since I started high school, I've been in a slump. I got taller, for one, and there were some other...complications. I can't move how I want anymore. Like it's not even my own body. I kind of fell into a depression. It got pretty bad.

But when you helped me in Shibuya, something occurred to me. When I saw how fearless you are, how confident you are...I knew you were the right one for the job! If I stick with you, Senpai, I think I can learn how to be confident again!" Kasumi said with a smile, as Ren looked into Kasumi's eyes while he gave her a soft smile before speaking up, knowing as he spoke he was resolved to be there for Kasumi however he could, which made him smile.

"Honestly, I'm stunned to hear you feel that way, Kasumi. I wouldn't have guessed from looking at you that you had self-confidence issues, or that you felt so non-confident. But if you truly think I can help you to find yourself once more, then all I can say to that is...leave it to me, Kasumi. As long as you don't mind having a Senpai that people talk about a lot, and who has a record of sorts, I'm more than happy to do my level best to help you find your confidence once more.

After all, you had my back when I needed it most, so I can hardly turn away from you now, when you need me most. Not only would that make me a terrible friend, but it'd make me feel like less of a man if I did that. So yeah, leave it to me. I'll do whatever I can to help you." Ren said with a smile as he nodded his acceptance of Kasumi's request while appearing to steel his resolve before surprising not only Kasumi, but very likely himself as well, by leaning in and pressing his lips to her cheek before he could stop himself.

Needless to say, this one knee-jerk decision by Ren had the result of making Kasumi look at him in surprise as her cheeks went bright red as she held the spot he'd kissed her. After a bit she spoke up, smiling happily at Ren with that brilliant smile of hers that he so liked to see while looking into Ren's eyes as she spoke.

"YES! Great! Thank you, Senpai! And next time, warn me before you decide to kiss me like that! You about scared me witless when you did that, even if it felt nice." Kasumi said, looking away so Ren wouldn't see the almost dark red tinges on her cheeks as she spoke. After a bit, Kasumi gave Ren a closed-eye smile that made Ren both smile and have his heart not only skip a beat but briefly beat faster as Kasumi spoke up with a giggle that Ren found almost to be music to his ears.

"You're a strange one, Senpai. I didn't think you'd accept. Well, I'll try and return the favor through our deal!" Kasumi said as she gave Ren a very pretty closed-eye smile, as Ren noted an increased appreciation of him from Kasumi, as the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Kasumi had reached rank 2. As a result, Kasumi had managed to enlighten Ren on the art of how to tumble, making it so Ren could use 'Tumbling' to potentially avoid being surrounded by enemies in Palaces. Afterwards, Kasumi's phone went off, making Kasumi wince as she reached for it and spoke up.

"Oh, excuse me." Kasumi said as she checked it and winced as she saw the time, not realizing it'd gotten so late, but also not wanting her time with Ren to end as she spoke up.

"Sorry, but I should get going. I have a meeting with my coach! I'll be heading home now! I need to get going for today...but I'll make sure you don't regret this!" Kasumi said with a smile as she did a polite but cute bow to Ren who smiled as he watched Kasumi bow, having one thought go through his mind as he let himself admire how petite yet cute Kasumi looked, not realizing at that time that Kasumi likely had a similar thought running through her head as well.

'You say that like I'd ever regret spending time with you, Kasumi. But little do you realize, I quite enjoy spending time with you, even if we're not training." Ren thought to himself with an amused mental smirk. Ren also noted that his stamina felt as if it had gone up from training with Kasumi, giving him 5 extra max HP. After bowing cutely, Kasumi sighed before regretfully rushing off into the distance. Ren smiled as he watched her go, before reluctantly starting to gather his belongings and head back to Leblanc. Once back there, Ren's phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said, only to smile as he recognized Kasumi's voice on the other end.

"Thank you very much for joining me today, Ren-senpai. Are you feeling sore after all that? You placed stress on muscles that you don't use very often! Please remember to massage them out before you sleep. But I'm so glad you accepted my request! I was so relieved, I suddenly got really hungry...and then my stomach wouldn't stop growling in my meeting." Kasumi said as Ren spoke up, surprised but pleased that Kasumi had decided to call him as he spoke.

"Wow, that's impressive, Kasumi. Who knew I had an ability to bring out your hunger like that? But in all seriousness, I'll definitely be sure to massage my muscles out. But maybe we should start making it a point to eat after training, so you don't end up going to any more meetings inexplicably hungry, yeah? But I bet you gave your coach a laugh with your stomach growling like it was. I bet it was quite the cute sight." Ren said teasingly with a smirk. Kasumi giggled that giggle that Ren was both quickly getting used to, and that he found that he liked hearing, as she spoke up, trying not to let on how flattered she was by Ren's words, even if he was teasing her as she spoke.

