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

36. Rebellious Queen Finale: Bonds and Plans

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5: The Phantom Files! Surprisingly, despite my uncertainties about it in previous chapters, we're still not quite at the end of Arc 3 and not only is it not the shortest arc yet, it's actually at the point that it's now the longest arc yet at 13 parts as of this chapter. And I'm not even sure if it'll be finished in this chapter so it could even end up being 14 parts long, dependent on if I finish the arc in this chapter or not. That said, let's hit up the disclaimer now, since I'm thinking of it!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form, aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made and thus does own, as well as any other OCs that might pop up throughout the story since they are, unless stated otherwise, also made and by extension owned by him. The actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 36!

Chapter 36: Joker's birthday, Confidant building, and more miscellaneous shenaniganry! The Rebellious Queen part 13

(At Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As Ren laid on his bed pondering his next move, he idly checked his phone for chats, being surprised briefly to see one from Yoshida, before recalling it was a Sunday as he decided to go hang with Yoshida. As he left, he noticed Kusa doing dishes in the kitchen, pointedly ignoring Ren as he did so, making Ren wince as he realized Kusa was still annoyed at him for his cheap shot at both him and Futaba, making Ren shrug as he headed to Station Square to hang with Yoshida. Once there, he walked over to Yoshida, who was speaking up, giving another of his speeches which Ren stopped to listen in on.

"Listen up, all of you! Many of you suffer greatly from this distorted world of disparity. Please know that you can direct your criticism and outrage at me! I, Toranosuke Yoshida, will someday find a way to address your concerns in Nagatacho..." Yoshida said before blinking as he noticed Ren listening in nearby, smiling at Ren as he spoke to him.

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

"About the same as always, typical schoolwork that I manage to stay on top of. Granted, I might have had to extra-focus it since I was helping celebrate a friend's birthday today, and getting surprised with an early party for my own birthday, despite it not being for another four days." Ren said to Yoshida, who nodded as he spoke up once more.

"I see. By the way, what's your opinion about our current government? I feel that they're wrong, so I plan on addressing that during my speech. I'd like you to listen to it, so you can give me your honest opinion." Yoshida said, as Morgana spoke up at that point so only Ren could hear.

"So, are you going to go help out Yoshida?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded to the not-cat. He then turned to Yoshida as he spoke up once more.

"I see. Well, if you need any help during your speech, I'd be happy to assist." Ren offered, making Yoshida smile as he spoke up.

"Really? I feel indebted. That would be helpful. Well then, let's get to it." Yoshida said as Ren assumed his usual position holding up the placard as Yoshida continued his speech.

"Everyone! The conviction of a government is often tested during times of turmoil. However, the current administration refuses to discuss their plans for the future. Can we really accept such an utter lack of transparency!?" Yoshida said as a weary-looking woman in the crowd spoke up to the person near her.

"I've been hearing this type of criticism about the government lately." The weary-looking woman said as the bored-looking man next to her spoke up.

"That's because Diet Member Shido has been gaining popularity by saying the same thing." The bored-looking man said as the weary-looking woman blinked and spoke up.

"So he's just echoing another politician's criticism of the government?" The weary-looking woman asked the bored-looking man who shrugged as he spoke up.

"Apparently. Tch, whatever..." The bored-looking man said, as a man in a suit walked up to Yoshida and spoke up with a frown.

"So first you stole party funds, and now you're stealing ideas, No-Good Tora!? Stop talking all big, you ex-convict!" The man in a suit said as Yoshida frowned and spoke up.

"Hmm...Urgh, it seems I've drawn the ire of the audience once again. So he's claiming those who have made mistakes in the past shouldn't get a second chance? What can I say to that?" Yoshida said, as Ren frowned before looking at the man in a suit as he spoke up.

"You're entitled to your opinion, sir. But that said, I'm going to have to ask you to stop interrupting him. How are you going to understand what Mister Yoshida has to say if you keep interrupting? Just shut up and listen." Ren said, coming to Yoshida's defense. The man in a suit glared at Ren before turning to him as he spoke up once more.

"What was that? You got something to say to me, kid!?" The man said to Ren, who huffed as he spoke up once more.

"What do you think, you putz!? Of course I do. However, I won't embarrass Mister Yoshida by causing a scene over the likes of you." Ren said huffily. The man in the suit blinked as he spoke up.

"Wh-What's up with this kid!?" The man asked as Ren spoke up once more.

"First of all, sir, I'm not a kid. That said, So what if Mister Yoshida is nothing more than No-Good Tora to you? He's trying to make amends to those he's wronged in the past, even if it takes him many years to do so. Plus, he's resolved in not making those mistakes again, so I, for one, have no problems giving him my full support, should he need it." Ren said bluntly, making Yoshida look at Ren in surprise, while the man glared at Ren as he spoke up, not amused by Ren throwing his words back in his face the way he had.

"Why, you little punk..." The man said, before Yoshida cut him off by speaking up once more, looking resolved as he spoke.

"Yes, I am 'No-Good Tora', and I have made mistakes. Yes, I am unpopular and powerless. But that has nothing to do with my arguments! These are things I learned from all my hardships. Yes, you can ridicule me all you want, but I will continue to oppose what is wrong with this world!" Yoshida declared firmly but resolutely, drawing some awed and surprised murmurs from the crowd as he finished his speech. Afterwards, he and Ren went off to the side, where Yoshida looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Today's speech ended up being filled with a lot of passion. Quite unexpectedly, I might add. The highlight, though, was your yelling." Yoshida said to Ren, who smirked as he spoke up, noticing that Yoshida didn't look that angry with him, if at all, as he spoke.

"True. All I did was speak the truth, though. Or at least, the truth as I see it. You might see things a bit differently, and if so, that's your right." Ren said confidently. Yoshida smiled at Ren's words as he kept speaking, a closed-eye smile on his face as he spoke.

"That's very promising. But don't overdo it. You should avoid making enemies wherever possible. Okay, that is all for today." Yoshida said to Ren, as the man in a suit from before walked up to Yoshida, surprising him by speaking up.

"You two are amazing. I've been wrong this whole time. Even though someone has failed in the past, it doesn't mean that person can't try again. Th-That's all I wanted to say!" The man in the suit said as Yoshida spoke up, stopping the man by getting his attention.

"You! Please wait! Thank you! That's all I wanted to say." Yoshida said as the man blinked at Yoshida before speaking up once more.

"You're a strange one, just like that kid." The man in a suit said as he walked off, before Yoshida turned to Ren and spoke up once more.

"I learned something from your dauntless spirit today. I have a bad habit of getting flustered whenever someone calls me No-Good Tora. But you see me as someone of value, so I refuse to cower in front of you. Today you taught me I must have more confidence in my arguments." Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his bond with Yoshida get deeper, as the 'Sun' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his 'Sun' Confidant link with Yoshida had reached Rank 4, though no new skills were attained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Yoshida kept speaking.

"My way of thinking changes whenever I'm with you. Perhaps it's the influence of your youthful spirit. Ah, my apologies. It seems we're out of time." Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his Charm increase from hanging out with Yoshida. He then started to head back to Leblanc, as Yoshida spoke up.

"I shall ask you again another time! Good work today! I'll see you soon." Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded before heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he reached the doorstep, making him stop to answer it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, smiling as he heard Yoshida's voice on the other end.

"Hello. Thanks for all your hard work today. Thanks to you, I've remembered something very important. Now that I think about it, ever since the scandal, I've felt alone and helpless. Like the whole world was against me. Perhaps I got too used to the constant judging and critique, but I realized I'd overlooked something crucial. I'd forgotten the people who support me, and how encouraging it feels simply to be in their presence. Perhaps it seems too obvious, or too trite, but I hope you remember to cherish that, too." Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"I will. I agree that you can't forget those who helped you to get where you are each day, so naturally it follows that I'd make it a point to remember them." Ren said agreeably as Yoshida nodded and spoke up.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. I will engrave it into my heart. I can't let myself forget it again. Well, I'll be counting on you for my next speech, to. See you soon, Amamiya-kun." Yoshida said as Ren hung up the phone, heading into Leblanc where he went upstairs to get ready for bed, wincing slightly as Kusa heard him come up but just rolled over rather than offer Ren any sort of greeting, making him recall Morgana's words about getting the cold shoulder and shrugging as he got laid down for the night...

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

"HEY! Ah, we were able to grab a seat, all of us! Why don't you read something until we get there, Ren? I'm sure Kusa will find a way to keep himself occupied, likely with his phone." Morgana said as Kusa gave Morgana a polite nod before pulling out said phone and flipping through his private chats to find someone to private chat with as Ren nodded, remembering he'd checked out 'Speed Reader', and pulled it out to read it, figuring this was as good an opportunity as any to get it knocked out. He then opened it and started reading from it.

"By handling your eyes and brain speed, your efficiency..." Ren read as Morgana spoke up, looking intrigued at the topics mentioned in the book.

"Hmm...Woah, that's a pretty scientific approach. At least the illustrations make it easier to understand." Morgana said as Ren nodded, continuing to read. A short time later, Ren looked at 'Speed Reader', which he'd finished reading, and admired the back cover, as Morgana spoke up in an impressed tone.

"Whoa...So, you've finished reading 'Speed Reader'. You started flipping pages much faster towards the middle, so I thought you were skipping parts. I can already see that you're able to read with more efficiency now!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, noting that his reading speed had improved making it so that from that point on, he could read at twice the speed, letting him cover double the usual amount of material when reading. At that point, Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"Good. Oh, we're almost at the station. I'd say that was an efficient use of your time." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as Kusa put his phone away, the rest of the ride going uneventfully...

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

"Oh my god! It's already July, huh? I hate the rainy season, but when it ends, it's just hot. The humidity is what kills me about Japanese summers. I miss the dry heat of California. Not to mention, July and August both have thirty-one days. Summer is long. Now then, Mr. Amamiya!" Chouno said as Ren looked up, giving Chouno his full attention as she spoke up.

"How about you? Two people are responsible for July and August having 31 days. Do you know who these people are?" Chouno asked Ren, who thought about it, then recalled Kusa mentioning this in passing once as a fun fact, making him smile as he spoke up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is Julius and Augustus." Ren said confidently. Chouno smiled at Ren, clapping approvingly as she spoke up.

"That's correct! Great! That's right. You may already know this, but the months of 'July' and 'August' are named after the Roman emperors Julius and Augustus. Augustus named a month after himself, just like Julius. However, he felt like he would be losing if his month was shorter than Julius's, so he added a day. It's a mystery why men are so stubborn and prideful over silly things like this." Chouno said as the usual murmurs about Ren being smart and possibly serious about his studying ensued, complete with Morgana praising him for getting the question right, making Ren smirk as his Knowledge increased. At that point, Chouno spoke up once more.

"Well, as far as you're all concerned, you're just lucky to get a long vacation. But before that, you have exams. They start next week, on the 13th. Don't forget, okay?" Chouno said as Morgana spoke up from inside of Ren's desk so only Ren could hear.

"Now then...Next Wednesday, huh? You'd better make sure you study." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Hmm, It's raining. Like most weather conditions, rain may very well have the same effect on Mementos as it has on humans." Morgana said to Ren as he nodded, checking his messages. After seeing he had messages from Maruki and Yusuke, Ren recalled he'd not been ranking up Maruki that much of late, and so decided to hang with Maruki, but not before heading to the library to swap 'Speed Reader', which he'd finished reading, out for getting back 'Pirate Legend', which he'd not even gotten to finish before he had to turn it in for 'Speed Reader' before. After heading to the Practice Building, he found Maruki in front of the nurse's office and walked over to him, at which point Maruki spoke up.

"Air pressure's dropping. Seems like it's been raining a lot lately. If it starts wearing you down, remember you can always stop by. Do you have any time today? Actually, I've been planning a little, uh, well, I should just ask- Are you free today?" Maruki asked Ren as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"What're you going to do, Ren? Are you going to help Maruki out with his research?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Yeah, I might as well get in this extra rank up while I can since I get the feeling he might not be that readily available during the summer so I should rank him up now while I can, since I get the impression that his is a bit of a time-sensitive Confidant to rank up." Ren said to Morgana, who nodded approvingly as he padded off to find Kusa. Afterwards, Ren spoke up to Maruki with a smile.

"To answer your question Doc, yeah, I'm free today. I assume you needed help with your research, per our deal?" Ren said to Maruki, who smiled as he nodded.

"Ah, great! Thanks so much! Well, come on in. Make yourself at home..." Maruki said as Ren followed Maruki into the nurse's office...

(In the nurse's office, with Maruki and Ren)

"Now...Well, today's just going to be another back-and-forth as usual...Or will it!? Today's your lucky day! Please take a look at what's on this table!" Maruki said as Ren blinked before looking down and seeing an assortment of snacks laid out in a basket, with a cup of juice each set out on the table, making him give Maruki a confused look, making Maruki chuckle as he kept speaking.

"I've been making you listen to all this tough stuff about traumas, pain and grief lately, so I figured you deserved a treat. I found these cookies in an underground mall! Now we can have a little break! Thy're kind of fancy cookies, too. I thought I'd get a surprise for you, since you've been kind enough to indulge me all this time. Go ahead, enjoy!" Maruki said as Ren looked at the cookies before shrugging as he spoke up.

"Well, if I'm being honest, this looks great!" Ren said as Maruki smiled and spoke up, pleased by Ren's response.

"Go on, don't be shy! I've got enough for seconds, too!" Maruki said as Ren nodded, helping himself to a few cookies, ignoring the flashback he'd had to Kusa calling him a sellout back when he, Kusa and the others had first been approached by Maruki about counseling as Maruki kept speaking.

