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!

27. Makoto's Demand! Rebellious Queen part 4

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Before I get into the A/N proper, I need to real quick make something clear. While I always appreciate getting reviews (be they guest reviews or reviews from people with accounts), my review section is NOT the place to be advertising your profile and asking for people to review your stories UNLESS you ask me first and I okay it after making sure your links are legit and not spammy at all. So regretfully, I have to say that that's a no-no.

I had a guest reviewer try to use the reviews of this story to get people to review their stories. In fairness to that reviewer, I have no issue with helping people get their stories noticed and the like, but I'd prefer it if it was someone who I could actually give a legitimate vetting before okaying the promoting of their profile in the review section. Odds are if you ask first and I can verify that your links are legit and not spam, I'll allow that, but this person didn't even ask first before posting a link multiple times in the same review, and it wasn't even a iink I could click on.

Granted, I probably could've copy and pasted it, but considering I was fairly busy proofing most of my backlogged chapters for this story at the time (though by the time you're reading this A/N, odds are good I'll be typing out chapter 37, 38 or 39 given I presently have around an 11 chapter backlog of unposted chapters as of the point of typing this A/N), I didn't have time to do so and as I'm not trying to risk my readers getting exposed to who knows what by following un-vetted links, I had to delete the guest review in question (which went up on two different stories I posted, namely this story and the Halloween one-shot I did that was set in canon Royal.)

So yeah, apologies to that guest reviewer, but I'm not taking chances where it concerns both my readers' safety and the potential future of my own account. So yeah, from now on, ask first if you're planning to use my reviews section to advertise your account and/or stories so I can check the link myself to be sure it's legit before I okay it to go into the reviews section. That way I know I'm not going to be exposing my readers (or myself for that matter!) to potential spam or worse. Just erring on the side of caution there.

And with that small tangent out of the way, now I can resume the A/N I was typing! As I was saying, I can't believe this is already chapter 27! Just another 3 chapters after this one, and The Phantom Files will have matched The Amasawa Files on chapter count! Odds are rather good I'd say though that this story might have either come close to or actually succeeded in eclipsing the total word count of that story already. That's rather crazy to consider I'd say.

And on that note, time for the disclaimer per site requirements and routine!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form (excluding Kusa/Draconis and any OTHER OCs that might show up during Kusa's Arc 3 side-arc and any other point in the story) and the credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo, so credit to them!

And with that out of the way, on to chapter 27!

Chapter 27: The President's Request! The Rebellious Queen part 4

(At Leblanc, shortly before the end of chapter 26, with Sojiro, Kusa, Ren, Morgana and Yusuke)

Ren, Yusuke and Kusa walked back into Leblanc after finishing their time at the bathhouse with Ryuji, who'd went on ahead to catch the last train to his house since it'd gotten late. Once they walked in, Sojiro spoke up to get their attention.

"Have fun at the bathhoiuse, you guys?" Sojiro asked as Ren and Yusuke nodded while Kusa spoke up.

"Yeah, pretty much. Though Ryuji just about flipped out when the old guy that was sharing the tub with us kept adding hot water. You'd think the guy had no tolerance for heat or something." Kusa joked, as Ren and Yusuke laughed at the memory of Ryuji's reaction to the extreme heat. Sojiro chuckled, speaking up with an amused tone at the mention of Ryuji's reaction, shaking his head fondly as he spoke.

"That makes sense. I remember not having much tolerance for the hot tub myself when I used to use it. So I can't say I blame the guy." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded.

"I can't blame him either, since it's not his fault he doesn't have a high heat tolerance like most of us do." Kusa said sagely. Ren and Yusuke nodded their agreement as Sojiro spoke up once more.

"Right. That said, I had some time to think, and I think I've figured out a solution to your sleeping arrangement issue." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up, intrigued by Sojiro's remark as he spoke.

"Oh? And what sort of solution did you come up with, pray tell?" Kusa asked Sojiro who smirked as he spoke up.

"I'll tell you, but first why don't we have Ren and Yusuke go get settled in upstairs while I fill you in, Kusa? You can text them with the details after I fill you in." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, as did Ren and Yusuke who headed upstairs, the former gently reaching into Kusa's bag to remove a sleeping Morgana and gently lay him on his shoulder as he went. After they were out of earshot, Sojiro then looked at Kusa as he spoke up, smiling slightly at Kusa as he spoke.

"Now then, since I looked up the price of mattresses and/or inflatable mattresses after noticing there were none around the cafe, I saw that they are ridiculously pricey, with the cheapest being just over 35,000 yen for a twin, so I thought about it and came up with a better idea. Since she knows about and is friends with you, and since you've already been inside of it, I figured rather than break the bank on a likely only temporary fix, I could just invite you to come crash at mine and Futaba's house while Yusuke's staying here.

Mind you, you'd be sleeping on the couch in the living room, since I'm not sure how I feel about you sharing a room with Futaba even temporarily, even if you probably wouldn't take advantage of it. Just the same, I'm going to err on the side of caution and set you up in the living room, if you're fine with that." Sojiro said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"That's more than fair, Sakura-kun. I understand that you're protective of Futaba, so I'm not at all offended by you putting me in the living room to sleep. Besides, I think it might've been just a tad awkward for me and Futaba to share a room at this point anyways, considering that she's still somewhat guarded and/or shy around me, which tracks for how slow of a process getting her to open up to me may be. So this is probably for the best anyways." Kusa replied understandingly, getting an approving nod from Sojiro as he spoke up.

"Good, glad you get it, Kusa. That said, I'd advise grabbing your pajamas and some changes of clothes, just in case Yusuke ends up staying for multiple days, even though you can easily come here after the cafe's empty to get stuff if needed. However, I'd much rather you get what you need now, so that we can get you situated." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"No problem, Sakura-kun. I had a hunch this might be the solution you eventually decided on, so I took the liberty of having my bag pre-packed with what I figured I'd need for a sleepover, namely spare outfits, my pajamas, and a few essentials, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant, the latter for the off chance that Yusuke ends up staying with Ren for longer than a day or two. So I made sure to be prepared, just in case you decided on this solution." Kusa explained to Sojiro, who nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Good. Also, one other rule to lay down for while you stay there: try to keep to the living room and/or kitchen if you can while you're staying with us, unless one of us invites you into our bedroom for whatever reason, which I likelier than not won't, mostly because I'll be home so little due to running Leblanc. On the other hand, Futaba might, if she's feeling comfortable enough and/or sociable enough, offer to let you hang out with her in her room, in which case you can do so, but preferably with the door open, though I can understand if Futaba would rather it be closed. That said, let's get you settled in, yeah?" Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, hefting his bag on his shoulder after zipping it when he noticed that Morgana wasn't in it any longer.

Kusa briefly blinked as he saw this but then smiled, guessing that Ren had carried the not-cat upstairs for him, as he followed Sojiro to the Sakura household, which he'd already been to a few times previously. Once there, Sojiro guided Kusa to the living room and helped him set up the hide-a-bed that was the couch. As the two set it up, Sojiro found himself smirking at the surprised look on Kusa's face as he spoke up after the two finished setting up and making up the hide-a-bed.

"Judging from your expression, you likely hadn't figured out that this couch also has a bed built into it. Which is fine, given the fact that we rarely, if ever, have reason to use it. But this is about as good of a reason as I can think of to use it." Sojiro said, remembering to keep his voice down since not only was it late, but odds were good Futaba might be asleep. Kusa nodded as he spoke up and kept his voice down too.

"Honestly? No, I hadn't realized that this was a hide-a-bed, but that's actually kinda cool, given that you don't see these that often anymore, and hide-a-beds actually kind of rule. I'd know, since I've slept on one a few times before when I was younger. So I don't mind it at all." Kusa said with a smile as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Good. And so you know in case you might've forgotten since the last time you had to get stuff from it for me, the kitchen is just down the hall, and there should be stuff in there to eat. All I ask is that if you do get yourself something, that you clean any dishes you use afterwards since it's a rule in this household that we clean up after ourselves, though to be fair, I more often than not end up doing at least a few of Futaba's dishes anyways, given how shut-in she can be when she wants to.

Also, the remote for the TV should be on the table there, so you can turn it on and put it on whatever you want. However, I do ask you keep the volume fairly low, since it's getting late and the walls here are a tad bit on the thin and hollow side, but not overly so. Lastly, the guest bathroom is just past the kitchen and to the right, though it rarely if ever sees use since Futaba and I have en-suite bathrooms in our bedrooms." Sojiro said as Kusa chuckled softly, easily able to believe that as he spoke up.

"Fair enough, Sakura-kun. Also, I can totally believe that. Futaba, for all that she's sweet, kind and fun to be around, also has a rather obvious shy streak to her, but she's gradually getting better at not being as shy. Luckily, the both of us are patient men, so we can wait for her to get over it at her own pace." Kusa said sagely as Sojiro nodded approvingly, patting Kusa on the shoulder as he spoke up, wholeheartedly agreeing with Kusa's assessment as he spoke.

"Indeed we can. You're a smart man, Kusa. If she does wind up being drawn to you, I think Futaba did a good job with her choice of guys. Granted, just because I somewhat respect you doesn't mean I necessarily approve of the two of you being more than friends, if and/or when it gets to that point. But I also don't disapprove of it either. I'm just taking a 'wait and see' stance on that, if that makes sense." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded approvingly as he spoke up quietly.

"I understand that perfectly, Sakura-kun." Kusa said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up at hearing Kusa refer to him by his last name, being reminded of something else as he spoke.

"Also, while you're staying in this house, you don't have to refer to me by last name. While you're here and it's just us, you can call me Sojiro if you want, Kusa. But only while you're in this house. While outside this house, you can keep referring to me as Sakura-kun, or as sir if you prefer." Sojiro said to Kusa, who blinked at this, but nodded and spoke up, surprised by Sojiro's offer but pleased by it, since he saw it as a sign of Sojiro trying to, at least to a point, open up to/bond with Kusa which made him nod happily.

"I see. As you wish, Sak-err, I mean Sojiro. Good thing you only want me calling you by your name here, since that's gonna take some getting used to, I think." Kusa said with a chuckle as Sojiro nodded approvingly and spoke up once more.

"Oh, I'm sure it will. But for now, it's getting late, so let's get ready for bed, yeah? After all, I have to be up early in the morning to open Leblanc, and you have to be up early to not only get ready for school, but make sure Ren and Yusuke get ready too, even if they go to different schools from each other." Sojiro said sagely as Kusa nodded.

"Point well taken, Sojiro." Kusa said agreeably as Sojiro headed towards his bedroom while Kusa quickly and silently changed into his pajamas before putting the TV on a music channel on low so he could listen to music as background noise while he dozed off, figuring it would make a good stand-in for the sounds of Morgana's purring that he was used to hearing. Of course, what neither Sojiro nor Kusa had accounted for in their discussion was that Futaba would happen to listen in from her doorway, her eyes widening minutely in surprise at hearing that Kusa was staying with her and Sojiro for an undisclosed amount of time.

The next morning, after Sojiro got up super-early to go open up Leblanc, Futaba slipped out of her bedroom to put her dishes away in the sink and get a drink from the kitchen as well as stretch her legs. Once in the living room, Futaba blinked in surprise as she saw the TV on, before she noticed the hide-a-bed was set up, making her gaze wander until she saw the lean but athletically built leg poking out from under the blankets on the hide-a-bed. Once she got over her surprise, Futaba's eyes wound up eventually following the leg to what appeared to be a sheet of rust-brown hair falling over Kusa's shoulders as he was curled up with the blanket, dozing peacefully on the hide-a-bed.

This had the result of making Futaba briefly blink and stare a bit as she looked Kusa's sleeping form over, pleased at what she saw, before she would then smirk in amusement as she quietly walked over and switched off the TV before putting away her dishes and getting her drink, right as she heard a soft but masculine grunt as she saw Kusa slowly sitting up and stretching as he woke up, blinking as he noticed the TV off.

After this, he stretched a bit more before eventually reaching over to grab his tie-off from the table next to him as he proceeded to pull his hair into its' usual ponytail, pausing as he went to get dressed as he heard the sink going in the kitchen, slowly turning his head and first blinking then going wide-eyed as he saw Futaba in the kitchen doing dishes, quickly getting dressed while he had the chance. Fortunately, he chose a good time to do so, for once he'd finished, Futaba walked out and smirked as she saw Kusa moving around and making the bed, smirking as she spoke up, an amused look on her face as she saw the surprise in Kusa's eyes as she spoke.

"Morning, Kusa. Gotta be honest, I wasn't expecting to wake up and find you crashed in the living room, but I suppose it could be much worse." Futaba joked warily as Kusa smiled at Futaba and spoke up, chuckling at Futaba's attempt at humor as he spoke.

"Morning to you too, Taba. I assure you, this wasn't planned. To make a long story short, one of mine and Ren's friends basically volunteered Ren and I to put up another of our friends for a while, without consulting us first no less, so after a bit of scramble, your dad eventually decided on just having me come crash on your sofa while Yusuke, or the friend that we're apparently putting up, stays over at Leblanc with Ren in my usual sleeping spot. But I suppose it is what it is. Besides, it kind of worked out for the best, if only because I got this chance to speak with you like this." Kusa said with a winsome smirk as Futaba nodded before shyly speaking up.

"Y-Yeah, that's true. I'd say let's hang out, but don't you have school to get to?" Futaba asked Kusa with a smirk making his eyes go wide as he swore under his breath before speaking up with a nod, not seeing the amused smirk on Futaba's face at his lack of filter around her.

"That's true. I do have to get to school, since I doubt your dad sprung to get me time off while Yusuke's staying at Leblanc. But I'm sure we'll have time after school to hang out, so don't think I'm trying to duck out on spending time with you Taba, because I'm absolutely not doing that. I quite enjoy hanging out with you. Not only are you funny, you're cool, smart and fun to be around. But most importantly, you're quite sweet and adorable, to an extent. So yeah, never doubt that I enjoy spending time with you." Kusa said honestly, making Futaba look at him in surprise before eventually giving Kusa one of the few genuine smiles she'd given anyone, that she could recall at least, as she spoke up.