"Thank you very much. Though I don't know that's really worth any praise...An excessive diet tends to make most people feel sick, but it seems to have an opposite effect on me. But since you're helping me out, I'll do whatever it takes to maintain my shape! I hope you can help me out again next time, Senpai! I'll be reaching out again soon. Well then, I'll talk to you soon!" Kasumi said as she hung up the call and Ren smiled briefly before walking into Leblanc. As soon as he walked inside, his phone went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Kusa and Yusuke. Ryuji started off the group chat with his response.

"You know how we're going to the TV station tomorrow, yeah? I'm thinking we might find our next target there." Ryuji sent as Ann blinked and sent a response.

"Oh, that's right! We're always hearing gossip about the dark side of celebrities..." Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"You're absolutely right, Ann. Granted, I've not heard any such gossip, but you'd know better than anyone about gossip, given you used to be one before Kamoshida happened." Ren sent. Ryuji then sent a response.

"With that much money, they've prolly got their fingers in all sorts of dirty business." Ryuji sent as Kusa and Yusuke frowned at his word choice. However, Yusuke sent a response before Kusa could, which had Kusa fighting not to burst out laughing as he read it, for he both agreed with and was very amused by what he'd read.

"Hm...That phrasing has quite the immoral ring to it..." Yusuke sent as Kusa smiled and sent a response, very pleased and amused by someone other than him calling Ryuji on his word choice for a change.

"YES! THANK YOU! Finally, someone else calls Ryuji on his word choice! For once, I didn't have to be the one to call him on it!" Kusa sent, making Ren wince at the palpable annoyance and amusement in Kusa's tone, as Ryuji sent a response, both annoyed by Kusa's remark and irritated at Yusuke calling him on his word choice.

"Shut up, Kusa! And dude, you always react to the weirdest stuff Yusuke..." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response to cut off whatever angry response Kusa might have sent.

"Anyway, we get to observe a live recording of a show, right?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent his response.

"Ooh, maybe we're gonna be on TV!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"We'll just be in the crowd, remember? Any appearance would be for like, two seconds." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hm. Try not to pull any fanciful stunts to garner attention, OK?" Yusuke sent as Kusa laughed and sent a response that had both Ren AND Ryuji frowning as they read it.

"That's wishful thinking, my friend. You forget that Ann and Ryuji are going to have my dear brother Ren with them. And Ren has a bit of a less-than-ideal track record for his luck causing the most unexpected things to occur, so I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if somehow an attention-garnering stunt happens tomorrow directly centered on Ren." Kusa sent as Yusuke and Morgana chuckled on reading the message as Ren sent a response, not pleased at Kusa's remark about his luck.

"Oh, shut up Kusa! You say that like I wanted both our lives turned upside down! I don't hear you complaining much these days, now do I? Of course that might be because of a certain red-head who you've gotten quite cozy with of late?" Ren sent, as Kusa sputtered and sent a response, not nearly as amused to have Futaba dragged into the conversation the way Ren had dragged her into it.

"Th-That's just-SHUT UP, REN! And kindly don't drag Futaba into this! You don't see me dragging Yoshizawa into our conversations when I roast you, do you!?" Kusa sent irately, his irritation very discernable even to Ryuji as Ren put his phone away with a huff. After Ren went upstairs to check on the plant, which was still healthy, he heard the door to Leblanc open and close and then he heard Kusa come upstairs and turned to see Kusa glaring slightly at Ren before he spoke up, surprising Ren by sighing as he spoke.

"That was NOT cool, bro. Granted, I can give you that I didn't need to drag your luck into the conversation, but I was just teasing when I said all that. You were the one who openly dragged Futaba into it with your little remarks about us. And for the record, she and I are still just friends, so quit making errant assumptions!" Kusa said with a huff as he set his stuff down next to the sofa, his eyes having a bit of hurt in them, which Ren noticed with a wince as he gently patted Kusa on the shoulder and spoke up.

"Listen, I'm sorry about dragging Futaba into our argument. You're right, that wasn't cool or okay of me to do that. I was just annoyed that you dragged my luck into it out of nowhere. I didn't realize you were just joking when you did that, so I reacted on a knee-jerk impulse. I guess we're both just short-tempered fools at times, aren't we?" Ren said as Kusa nodded before laughing and speaking up with a smile and a nod as he looked at Ren while he spoke.