"Oh, I know. As long as we're talking about cookies, listen to this. They actually reminded me about this psychological experiment. The scientists prepared two containers, and put the same kind of cookies in both of them. In one container, they put only one cookie. But the other one was filled with cookies, ten of them to be exact. So then they had their subjects try cookies from each container, and asked how their tastes compared. Which container's cookies were marked as tasting better? Any guesses?" Maruki asked Ren, who thought about it before speaking up uncertainly.

"Considering you said they put the same kind of cookies in both containers, I'd be inclined to guess that it was a tie, even if I'd be more apt to think a container of ten would win given the taste, in theory, would stretch out further and thus be more memorable. But I'm going to guess it was a tie." Ren said as Maruki looked at Ren before speaking up in surprise, his words making Ren blink in shock as he spoke.

"I see! You're a rationalist, are you? Unfortunately, the truth is that they preferred the isolated single cookie. There's something called the 'law of scarcity'. It's about what you'd imagine from the name, people are drawn to things that are more scarce. You can see this law in action just by observing how excited people get over limited-edition merchandise." Maruki said as Ren blinked, realizing after Maruki spoke that he actually had a good point.

"You know what, Doc? You're totally right. I hadn't thought about this 'law of scarcity' when I made my guess before." Ren said. Maruki chuckled as he nodded with a smile and kept speaking.

"Ahaha, I know, right? Don't you think it's really fascinating? In becoming aware of scarcity, we trigger our own desires, and cause a change in our cognition. Not only that, the effect spreads to our senses, and creates a subjective, observable difference in our reality. Basically, your perceptions can be changed by your cognition or preconceptions." Maruki said with a chuckle as he kept speaking, doing a closed-eye smile that made Ren wince as Maruki spoke.

"It's all below the conscious level, but it's really incredible! Incidentally, now that you've heard that story, how do you feel about that idea? That your unconscious desires may have changed the taste of the cookie?" Maruki asked Ren who shrugged as he spoke up.

"Hey, as long as it tastes good, I'm fine with my desires being manipulated a bit, even if the idea makes me uneasy." Ren said bluntly. Maruki nodded as he spoke up, giving Ren an amused look as he spoke.

"That's definitely not the usual response. But it's one I can understand." Maruki said as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but it's definitely the response I'd give. I could've mentioned that my senses lied to me, but I feel like that would moreso be the sort of response Kusa would have given to something like this, considering how expressive he is compared to me." Ren said as Maruki spoke up with a nod.

"I see. Since you've brought him up, I noticed that you and he seem to be somewhat avoiding one another, even if it's moreso that he's avoiding you. Why is that?" Maruki asked as Ren spoke up.

"I think he's just mad at me because I may have called him out on being slow to act on his feelings and/or desires, even if it is true. I realize I'm not the most tactful person at times, but I'm trying to get better at it. That said, he should've realized I'd naturally call him on his shortcomings when he mentions my successes, since that's what older brothers are for, to give their younger siblings grief to a point, but also to give them that subtle nudge they need when they're being stubborn about something, or in this case when they're in need of some tough love." Ren said as Maruki nodded agreeably, speaking up once more.

"Fair enough. I won't pry into your business further, but I do think you're right in this. That said, it probably sounds like an exaggeration, but something about the idea of one's desires changing their perceptions and/or preconceptions seems so beautiful to me. Maybe the human heart can falter, or be unreliable sometimes. But if this experiment proved anything, it's that a simple preconception can be enough to bring someone more joy.

For example, take that story I just told you. What if you'd eaten that one cookie, and it had been the best cookie of your life? Say I never revealed the trick behind it. That cookie would have remained more delicious than usual. It would have been a subjective truth of your reality." Maruki said as Ren blinked at this before speaking up, a contemplative look on his face as he spoke up.

"I guess so." Ren said after pondering his response carefully as Maruki nodded approvingly before he spoke up.

"Right. I'm glad to hear you say that. Basically what I wanted to say was that if this idea of preconception could be studied further, and actually applied to treating people, I feel like it could help a lot of people. Maybe even more than I could help through counseling. Then again, it relies so heavily on perspective. Some people might call it a lie, or see it as running from problems. Still, even if that's true, I still believe that method could save a lot of people." Maruki said, before surprising Ren by standing up and facepalming as he kept speaking.

"Oh, yikes! I'm so sorry! We wound up getting into an academic conversation after all. I really need to watch myself. Whenever I'm with you, somehow I always end up going back to my research." Maruki said as Ren crossed his arms and gave Maruki an unreadable look, making Maruki keep speaking as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I truly am grateful for everything you've done. Not just because I can get your opinion on these things, either. It's more like, uhh, how do I put this? Ah, I know. It's as if I'm talking to an old friend. Ah, but maybe that's too personal. After all, this all for the sake of our deal, right? So we say, anyway." Maruki said to Ren, who nodded as he felt a strong bond of friendship from Maruki.

At that same point, the 'Councillor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Councillor confidant link with Maruki nad reached Rank 5, and as a result, Maruki helped Ren to realize the power of 'Mindfulness' allowing Joker the chance to auto-restore some SP when it's low. After that, Maruki spoke up once more.

"Now then, I'd better show you another way to mentally train yourself! What I'm going to teach you today is..." Maruki said as he proceed to show Ren some mental training exercises per his end of their deal, making Ren nod as he listened attentively to the exercises, his max SP increasing by 5 as a result and noting that his mind also felt stronger after the exercises. Maruki then spoke up once more with a nod.

"Oh, and here. Never a bad time for a snack, right?" Maruki said as he handed Ren a 'Donut-Worry' item. After that, Ren stood to leave as Maruki smiled and waved while speaking up again.

"Well, see you! Make sure you get home before it gets too dark, okay?" Maruki said to Ren, who nodded as he headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he reached the door and he answered it.

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

"Oh, this is Maruki. Sorry about earlier. It was supposed to be a chance for us to relax, but it ended up being another big academic discussion." Maruki said, as Ren smiled before speaking up at that point.

"To be honest, I don't really mind that most of our talks end up academic discussions. Honestly, they're usually rather thought-provoking, like today's discussion was." Ren said. Maruki blinked in surprise as he spoke up, not expecting that response from Ren, but feeling pleased nonetheless as he spoke.

"Really!? Wow, I'm so happy to hear that! I've always been like this. I get so hyperfocused on my research, I don't notice anything else. Back when I was a student, people kept warning me about that. Oops, there I go rambling again. Sorry, sorry. All right, see you again soon." Maruki said to Ren, who hung up the phone, knowing that it would probably be some time before he hung out with Maruki again as he went into Leblanc.

Once he went inside, his phone went off, signifying a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Ann sending the first response this time.

"Kaneshiro got rid of those photos, right?" Ann sent as Makoto nodded while sending a response.

"That's what he said." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"I dunno...You think we can trust him?" Ryuji sent skeptically as both Makoto and Kusa blinked at the surprisingly profound response from Ryuji as the former sent a response.

"I doubt he'd lie if he really had a change of heart." Makoto said as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Looks like we're all clear, then." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"We can't be sure of that just yet." Yusuke sent as Ann and Kusa sent responses close together, Ann's coming through first.

"You mean he might not have had a change of heart?" Ann sent as Kusa's response came through.

"I agree, Yusuke. And Ann, all signs currently point to his change of heart likely being a success, even if it hasn't fully come to pass just yet." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"No, I'm relatively certain he did. That is not the issue. Despite Kaneshiro's change, his organization remains intact. I can only hope they didn't abscond with the photographs." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Y'mean like run off with it? I guess that is possible..." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Perhaps, but I feel like Makoto's sister would've seized anything she could use as evidence when her team took Kaneshiro into custody, and I doubt Kaneshiro would've left the pictures where any of his subordinates could get at them in case they decided to destroy them for whatever reason. Say what you will about Kaneshiro, but he was no fool." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Exactly, Kusa! That said, we're not in the clear just yet. After all, loss of the leader does not necessarily spell out the demise of the group. That is merely common knowledge." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"But the opposite sometimes holds true as well. And you raise a good point, Kusa. But I doubt Sae would tell me anything if I did ask her about that. That said, some groups that lack a strong guiding hand will simply crumble." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"So this all depends on which way it goes..." Ann sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"We'll be fine, I'm sure. I am a bit worried, but I feel like Makoto's sister will do everything she can not to let any of the mafia get away from her when and if she gets Kaneshiro to spill everything to her." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Agreed. All we can do now is pray the pieces fall into our favor." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hopefully Kaneshiro's confession motivates the police to crack down on the mafia. I would love nothing more than to see them defeated once and for all." Yusuke sent as Kusa and Ryuji sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Agreed, Yusuke. However, I doubt it'll be as easy as the police managing to get the entire mafia at once. And then if they do fail to get some of the mafia, the worry then shifts to what the remnants will do to try and gain some momentum back, since we all know that the most dangerous foe is a cornered one. Look at how close things came to going pear-shaped for myself, Ren, Ryuji, and Mishima when Kaneshiro threatened to expel the four of us. Had we not successfully changed his heart, all four of us would be expelled right now, and very likely we might not be where we are today had that happened." Kusa sent as Ryuji's response went through.

"Truth, Kusa! I don't like thinking about what could've happened to Ren in particular if he'd gotten expelled, though it wouldn't have been that much fun for you, me or Mishima either to be sure. That said, that part will be up to Makoto's sis, Yusuke." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That aside, we've done everything we can for the time being. All that remains now is to wait until the coast becomes clear." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Good point, Makoto. I suppose this would be the point where we can focus on being good students for the time being and studying, among other things." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away at that point. Afterwards, Ren considered his options before nodding to himself as he fast-traveled to Kanda to check out this Hifumi that both Ryuji and Yusuke were speaking of so much, not seeing Kusa walk into Leblanc as he left. Once in Kanda, he walked over to the front pew of the church where a girl was sitting alone, a shogi board set up next to her, and seemingly playing a match against herself, as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Hey, hey! That girl's playing shogi. Maybe she's Hifumi Togo, the one Yusuke mentioned. Why don't you go ask her?" Morgana said as Ren huffed and nodded while conceding that Morgana had a point before speaking up.

"Probably. And that's not a bad idea. I think I will do that. Well spotted, Morgana." Ren said so only Morgana could hear, before looking at the girl, who Ren reluctantly admitted was rather cute, and speaking up to get her attention.

"Excuse me, but are you Togo-san, by chance?" Ren asked the girl, who blinked as she realized Ren was speaking to her, which prompted her to tilt her head to the side in confusion slightly while she looked up to face him as she spoke in surprise.

"Um, yes?" The girl said as Ren smirked, seeing that his Charm was sufficient to catch the girl's attention, which Ren shrugged off, not really being interested in the girl, who then spoke up, nodding to Ren's previous question.

"Yes, that's correct. I'm Hifumi Togo." The now-named Hifumi said, as Ren spoke up, looking a bit surprised as he spoke.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Togo-san. My name is Ren Amamiya. That said, you're playing shogi at a church? I'm not that surprised you're playing alone, since my younger brother once mentioned that some of the top-ranked shogi players often practice against themselves due to a lack of good practice partners. But playing it at a church? I have to say, that's a new one for me." Ren said conversationally. Hifumi blinked at the question before nodding, smiling uncertainly as she spoke up once more.

"Strange, hm? I did receive approval to do so, though. Experimenting with new tactics is best to do alone in a place like this. Well, I suppose that doesn't sound terribly plausible to someone who doesn't play. Don't mind me, please go ahead and pray." Hifumi said to Ren, who nodded even as he was mentally sizing her up, noting as he did so that Hifumi seemed to take quite the tactical approach to playing shogi.

This realization had the result of making Ren blink as he idly wondered if he could learn anything from her that might help to broaden the Phantom Thieves' strategic repertoire, figuring that any extra tactics he could pick up would only be to the benefit of Kusa and Makoto, the current strategists of the group.

Ren then pondered asking if Hifumi would instruct him in the ways of shogi, perhaps as a way of brokering a deal with her to gain her strategic insight for the Phantom Thieves. He then spoke up, smiling politely at Hifumi as he spoke up once more.

"Pardon me for asking, Togo-san, but would it be at all possible for you to tutor me in the ways of shogi? I understand if you can't, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask anyway. And I say this because as you yourself pointed out, I don't really play it that much, but it looks like it'd be quite worth my time to learn how to do so, if only because it sounds like it requires quite the strategic mind, and could be a good way to challenge myself." Ren asked Hifumi as he carefully sat down next to Hifumi, careful not to sit on or near the shogi board as he did so, making Hifumi blink at him in surprise as she spoke up.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Hifumi asked Ren in surprise, making him speak up.

"I don't think you heard me just now, so I'll ask again. Can you teach me shogi? Not only does it look like fun, but I feel like learning it could probably help me sharpen my strategic prowess, not to mention it could be a good way for me to challenge myself." Ren said to Hifumi, who blinked in surprise as she spoke up once more.

"Huh? Um, you don't necessarily have to learn from me, you know. There are other options, such as playing online." Hifumi said to Ren, who nodded to that point as he spoke up.

"That's true, Togo-san, but where I live, we don't really have an internet connection, plus I don't really know that many shogi players, and as far as I'm aware, only the top-ranked shogi players tend to play online, so I'd rather not make a fool of myself by challenging someone who's above my skill level and getting destroyed. Not to mention, I find myself quite curious about you. But more importantly, I had figured that learning shogi from you could also be a good ice-breaker, as well as a way for the two of us to get to know one another better, if you're at all interested in that." Ren said to Hifumi, who blinked in surprise at Ren's honest response, before regretfully shaking her head as she spoke up.

"Those are some very good points you raised just now. However, I'm sorry, but I just can't. Well then, um, so I guess let me ask you this, Amamiya-kun. You like shogi?" Hifumi asked Ren, who looked at Hifumi as he spoke up.

