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! ALL CHAPTERS NOW EDITED

92. Arsene's True Form! Reality Check part 7

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Not much to say at this point other than we're still in the thick of the waiting game for Arc 9, but I'd estimate tops another 2-3 chapters remain for that before we get to the big event for this arc, e.g. the final boss battles of Royal (and final Palace Ruler fights of this story)! But for now, we have a few more chapters of filler-esque shenanigans to get through first. That being said, let's hit up the disclaimer while I'm thinking of it.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Asuk/Sinocard, Somasi/Slim, Kyori, Akira, Mimille, Lumine, Minako, the Malefactor, and any other OCs that might appear in the story, all of whom are made, and therefore owned, by me, unless otherwise noted), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo (at least insofar as they have partial copyright credit for the spinoff games like Strikers, the 'Q' games, the 'Dancing' games, and the 'Arena' games), so all credit to them!

That having been done, I think at this point let's get on with the chapter, and I'll try to have a slightly longer A/N to reply to afterwards, so if you're still reading at the end of the chapter, do be sure to at least skim the A/N afterwards. Now, on with chapter 92!

Chapter 92- More Blood Oaths, Confidant Building, and other various shenanigans! Reality Check part 7

(At Leblanc, in the evening, with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren went upstairs to look at his options, he blinked as he spotted a private chat from Kawakami. Surprised by this, Ren opened it to read it.

"I'm contacting you not as Becky, but as your teacher today. There's something I want to talk to you about. Are you free?" Kawakami sent as Morgana spoke up, having read the chat over Ren's shoulder.

"Ah, inviting your teacher over again, Ren? Need me to go head over to hang with Kusa then?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, that'd be helpful if you could do that, Morgana. If I'm right, I can finish off another Confidant tonight, and make myself one step closer to maxing all my Confidant Links. So yes, please go find Kusa and see if he'll put you up overnight again." Ren said to Morgana, who nodded and padded off to find Kusa as Ren sent a response.

"Sorry, had to sort out some details. But if you need to talk, by all means, please come on over, Miss Kawakami." Ren sent politely as Kawakami sent a response.

"Thanks. I'll stop by Leblanc later, so I'll see you then." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, heading downstairs to speak with Sojiro for a bit while he waited for Kawakami to show up...

(A short time later, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Ren and Kawakami)

"Hey. Sorry I'm late. A student asked me for some advice as I was leaving. That's actually been happening a lot lately, Amamiya-kun the elder. I wonder if they see me in a new light now that I'm trying harder to be a good teacher? Regardless, I need to work hard so I can make up for all the times I let my students down in the past." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. I'm glad to hear that, Miss Kawakami." Ren said politely. Kawakami nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile on her face.

"Thank you for your kind words, Amamiya-kun the elder. Apparently, they like that I'm not too serious. I guess my laid-back personality is coming in useful. So, um, can I be honest with you about something?" Kawakami asked Ren, who gave her a confused look but nodded nonetheless as Kawakami kept speaking.

"Good. Now, this is coming from me as your teacher, not necessarily from me as your friend. An awful thought occurred to me the more time I spent with you. This thought terrified me to think about, and I can no longer overlook such a grave 'danger'. You? Amamiya-kun the elder, you are waaay too lax when it comes to your diet! You need to be more serious about your nutrition. And the state of your room! You need to stop slacking! I mean, look at how dusty this place is. Ugh, I put up with the mess because you were my client, but you need to thoroughly clean in here!" Kawakami said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"I will. But for right now, I'm more focused on getting Kusa caught up on what he missed and back on his feet. Kusa already said he'd help me straighten up around here once he's able to do so. So it'll get taken care of. No need to worry, Miss Kawakami. And as to my nutrition, I believe I said before that Sumire is big into nutrition, so I'm sure she'll be happy to work with me on my diet when she can." Ren said respectfully. Kawakami gave Ren a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Heh, good. That's what I wanted to hear. Also, sorry. I forgot that you found Amamiya-kun the younger recently. So I can cut you a bit of slack in light of that. That said, there are just some things that you have to prioritize over your studies, you know? Oh yeah, there's one more thing I wanted to discuss." Kawakami said, though when she kept speaking, Ren's eyes widened slightly at what she said next.

"You're a member of the Phantom Thieves, right?" Kawakami asked Ren, who mentally swore up a blue streak in his head at being potentially caught out as he spoke up.

"Um, for now, I can neither confirm nor deny your question. But I have to ask, why do you think that?" Ren asked. Kawakami spoke up at that point.

"For starters, that whole thing with Takase-kun's guardians worked out way too well for me. And you're the only one who knew about my situation." Kawakami said as Ren blinked, not having considered that detail prior to this point." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up at that point.

"As much as I could point out that it could just as easily be that I know a guy who's in the Phantom Thieves, your observation skills suggest that I would be wasting both your time and my own trying to hold to such a flimsy lie. Yeah, you got me. I'm a Phantom Thief. More specifically, I'm the leader of the Phantom Thieves." Ren said honestly after sighing and mentally berating himself for being caught out by yet another Confidant. Kawakami chuckled and spoke up.

"Thought so. I haven't lived this long without learning a thing or two, you know. Don't worry, Amamiya-kun the elder. I have no intention of telling anyone. There are a lot of stories about the Phantom Thieves. But in the end, they help people like me, right? That's sooo you. I just thought you were a problem child with a criminal record who had to have everyone around him babysit him. But now I know better. That said, I'll support you 100 percent! You're not just a student to me, after all. You're someone special who helped me realize my path as a teacher. A new path where I'll never abandon any of my students, no matter what!" Kawakami said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, that sounds quite promising, Miss Kawakami. I look forward to seeing how that plays out for you going forward. I'd say I'll make sure of it, but that's kind of hard to do when I only have at best two more years left of high school before graduation. Also, I'm only here until the spring, since that's when my year's probation will be up. The plan is for both myself and Kusa to return home in either late March or early April, most likely the former." Ren said as Kawakami spoke up with a smile.

"Right!? For my students, for myself, but most of all, for you! Also, that sucks to hear you're not staying around for that much longer, but it's to be expected. Well, at least I can support you while you're still here, so that's better than nothing." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, getting the feeling that he could feel a strong bond with Kawakami, possibly as strong as it could be. At that point, the expected voice spoke up in Ren's head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of Temperance, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard as at that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' on the card becoming an 'X' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached Rank 10, or as the card indicated it, 'RANK MAX' or 'MAX Rank'.

From the maxed out Temperance Confidant link, Kawakami conferred the boon of 'Special Massage' onto Ren, enabling him to request a massage from Kawakami after going into the Metaverse, enabling him to use his otherwise-restricted nighttime slot to go out and do stuff at night. From there, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared over the maxed out 'Temperance' card, causing his phone and that of the others to ping with the notification that Ren could now fuse 'Ardha', or the strongest Persona of the Temperance Arcana. Afterwards, Kawakami spoke up, smirking at the look of horror on Ren's face at what she said next.

"Okay, let's get into it, Amamiya-kun the elder! Fifty terms! Go!" Kawakami said as Ren looked at her and spoke up.

"Fifty terms!? I didn't know this was also a study session?" Ren asked in horror. Kawakami giggled at the horrified look on Ren's face before she spoke up.

"Of course! I don't want you to flunk your exams. I'm going to go the distance with you!" Kawakami said to Ren, who sweatdropped, but conceded that he could use the help as he consented to getting a special lesson from Kawakami, getting tired mid-way through, and begging off so he could go to bed, which Kawakami agreed to as she left and Ren barely made it up to his bed before changing into his pajamas, flopping down on his bed, and falling asleep basically the instant his head hit the pillow...

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

"Class has started! Hey, you, over there! Are you sleeping?" Ushimaru said, seemingly looking at Ren before shocking both Ren and Ann with what he said next.

"Am I mad about that? No, it's fine. Let him sleep. Students are busy, after all. It's normal to be tired. I'm a little too sleepy myself. I was playing pretend Featherman with my grandchild yesterday and got a little too invested in it." Ushimaru said as he blinked at the amount of confused looks he got, making him frown as he kept speaking.

"What? You all don't know Featherman!? It's a sentai series that teaches you about justice. We'll watch it in class someday. And speaking of which, did you know the concept of 'justice' is different in western culture and eastern culture? Amamiya-kun the elder, look at this." Ushimaru said as Ren sat up to give Ushimaru his attention as Ushimaru held up a picture of a female statue holding a set of scales in one hand, yet for some reason, there was a red square covering the area where her feet would be. At that point, Ushimaru kept speaking.

"This is a statue of the goddess, Themis. She's commonly referred to as the goddess of justice. She holds a set of scales and a sword, and she's stepping on something What's the answer? Do you know what she's stepping on?" Ushimaru asked as Ren thought about it, before softly smiling as he recalled this same statue coming up once during one of his and Akechi's many discussions, mentally thanking Akechi for the answer as he spoke up with confidence. *1*

"This is it! The answer is a snake." Ren said confidently as he gave the answer. Ushimaru smiled as he clapped approvingly and spoke up.

"Haha, wonderful. That is correct! A lot of stories tend to paint snakes as a symbol of sin, or some kind of agent of evil." Ushimaru said as he held up the picture from before, but this time the square was gone, revealing that the statue was actually stepping on a snake. Ushimaru then kept speaking.

"In western culture, justice tends to be about enforcing the rules. If you want everyone to live in harmony, rules are absolutely necessary. Furthermore, there are those who enforce the rules above most all else. And so anyone who disrupts those rules might just end up like this snake." Ushimaru said as the usual murmurs about Ren being smart ensued, complete with a grinning Morgana praising him on getting the correct answer, netting Ren a slight, but unneeded, boost to his Knowledge. At that point, Ushimaru kept speaking.

"Eastern culture, on the other hand, views justice more like acting and thinking ethically. This exists in the individual. In other words, much as every human has their own individual identity and opinions/feelings, all humans have their own sense of justice. It's not an easy way to live, but even so, I'm sure you will all be fine. Oh, time's almost up. So about your homework for this class? There is none for today! Get some rest. But make sure you're awake for the next class, all right?" Ushimaru said as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"No way. Ushimaru's really changed, hasn't he? Brr, I'm getting the shivers." Morgana said as Ren just nodded as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Ugh, I guess we're gonna have to wait for Maruki to make contact with us." Morgana said as Ren nodded and decided to peruse his options. After noticing that all four of his remaining daytime Confidants were available to hang out with, Ren opted to rank up Haru since he recalled he had a crop ready for harvest, figuring he could plant a new crop and hang out with Haru at the same time, thus killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. So decided, Ren headed to the rooftop to see Haru. Haru looked up on seeing Ren there and spoke up.

"Oh, hello there, Ren-kun. All that's left is to wait for the day Maruki mentioned before, right? We have to stop him. But until then, I figure I'll spend my free time helping tend the plants here. So, what are your plans, little bro?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Aside from us needing to harvest the crop we planted, I figured this could be a good opportunity for us to hang out a bit while doing so." Ren said to Haru, who giggled at Ren and spoke up after the two harvested the 'Moonlight Carrot' crop, planting a crop of 'Sun Tomato' seedlings in place of the harvested crop.

"Hee hee! Why, thank you, little brother. So, I went over to the company the other day and, well, I have some news. Are you free to speak today?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up with a nod.

"Of course I do. As it happens, my afternoon was rather open before now, since I hadn't really made plans as of yet, in the interest of keeping my schedule open in case anyone needed me, like you seem to. So I can certainly spend some time hearing you out, big sis." Ren said honestly to Haru, who smiled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, thank you, little bro. I'd like to drink a nice cup of Boss's coffee. Could we head to Leblanc?" Haru asked as Ren nodded and escorted Haru to Leblanc...

(A short time later, at Leblanc, with Sojiro, Haru, and Ren)

"My, this has such profoundly bold flavor to it." Haru said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Thanks. I heard you've been getting into the roasting scene, little lady." Sojiro said smoothly as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, that's correct. Truth be told, I often have the urge to drink a fresh cup of your coffee." Haru said honestly as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, that near brings a tear to my eye." Sojiro said to Haru before turning to Ren and speaking up.

"Well, I'm heading home now to check in on Futaba and Kusa, make sure they're not getting into too much mischief, things like that. Close up shop for me, will you Ren?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded as Sojiro left and Haru spoke up.

"I was finally able to convey my feelings during the company meeting. Not just about the new chain, but about the future of the company, and even about Father's passing. I think my presence angered some people at first, but in the end, they all listened to my thoughts." Haru said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That's wonderful, big sis! You've done great for yourself, Haru." Ren said proudly. Haru smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Thank you. But to be honest? All that nervousness was exhausting for me. I've had diplomatic dealings with VIPs before, but I've never once spoken my true feelings in any of them until the company meeting. That aside, after talking with management, I've decided to let them handle Okumura Foods. It's simply not something that I would've been able to supervise on my own. And after their sincere acceptance of the public's criticism, I felt it was okay to trust them." Haru said before pausing to take a sip of her coffee before she kept speaking.

"And as for my future goals? Well, to be honest, I'm interested in opening a small private cafe. Everything will be home-grown, from the coffee to the salad. I want to set my own standards. It'll be a shop that people live, like Grandfather's shop was, and like this place is. What do you think?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I think you've got the potential to make your dream succeed, big sis. But this won't be an easy ambition to pull off. After all, Boss has had this place for years, and he doesn't always get a consistent stream of customers coming in to do business. Granted, part of that could be because he's had to constantly re-arrange his schedule to accommodate taking myself and Kusa in, as well as being able to close the shop on a dime to allow us to use this place as our hideout. So my point in saying this is that you shouldn't set your expectations too high right away. Just take it one step at a time." Ren said kindly. Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, little bro. Also, don't blame yourself for costing Boss business. He said himself that he doesn't mind losing a bit of business for those he's close to. That said, it sounds like a pretty boring dream now that I've put it into words, doesn't it? But, that said, I won't be able to accomplish anything if I'm afraid of failure. Truth be told, I don't plan on opening the shop immediately after I graduate. I'll need to study and improve my knowledge beforehand. After all, right now? It's only a hobby. Perhaps I should apprentice here at Leblanc in the meantime?" Haru said as Ren spoke up honestly.

"You can do that if you like, big sis. But don't expect the work to be easy. Even if he's close to someone, Boss still has standards that he holds people to. So he'll be working you quite hard if you do apprentice here. Both Kusa and I can say this from experience. However, for all that he can be a strict taskmaster, he's also a fair man, who is usually quite understanding if you're honest with him about stuff. So just be aware that it's hard work to apprentice here, just so you know." Ren said fairly. Haru giggled as she spoke up.

"Hee hee. I take it that sentiment comes from personal experience? And I know that you consider Boss like a father figure, even if you don't say so. And I think it's incredibly plain to see that there's definitely a father/son dynamic building itself between Boss and Kusa-kun. Then again, that's to Kusa-kun's benefit, considering he's going out with Futaba-chan and all. Either way, that said, I think this dream of mine will be no easy feat. But I somehow managed to tackle my childhood dream of becoming a heroine of justice. If I act with resolve and believe in my actions, I know I'll be able to achieve anything." Haru said as Ren nodded his agreement while Haru kept speaking.

"That said, I'm so glad I met you, little bro. At first it was nice having someone that understands me like you do. But now, it's much more. There may be times when people resent me for it, and even hold my dreams against me, but as long as you're here, I'll be okay. You know, to be honest, little brother? I'd like to return the favor. If you ever find yourself in trouble, I'll be there for you. Feel free to rely on me from now on. I have the strength to help you if you need it. I can sense it!" Haru said as Ren nodded his appreciation and smiled at Haru, as he could feel the strength of his bond with her. At that point, the camera zoomed in on Haru as the expected voice spoke up in Ren's head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Empress, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard as at that point, the 'Empress' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' on the card becoming an 'X' to signify that his Empress Confidant link with Haru had reached Rank 10, also noted on the card as being 'RANK MAX', or 'MAX Rank'.

From the maxed-out Empress Confidant link, Haru had awoken to the power of 'Second Awakening', making it so that like every other thief aside from Joker, Crow, and Violet, Haru's Persona was transformed into a mythological trickster. From there, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared in front of the maxed-out 'Empress' card, causing the group's phones to ping with the notification that Ren could now fuse 'Mother Harlot', or the strongest Persona of the Empress Arcana.

Afterwards, the shot cut to an inside view of Haru's heart, where her 'Milady' Persona was consumed in a flash of blue light, and when the light receded, in Milady's place was a Persona with a crescent-moon shaped headpiece, a long flowing black veil with purple tips and a very feminine build and a skull-shaped skirt, as well as a piercing red facemask that was barely visible under the crescent-moon headpiece, and each of the new Persona's arms had a set of five whlte platinum bangles on them. At that point, Haru spoke up once more.

"I feel as though, in this moment? I've been reborn. This is my new power!" Haru said as the group's phones pinged with the notification that Haru's 'Milady' Persona had transformed into 'Astarte'. Afterwards, Haru kept speaking.

"When I open my cafe, I'll let you be my first customer." Haru said as Ren spoke up with a smile.

"I look forward to that, big sis. I'm sure you'll do well with your dream." Ren said confidently to Haru, who giggled as she spoke up.

"Hee hee, thank you, little brother! I can't wait! Oh my, look at the time! We've been speaking for quite a while! I should be going now!" Haru said as Ren nodded and escorted Haru to the door, where she giggled and spoke up.

"Wow, you're such a gentleman, little bro. I'm sure Sumire-chan is quite impressed by that. Well, take care!" Haru said as Ren nodded and Haru left, Ren deciding to be a gentleman and walk Haru to the station. As he did so, the shot cut to a view of the skill-selection screen for 'Astarte', which revealed that like every other Persona aside from Futaba's, 'Astarte' had gained the passive skill 'Evade Nuke', which helps with her Nuke weakness...

(That evening, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, and Sojiro)

As Ren walked into Leblanc, Sojiro groaned and spoke up.