"True, but at least you said it and not me. I forgive you, Ren. So what's the plan for tonight?" Kusa asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Well, given i just finished a rigorous training session with Kasumi, I don't think I'll be going out for much tonight. So maybe we could use this night to break in our new console and do some light gaming,since we have a field trip tomorrow and can't stay up too late." Ren said as Kusa smiled and nodded his agreement before frowning, a thought occurring to Kusa that had him giving Ren an uncertain look as he spoke.

"Good idea. Do we have any games for the console, though?" Kusa asked Ren who looked and nodded as he spoke up, smirking at what he found as he spoke.

"Yeah. It seems it came with a shooting game called 'Star Forneus', which is two-player and apparently makes the player gutsier." Ren said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Excellent. Let's give it a go! I think we could both use the outlet right now, plus when isn't it cathartic to shoot at shit on a video game?" Kusa said eagerly as Ren and Morgana nodded agreement, both being big on action stuff. Ren plugged in the controllers, slotted in 'Star Forneus' and turned on the TV and console after handing Kusa his controller, Morgana getting comfortable on Kusa's lap so he could watch the two brothers play. Morgana then spoke up as the 'Star Forneus' intro music and title screen came up.

"Okay! Let's start up Star Forneus." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded. As the two started playing, Morgana spoke up in surprise.

"This game is about space battles, huh? So I guess this little thing here is your spaceship?" Morgana asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, pretty much. They call this type of game a 'shoot-em-up', or shooter, more often than not. But oftentimes, these games are intended to be played with full focus, so don't be offended if we don't answer you right away, Morgana-sensei. That just means we're focused on blasting us some inter-galactic scum! After all, shooters can be quite cathartic, especially the retro kind." Kusa said with a slightly feral smirk as he and Ren kept playing. Morgana nodded and kept up the commentary as Kusa and Ren powered through the enemy ships with ease.

"Whoa... You two're blasting away the enemy ships, one after another...Not bad for a pair of beginners." Morgana said as silence ensued for a few minutes, until Morgana spoke up once more as the music changed, confused by the apparent lack of enemies on the screen as he spoke.

"Oh, there are no more enemies onscreen...Did you win?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up, smiling at the not-cat before answering Morgana's question as he spoke.

"Not quite. That just means we've reached what most games call the 'boss', which is usually an extra big enemy that requires a lot of work to defeat." Kusa explained, as Morgana's eyes got slightly huge as the boss then showed up on-screen almost as if on cue after Kusa's explanation, making him speak up, ignoring the smirk on Kusa's face as he spoke.

"Hey, wait! Wh-What the heck!? That thing is huge! It must be the boss...Hey, I think you're supposed to aim for the core in the middle. Try focusing your fire there!" Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded, both furiously button-mashing for all they were worth. A short time later, explosions could be heard as the boss was defeated and Morgana spoke up, clearly amused as he watched Ren and Kusa fist-bump each other as they watched the boss explode while he spoke.

"Nice! Amazing! It's blowing up!" Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up smugly, setting down his controller so he could cross his arms as he spoke, careful not to hit the not-cat in his lap as he did so.

"But of course! No noob-tier boss like that stands a chance against the combined fury of the Amamiya bros! Not to mention, I used to smoke noobs like that all the time before I had to move here! So don't step, whether it be to me or to Ren, when it comes to shooter games or strategy games. Because when it comes to those? I rarely, if ever, lose! I think Ren here's one of the few to actually best me at a shooter or strategy game." Kusa said smugly as he crossed his arms with a satisfied grin as he and Ren watched the boss explode, Ren nodding approvingly to Kusa's explanation, as the two brothers fist-bumped each other again at that point.

As they celebrated their win, neither Kusa or Ren were aware of the orange-haired female observing their gaming session through the hidden spying devices she had planted all around Leblanc, amusing herself with the sight of a very happy and smiling Kusa, the sight of his smile making her oddly at ease for a reason she couldn't put her finger on, even as she watched the goings-on. After the boss was beaten, and the trio saw the screen which read 'YOU CLEAR ACT A', a breakdown of the bonuses that Ren and Kusa had earned and their total scores, plus the words 'NEXT YOU GO INTO B AREA.', Morgana spoke up, giving Ren and Kusa an impressed look as he spoke.

"Hey! Wow, you actually managed to beat the level. I'm impressed." Morgana said as Ren spoke up this time, smirking happily as he spoke.

"Naturally. Like Kusa said, he and I are unstoppable when we work together, be it on a video game or in the Metaverse. We make a great team." Ren said as Kusa nodded his agreement, grinning as he pumped a fist excitedly at his and Ren's beating the first level of Star Forneus as he spoke up.