"D-Do you really feel that way, Kusa? I mean sure, I knew you at least respected me, but I didn't think you liked me?" Futaba asked uncertainly. Kusa nodded with a reassuring smile as he spoke up, looking into Futaba's eyes as he spoke.

"Of course I feel that way, Taba. I know I don't say so a lot, but that's more out of not wanting to make you uncomfortable with or wary of me. I quite like that you feel you can confide in me. You don't seem like you have a lot of people in your life you can confide in, but ideally I'm hopeful I can at least get you to open up, even if it's only to me and your dad, and no one else. You don't have to keep dealing with things by yourself, Futaba.

Your dad and I are both here for you and want to help you however we can, but we can only do that if you're willing to open up to us first. We can't make you do that, any more than we can tell you what to think or how to feel. That's all stuff you have to figure out for yourself." Kusa said gently but sagely to Futaba who shyly smiled as she spoke up.

"Th-Thank you, Kusa. Now, as much as I'd like to keep having this conversation with you, you should really get going before you miss your train to school and have to take a long walk." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and gently pulled Futaba into a brief hug as he spoke up.

"Fair enough. Unless something comes up, odds are I'll try to make my way back this direction after school if you want to hang out more then." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and nodded as she spoke up with a bit more confidence, keeping her gaze on Kusa's eyes as she spoke, even as she had to make herself not flush in embarrassment from Kusa's hug.

"Y-Yeah, I think I'd like that a lot. I'll try to keep the front door unlocked so you can come on in if you do make your way this direction." Futaba said as Kusa frowned warily before he eventually shook his head and spoke up, crossing his arms before looking at Futaba as he spoke..

"No, don't do that. To be honest, that's not the best idea, Taba. If anything, I'll send you a private chat to let you know I'm coming if I end up heading this way, so you can unlock the door ahead of time, but I don't want you leaving your house open like that all day. Apart from Sojiro possibly having a fit if he came back to his house being unlocked, he'd probably skin me if I let you leave yourself vulnerable like that, and I wouldn't blame him one bit, as I would absolutely deserve it for being that foolish as to take any chances where it comes to you. Now be good, and with any luck I'll see you after school, yeah?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded happily, smiling at Kusa as she spoke up, excited despite herself at the prospect of spending time with Kusa, since something about him intrigued her, even if she wasn't exactly sure what it was as she spoke.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Futaba said as Kusa nodded before he then surprised her, and probably himself as well, by quickly pecking Futaba on the cheek as he spoke up.

"That was both to even the score from when you did it to me, and also because I can. See you later." Kusa said as he grabbed his bag and hurried to get to the train station, leaving a gaping, and slightly red-faced, Futaba behind who just gaped as she held a hand to the spot where Kusa had kissed her, not having expected that outcome when she decided to speak to him. Two seconds later, she blinked in realization as she realized a detail she'd overlooked that made her quietly swear under her breath as she muttered quietly to herself.

"CRAP! Isn't today a Sunday!?" Futaba said to herself in annoyance. Fortunately, Kusa walked back in two seconds later, not having gotten far before he'd realized as well that it was a Sunday, before chuckling and turning around to make his way back the way he'd came, since he had a free day to do so, smiling at a sheepish-looking Futaba as he spoke up after giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he spoke.

"Tell me something, Taba. Exactly when was it going to occur to you that today was a Sunday, you silly minx? There's no school on Sundays. Granted, I can't yell at you for forgetting that since I didn't think of it at first either. But on the upside, that means we get to hang out after all. So that's good, I'd say. Of course, I should probably make sure I properly made the bed and stuff first. After all, it wouldn't do to leave a messy space for your dad to come home to, now would it?" Kusa said, as Futaba nodded her agreement and the two made sure the living room was cleaned up and straightened up.

As they did so, Futaba watched Kusa as he went about putting away the hide-a-bed for the time being while Futaba handled folding up the blankets and sheets and setting them in the closet next to the living room so Kusa could easily find them if and/or when the time came to set the hide-a-bed back up. After that, Futaba shyly smiled and looked at Kusa as she spoke up, both pleased that Kusa was there with her and slightly embarrassed that she'd forgotten that it was a Sunday previously as she spoke.

"I suppose since we're hanging out, we can go in my room if you want?" Futaba said shyly to Kusa, who nodded agreeably, even though internally he was both shocked and pleased she was making the invitation herself. Apart from it being a sign of progress, it was also encouraging to Kusa, since it showed him that Futaba was making strides to not be so anti-social, which he viewed as a good thing. As the two headed to Futaba's room to hang out, Kusa idly wondered how things were going with Ren and Yusuke...

(The night before, at the attic of Leblanc, with Ren, Yusuke and Morgana)

"Let's get laid down, you two. It's late." Morgana said pointedly to Ren and Yusuke who nodded, the latter speaking up as the trio laid down.

"You needn't worry about breakfast for me tomorrow. I'll be fine with some grilled fish and miso soup." Yusuke said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"I think we have the ingredients for miso soup, but I think Morgana ate all the grilled fish if I'm not mistaken." Ren said. He then spoke up once more.

"Let's get some sleep, Yusuke. It's been a long, and enlightening, day, yeah?" Ren said as Yusuke nodded his agreement, the two going to bed at that point with Morgana curling up inside of Ren's bag to sleep since it was the closest thing to being able to curl up with Kusa...

(That night, in the Velvet Room with Igor, Caroline, Justine and Ren)

"The prisoner Ren Amamiya has returned." Justine said as Caroline huffed at Ren and spoke up.

"How many times do we have to tell you this? You're in the presence of our master, so would it kill you to stand up straight!?" Caroline said to Ren who stood up as he grabbed the bars of his cell as Igor spoke up.

"The bonds that you have reeled in are quite intriguing...In other words, they all have been unfairly labeled by society and are standing up against such fates. Have you noticed? They seem to have influenced you." Igor said before chuckling as he kept speaking up.

"Heh, these picaresque dissidents of society...Deepen your bonds with them. Those will become the strength behind your rehabilitation...I look forward to it. I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May you continue devoting yourself to further rehabilitation." Igor said as Ren nodded, feeling as if his bond with Igor had grown still deeper.

As a result, at that moment the 'Fool' card materialized in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Fool Confidant link with Igor had reached Rank 5, and as a result, Igor had allowed Ren to become cognizant of the power of 'Super Stock', which upped his max amount of Personas he could hold at once from 8 to 10. Afterwards, Igor spoke up once more.

"It's almost time..." Igor said as the chimes went off to signal the end of Ren and Igor's conversation...

(The next day, around the same time as Kusa and Futaba's conversation, in an unknown location with Akechi and Niijima)

Makoto was walking off to tend to some errands when she heard her name called and stopped, turning around in surprise as she saw a certain ace detective walking up to her.

"Good, I caught you. You're Sae-san's younger sister, correct? May I talk to you for a moment?" Akechi said to Niijima, who turned to face Akechi with a dry chuckle as she spoke up, both amused and surprised that Akechi was seeking her out as she spoke.

"Is it about the Phantom Thieves...Akechi-kun?" Niijima asked Akechi who simply nodded, pleased by how perceptive Niijima was as he spoke up.

"You're quite perceptive. I was wondering if there were any points in common between Kamoshida's and Madarame's cases. There have been victims, after all. The Phantom Thieves need to be pursued." Akechi said as Niijima stroked her chin in thought before she spoke up, fixing Akechi with an amused look as she spoke.

"You criticize the Phantom Thieves, yet you don't doubt their actual existence." Niijima said making Akechi get a closed-eye smirk on his face as he spoke up.

"Oh, you saw that show on TV. Common sense can get in the way at times when pursuing the truth." Akechi said, his eyes opening back up as he crossed his arms and smirked as he kept speaking.

"Many details become logical if I think on the premise that they do exist." Akechi said as Niijima winced and spoke up.

"Is this...because my sister told you to do so?" Niijima asked Akechi, who once more did a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"It was just a coincidence." Akechi said as Niijima huffed as she spoke up, giving Akechi an unimpressed glance as she spoke.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're enjoying this?" Niijima asked Akechi, who grinned more as he spoke up.

"You may be right." Akechi said simply, making Niijima blink in surprise as her red eyes widened slightly at Akechi's response as she spoke up.

"Huh?" Makoto said in surprise as Akechi's eyes also opened up and he spoke up in a more casual tone.

"Phantom thieves that use calling cards and succeed in their crime...As the so-called 'Charismatic Detective', it'd be hard for me not to see them as my rivals." Akechi said as Niijima huffed and spoke up in a dry tone, unaware that what she was about to say would eventually be echoed down the line a ways by a certain ponytailed male first-year as she spoke.

"You have such high self-esteem. So...The Phantom Thieves are evil, and you are just?" Niijima asked Akechi who smirked as he spoke up after briefly stroking his chin in thought as he spoke up.

"Compared to people who manipulate others' hearts as they see fit, I believe I'm on the side of justice. Besides, I'm only using my natural-born talents for the sake of serving the world. Heh, don't you think the same about yourself too?" Akechi said to Niijima, who blinked at this before looking away uncertainly as she spoke up.

"I-" Niijima said before Akechi cut her off by speaking up, his words both surprising and annoying her.

"Oh, that's surprising. So you're just the good-girl type of pushover." Akechi said in a condescending tone before looking at his phone and speaking up once more.

"Oh, looks like it's starting soon." Akechi said as he gave Niijima a closed-eye smirk and spoke up once more.

"See you later. Give Sae-san my regards." Akechi said as he walked off, leaving Niijima to sigh as she looked down with an almost sad expression on her face as she spoke to herself.

"...Why does everyone get on my case?" Niijima said as she sighed and walked off...

(Around that same time, at Leblanc with Sojiro and Yusuke)

Yusuke smiled as he took a sip of coffee, speaking up politely yet appreciatively.

"Ah, it's such a delight to enjoy coffee of this quality." Yusuke said as Sojiro smirked appreciatively as he spoke up, pleased with the compliment he'd gotten from Yusuke.

"You could stay until you find a place, you know. I can't promise it'd be comfortable here though." Sojiro said as Yusuke nodded gratefully before speaking up.

"Thank you, but I'll return to the dorms. I realized something after talking with everyone last night. Perhaps it's due to my upbringing, but I don't know anything of the world, let alone other people. If I'm to depict people in my art, I need to learn about them. I must interact with them more. I'll return to the dorms...and start over by talking with the people closest to me." Yusuke said as Sojiro stroked his chin in surprise, inexplicably drawn to mind of a male, if slightly more outgoing and sociable, version of Futaba in Yusuke as he spoke up, idly noting with a smile that Yusuke also reminded him of a not as outgoing Kusa to a point as he spoke.

"I see. Good on you for realizing that yourself." Sojiro said as Yusuke just nodded and spoke up.

"There's no need to exaggerate. May I come again sometime to enjoy your coffee?" Yusuke asked as Sojiro chuckled and nodded as he spoke up.

"My doors are always open." Sojiro said, idly hoping Ren ended up more like Kusa and Yusuke as Yusuke spoke up once more.

"Ren's been through a lot too, from what I've heard...Are you related to him?" Yusuke asked, making Sojiro blink at the question before chuckling as he spoke up.

"Huh? Oh...How would I describe it...We're just acquaintances. Not family or anything." Sojiro said, not adding that he was glad for that if only because it'd make things very awkward for Kusa and Futaba if he had been related to Ren. Yusuke then spoke up once more with a wary tone.

"I may be overstepping my bounds, but why did you decide to take Ren and Kusa in?" Yusuke asked as Sojiro blinked the question as he spoke up.

"My reason, huh? fHeh-heh, probably because Ren reminds me of my old self, and Kusa reminds me slightly of a younger me, if a bit more polite and obedient than I was at his age." Sojiro said as Yusuke blinked in surprise at this response as he spoke up.

"That's all?" Yusuke said as Sojiro chuckled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Eh, you know how it is. Sympathy makes you do stupid things sometimes. Your art instructor- umm, 'former' art instructor...He must've felt something for you too, besides just stealing your talents." Sojiro said as Yusuke nodded understandingly before smiling sadly as he spoke up.

"Truth be told... I cannot hate him from the depths of my heart either. Ugh, I should probably get going..." Yusuke said as Sojiro looked over at the 'Sayuri' which Yusuke had surprisingly hung up on the wall in an empty part of the wall the night before as a gesture of gratitude to Sojiro for letting him stay at Leblanc as he spoke up.

"Hey, you sure about this? The painting, I mean. It'd be a waste to keep here." Sojiro said as Yusuke chuckled and spoke up to explain his decision to a confused Sojiro.

"Even if I kept it at the dorms, it'd only be met with skepticism. I doubt it would want that. Adding a hint of color to an otherwise ordinary day...I'm sure my mother would've done the same." Yusuke said as Sojiro blinked before smiling and nodding as he spoke up.

"I see. I'll hold on to it for you then." Sojiro said as Yusuke nodded politely as he spoke up once more.

"Thank you for the coffee." Yusuke said as he got up and grabbed his bags before looking over at Sojiro once more and speaking up.

"...I'll come again." Yusuke said decisively as he left...

(Later that morning, in the attic with Ren and Morgana)

Morgana frowned at Ren as he finally woke up, huffing as he spoke up.

"HEY! You're finally awake." Morgana said as Ren looked around before blinking as he realized that something, or someone, was missing. He then spoke up with a glance at Morgana.

"Wait, where's Yusuke?" Ren asked Morgana who spoke up, not sure of that himself.

"He wasn't around when I woke up. He must be downstairs." Morgana said as Ren nodded and decided to check downstairs, making Sojiro blink when he saw Ren come downstairs.

"Hey, you up? ...You're finally up. You know it's past noon. That kid ended up going back to his dorms." Sojiro said before nodding towards the 'Sayuri', which Ren noticed was hanging on the wall, as Sojiro kept speaking.