"Mmm, my shoulders are so stiff, Ren. I hope it's not my old age catching up to me." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"You? Old? Nonsense! If anything, that could be the cold weather causing your bones to ache." Ren said as Sojiro nodded while Ren looked over his options. After looking, he was surprised to see that other than Kawakami and Hifumi, both of whom were maxed out, Ren's only available rank-up option was Iwai, who had sent him a private chat. Ren decided to view the private chat, since he figured he'd rank up Iwai, partly because he was the only option Ren had, and partly because Ren had a Hanged arcana Persona on hand.

"Remember how I said I was going to give ya a hard time? Well, I got a job for ya." Iwai sent as Morgana spoke up, having once again read a chat over Ren's shoulder.

"Ah, being called into work tonight? I can hold the fort down here if you want, Ren. Also, I'd feel bad bugging Kusa and Futaba for the third time in one week, especially since I'm nearly positive I heard Kusa muttering to himself about planning a date for himself and Futaba when I was there the last time. So I'd rather not be a third wheel for them if I can avoid it." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"That's fine, Morgana. Just don't make a mess here, and don't draw attention to yourself. I'd rather not have Boss pissed at me over something you did." Ren said firmly as Morgana nodded his agreement before Ren sent a response to Iwai.

"Sounds good to me, Iwai-san. I don't have anything else really going on tonight anyways. Had to sort out some arrangements for my cat, but otherwise, I'm good to go. I'll be right over." Ren sent as Iwai sent a response.

"Good. That said, you'll be working in the shop today. Hurry on over, part-timer." Iwai sent as Ren put his phone away and headed over to the airsoft shop after setting Morgana down on the bed in the attic...

(A short time later, in Untouchable, with Iwai and Ren)

"Hey, be careful with this gun. If anyone's interested in buyin' it, lemme know right away. This thing's an antique. I'm not gonna sell it to anyone less than a real gun expert." Iwai said as he sat down and kept speaking.

"Oh, and about Tsuda? I heard he got ex-communicated from the clan. Apparently his boss found out what happened. Serves him right, huh?" Iwai asked as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"While that is great to hear, are you sure he's still alive? Or am I being too naive to worry about that?" Ren asked. Iwai nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, I think so. Pretty big relief, assumin' it's true. I mean sure, that bastard pissed me off, but I never once wished he'd up and die on me. That being said, this whole thing's been real crazy though. I mean, Tsuda used to be the role model for upholdin' the code when I was still in the clan. I guess this is what he meant when he said times're changin', eh Ren?" Iwai said as his phone rang at that point, and he answered it, recognizing the caller.

"Hello? Oh, it's you. If you wanna talk about Tsuda-" Iwai said before being cut off by the frantic-sounding voice on the other end, his eyes widening as he heard what was said and he spoke up.

"Huh? Wait, what!? The hell're you doin'!? Hey! You motherfucker! Hey, hold on!" Iwai said as he was hung up on, leaving him to swear as he looked over at Ren.

"Urgh, dammit! That bastard Masa's abducted Kaoru!" Iwai said as Ren spoke up in concern.

"That's not good! Will Kaoru be okay?" Ren asked worriedly. Iwai nodded approvingly to Ren's question as he spoke up.

"He damn well better be, or else Masa's a dead man! Tch! God, that piece of shit! He knew about Tsuda's failure the whole time, didn't he? I bet he was just waitin' for a chance like this!" Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"Agreed. Normally, I'd say we need to close up, but this is Kaoru we're talking about! That can wait. We should hurry." Ren said. Iwai nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Right. They're over at Seaside Park. I'll grab the keys n' lock up! Shit! C'mon, let's go!" Iwai said as Ren nodded and the two hurried over to Seaside Park after Iwai locked up the shop...

(A short time later, in the Seaside Park, with Ren, Iwai, Kaoru, and an unfamiliar man)

"Dammit, you piece of shit! Let Kaoru go!" Iwai said to the messy-haired blonde male holding Kaoru at knife point. The male spoke up.

"Take it easy, Mune-san. All I did was give him a friendly ride home from cram school. Ain't that right, Kaoru-kun?" The male said as Kaoru looked at Iwai honestly and spoke up in a remorseful tone.

"Dad, this is all my fault. I'm sorry. He said he had some stuff to tell me about you, and I foolishly listened to him. Then, he brought me to his car and drove me here." Kaoru said as Iwai growled and spoke up.

"Kaoru, you fool. I'm just glad you're safe." Iwai said as the male spoke up.

"Heh. Man, ain't he just a great kid?" The male said as Ren turned to Iwai, who told Ren that the man holding Kaoru at knife-point was Masa. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Right. What's your goal here, Masa? Why did you need to take Kaoru hostage?" Ren said bluntly to the now-named Masa, who smirked at Ren and spoke up.

"Oh? And what're you, Mune-san's little errand boy? Wait, hold on. I remember you now. You're that weirdo from the diner." Masa said as Ren's eyes widened as he realized this was the same Masa he'd had to eavesdrop on for Iwai back when he first started helping Iwai out. Iwai growled at Masa and spoke up.

"Hey! I said, let Kaoru go!" Iwai snapped as Masa spoke up bluntly.

"Fuck off. I heard you the first time." Masa said as Iwai huffed and spoke up.

"Tch, I see. So, what're you gonna make me do?" Iwai asked as Masa chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, great question. Y'know those modded guns you were gonna give Tsuda? It'd be real nice to get my hands on 'em. There's a lieutenant spot open now that Tsuda's gone, but I still need to prove my worth before I can get it. And you're gonna help me do just that." Masa said as Iwai laughed and spoke up.

"HA! Sorry Masa, but you got some real shitty timin'. We just broke 'em all down. There's nothin' left." Iwai said as Masa frowned and spoke up.

"You think that's gonna dissuade me? Not likely! Y'know, I know everythin' about Kaoru-kun's situation." Masa said as Iwai's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Wha-!?" Iwai said as a confused Kaoru spoke up while frowning.

"Wait, my situation? What do you mean by my situation?" Kaoru asked in confusion before turning to Iwai as he kept speaking.

"Dad? What does he mean!?" Kaoru asked as Masa spoke up.

"Heh, don't you remember what I told you in the car, Kaoru-kun? About your dad? About what he thinks of you?" Masa asked as Kaoru nodded uneasily and spoke up.

"R-Right, you did mention something like that." Kaoru said before turning to Iwai as he kept speaking.

"Be honest with me, Dad. I'm just little more than a burden to you, aren't I? That's it, isn't it? Tell me, Dad! I can handle the truth!" Kaoru said as Iwai spoke up.

"That ain't true! I'm tryin' to protect you, Kaoru!" Iwai said as Masa spoke up dryly.

"Hey, this family bullshit is real touching n' all, but we're s'posed to be negotiatin' here, remember? Why don't we start with a delivery date? The sooner the better, in my book." Masa said as Iwai groaned and swore as he spoke up.

"Shit! How could this have happened? Goddammit!" Iwai said as Masa chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, don't gimme that shit. None of this would be happenin' if you didn't go n' take that brat in." Masa said as Kaoru frowned and spoke up.

"I knew it! Dad, everything really is my fault, isn't it?" Kaoru asked as Iwai spoke up.

"Kaoru, that's not true at all." Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"Iwai-san, you need to trust your son! Only by being honest with him can you help him see the bigger picture. Otherwise, he's probably just gonna blame himself." Ren said wisely. Iwai blinked at Ren in surprise as he spoke up.

"Ren, that's rather wise of you to say." Iwai said as Masa looked at Ren and Iwai, still holding the knife to Kaoru as he spoke.

"Hey what're you two chattin' about over there?" Masa asked as Iwai spoke up.

"About me doing right by my son! And it's well past time that I told him the truth. Kaoru, listen carefully to me. There's somethin' I've been keepin' from you for a while now. It's not a pretty story to hear, and you're prolly not gonna like it. The truth is, your real parents didn't die in a car crash. You were abandoned by your mother when you were still a baby. That's why I took you in. Believe it or not Kaoru, I was actually part of the yakuza back then." Iwai said as Kaoru blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? Are you being serious right now?" Kaoru asked in shock as Masa laughed and spoke up.

"Oh man! I can't believe you really freaking told him, Mune-san!" Masa said as he turned to Kaoru and spoke up.

"Your dad's not lyin', Kaoru-kun. From what I heard, your mom tried to sell you to us just so she could get her hands on some easy drug money!" Masa said as a shocked and stunned Kaoru spoke up.

"Sell me!? You mean to say my own mother tried to sell me for drug money!?" Kaoru asked as Masa nodded and spoke up.

"Yup! Then when Mune-san here wasn't buyin', she just dumped you and ran! And that's how you ended up with a yakuza dad. Pretty crazy, huh!? Ahhh, that's a relief! I've been tryin' to hold that in all day long. I couldn't wait to see the look on your face when you found out!" Masa said as Kaoru frowned but said nothing as Masa laughed and kept speaking.

"Man, this is hilarious. Boo freakin' hoo, how said for you. Ahahaha!" Masa said as Kaoru frowned and spoke up.

"Enough. All of that might be true, but it's in the past now! I'm not a child anymore, and I'd never let a stupid secret like that get to me!" Kaoru said, shocking Ren, Iwai AND Masa, as the latter blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? What was that?" Masa asked in surprise. Kaoru frowned and spoke up.

"So what if my mom dumped me!? Or if my dad was part of the yakuza!? We might not be related by blood, but we're connected by the gecko marks we wear! So you know what? I don't care what you have to say about us! I'm me, and Munehisa Iwai, blood-related to me or not? He is my dad!" Kaoru said confidently as a moved yet impressed Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, what do you know? Ha! Attaboy, Kaoru. Listen, Masa. I know what you did was messed up, but let's put an end to this, right here, right now. We can start fresh." Iwai said as Masa frowned and spoke up, still holding the knife close to Kaoru, so he could easily stab him if needed.

"You seriously still don't get it, do you? Kaoru-kun's-" Masa said before being cut off as an intimidating voice spoke up from nearby.

"No, Masa. You're the one who doesn't get it." Masa, Iwai, Ren, and Kaoru all heard as they turned to face the approaching figure, who was none other than Tsuda! Tsuda frowned at Masa as he pulled a gun on him and clicked it to prime it as he kept speaking.

"Masa, you fool! You've really fucked up this time." Tsuda said as a wide-eyed Iwai spoke up.

"Tsuda!?" Iwai asked in shock as an equally-shocked Masa spoke up.

"T-Tsuda, you're here!? I mean, sir, I thought you were excommunicated from the clan!?" Masa asked as Tsuda frowned and spoke up.

"Don't give me that. I know you ratted me out to the boss. You never have been good at keeping your mouth shut." Tsuda said as Masa spoke up frantically.

"N-No, it wasn't me!" Masa said, trying to convince Tsuda he was innocent. Tsuda scoffed and spoke up.

"Uh-huh, sure it wasn't. And what do you think you're doing waving that knife around? Huh!?" Tsuda snapped at Masa who lowered the knife and spoke up.

"I-I'm sorry, Tsuda-san, sir!" Masa said as Tsuda turned to Iwai and spoke up, ignoring the apologizing Masa as he spoke.

"Your kid's got guts, Mune. Like father like son, huh?" Tsuda said as Iwai spoke up.

"Yo, looks like it. So, what now?" Iwai asked as Tsuda spoke up.

"Well, I'll start by making this idiot repay his debts. I haven't thought much about what comes after. All I really know for sure is this. This is where we say goodbye, Mune." Tsuda said as Iwai growled and spoke up.

"Ugh, I see. Well, take care, brother." Iwai said as Tsuda nodded before glaring at Masa as he spoke up.

"You too, brother. And as for you, Masa! Let's go." Tsuda said as he man-handled Masa away from the scene, leaving just Ren, Iwai, and Kaoru there. At that point, Iwai sighed and spoke up.

"Glad that's over. Are you okay, Kaoru?" Iwai asked Kaoru, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. I was a little afraid at first, but it's all better now." Kaoru said as Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh. Honestly, I'm surprised you stayed calm through all that. Guess you're maturin' quicker than I even realized, Kaoru." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. Based on that display just now, I feel pretty confident in saying that Kaoru's a really strong-willed young man." Ren said kindly. Iwai chuckled and nodded.

"Heh, that's true. He sure is. I never woulda been able to say all the shit he did. Y'know, I've been so busy makin' sure he doesn't end up like me that I forgot to see who he's actually becomin'. Heh, how pathetic. I can't believe I'm only just realizin' this now." Iwai said as Kaoru chuckled and spoke up.

"Heheh, it's fine, Dad. We all make mistakes." Kaoru said wisely as Iwai nodded and turned to Ren as he spoke up.

"I appreciate it! And it's all thanks to you, kid. I appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart. For real." Iwai said sincerely, making Ren smile as he got the sense that his bond with Iwai was growing still deeper. At that point, the 'Hanged-Man' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VIII' on the card turning into an 'IX' to signify that his Hanged-Man Confidant link with Iwai had reached Rank 9, though no new skills were gained for the rank-up. Afterwards, Kaoru spoke up.

"Hey, to be honest? All that excitement made me super hungry, Dad. Why don't we go back to that diner?" Kaoru said as Iwai sighed and spoke up.

"Ha! You seriously eat on a whole 'nother level, Kaoru. You might even end up taller than me someday. But, sure. Why not? C'mon, let's head over there." Iwai said as Kaoru nodded and looked at Ren as he spoke up.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Kaoru said as Ren nodded, heading to the diner with Iwai and Kaoru, where the three of them enjoyed a peaceful dinner together, after which Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the door, which he answered.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he chuckled on hearing Iwai's voice on the other end.

"Yo, it's me. Sorry for that whole mess back there. I'm glad Kaoru's safe and all, but hoo boy can he eat. Man, he ended up with a hell of an appetite after all that. Sure was somethin' else, wasn't he? 'Connected by the gecko' and all that, huh? Sheesh, the kid must've grown into a man while I wasn't looking." Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"True. But you know what they say. Gecko bonds go beyond blood." Ren said as Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Hah. The hell are you even talking about, Ren? But, to be honest? I guess you might be right. A symbol of protection, for the home and the family I've made with Kaoru. And somehow, the gecko actually did end up protecting my family. Heh, it sounds too perfect to be real. Ugh, but damn. After goin' out to eat with you guys, I can barely move. Too stuffed. Heh.

But somehow, it's the best damn feeling in the whole damn world. Thanks, Ren, for tonight. You did some great work. Hah, look at me. You got me sayin' all this sappy shit. Downright embarrassing. I gotta go get some air, cool down a little. All right, Ren. Later." Iwai said as Ren chuckled and hung up the phone, heading inside to get changed for the night, unaware of the serious discussion currently taking place in the Sakura house...

(Earlier that night, at the Sakura house, with Kusa and Futaba)

As he got back from finishing the last of his make-up assignments, Kusa frowned as he noticed Futaba seemingly sitting on the hide-a-bed, a slightly sulky look on her face. Deciding that he was fed up with waiting for her to open up to him about what was wrong, he took matters into his own hands as he sat next to Futaba and gently spoke up, smiling at the shocked look on Futaba's face as he gently snaked an arm around her waist while he spoke.

"What's got you so bothered that you have to look that sulky and miserable, Taba? I know you're figuring things out, but that doesn't mean you can't lean on me for help if you need it. I don't care if you think it might bother and/or upset me, either. I'd rather be upset and know what's going on with you, than be happy but not know what has you looking like you're suffering so intensely. After all, I love you, Taba. And I hate to see you suffer like this. So please, let me in. Tell me what's wrong." Kusa said kindly as Futaba sighed and spoke up.

"A-Are you sure you want to know, Kusa?" Futaba asked as Kusa smiled and gently tilted Futaba's head so he was looking directly into her eyes, ignoring the flushing of Futaba's cheeks at the close contact as he spoke up.

"I'm sure. After all, you've been practically moping around since I got back. And I can understand that you missed me, but I would think you'd be happy that I'm finally back where I belong. If it's related to me being gone for so long, then I apologize for making you worry about me so much." Kusa said honestly as Futaba spoke up.

"It's not that, Kusa. It's just, I've been feeling rather confused and lost. Y'see, while you were gone, I started getting restless from the lack of cuddle time with you and the lack of you in my life, so I might have started flirting with some of the others, such as Sumire, to try and fill the void. And it doesn't help that most of us damn near lost our memories of you.

But I, in particular, should've tried harder to remember you while you were gone, instead of almost letting my memories of our love go without a fight. Between those things and the fact I practically hit on Sumire as a placeholder, I kinda feel like I betrayed you a little bit. So I'm sorry if I've upset you with my behavior since you returned. I've just been confused on how you're not upset with me over almost forgetting you." Futaba admitted. Kusa smiled at Futaba, gently pulling her into his lap as he looked down into her eyes and spoke up.

"Is that what's been bothering you, Taba? You are a silly little weeb, aren't you?" Kusa said as Futaba pouted and spoke up.

"Hey! Don't call me that! And are you even taking what I just said seriously?" Futaba asked as Kusa laughed and gently kissed Futaba on the cheek as he spoke up.

"Silly Taba. Of course I'm taking what you just said seriously. But you are being a silly dork if you think I'd ever be mad at you for something you couldn't help. After all, it's not like you or the others chose to have those actualizations imposed on you by that bastard Maruki. And you didn't actually forget me, even if all you remembered was our love and what we've been through.

And that's good enough for me. Besides, I'm the one who was stupid enough to try and charge Akechi solo instead of try to fight him with you guys. If I'd have done that, maybe I wouldn't have gotten separated from you all. But we can't play the 'what-if' game like this. That's not what happened, after all. Besides, if I had avoided charging Akechi, there's a better than fair chance I wouldn't have been able to save him like I did.

In turn, Akechi might not only have tried to fight his clone, but also fail, and he might actually have died that day at the hands of his cognitive clone. Instead, I got separated from you, but saved Akechi from a grisly fate, and he in turn repaid the favor by ensuring Ren made his way into Maruki's Palace to start the infiltration process for it. The fact that Sumire got caught in the crossfire and got put through straight-up hell as a result was an unintended setback.