"Truth, Ren! Nothing's gonna stop us, not this game, not all the shitty hands life's dealt us, NOTHING!" Kusa said confidently, a rare smile on his face as he leaned back in his chair, contentedly petting Morgana's fur happily, getting satisfied purrs from Morgana for his efforts as he spoke up.

"I bet jumping into the enemy barrage increased your Guts, Ren." Morgana said to Ren, who simply nodded before smirking as his Guts got a sufficient boost to rank up from rank 2, which was 'Bold', to rank 3, which was 'Staunch', from beating the first level of 'Star Forneus' with Kusa. Morgana then spoke up.

"Well, it's getting late. Let's head to sleep soon, okay?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded their understanding as they saved their progress, turned the game off, and went to bed, Morgana contentedly curled up against Kusa's stomach as Kusa draped an arm over Morgana. Ren saw this and smirked while falling asleep for the night...

(The next day, at the TV studio with Ren, Ann, Morgana and Ryuji)

"...And that's why we recruit sponsors to help make TV shows. I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor-related product placements. To sum things up, ratings are vitally important for a station's production funding, and..." The PR woman who was leading Ren's class on a tour of the TV studio said as Ryuji spoke up so only Ren and Ann could hear.

"Huh..." Ryuji said in surprise as Ren spoke up so only Ryuji could hear.

"Everyone knows this for the most part, or everyone who uses the internet knows this." Ren said, resisting the urge to fake-snore, as Ryuji laughed and nodded.

"Fair, but chill man." Ryuji said as the PR woman spoke up once more.

"For example, soap opera reruns are shown in the day, whereas alluring newswomen are broadcast at night. Thus, the scheduling department is where we decide what time we broadcast which program. I suppose you could say it's the place where the scheduling is determined." The PR woman said as Ann spoke up so only Ren and Ryuji could hear.

"Could this get ANY more obvious?" Ann said as Ren spoke up with a laugh, trying to keep his voice down as he spoke so only Ann and Ryuji could hear.

"You're right, Ann. Honestly, I think Kusa lucked out that the first-years ended up not choosing the TV station. If I recall right, they chose the park or something like that." Ren said as Ann nodded while yawning and speaking up, sounding vaguely bored as she spoke.

"Ohh...so sleepy..." Ann said as Ren laughed quietly as the PR woman spoke up again, not hearing the chatter of the group as she spoke.

"...So the best parts are taken from the footage in order to cut down the program to the desired length. The place this filmed footage is edited would be the editing room." The PR woman said as Morgana spoke up quietly from inside Ren's bag, giving Ren a bored look as he spoke so only Ren, Ann and Ryuji could hear.

"Hey, how much longer does this go?" Morgana said as Ryuji spoke around some yawns, looking at the others as he spoke.

"I swear, I'm not gonna last..." Ryuji said as Ren felt himself roughly shoved aside, as a guy wearing glasses bumped into him as he pushed his way past, spinning Ren around and jostling Morgana inside Ren's bag, who cried out as Ryuji glared at the guy who'd shoved Ren. Meanwhile, Ann just frowned disapprovingly at the guy who shoved Ren, while Morgana spoke.

"Hrgh!" Morgana said as the man who'd pushed past Ren spoke up, ignoring Ren's muttered 'rude freaking asshole' as he spoke, though Ryuji did hear it and laughed quietly.

"What's going on? I can't stand all this noise." The man said as Ryuji walked over and spoke up, glaring at the man who'd shoved Ren as he spoke.

"Hey, assho-" Ryuji said as the PR woman cut him off by speaking up, perhaps unintentionally saving Ryuji from getting himself into trouble with his lack of a filter as she spoke.

"My apologies! I'll have them leave right away!" The PR woman said hurriedly as she turned to the class and spoke up.

"Now then, it's time for a bit of hands-on experience!" The PR woman said as the man walked off and most of the class dispersed as Ryuji spoke up angrily to Ren and Ann.

"Dammit... Who does that jerk think he is?" Ryuji said as a man with a blue zipped-up hoodie, a white undershirt, grey jeans and glasses looked at Ann and spoke up.

"Hey there. You wanna be on TV?" The man asked Ann who blinked as she turned to face the man and spoke up, not seeing Ren, Morgana and Ryuji all glare at the man as she spoke.

"Huh?" Ann asked as the man spoke up with a smirk and a chuckle, while he looked Ann over as he spoke.

"You've got a slammin' bod, after all. Hehehe..." The man said as he subtly leered at Ann who winced and spoke up, clearly uncomfortable from the attention this man was giving her as she spoke.

"Uh...I'm on a school trip..." Ann said as the man kept speaking with a suave tone, either not seeing or ignoring the heated glares from Ren, Morgana, and Ryuji as he spoke.

