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!

35. Surprise Party! Rebellious Queen part 12

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Amamiya Files! Hmm, not much to say for this start-of-chapter A/N, other than we're getting close to the end of Arc 3, especially with Palace 3 done and dusted already! All that's left there is to observe the change of heart for that Palace's ruler! So odds are good this chapter will be mostly Confidant-ranking and stat-building based shenanigans, maybe some side stuff too. We'll see. That said, time for the disclaimer, per site requirements and good measure!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way shape or form (bar the OC Kusa/Draconis who he created and thus does own, along with any other OCs who may appear throughout the story unless otherwise noted) and the credit for owning Persona belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 35! Hopefully I'll have a longer A/N after the chapter!

Chapter 35- Special Days, Confidant Shenanigans, and more! The Rebellious Queen part 12

(At the Underground Walkway with Ren and Morgana)

After arriving at the Underground Walkway, Ren walked up to Yusuke and spoke up.

"Hello there, Yusuke. Pretty tense time we live in, isn't it?" Ren said by way of greeting as Yusuke nodded and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Indeed. All we have to do now is wait... What a nerve-racking time. Meanwhile, I am here to observe the public in an attempt to refresh my mind. Do you need something?" Yusuke asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up, smirking at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Indeed I do. I figured I had some free time, and as we've not hung out in a bit, since that debacle with your painting to be exact, I figured we could hang out." Ren said. Yusuke chuckled, smiling at Ren as he spoke up, giving Ren an amused look.

"Ah, I see. Heh...You must have a wealth of free time if that is your decision. But I suppose that makes you who you are, doesn't it Ren? That said, I am still unsatisfied by what happened at the exhibition. I have thought a great deal about it...And, well...There is something I would like to try painting. Do you think you would be free to help?" Yusuke asked Ren as Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren with a smile as he spoke.

"So, what's your call Ren? Will you spend time with Yusuke?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up, looking at both Morgana and Yusuke as he spoke.

"Of course. Why would I come to see Yusuke, if not to hang out with him, and help him out if he needs it?" Ren said with a nod. Yusuke smiled gratefully as he spoke up, nodding appreciatively to Ren as he spoke.

"Good, I am in your debt. It would be rather difficult to go by myself. Now then, our destination is Inokashira Park. Let us go." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, heading off to the park with Yusuke after letting Morgana out of his bag to walk around while he and Yusuke went to the park...

(At Inokashira Park, with Ren and Yusuke)

"Thank you for your assistance today. After all, it would be impossible to sketch without rowing." Yusuke said to Ren, who blinked before speaking up, nodding as he spoke.

"True. This is some rather nice scenery to be sure. Honestly, if I'd have known about this, I'd have considered bring others here. Hmm...maybe next time I come this way, I should bring a girl here." Ren said contemplatively. Yusuke blinked at this in surprise as he spoke up, surprised by Ren's response as he spoke.

"Wh-WHAT!? Girl...? Does that mean you have a girlfriend!? You should have mentioned sooner!" Yusuke said as Ren winced before speaking up, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.

"No Yusuke, I don't have a girlfriend. At least, not yet. You'd have known about it by now if I did, if only because Kusa would've probably taken the first chance he got to brag about it in a group chat. He's kind of a quirky guy that way, Kusa is." Ren said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up, giving Ren an understanding look as he spoke.

"That's true. Still, it seems I may have missed the opportunity for a truly wonderful subject...Maybe if you two decide to get serious to some extent, I could do a painting of you and Yoshizawa-san in a boat together, with your consent and approval first, of course. That aside, I must thank you for your help today. This is the ideal location for my next motif." Yusuke said as Ren blinked at Yusuke mentioning the idea of painting him and Yoshizawa in a boat together, admitting that it wasn't a bad idea, if one that was a bit of a ways off, given how slowly both he and Kusa were moving towards staking claims to their respective crushes. At that point, Ren and Yusuke heard talking from a boat nearby.

"Look at the ducks! They're sooo cute!" A girl in the nearby boat said as the guy with her spoke up, chuckling as he spoke.

"Hahaha, don't get so excited. You'll fall off, you know." The guy said as Yusuke looked over at the two, smirking as he spoke to Ren, looking excited as he spoke.

"Perfect...This is it." Yusuke said, making Ren blink as he gave Yusuke a confused look, which Yusuke saw and spoke up to explain his meaning, smiling as he spoke.

"My previous painting captured only one aspect of the heart: desire. As such, I was unable to arrive at a truly authentic representation...And that is why we have come today. I shall paint a second aspect...the burning passion between man and woman! Fittingly, our theme today will be...the wonders of love!" Yusuke said as Ren sweatdropped, wondering what Yusuke was going to rope him into this time. Yusuke saw this and spoke up once more, smirking as he spoke.

"You too will have an important role here. While I draw, ensure the boat remains as steady as possible amid these devilish ripples." Yusuke said as Ren blinked, speaking up despite himself, giving Yusuke a skeptical look as he spoke.

"Devilish? Uh, you do realize we're just floating in place, right Yusuke? I doubt I'll have to do much to keep the boat steady, unless you're gonna be moving around a lot as you paint." Ren said as Yusuke chuckled, merely nodding as he pulled his materials out and started drawing, muttering to himself as he drew.

"Ah, ,this angle...Incredible! That bashful side profile, those moist eyes...Their overflowing passion is wholly evident! They are akin to Adam and Eve...yet in time all lover must come to know the pain of separation. Separation is the natural end to any such relationship...but even beyond that, love endures. Precisely...This is the truth of the human heart!" Yusuke said, chuckling to himself as he kept speaking.

"It will make the most wonderful painting! It shall be adored by all who gaze upon it! It may even be given top prize in the next exhibition! Wait, now is not the time to be thinking of such trivial matters!" Yusuke said, turning to the two on the nearby boat and speaking up with a frown on his face as he spoke.

"Hey! Can you please remain still!?" Yusuke said to the two in the nearby boat, ignoring the wince on Ren's face at his words as the woman blinked and spoke up.

"What!?" The woman called back in surprise as Yusuke spoke up once more.

"Return to your prior angle! I must capture your profile!" Yusuke said as the man blinked at him and spoke up, frowning at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Wh-What the hell're you doing!?" The man asked Yusuke, who gave him a serious look as he spoke up to answer the question, ignoring the winces on both Ren's face and that of the woman as he spoke.

"Rejoice, for I shall preserve your beautiful love, so that all coming generations may bask in its glory. Once I complete this painting, you will become new legends in the art world. A modern Adam and Eve!" Yusuke said, confusing the man and woman in the nearby boat as the woman spoke up, looking confused as she spoke.

"L-Legends? Art?" The woman said as the man huffed and spoke up, trying to comfort the woman as he spoke.

"This dude's off his rocker. Come on, let's report him." The man said before Yusuke's words sank in and he turned to Yusuke, blinking as he spoke up, sounding surprised as he spoke.

"Hold on a sec...Are you drawing us!?" The man said as the woman gasped in shock as she spoke up, only then realizing what was going on as she spoke.

"What!? You're using us as models!?" The woman asked as Yusuke nodded, smiling as he spoke up, an excited look on his face as he spoke, unaware of the slight faux pas he'd committed when deciding to draw them.

"Yes. A man and woman intimately swaying in a dinghy of dreams...The blush of their cheeks, the bashful looks...Yes, this is the love I was so emphatically searching for!" Yusuke said eagerly, ignoring the shocked look on Ren's face as he focused on the man and woman in the nearby boat, the former of which frowned as he gave Yusuke a confused look as he spoke up, blinking at Yusuke's words as he spoke.

"...Love? Uh, I guess you could call it that...but it's kind of weird...It's familial love. This here's my sister." The man said as Ren chose that moment to speak up, smirking as he spoke.

"I had a feeling you two resembled each other, but I wasn't entirely certain of that until you confirmed it just now. Sorry about Yusuke here, by the way. He's harmless, if a bit enthusiastic about his art. He wouldn't use anyone as a model or sketch them without their consent, however. Or at least I hope he wouldn't." Ren said as the man nodded before turning to the woman, now revealed to be his sister, as he spoke up, huffing as he spoke.

"Ugh...I told you I didn't wanna come here with you. The only ones who do this crap are stupid couples." The man said to his sister, who frowned as she spoke up, sounding excited and/or eager as she spoke.

"But I've always dreamed of coming to Tokyo and riding a boat here! Though it was supposed to be with my boyfriend...not my brother!" The woman said as Yusuke blinked in surprise before speaking up, looking at the brother and sister in the next boat over in shock as he spoke.

"How could this be!? Familial...? So that overflowing passion was just a figment of my imagination? It seems my bias has caused me to overlook the truth of the matter..." Yusuke said as Ren just shook his head in fond exasperation as he spoke up, smiling at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Love come in all forms, Yusuke. And to be honest, if I'd known you wanted to sketch a couple on a boat, we could've probably tried to strong-arm either Ryuji and Makoto or possibly even Ann and Suzui into posing like a couple on a boat. I'm sure if we explained it was for your art, they'd have gone along with it. I'd have said Kusa and Futaba, but the latter of those two is kind of a shut-in, so I don't think that'd have worked very well." Ren said as Yusuke chuckled, nodding happily to Ren as he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"I notice you didn't mention the idea of you and Yoshizawa posing as a couple. Surely that's an option as well, is it not? That said, love is a broad, multi-faceted beast...This only serves to prove how narrow my perspective can be...Hm, I see. Romantic love and familial love...The two may be nigh indiscernible depending on one's point of view. Perhaps...the truth of the heart lies in the eye of the beholder. Ren, I feel as though I've learned something today!" Yusuke said as Ren spoke up, chuckling nervously as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he spoke.

"I didn't mention myself and Yoshizawa because she and I don't have that much contact these days, mainly because she's so busy with her training, or so she told me the last time I saw her. Maybe when she and I hang out again, if we can't figure anything else out, we could work something out for your art. How's that, Yusuke?" Ren said as Yusuke simply nodded his agreement, even as Ren could feel the quiet resolve coming from Yusuke.

At that point, the 'Emperor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his Emperor Confidant link with Yusuke had reached Rank 4, allowing Yusuke to use 'Art Talk' to enable Ren to re-attempt negotiations with a lone Shadow if they fail with Yusuke in the party. Afterwards, the woman in the nearby boat spoke up in surprise, realizing something as she spoke.

"Wait...so only couples ride these things, right? That means those two..." The woman said as both Yusuke AND the woman's brother blinked at her comment, the latter shushing her as he spoke up, seeing the mortified look on Ren's face as he spoke up.

"Shhh! There are people from all walks of life here in the city." The woman's brother said as Ren spoke up, deciding to clear up the woman's confusion as he spoke.

"First of all, both Yusuke and I are straight. We're just riding this as friends. And if anything, you and your brother easily disprove the idea that only couples ride these boats. So kindly don't make assumptions like that about people, yeah?" Ren said as the woman nodded as she turned to her brother, looking intrigued as she spoke up.

"Oooh, tell me more..." The woman said to her brother as Ren winced, idly wondering if the man had seen Ryuji getting chased around by Angel and Julian the other night to make his comment the way he had, while Yusuke blinked in confusion as he spoke up once more.

"What are you talking about?" Yusuke said as Ren winced before speaking up, not wanting to explain this but feeling he had to as he spoke.

"Basically, it comes back to that unintended aspersion that Kusa made about you when we first met you, the day you threatened to sic the cops on Ryuji and I, which for the record I forgive you for that since you were just acting in self-defense." Ren said as Yusuke's eyes widened before nodding in understanding as he spoke up.

"Ah, I...see. Well, in any case, come. It is about time we returned home. Wouldn't want any rumors starting up about the two of us, yes?" Yusuke said as Ren nodded and spoke up, smiling at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Indeed, Yusuke. That would be most unfortunate." Ren said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up once more, smirking as he spoke.

"As I thought. Please row us back to shore, Ren." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, rowing the two back to shore where they parted ways for the day, Yusuke waving at Ren as he spoke up.

"Thanks for the help, Ren! See you, and farewell." Yusuke said as Ren and Yusuke headed back home, the former heading back to Leblanc. Once at the door of Leblanc, Ren's phone rang, prompting him to answer it, even though he knew who it likely was.

"Hello?" Ren said as Yusuke's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Ren, thank you for all your help today. I've certainly come to realize my lack of experience. It would seem I understand nothing of love after all. Though I've progressed by one step, there is no doubt I will face many difficulties moving forward. When will I fully understand the heart? Even if I ever do understand it, will I truly be able to draw it...?" Yusuke asked as Ren smiled, briefly pondering his response before he spoke up to answer Yusuke, grinning as he spoke.

"Don't get discouraged, Yusuke. Rome wasn't built in a day. As such, it'll take time for you to reach that coveted level of understanding of the ways of love. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen." Ren said sagely. Yusuke smiled as he spoke up once more, nodding as he spoke.

"You're right. I've no intention whatsoever of giving up. I will do everything in my power to get past this. Anyhow, today was a significant use of time. Impressive oarsmanship from your end, as well. I hope I can count on your help next time, as well. Farewell." Yusuke said as Ren hung up the call and went into Leblanc. As soon as he walked in, his phone rang once more, making Ren answer it.