So we both have our share of the blame for this to own. So do not blame yourself alone for this, Taba. You were only doing what you thought right at the time. Plus, can you be blamed for enjoying the idea of having your mother back among the living, even if it was only an altered reality? No one would be mad at you for wanting that to be real. If anything, be mad at Maruki for even teasing you with it, only for it to be snatched away again because it was an actualized fake reality.

So do not beat yourself up for what you did. I forgive you for having a perfectly human reaction in those circumstances. Now stop sulking and come here so we can make up for lost time and try and comfort each other the best way we know how." Kusa said with a kind smile as Futaba nodded, gently pushing Kusa down onto the hide-a-bed so he was laying on it as she snuggled up to him and smiled as she spoke up.

"Y'know? You're right. I shouldn't be mad at myself. We're back together now, right? And that's what's important. I'm glad you're back with me, Kusa. I love you." Futaba said as Kusa smiled, gently running his hands through Futaba's hair as he spoke up kindly.

"Agreed. And I love you too, Taba." Kusa said as he leaned down to kiss Futaba, who smiled as she eagerly returned the kiss, before looking at Kusa and speaking up.

"As much as being on the hide-a-bed like this is nice, I kinda want to share my bed with you, bad as that might sound. But it might be the fact that I've missed holding you like this talking." Futaba said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Nah, that's fine. I can agree with that. And if Sojiro asks, I can tell him with a straight face if he asks that I was trying to snap you out of your much-too-long sulk, because it's true. Now if you want us to cuddle on your bed, we can certainly do that." Kusa said as he smirked, before shocking Futaba by playfully scooping her into his arms to carry her bridal-style to her room, laying her gently on her bed before kicking his shoes off and laying next to her on the bed, eagerly kissing her once more, a gesture she happily and eagerly returned as the two made out for a long while before eventually passing out in one another's arms, content smiles on their faces as they laid together.

A short time later, Sojiro came home, blinking as he didn't see Kusa or Futaba on the hide-a-bed, eventually heading down the hall and smiling as he noticed Futaba's door was ajar, peering in and seeing Kusa and Futaba cuddled up together on the bed, both dozing contentedly, with quite happily content smiles on their faces that Sojiro hadn't seen in some time. Pleased by this, Sojiro merely snapped a few photos of the two before heading to bed, leaving the two be as they all dozed off for the night...

(The next day, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, at this point, all we can do is wait for the appointed day to arrive, eh Ren? Maybe we should skip on hanging out with people today and take a day at the temple." Morgana suggested as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Nah, no can do, Morgana. I don't have that many day-time slots left. I think I did the math before, and I have exactly enough day-time slots left to max out all of my remaining day-time Confidant Links, and have one leftover for another Mementos run if needed. So we don't have any wiggle room in the daytime. The nighttime, on the other hand, we have a few extra slots in for such things. So let's save it for then." Ren said as Morgana nodded while Ren checked his options, noticing as he did that both Takemi and Sumire were available to rank up. Figuring that Sumire was less frequently available than Takemi, Ren decided to rank up his girlfriend. Ren then saw he had a private chat, smirking as he saw it was from Sumire. Ren wasted no time in opening the private chat.

"Hello, Ren-senpai. Are you free today, by chance? If you don't already have plans, could we maybe meet up?" Sumire sent, making Ren smile eagerly at the idea of meeting up with Sumire, making Morgana give Ren a knowing smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh, sounds like someone's plans just got made for them. But in all seriousness, what's the plan? Are you gonna go and hang out with Sumire?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Yep, that's right. Yes, I could go rank up Takemi, but she's available a lot more often than Sumire is, so I might as well grab ranks with Sumire when I can. You gonna be okay hanging around Leblanc, or should I have Kusa come pick you up if he can?" Ren asked Morgana, who spoke up.

"Nah, I'm okay hanging out here and holding down the fort. I get the feeling I'd just be underfoot if I tried to hang out with Kusa and Futaba, especially if Kusa's planning what I think he is." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Right, he's probably getting Futaba to open up to him somehow. Also, I think I recall Boss saying Kusa is coming back here tonight anyways, so it'd probably be better for you to be up here waiting for him when he returns to welcome him back. So that actually works out better. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a response to send and a girlfriend to meet up with." Ren said as he opened up the private chat and sent a response.

"Of course we can meet up, beautiful! Didn't I already say I always have time for you? That said, I'll be right there." Ren sent as Sumire sent a response.

"Yes, that's true you did say that. Still, thank you very much for being so willing to spend time with me, Ren. I'll be waiting in Kichijoji." Sumire sent as Ren put his phone away and headed to Kichijoji...

(In Kichijoji, with Ren and Sumire)

Ren smirked as he found Sumire once more inspecting things in the promenade, grinning as he spoke up.

"Shopping again, eh beautiful? I didn't think you were such an avid shopper." Ren said teasingly as Sumire turned to face him, her face slightly pinking in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"Oh, hello there, Ren. Um, Ren-senpai, can I be honest with you? I realized something. If I want to find that boldness Kasumi had, I have to do something about my mindset. I was thinking, then, that maybe you could help with that? So, um, that's why, if you're agreeable to it, I was thinking we could try having you watch me try a few things. Do you have some plans today?" Sumire asked Ren, who smiled and spoke up.

"I do not have plans, in fact. Or at least, I didn't until now. But now, my only plans are being there for you. And if that means watching you try stuff, then that's just what I'm gonna do. If you want us to hang out, then let's hang out." Ren said kindly. Sumire turned and gave Ren one of the prettiest closed-eye smiles he could remember her giving him as she spoke up.

"Thank you very much. Um, Ren? Can we meet up at the store in Shibuya? There's something I'd like to show you. I'll go first and get myself ready. Now then, if you'd excuse me. I'll see you later!" Sumire said as Ren nodded and allowed Sumire to head on over to Shibuya first, before following along a short time later...

(A short time later, at a store in Shibuya, with Ren and Sumire)

Ren eventually reached the store in mention, turning to look in to see if he had the right place, but quickly having to withdraw his head before he was caught, as he'd chosen right when Sumire was apparently in the middle of changing to check if she was there, which she was. Luckily for Ren, Sumire didn't seem to notice him accidentally getting a look at her in a matching set of silky maroon lingerie.

Even so, Ren found himself flushing impressively before having to duck around the opposite corner so she wouldn't see his red face from how good the ensemble had looked on her. Ren then had to shake himself so as not to let his mind get any inappropriate images stuck in it. After a bit, Ren finally calmed himself to walk back towards the shop, only to hear Sumire's voice as she spoke to an employee.

"Ooh. This is rather different, isn't it?" Sumire asked as a copper-brown haired woman spoke up.

"Oh, this is so working for you! I know you said you wanted people to see you, so I put together something a little more wild and eye-catching." The woman, who Ren realized from the badge on her dress was a staff member of what Ren realized was an apparel shop that a red-headed woman appeared to also be in, but now she was dressed, wearing an ensemble that appeared to be a dark-grey zebra-striped long sleeve top with partial gloves at the end, a knee-length yellow leopard-print dress that ended at her knees, a purple scarf that appeared to be snake-skin, and a pair of reddish-pink framed sunglasses with dark-grey tints. Ren frowned as he looked the woman over. Was this actually Sumire wearing all this? Ren wasn't sure, until he heard her voice speak up.

"Wow, this is crazy! It's like I'm a totally different person." Ren heard what he realized was Sumire's voice say, not able to see her widened eyes behind the sunglasses she had on. The apparel shop staff member nodded as she spoke up.

"True. You've got some of that carnivore energy, and a little herbivore meekness too. This savannah style will definitely turn heads!" The apparel shop staff member said as Sumire spoke up again, making Ren quietly groan at what he heard next.

"I see. Well, I guess it's important to have a balanced diet, if nothing else?" Sumire said as Ren shook his head and muttered under his breath about Sumire being too pure, beautiful, and innocent for this world before he made up his mind and walked up to the girl he realized was Sumire, even if she wasn't really dressed like Sumire at the moment. Sumire blinked as she spotted Ren approaching and spoke up with what Ren figured to be a closed-eye smile.

"Oh, Ren-senpai! I'm glad you made it!" Sumire said as Ren nodded and walked over, noticing at that point that what he'd thought to be a dress that ended at her knees, was actually a full-length dress, matched with a pair of lighter-yellow giraffe print leggings, which Sumire had matched with neon green socks and pink lace-up heels. After Ren reached Sumire, she spoke up.

"I wanted to surprise you, so I got here a little early to dress up. I tried this ensemble based on the staff's advice, but what do you think? I've definitely been getting attention in this. Some people are even staring! This is sort of like showing off my own style, right!?" Sumire said as Ren sighed and spoke up.

"I won't lie to you, Sumire. Some of that outfit is rather adorable on you, but that whole ensemble together? Not what I would say is considered fashionable. As for you getting stares, I'd say you're just standing out, beautiful. But in all seriousness, look at yourself." Ren said honestly. Sumire blinked at this and spoke up uneasily.

"O-Oh, you don't like it? I thought it was a pretty cool outfit myself, to be honest." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"I didn't say it wasn't cool. It's definitely cool. But I'm pretty sure that the green socks clash with the rest of the ensemble, plus whoever picked that ensemble out was clearly going for a red, gold and pink motif, which to be fair does bring out the sexy in you, but the green socks kind of ruin the theme. Also, I don't think that was what your coach meant when she said 'show off your own style'. But I give you points for trying. You pull that look off well, for the most part." Ren said kindly as Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"I see. Thanks for the honesty, Ren. Well, to be honest, I could tell some of this was a little off. I mean, they say these are leopard spots, but it could just as easily be some kind of, I dunno, mutant giraffe? Anyway, I should change." Sumire said as Ren nodded and stepped out of the room to give Sumire privacy, even if the more naughty parts of his mind screamed at him to try and sneak a peek, which Ren ignored as he walked off to give Sumire privacy to change. After a bit, Sumire called Ren back in, now wearing her usual apparel. Sumire frowned as she spoke up.

"I thought this might help me find some answers, but I guess I didn't go in with much of a plan, did I? I meant well, but I let the staff choose my ensemble, and so once again, I ended up with a bad ensemble, and totally misinterpreted everything and made no progress at all. Classic Sumire. I wasn't like this when I was looking for my father's glasses, was I? I feel like I'm doing so much worse than when I thought I was Kasumi, to be honest. Ugh, and I don't even know if I'm worth showing off, let alone how to do it properly." Sumire said honestly as Ren smiled and hugged Sumire before he spoke up.

"Cheer up, beautiful. I'm here for you. And to be fair, that was the staffer's fault that ensemble didn't work out, not yours." Ren said kindly to Sumire, who smiled at Ren as she leaned into the hug and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. I have you, Ren-senpai. I need to make sure you see the real me if I can. Okay. I don't have time to be lost in my thoughts. I'll find some clothes that'll help me show off my true self! But still, this could take a bit. I mean, look at how many different styles there are. Huh? Why does this sweater have a hole in it? Where is this string going to!? Um, what do I do now, Ren? This is a lot harder than I thought it would be." Sumire said as she browsed different outfits, speaking up again after a bit.

"Hmm, no. This isn't it either. All these clothes are very stylish, but I'm not sure I'd really want to be seen in them at all. How do I want to be seen, though? Or more accurately, how do I want Ren-senpai to see me? Ren-senpai should notice me. Ren-senpai's always there for me. Hmm, decisions, decisions." Sumire said, seemingly talking more to herself than to Ren, so naturally she was surprised when Ren spoke up.

"What is it, beautiful? Or were you just thinking out loud?" Ren asked with a smirk on his face as he looked Sumire over, liking how she looked in her current outfit. Sumire blinked at Ren's question before noticing the appraising glance he was giving her and flushing slightly as she spoke up.

"Oh, uh, wow. Um, Ren? Please don't stare at me like that." Sumire said as Ren smiled at Sumire and spoke up.

"If you say so, beautiful. But seriously, what? I can't look at you and admire how amazing you look right now?" Ren said with a straight face, knowing he was slightly flirting with her, but not being able to resist the urge to do so. Sumire blinked but smiled as she spoke up shyly.

"I-It's not that, just, I dunno. I didn't think you'd stare back at me like that, I guess. Huh? I look amazing like this, you say? Oh! R-Right. Heh, maybe it shouldn't be that one-sided. And I do recall a time that I got a good look at you while you were changing. Hee hee." Sumire said as she giggled at the suddenly flushing Ren before she kept speaking.

"But in all seriousness, if I give other people attention, then surely I'd get attention in return. I think I get it. Oh, my! I think I'll try on, hmm, yes! This one!" Sumire said, giggling as she grabbed a dress at random and darted off into the changing room to change into it. A bit later, the curtain moved aside and when Sumire stepped out, Ren's jaw felt like it hit the ground as he took in the sight of Sumire modeling a knee-length purple dress with a white stripe down the front with a yellow and black part in the middle with black buttons, and she'd paired it with a rather nice looking pair of silky cream-colored leggings.

In short, the ensemble really brought out Sumire's brilliant smile and complimented her flowing red hair. After Ren eventually found his voice following the cuteness overload that was Sumire in a pretty brand new dress, Sumire giggled at Ren's expression before she spoke up with a decidedly beautiful closed-eye smile.

"Um, what do you think?" Sumire said. After Ren regained the ability to speak, he grinned and spoke up with a soft smile.

"What do I think? I think that outfit looks incredible on you, Sumi! In fact, I daresay I'm in love." Ren said with a playful smirk. Sumire's eyes widened at Ren's response before she spoke up, her cheeks visibly reddening as she spoke up.

"Wh-What!? D-Did you just say what I think you said!? You said you're appreciative of the outfit, and that you're in love? For real?" Sumire asked as she visibly blushed before she kept speaking, sweatdropping a bit as she processed the fact her heart was starting to race a bit from the compliment that Ren had paid her. After a bit of time where her brain shut off, and where she realized that Ren did in fact still love her, prompting her to wonder if she might still genuinely love him as well, she spoke up.

"Oh! I, um, uh, yeah! W-With the outfit, right!? You're just 'in love' with the outfit! Don't worry, I get it! S-Sorry, I know you didn't mean anything by it, but I just wasn't ready, I mean my heart wasn't, so I'm kind of-" Sumire said before Ren smirked and gently put a finger to Sumire's lips to stop her from rambling as he spoke up.

"Sumire? Shh. I meant what I said. I'm in love with that outfit, yes. But who says it's JUST the outfit I'm in love with, and not you as well?" Ren said with a teasing wink before he kept speaking, knowing he might've overstepped a bit with his last response, but not being able to help himself when it came to teasing the adorably flushing red-head next to him.

"But in all seriousness, calm down before you work yourself into a panic attack, beautiful." Ren said, giving Sumire's hand a light squeeze of comfort, which she eagerly returned before speaking up a moment later, her face not as visibly flushed at this point.

"H-Hold on, you're right. I need to calm down, that's all. Okay, deep breaths." Sumire said as she took some deep breaths to calm herself, completely missing Ren's implication that he might in fact still be in love with her as well as her outfit. After a moment, she gave Ren a very pretty closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"I'm so happy, though! B-But I really am happy to hear that from you, Ren. Thank you. Y'know, for letting me show you a part of myself. That said, I've made up my mind. Um, could you wait here for a second? I need to go buy this." Sumire said as Ren nodded. After Sumire rung up her purchases, she and Ren stood in front of the apparel shop as Sumire spoke up.

"Thank goodness that worked out. I'm so glad I found something good." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I won't ask if I helped, because I'm quite sure I did that. But more importantly, I take it you found your answer?" Ren said to Sumire, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah. Well, um, I'm not sure if I can call it an answer, but yes, I found what could be an answer. And thanks to you, I think I realized something. When I first saw that piece, I kind of fell in love with it. And um, to be honest? It's a little embarrassing to say this, but truth be told? My first thought was that I couldn't wait for you to see me in it. Hee hee! I wondered what kind of face you'd make, or how you'd react to seeing me in it.

I wanted to see that side of you that usually only comes out when it's just us. Y'know, the side that lavishes attention and care on me, and that goes out of its way to make me feel loved. Oh, um, please don't misunderstand. I don't mean anything weird by that at all. I just wanted to, um, to show myself off to you, I guess. To see you, and be seen. And the more I thought about it, the more important that feeling became. And then, suddenly, I just thought about it and realized I wasn't nervous anymore." Sumire said as Ren smiled softly and spoke up.

"I see. Y'know, if you wanted me to show you some care and attention, you only have to ask, right? I believe I've said before I want to be here for you any way that I can. But I can't do that if I don't know how best to be there for you." Ren said honestly while smiling as he looked at Sumire, trying not to look right into her eyes. Sumire blinked and spoke up.

"Oh! Um, that's true. You did say that. The truth is, I've always been really bad at making decisions on my own, for as long as I can remember. I mean, Kasumi always picked perfect things for me anyway. I never really knew making my own decisions could feel so validating. So I didn't really feel a need to choose anything for myself. After all, nobody expected me to. But today, I picked something because I liked it. And I felt confident in that. Even if you didn't like it, I don't think that'd change how I feel about it, Ren." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up kindly.

"That's how it should be, beautiful. And for the record, I did like that outfit, I just didn't agree with the socks that were chosen. The rest of it was incredibly amazing. Like, I think my jaw legit dropped when I first saw it on you. Had I not seen the leggings and socks, I might've been in love with seeing that on you as well. So I think we can call that progress of a sort." Ren said kindly to Sumire, who gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Yeah. I think so too, Ren. Hm, is this what Coach meant? About Kasumi wanting me to see how she felt, rather than how I thought she felt? If that's true, then I wonder. Did she really think I was her rival? Hm. Well I can't say for sure one way or the other yet, but I think as long as I've got you supporting me, I'll be okay." Sumire said as Ren nodded approvingly, feeling as if his bond of trust with Sumire was starting to deepen again, as if inching closer to being back to what it once was before her true name was revealed and made Sumire question everything.