"Just gimme a call if you're interested. I'd greatly welcome a message from you, day or night." The man said to Ann who winced as she spoke up.

"Uhhh, yeah..." Ann said as Ryuji huffed and looked at Ren as he spoke up.

"Greatly welcome, my ass. It's obvious what he's after. Do these rotten adults care about ANYTHING other than looks!?" Ryuji huffed angrily as he kept speaking, Ren wincing at what Ryuji said next as Ryuji spoke.

"I'll yank their stupid hearts out, dammit!" Ryuji grumbled, as Morgana glared at Ryuji and spoke up in a rebuking, yet disapproving tone, frowning as he spoke.

"Will you quiet down!? You're supposed to be acting like good students today!" Morgana hissed pointedly as Kawakami walked over and glared at Ryuji as she spoke up.

"I understand you're bored, but please don't cause any trouble. Okay?" Kawakami said as the man noticed her and spoke up nervously, not expecting a teacher to be nearby as he spoke.

"Well then, uhhh...Let's have you see what it's like to be an AC. Oh, that stands for 'assistant camera.' When we're moving camera, we need people who can keep the cables from getting tangled up...The blond will do. He seems like he's got energy to spare anyway. Guy next to him, you can come too if you're feeling lonely. C'mon, hurry up and grab the cables! Worst case you'll at least be able to help out those first-years who managed to get invited to the studio by recommendation of the director himself.

I swear, that one male with the ponytail has quite the opinionated mouth on him. And not much of a filter besides." The man said as Ren winced, realizing how much that description sounded uncannily like Kusa. Ryuji grumbled as he rubbed his forehead and spoke up, visibly upset by his and Ren's current task as he spoke.

"Dammit...This sucks!" Ryuji said as he and Ren carried the cables, both not amused by what they had to do as Ryuji kept speaking.

"Urghhh, what a pain in the ass! This is totally killin' my vibe..." Ryuji said as he and Ren blinked as they heard a laugh from next to them as a familiar voice spoke up, making Ren and Ryuji turn to face the speaker, both blinking as they recognized who it was, both smiling at him as he spoke.

"You're tellin' me, Ryuji! Remind me not to let Kasumi get us 'special ins' to a TV studio next time there's an effing school trip! I didn't think it'd be as unpaid freaking interns! Hmph!" Kusa said huffily, as he also was lugging a cable, making Ren and Ryuji smile as they saw him, the latter exchanging a fist-bump with Kusa as he spoke up.

"Yo, Kusa! Didn't think you'd be here too!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up with a laugh, pleased to see Ren and Ryuji as he spoke.

"Yes, well, it was either this or go to some girly freaking spa day. And I, for one, have no effing interest in being emasculated like that. Luckily for me, Kasumi knows people at this TV studio, or more accurately her dad does, so he was able to get our class an opportunity to come here as interns. Though I didn't think there'd be so many effing sleazeballs here.

I swear, I must've had to keep myself from breaking at least five different dudes' noses already, between them making passes at Kasumi and making suggestive comments about Ann's modelling. I swear, it's not funny how many adults appear to be so damned effing unscrupulous and scummy!" Kusa huffed so only Ren and Ryuji could hear, as the three fought valiantly against the cables. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up, agreeing with Kusa's assessment as he spoke.

"Truth, Kusa! Ren and I almost broke this one guy's nose earlier when he kept hitting on Ann, even when she made it clear she wasn't interested, and then there was this other asshole who straight up shoved Ren aside. And to top it off, the guy nearly gave poor Morgana, who was riding in Ren's bag at the time, whiplash in the process." Ryuji said as Kusa's eyes narrowed dangerously and he spoke up, only just managing to keep his voice down as he spoke, though Ren and Ryuji could easily sense the annoyance in his voice at the implied misfortune of Morgana.

"I'm sorry...that guy did WHAT to Morgana-sensei!? That effing scumbag better not have hurt the little guy, or else I'M the one who gets to break his damn nose if we run into him again!" Kusa huffed quietly, silently fuming and seething as the three moved the cables...

(Later that afternoon with Ryuji and Ren)

After they parted ways with Kusa, who had to head the other way with his class, Ren and Ryuji walked towards the rest of their class as Ryuji stopped before he spoke up huffily, clearly still angry about the cables, and about what had happened to Ren and Morgana, as he spoke.

"Ugh! I'm so pissed off! Aren't we supposed to be guests? Why the hell do we hafta be doin' manual labor!? This is bullshit! Goin' to the bathroom didn't even make me feel better!" Ryuji grumbled as Ann walked over to them and glared at Ryuji as she spoke up, both annoyed at how loud Ryuji could be and also angry at her own misfortune.