"Hello?" Ren asked, before wincing at the loudness of the voice that answered him.

"Hey, Inmate! You haven't forgotten about your special assignment, have you!? You better not keep us waiting long! We're waiting in front of our door!" Caroline said as Ren hung up the call, right as his phone went off once more, this time signifying a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Y'know, I've been curious...What's Kosei like? Is it filled with guys like Yusuke?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Guys like Yusuke!? You mean artists? It's possible, though I'd be surprised if it was an all-guys school, considering I'm pretty sure there's no such thing these days as an all-guys school in Japan. That, and I think I recall seeing something in a magazine recently about some females from that school and shogi." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"I imagine there are a lot of...'different' people there." Ann sent. Yusuke sent a response at that point, the wording of which left Kusa smirking as he read the response.

"Now that you mention it, I have one very interesting classmate. She is a female shogi player, and seemingly quite the skilled one at that." Yusuke sent as Makoto and Kusa sent responses at that point, Kusa's coming through first.

"She, you say? Ooh, what's this now? Could our Yusuke have taken himself an interest in a lady?" Kusa sent as Makoto's response came through.

"Are you talking about Hifumi Togo? I remember hearing she's a student at Kosei." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Hifumi Togo, you say? I think that was the name of the girl in the magazine article I read. From what I recall of it, she's about Yusuke and Ren's age, so mayhaps Yusuke could make friends with her, if for no other reason than so he has friends at his school. I'd imagine he's not exactly happy being ignored all the time, even if he won't say so." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Not only that Kusa, but the stuff I've heard also suggests that Hifumi Togo is the most beautiful shogi player around right now." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response that had both Kusa and Makoto wincing as they read it.

"Dude, that sounds too good to be true! Gimme some more info!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response, frowning at Ryuji's response as he did so.

"Why's that, Ryuji? Planning on being Yusuke's wingman if he does decide to start getting to know Togo-san? Because I could see you being a good wingman. And it's certainly better for you than if you were to say you're interested in her yourself, especially with Makoto in this chat." Kusa sent. Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"I do not know much about her. She is not the kind of person to let others close to her. And no Kusa, I'm not interested in her at this time, at least not romantically. I will, however, concede that I wouldn't mind getting to know her as a friend, since she sounds similar to me in some ways. And then maybe after that, down the road a ways, if all goes well, it could lead to more." Yusuke sent as Makoto and Kusa sent responses close together again, Makoto's coming through first this time.

"It sounds like she only focuses on her shogi pursuits. After all, it's said she is a lone genius..." Makoto said as Kusa winced as his response came through.

"That's more than fair, Yusuke. I'm not gonna be mad at you for wanting to be careful with making friends. That's actually quite smart of you. That said, this Hifumi sounds a little too similar to Taba in some ways for my liking. For one, both are reluctant to let others close to them, and secondly, they're both regarded as lone geniuses most of the time. Hopefully, that can be changed between myself and Yusuke." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. However, I have heard that she is commonly seen at the church over in Kanda." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"For real!? We gotta go!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response for one of the few times she'd done so in the current group chat, her response making Kusa laugh at what she'd sent.

"You'll probably get struck down by a bolt of lightning if you're going for that ulterior motive." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Truth, Ann! Not to mention, if anything, Makoto should go with those two if they do go, if only to make sure Ryuji doesn't do something idiotic to get himself and Yusuke into trouble. The fact that it'd let her spend time with Ryuji would just be a bonus, of course." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Shuddup, both of you! That ain't it, and you both know it! This is for the Phantom Thieves!" Ryuji sent as Ren and Kusa both scoffed at this, the latter sending a response.

"Uh-huh, for the Phantom Thieves. That's what Morgana-sensei said when he talked Ann into doing that Showtime with him, even though it was more for his enjoyment than it was for the Phantom Thieves. Bullshit, Ryuji! You're just going so you can see this Togo-san for yourself, and maybe put in a good word for Yusuke if you're feeling like a good friend. Poor Makoto. And here I thought you were interested in her." Kusa sent as Makoto's eyes widened as she read Kusa's response, flushing slightly at the implication of Ryuji being interested in her. Ryuji sent a response at that point before Makoto could do so, however.

"Kusa, shut your instigating mouth! You know damn well this is for the team! And as far as Makoto goes, does it matter if I'm interested in her or not, if she doesn't feel that way about me? That said, I mean, shogi's a kinda battle, right? She's gotta know all sorts of insane strategies and stuff!" Ryuji sent as both Kusa and Makoto's eyes widened at reading his response as Ann sent a response.

"Uh..." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"That's quite the lofty leap of logic for you, Ryuji. That said, it's also quite the stretch. Togo-san, from what I know of her, isn't the type to offer her help to just anyone." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Ignoring what Kusa said about Ryuji possibly being interested in me for the moment, churches are supposed to be holy! Don't do this, Ryuji." Makoto sent as Ryuji winced and sent a response that had Kusa and Ren's eyes go wide as they read it..

"Urgh, you guys're gonna pay for this one day! Ren, you go spy on her for me! Find out if she's really as cute as they say she is." Ryuji sent as Kusa gaped and sent a response.

"I'm sorry, WHAT!? Did you seriously just ask Ren to go spy on some girl we know little to nothing about, KNOWING that he has Yoshizawa-san very much interested in him? Are you really that daft, Ryuji!? Also, the day we pay for what we do is the day you actually beat Morgana in a fight, and I don't see that happening, if only because you'd have way too hard of a time even landing a hit on Morgana. So shut it with that 'you guys're gonna pay' talk, Ryuji. And pray that Yoshizawa never sees that message you just sent." Kusa sent with a huff. Ren put his phone away at that point as Morgana sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, let's just ignore that idiot, and let Kusa deal with him. Anyway, a shogi expert, huh? Striking an enemy with but a moment's inspiration, skillfully strategizing towards victory...Those might actually be good tactics to know for our work as the Phantom Thieves. They said she's at the church in Kanda, right? We should check it out when you have the time." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his map was marked with the location of 'Kanda' so he could fast-travel to the church at his leisure. After that, Ren looked at his options carefully before eventually deciding to rank up Kawakami, who was presently his only Confidant still at rank 1. Ren then headed to the yellow phone where Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren in surprise as he spoke.

"Oh! Are you going to call Kawakami?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, I think so. Let's call the service." Ren said. He then dialed the number of the service, at which point Kawakami answered.

"Hiii! Thank you for your call! I'm all you-Oh, it's just you. You know, I've been hearing Shibuya's getting more dangerous lately. I'm sure you pass by that area on your commute to school, but don't take too many detours, okay? It'll cost you 5,000 yen to request me, but this time I'll be sure to do an extra good job!" Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine. I don't mind paying 5,000 yen to request you, Miss Kawakami." Ren said. Kawakami blinked as she spoke up, surprised to see Ren requesting her as she spoke.

"WHAT!? You're really going to request me!? I'll be heading over right now then... I'd appreciate if you cleaned up a little first. That'll make my job easier for sure." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, hanging up the phone as Kusa walked into Leblanc, giving Ren a surprised look as he spoke up.

"Who was that? Wrong number?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"No, that'd be the Confidant I told you about the other night. I called her over to do some housework, so since I don't think she wants you two knowing of her, can you take Morgana for a walk or something for a bit while she's here?" Ren said to Kusa, who shrugged as he spoke up, nodding as he spoke.

"I can do that, if Morgana agrees. Besides, he and I have some stuff to discuss anyways, don't we Morgana?" Kusa said, winking at Morgana, who caught the unspoken message and nodded as he spoke up.

"R-Right, we do indeed have stuff to discuss, Kusa!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Good, let's go head outside somewhere to discuss that stuff so Ren can have alone time with his Confidant." Kusa said as the two left Leblanc, right as Kawakami walked in and headed upstairs, seeing that Ren had briefly managed to do some minimal cleaning, making her smile as she spoke up while picking up where Ren left off.

"I love cleaning shabby...I mean, sophisticated rooms like this. It gives me a sense of accomplishment! If it's for you, Master, I'll happily be covered in dust! But then, doesn't it pain your heart, to see such a cute maid all dirty?" Kawakami asked Ren, who winced at the question even as he spoke up, making it a point not to look at Kawakami as he spoke.

"It does, to be honest. However, is it not also partially your own fault for cleaning rooms in the first place?" Ren replied. Kawakami smiled, pleased by Ren's answer, as she spoke up, giggling as she spoke.

"Awww, Master! Even though your room is messy, your heart is so clean! I'll go ahead and get this over with then!" Kawakami said as she got to work, not seeing Ren breathe a sigh of relief at not having to look at her closed-eye smile more than he had to. After a bit, Kawakami finished, looking at Ren as she spoke up, doing another closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"...This'll do, right? Keeping it a little messy for that shabby chic feel, you know? And now, cleaning is complete!" Kawakami said before walking further away from Ren... and immediately collapsing onto his bed, to Ren's surprise and horror! As Ren winced at the sight of his homeroom teacher sprawled out on his bed, Kawakami spoke up with a huff, frowning as she spoke.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted...I'm not allowed to work overtime during weekdays, so I rush to my part-time job after class ends. On my off days, I have to prepare pop quizzes and homework assignments. And today, I had to clean bathtubs and walk dogs before coming here. There's no time to rest...Oh, speaking of pets, this room smells like a cat...I feed a lot of strays around my house...To be honest, I was surprised that you requested me. I didn't think you actually would. You weren't expecting to do anything weird with me, were you?" Kawakami asked Ren, whose eyes widened comically at the question before he spoke up.

"Wh-What!? Absolutely not, Miss Kawakami! Not to say you're not a cute woman or anything, because you are cute, but you're my teacher! Why would I want to do anything weird with you!? Besides, I quite think Yoshizawa-san would be very put out with the both of us if we did do anything weird together, considering she seems quite taken with me." Ren said sagely, making Kawakami nod approvingly as she spoke up, a scowl on her face as she spoke.

"Good. As long as you understand...I know i'm in a maid outfit, but I'm still your teacher, so don't get any funny ideas. Besides, I try not to get too involved with my students, so..." Kawakami said, trailing off as she yawned before speaking up once more.

"Oof...I need a nap...Sorry, just give me five minutes. Maybe ten..." Kawakami said as Ren sweatdropped while Kawakami took a nap on his bed, making Ren swear under his breath as he realized he was going to have to seriously clean that bed to make sure it didn't smell of older woman after Kawakami had napped on it, just in case Kasumi ever came over and wanted to sit on the bed for whatever reason, since Ren couldn't rule out that she could have jealous tendencies. After a bit, Kawakami woke up, stretching as she sat up.

"And before you know it, time's up! Thank you very much! Oh, hey, do you know of any part-time jobs that pay well? I assume you make a lot, since you can afford a maid service...Well, let me know if you do." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"First of all, let's get something clear, Miss Kawakami. I requested you because I thought it would help you out to get the extra income. If I wanted to invite a pretty lady to my house, I could easily invite Yoshizawa-san over, since she and I have each other's contact info, but I choose not to out of respect for her busy schedule and her as a person. That said, you need money?" Ren said. Kawakami blinked at Ren's remark, realizing that he truly was just trying to help and had no romantic interest in her at all, making her wince as she spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Well...uh...You know, it's for my little sister! She's sick, so I need money to pay her medical expenses..." Kawakami said as her phone rang at that moment and she answered it.

"Hello! Yes, I made the transfer...WHAT!? Not enough? But it was the same amount as last week! I-! N-No...Yes, I understand. Okay, goodbye..." Kawakami said as she hung up the phone, turning to a skeptical-looking Ren and wincing as she kept speaking.

"Uhhh...Oh! W-Wrong number! Hey, sorry to ask you this out of the blue, but...Do you happen to have one hundred thousand yen I can borrow...?" Kawakami asked Ren, blinking at the confused look he gave her, making her speak up once more, frowning as she spoke.

"Wait, n-never mind! Owing one of my students money would be the worst...Hey, you may have some money, but be mindful of how you spend it. You shouldn't be wasting it on services like this." Kawakami said to Ren, who frowned before speaking up, fixing Kawakami with a stern look as he spoke.

"Wait...Are you scolding me!? With all due respect Miss Kawakami, this is all for you! So if it's helping a friend, which I consider you a friend unless you don't agree to that, I don't see it as wasted. I have no qualms about doing whatever I have to to help out my friends, just so you know." Ren said firmly. Kawakami winced as she spoke up, looking down as she spoke.

"I need the money, so I do appreciate you requesting me. However, you're my student, so if we were to get involved further, things would get complicated...I did warn you! The rest is your responsibility! You're a high schooler after all." Kawakami said to Ren who nodded, as he could sense Kawakami's trust in him. As a result, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached rank 2. Afterwards, Kawakami sighed as she kept speaking, frowning and sighing as she spoke.

"Ugh, three more to go...Well, I'll see you later, Master!" Kawakami said as she left, making Ren nod as she left, idly wondering as he did so what Kusa and Morgana had gotten up to during that time...