"I've heard about it somewhat, and in particular heard a lot of great things about your skills at shogi. I figure, if i'm going to learn to play, why not learn to play like a local expert, like yourself, Togo-san? So that said, I want to learn to play like you, if it's possible. If it's not, I understand. I figured it couldn't hurt to at least ask, though." Ren said honestly. Hifumi blinked in surprise at Ren's response, not expecting it, as she spoke up with slightly widened eyes, which Ren noticed in that moment were a rather striking shade of dark blue that he couldn't help but make note of as Hifumi spoke.

"Like me? You're a bit strange, but thank you. Um, okay, just a quick game then. Twenty seconds per move, if that's all right with you." Hifumi said as Ren blinked before he spoke up, surprised at the offer as he spoke.

"I mean, that's fine, but I don't really know how to play. But I guess the only way to know is to try, yeah?" Ren said honestly. He then winced, realizing that she might lose interest if he refused, so he decided to play anyways, moving the pieces randomly to look like he somewhat knew how to play. Hifumi blinked but nodded as she spoke up.

"I'll start." Hifumi said as the match started. A short time later, Hifumi spoke up after watching Ren play, giving him an uncertain look as she spoke.

"So, this is your skill level, huh? The dragon, which governs the blue sky, has fallen into my hands. How do you intend to survive this? Check!" Hifumi said after moving a piece into place to put Ren into check. Hifumi then smirked as she spoke up at that point, noticing that she had the game won with that move, giving Ren an apologetic look as she spoke.

"Sorry, but it's checkmate, no matter how you look at it. Please concede." Hifumi said as Ren looked at her in surprise as he spoke up.

"Concede, you say? Hmm, looking at the board, you're right. It is checkmate. Very well, I concede." Ren said humbly, seeing that he was beaten. Hifumi smiled at Ren's response before speaking up, not seeing Ren wince as he had to not think about how cute Hifumi's smile was as she spoke.

"Thank you. And to answer your question, to concede is an act of admitting that you have lost, with grace. If you aspire to become a shogi player, I recommend that you take your study of the game to heart." Hifumi said, as Ren winced at the very true statement he'd just heard as Hifumi smiled graciously at Ren as she kept speaking.

"Thank you for playing. Well then, that will be all for today. If it's all right with you, may I request another match sometime?" Hifumi said, making Ren look at Hifumi in surprise as he blinked at the question, but nodded as Hifumi kept speaking, giving Ren an intrigued look as she spoke.

"I'm not sure why, but I can feel a gambler's spirit emanating from you. Which is strange, since your style of play is that of a complete novice." Hifumi said as Ren nodded, speaking up politely, looking at Hifumi as he spoke.

"Sorry that I'm a beginner. I did try to warn you that I had little idea of how to play, but I suppose it's better that I at least tried, and got destroyed, than if I'd decided not to try and took the path of the coward. But I understand if you have a low opinion of my skill level, Togo-san." Ren said humbly but honestly, making Hifumi look at Ren in surprise as she spoke, not expecting that from Ren.

"Huh!? Oh, I-I'm sorry. However, I will instruct you, under one condition. You become my playing partner so that I can research new moves. Is that agreeable?" Hifumi said to Ren, who pondered the question before nodding agreeably as he spoke up.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me, Togo-san." Ren said honestly, as Hifumi gave him a shy yet relieved smile as she spoke up once more.

"Good. Thank you very much. Well then, it's a deal. I'll teach you how to play, and you'll assist me with my new moves." Hifumi said to Ren, who nodded to himself in satisfaction as he realized he'd made a deal with her...

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

"I think that quite advanced strategies are necessary to succeed at that many criminal acts. And yours weren't by the wit of an amateur. You had a professional who regularly deals with such tactics. You have an idea on who that is, don't you!?" Sae asked Joker, who said nothing...

(Back in the present, with Ren and Hifumi)

Not long after Ren realized he'd made a deal with Hifumi, the expected voice was heard in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Star Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard as a new card appeared in his mind's eye, this one having the word 'Star' on it, and an 'I' under the word 'Star', signifying that Ren's newly-forged Star Confidant link with Hifumi was now at Rank 1.

And as a result of the rank up, Ren was given the power of 'Koma Sabaki' by Hifumi, which was an ability that allows Ren to swap his party members with backup members during his turn in battle, allowing for even more fluidity in tagging people out in a battle. Afterwards, Hifumi spoke up once more, smiling at Ren as she spoke.

"Okay, let's end here for today." Hifumi said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his Knowledge increase slightly from hanging out with Hifumi. Afterwards, Hifumi spoke up again as Ren stood up to leave, smiling at Ren appreciatively as she spoke.

"Thank you for today! Oh, Amamiya-kun. I'd like to thank you once again for today. Before you head home, would you like to exchange contact IDs with me? There's no obligation, of course." Hifumi said as Ren nodded, smiling slightly as he spoke up, hoping his response came off as deadpan when he spoke.

"Lucky me. Not every day I get to exchange contact info with Hifumi Togo." Ren said making Hifumi blink as she looked at Ren in surprise before she spoke up.

"Er, is that so? Well, in that case." Hifumi said as she and Ren proceeded to exchange contact info with one another, at which point Hifumi once again spoke up.

"Let's see. Ah yes, it went through. Until next time. I'll let you know if I come up with any new strategies." Hifumi said as Ren nodded his acknowledgement of Hifumi as he headed back to Leblanc, thinking to himself as he went that the only time he'd be using that contact info was for ranking up her Confidant link, since he didn't want Hifumi thinking she had a chance with him, since he felt he was quite interested in Kasumi, but admitted that Hifumi was a pretty nice girl too.

Ren then smirked, as he had an idea for how he could make use of this contact info if needed, provided Yusuke showed an interest in getting closer to Hifumi. As he got ready for bed, he smirked at the sight of Morgana sprawled out on top of Kusa, who was also dozing, an arm sprawled lazily over Morgana as the two slept, making Ren smirk as he laid down for the night...

(The next morning, between trains to school, with Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

Yusuke smiled as he walked over to Ren and Kusa and spoke up.

"Good morning, you two. It's quite hot today. The humidity is almost unbearable!" Yusuke said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the latter speaking up.

"Indeed it is, Yusuke. Makes me glad my uniform top is a button-up that I can wear open to minimize the amount of layers on my skin." Kusa said happily as Yusuke nodded and spoke up once more.

"Indeed. I can see how that would be a practical choice. That said, by the way, Kaneshiro's deadline is this weekend, isn't it? His change of heart draws near. The Phantom Thieves will be even more renowned than before when this goes public." Yusuke said as Ren nodded before speaking up, smirking as he spoke.

"I know, right? I can't wait!" Ren said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, frowning at Ren's casual attitude as he spoke.

"I'm surprised you're so laid-back about this, Ren. Once that happens, things're going to get busy, if you ask me." Kusa said sagely. Yusuke nodded to both points as he spoke up.

"Indeed. I suppose so, Ren. It's not a bad feeling to have your efforts recognized. And agreed, Kusa. We'll probably have plenty of requests before much longer, so we should relish this free time while we have it. I bet we'll get more requests on that message board too. I think we should take care of all the cases we have now, while we still have the chance." Yusuke said. Kusa and Ren looked at each other, both nodding, as the three headed to school on that note...

(After school that day, with Ren and Morgana)

After looking his options over, and seeing who was available to rank up, Ren ultimately decided to rank up Makoto, since she was one of only two Rank 1 Confidants he had, the other being Hifumi, who he'd literally just unlocked the night before. Ren walked over to Makoto and spoke up.

"Hey there. How's it going?" Ren said to Makoto, who nodded politely before speaking up.

"Pretty good. That said, all we can do now is wait until Kaneshro's change of heart becomes clear to us. Um, about our trip to the red-light district. Do you have time today?" Makoto asked Ren. Morgana then spoke up, much to Ren's annoyance, so only Ren could hear.

"So what's it gonna be? Do you want to hang out with Makoto?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren frowned at Morgana as he spoke up.

"Of course I'm going to hang out with Makoto, Morgana. Why else would I head this way?" Ren said bluntly as he looked at Makoto.

"Yes, I have time today Makoto. I was actually planning to hang out with you anyways, so by all means I'll help out if needed." Ren said. Makoto nodded as she spoke up, smiling at Ren as she spoke.

"All right then. Great. Let's meet up after we change out of our uniforms." Makoto said as Ren nodded and Morgana spoke up so that only Ren could hear.

"Well, I'm gonna go walk around a bit, maybe see if I can find Kusa. Let me know when you're ready to leave, if you can find me." Morgana said as Ren nodded, meeting up with Makoto as requested after the two changed into normal clothes, and he and Makoto headed into the red-light district...

(In the red-light district with Ren and Makoto)

"There are so many people here. I guess this really is the biggest red-light district in Asia, huh. Apparently, this place was a hotbed for criminals and illegal immigrants before they installed surveillance cameras. I heard there were quite a few brothels as well." Makoto said as Ren turned to her, giving her an impressed look as he spoke.

"Impressive. You're very well-informed, I see." Ren said politely to Makoto, who nodded as she spoke up, pleased at Ren's praise as she nodded.

"Yes. Well, I heard a great deal about it from my father. This is the first time I've actually been here myself, though. Regardless, it's become far safer now than it used to be. Of course, the surveillance cameras played a substantial role in that. But it was mainly thanks to the police efforts to clean up the area. Even so, there's no way to eradicate crime entirely. It seems the operations nowadays are only better hidden. Anyways, seeing is believing, yes? Come on, let's have a look around." Makoto said as Ren nodded, the two splitting off in separate directions to investigate Shinjuku. Ren noticed as he walked that a lot of men tried to start conversations with Makoto.

After a bit, Ren met back up with Makoto, who sighed as she looked at Ren, wincing as she spoke after the two shook off a particularly persistent man that Ren had nearly had to punch because he wouldn't leave Makoto alone, before the two just ran off and ditched the man.

"Did we lose him? That guy was so persistent. Oh, my. He must have been a scout for a hostess club. He mentioned how 'his girls' get paid a lot to wear cute dresses. All I wanted to ask was if any Shujin students worked there, but he nearly dragged me inside with him." Makoto said as Ren nodded, frowning as he spoke up.

"I remember. That guy was lucky you talked me out of just knocking him out so we could get away and convinced me to just run from him. He would've deserved it for being such a sleaze, though." Ren said huffily as Makoto nodded as she spoke up once more.

"True. If you hadn't been there to rescue me, I'm not sure what would've happened to me." Makoto said, trailing off in an embarrassed tone as Ren spoke up, nodding to Makoto as he spoke.

"That was dangerous, you know. Maybe you've learned something from this?" Ren said. Makoto chuckled as she spoke up.

"For him, maybe. I thought I was going to have to knock him out. I'm glad nobody had to get hurt, though." Makoto said as Ren winced, giving Makoto a sheepish look as he spoke up.

"Oh, that's right. You took aikido, didn't you? So you could've knocked him out easily had you wanted to. I'm just used to having to step in and fight people who try to mess with my friends and those close to me. I blame it on spending so much time with Ryuji and Kusa, since those two both like to punch first and ask questions later." Ren said conversationally as Makoto giggled and nodded as she spoke up.

"That's true. Those two are definitely headstrong, if nothing else. Hm, I guess that's how they do it. I've learned something new today. Thank you very much! Oh, and thanks again. It seems you have a knack for helping me out. I hope I can do the same for you someday." Makoto said to Ren, who nodded as he sensed a quiet resolve from Makoto. At that point, the 'Priestess' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that his Priestess Confidant link with Makoto had reached rank 2, though no new skills came from this rank up. Afterwards, Makoto frowned as she kept speaking.

"Hmm...That aside, even though there is a shopping district, there absolutely no students around here. And definitely no Shujin students. Though I guess they wouldn't come in uniform either way. Well then..." Makoto said, only to blink as she turned around, speaking up once more.

"Hm...?" Makoto said, cutting herself off as she saw a female Shujin student walk past her and Ren, heading into a nearby building, making Makoto gasp as she spoke up.

"That was...Did you notice this? I used to be in the same class as her! But why is she here?" Makoto asked as she looked up at the sign over the building the female had walked into, looking at it as she kept speaking.

"Hm, 'The After School Salon'?" Makoto mused as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"What kind of place is that? Despite what that sign says, I doubt it's actually a salon." Ren said skeptically. Makoto frowned, nodding approvingly at Ren's skepticism as she spoke up.

"Hm, I'm not sure, but it seems suspicious. And I agree that it's not a salon. I'll have to ask her about it." Makoto said, before turning to face Ren as she kept speaking.

"Oh, and I'd like you to be there too, as my witness. Would that be okay?" Makoto asked Ren, who nodded as Makoto spoke up again.

"Well, we've spent quite a bit of time here. Let's head back to the station." Makoto said as Ren nodded and the two went back to the station, where Makoto spoke up.

"All right then, thank you for today. See you." Makoto said as the two parted ways, Ren heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the front door, making him answer it.

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

"Hey, um, I wanted to thank you again for tagging along today. That was the first time I've ever had to deal with a barker. I didn't know they could be that persistent. Today was exhausting, but I also learned a lot. I guess nothing beats practical experience." Makoto said as Ren smiled and spoke up with a nod.

"Couldn't agree more, Makoto. But at the same time, I believe the saying goes 'what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger', or something like that? So if anything, that made us stronger." Ren said sagely. Makoto nodded as she spoke up with a smile on her end.