"Quiet down, will you? I get how you feel though...That sucked for the both of us." Ann said as Ren nodded his agreement. Ryuji groaned as he spoke up.

"Ugh, we gotta do more of this tomorrow too?" Ryuji asked in a whiny tone with his head hung. Morgana spoke up with a glare.

"No flaking out, Ryuji!" Morgana rebuked Ryuji who huffed and spoke up in a mock-whiny tone.

"I know, I know! I gotta be a 'good boy', right? Ugh, bein' phantom thieves ain't easy..." Ryuji said as Morgana and Ren's eyes got wide at what he said as the former spoke up.

"RYUJI! Not so loud about that!" Morgana hissed. Ann smiled as she spoke up happily, remembering a bit of good news that she'd yet to tell the others as she spoke up.

"That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?" Ann said as Morgana spoke up excitedly, his voice being a bit louder than he meant it to be as he spoke.

"Ooh, I know a place! I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here!" Morgana said, right as the group jumped at the sound of laughter behind them, as a familiar voice spoke up, smiling as he walked forward to give Morgana a gentle pat on the head as he spoke.

"Dang Morgana-sensei, why don't you say that a bit louder? I'm sure there were some people over in Yongen-Jaya who didn't hear you meowing that just now." Kusa joked as he walked up to Ann, Ryuji, and Ren, who all smiled at seeing Kusa. Eventually Morgana smiled happily as Kusa petted him on the head, eliciting happy purrs from Morgana as he kept speaking.

"Ooh, that feels so nice. Also, it looked delicious! What was that?" Morgana asked as Ren, Ann, and Ryuji exchanged confused looks before Ryuji spoke up, smirking at Kusa comforting Morgana in the way that only he could, making Ryuji grin while he spoke.

"Oh...you mean Dome Town? The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside, they've got an amusement park." Ryuji said as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too." Ann said as Morgana got a smug look on his face as he spoke up.

"All right, let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!" Morgana said smugly as Kusa laughed and scooped Morgana up, setting him gently on his shoulder as he spoke up.

"While I have no doubt you're quite courageous, Morgana-sensei, I don't think Ann's interested in seeing how courageous you are. So no need for you to be puffing your chest out for no reason." Kusa said with a smile as Ren and Ryuji laughed at the affronted look on Morgana's face at Kusa's gentle rebuke. Ann smirked as she spoke up, amused by Kusa gently chiding the not-cat, and nodded her agreement of his words as she spoke up.

"Kusa's right. Besides, going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Not like cats can get on anyways. OW!" Ryuji said, the 'OW!' being in response to Kusa lightly flicking Ryuji on the forehead and frowning as he spoke up.

"Keep your voice down, you moron! And he's NOT a cat!" Kusa rebuked Ryuji with a huff. Morgana blinked as he spoke up.

"Really?" Morgana asked in surprise, for once not mad at Ryuji calling him a cat, to Kusa's surprise. Ryuji nodded and spoke up, pleased that he knew something Morgana didn't, as he spoke.

"Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that. But uh...Let's just go to Dome Town! I'm really feeling it now!" Ryuji said as Ann did a closed-eye smile and spoke up, excited for the prospect of going to Dome Town as she spoke.

"Me too! My stomach's ready for roller coasters!" Ann said as Kusa spoke up, blinking at the mention of roller coasters and just smiling as he spoke up.

"You guys can enjoy the roller coasters if you like, but I'll probably be too busy looking around to try many rides." Kusa said as Ryuji laughed and spoke up.

"What's the matter? You scared, Kusa?" Ryuji taunted Kusa teasingly as Kusa glared at Ryuji.

"Me? Scared? Laughable! I just don't see the point in going on those sorts of rides, that's all." Kusa said huffily as he crossed his arms. Morgana nodded his agreement from on Kusa's shoulder as he spoke up, adding in his two cents to Kusa's response as he spoke.

"Uhh...I think I'll pass on the puke rides..." Morgana said as Ann and Ryuji nodded, while Kusa's eyes went slightly wide as he saw the brown-haired boy in a suit walk up behind Ryuji and Ann and speak up, smiling in amusement as he looked at the gathered group while he spoke.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?" The boy asked Ann, Ryuji, Ren and Kusa, the former three of which turned to face the boy as Ryuji spoke up in an offhand tone, not seeing Ren and Morgana wince as he spoke.

"Yeah, whaddya want?" Ryuji asked as the boy walked up and spoke up with a smile, seemingly appraising Ren and Kusa in particular as he spoke.