(Meanwhile, at the same time that Kawakami had arrived at Leblanc, with Kusa and Morgana)

"I still can't believe Ren invited his teacher over to do housework! That man is really playing with fire, don't you agree Morgana?" Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"I couldn't agree more, Kusa. But never mind that for now. Let's get the final touches put in place for our surprise for Ren and Ryuji." Morgana suggested as Kusa nodded, huffing slightly as he spoke up as the two ducked into the laundromat to plan things out, knowing it was usually abandoned at night as he spoke.

"Not that Ryuji deserves it, with some of the stupid shit he does. But he is still our friend, I suppose. Let me get my phone out to touch base with the others." Kusa said as he pulled his phone out to open a group chat with Ann, Yusuke and Makoto, sending a response at that point.

"Hey, sorry to message kind of late, but since Ren basically asked me and Morgana to clear out of Leblanc for a bit while he has someone over, I figured this could be a good opportunity to fine-tune our plans for surprising Ren and Ryuji day after tomorrow." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"That's quite all right, Kusa. I'm basically home alone, since my sister had to eat away from home for her job. So I can easily talk right now. Not sure about Ann and Yusuke, though." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response right then.

"I'm free as well. Like Makoto, I too am home alone a lot since my parents travel abroad for their work. I'd guess that Yusuke's free too, if he's not immersed in his art." Ann sent as Yusuke chose that moment to send a response.

"You'd be quite right, Ann. However, I can paint and talk at the same time, albeit a bit slower than I'd like. So I'm guessing this is relating to the party you were hoping to plan out for Ryuji and Ren?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Correct! I found out from Makoto, who looked up most of our birthdays out of curiosity, that Ryuji's birthday is July 3rd, or the day after tomorrow. So I was hoping we could throw together a little surprise party of sorts for him, and for Ren as well, since his birthday happens to be four days later, or July 7th. So I figure give them a shared birthday party so we don't have to plan too many parties at once. *1*

Naturally, if we do this, you're all invited to the party, if only because you helped make it happen. But in addition to you three, we'd also have to maneuver getting invites to Ryuji's mother, along with Yoshizawa-san, since I know she's rather close to Ren these days. As for the venue, I've got someone working on getting Boss to let us use Leblanc for the party, and she's reported some success, though he hasn't fully given it the okay just yet, but I have faith she'll pull it off." Kusa sent as Ann smirked and sent a response.

"Ah, you're referring to Taba then, I take it? That makes sense. After all, who better to convince Boss to let us have the party at Leblanc than his daughter?" Ann sent as Makoto gaped at this, making Kusa wince as he recalled that he forgot to mention that tidbit to Makoto. Makoto then sent a response.

"Who is this 'Boss' you guys are speaking of, and how does Kusa know their daughter?" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Boss is Ann's nickname for Sakura-kun, who is the owner of the Leblanc Cafe and Curry restaurant, as well as the current guardian of myself and Ren. As for Futaba, or Taba as I tend to call her for short, she's his daughter, and a friend of mine who has some rather unusual circumstances that make her very reluctant to leave her house, or more specifically her bedroom. But that's all I'm saying on that for now." Kusa sent as Makoto nodded in understanding and sent another response.

"Ahh, I see. That makes sense. Back on topic, I think I could make it to that party, as could Ann and Yusuke, but I'm not sure how we're going to get Yoshizawa-san there since none of us, other than probably Ren, hang out with her to my knowledge." Makoto sent as Kusa smirked, sending another response that was closely followed by a response from Yusuke.

"And that, Makoto, is where I come into play. As it happens, Yoshizawa-san is not only in my class, but as luck would have it, she and I share a desk thanks to Mister Hiruta seemingly favoring the buddy system for desk allocating, for who knows why. Not that I'm complaining, since it puts me in a good position to talk Ren up to Yoshizawa-san. As for how you come into play Makoto? Well, I was thinking, if you think that you can handle it, you could keep Ryuji busy on his birthday somehow, while the rest of us set up the party. If I see her, I'll see what I can do about talking Yoshizawa into keeping Ren busy that day as well. But I make no promises past that." Kusa sent as Yusuke's response came in.

"Indeed. I'm sure we can figure something out to keep the two busy. But I like the idea of surprising Ryuji and Ren." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Exactly! They're our friends, and as such, we should do what we can to celebrate their special days! I'm sure they'd do the same for us, if they thought of it." Ann sent as Kusa sent another response.

"Exactly, Ann! I'd be doing this for any of us, no matter whose birthday it was! We're all friends here, so of course we'd want to celebrate each other's birthdays, am I right?" Kusa sent as the others nodded. Ann then sent a response at that point.

"So to recap, we're waiting for Kusa's friend to get the okay to use Leblanc for a surprise party for Ren and Ryuji, but also trying to invite Yoshizawa-san to the party? Do I have that right?" Ann sent as Kusa sent another response, wincing as he sent it, but knowing it had to be sent.

"Correct. And even though I can't stand him myself, he is Ren's friend. So that said, we might have to see about inviting Akechi-kun to the party as well, though that'll probably be my job unfortunately, since for now, only Ren has his contact info and I can probably grab it off his phone if I get the chance. So I might have to grit it and bear for Ren's sake on this one." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. Though if I recall, Ryuji doesn't like Akechi-kun either, so maybe we could leave him off the guest list with that in mind?" Yusuke sent as Kusa blinked before sending another response.

"That's actually a good point, Yusuke. We should skip inviting him, since I feel like Ryuji might pick a fight with Akechi-kun if we invited him." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I see. Well, for now, I say we should leave it at that since it's getting a bit late, and we do have school tomorrow. Plus, I'd say Ren's confidant should've left by now, Kusa." Makoto sent as Kusa thought about it and nodded.

"True. I should probably start heading back to Leblanc. I'll have to remember to make a trip to Futaba's place on the morrow to check in with her and ensure the venue is secured, lest we have to make alternative arrangements for the party." Kusa sent. After a chorus of affirmative responses came through from Ann, Makoto, and Yusuke, Kusa put his phone away and started heading back to Leblanc, right as he saw Kawakami walk out the front door, thankfully not seeing him walking back as she left.

Afterwards, Kusa went back inside, and he and Ren got ready for bed, Morgana getting comfortable on Kusa as the trio went to bed for the night. Or at least, Kusa and Morgana did, while Ren slipped downstairs as his phone started ringing, and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said quietly as he answered it, hearing Kawakami's voice on the other end.

"Oh, is this Master? Thank you for using our service today! I really want to do a lot more cleaning for you...Is that okay, Master?" Kawakami asked Ren as he frowned and spoke up, sounding unimpressed as he spoke.

"Is this the hard sell, Miss Kawakami?" Ren asked. Kawakami gasped at this as she spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"What!? Nooo! I just wanted to hear your voice, Master! ...No, you've got the right idea. Still gotta hit my quotas for the week. ...Ugh, sorry. Part of the job. Okay, this is driving me insane, so I'm just going to drop the sales talk. Crap, my manager's coming! Um, well, I hope you'll request me again sometime! Bye byeeee!" Kawakami said as Ren hung up the phone, frowning as he went to bed for the night...

(The next morning, in class with Ann, Ren, and Morgana)

"All right, everyone! Quiet down! I'm changing my lesson for today. Instead of a regular class, we'll be reviewing last week's materials. I suggest you listen carefully. But don't think you can slack off, okay? I absolutely won't allow it. No slacking off!" Kawakami said as Morgana frowned and spoke up, looking confused as he spoke.

"Hmmm...hmmm! Weird. She's going totally against the curriculum. All that stuff about slacking off was a little odd too. Wait a second...Is this what she meant by 'ditch class'? I would've thought she'd let you leave the room or something, but I guess you can't really complain. That said, Kawakami's been kind enough to give us this free time, so we'd better put it to good use. So, what's the plan? What do you wanna do?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Considering I haven't had a lot of time to do so of late, I think we should forge some infiltration tools, since we never know when our next target could be revealed." Ren said. Morgana smiled approvingly at Ren's suggestion as he nodded and spoke up, grinning and doing a closed-eye smile as he spoke.

"Oh! Ooh, what a great idea! Just make sure nobody notices you! That said, you only have so much time...You won't be as efficient as you normally are, but nothing you can do about that." Morgana said as Ren nodded, deciding to make 2 more Lockpicks to bolster the amount he had on hand. At that point, Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"HEY! You should stop soon. It'll be a hassle if people find out." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his Proficiency increased from making Lockpicks. Afterwards, Morgana spoke up once more, smiling as he spoke.

"Hm! Ahhh, that was great. We should thank Kawakami for this later." Morgana said as the rest of class proceeded uneventfully...

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

While pondering his plan for the day, Ren headed to the library, deciding to swap out 'Pirate Legend', which he hadn't even started on yet, for 'Speed Reader', which happened to be available. After doing that, Ren exited the library, blinking as he noticed Makoto standing right by the entrance to the library, making him decide to speak to her.

"Hey there, Makoto. Since when do you hang around outside the library?" Ren asked Makoto, who spoke up, chuckling as he spoke up.

"Funny. For your information, the library happens to be next door to the Student Council Office, where I hang out a fair bit, considering I'm the student council president. That said, all we can do now is wait until Kaneshiro's change of heart becomes clear to us. Do you need something on the third floor? Have you come to study in the library, perhaps?" Makoto asked Ren who spoke up, looking at Makoto as he spoke.

"Honestly, I did come to swap out the book I checked out for another book. But then I saw you standing there as I left the library, and it made me realize that you're one of the only ones on the team I don't really hang out with, outside of the couple of missions you've accompanied us for. That being said, I was thinking we could hang out if you're not busy." Ren said. Makoto smiled, nodding approvingly as she spoke up, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"I see...Do you have a minute? It seems your studies have paid off. Have you been working hard?" Makoto asked Ren, who smirked as he realized that he had a sufficient level of Knowledge to be able to hang out with Makoto, who smiled at Ren as she spoke up once more.

"There's something I want to ask you. If it doesn't get in the way of your studies, that is." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I can lend an ear if you need me to, Makoto. I stay on top of my studies. Unlike Ryuji, Kusa and I take our studies fairly seriously." Ren said as Makoto smiled and nodded approvingly as she spoke up, giving Ren a grateful look as she spoke.

"Thank you very much! Now then, let's find somewhere better to talk. The courtyard should do." Makoto said as Ren nodded, following Makoto to the courtyard, which fortunately was empty at that point. Once at a good spot, Makoto looked at Ren and spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"I'd like to talk to you about something. Do you have a moment?" Makoto asked Ren who nodded as Makoto kept speaking with a smile.

"Up until now, I've been the quintessential honors student. I believe I've been handling my position as student council president with ease as well. A-And I don't mean that in a boasting way. That's simply how I've thought about it. But in the end, I was unable to make any kind of impact with either Suzui-san or Kaneshiro.

Turns out there's no use for a rule-abiding honor student when things get rough. Now that I'm a member of this team, I want to do everything I can to help you all. All my studying up to this point has left me quite narrow-minded. I think...I-I will need to broaden my horizons somewhat." Makoto said as Ren nodded before speaking up, smiling at Makoto as he spoke.

"Way to go, advisor! That said, what do you plan on doing?" Ren asked Makoto who spoke up, giving Ren a firm but resolved look as she spoke.

"My first step will be to learn more about the other students. But...I struggle with that. There seems to be a disparity between my tastes and those of my peers..." Makoto said as Ren spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"That's not true, Makoto. You seem to have similar tastes to both Ryuji and Kusa, if nothing else." Ren said sagely as Makoto blinked in surprise before speaking up, gaping as she spoke.

"Really? I hope you're right...But I don't even know where people like to go for fun...It would be nice to have a grasp of such concepts. Plus, the student council must be responsible for understanding the student body they serve, right? I-I don't mean that in a surveillance way. I just want to know them as people. I may be a phantom thief, but that's no excuse for me to start ignoring my presidential duties. Now, back to the topic at hand...Where do people usually go for fun?" Makoto asked Ren who thought about it before speaking up, smiling at Makoto as he spoke.

"To be honest, that varies from person to person, Makoto. But for the most part, it seems like most students seem to frequent the arcade, as far as I know. I also know that some frequent the movie theater, and others frequent karaoke places, but I'd say the arcade's your best best to be honest." Ren said. Makoto chuckled, nodding in agreement as she smiled before speaking up, nodding to Ren's observation as she spoke.

"Ah, I often hear people talking about going to the arcade. To be perfectly honest, I've never been to one myself...Do you think you could take me?" Makoto asked Ren, whose eyes went wide at her question, making Makoto chuckle as she kept speaking.

"I'm not sure if it will broaden my horizons per se, but simply studying won't get me anywhere." Makoto said as Ren thought about it before speaking up in a decisive tone.

"I could do that. Let's go now, since no time like the present, right?" Ren said. Makoto nodded in agreement, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke up, nodding as she spoke.

"Agreed. That said, thank goodness. I think I would have been totally lost in there had I gone by myself." Makoto said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Perhaps you're right, Makoto. However, I'm sure between Kusa and Ryuji, who I do know for a fact both go to the arcade from time to time, they'd have made sure you weren't lost, Ryuji especially." Ren pointed out as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. Well, let's get going." Makoto said as Ren nodded, guiding Makoto to the arcade...

(At the arcade with Ren and Makoto)

"So, this is where everyone comes to enjoy themselves...There are more girls here than I expected." Makoto said as Ren chuckled, speaking up and smirking as he spoke.