"Honestly, I've realized I can't solve these problems on my own. It took whta happened today to make that clear. I also plan on looking into that Shujin student we saw there. It'd be great if you can help me with that sometime. For now, see you later." Makoto said as Ren hung up the phone and headed into Leblanc. Once there, Ren sized up his options, seeing that both Sojiro and Mishima were available to rank up, and that he could start a Confidant link with Ohya or the fortune-teller.

However, Ren wound up deciding against all of those since he was in no hurry to rank up Mishima again, wanted to wait a bit longer on Sojiro, was in no hurry at all to start Ohya's, and he'd promised Kusa to take him with when he went to see the fortune-teller next, so he shrugged as he went upstairs to watch a DVD, remembering he'd gotten a boost to the effect of DVDs from 'The Craft of Cinema'. Ren frowned as he realized Kusa wasn't upstairs when he got up there, not realizing it was because Kusa had had a busy afternoon...

(Earlier in the day, with Kusa)

"Well, that was an eventful day of school." Kusa deadpanned to himself as he left Hiruta's classroom, musing on his next move. After thinking about it, he realized it probably wouldn't be the worst idea to maybe get another session in with Maruki before summer vacation hit, even if he'd rather hang with Futaba, who had told him that morning she wasn't in a sociable mood and asked him to give her some space since she was dealing with some things, which he readily agreed to, after reminding her that he was there for her if she needed him.

So, thusly decided since Kasumi was once again absent that day, presumably for training-related reasons, Kusa headed towards the nurse's office which he noticed was open. Maruki smirked as he heard Kusa approaching and spoke up, making Kusa blink as he heard what Maruki said.

"It's open, Kusa. Come on in!" Maruki called, making Kusa's eyes widen slightly at how Maruki knew it was him without looking, before shrugging as he went inside the nurse's office before having a seat as he spoke up.

"Okay, real talk, Doc, How the heck did you know I was approaching without looking? That's actually kind of impressive, if I'm being honest." Kusa said as Maruki spoke up with a smirk.

"Simple. I saw Ren yesterday, and without going into detail, let's just say that you were brought up, so I had a feeling you'd probably be showing up in the coming days for a session. Fast forward to today, and lo and behold, here you are. It was just a matter of logic to figure it out, really." Maruki said, as Kusa nodded, accepting that explanation while he spoke up.

"Okay, not only is that fair, but it makes sense. That said, how are you?" Kusa asked Maruki, deciding to be sociable, to Maruki's surprise, as he spoke up.

"I'm all right, and you?" Maruki said as Kusa shrugged as he spoke up.

"Egh, I'm doing pretty good I'd say, all things considered. I mean, I just got done organizing a joint birthday party for Ren and Ryuji recently, which was not as easy as it sounds, let me tell you! That said, I apologize for not thinking to invite you, but I didn't exactly consider that you and Ren knew each other when I was figuring out guests, so that's on me. Sorry about that.

Though thinking about it, probably just as well that I did forget, since the venue was a bit crowded as it was. But that aside, I have to admit that Ren can be rather frustrating when he wants to be. I go to all the trouble of planning a party for him and Ryuji, with the help of most of our friends no less, and then he goes and teases me afterwards about my personal life!?

I mean, I get where he's coming from, but you'd think by now he'd realize that I do things in my own time, and at my own pace. I don't care if he's making strides with his crush, that doesn't mean I have to move at the same pace. Plus, I think he forgets that unlike his crush, mine is a bit of a shut-in. Moreover, my crush is a shut-in with very complicated circumstances that I don't think I should go into without her permission. As such, I'm afraid I can't say more than that about her, sorry to say. That said, am I being unreasonable to be angry at him for being tactless and insensitive?" Kusa asked Maruki, who shook his head as he spoke up.

"Not at all, though I do think maybe you might not be considering what he said from every possible angle. After all, it's possible he said what he said to you as a form of tough love. But I don't blame you for being angry about it one bit, since that's a perfectly reasonable reaction to have. That said, I feel like maybe you're a bit too quick to forgive at times, by which I mean you should make people think about what they've done longer, before forgiving them. Does that make any sense?" Maruki said to Kusa, who nodded, seeing where Maruki was coming from.

"It does. Though, to be fair, I feel that I don't keep friendships long enough to really have the luxury of staying mad at people for long, if that makes sense. But you might be right, that I should wait longer to forgive. I guess we'll have to wait and see. But that is good advice, Doc. I guess let me ask you this, then. Am I being too slow to want to wait for the girl I like, not naming names for now since this is just a question, to be in a better mind space before I admit my feelings to her?

Or should I take the risk and tell her before she's ready? Because I feel like if I did, she might either not be able to handle the reveal and possibly become more of a shut-in or possibly reject me out of hand, both of which I don't think I could really handle. But what do you think, Doc?" Kusa asked Maruki, who stroked his chin in thought before he spoke up.

"First of all, I'm guessing this crush you're speaking of is the same girl who's a shut-in with complicated circumstances that you mentioned before. That said, I'd say you're being rather wise to wait on telling her. As long as you're there for her unconditionally and have her back when she needs it, I think she'll be worth being patient for, but that's just my opinion. But to be fair, I'm not sure I'm the one to ask about romance, since I myself haven't had a lot of luck in that department, but for now we'll leave it at that, since I don't think I feel comfortable mentioning that since it's a bit of a sore subject for me." Maruki replied, as Kusa nodded understandingly before he spoke up.

"All right, that's more than fair, Doc. I wouldn't want to pry into your personal life anyways, since that's not only very rude, but also unprofessional as heck. That said, I appreciate your advice. I had a feeling that was what you were going to say, to be honest. So I'll stay the course and wait until she's in a better mind-space to make any move on her." Kusa said after a bit, making Maruki nod as he spoke up.

"Good plan, Kusa. Unfortunately, that's going to be just about all the time we have for today, since it is starting to get a tiny bit late." Maruki said as Kusa nodded understandingly, standing up to leave as he spoke up.

"Fair enough. I should probably start heading back to Leblanc soon anyways. Particularly since I don't feel like pushing my luck by trying to return there after dark, just to be on the safe side." Kusa said as Maruki nodded and spoke up once more.

"That makes sense. In any case, thanks for stopping in, Kusa. My doors are always open if you need to come in for a session, just so you know." Maruki said as Kusa nodded, giving Maruki an appreciative smile as he spoke up.

"I realize that, Doc. Thanks for the offer. I'm going to try not to do so more than I need to, though. That said, bye for now, Doc." Kusa said respectfully as he walked out of Maruki's office, leaving a surprised but thoughtful Maruki behind, who then mused to himself as he got lost in thought for a moment.

"Hmm, interesting. That one seems to have quite the strong moral compass and conviction on him. Perhaps he could be an interesting subject for my research, when the time comes." Maruki mused ominously to himself as Kusa left the nurse's office. Once outside, Kusa walked towards the school gate, at which point his phone rang, nearly making him jump before he realized it was his phone. He then grabbed it to answer it.

"Hello?" Kusa said as he answered his phone, smiling as he recognized the voice on the other end.

"Kusa? It's Futaba. I apologize for being so curt and blunt with you earlier, but I was having a bit of a rough moment at that time. But I am flattered that you are that supportive of me. It means a lot to me. To be honest, if you're not busy right now, maybe you can head over this way, and we can talk a bit?" Futaba said as Kusa blinked in surprise as he spoke up, not expecting this from Futaba.

"You want to talk? I mean, sure, I can do that easily. However, it's gonna take me a bit to get over to your house, since I'm just now leaving school after making an unexpected detour. But I'll be there as soon as I can, Taba. Never be afraid to reach out to me if you want to talk. And never forget that I will always do my best time for you whenever you need me, within reason." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled and spoke up once more.

"Glad to hear it. So I'll see you when you get here, then?" Futaba asked Kusa, who smiled and spoke up once more.

"But of course. Mind you, I'll probably private chat you when I get there so you don't have to leave your front door unlocked. See you in a bit, Taba." Kusa said as he hung up his phone and headed towards the train station, unaware of a certain not-cat sneaking himself into his bag as he left the school...

(Meanwhile, at the Sakura household with Futaba)

Futaba typed on her computer screen, looking over some notes she'd made, occasionally listening in to the wiretap she had on Leblanc, but usually not hearing anything of importance. As she worked, she nearly jumped when her phone went off to signify a private chat from Kusa, which she quickly checked.

"I'm here, Taba. You can let me in when you're ready, unless you'd rather I come in through your window like usual?" Kusa sent as Futaba ran to unlock the front door, opening it for Kusa, who smiled at how eager she seemed to be to see him. After a moment, Futaba spoke up.

"Hey there, Kusa. Glad you could make it. Please, come in and we'll talk." Futaba said as Kusa nodded before speaking up.

"Fair enough. We can talk wherever you're most comfortable." Kusa said understandingly as Futaba nodded appreciatively before she spoke up.

"I see. Let's talk in my room, then." Futaba said as Kusa nodded, setting his bag down next to the couch before following Futaba back to her bedroom, where Kusa and Futaba sat down on Futaba's bed as Kusa spoke up.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Taba?" Kusa asked Futaba, who smiled at the nickname he used for her as she spoke up.

"Well, for starters, I figured I'd ask how your day went. Unless you don't want to share?" Futaba said as Kusa smiled at her and spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"Silly Taba, of course I don't mind sharing that with you. It was rather uneventful, all things considered. Other, that is, than me going in to see Maruki again on a whim. Of course, I blame Ren for being a tactless buffoon as usual, but what else is new?" Kusa said with a shrug as Futaba chuckled as she spoke up.

"That makes sense. So what did he do to annoy you this time, Kusa?" Futaba asked as Kusa sighed before he spoke up.

"Basically, he tried to suggest that much like how he and Yoshizawa are getting quite cozy with one another, that the same could be said for you and I. I, of course, shot the fool down right away, since even if, and I do mean IF, I did have feelings for you, I'm not about to act on them right now, since you're already going through enough without me adding to it. Besides, I'm happy being your friend first and foremost.

If, down the line, you decide you're comfortable wanting more than friendship from me, that's your decision to make, and a decision which I won't object to in the slightest if you do want that. But if you decide you're comfortable with things staying as they are, I respect that too, Taba. But that's what Ren said to set me off this time." Kusa explained, not seeing Futaba's eyes widen slightly at what Kusa had said, as her brain had slightly shut off at the suggestion of Kusa possibly liking her as more than a friend. Mainly since if she was being honest, she wasn't sure how she felt about him.

On one hand, she was quite happy with how supportive and kind Kusa was to her, but on the other, she did have to admit that she found herself looking him over a fair bit more than she thought she would recently. Could she possibly like Kusa as more than a friend? Futaba wasn't sure. After a bit, she shook herself to focus back on the present, looking over at Kusa as she spoke up, giving him an apologetic look as she spoke.

"Sorry about that, had my mind blink out for a second there. And to be honest, I'm flattered you feel that way about me, Kusa. The truth is, I'm not sure how I feel just now. But I won't say that I'm not interested in you, because I am.

However, I agree that we should take our time to make any serious decisions so we can get to know each other more while figuring out how we feel about each other. And, as you said, I am in a bit of a delicate mind space at the moment. Suffice it to say, I've got a lot of things that I have to sift through in my mind. And the fact that I occasionally have hallucinations doesn't help matters, either." Futaba said to Kusa, who frowned at Futaba's mention of hallucinations as he spoke up.

"Seriously? That sucks, Taba. I can't imagine that's a pleasant thing to deal with. But I also don't think any less of you for that. If you want to talk about what they're about, I'm willing to listen, but I understand if you're not comfortable talking about that." Kusa said reassuringly to Futaba, who smiled as she spoke up.

"Basically, they're related to my rather traumatic past, which I'm not even sure I remember all of, since I think there's parts of it I'm blocking out unintentionally. So it might take me awhile to sort through everything. Does that make sense?" Futaba said to Kusa, who nodded as he spoke up.

"It does. You don't have to go through that alone, though, Taba. Both myself and Sojiro are always here for you. But if you'd rather just confide in me, I can respect that as well." Kusa said to Futaba who nodded as she spoke up.

"I realize that. However, I feel like some of this stuff I'm going through might require a bit of an unorthodox approach to dealing with it." Futaba said as Kusa frowned and spoke up, looking at Futaba uncertainly as he spoke.

"Oh? And just what is this 'unorthodox approach' you're speaking of, Taba?" Kusa asked Futaba, who looked at him and spoke up with a frown.

"Would you believe me if I said that I was thinking of getting my heart changed?" Futaba asked Kusa, whose eyes went comically wide at that question before he just nodded his understanding before giving Futaba a concerned look while he spoke up.

"I actually would believe you, Taba. However, I would also raise the question of whether or not you understand and/or realize just how risky what you're suggesting is. I've heard horror stories about people who've died from a botched change of heart.

On top of that, they can lead to things like mental shutdowns and memory loss if the change of heart isn't correctly performed. I can understand why you think that'd be necessary, but please, Taba, make sure you consider all the risks before making such a risky decision. But if you truly think that's the only way, then I support you." Kusa said as Futaba nodded, pleased by Kusa's support and touched by his concern for her as she spoke.

"I know about the risks, Kusa. But it might be where that's the only way I can see to make things get any better." Futaba said wearily as Kusa nodded, looking Futaba in the eyes as he spoke up.

"I realize that, Taba. I just worry that it could go wrong, and we could lose you. I don't think you realize how much that would probably devastate not only myself, but even Sojiro if that happened. Moreover, at the same time, I can't even begin to imagine how much you're probably suffering right now." Kusa said as Futaba nodded in agreement with Kusa's words as she spoke up.

"True. To be honest, I've been hearing about this group of people called the 'Phantom Thieves', and how they've been going around changing hearts recently. Maybe they'd help me out?" Futaba said as Kusa's eyes went rather wide at what Futaba said, before he spoke up.