At that point, the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VII' on the card becoming a 'VIII' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Sumire had reached Rank 8. As a result of the rank up, Sumire had finally awakened to the power of 'Endure', making it so that like basically every other thief excluding Ren and Futaba, Sumire could now potentially withstand a singular piece of otherwise fatal damage with 1 HP remaining. Afterwards, Sumire smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Well, this was fun. But now we should be heading home. Thanks for coming out with me today. Oh, should we go buy some clothes for you next time? Hee hee." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Perhaps. But I think the important question would be, could your heart handle seeing me modelling so many outfits for you? After all, if I recall correctly, your heart almost couldn't handle it when I changed into my pajamas in front of you once because there wasn't another option. So could you really handle me changing near you that many times?" Ren said as Sumire flushed slightly, before giggling as she spoke up in a mischievous tone.

"Hm, I wonder. Maybe we could set up a date to do that and find out? After all, you could always try on that savannah ensemble. I think it might even suit you better than me, hee hee. Well, maybe." Sumire said as Ren sweat-dropped and spoke up.

"Um, how about we not do that and say we did? But there were a lot of other outfits in there I wouldn't mind modelling for you." Ren said as Sumire flushed slightly before she spoke up.

"Hm. Maybe next time? But for now, let's head home! See you!" Sumire said as Ren nodded and took the train back to Yongen-Jaya and walked back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as soon as he got to the doorstep, prompting Ren to stop and answer it.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said, smiling as he heard Sumire's voice on the other end as she spoke up.

"Oh, hi Ren! Thank you so much for going shopping with me today. Having you watch helped me find something I really liked. Oh, um, ack. When I say it like that, it's actually a little embarrassing to think about. B-By the way, where do you like to get your clothes, Ren-senpai?" Sumire asked as Ren spoke up.

"Um, good question. I don't really think too much about that, but I suppose if I had to give an answer, probably online? After all, I'm not usually one to get my clothes second-hand, and Kusa is pretty good at online shopping, so he usually helps me find good stuff for us both." Ren said honestly after considering the question carefully. Sumire smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"I see. Well, online shopping is definitely convenient. But don't you get worried? The clothes always look so different in person than they do in the display pictures, and don't always fit like those pictures suggest they do. That said, I'd love to hear what you consider when you're picking things out." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"I usually just consider if it'll fit me, and if it'll look good on me. I don't really think about much else. Though if I'm being honest, I suppose I could say I consider what you'd think of the outfits with some of my more recent purchases. After all, I'm not the one standing around an apparel shop modeling lingerie where anyone can see.

But to be fair, the set I accidentally saw you modeling looked great on you. Like, it really brought out your figure and eyes. I had to turn my head at that point so as not to keep ogling you, even if part of me kind of wanted to commit that picture to memory because it looked so amazing." Ren said sheepishly as a red-faced Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee! Well, aren't you a naughty boy, Ren? But changing the subject to something not as embarrassing, isn't it so fun to pick out clothes, though? That one I bought today was so gorgeous. It's almost too nice for me to actually wear it. Though I guess that defeats the purpose, if I want people to see me in it, doesn't it? Ahaha." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"True. But that outfit was made for you to wear, Sumire. And I agree that picking out clothes is fun. But I may or may not be biased since I got to see you model some outfits for me." Ren said playfully as Sumire flushed and spoke up.

"R-Ren! I didn't think that was all you took away from that, was making note of how good I look in various outfits? But I'm flattered you find me that attractive. Oh, I guess I'd better let you go, huh? Talk to you later, Ren-senpai. And behave! Hee hee." Sumire said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone before heading into Leblanc...

(That evening, inside of Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, and Kusa)

"Well then, that reminds me. The home shopping program is airing today, Ren. You wanna check out the TV?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded while taking a seat to look at the TV, idly checking his options as he did so. As he sat down to check out the TV, Ren heard the door open, blinking as he saw Kusa walk in, a bag slung over one shoulder, making Ren blink as he followed Kusa upstairs and spoke up.

"You're back already? I didn't think you'd be back this fast?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up with a dry chuckle.

"Yes, well, when you're me, you can catch up on all the stuff you missed at a surprisingly fast pace. So needless to say, I was done sooner than planned. Not that I mind, since truth be told? I kinda missed it up here. But I doubt you have a free night to throw away hanging with me. I can watch Morgana if you need to go hang out with people, if he's agreeable to it." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana thought about it, before both nodded as the latter hopped into Kusa's lap, making Kusa chuckle as he lightly patted Morgana on the head and kept speaking.

"Well, I guess that settles that. Maybe next time you have a free night though, we can have a chat, Ren. Keep that in mind, yeah?" Kusa said as Ren nodded and checked his options. Surprisingly, only Iwai was available to hang out with, aside from Chihaya who was gated off by a Mementos request. Ren then saw he had a private chat from Iwai. Ren then decided to open up the private chat to read it.

"I have a request for ya. It's about Kaoru, you see. He wants to see you. Can you come to the shop right now?" Iwai sent as Ren sent a response.

"Sure. I got nothing else going on tonight anyways. I'll be right there." Ren sent as Iwai sent a response.

"Thanks, man. He'll be happy to see ya. I'll call him over to the shop, so hurry on over." Iwai said as Ren nodded and headed over to Untouchable...

(A short time later, in Untouchable, with Ren, Iwai, and Kaoru)

"Thanks again for what you did last time! I learned a lot about myself, so, yeah. I just wanted to show my appreciation." Kaoru said as Iwai crossed his arms and chuckled dryly as he spoke up.

"Hmph, I see. Intruding in on another private family moment." Iwai said as Kaoru sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, you're still droning on about that? I mean, it was quite a shock, yes, but that's what made you take me in, right? So who cares?" Kaoru asked as Iwai sighed, shook his head and spoke up.

"Whoa there, kiddo, slow down." Iwai said as Kaoru frowned at Iwai and spoke up.

"Maybe in a bit, but I have to say this first. If you had just told me all of this sooner, maybe you wouldn't have been threatened." Kaoru said as Iwai spoke up.

"Be that as it may, listen to me. Who your parents are and where you come from stays with you for your entire life. Thanks to my loser parents, I got bullied by complete strangers, and-" Iwai said as Kaoru cut him off by speaking up happily.

"Wha? My father isn't a loser, though! He's a brilliant business owner." Kaoru said as Iwai chuckled nervously, not wanting to show how embarrassed he was by Kaoru's praise of him. Ren smirked at Iwai and spoke up.

"It's up to you now, Iwai-san. But I know you'll do right by Kaoru. And Kaoru couldn't have done much better than he did in who he found for a father." Ren said wisely. Iwai sputtered at the kind words from Ren and spoke up.

"Wh-What? Shut up, I know that. Ugh, so in the end, I was just fightin' my own demons, it seems like. Stuck in my crappy childhood and all the problems I had growin' up. And in the end, my view of Kaoru was all distorted from what it should've been, all 'cause of my rotten childhood memories." Iwai said as Kaoru spoke up.

"Still, I forgive you." Kaoru said as Iwai gave Kaoru a slightly wide-eyed look of shock before speaking up.

"Wow, check you out, Kaoru. You've really matured, huh?" Iwai said as Ren and Kaoru both laughed at this before Kaoru turned to face Ren as he spoke up.

"Why did you help my father out, Amamiya-kun? He told me you gathered info about Tsuda-san for him. You willingly got involved in a yakuza dispute, for frick's sake! Would someone normally take that big of a risk?" Kaoru asked as Ren spoke up.

"This might be a bit sappy of me to say, but I couldn't leave Iwai-san. And I could relate to how he felt, since I too have had people threaten those close to me over bullshit reasons before as well." Ren said as Kaoru frowned and spoke up, Ren's eyes widening at what he said next.

"Hmmm, is that so? I'd understand if you were a member of the Phantom Thieves." Kaoru said, smirking at the widening of Ren's eyes as he kept speaking.

"Fighting for the underdogs and protecting them, sort of like a gentleman thief, you know? People have their own opinions, but honestly? I think the Phantom Thieves are super cool! I mean, the sexual harassment incident involving that teacher?" Kaoru said as Ren sweatdropped at how much Kaoru knew of the Phantom Thieves. Iwai noticed this and spoke up.

"You gotta go, Kaoru. The supermarket's about to close. Besides, aren't you in charge of dinner tonight?" Iwai asked as Kaoru's eyes widened in realization and he spoke up.

"Oh crap, you're right! Please excuse me!" Kaoru said as he turned and walked out of the store. At that point, Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh. Sheesh, that kid goes on and on, doesn't he? That said, kids grow up quick. They can be a pain in the ass, but they're worth it. Well, all right. Let's close up shop. Go pull down the shutter." Iwai said as Ren did as told, stopping short as Iwai spoke up.

"Ya know, I just thought of something. Tsuda changed rather suddenly, huh? Seems like he had a change of heart, just like them people they've been talkin' about on TV." Iwai said as a wide-eyed Ren turned to face Iwai as he kept speaking.

"I can't be the only one who was saved by his change of heart. Wonder who else knows about this?" Iwai said as Ren blinked at this and spoke up.

"True. But what if you're right?" Ren asked as Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, I wonder. Well, don't worry. It ain't really none of my concern. Man, you really had me fooled. That whole thing about being an enthusiast was all just BS, wasn't it?" Iwai said as Ren frowned at that and spoke up.

"No, it wasn't. I am an enthusiast. I just haven't had that much experience handling actual guns as yet, outside of the collection I had going for a bit until my folks took them away on me. While it sucked, I can understand why they did it. I just wish they wouldn't have tossed the guns out and kept them until I was old enough for them." Ren said as Iwai spoke up with a smirk.

"True. But look at you now. I hired you as a mere pawn to fight back against Tsuda, and now you're Kaoru's bro, for all intents and purposes. Be honest with me, Ren. The Phantom Thieves are usin' my guns to take down bad guys, aren't they? Heh, they help people in need, huh?" Iwai said with an unreadable look before chuckling as he kept speaking.

"Heh. Interesting shit, that. All right, I'm gonna put all my effort into that special menu we talked about. I don't like to owe nobody nothin', so I'll do my best for ya. And why, you might ask? Because that's the kinda support I can provide." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Thanks, Iwai-san. You really are like that crazy, but cool, gun uncle people like hangin' around, even if he can be difficult at times." Ren said with a smirk, feeling in that moment as if he had an intensely strong bond with Iwai. At that moment, the expected voice spoke up in Ren's head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Hanged-Man, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard the voice in his head say, as the 'Hanged-Man' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' on the card becoming an 'X' to signify that his Hanged-Man Confidant Link with Iwai had reached Rank 10, also noted on the card as 'RANK MAX', or 'MAX Rank'.

From the maxed-out Hanged-Man Confidant Link, Ren was granted the boon of 'On The House' by Iwai, making it so that Ren's gun customization options were now free of charge to use. After that, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared over the maxed-out 'Hanged-Man' card, at which point the group's phones pinged with the notification that Ren could now fuse 'Attis', or the strongest Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana. Afterwards, Iwai spoke up with a confused look on his face.

"But, what the hell are you gonna do with a model gun? You need a real gun in a shootout. And the knives are just replicas. They're even less useful than a butter knife, y'know?" Iwai said as Ren spoke up.

"Well, I dunno if you'd believe me if I tried to explain it to you. Suffice it to say, as long as our enemies think they're real, they work the same as real guns and knives." Ren said as Iwai chuckled and spoke up.

"Is that so? Haha, you're such a weirdo." Iwai said as Ren rubbed the back of his neck nervously as Iwai kept speaking.

"But never mind that. We were in the middle of closing up shop, weren't we? Well, let's get to it." Iwai said as Ren nodded, helping close up the shop. As he did so, Ren got the feeling as if helping with Iwai's work had upped his Proficiency, netting him a modest, if unnneeded, boost to his Proficiency. At that point, Ren left the shop, but not before Iwai spoke up.

"You headin' home, kid? Well, see ya. Later." Iwai said as Ren nodded and headed home to get comfortable for the night, smiling at the sight of Morgana cutely sprawled out on Kusa's chest as both of them dozed peacefully while Ren got changed into his pajamas and settled in for the night, eventually falling into a pleasant sleep filled with dreams of a certain red-headed gymnast that Ren found himself increasingly attracted to...

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

"I went to the fishing pond last week! You know, the one in Ichigaya." Ren and Kusa heard an earnest office worker say to his friend, a leisurely office worker. The leisurely office worker nodded and spoke up.

"Oh? I didn't know about that. I take it you must like fishing then." The leisurely office worker said as the earnest office worker flushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"Hm? O-Oh, you didn't know? My bad. Ah, well anyways, I was reeling them in with my usual technique. But suddenly, I saw this monstrous fish's huge shadow. He would've been a worthy opponent at that size, but he got away when I tried to catch him. I made the right choice to go out there while it was snowing, even if it was cold! Hey, are you listening? Stop looking at your phone when I'm talking to you!" The earnest office worker said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Hm. Fishing in the snow, eh? That takes some willpower. You should try it sometime if you're feeling up to it." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up with a shake of the head.

"In this weather? Nah, I think that's a hard no-can-do, Morgana. I don't even think Boss would be fool enough to try that. But I can see why you'd consider it." Kusa said as Ren nodded, the rest of the train ride proceeding uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

After looking over his options, Ren almost immediately decided to rank up Shinya as he was available and Ren had a Tower Persona on hand. Once Ren got to the arcade, and managed to win the Stray Sheep Man Doll on his second try, Ren walked over to Shinya and spoke up.

"Good afternoon, Oda-kun. How's it going?" Ren asked as Shinya spoke up.

"Not too bad. But it's weirding me out how everyone's acting. Like people are way too happy about losing, and it's kinda freaking me out. But, you and I both have to get stronger, and to do that we gotta practice. So, let's train hard today. Interested?" Shinya asked Ren, as Morgana spoke up.

"So, what's the plan, Ren? You gonna train under Shinya today?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"First of all, NEVER word it like that again, Morgana. Secondly, yes. He's not available that often it seems like, and I already had to skip out on him once this week, and I refuse to do so a second time. So yes, I'll train with Shinya today." Ren said before turning to Shinya as he kept speaking.

"Um, assuming you're agreeable to a training session, that is, Oda-kun." Ren said as Shinya smiled and spoke up.

"Nah, I'm down for that. All right! We'll have a thorough training session today!" Shinya said as Ren nodded and took his place at the machine, at which point Shinya spoke up.

"All right! You ready? The games are on me today, Amamiya-san the elder! Just be sure to keep up." Shinya said as Ren spoke up.

"I can pay for myself, you know. But if you're sure you have enough. Um, do you have enough to cover us both?" Ren asked. Shinya nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, don't worry, Amamiya-san the elder. I have a lot of money on me today!" Shinya said as Ren gave Shinya a confused look, only for Shinya to keep speaking rather than explain what he meant.

"Now, let's get to it! Get into your stance!" Shinya said as Ren nodded and the two started training. Not long after, Shinya groaned and spoke up.

"No! No! Too slow! C'mon, man! You gotta aim!" Shinya said as Ren nodded and started aiming more. As the two played, Ren noticed that Shinya was playing rather erratically for some reason. After the games were over, a trio of boys walked over and glared at Shinya as one of the trio spoke up.

"Hey! Give him his money back." A defiant boy among the trio said to Shinya, who huffed and spoke up.

"What the heck? Just ignore them." Shinya said to Ren, who sweatdropped as the defiant boy spoke up once more.

"Oda! You took his lunch money, didn't you!?" The defiant boy said before turning to one of the other two boys as he kept speaking.

"He forced you into a battle, right?" The defiant boy asked the quiet boy to his left, who nodded and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. And when I lost, he got up in my face. He then told me I owed him money." The quiet boy said as the defiant boy glared at Shinya.

"Who do you think you are!?" The defiant boy asked Shinya, who turned to face the defiant boy and spoke up.

"Who do I think I am!? I'm The King, that's who I think I am." Shinya said as the defiant boy blinked and spoke up.

"Um, huh?" The defiant boy asked as Shinya spoke up.

"And you're wrong, by the way. I didn't take it from that kid, I earned it fair and square. That money is for my war fund, to help get me stronger." Shinya said as the third boy, a reserved boy, spoke up.

"What the hell does that mean? You're crazy, just like your mom. Y'know, I heard that your mom was being weird at a restaurant the other day, too. A waiter caught her leaving without paying, and she said that she just forgot. She even snapped at the manager and told him his employees need to be better trained." The reserved boy said as Shinya's eye twitched slightly as he spoke up.

"Sh-Shut up about my mom!" Shinya said as the defiant boy spoke up.

"Why should we? My mom says your mom is a bully! And you're just like her!" The defiant boy said as a wide-eyed Shinya snapped and spoke up loudly.

"YOU BASTARD! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'm the strongest! The best! The King! If you want your money back, you'll have to beat me!" Shinya said as the defiant boy shook his head and spoke up.

"He's not making any sense, is he, you guys?" The defiant boy said as the other two boys nodded and the defiant boy kept speaking.

"But that doesn't matter! Somehow, some way, you're gonna pay us back!" The defiant boy said as he and the reserved boy left while the quiet boy stayed back to speak up once more.

"The only thing you're good at is playing games, isn't it?" The quiet boy asked Shinya, whose eyes went slightly wide in surprise at the question.

"Uhh, wait what? Huh?" Shinya said as the quiet boy spoke up, and shocked both Ren and Shinya with what he said next.

"You're just like the bad guy in a movie! I hope the Phantom Thieves get you!" The quiet boy said before walking off, leaving a shocked Shinya to turn back to Ren and speak up.

"N-No way. A bad guy? For real? Me, a bad guy? R-Really? Even though I'm strong? Amamiya-san the elder, be honest. I'm not a bad guy like they say, am I, Amamiya-san the elder?" Shinya asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I don't know why you did it, other than what you said about a war fund. But forcing that kid into a battle and then demanding money when you won? That is kinda wrong. So in a way, you are acting like one. But I know you don't mean it. So don't take it to heart when that kid said he hopes the Phantom Thieves get you. Because I don't think you're that bad yet." Ren said as Shinya blinked and spoke up.