"You'd be surprised how many girls like to game, Makoto. Kusa and I knew a group of girls back home that were huge into video games, and presumably into Kusa too if the amount of times he had to regretfully turn them away was any indication. That said, he knows at least one gamer girl now, if not more. So don't be so surprised. Girls can do anything guys can, just about. And in some cases, they even do it better than guys can. We live in quite the equal world, you know." Ren said as Makoto nodded before her attention was drawn by a game nearby as she spoke up, sounding excited as she spoke.

"That's fair, Ren-kun. Oh! Hey, over there...You play by aiming the gun at the screen, right? That actually seems somewhat realistic. Hmm..." Makoto said, trailing off as she looked at the game. Ren smirked, seeing the contemplative look on Makoto's face as he spoke up.

"Seems rather similar to games like Duck Hunt that use gun controllers, and Kusa dominates those rather handily. That said, want to try it out? I see you looking at it, Makoto." Ren said to Makoto who blinked at the question, turning to face Ren with a sheepish look on her face as she spoke up, nodding as she spoke up, smiling as she spoke.

"I-If it's okay with you..." Makoto said to Ren who laughed as he spoke up.

"Of course it's okay with me, Makoto! You're old enough to make your own decisions. I'm not going to tell you what to do." Ren said as Makoto smiled before nodding as she spoke up, looking at Ren as she spoke.

"Do you think you could teach me?" Makoto asked as Ren shrugged, nodding as he spoke up.

"I don't see why not, even if Kusa would probably be a better choice to teach you since he's arguably better at shooter games than I am, even if I have managed to beat him at a couple of them. That said, sure." Ren said as he and Makoto went over to try the game out, Makoto cheering as she hit a target.

"I did it! Huh!? No way! Ahhh!" Makoto said as she got into the game, not seeing Ren wince next to her at how loud she'd gotten, while also smirking as he had a feeling Ryuji would've been enjoying it if he'd been here, but apparently he was busy hanging out with Yusuke for who knows why. Ren then winced more when he realized that Makoto's loud play had been garnering quite a bit of attention. Makoto, for her part, was too engrossed in the game to really notice. A short time later, the two headed to the entrance of the arcade, Makoto doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke up happily, having enjoyed the game she tried out.

"Oh, so this is how it is." Makoto said as Ren smirked before he spoke up, looking proudly at Makoto as he spoke.

"Yep, this is indeed how it is, for most people. Congrats Makoto, you're a real gamer. That said, what did you think?" Ren said to Makoto. Makoto nodded as she spoke up, chuckling as she spoke.

"Of course that was just a game, but...I wonder if i could apply some of the techniques I learned here during battle." Makoto said as Ren blinked before smiling and nodding as he spoke up, amused by Makoto's insights as he spoke.

"You know, that just might work, Makoto. Not bad." Ren said. Makoto smiled and nodded, looking at Ren as she spoke, amused by Ren's response.

"Perhaps going somewhere I don't normally frequent is what helped me come up with that idea. You know, it may only be a little bit...But I think I'm starting to understand how people pass time. Interesting. I would've never even thought about coming here before." Makoto said as Ren spoke up, smirking at Makoto as he spoke.

"Perhaps not Makoto, but you still have much to learn. I'll teach you what I can, but there might be some things that Kusa, Ann, and even Ryuji or Yusuke might be better equipped to teach you than I am." Ren said. Makoto blinked at Ren's response as she spoke up, not expecting to hear that as she spoke.

"I...Hey, do you think you could help me out again later? I might be able to give the team more ideas if I can gain increased knowledge outside of my studies." Makoto said as Ren blinked at this before he spoke up, sounding intrigued as he spoke.

"Ideas, you say? You have me intrigued, Makoto. That said, I look forward to helping you out where I can." Ren said. Makoto nodded as she spoke up, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"I need to live up to your expectations now that I've taken up your time. Perhaps it won't be immediately...but I'm sure I can be of use." Makoto said as Ren nodded, speaking up with a frown that he directed at Makoto as he spoke.

"You say that like you haven't already been of tremendous use to the team, Makoto. Need I remind you of how clutch you were in this last Palace? If not for you, we wouldn't have even been able to get into that bank, much less take the Treasure. So it's really because of you that we were as successful as we were." Ren said gently to Makoto, who nodded, making Ren smirk at the strong resolve he could sense from Makoto...

(Flash forward to the interrogation room, with Sae and Joker)

"There must've been people who obstructed your actions as the Phantom Thieves. You managed to overcome them because you had someone who specialized in analyzing enemies...Isn't that right!?" Sae said to Joker who shrugged...

(Back in the present with Makoto and Ren)

Ren nodded to Makoto's gratitude even as he heard the expected voice in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy bonds of captivity. With the birth of the Priestess Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard in his head as a new card appeared in his mind's eye, this one saying 'Priestess' on it with a 'I' under the word 'Priestess', signifying that his newly-forged Priestess Confidant link with Makoto was now at Rank 1. This also had the result of allowing Makoto to tutor Ren on the ways of 'Shadow Calculus' as a result, which allowed both Ren and Makoto to see skills and potential item drops on the analysis screen. Afterwards, Makoto spoke up once more, looking at Ren as she spoke, sounding uneasy.

"By the way, you went to the red-light district when you were chasing after Kaneshiro, right?" Makoto asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"That's correct. Kusa, myself, and Ryuji all went to check out some leads we'd gotten. Needless to say, I'm sure Ryuji's not going to have the fondest of memories of the red-light district after what happened to him that night, but that's his story to tell, not mine. As for Kusa, he found it quite hilarious." Ren said as Makoto frowned and spoke up, sounding confused and uncertain as she spoke.

"I hope nothing too bad happened to Ryuji. That said, I'd like to go there as well. N-No! Not for my own purposes..." Makoto said as Ren gave Makoto a confused look, making her speak up to clarify what she was getting at.

"To tell you the truth, I recently got a report that one of our students was spotted there...I'm skeptical, but I'd like to confirm firsthand for myself." Makoto said as Ren nodded his agreement, making Makoto smile as she spoke up once more, grateful to Ren as she spoke.

"Well, it's getting late. Let's go home." Makoto said as Ren nodded, the two leaving the arcade. Once outside, Makoto spoke up again.

"Thank you! Thanks for setting aside some time for me today. It's always hard for me to come to places like this on my own, so you've been a big help." Makoto said as Ren spoke up, nodding to Makoto as he spoke.

"No problem. As I said before, I don't mind helping my friends out where I can, and I'd like to think we're friends at least after all we've been through, Makoto. That said, never forget that you're one of us, so you could probably reach out to any one of us and if we can at all manage it, we'd be there for you in an instant, especially Ryuji. I think he'd drop most anything for you, to be honest." Ren said as Makoto smiled, nodding as she spoke up.

"I'll remember that, Ren. That said, I've had all kinds of new experiences today...and it's even been a little fun." Makoto said as Ren nodded as he spoke up, smiling at Makoto as he spoke.

"Glad to hear it, Makoto. So, we're off to the red-light district next?" Ren said to Makoto who giggled and nodded as she spoke up, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"Yeah, thanks. I feel a lot better with you helping me through this. Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you. Careful on your way home. I'll call you later. All right then, see you..." Makoto said as she and Ren went their separate ways for the day, the latter heading back to Leblanc, idly wondering as he did so what Kusa and Morgana had gotten up to...

(Around the same time as Ren and Makoto's hangout, at the hideout with Kusa, Morgana, Yusuke, and Ann)

"Okay, so to recap, we have the venue secured once I speak to Boss about it, Makoto's keeping Ren busy while we finalize things, and all that remains is to get Ryuji's mother onboard with the plan, and ensure she and Yoshizawa-san are at the party. I'll leave Ryuji's mother to you, Ann. As for Yusuke, I think we'll leave keeping Ryuji busy to you, if you think you can handle that. As for myself and Morgana, we'll see what we can do about finding Yoshizawa-san and inviting her, since she was oddly absent today." Kusa said as Ann and Yusuke nodded to their assigned tasks, the former speaking up, smiling as she spoke.

"Sounds good to me, Kusa! I've been meaning to go check in on Ryuji's mom for some time anyways, since I knew her and Ryuji when he and I were in middle school together, so this gives me a chance to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up, nodding to Kusa as he spoke.

"Indeed. I can probably handle keeping Ryuji entertained for however long is needed to get the party set up, provided you and Ann can get the guests there in a timely manner." Yusuke said to Kusa who nodded as he spoke up once more.

"Not a problem, Yusuke. Between myself, Ann, and Morgana, we should be able to get this pulled off. Thankfully there's a good-sized gap between Ren and Ryuji's birthdays and the next one of us to have a birthday, which from what Makoto told me, would be Ann over here, on November 12th." Kusa said before Morgana spoke up at that point, frowning at Kusa as he spoke.

"Umm, wouldn't it actually be YOUR birthday that comes next after Ren and Ryuji's, since last I checked, August 21st falls before November 12th on the calendar?" Morgana asked Kusa, who blinked before nodding as he spoke up.

"That's true, mine would be next. But I wasn't really counting myself, since I can't exactly surprise myself with a party, now can I? Besides, I don't expect much on the day on question, since I get a feeling that day will be plenty chaotic enough as it is." Kusa said making the others nod as they dispersed to set the plan into motion...

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

As Ren and Kusa walked back into Leblanc, Sojiro gave Ren and Kusa a nod of greeting as Morgana spoke up so only Ren and Kusa could hear.

"HEY! According to Yusuke's info, there's a famous shogi player in Kanda, right? If we have time, why don't we go meet them?" Morgana said, winking to Kusa as he said that, making Kusa speak up as an idea occurred to him.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea, Morgana. Why don't you and Ren do that, while I stay here and take care of some things?" Kusa said as he nodded to Morgana. Ren then looked his map over and spoke up, lookng at Morgana as he spoke.

"Hmm...Looking at this, Akechi's also available to rank up. Maybe we can go rank him up tonight, and then go see this shogi player some other night?" Ren suggested as Morgana nodded.

"Yeah, that'll work. Won't it, Kusa?" Morgana said to Kusa, who nodded and spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"Works for me. As for me, I'll probably stick around Leblanc tonight, maybe do some cleaning or something? I dunno yet." Kusa said as Ren shrugged, leaving Morgana with Kusa as he went to go to Kichijoji. Once there, Ren walked over to Akechi, who smiled as he saw Ren approaching and spoke up.

"Hey, Amamiya-kun the elder. This way, if you want to see the place I found." Akechi said as Ren nodded, following him until they reached a building with a sign over the entrance that read 'JAZZ JIN', where Akechi spoke up once more.

"Hey, this is it. It's a rather nice place. It's not quite an apology for that little incident back at the cafe, but rest assured, we're safe here. I'm a regular. It's nice to take some time off when we can, don't you think?" Akechi asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up, frowning slightly as he spoke.

"I agree with that statement, Akechi-kun. But if you don't mind my asking, what kind of place is this?" Ren asked. Akechi laughed at the question, giving Ren a closed-eye smile as he spoke up, amused by Ren's skepticism as he spoke.

"It's just a jazz club. You get to hear some great performers here." Akechi said as Ren smiled, nodding as he spoke up, seemingly impressed as he spoke.

"Oh yeah? Now this is my kind of club." Ren said. Akechi chuckled as he spoke up, amused by Ren's answer as he spoke.

"I'm glad you're so taken with it. Is it safe to assume you've visited places like this before?" Akechi asked Ren who spoke up, looking at Akechi as he spoke.

"Honestly? I've walked past here when looking around Kichijoji before, but I've not gone inside yet. So no, I have not actually been to a jazz club before." Ren said making Akechi blink at this but nod as he spoke up, seemingly unbothered by this as he spoke.

"I see. Very well. In any case, let's head in." Akechi said as Ren nodded his agreement, going into the Jazz Jin with Akechi, even as the 'Jazz Club' was marked on Ren's map for fast-travel. Once inside, the two got a table, at which point Akechi spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"What will you do? Well then, why don't we get some drinks?" Akechi suggested, as Ren nodded, speaking up at that point, seemingly agreeable as he spoke.

"Fair enough. Any recommendations you could make since you've probably been here before, Akechi-kun?" Ren asked Akechi. Akechi shrugged as he spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"Egh, nothing in particular, but if you don't mind me choosing, then I'll put in a random order. You don't have any soft drinks you actively dislike, yes?" Akechi asked Ren who nodded his agreement with Akechi's question, as Akechi flagged down the manager of the club, who was passing by, and placed orders for the two of them. A short time later, the manager returned with two identical looking drinks that he set down in front of Ren and Akechi as he spoke up.

"Thanks for waiting. Here's your order. We have a special performance today, so I hope you enjoy it." The manager said as he walked off, right as a brunette woman walked out onto the stage as Akechi spoke up, smirking at Ren as he spoke.

"Looks like it's starting. Let's sit back and enjoy the show." Akechi said as Ren nodded, letting himself enjoy listening to music with Akechi, who he idly noted had vastly different tastes in music than Kusa. After a bit, Akechi spoke up again, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"Hmm, whew...how relaxing. I really do like coming here." Akechi said as Ren nodded before he spoke up, smirking as he spoke up since the music was admittedly not bad.