"He left this painting before he took off, though. Supposedly to thank us for taking care of him." Sojiro said as Ren noticed the painting and blinked as he spoke up.

"The 'Sayuri'...How nice of him. Maybe I should learn from his example when it comes to gratitude." Ren said contemplatively. Sojiro nodded agreeably as he spoke up.

"Hmph, maybe you should. But that said, it's rare to see a kid acting so grateful these days. And this painting is amazing. Not only is the mother stunning, but the expression on her face...The regulars will probably freak out when they see it in here. Still...I feel like I've seen it somewhere. It's a bit different from how I remember it, though...Well, if you're up for the day, go on and get dressed. I opened shop hours ago, so go take the cat out somewhere." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and went to get dressed. Once he'd gotten dressed, his phone went off to signify a private chat from Yusuke.

"Thank you again for letting me stay the night. Apologies for leaving so quietly, but your rest seemed peaceful. After a great deal of inner struggle, I have decided to return to the dormitories. Furthermore, I've entrusted the 'Sayuri' to your protector, Sojiro. That painting should no longer exist in reality...but it is truly what my mother painted. I am simply satisfied we were able to obtain it. And it was all because of you guys. I cannot thank you enough. P.S.: I still believe porridge is the best way to end a hot pot." Yusuke sent as Ren put his phone away after reading the chat as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, hey...So Yusuke went home, huh? Oh well, I guess that's best. Too bad it turned out we only had to make the arrangements we did for the one night. But I'm sure Kusa's just as glad to have the extra time with Futaba." Morgana said teasingly, making Ren smirk as he wondered what his brother was doing at that moment. However, he wouldn't get long to wonder as his phone once more went off, this time signifying a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Kusa, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Yo, I just checked the Phan-Site. There's some kinda thread on there looking for info about burglars using the Phantom Thieves name. Sounds pretty lame to me." Ryuji sent as both Ren and Kusa frowned at the mention of the burglars, but Ann sent a response before either had a chance to do so.

"Oh, I saw that too. They target restaurants, right? I actually found a really interesting post on there. It says, 'My brother has suddenly started acting violent towards everyone. I might end up getting killed at this rate...I wonder if it's because he got caught up with all those weird people in Shibuya.' Kind of odd, right?" Ann sent as Kusa and Ren both huffed at the mention of someone's brother acting violent, the former sending a response.

"First of all, you guys are effing lucky I happened to be in the kitchen when this chat went off, and not in Futaba's room, since the constant sounds would've probably freaked her out. That said, I take offense to the idea that someone's brother is acting that violent. Makes both Ren and I look bad, as brothers. Also, how dare they take the Phantom Thieves' name in vain like that!?" Kusa sent in his usual dry but blunt manner as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Yeah, I getcha, Kusa. That said, you think he means those burglars when he's talking about them 'weird people'?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"It may be too soon to assume that." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"The post said he started spending a bunch of money lately, too...Isn't that kind of suspicious? I wonder how many burglar groups there even are in Shibuya..." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response again.

"Damn, things're really starting to get serious." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a reply at that point.

"First of all, I'm not surprised you're spending time with Futaba given you ended up crashing at Sakura-kun's house last night so Yusuke could have the sofa. That said, I feel like we should look into this, but what do you guys think we should do?" Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I guess I'm interested in looking into this burglar group thing." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response in front of Yusuke's response.

"To be fair Ren, it wasn't exactly planned to hang out with her, but when I woke up to her doing dishes in the kitchen and the TV off, I couldn't exactly be rude and ignore her, now could I? Besides, if you'd seen the surprised if warily happy look on her face when she saw me moving around, you'd have been pleased too. That said, I concur we should look into those burglars, if only to punish the jerks for trying to copy us!" Kusa sent. Yusuke then sent a response.

"Although how exactly will we go about investigating?" Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"We'll go to Shibuya in the middle of the night and catch them all red-handed!" Ann sent as Ryuji, Ren, and even Kusa's eyes all went wide at that, as Ryuji sent a response.

"No way. The police'd totally nab us if we were out that late." Ryuji sent as Morgana spoke up at that point even though only Ren could hear him.

"Plus it would be bad if the chief knew you and Kusa were out in the middle of the night." Morgana said as Yusuke sent a response at that moment.

"Hm, if they target restaurants...Aha! What if we drew them to Leblanc?" Yusuke sent as both Ryuji and Kusa sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"I'm sorry...WHAT!? Did you seriously JUST suggest that we use Leblanc as bait, Yusuke!?" Kusa sent in stunned disbelief and annoyance, as Ryuji sent his response.

"What!? Are you for real?" Ryuji sent as Morgana winced and spoke up to add his two cents in.

"There's no way...Who would go after a shop like this?" Morgana pointed out as Ann sent a response at that moment.

"Wouldn't that cause a lot of trouble for Boss?" Ann sent as both Ren and Kusa blinked at Ann's response, both mouthing 'Boss!?' under their breath in disbelief, but also not disagreeing with the nickname. Yusuke then sent another response, seemingly not seeing the feedback his last response had gotten.

"Think about it. 'Leblanc Targeted!' It seems like a viable plan to me..." Yusuke sent as Ren frowned and sent a response.

"I get where you're coming from Yusuke, but that's a horrible idea. First of all, you do realize that would very likely get both me AND Kusa kicked out if Leblanc did get targeted, never mind the fact that it'd probably also get both Sakura-kun AND Futaba exceedingly pissed at Kusa." Ren sent as Kusa sent his own response to add in his two cents.

"No offense Yusuke, but you're a bigger moron than Ryuji tends to be if you think that plan is viable. In addition to what Ren said, you're also putting the 'Sayuri' at risk! Or did you forget you entrusted it to Sojiro just this morning!?" Kusa sent irately, both stunned and furious that Yusuke would suggest such a stupid plan. Ryuji sent a response then.

"Kusa, you're lucky I know you meant that as a joke, man. Also yup, terrible idea. I mean, Ren AND Kusa'd both get kicked outta Leblanc if it failed." Ryuji sent. Yusuke blinked as he remembered something else that Kusa had pointed out as he sent a response again.

"Oh, I suppose I left the 'Sayuri' there as well. I had forgotten." Yusuke sent as Ren and Kusa both facefaulted on reading that, the latter being glad he used the counter to catch himself mid-facefault so he didn't hurt himself facefaulting. Ryuji then sent a response that unintentionally echoed Kusa's exact thoughts at that moment.

"How'd you forget something that important!?" Ryuji sent as Kusa and Ann sent replies close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Truth, Ryuji! Also next time you're going to type something facefault-worthy Yusuke, do it when I'm not in a kitchen! If I hadn't caught myself in time, I'd have probably seriously hurt myself facefaulting, since this kitchen has some sharp-edged counters." Kusa sent as Ann sent her response.

"Either way...I don't really want more thieves to be posing as us in the future. I wish there was some way we could make an example of these ones..." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"There is...but I'm guessing you mean a legitimate way of making an example of these thieves." Kusa sent as Ren and Ryuji laughed at Kusa's response as Yusuke sent a response of his own.

"Indeed. That said, at the moment, our lack of info means we will just have to wait. We can continue searching for more info whenever possible, though." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yeah." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I'm gonna try looking for stuff too!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I see...Maybe we should all do some looking of our own. That said, I should probably get back to hanging with Futaba since I was supposed to be getting her and I drinks, which was what I was originally doing when this chat went down." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away at that point.

After weighing his options, Ren decided to take a shift at the flower shop he'd gotten a job at after selling some excess armors and stuff to Iwai to make about 16,000 yen before spending 5,000 of that yen to buy the Proficiency Aojiru so it'd stop being in stock, netting Ren a small bump to his Proficiency. After that, Ren bought some Bio Nutrients and then decided to do a shift at the shop. As he did so, he idly wondered what Kusa and Futaba were up to...

(At that same time, at the Sakura house with Futaba and Kusa, after the group chat)

Kusa huffed as he put his phone away, resisting the urge to cuss Yusuke out in his head for the utter stupidity and gall he'd shown in suggesting Leblanc be used as bait for burglars, as he went about getting the drinks Futaba had asked for and heading back to her room after knocking first to be let in rather than just barging in, making Futaba smile shyly as she let Kusa in, seeing he'd gotten the drinks.

"Good, you did get them. You were taking a bit, so I was worried maybe you couldn't find them." Futaba said honestly as Kusa smiled and spoke up reassuringly.

"No, I found them rather easily. The delay was because Ren and I's friends thought that right when I got into a kitchen would be a fantastic time for a group chat. Needless to say, I'm glad they did at least wait until then to do so, since I'm not sure if you would've jumped from all the times my phone wound up going off during that group chat. And I would rather not freak you out or startle you if I can help it." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"While it might have startled me at first, I wouldn't have minded in the long run, Kusa. After all, I wouldn't dream of telling you to ignore your friends just for little old me. Even though I sense you'd have done so in a heartbeat if I'd asked you to." Futaba said shyly as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"I totally would have too. I don't think you realize it yet Taba, but within reason, I'd do most anything for you if I thought it'd help you." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled happily and spoke up, feeling both pleased and a little embarrassed by Kusa's honest response as she spoke.

"I can tell you mean that, which makes me very happy, Kusa. However, I wouldn't ask you to be so selfish. That's one of the things I admire most about you, the fact that you're so kind, selfless and caring. Never change that, Kusa." Futaba said honestly as Kusa smiled before speaking up, giving Futaba a charming, or what he hoped was charming, grin as he spoke, enjoying the subtle hints of mixed red and pink on her cheeks as she looked at him.

"I have no intentions of changing anything about myself. After all, it's not much of a sincere change if you're not being true to yourself, now is it?" Kusa said sagely as Futaba nodded, accepting her drink from Kusa as she gestured for him to sit next to her, which he eventually did with only slight surprise. Futaba then spoke up.

"Soo, what kind of stuff do you like to do for fun, Kusa? I think we discussed this before, but i don't always remember our discussions, since I tend to forget things when I get lost in my own mind, which happens more often than you'd think." Futaba asked as Kusa smiled and spoke up, recalling Futaba mentioning that previously as he spoke.

"Honestly, when I have free time, I'm usually either seen hanging out with friends, reading, or on occasion gaming. Yes, I might not look it, but I am, to some extent, a gamer." Kusa replied making Futaba look at him in a mix of surprise and intrigue, agreeing that Kusa didn't exactly look the part of a gamer as she spoke up, looking Kusa over as she spoke.

"Oh-ho...A gamer, you say? And what sort of games have you played?" Futaba asked Kusa who smiled as he spoke up, pleased with the attention Futaba was giving him as he spoke.

"Mainly older-school NES, Super NES, Genesis, N64 and a few PlayStation and Xbox titles. But before Ren and I moved here, I was getting big into strategy and shooter games." Kusa said by way of response, making Futaba smile happily at his response as she spoke up, amused by Kusa's answer as she spoke.

"I see...I myself was more of a puzzle/RPG type gamer, but I also dabble in shooters and strategy from time to time." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Ah yes, forgot about RPGs for a moment. I also played a lot of those. RPGs are the best games to play when you're alone and don't have friends to play games with, like you yourself probably haven't had much of in your life, and like I myself used to be when I was younger." Kusa said as Futaba looked at Kusa in surprise as she spoke up with wide eyes at what Kusa had told her as she spoke.

"You? A shut-in? Are you serious, or are you just messing with me?" Futaba asked incredulously as Kusa laughed and spoke up, giving Futaba a reassuring smile as he spoke.

"Not at all, Taba. I'm both very serious when I say that, and not at all messing with you. When I was younger, I had a brief shut-in phase when my life got uprooted at a fairly young age. Thankfully, both Ren and our mother got me out of it, though I nearly had another shut-in phase recently when I got basically ordered to follow Ren here as his overseer because his luck's so crummy, he can't even save a woman from a messy situation without getting himself unfairly sued and labeled a dangerous flight risk.

I still think that ruling is bullcrap, but it is what it is I suppose. And really, it might just be a blessing in disguise, because had it not happened, and caused Ren and I to be allowed lodging in the attic at Leblanc, I'd have never had to run that errand here for your dad and gotten to meet you. So maybe it wasn't all bad that that happened, at that." Kusa said, not seeing Futaba's jaw drop as she listened to what Kusa had had to say, eventually smiling as she spoke up.

"I...see. I apologize for doubting you when you said you were a former shut-in. I can see I was wrong to do so. If you don't mind my asking, was it hard for you to break that habit?" Futaba asked Kusa who smiled and gently patted Futaba's hand reassuringly as he answered her.

"A little, but once you make the initial effort and start trying to be outspoken and go out and about, in time it'll slowly get easier, until you find yourself not even batting an eyelid when you're outside, much less when you're socializing with people, which admittedly will probably be one of the harder parts while you're slowly getting used to being outspoken, since sometimes it'll be easy to retreat back into your proverbial shell when you get nervous or frightened.

However, if you do decide to try being less of a shut-in and more sociable, you won't have to do so alone. I'll be there to help in whatever way I can, even if it's just to give you moral support and have your back. But if that's what you want to do, know that I believe in you, because I have faith that you can do anything you put your mind to, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba smiled at Kusa's words, a bit surprised at him calling her 'Taba', but finding she didn't mind it that much as she spoke up.

"Th-Thank you, Kusa. I might consider slowly easing out of my shut-in ways in time, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for it just now. Does that make sense?" Futaba asked Kusa who nodded, gently smiling at Futaba as he spoke up, pleased by her honesty as he spoke.

"Of course it does. And there's no hurry on it. You can take your time, Taba. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day." Kusa said as Futaba nodded, shyly speaking up at that point.

"Fair enough. Rather than speaking a bunch, what say we play some video games to pass the time? It's been awhile since I had someone to play multiplayer games with." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and nodded.