"They could help you out, I'm sure. However, the way I hear it, they only target criminals when performing changes of heart. And the last time that I checked Taba, you're no criminal. So I think the only way they'd target you was if it was necessary. So I wouldn't get your hopes up on them helping you, Taba." Kusa said, hoping to dissuade Futaba from her plan to try and draw the Phantom Thieves' attention.

However, rather than being deterred by Kusa's warnings, Futaba just gave him a determined look as she kept speaking, frowning as she spoke.

"And who says I'm not a criminal, Kusa!? After all, I'm pretty sure being the reason your mother's dead is a crime, is it not?" Futaba said huffily as Kusa gasped at what Futaba had just said, before looking her in the eyes as he spoke up, giving Futaba a mixed uncertain and skeptical look for her claim of being the one to kill her own mother while he spoke.

"WHAT!? Is that true, Taba? I have a very hard time believing that a sweet young lady like you would be capable of killing anyone." Kusa said in surprise. Futaba chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, it's true, Kusa. But it's a bit of a long story, and not a pleasant one either." Futaba said, as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I got it. I'm here to listen though, if you ever want to talk about it." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and nodded approvingly before she spoke up.

"Fair enough. I'll keep that in mind, Kusa. For now, though, can we pick up where we left off the last time we saw each other? Y'know, the time when I was resting in your arms, and we were rather comfortable together?" Futaba said as Kusa looked at Futaba in surprise, not expecting her to ask that, but nodding his understanding of her request as he spoke up.

"I remember that. Are you sure that's what you want, Taba?" Kusa asked Futaba, who nodded eagerly before looking up into Kusa's eyes as she gave him a rare smile and spoke up happily.

"Yes, I'm sure. It felt right then, and I'm sure it'll still feel right now." Futaba said as Kusa nodded, leaning over to gently put an arm around Futaba as he spoke up.

"Okay, if that's what you want, Taba." Kusa said as he gently put an arm around Futaba's waist, making her squeak a bit in surprise as Kusa gently held her close to him, making her blush slightly in mixed embarrassment and surprise before she smiled, gently resting her head on Kusa's shoulder as she got comfortable.

Kusa, for his part, was also blushing slightly, not wanting to admit, even to himself, that he quite enjoyed being able to hold Futaba like he currently was. Instead, he allowed himself to relax into the moment, just enjoying having Futaba close to him, even as he realized how right holding her close to him felt, to his surprise.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, neither one of them saying much of anything as they just enjoyed being close to one another, until the moment was shattered by the sound of Kusa's phone going off. In addition to making both Futaba and Kusa jump, Kusa's phone going off had the additional result of making him groan in annoyance as he reached for it with his free hand and went about checking it.

However, once Kusa did so, he found himself regretting it as he looked at the chat, only to then swear under his breath as it was a private chat from Ren, asking where he was. Kusa groaned before sending Ren a text saying he was hanging out with a friend and he'd be home in a while before putting his phone away and going back to holding Futaba close, smiling at her reassuringly as he spoke up.

"Sorry if that scared you, that was just Ren asking me where I was, since it's apparently gotten rather late. To be honest, screw him. He can wait a bit. I'm enjoying this for now." Kusa said decisively, if a bit mulishly, making Futaba giggle at the put-out look on Kusa's face as she spoke up.

"That's fair, but if it is that late, we shouldn't stay like this much longer, even though I also find this enjoyable. How is it that just sitting together like this can feel so right?" Futaba asked Kusa, who smiled as he spoke up, looking into Futaba's eyes as he spoke.

"I might be wrong Taba, but that could mean that maybe you feel something other than friendship for me? And if you do, that's amazing. But if you don't, that's fine too. Either way, I'm pleased to hear that you're enjoying this as much as I am." Kusa said comfortingly, making Futaba smile as she looked into Kusa's eyes as she spoke up, surprised by his words as she spoke.

"Hmm, maybe you're right. But I feel like that's something that would be better tested after I manage to sort out some of my issues, if that makes sense." Futaba said honestly, smiling at Kusa, before smirking as a thought occurred to her and she spoke up, her words making Kusa's eyes go wide.

"Then again, they do say there's no time like the present? So, I wonder, what would happen if I were to do this?" Futaba said to herself before smirking teasingly as she spoke up once more.

"Kusa? Would you be against it if I said I wanted to try something with you?" Futaba asked Kusa, who gave Futaba a shocked look before he spoke up.

"Of course not. I've said before that I want to be here for you any way I can, have I not? So if that means you want to try new things with me, then so be it." Kusa said honestly to Futaba. At that point, Kusa gave Futaba a wary look, wondering what she was thinking.

Futaba saw the wary look on Kusa's face and smiled coyly before she looked at Kusa and smirked, briefly seeming to hesitate before leaning in and shyly pressing her lips to his, then quickly pressing them to his cheek before pulling away, blushing prettily at her own bold decision.

This one decision by Futaba would have the result of leaving a red-faced, as well as stunned, Kusa gaping at Futaba, briefly blinking before he smiled as it registered to him what she'd done, making him speak up.

"That was unexpected, but definitely very nice." Kusa said after his brain caught up to the present, having briefly blinked off when Futaba kissed him. Futaba chuckled as she spoke up, nodding her agreement as she spoke.

"I definitely agree. But, at the same time, I'm not sure if I want that to mean anything or not. Not because I'm trying to be mean or anything, but because I myself am still uncertain as to how I can make anything work between us for now until I sort out my own issues. However, I do believe we could make something work between us eventually, some point way down the line.

That being said, to be honest? I have to admit, you're not a bad kisser, Kusa. Which is impressive for how sudden what I just did probably was for you. At the same time you're also a bit inexperienced and stiff, but otherwise quite easily passable." Futaba said as Kusa blinked before he spoke up, frowning slightly as he spoke, not entirely sure how to feel about Futaba basically being uncertain of how she felt about him, though he was pleased she didn't dismiss the idea of them together outright while he spoke.

"I could say the same of you, Taba. But at least you acknowledge we have a shot, so that's something. As I've said before, I can be patient for however long I have to. The important thing is that you're happy, Taba." Kusa said honestly, as Fotaba gave Kusa a surprised look but nodded, pleased by his words. After shyly smiling at Kusa, Futaba spoke up.

"Good. Honestly though, could you imagine Sojiro's face had he seen that just now?" Futaba said with a giggle, making Kusa frown slightly as he spoke up.

"Probably, though I'd be more inclined not to since I'm not entirely sure he wouldn't be coming after me with all the rage of the unspeakable horror which most know to be the righteous fury of an overprotective dad, though maybe he'd be okay with it. But I doubt it. Either way, I guess at least it made you laugh, so it's not all bad?" Kusa said with a shrug as Futaba nodded, playfully resting her head on Kusa's shoulder, smiling at the shocked expression on Kusa's face at her impulsive decision. Futaba then spoke up, grinning mischievously as she saw the slight dusting of red on Kusa's cheeks as she laid on him while she spoke.

"You like that when I lay my head on you, don't you Kusa?" Futaba said impishly, smirking at Kusa who just nodded, not really sure what else to say at that point. After that, Futaba stopped teasing Kusa and smiled at him as she relaxed on him.

"Even if what we're doing might not mean much right now, it still feels right. Does that make sense?" Futaba said as Kusa nodded, smiling at Futaba as he spoke up.

"It does, but at the same time I feel like this is mostly going to make you feel better about whatever you're going through, not that I mind that at all. I have to say though, for how brief that was, your lips felt deceptively soft when you pressed them to mine, but maybe that's just my relative inexperience with romance and the like talking." Kusa said as Futaba nodded, looking at Kusa with a content expression that Kusa hadn't often seen on her as he smirked.

"Seems to me like someone's enjoying themselves." Kusa said in an amused tone as Futaba nodded, looking like she didn't want to move from her current position as Kusa chuckled, smirking at Futaba before he spoke up, giving her a fond yet amused look as he spoke.

"As much as I like that you're comfy with resting on me like that, I think we both know you're not gonna be able to remain that way for long, Taba. Not that you'll hear me complaining about being able to hold you close like this." Kusa said, smiling as he found himself gently running a hand through Futaba's hair without really thinking about it, making her look at him in surprise before she smiled as she spoke up.

"That feels deceptively nice, Kusa. Keep going." Futaba said, as Kusa nodded and did as Futaba asked, in no hurry to stop. They stayed like that for a while, until Futaba looked at the clock and sighed as she spoke up.

"Aw man, is it that late already? I really don't want to stop, but you probably should head back to Leblanc for real now, Kusa. Otherwise, either Sojiro or your brother, if not both of them, might send a search party after you. And to be honest? I get the impression you don't want them seeing us like this." Futaba said teasingly, as Kusa spoke up.

"I only say that because I'm not sure how people would react if they found us like this. Ren would probably just congratulate me before teasing me relentlessly, but I'm not sure how Sojiro would react to it. Probably he'd either be shocked then pleased, or he'd get all over-protective. Not sure which would be worse, honestly." Kusa said as Futaba nodded understandingly as she spoke up, smiling as she spoke.

"Fair enough, Kusa. I thought it was possibly because you were ashamed of us or something." Futaba said with a shrug as Kusa blinked at Futaba in surprise and spoke up.

"Wha-!? Absolutely not! I would never be ashamed of us, Taba! If anything, I'm moreso trying to put your feelings first, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba nodded, before getting off of Kusa and shyly smiling as she spoke up.

"Well, that's nice to know, Kusa. Maybe we can continue this discussion some other time? For now, you should probably get back to Leblanc." Futaba said as Kusa nodded, heading back to Leblanc at that point...

(Around that same time, at Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the evening, Ren?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I was thinking maybe a movie night, since we've not had one of those in a while, plus I have a new DVD that we've not watched yet since renting it. Granted, Kusa's not here, but he's probably busy having fun somewhere if I had to guess." Ren said as he pulled out 'ICU', which had been sitting next to the TV since Ren brought it home, and showed it to Morgana, who nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Not a bad idea, Ren. Let's do it." Morgana said as Ren nodded, making up some popcorn downstairs and popping in 'ICU' as he and Morgana got comfortable Ren smirked, as he noticed that 'ICU' was a story about the daily struggles of doctors working in an emergency ward. Morgana smirked as he spoke up, watching the movie from on his chair next to Ren that was vacant for a change since Kusa still hadn't gotten home, making Ren frown as he decided to get his phone out and shoot Kusa a private chat to make sure he was okay since he didn't answer the previous chat he sent while Morgana spoke.

"Wow! I like this guy. A person's life is valuable, no matter what they've done." Morgana said as Ren nodded, watching the rest of the movie in peace, Morgana speaking up once more as the movie finished up.

"Yup! No matter the circumstances, those doctors never gave up... Maybe you learned a thing or two about Kindness form watching this drama, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded, feeling his Kindness get a sizable boost, augmented further by the bonus given from his having read 'The Craft of Cinema'.

Around that point, Ren heard footsteps on the steps, frowning as he turned to face the stairs, only to have a relieved look on his face as Kusa came up the stairs at that point, an unreadable look on his face as he looked at Ren. Morgana smiled, walking over to nuzzle his face on Kusa's leg, pleased that Kusa was home. Kusa smiled as he petted Morgana's fur, speaking up at that point.

"Ren, thanks for that chat. I didn't realize it was so late. Though hopefully the next time you send a chat, it won't be when I'm actually having something of a cozy moment with Taba. But, I guess now we're even for the time I inadvertently left Morgana with you and Kasumi during the cleanup. Either way, good job on that timing, Ren. Looks like I missed movie night. Oh well, it's not that big of a deal, I suppose." Kusa said off-handedly as Ren nodded, inwardly stunned at hearing that Kusa had gotten cozy with Futaba.

If Ren was being honest with himself, he was not expecting that to happen so soon after he roasted Kusa, but he also figured maybe it worked out for the best that he did. Morgana then spoke up, sensing the tension between Ren and Kusa and not wanting another fight to ensue as he spoke.

"Either way, it's starting to get late, you two. Let's head to bed soon, okay?" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa both nodded agreeably, the three getting comfortable for the night...

(The next day, after school with Ren and Morgana)

Ren frowned as he checked his messages, seeing that there were no messages, bar one from Ann, who on a check wasn't ready to rank up, so he sighed, before deciding to work a shift at the flower shop since he needed Kindness. Once Ren got to work, Hanasaki approached him and spoke up, smiling as she spoke.

"Oh yeah! That's right, I didn't explain things to you last time. Wednesdays and Saturdays are our Happy Flower Days. We offer discounts on bouquets on those days. I'll be having you choose the flowers for the bouquets too. I might even bump up your pay if the customer really likes your arrangement!" Hanasaki said as Ren nodded. A short time later, Hanasaki looked at Ren as she spoke up once more.

"Ren-kun, we have an order for a bouquet. Please handle it. I appreciate it." Hanasaki said as Ren turned to face her as she kept speaking.

"The customer is looking for large, brightly-colored flowers. Pick three that fit that description." Hanasaki said as Ren nodded, Morgana choosing that moment to speak up so only Ren could hear.

"Okay! All right, let's make sure we pick the right flowers! This request is for large, brightly-colored flowers. I bet light colors or white would even work too." Morgana said as Ren picked three flowers out as Morgana spoke up.

"The order was for large, brightly-colored flowers. Is this okay?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"This should be good, I think." Ren said. Morgana nodded as he spoke up again.

"Hey, hey! I hope the customer likes it..." Morgana said, but in the end the customer shook their head and walked away, making Hanasaki frown as she looked at Ren and spoke up.