"I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all. Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi." The now-named Akechi said as Kusa's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked Akechi over with a wary, yet distinctly appraising gaze, before they eventually un-narrowed and he spoke up in a neutral tone, clearly sizing up the ace detective as he spoke.

"Filming together, you say? That a fact? Well, in any case, it's nice to meet you, Akechi-kun. I'm Kusa Amamiya, a first-year at Shujin, and these are my friends Ann Takamaki, Ryuji Sakamoto and my older brother Ren Amamiya, all of whom are second-years." Kusa said as he introduced himself and the others, excluding Morgana, to Akechi with a pleasant smile on his face. Ann blinked as she spoke up, seemingly recognizing Akechi's last name from somewhere as she spoke.

"Akechi?" Ann asked uncertainly as Ryuji blinked and spoke up, but for a different reason than Ann or Kusa would've guessed as he spoke.

"Filming? What, you a celebrity?" Ryuji asked Akechi who laughed as he spoke up, amused by the question and nodding in response as he spoke.

"Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times. And yes Amamiya-kun the younger, we'll presumably be filming together, since I heard your school was being involved in filming tomorrow. Although thinking about it, I think it's only the second-years who are supposed to be involved, though there were rumors going around that the director invited his daughter's first-year class to the studio as well at her request so they could also be part of filming. That said, nice to meet you all as well." Akechi said politely as Kusa and Ren's eyes widened at Akechi's remark about the director's daughter getting her first-year class invited to the studio.

Kusa then looked at Ren and spoke up so only Ren and Morgana, who was sitting on Kusa's shoulder, could hear as he spoke.

"You don't think the director's daughter is the same honors student we both know, do you Ren?" Kusa asked Ren in surprised disbelief. Ann then blinked as she spoke up, her eyes widening in realization as she spoke.

"Oh!" Ann said in realization as Akechi looked at his phone and spoke up, seeming to be regretful as he spoke.

"My apologies, I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend. So, you're going to go have cake now?" Akechi asked politely with a smile as Ren, Ryuji and Ann nodded, Kusa giving a wary nod as well, though something about the way Akechi phrased his question made his instincts go on high alert as he nodded uneasily, giving Akechi an apprehensive look as he nodded.

Akechi kept speaking at that point, acting as if he hadn't noticed Kusa's apprehension with him, chuckling pleasantly as he spoke.

"I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself..." Akechi said as Ann, Ryuji and Ren exchanged confused looks as Ryuji spoke up for the three of them.

"Huh? Cake? What're you talkin' about?" Ryuji asked. Akechi frowned in surprise at this as he spoke up, managing to miss Kusa's eyes narrowing in suspicion as a result.

"Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes..." Akechi said, as Kusa's eyes widened fractionally at Akechi's remark, now sure there was something off with Akechi. He said nothing of his suspicions, however, as Akechi spoke up once more before Kusa could even begin to voice his sudden realization, shrugging as he spoke.

"Oh well, no matter. Well, see you tomorrow." Akechi said as he turned around and walked off as Ryuji spoke up, his words making Kusa both chuckle and wince as he spoke.

"That guy's gotta be some kind of start-up entertainer or something. He's never gonna get popular with that kinda hair, though." Ryuji said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"Do you mean 'stand-up comedian', Ryuji? Also, am I the only one who noticed something off with what Akechi said just now?" Kusa said as Ren and Morgana looked at him, the latter speaking up as he gave Kusa a curious look, interested to hear what Kusa appeared to have noticed as he spoke.

"Off? How so, Kusa?" Morgana asked Kusa, who frowned as he spoke up, his words making both Ren and Morgana's eyes widen slightly as they winced while Kusa spoke.

"Well, for starters, he specifically said he heard something mentioned about, and I quote, 'delicious pancakes'. And correct me if I'm wrong Morgana-sensei, but were you or were you not the ONLY one of us to specifically mention pancakes before Akechi walked up to us!? And correct me if I'm wrong on this Morgana, but aren't the only people able to hear you speaking those who've been to the Metaverse at least once?" Kusa pointed out skeptically as Ann blinked as she realized what Kusa was getting at.

"Wait...Akechi-kun understood Morgana!? Wouldn't that only mean one thing?" Ann asked as Kusa nodded sagely, pleased that Ann had picked up on what he was saying as he spoke up, hoping that he could help Ren and Ryuji figure out what he had as he spoke.

"Indeed, Ann. Only one thing. Either Akechi's been to the Metaverse, or he ran past us at least once in Mementos. Though to be honest, I'm more inclined to lean on the former of those two guesses." Kusa said warily, as Ren and Ryuji's eyes got wide in realization as they both had a thought, the latter of the two speaking up in surprise, gaping as he spoke.