"But of course! I'd be delighted to do some gaming with you, Taba. Though let me give you fair warning, don't take it too personally if I get a tad bit salty when gaming if i lose. I've been known on occasion to not be the most gracious of losers, though I am working on it as best I can." Kusa said honestly as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"I'm fine with that, since I get the same way. And honestly, I do hope you give me a challenge. I could use a worthy opponent to make me push the full limits of my skills." Futaba said as Kusa grinned and spoke up, making Futaba gape at him with what he said next as he spoke.

"Be careful what you wish for, Futaba. Mwehehehe, you might just get more than you expected." Kusa said teasingly as Futaba's jaw dropped and she spoke up.

"And WHERE did you learn that sort of a laugh?" Futaba asked in surprise as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Would you believe me if I said one of my friends laughs like that, so I picked it up from them?" Kusa said, which was the truth. Futaba nodded, giving Kusa a shy smile as she spoke up, looking into Kusa's eyes as she spoke.

"Yep, I would definitely believe that since it makes sense. This friend of yours, whoever they are, sounds cool." Futaba said as Kusa nodded, trying not to laugh at the idea that Futaba thought Morgana was cool. He then spoke up again.

"I'll be sure to tell Morgana, who is a guy before you ask, that you said that. That said, what sort of video game did you want to play, Taba?" Kusa asked Futaba, who eventually picked out a game and put it on, as she and Kusa started gaming...

(Meanwhile, back at the Underground Mall with Ren and Morgana)

After a bit, Ren approached the clerk working the counter of the flower shop and spoke up.

"Excuse me, is this Rafflesia? I'm Ren Amamiya, and I recently took a job here. I was told to come here when I was available, and I'm available." Ren said as the clerk nodded as she spoke up.

"Ah, so you're Amamiya-kun. Yes, the owner is here. If you'll wait just one moment, I'll go fetch her so she can get you started on the job." The clerk said with a bow as Ren nodded and waited patiently. After a bit, the clerk returned with a dark-haired female who was slightly shorter than Ren. The female looked at Ren and then spoke up.

"So you're Ren Amamiya? Nice to meet you. I'm Megumi Hanasaki, the owner of this shop. I'll do everything myself today, so you can just observe me and try to learn the ropes. Well, let's begin! Good luck!" Hanasaki said as Ren eventuallyk put on the offered apron as Morgana laughed and spoke up.

"HEY! Pfft...That apron suits you. So very macho." Morgana teased Ren, who glared at the not-cat, but didn't answer him as he kept observing Hanasaki. After some time, Hanasaki spoke to Ren once more.

"Here! Well, here's your pay for today!" Hanasaki said as she handed Ren 3,200 yen. Hanasaki then spoke up once more.

"You did great! Good work, Ren-kun. Come back again when you have the time." Hanasaki said as Ren nodded and changed out of his uniform. Once he'd left, Morgana spoke up.

"How're you feeling? Nice job. You worked pretty hard today. Still, I bet this job making gifts has boosted your Kindness." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his Kindness increased. Afterwards, Morgana spoke up once more.

"Wanna head back? All right, we should head home." Morgana said as Ren nodded and went back to Leblanc with Morgana...

(That evening at Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren got back into Leblanc, stopping to exchange the usual curt nod of greeting with Sojiro, his phone went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Kusa, Ann, and Yusuke, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"So, whaddya wanna do about our next big target?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke and Kusa blinked as they read the response, the former sending a response while Ann and Ren just shrugged.

"Well that's sudden." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent another response.

"Well, after what that guy said, sitting around doing nothing just pisses me off!" Ryuji sent as Kusa simply nodded to Ryuji's response as Ann sent her own response right then.

"You're talking about Akechi-kun, right? I know how you feel." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Ah, that high-school detective." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response then, unable to help himself.

"Technically you're not wrong Yusuke, except you forgot the 'and resident condescending son of a bitch/egocentric jackass' part of that description." Kusa sent as Ryuji actually laughed when he read Kusa's response, managing to calm himself enough to send one of his own.

"Truth, Kusa! I couldn't have phrased that better myself. But back on topic, He'd hafta shut up if we changed another person's heart." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"Perhaps. But there's no guarantees where it comes to Akechi-kun. And let's not forget what Kusa pointed out about him the other day." Ren sent. Kusa and Ryuji nodded approvingly, as the latter sent a response.

"Definitely! Also, that's true. Kusa's instincts usually are pretty on point, for the most part." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"But he did mention that the police are starting to mobilize...Either way, I don't think we should leave Akechi-kun be." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"This is the perfect time to meet and discuss what our strategy should be going forward. Let us gather at the hideout tomorrow." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That should be fine, provided I can figure out a way to slip over that way without Futaba getting suspicious. She's a lot smarter than she looks, Futaba is. She's also a crazy gamer though, as well. She literally destroyed me ten times in a row at Perfect Dark! TEN TIMES! And I rarely lose! Sheesh. And as far as Akechi-kun goes, I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow ends up being connected to that guy in the black mask." Kusa sent as Ren's eyes went wide at Kusa's remark about Futaba destroying him in gaming, but also at Kusa's remark about Akechi. Ren then sent one more response.

"If that's true Kusa, then that makes it even more imperative that we stay on our guard around Akechi-kun. And Kusa, that means no punching him! I don't care if you don't like the guy, we're not trying to antagonize him." Ren sent as Kusa huffed and sent a response, his response having the result of leaving Ryuji rolling on the ground laughing as he read it.

"For real!? Dang it, so much for accidentally smashing my fist into his face and blaming it on an involuntary muscle spasm." Kusa sent jokingly as Ryuji doubled over laughing as he read the response, while Ren frowned and sent a response.

"I'm going to assume that was a joke, Kusa. Don't make me have to watch you." Ren sent warningly as he put his phone away. After a bit, Ren decided to go to Station Square to check his lottery ticket which he remembered he had. As it turned out, he won 2,000 yen off a 3,000 yen ticket. After collecting his winnings and purchasing another lottery ticket, Ren went to go fill the two extra slots Igor had gifted him with Personas in the Velvet Room, only for Caroline and Justine to stop him as he went to speak to Igor.

"Hm?" Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Ooh, that's...!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up once more.

"I see...It would seem you have brought us an Ame-no-Uzume with Frei." Justine said as Caroline chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh... Very well. Your assignment's done." Caroline said as Ren took a seat while Caroline and Justine spoke up, Justine speaking first.

"Very well...It is commendable that you have chosen to work so diligently towards your rehabilitation." Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. I guess at least you've got the will to work." Caroline said as Ren simply nodded politely and spoke up.

"Of course. That is my job as the Inmate after all, to dedicate myself almost exclusively to my rehabilitation to the standard required of you, the Wardens." Ren said agreeably. Caroline frowned as she spoke up.

"Good answer, but don't gimme that smug attitude! This is your duty, as you just pointed out Inmate!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Indeed. That said, you have completed this task surprisingly easily." Justine said as Caroline crossed her arms and spoke up.

"Yeah...You might actually be worth our time, after all. Justine, tell him his next task. It's on that list, correct?" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed...Now then, I will assign your next task. Be aware that the tasks on this list will increase in difficulty as we go. Are you prepared?" Justine asked Ren who nodded.

"Of course. As Caroline pointed out, it's my duty to be prepared." Ren said obediently. Justine chuckled at the response as she spoke up.

"How admirable." Justine said as Ren nodded, feeling his bond with Caroline and Justine get deeper. At that point, the 'Strength' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that his Strength Confidant with Justine and Caroline or the Twin Wardens had reached Rank 2. Afterwards, Justine spoke up.

"Once again, we would like to bestow a new privilege upon you...However, it is exceedingly powerful. We ask that you fulfill another task before receiving it." Justine said as Caroline snickered before speaking up.

"Life isn't just gonna hand you success, Inmate!" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Now, I will assign you your next task...Try to harbor a Flauros with Tarukaja within you. You only need speak with us once you obtain it. We will be able to tell." Justine said as Caroline frowned and spoke up.

"Hey! Got it!? A Flauros! With the skill Tarukaja!" Caroline said to Ren who nodded. After that, and some Persona shuffling, Ren left the Velvet Room and decided to go seek out Yoshida to get another rank 2 Confidant. Ren then approached Yoshida, smiling as he stopped to listen to Yoshida's speech.

"Everyone, please listen! Many of you suffer greatly from this distorted world of disparity. Please know that you can direct your criticism and outrage at me! I, Toranosuke Yoshida, will someday find away to address your concerns in Nagatacho..." Yoshida said before smiling as he spotted Ren near the front of the crowd and smiled as he spoke to him.

"Oh, Amamiya-kun. Good evening! How's your schoolwork?" Yoshida asked as Ren spoke up.

"Coming along, but that's how schoolwork is, it's work." Ren joked as Yoshida chuckled at that and spoke up.

"Indeed it is. That said, I'm giving a speech again today. Do you think you can lend me a hand with it?" Yoshida asked as Morgana spoke up.

"So, are you going to help Yoshida out?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded.

"Of course I am. He's only available the one night a week, so I might as well seize the opportunity to get another rank up with him." Ren said sagely as he looked at Yoshida.

"I'd be honored to help you out tonight, Yoshida-san." Ren said politely. Yoshida nodded happily.

"Right away, then. Then let's get to it. Can you please hold the placard?" Yoshida asked as Ren nodded, going to pick up and hold the placard that he'd previously erroneously believed to be a sign as Morgana spoke up.

"Well, I'm gonna walk around. Let me know when you're ready to leave." Morgana said as Ren nodded.

"Okay, but be careful and don't get lost. Last thing I need is you getting lost. I'd have so many pissed off people on my hands if you got lost, Morgana." Ren said as Morgana nodded and padded off as Ren held up the placard while Yoshida started his speech.

"Everyone! Passing on the societal ills we have created to the next generation...is not right! It will take time to solve this problem. However, we must start by making small changes!" Yoshida said as he kept giving his speech. When he was done, Yoshida walked over to Ren with a smile as he spoke up.

"You! I hope you gleaned something useful from today's speech. Regardless of the audience's size, you must convey your thoughts as if you're talking one-on-one. By the way, I forgot to ask you last time we spoke. Why do you want to become a politician?" Yoshida asked Ren who thought about it before he spoke up to answer the question.

"Honestly? I mostly just said I was interested in what you do because I want to improve my speech. If I end up making it into politics as a result, that's just a bonus. While you make politics seem like it'd be rewarding to consider, I'm not sure someone with a label, such as myself, would be accepted as a politician." Ren said honestly. Yoshida chuckled at Ren's response as he spoke up.

"Haha, I see...So you're a pragmatist. Most people nowadays are. But that mentality of taking action is the quality of a good politician. May I ask you one more question? What kind of politician do you want to be?" Yoshida asked Ren who frowned before speaking up.

"If I'm being honest? I'm not sure just yet. Assuming I could even be accepted as a politician with my currently labeled record, I wouldn't have the first clue as to what sort of politician I want to be, other than knowing I wouldn't want to end up a corrupted politician." Ren said honestly. Yoshida smiled at the response before nodding as he spoke up.

"Heh, I appreciate your honesty. Well, you still have plenty of time to figure it out. And you're right. That said, allow me to give you some advice. If you aspire to get into politics, you must possess a central philosophy. What is it that you want to accomplish...? That is the foundation of a good speech. You'd do well to remember that." Yoshida said as he patted Ren on the shoulder encouragingly as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Good to know, Yoshida-san. That advice was quite helpful." Ren said honestly. Yoshida nodded and spoke up.

"I'm glad. By the way, my philosophy is...'Very Well! Never give up until your voice is heard...!' To get your message across, be tenacious by conveying your thoughts to the audience. Have a firm point of view, and communicate it clearly-that's the first rule of negotiating. Hahahahaha! You have me reliving the fighting spirit I had when I first became a politician." Yoshida said as Ren nodded while he listened to Yoshida explain the basics of speech-giving.

He then felt his bond with Yoshida deepen. At that point, the 'Sun' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I', becoming a 'II' to signify that his Sun Confidant link with Yoshida or Man Of The People had reached Rank 2. As a result, Yoshida had bestowed the power of 'Diplomacy' onto Ren, allowing him to ask for more money or items on occasion during negotiations. After that, a man in a suit walked up to Yoshida and spoke up.

"Get the hell outta here, No-Good-Tora!" The 'Yoshida Detractor' as Ren had taken to referring to the guy, said, advancing on a wincing Yoshida who spoke up.

"Urgh! No-Good Tora...!" Yoshida said as he sighed and looked at Ren.

"They're right...I am no good..." Yoshida said as Ren gave Yoshida an incredulous look, but Yoshida spoke up before Ren could say anything in Yoshida's defense.

"Ah, my apologies. We're done for today." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, blinking in surprise as he felt his Charm increase from spending time with Yoshida. After that, Yoshida spoke up once more.

"I shall ask you again another time! Thank you for all your hard work. I'll see you next time." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he reached the door. Ren answered it to find that it was Yoshida.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone.

"Hey, it's Yoshida. I wanted to thank you for today. I'm sorry that you had to see me acting like such a coward. Right after I gave you that self-important lecture, too...But I'm quite a stubborn individual myself. I hope today's incident was at least a good example of what not to do, but...What do you think? Did you take anything useful from it?" Yoshida asked Ren who blinked before speaking up.

"Honestly, it was very helpful. Though I don't think I agree with what that guy said about you, or how you reacted to it. You need to be able to rise above petty labels like that, Yoshida-san. I know I'm going through the same thing myself, but I'm finding that I can't let the label rule my life. I have to be able to rise above it and still do my best to better myself each and every day. If I did any less, not only would I be letting myself down, I'd be letting my family and friends down!

I know it'll take time sir, but you need to learn not to let labels like what that guy called you hurt you. After all, you've only been working to better yourself since those days, not make yourself worse. So I think we both know you're not the person you once were, Yoshida-san." Ren said honestly. Yoshida chuckled as he spoke up.