"They didn't have any interest in buying that bouquet...Better luck next time, Ren-kun." Hanasaki said before giggling as she spoke up, giving Ren a sympathetic look as she spoke, smiling at the mildly disappointed look on Ren's face.

"If you want to know more about flowers, I suggest you read the 'Flowerpedia'. Most of the flowers we sell here should be in there, so I'm sure it'll help if you read it." Hanasaki said as Ren nodded, speaking up once more at that point.

"Here's your pay for today. We didn't sell much, so it's a little lower than normal." Hanasaki said as she handed Ren 3,200 yen. Hanasaki then spoke up once more.

"You did great! Good work, Ren-kun. Come back again when you have the time." Hanasaki said as Ren nodded as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, you tried your best, but it really didn't go well today..." Morgana said as Ren sweatdropped while Morgana spoke up once more.

"Still, I bet this job making gifts has boosted your Kindness." Morgana said as Ren's Kindness increased more at that point. Morgana then kept speaking.

"This job is going to be tough if you don't study up on your flowers, Ren. I hope you realize that. All right, we should head home. Wanna head back?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded, heading back to Leblanc. Once there, he saw he had 3 new chats, one each from Hifumi, Akechi and Kawakami. Ren smirked as he realized Kusa wasn't there yet, having a good guess where he probably was.

Ren let himself laugh a bit at the idea of Kusa getting so cozy with Futaba so quickly before he decided on hanging out with Akechi, since he recalled that the ace detective hadn't been at his and Ryuji's party. Though after thinking about it more, Ren had to admit that Akechi missing the party was probably for the best, since between Ryuji and Kusa, he was sure he'd have had to break up at least one fight if mot more. Morgana saw Ren's expression and spoke up.

"What's the plan? Are you going to go hang out with Akechi?" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. Way I figure it, Akechi's availability tends to be erratic at best. As such, I should grab rank-ups with him while the getting's good. Granted, I could rank up either Hifumi or Mishima instead, but I'm in no rush to rank them up. Thus, Akechi it is." Ren said decisively. He then opened up the private chat with Akechi.

"How do you feel about arcades? I was strolling through one the other day, and I found myself drawn to a certain game. Perhaps the two of us could have a little competition?" Akechi sent, as Ren smirked and sent a response.

"Sure thing. I'm down to game with you, Akechi." Ren sent as Akechi sent a response fairly instantaneously.

"That's what I like to hear! In that case, let's go to the arcade in Kichijoji. It's a bit difficult to find, so let's meet up first." Akechi sent as Ren nodded before Morgana spoke up.

"I guess I'll find some way to occupy myself in the meantime..." Morgana said as Kusa chose that moment to walk into Leblanc, smiling at Morgana as he spoke up.

"Occupy yourself, you say, Morgana-sensei? We could hang out if you wanted? That way Ren could go hang out with whoever he's planning to hang with on his own." Kusa suggested as Morgana smiled and nodded, speaking up at that point.

"I like that idea, Kusa. Let's do that." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, gently scooping Morgana into his arms and heading upstairs as Ren headed to Kichijoji to meet up with Akechi...

(In Kichijoji, with Akechi and Ren)

"Sorry to bother you, and for dragging you out here. I was out here gathering some intel, and I noticed some patrons playing this. I did a bit of research. Apparently it's a pretty hardcore shooter game. Do you normally play games like these?" Akechi asked Ren, who grinned at the question as he spoke up.

"Not all the time, but I do play them a fair bit of the time. Granted, I'm not as great at them as Kusa is. He's the real shooter and strategy expert of the two of us. That being said, I'm not terrible at either type of game, if I do say so myself." Ren said. Akechi smirked as he spoke up, pleased with Ren's answer as he spoke.

"Well, that should even the playing field. I'm not much for video games myself, so I guess I'm in the same boat." Akechi said as Ren smirked, mentally picturing how many different strokes Kusa would have had if he had heard Akechi say that he wasn't much for video games. A short time later, Ren and Akechi were both quiet as they were concentrated on the shooter game in front of them. Unbeknownst to them, there was a group watching the two from behind, some of the group speaking up.

"Damn, that's some accuracy. That guy with the brown hair isn't wasting a single shot." A loud young man said from behind Ren and Akechi, as the gaudy young man next to him spoke up.

"Glasses isn't doing bad either, but he's definitely losing ground..." The gaudy young man said. A short time later, the game ended and a grinning Akechi looked at Ren, doing a closed-eye smile as he spoke up, likely having won the game as he spoke.

"Phew! My fingers are going to be sore tomorrow. What a realistic game." Akechi said as Ren nodded before he spoke up.

"Not bad, Akechi. You beat me on that one fair and square. Congrats, man. That said, are you used to gunplay? You sure seemed rather comfortable holding that gun." Ren said with a smirk. Akechi chuckled, nodding as he spoke up.

"Have you noticed? Ah, silly me. Of course you noticed! Well, I'll need as much practice as I can get if I'm going to take you out." Akechi said as Ren blanched at the remark before Akechi laughed and kept speaking.

"Only a joke. I'm new to this, I'm afraid. Perhaps we'll chalk it up to beginner's luck. Still, this did feel a bit nostalgic for me." Akechi said as Ren gave him a confused look, prompting Akechi to chuckle as he kept speaking.

"I had a toy gun like this when I was young, you know. All this reminded me of running around the house with it, playing hero, when I was younger." Akechi said as Ren nodded before speaking up, looking at Akechi as he spoke.

"You wanted to be a hero, Akechi-kun?" Ren asked Akechi who shook his head as he spoke up.

"I don't know that I agree, to be honest. I'm not totally certain, but thinking back, I suppose I must have. But there are different kinds of heroes, of course. Different stances they define themselves by. For example, one may stick to the vision of justice they believe in, even if others deny it. While another may simply do as others desire of them, seeking to be recognized and gratified as a hero. So? Which of those two fits more with your conceptions of a hero?" Akechi asked Ren, who smirked as he spoke up.

"To be honest? I'd definitely go with sticking with your justice. After all, your justice might not necessarily be the same as another's, but the mark of a true person is being able to stick by their beliefs no matter what, even when challenged on said beliefs." Ren said sagely. Akechi chuckled at Ren's response as he spoke up.

"Well, I had a feeling you'd say that. But if nobody else wants the justice they fight for, isn't that just blind self-righteousness? Ah, sorry. I suppose that was a strange tangent. Pardon me. Whenever I talk with you, I just can't help delving into these abstract topics." Akechi said to Ren, who nodded approvingly as he felt his bond with Akechi deepen. At that point, the 'Justice' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Justice Confidant link with Akechi had reached Rank 5, though he gained no new skills from the rank-up. Afterwards, Akechi kept speaking.

"Goodness, I worked up a sweat playing that game. I must smell like the arcade now. I could use a shower. Why don't we call it a day?" Akechi asked Ren, who nodded approvingly as the two left the arcade, Akechi speaking up once more as the two prepared to part ways.

"We will meet again! Well, see you again." Akechi said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, only for his phone to ring as he got to the front doorstep.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, and not surprisingly it was Akechi, who spoke up.

"Hey. I wanted to express my gratitude again for today. Thank you for hanging out with me. I had quite a lot of fun. I don't play these games too often, so I honestly wasn't sure how well I'd do. Hopefully I didn't come off as too much of a novice. I wish I'd played better." Akechi said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"What are you talking about? You beat me fair and square, Akechi. That said, you do have a long way to go, at least if you hope to get on the same level as Kusa. I wasn't kidding before when I said he destroys me at shooters and strategy games. He rarely, if ever, loses at those sorts of games. The fact that he was destroyed by his friend Futaba 10 games in a row still blows my mind, if I'm being honest." Ren said truthfully. Akechi chuckled as he spoke up.

"Haha...ever the harsh master. I thought I did all right for a first try. Though, I confess my nerves may have gotten to me. After all, you seem to be an expert in the field." Akechi said as Ren frowned and spoke up again.

"An expert!? You did hear me say that I get routinely destroyed at shooting and strategy games by Kusa, right? That said, you managed to beat me, so you're not a slouch at shooting games, Akechi-kun." Ren said as Akechi shrugged and kept speaking.

"That's true. Perhaps it'll be different the next time we play, hm?" Akechi asked as Ren nodded and Akechi kept speaking.

"Still, games are rather fun. It was quite a novel experience. Usually, I just read in my leisure time. It offered more realism than I expected, and I was impressed by how immersive it felt. Usually I really struggle with enjoying the same pastimes as my peers, but thanks to you, I had fun today. I hope you can join me again if you get the chance. Now, I'll talk to you later." Akechi said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone, heading into Leblanc where he saw Kusa and Morgana dozing off, curled up together, making Ren smirk as he got comfortable and laid down for the night...

(The next morning, between trains to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"Well, looks like we have company, eh Kusa?" Ren said to Kusa, who shrugged but didn't verbally respond as Makoto approached the two and spoke up.

"Good morning. Happy actual birthday, Ren. It's hot again today...Kaneshiro's deadline is drawing near. We did all we could. I hope we can avoid problems now..." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Thank you, Makoto. I think we're fine. That said, are you worried, Makoto?" Ren said to Makoto, who scoffed as she spoke up with a nod.

"Of course I am! Palaces, changing hearts...It's hard to tell what's reality anymore. Still, the only thing I can do now is believe." Makoto said as Ren nodded and Kusa spoke up.

"Exactly, Makoto. As for if we'll be fine, time will tell the tale on that. But I think everything will work out for the best, to be honest." Kusa said bluntly as Makoto nodded, and the trio headed the rest of the way to school together...

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

"Oh yeah, today is Tanabata, the star festival. Not like that means I'll put up bamboo decorations and write my wish on a piece of paper, though. I'm not feeling it this year. Oh, but there's a traditional food associated with Tanabata, just like chocolate for Valentine's Day. All right, Takamaki-san. Do you know the answer? Tell me, what is traditional Tanabata food? I'll give you a hint, it's based on a certain motif in Tanabata's myth." Kawakami said to Ann, who blanched in surprise as she spoke up.

"Huh!? Oh, uh, yeah! I mean-" Ann said as Morgana frowned, looking at Ren as he spoke up so only Ann and Ren could hear.

"Hey, wait! Lady Ann is very clearly panicking! Be a good guy and help her out!" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded and looked over at Ann as she spoke up.

"Traditional food? Sorry, Ren. Help me out! So Tanabata's about gods crossing a starry sky to reunite once every year. It might have something to do with..." Ann said as Ren thought about it before figuring out that answer and speaking up.

"I believe you're referring to the Milky Way, Ann?" Ren said so only Ann could hear. Ann nodded as she kept speaking.

"Oh yeah! They gotta cross the Milky Way to get to each other! So if the traditional food is something inspired by the Milky Way..." Ann said as Ren frowned at this, but then recalled that Kasumi had mentioned this once when he'd shared a meal with her, and smiled as he knew the answer and spoke up.

"I believe the answer we want is Soumen noodles." Ren said so only Ann could hear, making her nod again and do a closed-eye smile as she kept speaking.

"Yeah, I could see that! The Mikly Way's like a long white bundle of them, right? YES! The traditional food of Tanabata's gotta be soumen noodles!" Ann said as Ren nodded, speaking up to answer for them both.

"This is it! The answer is soumen noodles!" Ren said for himself and Ann. Kawakami gave Ren an approving nod and smiled as she clapped once and spoke up.

"That's correct. The traditional food for Tanabata is soumen noodles. Originally in China they ate a baked good that we call sakubei in Japanese to appease demons. Over time, that pronunciation went from sakubei, to sakumen, to soumen-a wholly different food. Going with the theme of calming demons, soumen on Tanabata is sometimes called 'demon's guts'. Go restore your strength with some seasonal food and get ready for your exams." Kawakami said as Ann smirked at Ren and did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Thanks for the help, Ren!" Ann said as Morgana smirked and spoke up so only Ren and Ann could hear, his next words making Ann blink but otherwise not react as the not-cat spoke.

"Nice going, birthday boy! Ann seems really relieved!" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as his Charm went up slightly. Morgana then spoke up again.

"You're pretty good at studying...I'm impressed, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded, and the rest of the school day passed uneventfully, other than a few of the students, like Mishima, stopping Ren to wish him a happy birthday...

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

Ren pulled out his phone to check for messages, blinking as he saw he had 3 new chats, seeing chats from both Yusuke and the Triple Seven and shrugging, before grinning widely as he saw that his third chat was actually from Kasumi, who Ren had hoped would remember his special day. Ren eagerly opened up Kasumi's chat.

"Hello, Senpai! Happy actual birthday! Do you have any free time today? I managed to get permission to practice in the school gym! I was thinking we could do some training inside. Does that sound okay?" Kasumi sent, making Ren smile happily, quite pleased at the invitation to spend time with Kasumi, making Morgana smirk as he gave Ren a knowing grin and spoke up.

"Ah, looks like someone's gotten an invite from their crush to hang out. Probably a dumb question to ask, but are you gonna go spend some time with Yoshizawa?" Morgana asked Ren, who smirked happily as he nodded and spoke up.

"Absolutely, I'm spending time with her! Probably the best way I could spend my birthday, to be honest! Besides, if I'm not mistaken, she's one of my lowest-ranked Confidants as well, so I'd definitely like to correct that ASAP if possible. Kasumi doesn't deserve that sort of disrespect." Ren said bluntly to Morgana before he sent a response to Kasumi.

"First of all, thank you so much for the birthday wishes, Kasumi! I'm glad you remembered! That said, sure! I'd love nothing more than to spend time with you! After all, how much more special can one's special day be if they spend it with someone special to them, like you are to me?" Ren sent, frowning as he waited a bit for Kasumi to reply. Eventually, she sent a response, making Ren breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, my phone has been acting up. It just randomly shut off...It looks like it's okay now, though. See you-Oh, but do you want to get some food in the cafeteria first?" Kasumi sent as Ren smiled wider as he sent a response.