"No, I'm not a bad guy. I mean, I won, fair and square. I got stronger, just like the Phantom Thieves did, through battle. So, how am I at all the bad guy in this? I don't get it. I guess I am acting kinda like a bad guy, though. I already knew that much. I felt bad about it, even when I was winning. I won't do it again, Amamiya-san the elder. I don't wanna be a bad guy." Shinya said as Ren smiled at Shinya and spoke up.

"And saying that is the first step on not being a bad guy. I believe in you, just so you know. Now that you know what you're doing is wrong, you just have to focus on how to make things right with those kids if you can, as well as on how to become stronger without turning into a bully in the process." Ren said wisely. Shinya nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Amamiya-san the elder. Hey, can I ask you something?" Shinya asked as Ren nodded and Shinya kept speaking.

"Um, now that you know about what I did to those boys, do you, um, do you hate me now?" Shinya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Not at all, Oda-kun. I might be a smidge disappointed in what you did, but I could never hate you. I know deep down, you're a good kid who's just trying to find himself. And I have faith you can do it." Ren said kindly to Shinya, whose eyes widened as he spoke up.

"Wait, really? Like, really really you don't? Oh, that's great! I don't want you to hate me too, Amamiya-san the elder! Um, the Phantom Thieves are strong because they defeat strong enemies, right? Beating up on weak opponents, defeating them, that's bullying, isn't it? And that's what the bad guys do. I was wrong. Thanks, Amamiya-san the elder. I wouldn't have realized this on my own." Shinya said as Ren nodded kindly while smiling at Shinya, feeling in that moment as if he could sense Shinya's brotherly affection.

At that point, the 'Tower' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' on the card becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Tower Confidant link with Shinya had reached Rank 6. As a result of the rank-up, Shinya had conferred the knowledge of the 'Cheap Shot' onto Ren, increasing the number of times that Ren could use the 'Down Shot' in a single Metaverse trip from 1 time to 3 times. Afterwards, Shinya kept speaking.

"I'm gonna head home now. I need to think about what I did to those boys more." Shinya said as Ren nodded, feeling as if his heart had grown from interacting with Shinya, netting him a generous, if unneeded, boost to his Kindness. At that point, Ren got up and left as Shinya spoke up.

"Heading home, Amamiya-san the elder? I'll see you later then. Bye." Shinya said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, making him stop to answer it.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Shinya speak up on the other end.

"Hello? Oh, good, it's you! I'm so glad you picked up, Amamiya-san the elder! Hey, Amamiya-san the elder? Where did I go wrong, do you think? I just wanted to be strong like the Phantom Thieves, but somehow I turned into a bad guy without even noticing it. The more I thought about everything, the more scared I got as a result. Amamiya-san the elder, are you sure you aren't gonna hate me?" Shinya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Of course I won't, Oda-kun. You realized the error of your ways in time and changed them before you became an actual bad guy. So I could never hate you, especially when you're so sincere about changing your ways. You're still young enough that you can change them before you get into real trouble." Ren said wisely. Shinya's eyes widened as he spoke up.

"Really? You mean it? Pinky promise!? Thank you, Amamiya-san the elder! I won't make the same mistake ever again. Phew, that's a relief. I feel a little better after tlaking to you. Thanks, Amamiya-san the elder. I don't know what I'd do without you. Okay, I'm gonna hang up now. See you at the arcade!" Shinya said as Ren nodded, hung up the phone, and walked into Leblanc.

After seeing his options, Ren saw that Ohya was available, and almost immediately decided to rank her up, knowing he was gonna need her ranked up ASAP in case she has a Mementos request for Ren. So decided, Ren left Morgana with Kusa and headed to Crossroads to hang with Ohya...

(At Crossroads, with Ren, Lala, and Ohya)

Ren walked over to Ohya and spoke up.

"Evening, Ohya-san. You seem in a surprisingly cheerful mood for someone working under a heavy workload." Ren said conversationally as Ohya smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, hey! There you are, Amamiya-kun. I was looking for you, but judging from that look, you've got your own problems on your mind. Things aren't great for me either. I keep looking for something newsworthy, but everyone and everything's doing fine. The heck's going on here? Oh, but since you're here, can I talk to you about Kayo for a bit?" Ohya asked as Ren thought about it and nodded.

"Sure thing, Ohya. I've got nothing else going on tonight, and this seems like a good use of my time. I'll hear you out." Ren said decisively. Ohya blinked at this and nodded as she spoke up.

"Oh? O-Okay, then. Sit down." Ohya said as Ren nodded and did as told. Once he was seated, Ohya kept speaking.

"Dammit! It's no use. All my connections who knew where Kayo was are gone, thanks to the chief and my publisher putting the axe to my resources." Ohya said as she frowned at the lack of response from Ren and kept speaking.

"Hm? Well, say something." Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"Well, you look tired, for one thing. Also, I don't really know what to say to what you just said, truth be told." Ren said as Ohya smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Oh! You can tell? Well, I guess it is pretty obvious. Ugh, pulling these consecutive all-nighters is really wearing me down, kid." Ohya said as Lala spoke up.

"No kidding. At this rate, you're going to work yourself to death. You've been meeting your quota, right?" Lala asked as Ohya frowned and spoke up.

"Of course! They'll fire me if I show any signs of weakness. The chief really wants me to mess up, but I'm not going to give him the satisfaction. Haha, screw that shit!" Ohya said as Lala frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, he's like some kinda tyrant. And I didn't appreciate him calling me a bitch the other night, either." Lala said as Ohya winced and spoke up.

"Tell me about it. It's a race to see whether I can find Kayo before he crushes me at this point." Ohya said honestly as Lala gasped and spoke up.

"What!? That's not good! Shouldn't you do something about the chief before you keep chasing Kayo-chan's case?" Lala asked as Ohya sighed and spoke up.

"Like what? There's nothing I can do about a guy like that. He's rotten to the core. And despite how he acts, the higher-ups like him. I have no one to go to. It's over." Ohya said as Lala sighed and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's true. He didn't seem like the type of guy to change his mind from what I saw of him the other night. But at this rate, you won't be able to continue your investigation unless a miracle happens." Lala said to Ohya before turning to Ren as she spoke up.

"What do you think, kid?" Lala asked Ren, who frowned as he pondered Ohya's predicament. Given how her chief's acting, Ren surmised that Ohya is going to get crushed under the weight of her quota if the situation doesn't change for her and quickly. Ren decided he needed to do something about the chief and help Ohya out if he could. As he finished this line of thought, Ohya sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, I'm gonna die at this rate." Ohya said as Ren made up his mind and spoke up.

"What's the chief's name?" Ren asked Ohya, wondering if she had a full name for him. Ohya turned to Ren in surprise at his question and spoke up.

"Why? You going to try to find his weakness? Heh, this I gotta see. His full name is Shinpei Honjo. I heard that he's a good husband, and he used to cover economic foreign policy for a time. Ugh! I hope it's just me overthinking things, but to be honest? He's seen your face, you know. Or did you forget about the time I had to pretend to date you to get the chief off my back?" Ohya said as Ren's eyes widened in realization as he spoke up.

"WHAT!? You mean to tell me that guy you told you were dating me was your chief!? I didn't realize that at the time. But still, you're lucky Sumire's a forgiving lady and likely will understand if I explain to her that we didn't have a choice and that it only happened once. But I'll see what I can do about Honjo for you. Let's just say I know some people who might be able to take care of him for you." Ren said mysteriously. Ohya nodded and spoke up.

"I see. I trust you, kid. Just don't go trying anything heroic." Ohya said as Lala nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"She's right. You might not like to hear this, but she's saying this for your own good. Got it, kid?" Lala said as Ohya took a sip of her drink and spoke up.

"Ugh. I wonder where Kayo is right now. Sorry, but I don't feel like getting any info from you today, kid. Sorry! Thanks for coming all the way out here, though. I'll see you around sometime, if we're lucky." Ohya said as Ren frowned, knowing he had to try and free Ohya from her chief's oppressive demands before it was too late. At that point, the group's phones pinged to signify that the Mementos request 'Fighting for Truth in Journalism' had been received. At that point, Ren got up and headed home, getting comfortable as he laid down for the night...

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

"Ugh. Mmph, this sucks. It's so cramped in all these fluffy clothes, Ren." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Morgana. At least it's clothes you're cramped up in, and not other things." Kusa said as Morgana frowned at this, but couldn't reply as the Train News came on, talking about the expected snow front coming up, as well as the increase of workplace efficiency and the reduction of the national crime rate to an all-time low. Morgana sighed at this and spoke up.

"Ugh, snow, just what we need. Brrr, it's gotten really cold lately!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded their agreement, the rest of the train ride passing uneventfully...

(Between trains to school, with Ren, Morgana, Kusa, and Ann)

As Ren and Kusa got off the train to change lines, Ann walked over to them and spoke up.

"Morning. It's another cold day. Ugh. Hey, you know, the public's acting kind of weird lately, huh? Even the people around me are talking differently now, or they're really weirdly optimistic all of a sudden. It's the same thing in town too. Everyone seems kind of restless to me, somehow. This is part of Maruki's power too, isn't it?" Ann asked as Ren spoke up.

"It's possible, Ann. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, though." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"I'd buy that. Then again, this IS Maruki we're talking about here. I think that man lost his mind when he got the power he has now. I mean, why else would he freaking fast-talk me into giving him my blood and energy, and then leave me for dead in the detention level of his Palace!? I don't care if I pose a threat to him or not, that's not okay!" Kusa said with a huff as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"I know how you feel, Kusa. This whole situation is just so frustrating. And Ren? Thanks. Yeah, that's true. I guess it hasn't happened to everyone yet. But if we don't change Maruki's heart by the deadline, not only do we not know what will happen, but we're not even going to realize that something is wrong anymore. Ren, Kusa, we have to win this, no matter what!" Ann said as Ren and Kusa nodded, along with Morgana, who was inside Ren's bag, as the quartet finished the trip to school together...

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

"Oh, have you heard? I was talking to my friends from overseas recently. They keep introducing me to new slang I've never even heard of. Well, English slang is constantly evolving with the times. Textbook English is more static. It's so lame, isn't it? But sometimes you can work out the meanings behind slang through context clues. Some are just natural extensions of English-language constructs that have already been in place for years. Others might combine normal words, or use more common phrases in new or unusual ways.

Take 'thirsty', for instance. Ordinarily, it describes a need for a drink. That's a pretty serious need, right? But as slang, it describes someone who's a little too desperate. Like a boy who won't stop asking you out, for example. Oh, and 'hangry'! That's when you're so hungry, it puts you on edge, and everything makes you mad. So here's a test! Mister Amamiya the elder, I need an answer!" Chouno said as Ren looked up to give Chouno his attention as she kept speaking.

"Would you say you're feeling a little, I dunno, salty? What would 'salty' mean if used in the slang sense?" Chouno asked as Ren sat up and Morgana spoke up from inside Ren's desk so only he could hear.

"Salty, eh? Um, all right. I'll help. So we need to figure out what 'salty' means in the slang sense? Maybe there are clues in words like it. You can call someone 'sweet', right? What does that mean when describing a person?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Pretty sure in the slang sense, 'sweet' would mean 'kind-hearted', sort of like a certain red-head we both know." Ren said as Morgana rolled his eyes at Ren managing to reference his girlfriend while answering a question. Morgana nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile so only Ren could hear.

"Yeah, that's true. You're right. And it has a pretty positive connotation. So what kind of connotation would 'salty' have in that context?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Unless I'm wrong, it'd have a negative context." Ren said wisely. Morgana nodded with a closed eye smile as he spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Yeah, I think so too! After all, people only describe food as salty when the salt overpowers everything else. So if it's a negative connotation, then clearly, it'd have ot mean someone's feeling bad somehow. And it's probably something you can say about yourself or other people. So with all of that in mind, 'salty' probably means what?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up so only Morgana could hear after stifling a laugh at catching himself thinking that 'salty' is a good word to describe Akechi a lot of the time, and even Kusa on occasion.

"Pretty sure it means resentful in this instance. Granted, I'd have thought bitter, but I suppose resentful works." Ren said to Morgana, who nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile so only Ren could hear.

"Nice! Yeah, I think so too! It makes me think of someone who's ready to pick a fight, you know? So if you call someone salty, that probably means they're angry or resentful! Phew, that was a rough one, huh Ren?" Morgana said as Ren nodded while thanking Morgana and looked towards Chouno as he spoke up to give the answer.

"This is it! The answer is 'resentful'!" Ren said as Chouno clapped approvingly and spoke up.

"Excellent! Yes, it means you resent something. Other flavor-based descriptors apply to people, too. Such as sweet or sour, to name a few examples. Slang can be rooted in many origins, such as common words, acronyms, and of course, portmanteaus. Have you ever heard of the word 'frenemy'? It's a portmanteau of 'friend' and 'enemy'. Think something like a rival, or an enemy who acts friendly with you." Chouno said as the usual murmurs about how smart Ren was ensued, mixed in with a few people mentioning how Ren might not be too bad, complete with Morgana praising Ren for getting it right, even if it was with Morgana's help, netting Ren a slight, if unneeded, boost to his Knowledge. At that point, Chouno kept speaking.

"So? More fun than stuffy old standard English, right? But it's good to learn the rules before you break them. If anyone wants to learn some extra slang vocab, I would be positively psyched to offer some bonus lessons!" Chouno said as Morgana sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh. Frenemies, huh? As in what Akechi is to you? Yeesh, I've had enough of backstabbing." Morgana said as Ren nodded, the rest of class passing uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

After thinking it over, Ren recalled he had a book to return, and went to the library to return 'The Alluring Dancer', and in place of it he looked over his options, before blinking at a new book that appeared, titled 'Drakes of Chaos', which from the description, appeared to be a story about the origins of the chaos dragon, Malefor. Ren blinked at noticing that reading this book would up all of his stats.

After finding himself intrigued by the prospect of a book that raised all of his social stats, Ren decided to check out a copy of 'Drakes of Chaos'. And after being told he could check out a second book after checking out 'Drakes of Chaos', Ren decided to also check out 'Dressed in Ashes', as he noticed it was a book about Cendrillion, or Sumire's Persona.

While looking over his options, Ren frowned when he saw that other than taking his pick of Makoto, Ryuji, Ann, or Yusuke to get to tier 3 Personas, his only rank-up option for that day was Takemi, which Ren figured was fine, since he'd not ranked her up in quite a while. Having reached a decision, Ren left Morgana with Kusa and made his way to the clinic, where he got Takemi's attention by speaking up.

"Hello, Doctor. Sorry I've not come in for a trial in a bit. Been busy as heck recently. But I happen to have some free time today." Ren said as Takemi looked up and spoke up with a nod.

"Ah, if it isn't my wayward guinea pig. It has been a while since I saw your face around here, hasn't it? That said, isn't it crazy outside nowadays? Seems like the new year just started, and everyone's coming to me with nothing but good news. One of my friends who works in the ER suddenly gets to spend more time with her family after a big workplace reform. But it's not like they brought on any new hires, so, to be honest? It seems a little weird. So, what are you here for today?" Takemi asked. Ren spoke up with a nod.

"If you have one ready, I figured I'd see about doing a clinical trial for you since I've not come in to do one for a while, and I did make a deal with you that I'd help you with those in exchange for you providing me with the medicine I needed for my tests. And I am a man of my word, so here I am upholding my end of our arrangement." Ren said honestly. Takemi nodded and spoke up.

"I see. You haven't come in for a while, so I was starting to think you had lost interest or something. But that's fine. I've made progress with the medicine. Could you tag along for a bit?" Takemi asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Sure thing, Doctor. As I said before, I've got some free time today, so if you need me to tag along, I can do just that." Ren said agreeably. Takemi nodded approvingly as she spoke up.

"Good. I'm going to meet someone at Inokaishira Park. It's close, right? Let's go." Takemi said as Ren nodded and accompanied Takemi to Inokaishira Park...

(A short time later, in Inokaishira Park, with Ren, Takemi, and an unfamiliar man)

"Here. All the data, specimens, and sample medicine I've tested so far. They're all there inside that case. Let me know if you need anything else." Takemi said to the middle-aged man standing in front of her and Ren, who then nodded as he spoke up.

"I will. Based on what I read in the findings summary you sent me, the results are amazing. We'll perform one final exam with our equipment and we'll be ready to treat Miwa-chan with it." The middle-aged man said as Takemi nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"I see. That's great to hear. Excellent. Then the rest is up to you." Takemi said as the middle-aged man turned to look at Ren while he spoke up.

"Right. So, this is the kid from your study, hm?" The middle-aged man said as Takemi nodded and gave the middle-aged man a closed-eye smile and giggled while she spoke up.

"Yes, he's my little guinea pig." Takemi said as the middle-aged man nodded and spoke up.

"I see. You know, you certainly walked a dangerous line, but I'm sure you implemented the strictest of safety protocols. Please put some thought into the offer we discussed, will you? All right, I'll call you later." The middle-aged man said before walking off and leaving Ren alone with Takemi, who turned to face Ren as she spoke up.

"Before you ask, that man we just met up with? He's the doctor treating Miwa-chan. He just so happened to be a year ahead of me in college. I told him everything since I was so close to perfecting the medicine. That said, thanks. I have to thank you again. All this is thanks to you helping me with the clinical trials." Takemi said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"No problem, Doctor Takemi. I won't lie to you, though. It was a rough go, but it was worth it if it means we saved Miwa-chan's life." Ren said wisely. Takemi chuckled and spoke up while giving Ren a closed-eye smile.

"Heh, I bet it was. Although it was really fun for me, truth be told. Speaking of Miwa-chan, from my tour of their medical facility and discussions I had with their development team recently, I'm confident this will be a success. And more than that, I'm confident they'll complete development on schedule. The final result will be out of my hands though, assuming I don't accept their offer, that is." Takemi said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Offer, you say? Go on, I'm curious now." Ren said as Takemi spoke up.