"It's a great place." Ren said as Akechi smiled approvingly as he spoke up, appearing quite pleased with Ren's answer, given the closed-eye smile he gave Ren as he spoke.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Work and obligations take me to quite a few restaurants and cafes, but this place is a little more special to me. I guess you could call it my go-to place. Do you have anywhere like that?" Akechi asked Ren who smiled and nodded as he spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"To be honest, I do have a place like that. Kusa and I currently live there. It's an older cafe, but the coffee there is amazing. I think you've heard of it: Leblanc Coffee and Curry?" Ren said to Akechi who did a closed-eye smile as he looked at Ren and spoke up, looking intrigued as he spoke.

"Is that so? Now I'm intrigued... You should show me the place sometime." Akechi said as Ren smirked, nodding as he spoke up, grinning at Akechi as he spoke.

"I could do that, but I'd have to make sure there's no customers around first since the owner, who is currently Kusa and I's guardian, is a bit fussy about us having people over when there's customers around, not to mention I'm sure you'd rather not have to deal with more of a crowd than you absolutely have to, Akechi-kun." Ren said, leaving out the fact that he didn't feel like having to keep Kusa from punching Akechi as he explained his situation to Akechi, who gaped as Ren finished his explanation, giving him a shocked look as he spoke up, seemingly stunned by the explanation as he spoke.

"Really!? So you came to Tokyo with your brother, who was appointed to oversee you because of your situation, and now the two of you life in a cafe loft...Impressive. It's like something out of a story." Akechi said as Ren scoffed before he spoke up, shrugging as he spoke.

"Out of a story, you say? Eh, maybe a poorly-written story where the protagonist constantly has hardships tossed at him. And to be honest, if not for my friends, and for Kusa, I'd have probably gotten fed up with the crappy treatment I get from most people by now." Ren said huffily as Akechi chuckled, understanding Ren's frustration to a point as he spoke up, giving Ren an understanding smile as he spoke.

"That does sound rough, to be sure. And it somewhat explains why your brother looked ready to hit me that first day we met. He's quite protective of those he cares about, and I think I insulted someone close to him with my remarks. So I really can't blame him for being angry at me. Although, I have to say, I'm envious. You must be quite well-stocked on coffee and curry. I live alone myself, but I rarely have the time to cook my own meals...That reminds me, do you cook?" Akechi asked Ren who winced as he spoke up.

"I can use a microwave, if that counts. Aside from that, I help Kusa cook sometimes, but he's the real cook of the two of us, given he used to cook pretty frequently before we moved here." Ren said. Akechi laughed at Ren's honest response, amused by the similarity between the two of them as he spoke up, giving Ren a closed-eye grin as he spoke.

"Haha, that makes two of us. Frozen meals and convenience store food are tasty enough, don't you think? I usually come here when I need some time to really think on my own. So chatting with you here is really quite refreshing. Speaking of which...You know, you're the first person I've ever brought here...It's not like I was keeping it from anyone, but...I suppose it goes to show we do have some strange connection." Akechi said as Ren nodded, not entirely sure he agreed with Akechi's remark.

Regardless, Ren ended up letting it slide as he felt his bond with Akechi deepen.

At that point, the 'Justice' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV" to signify that his Justice confidant link with Akechi had reached rank 4, and as a result, Ren had gained the ability of 'Sleuthing Mastery' from Akechi, which gives the chance to reveal all of a single enemy's affinities at the start of battle. Afterwards, Akechi spoke up some more.

"Ah, it's gotten late...We should probably be going." Akechi said as Ren nodded and the two paid the tab before leaving the Jazz Jin, Akechi speaking up once more as they parted ways.

"Well, see you later. Goodbye." Akechi said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, idly wondering what Kusa and Morgana were doing...

(Around the same time that Ren and Morgana had went to Kichijoji, at Leblanc with Kusa)

"Good, he's gone. Now to move to the next step." Kusa said to himself once he'd gotten upstairs, pulling out his phone to send a group chat to Yusuke, Ann and Makoto.

"Progress report! How's things going for the three of you, with regards to the plan to surprise Ren and Ryuji?" Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Quite well, actually! I got Ryuji's mother to agree to come to Leblanc for the party tomorrow, and I told her I'd pay for her bills if she helped me pick out a present for Ryuji. So that's that end accomplished." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I've been having a think on what to get Ryuji, but I haven't come up with much. Maybe I can go with you two and also pick out a present for him then?" Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response ahead of Ann's response.

"I'm doing quite well. I'm impressed you thought to commission my handiwork for the occasion, Kusa, but I'm happy to assist. I'm not sure how I'll distract Ryuji yet, per se, but I'll figure something out if I have to." Yusuke sent as Ann's response came through.

"No problem, Makoto. We'll meet up after school tomorrow and go with Ryuji's mom to pick presents out then, while Yusuke keeps Ryuji busy. As for Ren, I suppose we can leave it to Kusa and Morgana to figure out how to keep him busy." Ann said as Kusa smirked and sent a response.

"Funny you should mention that, Ann. I did manage to get in contact with Yoshizawa-san earlier, and as it turns out, she was absent today so she could work on her training, but she's got some time off coming up. That being the case, Kasumi said she'd likely be willing to keep Ren busy for us if we need her to. However, I think we might have to help her pick something out for Ren as well. So maybe grab extra gifts so we can say one is from Yoshizawa, and one is from Morgana. I'll figure out my own gift for him, even though I pretty much have Yusuke working on a gift for Ren and Ryuji." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"Indeed, and I must say, I'm impressed with the picture you sent me to use for reference, though I question how you got the subject to agree to take a picture like that." Yusuke sent as Kusa laughed and sent a response.

"I have Ren to thank for that, since he was the one who discreetly snapped that picture. He might be a tad irritated with me when he realizes I used his phone to text that photo to Yusuke, but it'll be worth it to see Ryuji's face when he gets his gift. As for Ren's, that one I can thank Morgana for. Luckily, his paws don't stop him from being good with a camera app." Kusa sent as Makoto and Ann exchanged confused looks while the former sent a response.

"Exactly what are you talking about, Kusa?" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I'll send you a private chat with the details later, Makoto. For now, I'm not going to say, in case Ren and Ryuji manage to get in here, since I don't want to spoil their surprises." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"That said, how's it going on your end, Kusa? Did you get the venue secured?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Glad you asked, Ann. I talked to Taba earlier and she said she spoke to Sakura-kun about it, but I'll have to still ask him about it. In fact, I think I'll go do that now. I'll message back when I do that." Kusa sent as he put his phone away before Ann could reply, heading downstairs where Sojiro was doing dishes to finish closing up. Kusa smirked as he spoke up, looking at Sojiro as he spoke.

"You doing all that by yourself, Sakura-kun? Or would you like some help?" Kusa asked Sojiro, who chuckled as he spoke up, smirking at Kusa as he spoke.

"I was gonna do it by myself, but if you're offering to help, I won't turn you away. There's just a few dishes left, and then you can clean up the floors after I leave." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, putting an apron on as he helped Sojiro do the dishes. As the two worked, Kusa spoke up after pondering how best to phrase what he was about to say.

"So, Futaba said she spoke to you about how Morgana and I have a plan to surprise Ren and Ryuji for the latter's birthday tomorrow? I hope she did, since I do need to ask you something with regards to that plan, since part of it does require your okay." Kusa said as Sojiro smiled, looking at Kusa as he spoke, nodding in response to Kusa's question as he spoke.

"She mentioned you had something to ask me, yes. So what's up, Kusa?" Sojiro asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up, steeling himself as he spoke.

"Okay, so to make things simple, tomorrow is Ryuji's birthday, and since he and Ren have birthdays literally days apart, I was going to see if, provided you're all right with it, I could invite some people to Leblanc for a surprise party for the two of them tomorrow. Naturally, you're invited to be there as well, since it's your cafe, plus I'm sure Ren would love to see you there, even if he's too proud to actually say so. So what do you say, Sakura-kun? Can we have that party here? Or is it too last-minute for you?" Kusa asked Sojiro who stroked his chin contemplatively, before smiling as he spoke up.

"If not for the fact you're obviously planning to bring a lot of guests, which naturally means a lot of customers, I'd have told you no. However, since it's for Ren, and since this party will probably give me more customers than I'm used to, I see no reason not to allow it. Just make sure to clean up afterwards when everyone's gone, that's all I ask. Also, if I can manage it while running the place, I might take part." Sojiro said, making Kusa breathe a sigh of relief before giving Sojiro a grateful look as he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"Whew, that's a relief, Sakura-kun. I wasn't looking forward to having to scramble for another venue if you'd said no. Thank you so much! That helps a lot to have a venue secured. And I understand if you can't make it, since I know you have this place to run, plus you can't exactly leave Futaba alone for too too long. So I get it that you'd have to be sure you can fit it in. I'm just grateful you're letting us use Leblanc for it." Kusa said happily as Sojiro chuckled.

"You're a good kid, Kusa. A bit ambitious to leave it this last-minute, but a good kid. Do you have a time in mind for the party yet?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who frowned and spoke up.

"Honestly? No, not specifically. All we'd figured out was it'd be probably in the afternoon, since some of the guests still have to pick up gifts for Ren and Ryuji, plus I had Yusuke commission some gifts for Ren and Ryuji that I have to get brought over here. So probably in the afternoon sometime if I had to guess? Unless you have a suggestion for a good time?" Kusa said to Sojiro who smirked and nodded as he spoke up, amused by the uncertainty in Kusa's voice as he spoke.

"As it happens, I do have a suggestion. If you can get it all together in time, let's say you have the party at around, oh say, 5 or 6 in the evening, then that way that gives time for everyone to get up, bring gifts over, and get things ready for the birthday boys. Speaking of which, did you have plans for keeping them busy?" Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, giving Sojiro a nod as he spoke up, impressed by Sojiro's suggestion as he spoke.

"Makes sense to me. To be honest, if she wasn't such a shut-in, I'd invite Futaba to the party, but I don't think she'd be able to leave her room, much less the house, that long. But that's fine. She's not exactly aware that Ren or Ryuji exist, anyways." Kusa said as he and Sojiro finished the dishes and Sojiro spoke up once more, smirking as he spoke.

"That makes sense. But I'm happy you thought about including her at least. That means a lot." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, smiling as he spoke up, looking at Sojiro as he spoke.

"Of course. Futaba's an amazing woman, even if she's not quite a woman yet. If she can manage to come to peace with her problems, I think she'd be quite the force for good in the world if she wanted to be. Either way, hopefully she knows I have her back no matter what. But that aside, I just realized I might need to have either Ann or Makoto go grab those gifts off of Yusuke before he goes to distract Ryuji so we don't risk him seeing his surprise, rather than having Yusuke drop them off here on his way to distract Ryuji, unless he comes here and THEN distracts Ryuji?" Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Here's an idea. I can go swing by his house and pick them up and keep them in the back until the party if you want so that he doesn't have to go out of his way much. I don't mind doing that. Consider that my contribution to the party, beyond simply letting it happen in Leblanc." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded as he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"That's a good idea, Sakura-kun. Actually, let me message them real quick while I'm thinking of it." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and Kusa pulled his phone out to open back up the group chat from before.

"Everyone still here? I got the OK to use Leblanc for the party, so the venue is secured. However, Sakura-kun suggested that Yusuke wrap up his gifts, if they're finished, tonight so he can swing by the dorms sometime tomorrow to pick them up before the party. Which Sakura-kun also suggested should start at around 5 or 6 in the evening, so as to give sufficient time for Yusuke and Yoshizawa to distract Ryuji and Ren while the rest of us set up the party." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"You got Boss to come pick up my handiwork? Impressive. Do you have the address of the dorms, or should I text it to you so you can show it to Boss, if he's with you?" Yusuke sent as Makoto and Ann sent responses close together, Makoto's coming through first.

"Perfect. That gives me and Ann time to go with Ryuji's mom and pick out our gifts for him and Ren." Makoto sent as Ann's response came through.

"Agreed. I can easily help you out with Ryuji's present, but I'm not so sure about Ren's." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Where it comes to Ren, he tends to favor more practical gifts, though if one of you wanted to gift him an action movie or a paintball gun, assuming you can get either this quickly, he'd probably appreciate that too. Or failing that, he's not that picky so as long as he can use it, he'll probably appreciate whatever you give him." Kusa sent as Sojiro spoke up, having read the chat over his shoulder.

"Hmm, maybe I should pick the birthday boys up something from Futaba and I. Any suggestions?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who stroked his chin in thought before speaking up, smiling as he spoke.

"From you, Sakura-kun? I'd say probably a practical gift would suffice, though I'm sure Ren wouldn't say no to you spending time with him in lieu of a gift, but that's just my opinion. And as far as Ryuji goes, he's an ex-athlete, or more specifically an ex-runner, so probably anything practical or sports-related would be a good bet." Kusa said as Sojiro chuckled, smirking as he spoke up, having an idea as he spoke.

"Practical, huh? I think I can do that. We're done cleaning, so go on and finish that chat up, and I'll head home. Make sure you clean up the floors when you're done." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, sitting in a booth seat to continue the group chat.