"Grab a meal with you? I'd love to!" Ren sent back happily as Kasumi smiled while she read Ren's response, sending one of her own.

"Great! I'll go ahead and grab us some seats first! I'll be waiting for you in the cafeteria, Ren-senpai!" Kasumi sent as Ren nodded, putting his phone away and eagerly heading to the cafeteria, leaving Morgana to go find Kusa...

(In the cafeteria, with Ren and Kasumi)

"Senpai? I'm sorry I called you here so suddenly. Since our talk, I've been trying to think of things besides gymnastics that I'm really invested in. And I figured something out! It's this!" Kasumi asked, as Ren blinked before smiling as he spoke up.

"I see. I'll admit, I didn't think you'd take our conversation to mean trying your hand at making bentos, but I'm sure you did wonderfully at it." Ren said encouragingly. Kasumi nodded, giving Ren a very pretty closed-eye smile as she spoke up, pleased by his response.

"Yes! Yeah, I can cook! You really need to regulate your diet in gymnastics, so I've been making my own food a lot. And so, since I wanted to thank you, I made you bento! So, anyway, this is actually my first time cooking for someone else besides my family...But I figured this would definitely help me get my confidence back!

I made this specifically with your body type in mind, and knowing how much you exercise. Do you want it?" Kasumi asked Ren as she gestured to the measured portion that had been placed in front of him, making him blink as he looked from his measured but tiny portion to Kasumi's much bigger portion. Ren then smirked as he spoke up.

"Wait a second, how is it it's MY birthday, but YOU'RE the one with a wrapped present in front of them? What's wrong with this picture? No, but seriously, I'm touched that you'd do that for me, Kasumi. Thank you so much! I'm sure it's amazing!" Ren said happily, getting a very pleasant-sounding giggle from Kasumi in response as she gave him a closed-eye smile as she answered him.

"Then I'm glad I put all that effort in. And I get what you were going for with your joke, Senpai. But we already discussed why my meals are so much bigger, as I recall. Back on topic, the chicken and eggs are to help you with fatigue. There are some beans in there, too, and it's on brown rice. Weight control's important for gymnasts, but we also need to make sure we've got energy and stamina too.

So high protein, low-fat is usually what we go for. We also need iron to maintain stamina, and vitamin B for energy. Wait, I'm getting all focused on the gymnastics part again. Well, anyway, happy birthday again, Senpai! Let's dig in!" Kasumi said to Ren who nodded eagerly and dug in to his portion, stopping briefly between bites as he looked at the uncovered portion in front of Kasumi, gaping as he spoke up.

"Dang, that's a lot of food. Is that seriously all for you, Kasumi?" Ren asked, genuinely curious, as he kept eating. Kasumi smiled as she nodded to Ren's question and spoke up, amused by Ren's reaction as she spoke.

"Of course! I'll need every last grain of rice. Why do you look so skeptical, Ren-senpai? I guess it might look like a lot, but this is actually a little less than my usual. Don't worry, I've done the math on the calories. I'll burn all this off at practice." Kasumi said as Ren sweatdropped, shocked when he heard Kasumi say that that portion was LESS than her usual intake. Kasumi saw the skeptical look on Ren's face and smiled as she spoke up encouragingly.

"C'mon, Senpai! You'll be done before you know it!" Kasumi said encouragingly, slightly embarrassed by the attention Ren was paying her. Ren just nodded and focused on his food, blinking as he ate, realizing that the flavor was somehow familiar to Ren, though he couldn't put his finger on why.

"This is...It's a familiar flavor, but it doesn't match the food...I keep trying different parts, but it all tastes like the same thing...Something very familiar." Ren thought to himself as Kasumi frowned and spoke up, a worried look on her face as she spoke.

"Um, Ren-senpai? You okay? Your eyes are glazing over..." Kasumi asked Ren who swallowed the bite he was on before speaking up to answer Kasumi.

"I'm fine, Kasumi. Just pre-occupied trying to figure out why this flavor is so familiar to me. That said, this meal is definitely unique. As I thought, you're a good cook, Kasumi." Ren said politely. Kasumi just shook her head fondly as she spoke up, figuring Ren was trying to be nice and going with it as she spoke.

"You think so? I don't think it's that weird for an athlete. Heavy seasoning would probably be bad for you, so I went easy on it. Hmm. Was it too light? Excuse me..." Kasumi said as she daintily used her chopsticks to grab a bite of Ren's portion to sample it for herself, smiling after she was finished as she spoke up once more.

"Mmm! Yeah, that's the flavor I was going for. I was trying to decide how to season these, and I figured, everyone likes curry! Right? So I decided to go for maximum curry flavoring!" Kasumi said as Ren's eyes went slightly wide as he realized that was why it tasted familiar. Somehow, Kasumi had actually gotten rather close to replicating, albeit unintentionally, the flavor of Sojiro's curry. This left Ren even more impressed with Kasumi's cooking talents, since as far as he knew, no one had ever even come close to matching Sojiro's flavor, much less the recipe, of the Leblanc Curry. Kasumi frowned, mistaking Ren's expression as one of either uncertainty or polite wariness as she spoke up.

"U-Um, sorry...Were you not a fan of that flavor? Or, wait, maybe you prefer the super spicy ones!" Kasumi said as Ren winced as he spoke up.

"Not exactly. I actually quite like the flavor of curry. I was moreso surprised since the flavor you gave this curry actually came really, really close to matching the flavor of the curry that Sakura-kun makes over at Leblanc, which shocked me since as far as I know, no one's ever, and I mean EVER, even gotten close to matching that recipe. Yet you managed, when trying to make me bento, to very nearly nail it without trying to. You're truly an incredible cook, Kasumi. Thank you, truly. There are no words for how much I'm awed and impressed by you right now." Ren said honestly. Kasumi winced, mistaking Ren's compliment for a critique as she stood up, looking upset as she spoke up, to Ren's surprise.

"I'm so sorry! I did this all wrong, didn't I? I'll go get some condiment to change the flavor! Once I fix it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it more! Should I get mayonnaise? Soy sauce? Maybe miso? Do you think Doctor Maruki will have some salt!?" Kasumi said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Hmm, maybe. Way I heard it, Maruki was pretty salty at that clean up while he was showing off for his fan club. That said, calm down Kasumi. I was complimenting you." Ren said jokingly to Kasumi who blinked and looked at Ren in surprise as she spoke up.

"Oh, you're right! I should just buy something new you can eat right now!" Kasumi said to Ren, who frowned at her as he spoke up.

"I don't think you're listening to me, Kasumi. I love your cooking. It's incredible, and I mean that in the best way possible. This dish works just fine as it is. Have more confidence in yourself, since you're not only a great cook, but a very wonderful person who I quite enjoy spending time with." Ren said reassuringly to Kasumi, smiling at her as he tried to reassure her. Kasumi frowned as she spoke up, still looking unsure.

"Um, but..." Kasumi said, before smiling as she nodded, giving Ren a grateful look as she spoke up.

"Well, thank you! Now, we should really eat." Kasumi said as Ren nodded approvingly as the two finished their meal. Afterwards, Kasumi spoke up.

"Thank you for sharing this meal with me on your special day, Ren-senpai! Whew...that was delicious. Thank you for completely finishing your meal, Ren-senpai. I'm sorry it didn't turn out perfectly. I came up with the idea of making bento, but I couldn't decide on the flavor. Either way, I'm really sorry! I'm so embarrassed right now. I thought it was so great when I presented it to you, and now..." Kasumi said, trailing off with a bit of a sad look on her face, making Ren smile at her as he gently put his hand on hers and gave it a gentle but encouraging squeeze, making her look at him in surprise as Ren spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Kasumi. These things happen. Besides, it's the thought that counts. And I'm very happy you thought of me specifically with your idea. Don't give up! You've got a lot of potential, Kasumi. Now please don't be sad." Ren said, smiling at Kasumi as he gently moved his hand off of hers, smirking at the red spots on her face from his hand being on hers. Eventually, Kasumi nodded, giving Ren a grateful smile as she spoke up.

"That's true, Senpai. I suppose you're right. In any case, thank you for being so understanding. Next time, I'll ask you what you like before I try anything too crazy. I'll go buy that super-spicy 'Megido-sauce' for next time!" Kasumi said, making Ren wince as he was already preparing for the likely pain something like that would inflict on his stomach if he partook of something called 'Megido-sauce', since he's seen the Megido from Smaug, and it's a very spicy attack, so any sauce made with it is going to be quite spicy. Kasumi then giggled, to Ren's surprise, as she spoke up, amused by seeing Ren wince, as she found it really cute.

"It seems like you're always helping me find my way forward, Senpai. If I didn't have you, I'd let my failures get to me and end up in some big pessimistic spiral. Maybe this kind of confidence can help me figure out who I really am." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. But either way, I'm glad I can be here for you, Kasumi. We'll help you find that confidence, together. Even if it takes a while, I won't give up until you find your confidence." Ren said encouragingly. Kasumi gave Ren a very pretty closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Either way, I suppose all I can do is keep moving forward. Ren-senpai, I hope we can keep helping each other improve." Kasumi said to Ren, who nodded in agreement, keeping himself from looking into Kasumi's eyes as he could sense her passion, causing the 'Faith' card to appear in his mind's eye, the 'II' turning into a 'III' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Kasumi had reached Rank 3, though he gained no new skills for the rank-up, but he was content just getting to spend time with Kasumi. Afterwards, Kasumi smiled as she kept speaking.

"Okay, now that we've gotten all our nutrients, it's time for the next phase! I don't mean to be too demanding, but I'm going to train you even harder than before! Make sure you keep up!" Kasumi said to Ren, who nodded as he and Kasumi headed to the gymnasium, where the two of them put in a particularly intense but satisfying training session, leaving Ren feeling satisfied as he felt his stamina improve, bumping his health up a bit, and giving him more maximum stamina. At that point, a nearby bell rang, making Kasumi frown as she spoke up, looking disappointed as she spoke.

"Oh, shoot...I guess we're out of time, Senpai. I was hoping we had longer together. Maybe some other time? I guess we'll end it here for today. Hope we can do this again sometime, birthday boy! Oh, and before I forget, since I already gave you a present the other day, this will have to do as an actual birthday gift." Kasumi said as she leaned in and kissed Ren on the cheek, giggling at the awestruck and stunned look on Ren's face after she pulled away, smiling as she spoke up once more.

"That look is so adorable on you, Ren-senpai! Okay, bye for now!" Kasumi said as she walked off, leaving Ren to smile happily as he made his way back to Leblanc...

(That night at Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

Sojiro looked up as he heard Ren come into Leblanc, smirking as he spoke up to Ren.

"Ah, you're back Ren. Happy birthday. Hopefully you had a good day." Sojiro said conversationally, as Ren shrugged before he spoke up.

"Yeah, it was pretty good. Got to hang out with Yoshizawa and get lunch with her, then we trained afterwards, so it was pretty fun all told. Kinda surprised Kusa was nowhere to be seen once he got to school, though. But I suppose it makes sense, given he's probably still ticked at me over a joke I made to him.

But to be fair, it's his own fault for being so slow to decide what he wants! I mean, even Morgana can tell Kusa's completely smitten with Taba, as he calls her, even if the fool won't admit to it. I think he's being too damn noble for his own good again, to be honest." Ren said bluntly, as Sojiro blinked at Ren mentioning Futaba, before chuckling as he spoke up.

"Yep, that sounds like Kusa, all right. But to be fair, maybe he's trying to put what's best for his friend above his own desires. In that regard, he's being quite noble and selfless, if you ask me. That's something that should be respected, not teased. But enough about Kusa. Last I checked, he was over at my house anyways. So, did you have plans for the rest of the night?" Sojiro asked Ren, who blinked at the question but shook his head in the negative, having not made any such plans for the evening.

He'd not yet even looked at his options. To his surprise, when he did so, he saw that Sojiro and Mishima were the only two he had available to rank up, though he could also go hang out with Ohya to likely as not start a Confidant Link with her, but he didn't want to spend his birthday doing that. After thinking it over, he looked at Sojiro.

"No, I don't have any plans to speak of, why? Did you want to hang out, Sakura-kun?" Ren asked Sojiro who blinked but spoke up.

"I hadn't really thought about it, but possibly. It's only a little, but it helps now that you've learned the ropes. I know it's your birthday, but are you helping out today, Ren?" Sojiro asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up, ignoring Morgana speaking up to confirm Ren's plans as he looked at Sojiro and spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm willing to help out tonight. Could make a good way to round out my birthday, helping out the man who took me and Kusa in when he didn't have to. I know I probably don't say it as much as I should, but I am grateful to you for letting Kusa and I stay with you, Sakura-kun." Ren said sincerely. Sojiro gave Ren an amused chuckle as he spoke up.

"Heh, glad to hear you say that, kid. Looks like you can be humble and grateful when you want to be. That said, I'll teach you how to make good coffee. It's taste all depends on you, though." Sojiro said as Ren nodded. A short time later, Ren had changed into an apron and was standing behind the counter with Sojiro, who spoke up.

"Well! Okay, today we're gonna try brewing a cup of coffee from step one. Just listen to what I tell you. These beans are Colombian, a medium-fine city roast. Oh, and don't let the water boil too much." Sojiro said as Ren just nodded, looking uncertain but willing to give it a try anyways. Sojiro chuckled as he saw the uneasy look on Ren's face and spoke up, clearly amused at Ren's nervousness as he spoke.