"Ah, that's a relief. And you know? You're right, Amamiya-kun. I do need to start getting past these labels. Maybe there's a charismatic speech-giver in you yet? That said, I have to say, it was almost nostalgic for me...It reminded me of the early days. I hope our talks from now on will keep giving you the direction you need. Well, I hope to see you again soon. Goodbye." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, and hung up the phone before heading inside and locking up as he went upstairs, where he was only slightly surprised to see Kusa back in the attic, curled up on the sofa, Morgana happily smiling as he hopped over deftly onto Kusa's chest and curled up on him, pleased that Kusa was home. Ren chuckled at the sight, before changing into his pajamas and laying down for the night...

(The next morning, on the platform between trains with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

As Ren and Kusa went to get onto the next train to get to school, they heard a voice calling for Ren, who stopped with Kusa, the latter of which frowned as he recognized Akechi walking up to Ren and Kusa, after which he spoke up, looking mainly at Ren as he spoke.

"Ah, Amamiya-kun the elder! Fancy seeing you here! Oh, right. I guess Shujin was in this direction, too. Still, I wouldn't have expected to run into you at this time. Perhaps it really is fate...How are you doing?" Akechi asked Ren, ignoring Kusa for the moment, who huffed what sounded like 'perhaps it really is fate, my ass' under his breath as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly? I'm not doing too badly. Granted, I'm still a bit sleepy since I just got up and didn't have enough time to have my morning coffee before Kusa and I had to catch our train this morning." Ren replied, subtly stepping lightly on Kusa's foot as a warning gesture, which made Kusa frown, but quiet down, seeing the unspoken message in Ren's actions. Akechi looked at Ren in surprise at hearing his response.

"Huh? Did you stay up too late? Are you all right?" Akechi asked as Kusa spoke up at that point, frowning at Akechi for not hearing what Ren said as he spoke.

"Are you deaf, Akechi-kun? He said he's fine. He just hasn't had his morning coffee yet. Not to mention, he was out doing charity work last night. So you can quit your worrying." Kusa said in what he hoped was a civil, if slightly dry, tone. Akechi nodded, chuckling as he spoke up, though the closed-eye grin he gave as he spoke had Kusa reigning in the sudden and strong urge to punch Akechi in the face, but he refrained for the sake of both civility and not getting Ren into trouble, if only barely.

"Ah, fair enough, Amamiya-kun the younger. I do like that response. It's honest, and it keeps the conversation from dragging. I've been getting interviewed a lot lately, so I've been wondering how to answer such questions...Hmm, I suppose it is best to simply be yourself and say what you think. You've given me much to consider. If it isn't too much trouble, may I speak to the two of you again sometime?" Akechi asked as Ren nodded while Kusa spoke up, frowning at Akechi before also nodding as he spoke.

"I suppose so. I guess if nothing else, it'll be good practice for learning to tolerate you, Akechi-kun. Though if I'm being honest, you could stand to dial back that insufferable condescending smug attitude of yours a little bit. If it's kept up, it might just put some people off of you. But that's just my opinion. That said, if Ren's okay with it, I have no objections to you speaking to us again either." Kusa said, not even feeling the subtle nudge Ren gave him in the stomach as Akechi just chuckled and nodded as the three parted ways at that point, Ren and Kusa taking the next train to school...

(A short time later, on the walk to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Kusa and Ren stopped walking as they heard a pair of girls speaking to one another and decided to listen in.

"Hey, I heard from one of my upperclassmen, but apparently there's some kind of weirdo in Kichijoji. Even at a glance, you can supposedly tell he's bad news. You live there, don't you? Are you okay?" The first girl said as the second girl smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, you mean the old man in Harmony Alley? My parents were talking about him too...Doesn't that just make you wonder!? I'm thinking I might try looking for him today..." The second girl said as the first girl's eyes went wide as she spoke up.

"Wha, don't do that! Besides, I heard he hides his face...Who knows what he'll do to you if he sees you? You're gonna end up in a ditch somewhere, I just know it!" The first girl said as Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm...Did they say Kichijoji...? Did we ever see someone like that? It just sounds like a rumor though, so who knows how much of it you can believe...What do you think, Ren?" Morgana asked Ren who blinked as he spoke up so only Morgana and Kusa could hear.

"He might be dangerous, though I am curious." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Dangerous or not, between the two of us plus Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Morgana-sensei, we could probably kick that guy's ass if we had to. Needless to say, we're going to have to be careful that none of us walks through Kichijoji until this is sorted out, and that includes YOU, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said seriously with a frown on his face. Morgana frowned as he spoke up.

"I don't think it's good to make assumptions...but yeah, we can't rule out that possibility. If it's true though...then we should do something about him...For now, we can just check it out whenever we have time." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded and kept walking to school...

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

"How tragic...Before I realized it, we're halfway through June. It's the only month of the year with no holidays, and it's filled with rain-truly a season of hell. I'm exaggerating, you say? Haha. You're all just ignorant. After all, what's falling through the sky is acid rain that can melt metal. That said, Amamiya-kun. Let's test your knowledge and imagination." Hiruta said as Ren looked up and gave Hiruta his attention as he spoke up.

"Give it a try! When washing your hair with dissolved copper, your hair color changes. ...What color do you think it turns?" Hiruta asked Ren who thought about it then smirked, remembering a joke Ryuji had told the other day that had this as a punchline, thus he knew the answer, allowing him to speak up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is green!" Ren said as Hiruta smiled and clapped as he spoke up.

"Heh, that's it! That is correct. By the way, magnesium turns your hair white, and rust will turn your hair red. However, acid rain can't melt gold or silver. If you want to dye your hair gold, use bronze coins. Thinking you could save money by skipping a visit to the hair salon? ...It seems you still don't understand the horror of acid rain." Hiruta said as the typical murmuring about Ren's intelligence ensued. Morgana then chimed in to praise Ren's intelligence as well, making Ren smirk as his Knowledge went up. At that point, Hiruta spoke up once more.

"London once had acid rain on the level of stomach acid. More than four hundred people died. Perhaps one day such a deathly rain will fall upon Japan...My heart, too, is overcast, just like the rain that falls on the city...Ah, rain!" Hiruta said as Morgana spoke up, his words making Ren have to stifle a laugh as Morgana spoke.

"I'm tired of thinking up witty comments." Morgana said as Ren nodded as the rest of the class passed uneventfully. However, after school, Kawakami got Ren's attention by calling his name.

"Oh good, you haven't gone home yet." Kawakami said to Ren who turned to face Kawakami as she kept speaking.

"Niijima-san's looking for you. Could you head to the student council room right away? Apparently she called for you and for Kusa, since I heard Mister Hiruta had to give him the same message. I wonder what she wants with him? Anyways, Niijima-san claims there's no report of a lost item, so she apparently wants you two to fill out some paperwork." Kawakami said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Lost item? What? I don't understand what she means." Ren said. Kawakami sighed even though she agreed and spoke up.

"I know, but telling me that isn't going to get you out of this. The student council room is on the third floor, next to the library. Got it? ...Ugh, why am I running errands for a student? I know she's the principal's favorite or whatever..." Kawakami said as she walked off as Morgana spoke up.

"Niijima's the girl who keeps following you guys around, right? What could she want...?" Morgana asked Ren who shrugged as he had no clue, but decided to go see what Niijima wanted. As Ren got to the third floor, he smirked as he saw Kusa fall into step beside him as he spoke up.

"Ugh, what do you suppose Niijima-san wants with us, Ren? I swear, if it's somehow you-know-what related, I might be kicking Ryuji's ass, especially if he's somehow connected to whatever she wants to discuss. That said, hi there, Morgana-sensei. Did Ren rope you into coming with us, or did you come on your own?" Kusa asked Morgana so only he and Ren could hear, making Morgana smile as he spoke up.

"Nah, I came of my own free will. I'm curious as well to see what Niijima wants. But if it is related to that, and it is somehow his fault, I give you full permission to punish Ryuji." Morgana said so only Kusa could hear, making him chuckle as he and Ren reached the Student Council Room. Morgana then spoke up.

"Hmm, so this is the Student Council Room. What were you two called here for? This is rather strange..." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa shrugged, before both knocked and went in after getting a brief but polite 'come in' from Niijima-san, who spoke up as they walked in, smiling as she spoke.

"Ah, good, the Amamiya brothers. Earlier than expected, I see. Not bad. ...Have a seat." Niijima said as Ren and Kusa did as told, and once she'd also sat, Niijima kept speaking, though her words had both Ren AND Kusa's eyes comically huge at what she had to say.

"I'll get straight to the point. Mister Kamoshida and Madarame. Won't you tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves' incidents?" Niijima asked as Ren and Kusa exchanged shocked looks with the not-cat currently resting in Ren's bag as Niijima kept speaking.

"Can't answer that? Ah, of course. There's no way you would admit to such things. Here, have a listen." Makoto said as she pulled out her phone and the clip that played had Ren and Morgana's eyes go comically wide, while Kusa was quietly cussing out Ryuji using some of the more colorful expletives in his vocabulary in his head as he recognized Ryuji's distinctively loud voice in the recording.

"If someone else could help 'em, we wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves to start with!" Ryuji's voice could be heard, then as if that wasn't enough, a recording of Ann's voice then played, making Kusa's eyes now go wide as he then cursed both himself, as well as Ann, out at that point.

"So you think it's true? We'll be okay if we keep doing this...right?" Ann's voice could be heard saying, as Niijima spoke up with a smug smirk on her face as she spoke.

"What could all this mean?" Niijima said as Morgana winced.

"We screwed up..." Morgana said inside Ren's bag, though only Ren and Kusa heard since the latter frowned and spoke up.

"With all respect, Niijima-san, or would you prefer 'Miss President' while we're in here?, that doesn't prove a thing! Or at least Ann's part doesn't. Ryuji's is just him being a loose-lipped moron who can't even make a simple sentence. I think what he meant to say was 'We wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves' biggest fans to begin with!' but he forgot to add 'biggest fans' to his remark. But that's Ryuji for you, always quick to act but not so quick to think his words through. As for Ann, she was referring to us continuing to be lowkey members of the Phantom Thieves Fan Club, or the Phan-Site as it's more widely known for short." Kusa said as Niijima huffed and spoke up.

"While that seems believable, I know what I heard, Amamiya-kun the younger, so don't bother trying to lie to get your friends out of trouble, though I do find the effort admirable. That said, was it blackmail? Hypnosis? How do you corner someone into making them confess? Won't you tell me how you did it?" Niijima asked as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly? We have no idea how that works ourselves. You'd have to ask one of the smarter Phantom Thieves, if you can find them." Ren said honestly. Niijima smirked as she spoke up, remembering Kusa's words from before as she spoke.

"You want to say that this doesn't prove anything, don't you? I believe...that you four are the Phantom Thieves. Now, what would the police think if they heard my recording?" Niijima said as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"It'd be bad if we were put under police surveillance. There's no telling what'll happen to you too, Ren!" Morgana said as Niijima spoke up, attempting to use a more civil and diplomatic approach to her plan as she spoke.

"If you confess the truth, I don't mind just leaving this between the three of us...You'll tell me, won't you?" Niijima asked as Ren and Kusa exchanged a look before Ren spoke up.

"Perhaps. We can't answer that one way or the other just now, but give us some time to think about it, and we'll have an answer for you soon enough. How's that, Niijima-san?" Ren said as an attempt at compromise. Niijima shook her head as she spoke up.

"I believe that time would just be wasted." Niijima said as Ren's phone rang, making Kusa groan as he had a pretty good clue as to who it was. Niijima spoke up as she smirked.

"Go ahead and answer that." Niijima said as Ren answered it reluctantly.

"Hello?" Ren said and sure enough, Ryuji's voice could be heard loud and clear on the other end, making Kusa swear quietly under his breath as Ryuji spoke up.

"Hey, where you at? Takin' a leak? Let's meet up at the usual spot to hold our Phantom Thieves meetin'!" Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa blanched and the former hung up the phone as Morgana groaned and spoke up so only Kusa and Ren could hear as the latter once more swore in his head, cursing Ryuji's colossal carelessness.

"Ugh, that IDIOT!" Morgana growled under his breath as Niijima smirked triumphantly and spoke up.

"As loud as always...but his timing's perfect. Too bad he's a Phantom Thief, or I might just find myself interested in getting to know him." Niijima said off-handedly, making Kusa's jaw drop as he spoke up, gaping at Niijima in shock as he spoke.

"For real!? You like Ryuji? I didn't expect that!" Kusa said in surprise, as both Ren and Niijima gaped at Kusa's remark, the latter speaking up.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't...Either way, I'd like everyone else to hear this as well. Won't you take me to your friends?" Niijima said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"To our friends, you say? I suppose we don't have much of a choice right now." Kusa said, clearly pissed at Ryuji, as Morgana groaned and spoke up.

"I guess it can't be helped now..." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the two reluctantly agreeing to allow Niijima to accompany them to the hideout...

(A short time later, at the hideout with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Niijima)

Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke quietly sat and patiently waited for Ren, Morgana and Kusa to show up. Eventually they heard the tell-tale footsteps that signaled that the Amamiya brothers had shown up, but Yusuke gasped. as he noticed that they not only weren't alone, but Kusa had a VERY incensed look on his face.

"Oh..." Yusuke said, his reaction catching Ryuji's attention as he spoke up.

"Hm? They here?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"They are, but they appear to not be alone. Is that girl with them a friend of yours?" Yusuke asked, making Ann and Ryuji look at Yusuke in confusion before they stood up and turned around in time for their eyes to go huge, as they saw Niijima walking over with Ren and Kusa. Ryuji gaped as he spoke up.

"Wait, Wh-What the hell? Why is Miss Prez with you two?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa, the latter of the two simply frowning as he glared angrily at Ryuji as the former spoke up.

"It would seem we weren't as careful as we should've been." Ren said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"What's the meaning of this?" Ann asked in annoyance as Kusa glared at Ann before he finally snapped, glaring at Ryuji and Ann as he spoke up.