"Oh right, I didn't mention it to you yet. I was, how do I put it? Ah, let's go with this. I was recruited. He offered me the position of head of research and development at his hospital. However, it's not a simple matter of accepting the offer. If I accept, I won't be able to stay where I am now, which means I'll have to close my practice. And as it happens, I did accept. I start first thing next month. Unfortunately, Takemi Clinic of Internal Medicine will be gone." Takemi said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. And what will the patients who come there to see you do when your practice shuts down?" Ren asked. Takemi chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, I thought of that already. I'll urge my patients to transfer to that hospital, and I'll be sure to give them priority there. Hehe, but then again, you seem flustered. Are you really that troubled by it? Hee hee, just kidding. The part about being recruited is true, but I don't intend to close my practice. I kind of like being a general practicioner. I'll still work with them to develop new medicine, though.

Once the medicine's perfect, I'll be able to see Miwa-chan again, and when I do, I'll be able to receive my justly-deserved reward, that being her smile. Oh, that reminds me. I need to give you your reward too. I'll think of something to give my little guinea pig for holding up his end of the deal." Takemi said with a playful wink, making Ren blink even as he got the feeling as if his bond with Takemi was growing ever deeper.

At that point, the 'Death' card appeared in his mind's eye for the first time in a while, the 'VIII' on the card becoming an 'IX' to signify that his Death Confidant Link with Takemi had reached rank 9, even though no new skills were gained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Takemi kept speaking.

"Anyway, I can't help but notice that you were really concerned when you thought I was going to close this office. I know you said it was for your entrance exams before, but come on, really? I think it's about time you started being honest with me. It's okay. You can tell me. Why did you keep coming to me?" Takemi asked Ren, who winced as he realized this was a point where he would have to choose his words carefully. Takemi then kept speaking.

"Why don't you tell me the truth about why you kept coming to me?" Takemi asked as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly? It was for my exams, at first. But as I did these clinical trials with you, I started to see the professionalism in you, and it both impressed and inspired me, to the point that I kept doing the clinical trials so I could see you in action. So if you want the truth, over time, it went from being for my exams to being so I could see you work." Ren said honestly. Takemi put a hand on her hip and spoke up.

"Is that so? Well, I am flattered that I inspired you so much, but even so, I can take a hint. It's getting late, oh guinea pig of mine. You should get going. Come visit anytime." Takemi said as Ren nodded and turned to leave as Takemi spoke up once more.

"Get home safely, guinea pig of mine. That said, I'll see you later." Takemi said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, prompting Ren to stop and answer it.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he answered his phone, smirking as he heard Takemi's voice on the other end when she spoke up.

"Hey, guinea pig? Thanks for tagging along today. I've got my drug in the hands of someone I trust. Everything's on track for the cure to go through. And something tells me I owe you a big thank you. I'd never have gotten this far without you, if I'm being entirely truthful with you. So thanks so much for doing this. You stuck by me, even when one of those side-effects could have killed you. You really are the best guinea pig I could have hoped for." Takemi said as Ren spoke up.

"You're welcome, Doctor Takemi. I'm glad we saw it through. After all, I don't think I could've stood there and done nothing when someone's life was on the line. That's just not who I am, both as a person and as a man." Ren said truthfully. Takemi nodded and spoke up.

"I see. That's understandable. Well, it'll still need some tests and adjusting before it's ready for actual treatment. Still needs lots of work. But I have faith that someday soon, it'll help Miwa-chan smile again. Heh, and I haven't forgotten all you did to help. I'll make sure to bump your compensation up a little. Okay, I'm going to hang up now. We're done with the clinical trials, but you can drop by anytime you need some more medical supplies." Takemi said as Ren blinked at what she said next as she kept speaking.

MIght as well keep getting checkups, too. Better safe than sorry, right? I'll take a look at whatever you need me to." Takemi said as Ren spoke up.

"R-Right. Um, just to be sure you understand, I have a girlfriend already. So I hope that last remark of yours wasn't a pick-up line. Because I'm quite committed to her and have no intentions of leaving her for anyone else. But thank you for your support, Doctor. Bye." Ren said, hanging up before Takemi could reply and walking into Leblanc, at which point Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, you're home, Ren? Figured as much. Heh, that tracks. I figured you might be back soon. Kusa's upstairs if you want to hang out with him, otherwise your night is yours to spend however you see fit to do so." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and headed upstairs, stopping short at the base of the stairs as he heard Kusa's voice from upstairs, deciding to listen in out of curiosity.

"For real? You want to do what? Yes, it is true his birthday is coming up, but I didn't think you would be the one to bring up planning a party for him? But if that's what you want to do Taba, I'll gladly help out with that. After all, I've done as much for all of our friends so far, so I don't think he should be any exception. But keeping him busy could be tricky." Kusa could be heard saying as he listened to what Ren guessed was Futaba's voice on the other end before speaking up once more.

"Oh, yeah? You think you can handle that? If so, that'd be helpful. Look at you being all sociable and mature, Taba. I'm impressed, and proud of you. So, I take it we'll meet up in the coming days to iron out our planning? Or should I figure on making a group chat with the others to get them involved?" Kusa asked as he listened to Futaba's voice for a bit before nodding as he spoke up.

"That makes sense. So I'll leave that part to you. Oh, but I should probably let you go now. Something tells me Ren's home and probably listening in on this chat. And I did say I wanted to hang out with him at some point soonish. So yeah, can we table this for now and come back to it later? We can? Nice. Love you too, Taba. Bye." Kusa said before hanging up his phone and turning to what Ren guessed was Morgana and speaking up.

"Hey, Morgana? Can you go check to see if Ren's home and listening in?" Kusa asked as Morgana nodded, smirking as he saw Ren listening in at the foot of the steps before turning to Kusa and speaking up.

"Yup, you called it, Kusa! He was listening in at the bottom of the steps, as you thought." Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"I figured as much. You can come on up, Ren." Kusa said as Ren came upstairs and spoke up.

"Eh, sorry about that. I was just curious about what you were discussing, that's all. Plus it seemed like a good little throwback, since I've not had the chance to do that in a while." Ren said as Kusa nodded and chuckled before speaking up, sparkling blue music notes going over his head as he spoke up.

"That's true, Ren. We haven't had a chance to do this in a while. But enough about that. I take it you have a free night tonight?" Kusa asked as Ren nodded before he spoke up.

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, the only nighttime Confidants I have left to max out are Ohya and Chihaya, and both are inaccessible for now as I need one more Mementos request to have all seven needed for a final Mementos run to get all the requests done. So I don't have anything planned tonight. Why do you ask?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Good. That's what I was hoping to hear, bro. Truth be told, I wanted to sit you down so we could talk. I can tell you've got some stuff bothering you, and since you let me use you as a venting board, I feel it's only fair that I return the favor for you now and again. So feel free to unload on me if you need to." Kusa said kindly as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to think I'm trying to dump my problems on you." Ren said as Kusa laughed and spoke up, more notes going up over his head as he spoke.

"For real? Ren, we're brothers. I don't care if you vent to me every so often. Besides, I vented to you a good bit there near that fight with Akechi, did I not? So it's more than fair to let you do the same. So what's on your mind?" Kusa asked as Ren sighed and spoke up.

"Well, if you say so. Truthfully, I've been rather frustrated of late, since it feels like I keep letting people close to me down. First, it was you, when we couldn't stop you from being separated from us by that trap of Akechi's. Then it was Morgana, when he pulled his little vanishing act after we beat Yaldabaoth and scared us all witless. More recently, it was Sumire, who has been getting a rough hand in life. I mean, between what Maruki did to her, having to watch her sister die in front of her like she did, and having to go around thinking she was her dead sister for the last several months, I'm impressed Sumire hasn't snapped yet.

Yet, all I seem to be able to do for her is let her have space to figure things out. But in truth, what I really want to do is just hold her close, shoulder as much of her suffering as I can, and not let her go unless she asks me to. Because to be honest? I love her, Kusa. No, more than love her. I'm IN love with her.

Yes, I know most of the time I fell for her, she was pretending to be Kasumi, but I've had time over the past couple of weeks to help her find herself, and in so doing, get to know the real her. And I've realized that despite what she showed while pretending to be Kasumi, there's a whole other level of depth and beauty to Sumire than not only runs deeper than I predicted, but is so much more pure, amazing, and beautiful than I could've possibly imagined.

Like, she's so insecure of herself, but always looks adorable no matter what she does or says. As it was, I went to meet her at the apparel shop in Shibuya a couple days ago, and I accidentally saw her modeling lingerie. Needless to say, I turned away real quick after I realized what I'd seen, but the fact remains that I felt my heart both race in my chest and skip a couple beats when I saw her in that lingerie.

I know I'm giving her space, but dammit, I had to seriously keep myself from flirting with her after that. As it was, I still paid her quite a few compliments that day, and I'm quite sure I made her blush at least once doing so. So, I have to try and not overly flirt with her until she's ready for it, while also not feeling like it's painful to wait for her to be ready. But I know it'll be worth it to be able to hold her close again. But in all seriousness, I'm sorry I failed you that day, Kusa." Ren said as Kusa blinked before smiling at Ren as he spoke up with a laugh, smiling at Ren as some sparkling blue notes went up over his head.

"Is that what's bothering you, Ren? You are a fool, aren't you? I'm not mad at you for that at all. After all, if I recall correctly, I was the idiot who decided to try and charge Akechi solo. So if anything, I only have myself to blame for all the crap I've been through recently, and maybe both Akechi and Shido to a point. But regardless, I do not blame you at all! As for Morgana, I don't think he blames you at all either, nor do I blame him for doing what he did. As I already said to him, I merely regret that he couldn't have at least warned us he might try to leave us after Yaldabaoth was beaten.

So cheer up, brother. Everything's working out for the best, for the most part. As for Sumire, just be patient with her, brother. She might not say so, but I can tell by looking at her that she still loves you. She's just probably struggling with her own guilt over what she likely views as her lying to you about who she was for so long. So try to keep the faith, pun not intended, and I believe she'll come back to you soon enough. But focusing back on you, I notice you've had a lot more anger in you than usual, and most of it is focused on that scumbag Maruki. You need to let that go, Ren.

Yes, what Maruki did to Sumire was sick, wrong, and messed up. But we're helping Sumire get past it now, and that's the important thing. As for your feeling like you failed people, let that go as well. The only one blaming you for that is you yourself. So try to look inside and start learning to forgive yourself, Ren. I can feel a great potential inside you longing to awaken, if you can just let go of all this anger and guilt you carry. I know I have absolutely no room to talk about that, given how broody and distant I was at one point, but even I know that one has to learn to let things go in order to find inner peace and move on with one's life. Can you do that?" Kusa asked Ren, who blinked at Kusa before speaking up, surprised by Kusa's words.

"Y-Yes, I can try to do that, Kusa. But I make no promises on it happening right away, since there's a lot to let go and process. But I can give it my best shot." Ren said as Kusa smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"That's all anyone can ask of you, Ren. And don't feel like you have to do it alone, either. That's what myself, Morgana, and even Boss are here for. Not to mention the rest of our friends. You have a lot of people who will willingly help you shoulder that burden to make it easier to carry. Heh, for someone who always professes that he wants to be there for others to the best of his ability, you're not very good at letting others return the favor, are you?

But not to worry, we'll work at that until we get you there. So just learn to trust in us, Ren. And you'll go far in life." Kusa said wisely as Ren nodded his understanding before feeling a stirring inside his soul as the camera panned to the inside of Ren's heart, where 'Arsene' appeared, joined by an image of 'Satanael', at which point, Arsene and Satanael turned to face one another, exchanged a solemn nod, and started fusing together in a flash of blue light.

When the light receded, in place of Arsene and Satanael stood a singular being, this one wearing very skin-tight black leather pants, knee-high black leather boots with yellow lining, a grey dress shirt with a black tie, a red long-neck trenchcoat worn open, a red fedora with a silver line at the base of the brim, and large mechanical-looking black and yellow wings that he wore over his back like a backpack. Ren blinked at this and spoke up.

"No way, is this my new-no, not my new. My TRUE power!? Even I have this power inside of me!?" Ren said as the newly-formed being nodded, as if hearing Ren speak, and spoke up, seemingly in Ren's mind.

"That is correct, Trickster. By allowing your brother to help you face the doubt, guilt, and anger in your heart, you have allowed yourself to glimpse the true you, and in so doing, allowed me to attain my true form. I, Raoul, thank you for allowing me to awaken to this form. At last, I have reached my true power.

And together, we can find the strength to stop the one you call Maruki from achieving his misguided ambitions. So please Trickster, never lose sight of yourself again." The now-named Raoul said to Ren, who smiled and nodded his understanding as, at that point, the group's phones pinged to confirm the notification that Ren's 'Arsene' and 'Satanael' Personas had fused together into their true form of 'Raoul', resulting in Arsene transforming into Raoul.

Afterwards, the skills screen popped up, signifying that Raoul's transformation had awoken him to not one, but two new skills in the status skill 'Phantom Show', which had a high chance of inflicting Sleep on all enemies, and the passive skill 'Victory Cry', which restores Ren's HP and SP to full after a battle while Raoul is equipped. When all this was done, Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"See? I knew you still had room to grow, Ren. Well done, bro. But back to what you wanted to know about. Taba asked if we could set up a birthday party for Yusuke, since his birthday is in a few days, or on 1/28. I said that was an option, but that depends on if we have free time that day or not." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's a great idea. I might have some free time that day, depending on how far I get into maxing out my Confidants. However, I think I'd be likelier to have free time if we did an evening party that day. And as I recall, the 28th of this month falls on a Saturday, so that means there won't be school the next day, so we can probably arrange a late-night party of some sort, perhaps a karaoke party? After that, if he wants, Yusuke can crash with me here on the sofa while you go spend the night with your girlfriend that night. Not that I expect you to argue with that plan. But that's just a thought." Ren said as Kusa smirked and nodded.

"Hell no, I ain't arguing with that plan. That's genius, Ren! And on the subject of girlfriends, as I said, just be patient with Sumire. In time, she'll figure things out, and I'm sure she'll seek you out when she's ready to talk, so just be patient with her and keep loving her as you have been this whole time. Also, if you and Sumire find yourselves wanting to do the deed when you get back together?

Please do me a favor, and have the decency to at least warn me ahead of time so I can take Morgana and crash with Taba that night and give you two some privacy. But in all seriousness, don't give up on her, Ren. You and Sumire were made for one another. Even I can see that." Kusa said as Ren nodded, clasping his hand in Kusa's as the two exchanged a one-armed manly handshake to seal the strong bond between them. After that, Ren spoke up.

"Can do, Kusa. To be honest, though, I was thinking of organizing a darts night tonight to try and get the rest of the team up to MAX Baton Pass Rank, so I might leave Morgana with you while I do that, unless he wants to tag along as referee like he did before?" Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Of course I'm gonna referee for you, Ren! Darts are fun! Um, no offense, Kusa." Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Nah, none taken. If you want to go with Ren, go ahead. I can use this night to go hang out with Taba some more if nothing else." Kusa said as Ren nodded, scooping Morgana into his bag and heading to the Penguin Sniper for some darts...

(A short time later, at the Penguin Sniper, with Ren and Morgana)

After thinking it over, Ren commissioned a game of darts, inviting Akechi over so he could start maxing out Akechi's Baton Pass rank. After a bit, Akechi showed up, smirking at Ren as he spoke up.

"Heh, good choice asking me here. I notice it's just you, me, and Morgana, though. I half expected at least a couple others to show up, to be honest." Akechi said as Ren spoke up with a shake of his head.

"Nope, just you, me, and Morgana tonight, it seems. So I guess we've got plenty of time to play darts together, Akechi. I mean, who else would I play with? Morgana? No offense to him, but I have no reason to do so. He's as maxed out as he can get. So if you're up for it, maybe we can fit in two games together." Ren said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. But first, let me give you a bit of fair warning on one point, Ren. If we play together, I only play on the highest difficulty. Now then, with that said, let's get started. I'm ready on my end. Let's play 701. It'll be more fun that way. You can even go first. I'm just going to watch for now." Akechi said as Ren nodded and stepped up to the board.

(Start Akechi and Ren's game. Rules: 701)

"Hmph, show me what you can do." Akechi said to Ren, as Ren stepped up to take his turn. After taking aim, Ren's first shot was off course a bit, and hit a single 12, rather than the bull he was aiming for. After Ren shook off his nerves, he fired off a bull and a triple 20 with his other two throws, leaving his and Akechi's remaining score at 579 when he went over to Akechi, who smirked and spoke up.

"So that's how you play, is it? Hmph, not bad, but it could be better. Watch and learn." Akechi said smugly as he high-fived Ren and stepped up for his turn, proceeding to easily hit a 'hat-trick', or throwing three bulls in a row, dropping his and Ren's remaining score to 429 as he walked back over and spoke up with a scoff.

"See that? That's how it's done! You're up now. You'd better focus." Akechi said as Ren nodded and high-fived in for his turn as he walked over to the dartboard. Ren then walked over and threw three triple 20s to reduce his and Akechi's remaining score to 249. Akechi nodded at Ren as he spoke up after Ren walked over.

"Not bad. It's my final round now, is it? I'll be sure to pull this off without a hitch." Akechi said before high-fiving in for his turn, walking over to the dartboard, and easily throwing three bulls, leaving himself and Ren at 99 points remaining. Akechi them smirked at Ren as he walked over and spoke up.

"Nothing to it. It's the final round, Ren. Better take your time and focus." Akechi said as Ren nodded and high-fived in for his last turn. Once at the dartboard, Ren focused, throwing a triple 20, a single 20, and a 19 to close him and Akechi out at exactly 0 points, winning them the game.

(End of Akechi and Ren's game)

"Yeah? Well done. That finishes it, 0 points exactly. Not a bad result." Akechi said as his Baton Pass rank jumped to rank 2. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"Mwehehe, since no one else is here, I'm up next! Lemme show you what these paws can do!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"But your Baton Pass rank is already at MAX? Why can't I just play a second game with Akechi?" Ren asked as Akechi laughed and spoke up.

"What's wrong? Afraid of being upstaged by a cat, Ren?" Akechi said tauntingly as both Ren and Morgana glared at Akechi and spoke up.