"You're gonna be fine, birthday boy. I'll be here the whole time." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, while Sojiro guided him through the brewing process. Afterwards, Sojiro took a sip and smiled at Ren as he spoke up.

"Yeah, not bad. Though I guess anyone can do something as simple as just brewing it. Making a blend, on the other hand, is a different story. Mixing beans at random won't do you any good. That's because the acidity and the flavor profile all depend on the bean ratio. Pretty deep, huh?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed, it is rather deep, but also quite interesting. By all means Sakura-kun, please tell me more." Ren said politely. Sojiro chuckled as he spoke up, pleased with Ren's answer as he spoke.

"Oh, somebody's enthusiastic. If you're really that interested, feel free to try out whatever combinations you want to. Oh, but hands off the expensive beans, got it?" Sojiro said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I doubt I'd want to waste your expensive beans anyways, Sakura-kun. That seems like it'd be rather disrespectful of me." Ren said as Sojiro nodded approvingly.

"Good answer, Ren. That said, next up is the curry. There's something special about its flavor. The truth is, a scientific genius actually came up with the perfect spice combo to complement my coffee. Something about the quantification of taste...There's no formula for flavor, but it IS pretty damn good.

Anyhow, we don't make compromises when it comes to food service. Our stuff's gotta wow the customers. This is a tiny shop, after all. Self-satisfaction is the only thing that keeps me going." Sojiro said as Ren nodded approvingly, easily able to understand that. Before Ren or Sojiro could say anything further, the door to Leblanc opened up, making Ren and Sojiro turn to the door, thinking it was Kusa, but Sojiro frowned as he recognized the person standing in the doorway.

"You...Haven't I told you already I don't have the money? Look at this place. You see many customers in here?" Sojiro said to the man, who chuckled mockingly as he spoke up, ignoring the skeptical look Ren was giving him as he spoke.

"Oh, no need to hide it, Sakura-kun! After all, you must have saved plenty from your time working in the government. Aren't you taking care of that employee right there too, for nothing more than charity? I wish you'd show me the same kindness you show others." The man said as Sojiro sighed in frustration as he spoke up, ignoring what the man said as he spoke.

"If you're not planning on buying anything, can you please leave? I'm expecting a phone call, so I don't have time to chat with you." Sojiro said bluntly as the man spoke up, crossing his arms as he spoke.

"I don't mind if you take the call in front of me. I can talk to your little friend here in the meantime. So, should we keep talking until your call comes in? Or would that be too inconvenient for you?" The man demanded of Sojiro, ignoring the glare that Ren was now giving him as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"Well..." Sojiro said as Ren noticed that Sojiro was in trouble, and questioned what he should do. Ren then chuckled as he knew the answer immediately, and discreetly used his phone to dial Sojiro's number. At that point, Sojiro smiled as his phone rang, letting himself smirk as he looked at the man and spoke up.

"Oh, there's that social services call I was waiting for. They come 'round pretty often to make sure this guy's not getting in any trouble. Want me to introduce you?" Sojiro said as the man suddenly blanched at that and spoke up, his tone much more nervous than it'd previously been as he spoke.

"Oh, that's right! I have some business I need to take care of myself! I'll come back later!" The man said as he walked out, right as the door opened once more, practically shoving the person who was walking in out of the way in his haste to leave, which unfortunately for him was Kusa, who frowned as he got pushed down, glaring at the retreating man as he turned around to yell at the retreating man.

"Yeah, you BETTER run, you damn coward! I better not see your effing face around here again, or next time you'll find out what I think of cowardly scum who shove people out of the way just because they're in a hurry!" Kusa yelled after the fleeing man, who was well out of earshot by that point, making Ren and Sojiro both wince at the venom in Kusa's tone. Sojiro then sighed as he spoke up.

"Sheesh, does he really have nothing better to do than come and pester me here? Ugh, I guess I should explain what's going on. He might try and drop by when I'm not around. That man is an old acquaintance of mine who's short on cash right now. Looks pretty friendly, yeah? Don't let him fool you-it's all an act. I have to say though, I'm surprised you were quick-witted enough to pull that stunt off. You really saved me back there. Thanks." Sojiro said gratefully to Ren, who nodded, smiling as he felt his bond with Sojiro deepen.

As a result, at that point the 'Hierophant' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' turning into an 'IV' to signify that his Hierophant Confidant link with Sojiro had reached rank 4, and as a result, Ren had learned the basics of 'Leblanc Curry' from Sojiro, enabling him to make curry that cures SP for all allies. Afterwards, Sojiro frowned at Ren as he spoke up once more.

"Still, why do you poke around into other people's troubles? It's way easier to ignore them." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"True, it might be easier. But sometimes it's more beneficial to do what's right than to do what's easy. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have ended up in trouble that night and ended up where I am now. But maybe it was for the best that it did happen that way, if only because you and I wouldn't be bonding right now, and I wouldn't have made the friends that I've made. Heck, I think even Kusa has somewhat started to thrive since we started staying here, even if he won't admit to it." Ren said sagely. Kusa huffed as he spoke up, hearing his name and frowning at Ren as he spoke up.

"Even though I don't approve of you talking about me like I'm not here Ren, I do agree that we're both much better off for having spent the time here that we've spent thus far. And for the record, I'll thank you not to tease me about my love life. Even if you're probably right, that's not for you to comment on. Though, I am pleased to see you trying to bond with Sakura-kun here. He might not act it at times, but he really is a nice guy when it counts, if a bit gruff and strict. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, since it usually means he cares when he gets rough and lecturing." Kusa said sagely as Sojiro nodded approvingly and spoke up with a smirk.

"Thank you, Kusa. Nice to know you think highly of me, I think. That said, I guess that's just the kind of person you are, huh Ren?" Sojiro said as the sound of chimes went off nearby, making Sojiro frown as he spoke up, surprised at how late it'd gotten.

"It's that time already?" Sojiro said to Ren in surprise, as Ren nodded. Sojiro then sighed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he spoke up, not seeing Kusa's eyes widen at what he said next as he spoke.

"Ugh, I'd report him to the cops, if he wasn't related to her and all." Sojiro said to himself, not hearing the gasp that came from Kusa as Ren gave him a confused look, making Sojiro wince as he spoke up, recalling that Ren might not know about Futaba.

"Oh, uh, did I say that out loud? If I did, ignore what you heard. Anyway, that's it for today. Go on, go study or something after you close up, birthday boy." Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his Kindness increase from hanging out with Sojiro. After that, Sojiro left, at which point Ren and Kusa exchanged an awkward glance as Ren spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Kusa. I shouldn't have gotten on your case like I did. I was just trying to spur you to make a move. It's kind of awkward watching you tap-dance around the obvious. Heck, even Morgana can tell you're completely and utterly smitten with Futaba, even if you won't admit to it. The only one you're fooling with your denial is yourself, Kusa. But I shouldn't tease you about that. I see that now." Ren said after a bit of a pause, making Kusa smile wryly at Ren as he spoke up.

"Fair enough, Ren. But for the record, only I decide when I make moves, no one else. As long as you can respect that, I'll forgive you this time. Don't expect me to be so forgiving every time you make an insensitive remark, however." Kusa said bluntly as Ren nodded warily before Kusa smiled and spoke up once more.

"That said, happy birthday, Ren! I already got you a present the day of the party, but hopefully you had a good enough day to make up for the lack of gifts." Kusa said to Ren, who smirked as he nodded happily.

"Oh, I had a pretty good day, all right. Lunch with Kasumi by day, bonding with Coffee Daddy by night. I don't think I could've planned my day out much better if I'd tried." Ren said, as Kusa smirked and looked at Ren as he spoke up.

"Ha! Now who's the one in denial, brother? Looks to me like I'm not the only one who's tap-dancing around being smitten with their crush." Kusa said with a grin, making Ren shrug and nod as he spoke up.

"Well, you're not wrong Kusa. Still, you seem rather chipper for having just spent the last couple days basically cold-shouldering me. Did something happen I should know about?" Ren asked Kusa teasingly, who smirked as he spoke up.

"Maybe. Or maybe, like you, I had a rather good time recently." Kusa said smugly as Ren grinned before giving Kusa an amused look as he spoke up, chuckling as he spoke.

"Oh-ho, does that mean what I think it means!?" Ren asked Kusa, who chuckled as he spoke up.

"Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, you know." Kusa said smugly, making both Ren and Morgana's jaws drop at Kusa's response before Ren spoke up in surprise.

"A gentleman doesn't...? Did you...?" Ren said in stunned disbelief. Kusa grinned, finding the dumbstruck look on Ren's face very amusing as he spoke up, a sly smirk on his face as he spoke.

"Again, that's for me to know, and you NOT to find out. As I said, a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Kusa said with a smirk as Ren just shook his head in disbelief while Morgana spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Well, well, looks like Kusa made the joke be on you, Ren. Good job, Kusa." Morgana said approvingly as Kusa nodded eagerly before he spoke up.

"Thanks, Morgana-sensei. Welp, that said, we should probably hit the hay since we still have school tomorrow. Night, guys." Kusa said as he headed upstairs to get ready for bed, leaving a gaping Morgana and Ren behind, as the latter motioned for the former to follow Kusa upstairs as he heard his phone ringing. After Morgana padded off after Kusa, Ren answered his phone.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, smirking as he recognized Sojiro's voice on the other end when he spoke up.

"Hey, Ren. Sorry about today. Didn't mean to get you wrapped up in my problems, especially on your birthday of all days. I probably don't have to say it, but if that guy shows up while I'm out, just try to ignore him, okay? Just let him do his thing and get on with the job. Got it?" Sojiro said as Ren nodded, speaking up but keeping his voice down so Kusa wouldn't hear as he spoke.

"Understood, Sakura-kun. Though I think Kusa's the one you might have to worry about. He looked pretty ready to throw hands earlier after that guy shoved him aside. I think if he sees that guy again, Kusa might just drag him outside at which point, hoo boy, that's going to be a beatdown for the ages. Especially since I got the sense Kusa knew who you meant when you said 'if he wasn't related to her' before. But I won't pry into your business, Sakura-kun." Ren said agreeably. Sojiro nodded approvingly before he spoke up.

"Good. Whatever he says, just don't let it get to you. You're still under probation, so don't cause a scene, yeah? I don't care if Kusa causes a scene, since he's not under probation and is probably smart enough not to get caught if he does beat that guy up. But I'd rather not see you get yourself into trouble on my account. All right, I'm trusting you on this. Later." Sojiro said as Ren hung up the phone and headed upstairs to get laid down for the night...

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

"HEY! Ah, we were all able to grab seats! Why don't you read something until we get there, Ren? Kusa will probably busy himself with his phone as usual." Morgana said as Ren nodded approvingly, as did Kusa, as the latter pulled out his phone to start a private chat. Ren, however, looked through his books. After a bit of thought, he pulled out 'Pirate Legend' and decided to read it, opening it up to read.

"The lone pirate ship sailed forward, forging it's own path through the crashing waves." Ren read as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"The pirate Captain Kidd, huh? Ryuji should totally read this book. That said, you've still got time to read. Let's go a little further." Morgana said as Ren nodded and kept reading.

"The pirates made a toast, drinking and reveling to celebrate their victory." Ren read as he kept reading. A short time later, he'd finished reading 'Pirate Legend', smirking as he looked at the cover as Morgana spoke up in surprise.

"Oh! So, you've finished reading 'Pirate Legend'. I love how Captain Kidd was the leader of a ragtag group of outlaws. You must have learned more about courage after reading Captain Kidd's exciting adventures." Morgana said as Ren nodded, his Guts getting a sizable boost from having finished reading 'Pirate Legend' in one go. After that, Morgana kept speaking a bit more.

"Oh, look at that. We're just about at the station. I'd say that was a rather efficient usage of your time, Ren. And I'm sure Kusa made the most of his time as well." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the rest of the ride going uneventfully...

(That day, after school with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, looks like there's not a lot of options for people to rank up, is there Morgana?" Ren asked Morgana, who nodded.

"Agreed. Looking at it, it seems like your only real option is to rank up Takemi, unless you want to build some stats up instead, which isn't a bad use of your time either." Morgana said as Ren considered that, remembering he finished 'Pirate Legend', so he headed to the library to swap it out for a new book, which ended up being 'Illusory Popess', which was apparently a book about Johanna that boosts Kindness, and Ren felt he needed Kindness at the moment.

After that, he took a moment to ponder his next course of action, knowing that the third deadline was fast approaching, and that whatever comes next might be even rougher than Kaneshiro's Palace was, so Ren wanted the Phantom Thieves to be ready for anything that life could throw at them. Little did he know, this next Palace would be a particularly trying one, both for the Phantom Thieves as a whole, and for Kusa in particular...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 3- THE REBELLIOUS QUEEN

A/N: Yep, I ended the arc on a semi-cliffhanger! Not as much so as the one to end Arc 2, granted, but still a cliffy nonetheless! Anyone who's played through Persona 5 and/or Persona 5 Royal at least once should know what's coming up, but I will say this: Arc 4 will probably be one of the, if not the most, changed arcs in the entire Royal half of the story, and possibly the story as a whole. But you'll see what I mean when we get into the start of Arc 4, next chapter!

That said, hopefully everyone's enjoying the story so far. If so, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism on the story so far, or even just the chapter in question, I take either of those. Alternatively, feel free to PM me with your thoughts too. I also welcome those, and enjoy hearing from my readers. Any support I can get for this story is much appreciated! That said, until next chapter, and next arc, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF ARC 3

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) : Rank 5

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) : Rank 2

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) : Rank 4

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 4

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) : Rank 5

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) : Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) : Rank 5

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

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

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) : Rank 2

STAR (Hifumi) : Rank 1

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) : Rank 4

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) : Rank 4

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 3

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 5

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