"The meaning of this!? That's a loaded question, Ann! The 'meaning of this', as you put it, is that because of you AND Mr 'I never keep my volume level down' over there, Niijima has evidence on us! And on top of that, I think she's probably on to us! THAT's the meaning of this! Luckily, your screw-up was nowhere near as egregious as Ryuji's, Ann!" Kusa snapped as Niijima spoke up to cut off Kusa's likely rant, giving him an impressed look as she spoke, not expecting him to be so good at berating people.

"I had them lead me here. Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki,...And you're Kitagawa-kun, correct? Second-year at Kosei High and former pupil of Madarame? I wanted to ask you all about this." Niijima said as she pulled out her phone to play the recordings of Ann and Ryuji once more, Ann and Yusuke's eyes going comically wide as they heard the recording of Ryuji yelling about them being Phantom Thieves, though the former of the two winced when she heard her own voice asking if it was okay if they kept going as they were. After the recordings finished, Niijima kept speaking.

"An extremely similar technique was used for both Kamoshida and Madarame...While those affected by their acts were just coincidentally meeting up...How could that NOT raise suspicions?" Niijima asked as Ann and Ryuji winced at the unified glares aimed at them by Ren, Kusa and Morgana while Yusuke spoke up.

"What do you intend to do? Have you come just to say you're going to report us?" Yusuke asked as Ann scoffed and spoke up while giving Niijima an accusing glance as she spoke.

"I bet someone TOLD you to find us. The school can't have ties to criminals, after all! And YET they turn a blind eye when it comes to suicide and sexual harassment. Those adults are just using you. I feel sorry for you." Ann said as Kusa managed to get his temper under control enough at that point to speak up.

"Be that as it may Ann, Niijima-san is just doing her job. And if anything, we only have ourselves to blame for this situation. Ryuji, for not keeping his damn volume down, me for not doing a better job of making sure we weren't being eavesdropped on, and Ann for questioning if we should keep doing this, but mostly my own and Ryuji's fault. And that alone is why I'm not throwing hands right now, not to mention I need to keep it together for Ren's sake." Kusa said huffily, still frowning at Ryuji and Ann. Niijima gave Kusa a surprised look after he defended her before she spoke up.

"Amamiya-kun the younger...It's fine. She's right. Ugh, I...I know..." Niijima said reluctantly, making Ann look at her in surprise as she spoke up.

"Huh?" Ann asked in surprise as Niijima's eyes narrowed and hardened as she spoke up.

"That's why I would like to verify the justice you speak of." Niijima said as all the Thieves had identical shocked looks on their faces as Ryuji spoke up.

"What?" Ryuji asked as Niijima spoke up, her words surprising the group as she spoke.

"I'm the only one who knows about you. If you prove what you're doing is just, I'll erase this." Niijima said as Morgana spoke up.

"She wants to make a deal..." Morgana said as Niijima spoke up.

"There is someone whose heart I'd like you to change." Niijima said as Yusuke spoke up in surprise.

"Who?" Yusuke asked as Niijima blinked and spoke up.

"Hm, so you're not saying it's impossible. However...I cannot tell you that just yet. Let's continue our talk after school tomorrow. On the roof. Assuming you accept my offer, that is." Niijima said as she turned on her heel and walked off as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh...This is turnin' into a real pain..." Ryuji said as Kusa glared at Ryuji but kept silent as the group relocated to the diner...

(Later at the diner, with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke)

Yusuke spoke up once the group was seated, seeing the barely-contained rage in Kusa's eyes and not wanting him to do or say something he might regret later, fixing Ryuji with his sternest glare as he spoke.

"You were careless. I don't think you truly understood how high the stakes were. Anything to say, Ryuji?" Yusuke asked as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Why're you singlin' me out!? Ann got recorded too, y'know!" Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a contrite look on her face, cutting off Kusa who looked ready to light into Ryuji as she spoke.

"I'm so sorry..." Ann said apologetically as Ryuji spoke up once more.

"Hey, what should we do? That girl's got dirt on us..." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up, making sure to keep his voice down as he spoke up, unable to hold his rage back any longer.

"And WHO'S fault is THAT, Ryuji!? I didn't hear Ann yelling at the top of her effing voice about being a thief! Or about how if someone had been doing their job, we wouldn't have had to do it in the first place! Frankly, the only reason I didn't just drag your stupid ass behind the nearest alley to fight you when I heard that recording is because I can't exactly be mad at you, when I myself didn't do a good enough job of checking for eavesdroppers.

If I had, I'd have found Niijima and managed to seize and destroy her evidence if necessary, but I think even now this can be salvaged since I sense that Niijima is having an internal conflict on if what she's doing is right. So, believe it or not Ryuji, your colossally massive idiocy might have actually worked in our favor for once!

I say that because, IF we play our cards right, I sense we might just be able to enlist Niijima-san as an ally of ours. And I hardly think I need point out how much having someone like her on our side could be a tremendous boon for us. Not to mention, how much less likely it'd make me to be completely and utterly incensed if not enraged at how absolutely your blunder might have put us ALL at risk! Not just Ren, but ALL of us! We'd ALL get cuffed for this, Ryuji! Sure, Ren would have it the worst as the only one with a record, but we wouidn't be getting off lightly!

So you had better hope, and I do mean HOPE, that we can make this work out and that Niijima at least agrees to erase her phone recordings of what she recorded, because if she doesn't, we're all screwed, barring MAYBE Morgana-sensei. And even then, that's assuming Sakura-kun takes him in while we're in trouble. So yeah, I don't think it needs to be said that I'm pissed at you, Ryuji! And honestly I think Morgana-sensei is too even if he's trying not to be crass in front of Ann. So on that note, I'm going to quiet down now and let Ren or Yusuke or Ann speak up so I can calm myself." Kusa said huffily as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms while Yusuke spoke up.

"A recording seems to be insufficient evidence though. And even with that, there's no way they could prove our methods." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up again.

"Oh yes, they could! Or did you already forget what I said about a certain detective being able to understand Morgana-sensei!?" Kusa pointed out. Ann nodded as she spoke up.

"Considering who we're dealing with, I think it might be a trap." Ann said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Regardless, Ren here would be in real trouble. He's on probation, after all." Morgana said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up, actually seeming contrite as he spoke.

"Things'd get rough if we didn't have our leader...and I totally don't want to deal with the police..." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Then...we have no other choice but to go along with it." Yusuke said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, it's best we agree, at least for the time being. We made a crucial mistake...but not a critical one. We'll just have to recover from here on out." Morgana said as Ren, Yusuke AND Kusa all shot pointed glares at Ryuji, who winced at the collective anger aimed at him and spoke up contritely.

"Yeah, yeah...my bad. So...we doin' this?" Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"I don't think it's a matter of us WANTING to do this, but moreso of us HAVING to do it for the sake of possibly getting Niijima on our side and getting rid of that evidence. Not to mention I think Kusa here looks fit to be tied and is only barely managing to calm himself. So I'd say in this scenario, taking Niijima's offer may be not only our best choice, but very likely our ONLY choice." Ren said. Kusa just nodded in response, not trusting himself to speak in that moment, as Ryuji spoke up.

"All right. We're meetin' on the school rooftop tomorrow, yeah?" Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"What about me? I could always sneak in if necessary." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"I don't think you'd need to sneak in. We could say that Niijima-san requested you come meet with her to discuss something art-related since we all know art is probably the closest thing you have to a specialty for now, Yusuke." Kusa said after a moment. Ann then shook her head and spoke up.

"As clever as that idea is, it'd still draw too much attention to us. You should just wait outside, Yusuke. That said...what could she be scheming?" Ann asked as the group shrugged and dispersed for the evening...

(That evening at Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren and Morgana returned to Leblanc, Ren's phone went off to signify a group chat with Kusa, Yusuke, Ann and Ryuji, the latter of whom sent the first response.

"I'm so effing pissed. Do we just gotta do what she says...?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Considering what has happened, AND considering our current circumstances, it seems we have no other choice. I'm sure Kusa would've pointed this out himself, but I'm going to guess he went out for a walk or something to calm himself since he seemed quite angry at Ryuji and to a lesser extent Ann earlier." Yusuke sent. Ann winced as she sent a response.

"The worst part is I can't even blame him for being pissed, since it legitimately was my fault as well as Kusa and Ryuji's, and Kusa even admitted as much after he calmed enough. That said, I wonder whose heart the student council president wanted us to change." Ann sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"That's an understatement, Yusuke. Kusa was so livid earlier, I think he was using calming techniques to keep himself from really losing his temper. As scary as his rant to Ryuji was, that's not even the worst of it when he really loses it, trust me on that. One time he worked up such a head of steam, he almost deafened me with how much he was shouting, AND he almost worked himself into a fit. Trust me when I say there's good reason that he's been working on keeping his rage in check the past couple years, and it's not just because his rage puts a dragon's to shame at times." Ren sent as Ann and Yusuke both gaped at this, while Ryuji just blinked, realizing in that moment how much restraint Kusa had actually been showing in that moment, making him actually feel bad for his dismissive attitude he'd had previously. Ryuji then sent a response at that point.

"It don't matter to me that much." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"But there might be a reason behind who she picks, right?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"Honestly? I wonder who it is. Depending on who it is, maybe that'll be our next big target? And I know that for as livid as Kusa is, he's probably curious as well. Granted, I don't expect him to send a response right now because he's probably off either meditating, walking to calm himself, or very possibly hanging out with Futaba.

And to be honest, if it's the latter, I'll just have to hope he still has sense enough to filter what he says when he's ranting. Because I'll be honest, Kusa, when angry enough, has been known to say things he wouldn't otherwise say." Ren sent. Yusuke and Ann exchanged worried looks, now slightly concerned about Kusa as Yusuke sent a response.

"I am curious myself...She mentioned how she wants us to prove our justice, did she not?" Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yeah, she definitely did." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Then there must be some reasoning behind her choice. Please contact me immediately if you find anything out. And don't go picking any fights, OK? Do you understand, Ryuji?" Yusuke sent, as Kusa just nodded approvingly to Yusuke's response, while both Ren and Morgana were having to keep from laughing as they read it while Ann just sighed. Ryuji sent a singular response.

"Why you singling me out!? I ain't dumb!" Ryuji sent as Ren put away his phone and Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! Be careful. She's a shrewd one. We'd best be prepared for anything." Morgana said. After Ren thought about it, he checked his map to see which Confidants he could rank up, and to his total shock Akechi was shown as available in Kichijoji. Ren thought about it before nodding as he headed straight to Kichijoji, all the while hoping Kusa made his way back to Leblanc in one piece, unaware that Kusa was fine, but had gotten derailed in the most unlikely way possible...

(Slightly earlier that evening, at the train station with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

"Hey Kusa, are you gonna be able to get yourself calmed down on your own?" Ren asked Kusa who spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ren. Incensed beyond belief at Ryuji, but fine otherwise. I think once I take a walk to clear my head, I should be more or less okay. But don't be surprised if I ignore that effing idiot for a while after this." Kusa said bluntly as Ren nodded. Ren then headed towards Leblanc while Kusa walked off in the other direction, heading towards the Sakura household, figuring that if nothing else, spending time with Futaba could only be beneficial to his mood. As he walked, he took the back way, slightly shaking with rage still as he walked, though trying to calm himself.

After a bit, he managed to calm down, though he ended up nearly stumbling over a tree root, which made him livid as he threw a punch at the offending tree, not realizing in his brief moment of rage-induced haze that the tree in question was fairly close to the back entrance of the Sakura household. So it shouldn't have surprised him when his throwing punches at the tree eventually drew attention from inside the house, though not in the way he expected.

Rather than Sojiro, a certain shy redhead poked her head out the door, her eyes going wide as she saw what looked from a distance like a fight by her backyard, making her cautiously walk over for a closer look, causing her to blink in surprised disbelief as she realized it was Kusa she was hearing, and that he was apparently throwing punches at a tree for no reason, making her initially wonder if he was drunk, before she looked at his eyes and gaped, as she saw they were half-closed and he had a visibly livid expression on his face.

Futaba winced, but didn't hesitate, as she gently guided him around the back way into the house, eventually setting him down on the hide-a-bed as she sat down next to him and frowned before sighing as she started gently rubbing her hands along his shoulders and back, recalling him once mentioning that it helped him calm down when he got in a real temper, which wasn't often, though she could see with her own eyes that Kusa hadn't been exaggerating when he said it wasn't pleasant to behold when it did happen.

After a few minutes of carefully administered massaging, Kusa's expression seemed to soften as his eyes slowly seemed to lose the half-blacked out look they'd had, and he seemed to shake himself as he looked around. After a bit of further calming, Kusa eventually spoke up in a slightly surprised and perplexed tone.

"Where am I?" Kusa asked as Futaba smiled as she spoke up and looked at Kusa as she spoke.

"It's okay, Kusa. You're in a safe place. Just relax." Futaba said reassuringly as Kusa slowly looked around, before blinking as he saw Futaba and speaking up in horror.

"Taba...? Please tell me I didn't try to hit you or something earlier?" Kusa said as Futaba laughed as she spoke up, the sound of her laugh making Kusa smile as Futaba spoke.

"No, you didn't touch me at all, though you did kind of pick a fight with the tree in my backyard while you were half-blacked out before. Even though it was a bit scary to see, it was also kind of funny in retrospect. Clearly you were very angry if you were half-blacked out. Any chance you feel comfortable sharing what it was about?" Futaba asked Kusa, smiling as she looked into his eyes, happy to see that they were somewhat back to their normal appearance. Kusa sighed and spoke up.

"I can't tell you all of it, since parts of it are things that involve my friends and Ren, and I can't share that without their okay. But I suppose I can give you a condensed version of what happened, if you want." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and Kusa returned the nod, taking some breaths to calm himself before he spoke up to tell the story.

"Okay, so in a nutshell, Ren and myself were called into the student council office after school today, which as you can probably guess, confused us both, since we're always good students, so I had no clue why the student council president herself would be calling for us.