"Sorry about that, Sakura-kun asked me for ideas on what to get Ren and Ryuji. Apparently he's going to surprise both Ryuji and Ren as well with a gift. Go figure." Kusa sent as Ann sent a message at that point.

"True. It's getting late though, isn't it? Shouldn't we call it here for tonight and plan on meeting up at the hideout fairly early tomorrow to put our plan into action? And I'll leave it up to you, Kusa, to fill Morgana in on this so he can decide how, if at all, he wants to contribute to it." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That's fair, Ann. I actually need to clean up Leblanc anyways, since I told Sakura-kun I would clean it for him after he left, and he just left. So yeah, let's leave it at that for tonight, and I'll fill Morgana in once I get a chance. So good night you guys, and see you tomorrow. Hopefully we can really blow Ryuji and Ren's socks off with this party!" Kusa sent as the others sent affirmative responses before Kusa put his phone away and got to cleaning...

(Around that same time, with Ren)

As Ren got to the front door of Leblanc, his phone rang, making Ren shrug as he answered it.

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

"Hey, it's me. Are you good to talk right now? Wasn't the music today wonderful? Live bands always have this certain power to their music. Certainly the point of jazz is all those jam sessions. A sea of improvisation, both complex and organic...As each player incorporates their own flavors, a natural melody is born from chaos. There's something about that strange, erratic synchronicity... It's a euphoria like when I manage to solve a case." Akechi said as Ren chuckled before he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"I kinda get it. It's like how one gets a certain rush of pleasure from sharing good memories with a close friend, or that feeling of elation/satisfaction one gets when they manage a significantly big personal triumph. Does that make sense?" Ren said to Akechi who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, exactly! Well! I'm glad I brought you along, then. I thought I'd have more luck if I brought someone who I know can keep up with me intellectually. Granted, I could've brought along your brother or Sakamoto, but I think either of them would've just tried to annoy me by being disruptive, and in your brother's case, he probably would've spent most of the time resisting the urge to punch me. That said, Jazz is a deep and complex style. I'd love for us to sit down and really talk about it sometime. Ah, I should let you go...Somehow I always end up talking more than usual when it's with you. Expect another invitation soon. For now, please excuse me." Akechi said as Ren hung up the phone and headed inside.

Once inside, Morgana wasted no time giving Kusa a slight nod as the two walked past him, Kusa returning the nod as Morgana hopped onto a table to speak to Kusa for a bit while Ren went up to get ready for bed. After a bit, Kusa and Morgana came up to bed, getting comfortable on the sofa as the three dozed off, up until Ren's phone rang out of nowhere, waking both Ren and Morgana from their sleep as the latter groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh...Huh? Who could that be at this hour?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged before he pulled out his phone to see he had a private chat from Ryuji, making Morgana's eyes go wide as he realized that could slightly either help or hinder the plan to surprise the two of them. Ren ignored this as he viewed the private chat.

"Let's go somewhere tomorrow. We've been busy lately, so I wanna be able to at least relax on Sunday. Where would be a good place to go? I know. Wanna try going to the fishing pond in Ichigaya?" Ryuji sent as Morgana spoke up.

"The fishing pond, huh? Sounds fun! So are you going there with Ryuji?" Morgana asked as Ren looked at him, and spoke up, seeming half-asleep as he spoke.

"I'll answer that later, when I'm more awake. For now, I'm going back to sleep." Ren said as Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"Fair enough. Don't forget to respond though, okay?" Morgana said as Ren nodded, the two going back to sleep for the night...

(The next morning, with Ren, Morgana and Sojiro)

Ren sat at the counter, having his breakfast as his phone went off to signify a private chat from Makoto, who was asking about the red-light district, making Sojiro frown as Ren checked his phone, before he spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"You get some interesting news or something? Not to rain on your parade, but I need you to finish eating before I can open up shop." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Oh! Is it an invitation?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as Morgana kept speaking.

"I guess we should check on it when we're done with our meal." Morgana said as Ren nodded and finished his breakfast. Morgana looked at Ren and spoke up as they went upstairs.

"Well then, that reminds me, the home shopping program is airing today...You wanna check out the TV?" " Morgana asked Ren. Ren shook his head, and headed to the aojiru stand, buying a 'Onsen Aojiru' for 5,000 yen that boosted his Kindness. Ren then remembered he had a lottery ticket to check, and went to check it, only to be pleasantly surprised as he found out he'd won 10,000 yen off of a 3,000 yen ticket.

Ren then saw that the 'Summer Mammoth Lottery' had tickets on sale so he bought one for 5,000 yen, figuring it was worth a shot. He was told that the tickets would be checkable on 8/22, which Ren recalled was the day after Kusa's birthday. He made a note to be sure to check that on time. Afterwards, he decided to hit up some billiards, and called up the others, as Ryuji eagerly agreed to join him, while Morgana went off to find Kusa so the rest of the group could put the plan into action. As that happened, Ryuji smirked at Ren as he spoke up.

"Wow, man. You have the total aura of a pro." Ryuji said as Ren smirked, looking at Ryuji as he spoke up.

"Thanks, Ryuji. By the way, happy birthday, my dude." Ren said as Ryuji's jaw dropped at Ren's remark.

"Wait, WHAT!? Did I actually forget my own birthday?" Ryuji said in surprise as Ren laughed.

"Probably you just mixed the day for it up, if i had to guess. Not that it matters, since we can chill here for the day and then celebrate more elsewhere afterwards." Ren said. Ryuji nodded and spoke up with a smirk, grinning as he spoke.

"Fair enough, man. That said, have you played somewhere before? You do seem to know some unexpected stuff." Ryuji said to Ren who smirked and spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Maybe I have, and maybe I haven't. I'll leave it to your imagination." Ren said. Ryuji laughed as he spoke up.

"Dude, what a tease! I think we're in for a good show here. Heheh, I'm getting pumped now. Alright, let's get started!" Ryuji said. After a bit, Ryuji spoke up once more.

"Yo! Form is really important, yeah? If you don't make a clean shot, the ball's gonna curve." Ryuji said as Ren nodded, making a good shot. Afterwards Ryuji spoke up.

"Dude, this is...It ain't gonna happen every time, but it feels damn good when the balls move the way you want them to!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded. Ryuji spoke up again.

"Seems like we had a lot of fun. I gotta say though...Thanks to playing billiards, you seem like your ability to analyze situations has gotten better." Ryuji said as Ren's Knowledge went up. Ryuji then smirked as he spoke up once more.

"Dude, that ruled! That was a blast, Ren! Let's do it again sometime." Ryuji said. Ren nodded, after which a casually dressed man walked up to Ren and spoke up.

"Hey there. Sorry to interrupt your fun. Billiards has a lot of intricacies, doesn't it? I'm glad you've taken a liking to the game. If you'd like to learn more about it, there's a book I'd recommend reading. It's called 'Expert Billiards'. It covers everything from the basics to practical applications. The only problem is, it's quite a rare book. You might have some difficulty finding it. You may have a better chance of getting it at a specialty shop that sells sports supplies, as opposed to an ordinary bookstore. Oops, I didn't mean to hold you up right as you were leaving. Please, do come again." The man said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"I see. A book on billiards, huh? If we remember, we should check out that sporting goods store that's in the underground mall since they usually have sporting stuff." Ryuji said. After that, the two left the area as Ryuji spoke up once more.

"Later, man! Thanks for remembering my birthday!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded, the two heading their separate ways as Ren headed back towards Leblanc. As he did so, he idly wondered why only Ryuji had shown up to the billiards session...

(Meanwhile, that morning at Leblanc, with Sojiro, Kusa, and Yusuke)

"Whew, that was close. If he'd have lingered much longer, Ren might have seen us bringing these in. Let's get these to the back so they're put away for later, yeah?" Kusa said as Sojiro and Yusuke nodded, the three stashing the gifts in the back area of the cafe, after which the three went about decorating the cafe for the party. As they did so, they got to know each other a bit better...

(Elsewhere, with Ann, Morgana, Makoto, and Ryuji's mom)

"Thanks for giving us a lift to get our gifts for the guys, Miss Sakamoto!" Makoto said politely to Ryuji's mom, who smiled at Makoto as she gave her a knowing smirk and spoke up, grinning as she spoke.

"Oh, please. Considering you're the lucky lady who might have drawn Ryuji's interest, you and your friends can call me Grace. None of this 'Miss Sakamoto' nonsense." The now-named Grace said to Ann and Makoto who both blinked, but nodded as the former spoke up, smiling at Grace as she spoke. *2*

"Fair enough, Grace. In that case, you can call us Ann and Makoto. And the furry one sleeping in my bag is Morgana. He's Ren's cat, but apparently Kusa asked me and Makoto to look after him today for whatever reason. Probably because it relates to the surprise for Ren and Ryuji." Ann said as Makoto nodded and spoke up, smiling as she spoke.

"That's exactly why, Ann. That and apparently Boss asked Kusa to get Morgana out of Leblanc for the day since apparently most restaurants in Japan aren't meant to be animal-friendly." Makoto said as Grace frowned before speaking up, looking at Ann and Makoto as she spoke.

"If the place isn't pet-friendly, why do your friends live there?" Grace asked as Ann winced before speaking up, frowning as she spoke.

"I can't really get into the details without Ren and Kusa's say-so, but suffice it to say, it was the best Sakura-kun could do on short notice." Ann said as Grace nodded, the group heading to the nearby mall to pick out gifts for Ryuji and Ren...

(At that same time, in a sealed-off room with a certain red-headed hacker)

"I see...So it's Ryuji and Ren's birthdays today, is it? Mwehehe, how interesting." Futaba said to herself before looking at the screen showing Leblanc, which was now decorated for the party for Ren and Ryuji. She then looked at Kusa who was decorating the ceiling for Sojiro, smiling as she could see his shirt slightly riding up with how he was stretching to put the streamers up, allowing her the briefest of glimpses underneath it at a toned set of four-pack abs, with the first hints of becoming a six-pack. Futaba smiled as she spoke up.

"Hmm, very nice. Methinks Kusa keeps himself in shape. Well, since I can't do much else for the occasion, maybe I'll send the birthday boys well wishes?" Futaba mused to herself...

(Back at Leblanc with Kusa, Sojiro and Yusuke)

"Whew, there we go. All decorated. Good thing Ren and Ryuji kept each other busy playing billiards. That freed up Yusuke here to help decorate, and made our life easier slightly. Now to wait for the girls to get back with Ryuji's mom and the rest of the gifts. It's a shame that Yoshizawa couldn't make it today, but it is what it is." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up with a smirk.

"That's true, but I think I heard Futaba saying something to herself about surprising the birthday boys before I came over here. Maybe she's got something for them too?" Sojiro said as Kusa blinked before he spoke up, having an idea of what Futaba probably had in mind as he spoke up.

"Nah, more likely she's gonna send them birthday wishes via text since I wouldn't put it past her to hack their phones to get their contact info. She's quite resourceful when she wants to be, Futaba is. After all, would an amateur be able to wire-tap a whole cafe?" Kusa said fondly as Sojiro and Yusuke frowned at this, the former speaking up.

"Wire-tap, you say? I think she might do that out of concern for me. So I'm not worried about it. But I am impressed you figured that out." Sojiro said as Kusa laughed, crossing his arms smugly as he spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Figured it out, my ass. Futaba told me that herself. Personally, I'm proud of her for being so exceptionally gifted, if also concerned for how withdrawn and shut-in she is. But I trust her to know her own pace for coming out of her metaphoric shell. So we'll leave that at that. I do have to say though, Yusuke, you do good work. I especially like the painting you did for Ren. It's both very adorable and very accurate to the moment you captured. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see Ryuij's face when he sees what you made him." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up, smiling as he spoke up.

"True. I took your advice, Kusa. I put my gift in the back with the ones Yusuke brought over. Granted, they're from you AND Yusuke, but I still count them as his." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, smirking at the praise Sojiro gave him, before he frowned as his phone started ringing, making him blink as he saw who it was.

"Oh, actually, I need to take this. Excuse me just one second while I slip upstairs to answer this call, yeah?" Kusa said as Yusuke and Sojiro nodded, both deciding to have a discussion about the Sayuri, of all things, while Kusa went up to his and Ren's room to answer the phone, doing so once he was upstairs and well out of earshot of Sojiro and Yusuke.

"Hello?" Kusa said, smiling as he heard the voice on the other end.

"Hello, Kusa? I'm sorry I couldn't help distract Ren-senpai earlier, but I was busy with training. The good news is that I was let off early today, so I'll be able to make the party at least. So, if you can have someone come bring me to this Leblanc you spoke of, that'd be much appreciated." Kasumi said as Kusa smiled, having an idea come to him as he spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Excellent! I was hoping you'd say that, Kasumi! I'll do you one better, though. I'll come pick you up myself, and we can pick out gifts for Ren together. How's that?" Kusa asked Kasumi, who smiled as she spoke up, happy that Kusa was so adaptable and quick on his metaphoric feet as she spoke.

"That's great! I'll wait for you on Central Street then, okay? See you when you get here!" Kasumi said as Kusa nodded and hung up his phone, heading downstairs to speak to Sojiro and Yusuke, who spoke up as they saw Kusa come downstairs, the former smirking as he spoke.