"HE'S/I AM NOT A CAT!" Ren and Morgana simultaneously rebuked Akechi before Ren kept speaking.

"Y'know what? Fine! Let's do this, Morgana! Let's show Akechi that we can work together as a team just as well as Akechi and I can!" Ren said confidently as Morgana spoke up with a smirk.

"I see. Let's see here, which ruleset should we use for our game? Hmm, I'll let you decide, Ren!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Hmm, I'm feeling a challenge, and I've also not had a chance to actually use this ruleset since my game with Kusa, so how do you feel about playing 501?" Ren asked Morgana, who smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, want to go for an intermediate-level challenge? Sure thing! Let's play 501." Morgana said agreeably as Akechi chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, you're both such foolish fools. I totally manipulated you two into playing together without having to really lift a finger to do so. Have fun." Akechi said as he leaned on a nearby counter to watch Ren and Morgana's game, the former of the two muttering angrily under his breath about overconfident detectives who think they're so smart, making Morgana chuckle as he joined Ren at the dartboard.

(Start of Ren and Morgana's game)

"Now then, are you ready to go? If so, let's give it all we got!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and stepped up to take his turn as Morgana spoke up.

"Stay focused! Keep calm, all right Ren?" Morgana said as Ren nodded, high-fiving in for his turn as he stepped up to the dartboard. When Ren stepped up, he hit two single 20s and a triple 20, even though he was trying to get three triple 20s, leaving himself and Morgana with 401 points left as Ren walked over to Morgana, who smirked as he spoke up.

"Not bad. Looks like it's my turn next! Nyahaha, don't fall for me now." Morgana said while using a paw to high-five Ren and putting the darts in his mouth, where he took aim and hit a triple 5, and two triple 20s to leave himself and Ren at 266 points left before he walked back over to Ren and spoke up.

"Yes, that was pretty good. So, now we're into round 3, eh? We gotta really pay attention to the score now!" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as he high-fived in for his turn. At that point, Ren hit two bulls, but missed the third by a bit, and ended up with a single 5 instead of a bull, leaving him and Morgana with 161 points left going into round 4. Ren then walked over to Morgana and spoke up.

"Sorry about that 5. I meant to hit three bulls, but my dart went off course a bit on one throw." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"It's fine. I see that you whiffed a bit, but that's understandable. So this is my last round then, huh? Heh, this is starting to get interesting." Morgana said confidently as he used a paw to tag in for his turn, darts in mouth as he went to the dartboard. At that point, Morgana hit two triple 20s and a double 20, leaving him and Ren with exactly 1 point left, making Ren wince at the both easy but also tricky score as Morgana walked over and spoke up.

"This is the last round, Ren! I know you'll come through!" Morgana said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"I hope so. You could've left me more wiggle room, you know. But let's see if I can do this." Ren said uneasily as he walked over to the board after high-fiving in for his turn. Ren walked over to the board, took a breath, aimed, and managed to land his dart right on the single 1 first throw, bringing him and Morgana down to exactly 0 points on the nose, winning them the game. Ren then walked over to Morgana after breathing a sigh of relief.

(End of Ren and Morgana's game)

As Ren walked over, Morgana spoke up while giving Ren a closed-eye smile.

"Nice! We got a perfect 0! Heh, nobody can beat us when we're teamed up! Even after I almost screwed it for us, you managed to bring it back with ease. Well done, Ren! Also, what was that about Ren getting upstaged by a cat, Akechi!? I do believe that you just got proven wrong about that, good sir. So suck it!" Morgana said as Ren laughed at what Morgana said before speaking up gently.

"Hey! Yes, what he said was a dick move, but that doesn't mean you get to be a dick right back to him, Morgana! Also, he wasn't entirely wrong. You almost DID upstage me with that last round. Luckily I was able to not miss a single 1, or I'd have probably never heard the end of it from Akechi." Ren said as Akechi smirked and spoke up.

"You don't need to intercede on my behalf, Ren. Morgana's response was more than warranted, since I did put you two on the spot a bit before. But yes, you two did perform quite well. I don't mind saying I was wrong on this occasion. Impressive work, you two. Congratulations." Akechi said as Ren nodded and Morgana spoke up.

"Nice one, Ren! You played really well that game!" Morgana said as Ren got a modest, if unnecessary, boost to his Proficiency. Morgana then kept speaking.

"Hm, tired from all that precise throwing, Ren? I can tell you've grown somewhat though." Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting another unneeded boost to his Proficiency. Akechi them smirked and spoke up.

"Well, I'm finished. Also, I guess that served as a nice distraction. Thanks for inviting me out to darts, Ren." Akechi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"You're welcome. Hopefully we can do this again another night, since you and Ryuji both are still a rank from maxing out your Baton Pass ranks, and I need to get Ann's up from 1 to 3. But I'm getting there." Ren said confidently as Morgana spoke up.

"True. But that should do it for now. Not only can we train up here, but we can have fun as well while we're at it. I must say that this is a really handy place Ryuji turned us on to." Morgana said happily as the trio parted ways for the night on that note, Akechi speaking up as they parted ways.

"Let's go. I'll be going then. Call me again sometime when you want a challenge, Ren." Akechi said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc for the night with Morgana, where he got comfortable and laid down for the night...

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

"Now then, let's get going! Let us begin class. Do you understand what we went over last time?" Usami asked as the intercom came on as a familiar voice spoke up.

"Well, um, ahem. Miss Usami, please come to the faculty office at once. Repeat, Miss Usami to the faculty office at once. That is all." Ren heard Kawakami say over the intercom as Usami frowned and spoke up.

"What's this about, then? Hm, what could it be? No matter. Everyone, make sure to study on your own while I go to the faculty office." Usami said as she left, at which point, Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Well, 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?" Morgana asked Ren, who thought about it before deciding to pull out his copy of 'Dressed in Ashes' to read. Ren then started reading so only Morgana could hear.

"Wow, this seems a lot like a horror story. Let's see here. 'Ashes piled upon the bodies like snow in winter.' So dark." Ren said as Morgana winced and nodded as he spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Agreed. I feel bad that this girl is being bullied by her own family members, Ren. Eh, you still got time to read, though. Let's go a little further." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Right. Where was I? Ah, here we are. 'I'm not fit to attend a ball, now am I?' Tch, how self-deprecating. You can tell this was intended to be about Cendrillion." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, that's true. So, you've finished reading 'Dressed in Ashes', eh? The story was tough to hear at first, but I'm glad things ended well for the daughter! And even during tough times, she continued to enjoy life regardless. To be honest, I think that's so attractive." Morgana said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"True, but you do realize this is about Sumire's Persona, and not about Ann, right Morgana?" Ren said gently as he felt himself get a generous, but unneeded, boost to his Charm from reading 'Dressed In Ashes'. Morgana spoke up at that point.

"Sh-Shut up! I know that, Ren! I never said Ann was the only beautiful lady on our team, now did I? Ah, hold that thought! The teacher's back!" Morgana said as he ducked back into Ren's desk while Ren put his books away in time for Usami to come back into the room and speak up.

"Ugh, that's annoying! Honestly, that was all about nothing in the end. What a waste of time! Let's resume the lesson." Usami said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Yup! Phew, that was close. Kawakami helped us get a good chunk of free time, though!" Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement while the rest of class passed uneventfully...

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

As Ren and Ann paid attention in class, their phones went off to signal an incoming group chat with Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Akechi, Sumire, and Kusa, with Ryuji sending the first response as Morgana peeked out to read the chat from the angle Ren held his phone at.

"Snow comin' tomorrow! Think we'll get a real blizzard?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Who knows, sweetie? You rarely ever see heavy snow in Tokyo." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I predict heavy snowfall in Tokyo! But it's gonna be wet snow, so it won't really pile up much. Sources? Some guy on TV." Futaba sent as Haru and Kusa sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"You're probably right, Taba. But let's hope it doesn't pile up, since I'm supposed to go to the doctor on the 28th to get this cast off my left arm that I've had to wear after my dumb ass managed to sprain my freaking elbow using my arm to break my fall after SOMEONE, who I won't call out for the sake of keeping the peace, blasted me backwards several rooms to try and kill me. But this person knows damn well who they are.

That said, if it does pile up, that might push back that appointment, which will mess up our timetable, since I sense Ren won't let me help out much with a bum arm. After all, we saw how careful he was when I got my damn kneecap fractured by those cowards last summer. But I suppose that's just how Ren is, being the older brother." Kusa sent as Haru sent a response, followed closely by a response from Akechi.

"Snow!? Oh no, my flower beds are in trouble! I should go check on them soon." Haru sent as Akechi sent a response.

"No need to hold back on my account, Amamiya-kun the younger. I know you meant me with your remark just now. But as you yourself pointed out, we were both rather well blacked-out at the time, weren't we? So neither of us was probably thinking clearly. That said, I do apologize for hurting you. That was both unintentional and regrettable of me." Akechi said as Makoto sent a response.

"Wait, did I read that right? Akechi actually apologized!? Did hell freeze over and I missed it? Also, I'm sure your flowerbeds will be fine, Haru. But if you need help with them, I'll do what I can." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response that had Kusa, Ren, Akechi, and Morgana all laughing as they read it even as Ryuji pouted on reading it.

"Indeed. Ryuji can help out, as well. If nothing else, it might score him some brownie points with Makoto, if I have that expression right." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"WHAT!? Man, you can't just volunteer me like that! Not that I wouldn't, though. You need any heavy lifting done, I'm your guy! Especially if it's for my bae Makoto." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Really? Did you really just use the word 'bae' in a sentence like that, Ryuji? I'm both impressed and shocked. And I'd offer my services as well if I were able to. But my doctor was very clear that I can't do any heavy lifting until this damned cast comes off, and even then, I might not be cleared for heavy lifting right away. Which sucks, but is my own fault." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"At least you're back with us where you belong, Kusa-kun. Actually, if the snow's gonna be that bad, do you guys think it might have some effect on the Metaverse, too? We might as well keep it in mind when we plan for tomorrow." Ann sent as Ren put his phone away while the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, now what? Do we fill the others in on the current batch of Mementos targets?" Morgana said as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Not yet. We need one more request before we have them all identified, and I'd rather have all of them at once so we can finish all of our Mementos shenanigans in one final run through the place before this deadline hits. For that reason, I'm hopeful Shinya will be available to hang out with, since he's my lowest ranked Confidant overall." Ren said as Morgana nodded his understanding. A moment later, Ren checked the map and swore as he spoke up.

"Dammit! He's not available today. But, on a more pleasant note, I see that Sumire is available. Mayhaps it's time to get her another rank up?" Ren said as Morgana nodded approvingly as Ren went to find Kusa to hand off Morgana before heading over to Kichijoji to see Sumire...

(In Kichijoji, with Ren and Sumire)

After getting to the promenade of Kichijoji, Ren quickly found Sumire in her usual spot looking at stuff on display. Ren smiled as he walked over to her and spoke up.

"Good afternoon, beautiful. What brings you to Kichijoji today?" Ren asked conversationally as Sumire flushed slightly and spoke up.

"O-Oh, hi there Ren. Um, good timing, actually. I was looking for you, as it turns out." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? Were you, now?" Ren asked with an intrigued smile as Sumire blushed but nodded as she spoke up.

"That's right. I wanted to find you because, to be honest? S-So, I wanted to tell you something today, Ren! May I have a little bit of your time this afternoon?" Sumire asked as Ren smiled kindly at Sumire and spoke up.

"Sure thing, beautiful. I didn't have much else to do today, anyways. So I have no problems whatsoever hanging out with you if you want me to." Ren said kindly making Sumire turn and give Ren a very stunning closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Ren-senpai, wow. You're always so kind to me. Thank you so much. Oh, but as to where we'd go to talk about this? Hmm, well, if possible, I'd like to go somewhere we can have a quiet discussion." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"A quiet discussion, you say? Wanna talk over at Leblanc? All I'd have to do is let Boss know I need the place for Phantom Thief business and he'd close up shop with no questions asked. And before you say that's not what this is, I consider it Phantom Thief business since it pertains to the happiness of my teammate/girlfriend. So would you like to have our discussion at Leblanc?" Ren asked Sumire, who blushed prettily while she spoke up as she misinterpreted what Ren had asked.

"Wait, wha-!? Y-You want me to come over to y-your house, Ren-senpai!? I, um! I-I think that's a bit early! I mean, I don't know if my heart's ready for that! So umm, don't be offended if I say no to that?" Sumire said as Ren smiled and lightly pulled Sumire into a hug as he spoke up.

"Why are you always so damn adorable when you do that, beautiful? Did I say I was bringing you to my house? No. As I recall, I said we could hang at Leblanc, which is very clearly Boss' place of business and NOT my house. But I can see how you'd make that mistake, since Kusa and I do live in the attic of Leblanc." Ren said kindly, lightly giving Sumire a playful poke on the nose, chuckling at how adorably she huffed and pouted while she spoke up.

"Hey! I-I knew that! Oh, so when you said come over, you meant to Leblanc? I see. I'm so embarrassed! I'm also very sorry! I jumped the gun! I'm such an idiot!" Sumire said as Ren smiled at Sumire and spoke up.

"Come now, Sumire. You are NOT an idiot! Also, you don't need to apologize for an honest mistake. Besides, I got a good laugh out of it, so I don't mind it at all. Plus, you're too beautiful to be mad at." Ren said kindly, smiling at how much Sumire was flushing as she spoke up.

"Th-Thank you. Why are you so kind to the likes of me, Ren? Hm, well, Leblanc could work. I suppose we would be able to talk in peace there. Um, so if that's really okay, I'll head over there with you so we can talk." Sumire said as Ren nodded, quickly calling up Sojiro to let him know he needed to use the lower level of Leblanc for bringing one of his friends over to have a quiet discussion, getting a near-immediate affirmative response from Sojiro who said he'd close the shop up for Ren and leave it unlocked. After that, Ren gently put an arm around Sumire's waist as he walked with her to Leblanc, smiling at how often he'd notice her cheeks flushing in embarrassment on the trip there...

(A short time later, in Leblanc, with Sumire and Ren)

"Sorry for dropping in on you like this, Ren. I hope it's not too much trouble." Sumire said as Ren smiled at Sumire and spoke up kindly after serving her a cup of coffee.

"It's no problem at all, Sumire. You know I'm always willing to take time to hear you out, beautiful. How many times must I say this before you understand?" Ren asked in a mock-annoyed tone as Sumire winced and spoke up.

"R-Right, sorry. I'll try to remember that. And thank you. I just needed to talk to you about something in person." Sumire said before taking a tentative sniff of the coffee and giggling as she spoke up with a closed-eye smile on her face.

"Hee hee! Wow, it smells great, Ren. Thank you." Sumire said as she took a sip and smiled as she let off a small, seemingly involuntary moan as she spoke up.

"Mmm, oh wow, it's really good. Something about it is relaxing. Please, listen to me! I think I'll be ready to show Coach Hiraguchi my performance soon. And if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to be there when I do that. Um, is that okay, Ren?" Sumire said as Ren smirked, playfully booping Sumire's nose as he spoke up.

"Silly dork. Of course it's okay. I want to be here for you any way that I can, you know. So going with you to show your routine to your coach is no problem at all for me. Don't feel so shy about asking me for stuff, Sumire. I want to be able to be here for you to do stuff like that for you." Ren said as Sumire flushed a bit in embarrassment at feeling Ren's finger poke her nose, but giving him a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Great! I'm so glad to hear it, Ren. But that's not what I came here to talk about. Um, do you remember what I said when we went clothes shopping? I talked about wanting you to see me, and how that helped me stop worrying?" Sumire said as Ren chuckled and spoke up while looking into Sumire's eyes.

"Of course I do, Sumi. You said you enjoyed me seeing you in stuff. And I recall that I then said to you, and I quote, 'Fine with me. I could watch you forever if I was able to.', leading you to blush quite prettily for a bit after that." Ren said with an amused chuckle. Sumire pouted at Ren teasing her, eventually smiling as she nodded.

"That's right. I'm so glad you remember. I was thinking about Kasumi after that, and how she'd probably have been disappointed in how I tried to live as her for so long. I then reminded myself that I was trying to live as myself and not as Kasumi. I also wondered how she must have felt. Thinking she didn't want to lose to me, and wanting me to watch her do well. Maybe that's what she and I had in common. We both wanted someone specific to see our efforts, or more accurately, to see us as we are. As long as we have that special someone watching us, we can stay strong.

So I finally realized something. I think part of Kasumi's strength came from that. As it turns out, I was the one she was thinking of. I never heard her say it to me, but even so, I know it to be true. Maybe she'd been trying to tell me through her performance. Haha, wow. I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out finally. Kasumi must be so disappointed in me right now. I'm such an idiot. But, I'm glad I finally realized it. Even as worthless as I am, I hope I still helped Kasumi somehow while she was alive." Sumire said as Ren frowned at her and spoke up.

"Is that really what you think!? Dammit, Sumire! You're not worthless. You're an amazing, kind, and wonderful woman who I count myself blessed to know each day I know you. I know you're still figuring out how to live with yourself and how to embrace the true you, but you don't have to do thata alone. I know you want space to figure things out, but I can be there for you if you ever need me. Never doubt that I will always be here for you, Sumire. And why? Because I care about you!" Ren said as Sumire blushed at Ren's honest response before speaking up.

"Right, sorry. I need to work on that, I know. But more than that, I have to learn to believe in myself. As for my sister, well, Kasumi's beyond any apologies I could give her. I can't tell her how I feel. She'll never see me perform. That's the reality of things, and it happened because of me. I've been running away from that for a long time. But I'm done running now. it's time to stand on my own two feet and face up to my mistakes.

I want to live for both of us now. For the sake of everything we wanted. To tell the truth? I, I want to grow even stronger. Even if I end up in tears from failing at a meet, or if the pressure's too much for me sometimes. No matter what happens, with Kasumi's confidence, and the grace she recognized in me somehow, I'm going to keep moving up. More than that, I'm going to show Kasumi who Sumire Yoshizawa really is." Sumire said as Ren smiled, getting the feeling he could sense a strong resolve from Sumire in that moment.