However, I would be made to understand why, very shortly after arriving at the student council office, when the president played a recording she'd taken of Ann and Ryuji making some rather incriminating comments, Ryuji doing so at the top of his fool voice and without thinking. Needless to say, the president cornered Ren and I into leading her to the rest of our friends, where she basically said she'd delete the recordings she has if we help her out with a problem of hers.

Of course, Ryuji being Ryuji, he not only acted like he didn't do a thing, he even had the stupidity to mouth off to the student council president. Suffice it to say, now we have no choice but to help Niijima-san out lest she report us to the police and get us ALL, except maybe for Yusuke and Morgana, into trouble. So I think you can guess that I was supremely livid and angry at Ryuji after that.

At least to Ann's credit, she owned up to her blame and apologized, so I'm not that angry at her, but Ryuji really cheesed me off. I was literally so pissed, I seriously had to stop myself from hauling off and breaking his effing nose for being such a complete and utter idiot. So yeah, I might have had to hold on to that rage for a bit, and it simmered a bit until I got off the train at which point I think I was starting to calm down, and then I think I tripped over a tree root while trying to walk over here.

And, if I had to guess, that's probably when I started fighting that tree you saw me fighting. Sorry again for scaring you like I likely did with that display of rage you probably saw, Futaba. I hope you realize I'd never do anything to hurt you, right? Because I wouldn't. I'd sooner put myself in harm's way then ever knowingly cause you harm. That said, I'm guessing you're the reason I was able to calm down." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up with a smile, letting herself briefly look into Kusa's eyes as she spoke.

"Yep. I remembered what you said about back and shoulder rubs calming you, and used that. It took some time, but you eventually snapped out of it. And don't apologize Kusa, we all have bad moments. Now I've seen you have one. I don't think any less of you for it, though." Futaba said comfortingly as she gently wrapped her arms around Kusa, surprising him by hugging him comfortingly, making Kusa smile as he gently patted Futaba on the head without thinking about it as he spoke up.

"I see. Well, thank you for that, Taba. I'm just glad I only really harmed a tree outside while blacked out. With any luck, your dad didn't see any of that, since I don't doubt he'd have been furious with me, if only because I could've put you in danger while I was blacked out. And I wouldn't blame him for it one bit, since he'd be right." Kusa said honestly. Futaba just looked into Kusa's eyes as she spoke up.

"I knew I was safe with you, Kusa. You wouldn't have hurt me. So just relax." Futaba said as she showed how much she trusted Kusa by gently resting her head on his shoulder, to his surprise. Kusa then smiled as he spoke up, wincing slightly as he saw the time while he spoke.

"I...see. Thank you, Futaba. That means a lot to me. I suppose I should start heading back to Leblanc, since it's getting late and I would not be surprised if your dad came home and lost it if he saw us like this, no matter how nice this feels." Kusa said, looking embarrassed as he realized what he'd said. Futaba nodded understandingly, reluctantly stepping away from Kusa as she spoke up, a vaguely disappointed look on her face as she spoke.

"I understand. Maybe we can hang out again sometime? I was enjoying that, honestly." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Absolutely. I enjoyed it too." Kusa said as he hugged Futaba before leaving out the back way and heading back to Leblanc, which luckily was still unlocked...

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

"Hey! We have a target we haven't identified, right? Let's go to Harmony Alley and gather some info on the old man." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Maybe later. For now, I'm here to see a Confidant." Ren said as he walked over to where Akechi was standing with an umbrella and spoke up.

"Ahh, Akechi-kun. I wasn't expecting to see you out and about this evening." Ren said to Akechi who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Ah, hey, Amamiya-kun the elder. Good evening. I see Kusa's not with you. I assume he's back at home?" Akechi said as Ren spoke up.

"Last I saw him, he had gone for a walk to calm himself since he and I got some rather upsetting news this afternoon that set him off rather badly. And by set him off, I mean set him into a pretty good rage. Kusa, as it so happens, has a bit of a tendency to get exceedingly angry at times, to the point where if he gets too mad, he half-blacks out. And he was very close to that point earlier. But I think he's calmed down by now." Ren explained as Akechi spoke up in surprise, not expecting to hear that about Kusa, but nodding in understanding as he spoke.

"I...see. I wanted to talk to you, but... since we have the time, do you want to go play billiards together? It's not that difficult, and we can chat and play at the same time. How about it?" Akechi asked as Ren considered it. After a bit, Ren spoke up.

"To be honest, I could use the distraction right now so I don't keep worrying about Kusa. Plus, I did want to get to know you some more when I could do so, so this seems as good an opportunity as any to do so, so why not? I'm up for some billiards, Akechi-kun." Ren said with a nod as Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"I'm glad I asked. I was a little worried you'd turn me down. Well then, let's get going." Akechi said as Morgana spoke up.

"All right, well I'm gonna walk around. Let me know when you're ready to leave." Morgana said as Ren and Akechi went inside...

(Inside of Penguin Sniper with Ren and Akechi)

"I found myself with some free time, so I was hoping to find someone to play against." Akechi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"You always seem so busy, I can see you having a hard time to find someone to play against, Akechi-kun." Ren said. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm unoccupied, but I'm not busy all the time either. If anything, it's my policy to spend my spare time in meaningful ways. Now, let's play a game. You've played pool before, correct?" Akechi asked Ren who nodded as Akechi took a break shot and landed all the stripes in the pockets making him chuckle nervously as he spoke up.

"Oh, my apologies. A break ace." Akechi said as Ren spoke up.

"I see...not bad, Akechi. Is that your win?" Ren asked Akechi who smirked and spoke up.

"Well, the 9-ball's been sunk already, so...But that was just a coincidence, of course, so we can start over. That won't count." Akechi said as Ren nodded. A short time later, Akechi spoke up with a wince.

"Oof, bad move on my part. If you get this next one, I'm in trouble." Akechi said as Ren nodded, and took his shot, sinking both the 1 and 4 balls into the pocket, getting an approving nod from Akechi as he spoke up.

"Not bad. Everything's riding on your next shot, though. How will you handle this?" Akechi asked Ren who thought about as he spoke up.

"As tempting as the idea of a power shot is, this is definitely a situation that calls more for finesse than for power. So I'll shoot very carefully." Ren said to himself as he took his shot. Akechi nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Well, let's see your skills." Akechi said as Ren nodded and took his shot...only to wince when the 2-ball stopped inches short of falling into the pocket. Ren groaned as he realized there wasn't quite enough force behind it, since it came up short of the pocket. But he was at least correct to opt for finesse, since odds are good that a power shot would've either way missed the mark or caused a scratch to happen. A short time later, Akechi sank the last ball, winning the game. He then spoke up.

"I win. That was a close one, though. I suppose it would have been embarrassing to lose as your senior, huh?" Akechi said to Ren who nodded though he was frowning as he realized something was off with Akechi. He flashed back to when he and Akechi shook hands, his eyes widening slightly when he recalled Akechi had used his left hand to shake hands. Yet, just now, he was shooting pool with his right hand. He then flashed to the 'break ace' that Akechi had hit, recalling he'd shot the shot with his right hand. Akechi saw the look on Ren's face and spoke up.

"Is something the matter?" Akechi asked Ren who spoke up.

"I might be wrong, but aren't you left-handed? If so, then why were you shooting pool with your right hand, if it's your weaker hand?" Ren asked in confusion. Akechi blinked in surprise at the apt observation from Ren, smiling as he spoke up, impressed with Ren's observational skills as he spoke.

"Huh...That's not bad! I'm honestly impressed you noticed. That's right, this one's my dominant hand. I switched hands during the game. It's not anything against you. Going all-out against a junior just seems a bit gauche...But I confess you've surprised me. I'm rather dexterous with my right hand. I can even use chopsticks with it. Frankly, I didn't expect you to see through it." Akechi said, his tone a mix of surprised and impressed as Ren spoke up.

"Ah, but you see, between the fact that I have pretty good instincts in my own right, and the fact that I have Kusa as a brother, who has arguably even better instincts than I do, I tend to see a lot of things that most wouldn't think I would." Ren explained. Akechi chuckled as he spoke up.

"Oh, so those glasses are just for the aesthetic, then? Or were you being metaphorical? You're a hard one to read sometimes. In any case, you truly are interesting. You never cease to intrigue me." Akechi said as Ren nodded, sensing Akechi's appreciation. At that point, the 'Justice' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' turning into a 'II' to signify that his Justice Confidant link with Akechi had reached rank 2. As a result, Akechi had helped Ren to awaken the power of 'Sleuthing Instinct', which provides the chance to identify/reveal one enemy affinity at the start of a battle. Afterwards, Akechi spoke up with a smirk.

"If you ever manage to win against me using my right hand, then I will face you with everything I have. You have my word." Akechi said as Ren nodded and the two paid the tab and left, Akechi speaking up as they left Penguin Sniper.

"Well, goodbye then. See you around, Amamiya-kun. And for what it's worth, I hope your brother makes it back in one piece." Akechi said as Ren nodded, Morgana hopping into Ren's bag as the two got ready to head back to Leblanc. Once there, Ren's phone rang as he reached the door.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone.

"Hey, it's Akechi. Thanks for coming along today. Our little game turned out to be more interesting than I expected. Barely anyone notices when I don't use my dominant hand. I can only commend your powers of observation. I think you'd be an interesting influence on me. If your so inclined, we shouid go out again sometime. " Akechi said as Ren thought about it before speaking up.

"Go out again, you say? Eh, why not? But I'm going to guess you meant that in the sense of us doing so as rivals?" Ren said after a moment to think. Akechi chuckled at this as he spoke up once more.

"Haha...Whatever works for you. As long as I can spend some time with you, think of it as you please. Well, I suppose I'll reach out the next time something comes up. See you." Akechi said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone, before he headed inside and locked up, heading upstairs where he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Kusa sprawled out on the couch, clearly dozing off and curled into his blanket. Morgana smiled as he gently padded over and curled up on Kusa's chest, making Kusa smile as he gently draped an arm over Morgana in his sleep as Morgana dozed off, Ren getting into his pajamas before doing the same shortly after...

(The next day, on the way to school, between trains with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

"Hey!" Ren heard as he and Kusa exchanged confused looks until they saw a familiar looking woman walking towards them, making Kusa blink as he spoke up, realizing where he'd seen her before as he spoke.

"Oh wait, wasn't she that chick who tried to interview us that day at Madarame's place?" Kusa said so only Ren could hear, getting a nod as the woman walked over and spoke up, smirking at Ren and Kusa as she spoke.

"Oh hey, it's you! Morning! Going to school now?" The woman said as Kusa and Ren nodded so she kept speaking.

"I'm just heading home! The morning sun is too bright..." The woman said as Ren and Kusa spoke up.

"What about your job, ma'am?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up.

"More importantly, who did you say you were again?" Kusa asked, realizing that the woman in front of him and Ren hadn't given her name out the last time they saw her. The woman shook her head and spoke up.

"Nope! I pulled an all-nighter. Journalist Ichiko Ohya, which is my name so you two know, works around the clock, you know! Well, you work hard on your studies." The now-named Ohya said as Ren and Kusa nodded and continued their walk to school...

(After school, on the rooftop with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann and Niijima)

Niijima looked up as she heard the door open to the rooftop, smiling as she saw Ren, Ryuji, Kusa and Ann filing out onto the rooftop, speaking up after the doors had closed behind Ann who was the last one out.

"I was thinking you might not show." Niijima said as Kusa spoke up, his tone much calmer than it'd been the day before.

"Niijima-san, if you remember one thing about us, or at least about me, it's that if we say we're gonna do something, we do it. So of course we're gonna show." Kusa said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! So, whose heart do you want us to change?" Ann said, and when Niijima spoke up, everyone's eyes, but mostly Ryuji and Kusa's, got comically wide at what she said.

"A mafia boss." Niijima said as Ryuji and Kusa blinked and yelped in unison.

"WHAT!?" Ryuji and Kusa yelped at the same time, before blinking in surprise at their synchronicity and simply nodding to one another. Ann then also yelped as she spoke up.

"Mafia!?" Ann said as Ryuji spoke up again.

"What're you talkin' about!?" Ryuji asked as Niijima spoke up.

"That's what they call themselves. This group seems to be the cause of the rise in phishing scams. What's worse, once they're in your sights, they won't stop threatening you until they get what they want. They'll force you to take part in their scams, threaten your family, and ultimately destroy your life." Niijima said as Ryuji looked at Niijima in surprise as he spoke up.

"Holy shit..." Ryuji said as Niijima spoke up with a nod.

"Indeed. It appears that their victims include some of our students." Niijima said as Ann gasped in surprise and spoke up.

"No!" Ann said as Niijima nodded and spoke up once more.

They primarily target juveniles." Niijima said as Kusa's eyes narrowed and he spoke up, his expression clearly one of mixed disgust and outrage as he spoke.

"Juveniles!? As in they target children!? Have they no honor!? Those cowards!" Kusa said huffily as Ryuji spoke up.

"That said, does their boss have a name?" Ryuji asked. Niijima frowned as she spoke up, both shocked at Kusa's reaction and impressed by Ryuji's question as she spoke. *1*

"Nobody knows. The victims are being threatened not to testify, so even the police can't get a good grasp of the situation." Niijima said as Ann blinked and spoke up.

"THAT's where you want us to start!?" Ann asked as Niijima smirked and spoke up.

"You should be able to pull it off...IF you're really the righteous Phantom Thieves. Or is Akechi-kun correct when he says you act without justice?" Niijima said as Kusa frowned at Niijima's mention of Akechi but otherwise didn't react. At that point, Morgana spoke up from Ren's bag.

"Can't you say something witty back at her?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"I'm sorry to hear that this is happening, Niijima-san. But if you want us to help, we need the details so we can be able to make an informed decision how to handle your request." Ren said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Why are you being so serious!?" Morgana yelled from inside of Ren's bag, not seeing Kusa and Ryuji wince at the excessive meows he was giving off. Niijima kept speaking as if she hadn't heard a thing, fortunately for the group.