"Wait...FOR REAL!?" Ryuji said in surprise as Ren spoke up, both impressed at Kusa's observation, and surprised he hadn't noticed it himself as he spoke.

"For now, we'll have to keep our guard up, but this new discovery of Kusa's is rather suspect, to be sure." Ren said decisively as Morgana and Kusa nodded their agreement. Ryuji then spoke up once more, his words making both Ann AND Kusa wince as they heard what Ryuji said as he spoke.

"So basically we're saying that Akechi is just a bit sussy baka, as I believe that saying goes?" Ryuji said as Ann facefaulted and spoke up with a glare.

"You don't get it. Also, I never thought I'd hear you saying something like 'sussy baka', Ryuji." Ann said flatly as Ryuji shrugged and spoke up with a smile.

"Eh, it's fine. We'll see him again tomorrow anyways. C'mon, let's go to Dome Town!" Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren nodded their agreement. At that point, the location of 'Suidobashi Dome Town' was added to Ren's map as the group walked off, while Morgana spoke up weakly from on Kusa's shoulder as the group started heading to Dome Town.

"H-Hey, can we skip the vomit machines and get cake instead?" Morgana asked only for his words to fall on deaf ears as the group kept walking...

(Later on, at Dome Town with Kusa, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann)

"I feel like I'm gonna puke...For real, my stomach's churnin'..." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up sagely.

"This is why Kusa and I both spoke up against it." Morgana said as Kusa nodded sagely and spoke up, both pleased that Morgana agreed with him and amused at what he had to tell Ren as he spoke.

"Agreed. At least Yoshizawa wasn't TOO pissed at me when I sent her a private chat to explain why I ducked out on her. She also said to tell Ren hi for her." Kusa said as Ren smiled and made a note to send Kasumi a private chat when he had a chance, just to tell her 'hi' back. Ryuji grunted as he spoke up, glaring at Morgana as he spoke.

"Dude... It's not fair... Usin' your cathood as an excuse... only at times like this..." Ryuji said queasily as Kusa and Morgana glared at him as they spoke up in unison.

"I'M/HE'S NOT A CAT!" Morgana and Kusa both rebuked Ryuji in unison, both blinking and laughing at their synchronicity. Ann laughed as she spoke up.

"Anyway, are you guys feeling hungry? How about some pancakes?" Ann asked with a teasing smile as Kusa huffed and frowned at Ann's mention of pancakes as he spoke up, his apparent distrust and wariness of Akechi easily detectable in his tone as he spoke.

"Don't mention pancakes around me, Ann. While pancakes are amazing, they also serve to remind me about how shady and suspect Akechi seems to be. And while we're on the topic of the studio, REALLY RYUJI? Did you have to mention being a phantom thief that loudly? What if Niijima had tailed us and heard you say that, you dumbass!? Or even worse, what if Akechi had heard you say that while walking over to introduce himself to us? Did you think of that!?" Kusa snapped at Ryuji who winced, looking contritely at Kusa as he spoke up, suitably chastised as he spoke.

"Oh, good point...my bad man." Ryuji said with a wince as Kusa huffed and spoke up, frowning at Ryuji in an unimpressed manner as he spoke.

"You need to learn to moderate your volume and effing watch what the hell you say, Ryuji! Otherwise, you're likelier than not gonna get AT LEAST one of us into freaking trouble with your lack of a filter one of these days." Kusa said huffily as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. That said, let's go home. We have another full day ahead of us tomorrow." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa returned to Leblanc with Morgana...

(That evening at Leblanc with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"Well then...They're gonna film us at the TV station tomorrow, right? Well, try not to stand out too much-that's Ryuji's thing." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the two planning out their next move as they sat at a booth seat...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Wow, yet again I got quite a bit in this chapter! Confidant link building, story scenes, character development for Kusa, the first story-relevant appearance of a certain pancake-obsessed detective, and even some fluff! This chapter had a bit of everything just about. Next chapter should be interesting, since it will have the formation of another new Confidant link for Ren, possibly more story stuff, and most likely some more confidant building!

Hopefully I have you excited for it! Feel free to leave me a review with your thoughts/feedback/critiques/opinions of the story, or leave a PM with that stuff, if not both. I appreciate the input, feedback and support either way! And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

UPDATED CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF CHAPTER 25

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 4

MAGICIAN (Morgana) : Rank 3

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann) : Rank 4

CHARIOT (Ryuji) : Rank 4

STRENGTH: (Justine and Caroline/Twin Wardens) : Rank 1

DEATH (Takemi/Back Alley Doctor) : Rank 5

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 3

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) : Rank 1

WORLD (Kusa) : Rank 3

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 2

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 4