At that point, the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VIII' on it becoming an 'IX' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Sumire had reached Rank 9. As a result of the rank-up, Sumire had awakened to the ability of 'Protect', making it so that at last, every Phantom Thief who could learn Protect had done so. Afterwards, Sumire looked up and looked directly into Ren's eyes as she kept speaking.

"You know, I've been thinking about what I said before. Y'know, the whole me needing space to figure things out and all? Um, I thought about it, and realized I was being a coward and trying to hide from things by keeping you at arm's length, when I really oughtn't have. And so, I've decided I don't need anymore space. I know I probably hurt you when I said that, but I know what I want now, Ren. Now that I'm committed to, you know, not running away from my feelings anymore and all, I, um, have to be honest with you about something. Th-There's something I need to tell you, Ren!" Sumire said as Ren smiled at Sumire, looking into her eyes as he spoke up.

"Is there now? Go right ahead, beautiful. You know I'll always listen to what you have to say." Ren said kindly. Sumire blushed at Ren's words, or perhaps her realization of how close together their faces were. Either way, she flushed prettily and spoke up.

"Th-Thank you very much, Ren. The nervous sweats just kicked in, I guess. Go figure. I realized it was less a matter of showing off, and more wanting someone to watch me as much as they could. That is to say, wanting someone special to watch me. Someone I'd want to have eyes only for me. And I thought to myself, well, for me, that person's obviously still Ren-senpai! So, that said, I think that means one thing. I'm still in lo, l-l-lo, argh! I'm, still in, and never have stopped being in lo-" Sumire said as Ren laughed at Sumire's attempt to speak before he gave her a sly yet sexy smirk while he spoke up.

"Oh? In luh, you say? Have I not said before that you're so adorable when you stumble over yourself like that, Sumire?" Ren said to Sumire, gently placing his hand over Sumire's and giving it a gentle squeeze of encouragement. Sumire pouted at Ren teasing her and spoke up.

"Dammit, Ren, don't do that! I'm still in love with you, okay!? I don't know why I have such a hard time saying it, but I'm still in love with you, Ren!" Sumire said as Ren smiled happily, even as he got the sense he needed to choose his next words carefully. Sumire then flushed in embarrassment as she kept speaking.

"Um, but I know I hurt you before when I asked for space. And the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, so if you don't feel the same about me still, I completely understand." Sumire said as Ren smiled and looked into Sumire's eyes as he spoke up.

"Sumire? Stop talking. I knew you still loved me. And truth be told? I still love you too. Hell, I never stopped loving you. So of course I love you too, you dork." Ren said, making Sumire's eyes widen as she flushed red and spoke up.

"What did you just say? You never stopped loving me, Ren? Y-You always loved me, and you still love me back!? Oh. Huh. S-so, if we feel the same way, I guess that means that not only is our relationship still going strong, but our love for one another is very much mutual, then?" Sumire asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely. Now c'mere." Ren said as he leaned in to steal a kiss from Sumire, who blushed prettily as she returned the kiss. After they pulled apart, a red-faced Sumire spoke up.

"So, um, now that we've established we still love each other, wh-what happens now? Wait, does that mean that we're still together, and that you'll never stop being my boyfriend!?" Sumire asked as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Yes, you silly dork. That's exactly what it means. I know you think I should be upset with you for lying about who you were for the first several months we were together, but I couldn't care less about that. As a wise person once told me, 'Ren? If you love her, it doesn't matter who she is, or what she's done. All that matters is that you love her for who she is, no matter what'. And then another wise person told me, 'Ren, as long as you love your girl, you and she can get through anything if the feeling's mutual on her side.' So, I feel like we're in this together for the long haul, beautiful." Ren said as Sumire blinked and spoke up, her cheeks slightly pinking as she spoke.

"W-Well, um, I mean, I guess that's what I'm hoping for too? So I suppose that means-Oh, screw it. What am I saying, Ren?" Sumire said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Take your time, beautiful. I get what you're trying to say, but you don't need to rush things." Ren said kindly. Sumire blinked at this, flushing slightly as she spoke up.

"Oh, right. S-Sorry. I'm the one who confessed, again, and now I'm totally messing this up somehow. But honestly? I never expected I'd get this far in expressing myself. Phew, that's a relief to get that off my chest. Um, R-Ren? Would you, err, would you look at me for a moment?" Sumire asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Sure, but what brought that on, if I'm allowed to ask?" Ren asked as Sumire blushed and spoke up.

"You're allowed to ask. I want to know if, well, if looking at you will feel any different now that we're dating for real, and not you dating me while I'm pretending to be my sister." Sumire said before blushing as she saw the soft gaze and gentle smile Ren was giving her, making her speak up nervously.

"W-Wow, I dn't know what I'm saying anymore, Ren. You know what, never mind what I asked." Sumire said as Ren smirked and leaned in close to stare into Sumire's eyes gently, making her back up a bit in surprise as she spoke up.

"E-Eep! U-Um, Ren?" Sumire said as Ren put his other hand on the counter and leaned in more to gaze at Sumire, who flushed even redder as she spoke up, feeling her heart race and skip a few beats as she spoke.

"I-I-Um, you-" Sumire said as Ren smirked and looked into Sumire's eyes while speaking up.

"So? Any different, Sumi? Also, you are SO red right now. I find it oddly adorable and unbelievably irresistible. If you don't watch it, you might find yourself getting kissed again." Ren said coyly. Sumire flushed and spoke up.

"I, um, I dunno? All I know is that my heart is racing so fast, it almost hurts right now. Yet, I find myself enjoying it as well somehow. What do I do, Ren? I'm so embarrassed, but yet, I'm also flattered you're giving me this sort of attention. I almost feel as euphoric as that time we messed around in the attic before we went to Shido's Palace." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, I knew you enjoyed that day. We can always try that again if you want to sometime." Ren said as a flushing Sumire pouted and swatted Ren on the arm and spoke up as he laughed.

"Ren! Behave! Also, I hate that you're being like this right now. I don't want to reward you for teasing me, yet I also find myself wanting to be even closer to you, Senpai. U-Um, what am I saying? Oh, who cares? I love you so much, Ren-senpai. I'll always want your eyes on me, and me alone, no matter what." Sumire said honestly as Ren smiled and nodded, noting to himself that he'd successfully re-kindled his relationship with Sumire.

Ren also noted that there was now no turning back, and that he was committed to Sumire for the long haul, which suited him fine, as he'd already decided on that same thing for himself some time previous. Sumire blushed as she spoke up, flashing Ren a beautiful closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Um, Ren? I think if we get any closer, we'll bump our glasses together, don't you? Hee hee. Hm, but you know? If that's the case, this is embarrassing to say, but we could always take them off." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? Did Sumire just suggest we take them off?" Ren asked, deliberately mis-understanding what she meant by suggesting that they remove their glasses. Sumire pouted at Ren while lightly swatting him on the arm before smiling at Ren fondly as she spoke up.

"Ren? Shut up. You know what I meant." Sumire said before reaching forward to pull Ren into a heated kiss, which lasted for some time before Ren smirked, scooping a squeaking Sumire up bridal-style and carrying her upstairs to the attic, where he gently placed her on the bed and made out rather intensely with her, taking advantage of having Leblanc empty to love on his girlfriend for a bit. After a bit, Ren and Sumire broke apart for air, their faces both red, and their shirts slightly tousled from where they'd grabbed each other to initiate kisses. Ren then smirked at Sumire and spoke up.

"Heh. That was definitely worth the wait, if you ask me. Too bad it's a school night." Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"True, but once I'm done with practice, I can always ask my parents if I can come back here and spend the night, and then we can take the train to school together tomorrow. I know you wouldn't mind that, would you Ren?" Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Not at all. But first, I'd have to let Kusa know that he'll have to hang out with Taba overnight and to keep Morgana with him, unless you don't mind him being underfoot while we cuddle and stuff. But I feel like you'd rather not have him being a third wheel." Ren said as Sumire smiled.

"I don't mind him being around, but maybe not tonight? Unfortunately, as much as I don't want this to end, it has to. A-Anyways, I'm sorry, but I need to get going to practice." Sumire said as Ren nodded, handing Sumire her glasses back, which she'd taken off and handed to him as they laid together, not wanting them to bump together as they made out. After that, Ren smiled and escorted Sumire to the train station, unaware of the dialogue currently going on at the Sakura house as a result of his and Sumire's sporadic decision...

(At the same time as Ren and Sumire's hangout, at the Sakura household, with Kusa, Morgana, and Futaba)

"Hm? I wonder why Ren's constantly pawning Morgana off on us, Kusa? Not that I mind having him around, I just find it odd." Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I think I know, but I don't want to say yet, in case I'm wrong. But if I'm right, both Ryuji and Haru owe me some serious yen, especially if it ends up going where I think it will." Kusa said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Good thing I've got the ol' bugs planted for eavesdropping purposes, then, isn't it?" Futaba said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"It really isn't, though. But in this case, I'll overlook it, since I have yen riding on this." Kusa said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"So do I, now that you mention it. Granted, you and I went in on that bet together, so if you did win, we're splitting the take 50/50, right?" Morgana asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. That's only fair, Morgana-sensei. Fire up the bugs, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and did as she was told. At that point, the two could hear Ren and Sumire speaking, listening to them talk about some private stuff. After a while, Kusa's eyes widened as he heard Sumire's voice raise as she spoke up.

"Ren, don't tease me like that, dammit! Ugh, fine! I'm still in love with you! I said it! Happy!? I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Sumire could be heard telling Ren, after which Ren could be heard smugly saying that he knew this already, before eventually pulling Sumire into an audible kiss, making Kusa cheer and pump a fist, especially when both Kusa and Futaba heard Ren scoop Sumire up and presumably carry her bridal-style to the attic. After that, all that could be heard from the bugs was what sounded like muted moans and sounds of enjoyment from both Ren and Sumire. Kusa smirked as he turned to Futaba and spoke up.

"HA! Called them taking it to the attic! So right there, I won OUR bet." Kusa said before eagerly pulling Futaba into a kiss and swiping some yen from her pocket per his winnings. Futaba pouted and spoke up.

"H-Hey! No fair doing that without warning, Kusa! You know I prefer it when you warn me you're gonna do that." Futaba said petulantly as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"You're right. I'm sorry, but that was part of our bet. But anyways, not only have I won our bet, but I won a bet with Haru and Ryuji. Well, technically Morgana and I won, but I consider that to be trivial semantics. Good call making the bet 10000 yen, Morgana-sensei! That's the easiest 10,000 yen you and I have ever made." Kusa said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! I know, I know. I'm too good at what I do." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and gently patted Morgana on the head, enjoying the content purr he got for his efforts. Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Ha! And here people say that a dog is man's best friend. Whoever said that clearly never saw you two together." Futaba said as Morgana pouted and spoke up.

"Technically that person is right, since I might be a cat. However, I'm not an ordinary cat, dammit!" Morgana said as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"I know. You're a special cat, Morgana. But more than that, you're family to all of us. But probably especially so to Kusa and Ren." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"She's right, you know. I could care less if you're a cat or not, Morgana. You're still the same guy who showed me, and the others, the ways of the phantom thief. And for that alone, you'll always be my Sensei. But apart from that, you've stayed by mine and Ren's side, and even Futaba's to a point, no matter what. And for that, you'll always be family to us all. So never feel like you don't have anywhere to belong, Morgana. You'll always have a place to belong with Ren and I. I promise you that." Kusa said as Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"K-Kusa. I-I, Thank you!" Morgana said as he rubbed his head on Kusa's palm and purred as Futaba giggled at the sight of Kusa and Morgana bonding, as the trio spent quite a while enjoying one another's company...

(Around that point, back at the entrance of Leblanc, with Ren)

As Ren got back to Leblanc after escorting Sumire to the station so she could go to practice, his phone rang, and he smiled as he saw it was Sumire and answered it, unable to resist teasing Sumire a bit with how he answered the phone.

"Hello? Ren Amamiya's Love Hotline, Ren speaking." Ren said teasingly, laughing at how adorably Sumire sputtered on the other end as she spoke up.

"Wh-What!? L-Love Hotline!? Dammit Ren, not funny! You know my heart can't take too much teasing. But, um, I wanted to thank you. So th-th-thank you very much f-for seeing me today! I-I'm sorry if this is embarrassing for you, Ren. J-Just pretend that you didn't hear my voice cracking just now. But to be honest? I'm so selfish. I feel like I just left, but I already miss you terribly.

Just thinking about you stresses me out, but at the same time, I'm so happy we decided to stay together. Yet even though I'm esctatic, I can't help but feel stuck in panic mode as well for some reason. It feels as if I'm constantly riding a rollercoaster, to be honest. I don't know what to do!" Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Honestly, beautiful? Get used to it. You're gonna be feeling that way a lot now that we're together again full-time. And I, for one, intend to enjoy every second of the metaphoric ride with you. After all, we're in this together. The sooner you accept that, the better off both of us will be. And truth be told? I miss you too." Ren said honestly. Sumire blinked at Ren's response and spoke up.

"I-Is that even possible? I feel like you'd have to be some kind of zen master to be calm about this, Ren. But I guess it's like gymnastics in a way. Like gymnastics, I only get better at being your girlfriend by training at it. So for this purpose, I should always stay at your side whenever possible, I think. U-Um, did I just say that? R-Right, calming down. Calm-Oh, it's useless. Just visualizing it makes me feel like I'm about to explode." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Kinda like how I had you ready to explode that night we fooled around together? Or is that the wrong kind of explode?" Ren asked teasingly as Sumire flushed and spoke up.

"R-Ren! Behave! Anyways, I feel like I can barely make sense of all these feelings that I'm feeling, but there's one thing I know for sure. I'm so happy that we've gotten this close. That our relationship has gotten this strong. Ren-senpai, this might sound selfish, but I don't care. Please, stay by my side forever." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? Forever, you say? I can certainly do that, if that's what you want. But can you handle me being by your side forever? After all, you can barely handle how much I tease you now." Ren said playfully as Sumire flushed and spoke up.

"Ren, be serious! But yes, I think I could handle it. It'd take some getting used to, but if it meant having you at my side more, I think I could adjust eventually. Oh, but listen to me ramble. I'd better let you go, Ren. I'd love to keep talking, but I'll save it for another time. I love you, Ren. I'll try to remember to ask my parents if I can come spend the night tonight after practice!" Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Sounds good to me, beautiful. Also, I love you too, Sumi. Don't be a stranger about reaching out to me. Bye! Hopefully I'll see you later." Ren said as he hung up and walked into Leblanc, a satisfied grin on his face...

(That evening, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren)

As Ren waited to hear back from Sumire, he had a seat on the bed to ponder his next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! This went a bit longer than planned, but I got quite a lot into this chapter, between the three blood oaths/maxed-out links that Ren got (Kawakami, Haru, Iwai), the handful of Confidants that got rank-ups (Kawakami, Haru, Iwai x2, Shinya, Takemi, Ohya, Chihaya, Sumire x2), and even the bonus events that I fit in (e.g. Ohya's Mementos request, the Kusa/Futaba scenes, the darts games with Akechi and Morgana, and even Ren's Tier 3 Awakening, which I'm sure no one saw how I did it coming, even if I thought I made it obvious after having Kusa's Tier 3 Persona awaken during Maruki's Palace a couple chapters ago), so yes, it was a very eventful chapter.

With any luck, the next chapter will have Ren getting the final Mementos Request (Shinya's) so he can commission the final Mementos run of the story (YES, you read that right, final Mementos run). As such, there will probably be quite a bit in it if I can fit it in, between the last seven Mementos targets, possibly an optional boss fight that can be skipped if I think I can manage it, and even possibly trying to fight a certain super-strong opponent that you have to go out of your way to run into. Confused? Well, maybe you'll find out what I mean in the next couple of chapters!

That said, thanks to all who keep supporting this story through following it, favoriting it, leaving reviews on it, and even PMing me their feedback! All the support I get is appreciated, as it allows me to make the story even better for you, the readers. So don't be shy about leaving reviews with your thoughts/opinions/feedback/constructive criticism on the story, or even PM me with that info if you don't want to leave it in a review, as I enjoy hearing from my readers either way! So feel free to hit me up if you like! And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - And even now, in the third semester, I'm finding typos that the scriptwriters made. In this case, Ushimaru referred to Themis as a 'god of justice', even though I corrected it to 'goddess of justice' when I wrote that part. After all, unless I'm mistaken, doesn't the term 'god' typically refer to male gods, while 'goddess' is reserved for female gods, such as Themis? Or am I mistaken about that? If so, by all means, correct me in the reviews.

*2* - Even though Ren's the one who got the Tier 3 Persona in this chapter, it was a bonus event for Kusa that it happened in, hence the 'Rank MAX (11)' next to Kusa's link instead of the Fool link, which is actually Ren's Arcana. That's just the way it is. At least I made Raoul's unlock better than just being free DLC that you can summon before the third semester, which it is in canon Royal. But I digress.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 92

FOOL (Prison Master/Yaldabaoth) - Rank MAX (10)

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank MAX (11)

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank MAX (10)

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank MAX (10)

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank MAX (10)

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

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

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

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow/Black Mask) - Rank MAX (10)

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank MAX (10)

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 7.5

STRENGTH (Lavenza) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank MAX (10)

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank MAX (10)

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank MAX (10)

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 7.5

TOWER (Shinya/The King/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 6

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank MAX (10)

MOON (Mishima) - Rank MAX (10)

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

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

FAITH (Sumire/Sumi/Violet) - Rank 9

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

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank MAX (11) *2*

CONFIDANT LINKS MAXED OUT: FOOL, MAGICIAN, PRIESTESS, EMPRESS, EMPEROR, HIEROPHANT, LOVERS, CHARIOT, JUSTICE, HERMIT, STRENGTH, HANGED-MAN, TEMPERANCE, STAR, MOON, SUN, JUDGEMENT, COUNCILLOR, WORLD

LINKS NOT YET MAXED OUT: FORTUNE, DEATH, DEVIL, TOWER, FAITH