"Their main hub of activity is in Shibuya...That's all the information I have. You have two weeks." Niijima said as Kusa spoke up in surprise.

"Two weeks!? That's it? Also, I'd have thought you'd have access to more info than that, Niijima-san? That said, thanks for the info." Kusa said politely. Niijima spoke up as if she hadn't heard Kusa's remark.

"Once that has passed, I'll submit all the evidence I have to the police and to the school. I hope you don't let me down..." Niijima said as she walked off as Morgana spoke up with a wince once Niijima was out of earshot.

"She really had the upper hand in that exchange..." Morgana said. Kusa then spoke up, taking a breath before turning to face Ann and Ryuji as he spoke..

"And given that recording she has, can you really be that surprised that she has leverage on us, Morgana-sensei? By the way, sorry for snapping at you two yesterday, Ann and Ryuji. Even if you two did screw up big time, I was still out of line to lose my temper the way I did. But now maybe you see why I try so hard to keep said temper in check. You can ask Ren, that's not even the worst of it when I lose it. He's seen me lose it before, and it's NOT pretty." Kusa said, giving Ann and Ryuji a contrite look even though he was still irritated a bit at Ryuji. Ann and Ryuji nodded understandingly as the former spoke up.

"You're forgiven, Kusa. Honestly, I don't blame you for losing it as much as you did considering that you must have been caught completely off-guard by that recording. Not to mention, this after you had checked for eavesdroppers, thinking there were none. But you were mistaken. Which is fine, we all make mistakes Kusa. Even if Ryuji doesn't apologize, I'm sorry for almost getting us in trouble." Ann said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Again, my bad for almost getting us in trouble. That said, who is Niijima trying to kid? 'Don't let me down'...Dammit, she was just bossin' us around..." Ryuji said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Don't lie, Ryuji, you probably were lowkey digging seeing her take-charge like she did." Ren joked as Kusa blinked at Ren's remark while Ryuji huffed.

"Shuddup, Ren!" Ryuji huffed as Morgana spoke up from inside Ren's bag.

"Come on, we should get in touch with Yusuke." Morgana said...

(Fast forward to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker)

"The student council president...from Shujin Academy!? Are you saying that Makoto was sticking her nose into this phantom thief business!?" Sae asked as Joker spoke up.

"You seem upset, Niijima-san the elder. Could it be that you never noticed?" Joker asked politely. Sae winced at the question.

"Agh...! Why would Makoto...Bringing up my sister to upset me, are you? It seems there's no limit to your duplicity. Fine. I'll listen to everything you have to say BEFORE I decide the truth of your statements." Sae said to Joker who just nodded...

(Back in the present, at the hideout with Ren, Kusa, Yusuke, Ann, Morgana and Ryuji)

"Urgh...I'm so mad!" Ann said as the group filled Yusuke in on Niijima's request. Yusuke blinked and spoke up.

"The mafia? Hm..." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up.

"Can we really do this?" Ann asked. Ryuji grunted as he spoke up.

"Ughhhh..." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.

"Either way, we have almost no information on our target. This guy's a crime boss, so I wouldn't be surprised if he had a Palace. Still..." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"How do we check a crime boss for a Palace, if we don't know that crime boss' name?" Kusa asked in uncertainty as Yusuke spoke up.

"Isn't this a prime opportunity for us though?" Yusuke asked as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"How? We're in huge trouble!" Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Even after we punished an evil man who seemed to be good, the public did not acknowledge us. However, if we take down an actual criminal, let alone a target the police don't have answers for..." Yusuke said, trailing off as Ann realized what Yusuke was getting at as she spoke up.

"Oh, right! That might make people believe in us!" Ann said as Ryuji spoke up.

"I get it! That means even Akechi'll have to acknowledge us as the Phantom Thieves!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's...surprisingly clever coming from you, Ryuji. And I have to agree. It would be nice to put that prick in his place." Kusa said bluntly. Ryuji nodded before turning to Ren as he kept speaking.

"Whaddya say, Leader?" Ryuji asked as Ren spoke up.

"Let's prove our justice. But we should be careful doing so, since I don't think I need to say that we shouldn't take this lightly since we might well be going up against the mafia this time." Ren said. Ryuji nodded, pumping a fist excitedly as he spoke up.

"Hell yeah! We just gotta do what we always do!" Ryuji said as Kusa smirked and spoke up, giving Ryuji a stern look as he spoke up.

"And what might that be? Charge in head-first without a solid plan of attack, and hope for the best? No offense Ryuji, but you saw how far that's gotten us. We got lucky that our last two big targets were plebians with the combined IQ of a wet paper bag. Even Ryuji could've out-planned them. But this opponent? To be honest, this opponent might just call for more than just charging in half-cocked." Kusa said with a frown as he crossed his arms. Yusuke spoke up at that point.

"I concur. We have to be smart about this. That said, our time limit is two weeks, correct? We can't afford to waste too much time. I'll ask around Kosei, and see if there are any victims." Yusuke said. Ann nodded as she spoke up.

"Okay. I know some girls who go to Shibuya pretty often. I'll check with them about it." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up.

"All right, and I'm gonna see what I can find on the net." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Meanwhile, that leaves myself, Ren and Morgana-sensei to coordinate our plan of attack and handle most of the preparations." Kusa said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. That also leaves our school up to you, Ren, and Morgana. You figured out what to do during the whole Kamoshida thing, right Kusa?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"More like we more or less figured out what NOT to do, but yeah pretty much." Kusa said bluntly. Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"I'll back you two up." Morgana said. Ryuji grinned as he spoke up.

"All right, let's get back together at the end of the week once we've got all our info! I'll get in touch with you guys later!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the group dispersed for the evening as Morgana spoke up.

"We're meeting in front of the school tomorrow, right? Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something new!" Morgana said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Could I have a moment?" Yusuke asked as Ren looked at Yusuke and spoke up.

"What's up?" Ren asked Yusuke. Yusuke looked down a bit as he spoke up.

"Well, it's...I had a yearning to see the 'Sayuri'...So if you're heading homeward, I'll accompany you." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"I have no problem with that. If nothing else, gives me a good excuse to check in on Futaba and make sure I didn't scare her too badly last night." Kusa said with a nod. Ren nodded to accept Yusuke's request.

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

"Ah, the 'Sayuri'...It seems to suit this cafe quite well. I'm glad I chose to leave it here." Yusuke said with a smile before wincing as he kept speaking.

"Ren...I fear I have found myself in quite a horrible mess!" Yusuke said as Ren spoke up.

"What? Try to calm down and then explain what's going on if you can." Ren said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Believe me, I am attempting to withhold my anxiety as much as possible...But to put it bluntly, I am in need of your assistance...Please, listen to what I must say. Throughout my artistic career, I know that I have struggled with particular motifs or techniques...However, each of those struggles did eventually fade. Yet now I find myself in a similar situation...Yet, the more I try to escape it, the worse it becomes...It seems I am trapped in what we in the art world call a 'slump'. Are you aware that I am attending Kosei on an art scholarship? Such coveted grants are not given as charity. I must continually achieve within my field to remain eligible.

Were I to lose my scholarship...I would likely have no choice but to leave the school as well. In the earlier days of my career, I would exclusively paint what I desired, when I desired it. The only goal I had in mind was the pursuit of true beauty... That goal is what drove me onward. I wanted nothing more to attain the lustrous allure of the 'Sayuri' in my own work...Yet what reason do I have now? Holding on to my scholarship? Keeping a roof over my head? Worldly desires are all that spur my brush to move...and the resulting work reflects such impurity of mind. To be honest, I am unsure as to whether I can even call myself an artist anymore..." Yusuke said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"You're so tough on yourself, Yusuke. But if you ask me, you're already quite gifted as an artist. Sure, you're trying to achieve the same great things your mother did, but that doesn't mean everything you do has to be done in your mother's shadow. You can still be an artist while taking inspiration from everything around you, from something as pure and beautiful as the 'Sayuri', to even something as mundane as a cup of coffee.

Most anything can be a work of art if you have the mindset to make it so, and if you believe in it strongly enough. Is that not a similar principle to that which we saw illustrated in Madarame's Palace? Believe me, it's rough, but if you keep at it, you'll get there eventually." Ren said to Yusuke with an encouraging smile. Yusuke nodded and smiled as he spoke up.

"My apologies. It seems I got somewhat carried away there. But...I simply cannot accept this lack of purpose in my work. THAT is why I am so upset with my own indecision. Such vague ambition is, in essence, a sin of sorts...Though I suppose allowing my young career to come to an end here would be even more sinful. I only wish to create a work I can be genuinely proud of, Ren. Just look at the 'Sayuri.' Her incandescent figure, alluring gaze...THAT is the meaning of 'pure beauty'!

Yet no matter how hard I try to replicate it, an elegance so sweet remains elusive to me! Why is that, you ask? It is surely because the painter behind the work differs...Because the soul differs! But, if my estimations are correct, the 'soul' is nothing but another way to speak of the human heart. What, then, is the heart? How does it bring forth such beauty? I must understand! Ohh! To be perfectly frank though...I am unsure of how to do so. Ren...Would you be able to provide me assistance? You have already brought profound change to my world. Hence, I believe you of all people may be able to bring me closer to the truth." Yusuke said as Ren thought about Yusuke's question briefly before speaking up with a smile.

"Yusuke, I can see that you're in a great deal of anguish over this. And as your teammate and friend, I don't like seeing you like this. That said, if you truly require my help, well what kind of teammate and/or friend, never mind leader, would I be NOT to give it to the best of my ability!? That said, I'd be glad to help however I can, Yusuke." Ren said. Yusuke smiled as he heard Ren's reply, speaking up in delight.

"You would!? Wonderful. At the moment, my art teacher has yet to notice any drastic changes in my work...But I cannot hide forever. Impurity of the heart will undoubtedly seep onto an artist's canvas eventually." Yusuke said as he blinked in realization before speaking up once more.

"I must go now. My curfew approaches." Yusuke said as he got up to speak up once more.

"I look forward to speaking about this matter again." Yusuke said as he left, Ren walking Yusuke to the station. Afterwards, he walked back to Leblanc where Sojiro spoke up as he walked in.

"Rain, huh? I hate the rain...It always brings me down." Sojiro said as Ren's phone went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Kusa as Ryuji sent the first response.

"So, I checked online, and people are talking about it all over. Now, in my expert opinion, Iida of class 2-D is guilty." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"You mean Iida-kun from our class? Wait, start at the beginning. What's he guilty of?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Supposedly he's been spending money left and right recently. Said it's because of some great part-time job he got." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I see. That may very well be worth looking into." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Right? Can you try asking him about it, Ann? I don't think he'd be cautious around a girl." Ryuji sent as Ann blinked before sending a response.

"In that case, yeah. I don't mind giving it a try. Although I've rarely talked to Iida-kun before...I'll be counting on you two to back me up if something happens, Ren and Kusa." Ann sent as Kusa blinked and sent a response.

"Wait, both of us!? Wouldn't that seem more than a bit odd to have a first-year backing you up when you talk to Iida-kun, least of all the brother of the infamous transfer student, to borrow the school's description of Ren? Otherwise, I don't mind backing you up one bit." Kusa sent. Ren nodded and sent a response.

"I agree with Kusa. We'll be glad to back you up Ann, but ONLY if it's necessary. I can't imagine he'd be that much more comfortable around me, or even Kusa, than he would around Ryuji, especially if what Ryuji said about him being less cautious around girls is true." Ren sent. Ann nodded and sent a response.

"That should be more than enough. Thanks." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response that had both Yusuke and Kusa gaping and Ren laughing.

"I'm hoping for some great things this time from Takamaki-san's world-class record acting." Ryuji sent as Yusuke and Kusa blinked, the latter sending a response.

"Okay, either that was sarcasm, OR we need to make sure someone's not hacking Ryuji's chat account. Either is definitely possible." Kusa sent in a deadpan tone, making Ann giggle as she sent her response.

"Good point, Kusa. Also, shut it Ryuji!" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I hope this will get us even marginally closer to their so-called boss. I leave this Iida to you two. And I have high hopes for your acting as well, Ann." Yusuke sent as Kusa blinked and sent a response.

"With all due respect to Ann, am I the only one here other than maybe Ren who thinks that that's a lot of pressure to put on Ann's acting? Not that she can't handle it, but still that's a lot to ask of her." Kusa sent as Ann smiled and sent a response of her own.

"You're both missing the point, Ryuji and Yusuke! At least Kusa somewhat gets it!" Ann sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"Is it true that Iida guy's guilty? Well, we'll need to dig up some dirt first thing in the morning." Morgana said as he kept speaking.

"Hey! What are you going to do about Kawakami? Did you decide not to call her after all?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"I was waiting until I have high enough Guts for it, which I do. So I'll call her when I can." Ren said as Morgana nodded. Ren then had a seat in the booth as he pondered his next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Dang that was too long by half! But I got it done! At least this time it wasn't as massively long as chapter 12 was! That said, got quite a few rank-ups for Confidants, some story stuff, and even some slight character development/actual interaction between Kusa and Futaba. So hopefully people enjoy this chapter! That being said, if you enjoy the story, feel free to leave me a review and/or PM me (I'm okay with either one or even with both) with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism on the story, I enjoy hearing from my readers either way. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- Yeah, as this moment here proves, even Ryuji has his clever moments in Royal. But also, I consider this point here a potential argument in favor of Makoto possibly liking Ryuji, even if she's not consciously aware of it at the time. But mostly, it serves to illustrate how strongly Kusa despises cowards, and those who target children. But that's probably Kusa's strong sense of justice talking.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 27

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 5

MAGICIAN (Morgana) : Rank 3

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann) : Rank 4

CHARIOT (Ryuji) : Rank 4

JUSTICE (Akechi) : Rank 2

STRENGTH (Justine and Caroline/Twin Wardens) : Rank 2

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) : Rank 5

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 3

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) : Rank 2

WORLD (Kusa) : Rank 3

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 2

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 4