"Was that who we both know it was?" Sojiro asked Kusa who spoke up, shaking his head as he spoke.

"That was actually Yoshizawa, as it turns out. She got the rest of the day off, so she's gonna be able to make the party after all! However, I'm gonna have to leave the two of you here to wait for the others, while I go get her and we go grab our gifts for Ren and Ryuji. You two think you'll be okay for a couple hours?" Kusa asked as Yusuke and Sojiro nodded as Kusa smiled before speaking up once more.

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can! If anyone asks, tell them I went to hang out with Futaba! I want this to be a surprise for Ren!" Kusa called as he dashed off to go grab Kasumi, leaving Yusuke and Sojiro to blink as Kusa left...

(Meanwhile, with Ann, Makoto, Morgana and Grace)

"So, basically, we have to pick out gifts for my son and for his best friend? That's do-able. I can handle gifts for Ryuji, if you lot can handle this Ren guy's gifts." Grace said as Makoto and Ann nodded, the group splitting up to search the underground mall for gifts. After a bit, the group gathered at the register, purchases in hand. Grace then paid for everything, and the group loaded the lot into the car and headed to Leblanc...

(Over on Central Street with Kasumi and Kusa)

Not long after hanging up her call with Kusa, Kasumi smiled as she saw Kusa walk up to her, making her giggle as she spoke up.

"Well, well. Someone's rather punctual today, and even a bit early." Kasumi teased as Kusa nodded, smiling at Kasumi as he spoke up.

"But of course. This is a special day! Today is the day that we celebrate Ren and Ryuji's birthdays, even though the former's birthday isn't until the 7th. I figure this way we can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and only have to do one party and thus save some time for everyone involved. That said, I'm glad you were able to come. I was hoping you'd make it, however. Mostly since I think it'll make Ren's mood much better to see you there. I'm sure you miss him as much as he misses you." Kusa said as Kasumi just nodded, too busy blushing to speak for a moment before she spoke up, frowning at Kusa as she spoke.

"Hush up, Kusa! Yes, I like Ren, but this is also Sakamoto-senpai's birthday as well, so I'm not trying to take the focus from him at all either." Kasumi rebuked Kusa, who shrugged as he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"That's fair, Kasumi. Now then, shall we go find our gifts for Ren and Ryuji?" Kusa asked Kasumi, who nodded as the two looked around Central Street for a bit, before going down into the Underground Mall to shop, where Kusa frowned as he heard his name called, looking around until he spotted who was calling him, and frowning, as it was Akechi, who walked over to him and smiled as he spoke up.

"Ah, Amamiya-kun the younger. Good afternoon! What brings you here today?" Akechi asked Kusa who nodded politely before speaking up.

"Afternoon to you too, Akechi-kun. To your question, Kasumi over here is helping me get gifts for Ren and Ryuji, since it's Ryuji's birthday. In addition, because his birthday is so close to Ryuji's, we're celebrating Ren's birthday today too. So that's what brings me here." Kusa said politely, to both Akechi and Kasumi's surprise, the former nodding as he spoke up.

"I see. Well, do be sure to wish them both a happy birthday from me, won't you? I won't keep you two from your shopping." Akechi said as Kusa nodded as Akechi walked off, leaving Kusa and Kasumi to exchange shocked looks as the latter spoke up.

"Odd. Does Akechi-kun usually frequent malls like this?" Kasumi asked Kusa, who shrugged and spoke up, as confused as Kasumi was in that moment as he spoke.

"Heck if I know, Kasumi. But I guess at least he was civil today. Maybe he's not so bad? Either way, let's get our gifts." Kusa said as Kasumi nodded. Eventually, both Kusa and Kasumi found their gifts for Ren and Ryuji, had them wrapped, and Kusa paid for them as he escorted Kasumi to Leblanc...

(At Leblanc with Yusuke and Sojiro)

"Well, now what? I think we'll be here a minute, won't we?" Yusuke said politely as Sojiro nodded, right as the door opened up, and in walked Ann, Makoto and Grace, the former of the three carrying a sleeping Morgana up to Ren and Kusa's room and laying him on the sofa before going back downstairs and speaking up to get Sojiro's attention, smiling at him as she spoke.

"Hi, Boss! Sorry for the last-minute notice you got last night. That's Kusa's fault for dragging his feet, unfortunately. But thanks for letting us have the party here." Ann said as Sojiro smiled and nodded to Ann as he spoke up.

"You're quite welcome, Ann-chan. And who're these ladies with you?" Sojiro asked Ann who smiled as she spoke up, looking at Sojiro as she spoke.

"The blonde lady is Grace, or Ryuji's mom. The brunette is a new addition to our friend group, Makoto Niijima." Ann said as Sojiro frowned at the mention of Makoto's last name.

"Niijima, huh...Any relation to a Prosecutor Niijima?" Sojiro asked Makoto who winced as she nodded, before speaking up with a frown as she spoke.

"Yeah, she's my older sister. I apologize if she's caused you any problems, Sakura-kun." Makoto said politely as Sojiro smiled and spoke up, nodding as he spoke.

"Don't worry about it. I don't hold the elder's mistakes against the younger, so you're fine, Makoto-chan. Thanks for coming." Sojiro said as Makoto nodded as she, Grace, and Ann went to set their gifts in the back with the other gifts. As they were doing that, Yusuke heard the door open once more, blinking as he saw Kusa and Kasumi walk in, the latter blinking at the decorations on display as she spoke up, looking at Kusa as she spoke.

"You didn't tell me that the place was decorated, Kusa." Kasumi said to Kusa, who winced sheepishly as he spoke up.

"Oops, my bad. I knew I forgot an important detail in that explanation. Yeah, the place is all decorated real festive-like for the party. Speaking of, let's get you upstairs so we can wrap you up to surprise Ren with later." Kusa said as Kasumi nodded, the two heading upstairs and ignoring a gaping Yusuke, who was very confused at what the two had been talking about.

As they went upstairs, Kusa smiled as he saw Morgana dozing off peacefully on the sofa, resisting the urge to pet the not-cat for the moment, as he helped Kasumi into the box he'd prepared, carefully wrapping around her, but leaving a small hole in the wrap and the box so she could breathe while wrapped up. As Kusa wrapped up Kasumi, Morgana sat up and stretched, blinking in confusion as he saw Kusa wrapping up Kasumi. Morgana then spoke up as he looked at Kusa, frowning as he spoke.

"Why did you just wrap up Yoshizawa-san?" Morgana asked Kusa who laughed as he spoke up.

"It was her idea, Morgana-sensei. She wanted to surprise Ren by being his 'big' present, so I figured I'd humor her. Now, don't let me forget to get Ren up here before the party starts to open her up, so she can partake in the party. Got it?" Kusa asked Morgana, who nodded.

"I see. I'll be sure to remind you." Morgana said as Kusa nodded.

"Good. Actually, you stay up here and keep an ear out, and let me know if she starts choking or acting like she's gonna pass out so I can let her out of the box. This is meant to be a surprise to Ren, not unintentional murder." Kusa said as he went downstairs to join the others, as they came out of the back, smiling as they saw Kusa walk downstairs before whispering into Sojiro's ear, making him smirk and nod approvingly at what Kusa and Kasumi had done.

After that, the group got comfortable talking and getting to know one another, until they heard Ren and Ryuji's voices as they got to Leblanc, causing the group to kill the lights quickly, right as the door opened up and Ren and Ryuji walked in, the former frowning in confusion as he looked at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Were we expecting a power outage of some sort that you can recall, Ryuji?" Ren asked Ryuji who shrugged as he spoke up.

"I dunno, man. I don't think so though?" Ryuji said as they walked all the way into Leblanc and shut the door, right as the lights turned on and about a half-dozen voices all spoke up at once.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, REN AND RYUJI!" Ren and Ryuji both heard several voices say, making them both jump before turning to see a group of people behind the counter, comprised of (From left to right) Kusa, Ann, Makoto, Sojiro, Grace, and Yusuke, and at that same time a certain not-cat padded downstairs to lightly nuzzle Ren's leg as his way of saying 'Happy Birthday', making Ren smile as he reached down to pet Morgana and spoke up.

"Hey there, Morgana. Thank you for trying to surprise me." Ren said as Ryuji gaped before speaking up.

"WHAT THE EFF? Whose idea was this!? This is nuts!" Ryuji said, clearly very pleased with the party as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"That would be me. I coordinated this little gathering over the past couple weeks with the help of Ann, Morgana, Makoto, and even Sakura-kun here." Kusa said as Morgana hopped up onto Kusa's shoulder and whispered into Kusa's ear, making him blink and then nod, quietly thanking Morgana before he turned to Ren.

"Okay, before we get started, why don't the rest of you start bringing out the presents, while I take Ren upstairs to open up his big present from me?" Kusa said as a perplexed Ren just nodded, following Ren upstairs while Morgana followed the two and the others went into the kitchen to retrieve the gifts for a surprised Ryuji who sat at a booth seat, still stunned at the surprise he'd gotten. Once they were upstairs, Kusa smirked at Ren before pointing to a fancily-wrapped box next to Ren's bed while he spoke up.

"Well, there's your big present over there next to your bed, Ren. You wanna open it?" Kusa asked Ren, who blinked but nodded as he carefully unwrapped the large present, blinking before gasping in surprise as the wrapping fell away to reveal a box, from which a familiar looking red-head walked out and threw her arms around Ren happily.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SENPAI!" Kasumi said as she hugged a shocked Ren for all she was worth, Kusa smirking at the stunned look on Ren's face as he returned the hug, eventually recovering enough to speak up.

"Kasumi? You were in on this too!? I'm so shocked! But thank you!" Ren said happily as he looked into Kasumi's eyes, Kusa heading back downstairs to give the two a bit of a private moment as Ren smiled, looking into Kasumi's eyes as he spoke up.

"You have no idea how pleased I'm that you're here, Kasumi. I've missed you while we've been out of contact. However, I completely understand that you need to focus on your training." Ren said understandingly as Kasumi nodded, gently resting her head on Ren's shoulder as she smiled prettily before speaking up.

"Yeah. I didn't think I'd be able to make it initially because of training, but then my coach surprised me with the day off, so I knew I had to be here. I know it's not your actual birthday, but I don't mind celebrating it twice with you if you don't?" Kasumi said to Ren who nodded, smiling as he spoke up with a nod.

"Absolutely. I never get tired of spending time with you, Kasumi. How's your training been going?" Ren asked Kasumi who smiled as she spoke up.

"Good, thanks. But let's focus on your party for now. We can talk about me later, Senpai." Kasumi said before smiling coyly before kissing Ren on the cheek.

"Since I couldn't get you an actual gift other than myself, hopefully that'll do as a substitute." Kasumi said to a now-blushing Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"It most certainly will do, Kasumi. We should probably get downstairs before someone comes up for us." Ren said as Kasumi nodded, heading downstairs hand in hand with Ren, prompting several loud gasps as everyone saw Ren come downstairs holding hands with Kasumi, though Kusa and an oddly-smirking Sojiro just gave Ren a curt nod of approval, the latter clapping Ren on the shoulder proudly as he let Ren and Kasumi claim a booth seat as the presents were brought out and set to one side.

Afterwards, a smirking Kusa brought out the cake, (Which as it happens, both Ren and Ryuji are huge fans of vanilla cake with chocolate frosting) making Ren and Ryuji's jaws drop at the sight of the appetizing-looking cake with which had seventeen candles on it and the words 'Happy 17th Birthday, Ren and Ryuji!' on it in vanilla frosting on top of the chocolate frosting. As he set the cake down, the group sang 'Happy Birthday' to Ryuji and Ren, the latter of whom was stunned at how well most of the group could sing, and then Ren and Ryuji blew out the candles on the cake as it was carved up and served to the gathered guests. Afterwards, Sojiro brought out his famous curry and coffee as salty goods to balance out the sweet in the cake, to the pleasure and approval of everyone present.

When everyone had eaten, Sojiro took the chance to speak up, smirking at Ren and Ryuji as he spoke.

"First of all, happy birthday you two. That said, who's ready to open presents?" Sojiro said to Ren and Ryuji who both just nodded excitedly as Sojiro and Kusa brought the presents out, each setting a pile in front of Ren and Ryuji, respectively. Ren looked over at Ryuji as he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"You know, Ryuji, since you're the one who's actual birthday is today, you can open your presents first. Then I'll open mine." Ren suggested as Ryuji nodded.

"Cool! Sounds like a plan to me, Ren." Ryuji said as he opened up his presents eagerly. From Yoshizawa, Ryuji got a pair of wristbands, to his surprise. From Sojiro, Ryuji got a fancy watch. From Grace, Ryuji got a new muscle shirt. From Ann, Ryuji got spiffy new sunglasses which Ryuji grinned at seeing as he made a note to try them on when he had the chance next. From Makoto, Ryuji got a huge container of protein and a note from Makoto which read as thus:

"Ryuji, the protein is just a start. I couldn't think of much else to get you at the time, but then I thought of something afterwards. So the rest of my present to you is this: When things settle down some, we can go out together and do whatever you want, just the two of us. Consider this something to look forward to! Happy birthday! -Love, Makoto" The note read, making Kusa and Ren both give Ryuji knowing grins as he read the last two words, before shooting Makoto amused smirks, making her flush in embarrassment but speak up anyways.

"I stand by what I said in that note, so you two can shut up, Ren and Kusa." Makoto said simply as Ryuji kept opening his gifts. From Ren, Ryuji got a new pair of running shoes, to his surprise, making him grin at Ren and fist-bump him as he spoke up, looking happy as he spoke.

"Awesome, Ren! How'd you know I needed these? Thanks man!" Ryuji said happily as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Just a hunch I had. That, and your mother might have tipped me off." Ren said, giving Grace a polite nod of recognition as Ryuji turned to the remaining gift, which was labeled as being from Kusa and Yusuke, making him give the two a confused look as Kusa grinned and spoke up.

"Oh yeah, I think you'll get a kick out of this, Ryuji. Open it up!" Kusa said as Ryuji blinked but nodded as he complied, gaping at the painting revealed before he doubled over laughing as he noticed it was a painting of Akechi with a very messed-up hairdo, making Ren gape before he glared at Kusa disapprovingly. After he stopped laughing, Ryuji fist-bumped Kusa and Yusuke as he spoke up.

"Nice, guys! I love it! But when did you get Akechi to pose like that?" Ryuji asked as Kusa surprised Ryuji by bursting out laughing before he spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Technically, we didn't. Ren did. So you have him to thank, as well, for taking the picture we based that off of. But maybe keep this to yourself for now, if you can. After all, Ren and I don't know if Akechi knows that Ren took a picture of him like that, yeah?" Kusa said to a now grinning Ryuji, who nodded as he spoke up happily.

"Fair enough. I can do that. Thanks, guys." Ryuji said as he gestured for Ren to open up his presents, which he happily did.

From Sojiro, Ren received a gold necklace which made him give Sojiro a confused look until he spoke up with a grin, nodding as he spoke.

"Consider that my way of helping you look extra sharp for that young lady next to you, since it's plain to see you two are smitten with one another." Sojiro said sagely as Kusa smirked and spoke up, grinning as he spoke while ignoring the mock-glare Ren shot Kusa and Sojiro.

"Truth, Sakura-kun! I've been saying that for weeks now! Maybe now he'll listen!" Kusa said as Ren just rolled his eyes and opened up the rest of his gifts.

From Ann, Ren received a new shirt which had, surprisingly enough, the Phantom Thieves logo on the front and the words 'TAKE YOUR HEART' in similar font to the calling cards the group often used on the back, making him smile at Ann. From Makoto, Ren got a pair of fingerless gloves, making him frown at Makoto who spoke up.

"This way you now have gloves both on and off the job." Makoto said, winking at Ren, who blinked before understanding what she meant and nodding.

From Ryuji, Ren got some training weights, making him give Ryuji a grateful nod as he set the weights down.

From Kasumi, Ren got a black leather coat, making him grin as he hugged her, having seen this same coat on display and admired it.

From Grace, Ren got new boots, making him smile happily as he thanked Grace for the black steel-toed boots, making him and Ryuji chuckle as they thought of the last Palace.

From Kusa and Yusuke, Ren got a similarly-shaped wrapped object to what Ryuji had, making Kusa nod as he spoke up.

"Ooh, I think you'll love this one. Open it!" Kusa said as Ren nodded, gasping as he saw the painting within, going slightly red in embarrassment as he recognized the picture as being of him and Kasumi, from when Kasumi had first hugged Ren and then kissed him on the cheek, the day he'd gotten the cursed private chat from Mishima. Ren smiled at Yusuke as he spoke up, happy for the gift, while smiling at how much Kasumi was blushing at the picture of her kissing Ren on the cheek as he spoke.

"Yusuke, really, thanks man! Not sure how you got the image of this to paint it, but I'm happy you did." Ren said as Kusa grinned and spoke up.

"Funny you should say that, Ren. That one is actually thanks to this little guy here who managed to use your phone to snap a picture of you two that day without either of you seeing. Go figure that he can use a phone to at least some extent, even in his current form." Kusa said as he held up Morgana carefully in his arms so Ren could see who he meant, making Ren frown at Morgana before smiling as he petted Morgana before speaking up.

"Thank you for capturing that wonderful moment. I can't even be mad at you for it, since I pretty much did the same thing to Akechi-kun. I can't make any such promises for Kasumi being mad at you, however. After all, that was a rather embarrassing moment for her. As for me personally, I think it was totally adorable. Even if that's only because of the expression Kasumi had on her face during said moment." Ren said happily as Morgana nodded, speaking into Kusa's ear as he spoke up for Morgana, smirking at the embarrassed look on Kasumi's face as she was trying not to look at Ren so he didn't see how red her cheeks were from him calling her adorable as he spoke.

"Morgana said to tell you you're welcome, Ren. He was glad to help you capture that special moment on film and now in canvas, thanks to our resident artist Yusuke." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded, accepting the praise he was due.

After that, the group ate cake and talked some more until the party started dispersing. Yusuke and Ann got the train home, Makoto getting a separate train, Grace drove herself and Ryuji home, and then Kusa stayed at Leblanc with Sojiro so Ren could privately walk Kasumi back to the station, keeping Morgana with him so the two could have a private goodbye. Once at the station, Kasumi smiled at Ren as she spoke up, looking happily into his eyes as she spoke.

"I hope you enjoyed your party, Senpai. Assuming I can get my schedule clear on the 7th, maybe we should have a private hangout that day, just the two of us? I wouldn't mind spending your special day with you, at least." Kasumi said as Ren nodded, hugging Kasumi happily as he spoke up, grinning at her as he spoke.

"I'd love to, Kasumi. But don't go out of your way to make it happen. If you can't get off that day, I understand. We can always do it the day before or after, depending on your schedule. But thank you for coming to the party. I was very happy to see you there." Ren said happily as Kasumi nodded, smiling at Ren as she spoke up, looking at him as she spoke.

"We'll see what happens, Senpai. But once again, happy early birthday!" Kasumi said before regretfully turning to leave, but not before Ren took her hand in his as he spoke up once more.

"I know you have to go Kasumi, but one more thing first." Ren said, leaving Kasumi to blink at him in confusion, before gasping quietly as Ren wrapped his arms around her before looking into her eyes as he gently but tenderly pressed his lips to her cheek, then he let her go so she could run off, red-faced and shocked at what he'd done, yet also pleased, letting Ren walk back to Leblanc with a smug grin on his face at getting to literally kiss Kasumi goodbye, even if it was only on the cheek...

(Back at Leblanc with Kusa and Morgana)

"Did you see their faces when they opened up those paintings? They were both priceless!" Kusa said to Morgana, laughing as he recalled the stunned expression on Ren's face as he saw the painting of him and Kasumi, which Ren had immediately walked upstairs with and leaned it on the wall next to the shelf until he could properly hang it, Ryuji smirking as he knew he was going to hang his portrait of Akechi on his bedroom wall once he got home. Meanwhile, Morgana smirked as he spoke up, giving Kusa an amused look.

"Yeah, they were both pretty happy with everything. Gotta hand it to you, Kusa. You did good putting all this together." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and nodded.

"Naturally. They're my friends, so it was well worth the effort to see the happy looks on their faces when they saw everything. Mind you, I do not expect anything like this on my birthday, partly because I don't think any of the others would be quite as efficient as me at organizing a party, and partly because I have a hunch that my birthday might end up upstaged by another significant occasion, not sure why I feel that way, but I do. But just wait until we get to Ann's birthday! Hoo boy, that's going to be a fun one, especially if she hasn't confessed her feelings to a certain someone by then. Mwehehehe." Kusa said as he smirked, making Morgana wince at the look in Kusa's eyes as he spoke up.

"Why don't I like that mischievous look in your eyes, Kusa? And I think you've been hanging around Futaba too much, especially if you can laugh that much like her." Morgana said warily as Kusa just smirked and spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"You hush, Morgana. There's no such thing as hanging around Taba too much! Besides, you're saying that like you don't laugh like this too, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said smugly as Ren came up the stairs, sporting a self-satisfied grin that had Kusa smirking as he walked over to Ren, taking one look at him before giving him a manly pat on the shoulder as he spoke up, grinning as he spoke..

"Welcome back, Ren. From that look on your face, I take it you had quite the eventful time escorting Kasumi to the station?" Kusa asked Ren, who laughed and nodded, smirking as he spoke up.

"Yep, you could say that. I think I quite shocked Kasumi when I kissed her on the cheek tonight. But I figure, it's partially my party, so if I want to give her a special send-off, then dammit I'm gonna give Kasumi a special send-off!" Ren said confidently as Kusa fist-bumped Ren before grinning while he spoke up.

"Nice, Ren! Depending on how she reacts next time she sees you, I think you might just be in there with her. But we'll wait and see on that." Kusa said as Ren nodded.

"Mm-hmm. And now it's your turn. I made a move on my crush, so now the ball's in your court for when you do the same with yours." Ren said teasingly to Kusa, who huffed as he spoke up, crossing his arms with a pout as he spoke.

"I know we're celebrating your birthday today, but still, not fair dragging Taba into this when she's not here to defend herself, Ren! And I think I already told you I'm not rushing her into anything, so you can hold your effing horses!" Kusa said flatly as he walked downstairs with a huff, making Ren smirk as he spoke up to Morgana who had stayed behind.

"I know I shouldn't have done that, but it was so worth it to see the look on his face when I brought up Futaba. Kusa seriously needs to quit hesitating and make a move before someone else does." Ren said sagely as Morgana frowned before speaking up.

"Perhaps, but who else is gonna make a move on Futaba aside from Kusa? Only he really knows about her!" Morgana pointed out as Ren shrugged, nodding as he spoke up, conceding that the not-cat had a point as he spoke.

"That's fair, but once she's not a shut-in, she'll definitely have guys noticing her, particularly if the picture I saw of her on Kusa's phone once is any indication." Ren said with a smirk as Morgana nodded, agreeing as he spoke up, sighing as he spoke.

"That's actually a fair point. Of course, now Kusa's probably pissed off at you, AGAIN. So I hope your little teasing moment was worth getting a sizable helping of the cold shoulder from him." Morgana said sagely to Ren who just nodded, before he laid back on his bed to plot out his next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Yeah, I know. There really wasn't that much actual progress in the chapter, but it was also very needed to set up an event I'd been teasing subtly since the start of Kaneshiro's Palace! And now that Ren and Ryuji's birthday has been observed in-story, the next bit is the rest of the remainder of the deadline for Kaneshiro's heart change and then the end of Arc 3. So odds are good next chapter will be the end of Arc 3, or if not next chapter, the chapter after that. Either way, Arc 4 should be starting in chapter 38 at the latest, so that's something to look forward to! I hope people enjoy this change I made to the plot!

If you like this story so far, feel free to PM me with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism about the story, or you can alternatively leave a review and do so. I accept both forms of input, and even welcome hearing from my readers, as I appreciate the support and feedback either way! That said, until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*-For the record, most of the Phantom Thieves have established canonical birth dates, with the exceptions of Ren, who is a player character and thus more often than not has his birthday vary from player to player, though in this case I had him marked as having a birthday on 7/7 because I like the idea of someone having a birthday on that day, plus I believe I recall that day being a canonic day that Kasumi is available to be ranked up so that could set up rather nicely for another plot liberty. For the record, the other thieves birthdays are as thus: Futaba- 2/19, Kasumi-3/25, Akechi-6/2, Ryuji-7/3, Ann-11/12, Haru-12/5, Yusuke-1/28, Makoto-4/23, and then see below for Kusa and Morgana's 'birth dates'.

That said, back on the topic of the Thieves, in addition to Ren, both Morgana and Kusa don't have canonic birth dates, but of those two, the latter only exists in this story, and as such I'm giving him my actual birthday (or 8/21) for his birth date because I can, where the former wasn't 'born' per se, so much as he was 'created', but many suggest that the day he meets Ren and Ryuji could count as his birthday, but I disagree.

And besides, that day was 4/11 according to the game so I figure if it's that close to it, just move it up a few days and have the cat's birthday be 4/20, because why the heck not? Morgana has enough stoner tropes around him anyways, considering he literally turns into a tour bus, and Chapter 13 already has the joke about whoever had the cognition that cats can become tour buses was high as hell, so it works well with the themes within Morgana's existence, at least in my opinion.

*2*- Technically, Ryuji's mom, as far as I could find, isn't ever actually given a canonic name in Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal, but to be fair, she also doesn't have an on-screen appearance either, only being mentioned the once that I can recall during Ryuji's mentioning of his past to Yusuke, Ren, and Morgana near the middle of the pre-Palace 3 shenanigans in-game, so again taking some liberties here with a character. But I figure I could see his mom being either a Grace, or possibly an Erika, but I opted for Grace since I figured going with Erika might be pushing the Hacker's Memory referencing just a bit too far.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 35

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) : Rank 5

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) : Rank 1

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) : Rank 4

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) : Rank 5

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) : Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) : Rank 4

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) : Rank 3

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

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) : Rank 2

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The World) : Rank 3

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) : Rank 4

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 2

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 4

YET TO BE UNLOCKED : STAR, HERMIT, EMPRESS, HANGED MAN, DEVIL, FORTUNE, TOWER