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

41. Pharaoh Taba? Traumatized Oracle part 5

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! I still can't believe that the previous chapter broke 30k words. It was not at all planned, but I'll take it I guess because it is what it is. But, for all that length, the chapter ended at the start of the fourth Palace. However, I recall that said fourth Palace has a couple of roadblocks within it, so it might be split over a couple of visits.

More than likely, it'll be 2-3 visits (with the calling card being treated as its own visit, along with the smaller first trip to it) so yeah, that should be some extra chapters added there. That said, I'm undecided on if there'll be a 'prep week' section for this arc or not, but probably not given how deceptively short the fourth Palace is unless I do it after the first visit which could happen.

However, I will say that there's a distinct difference between a Palace being short and a Palace being easy, as the fourth Palace will possibly prove. But we'll see what happens. Anyways, on to the disclaimer while I'm thinking of it!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made and thus does own, along with any other OCs that might appear during the story unless otherwise noted), and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and to some extent Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them.

Real quick before I forget, unless otherwise noted, all events happen from a neutral POV so figure that's the case unless a transition note says otherwise! That said, on with chapter 41!

Chapter 41- Into the Pyramid of the Oracle! Traumatized Oracle part 5

(In the Metaverse, at the entrance of the pyramid with Joker, Draconis, Mona, Panther, Skull, Fox, and Queen)

"Okay, real quick, before we start the pyramid, since they've been on the bench for a while, I'm going to suggest that Queen, Mona, and Draconis be with me on the front lines for now, with Skull, Panther and Fox going on backups. Any objections?" Joker said to the others, who shook their heads before nodding their agreement to the suggestion, with the necessary tagouts being made so that Joker, Mona, Draconis and Queen were on the front lines. Afterwards, the group approached the doors of the pyramid, at which point Queen spoke up, frowning as she adopted a contemplative expression while she spoke.

"Hm, it seems that this is Futaba's Palace, at last. So this is how she thinks of that house." Queen said as Draconis nodded before speaking up.

"Indeed. Not sure which aspect of it gives off an Egyptian vibe, but I suppose I can't judge Taba for having a vivid imagination, since that's not inherently a bad thing in and of itself, if you think about it. But either way, that's just my opinion. That said, what's the plan, Joker? We headin' inside this place? If you don't want to rush it, I get it, but ideally we should try to tackle this place sooner rather than later, since there's no telling what effect delaying it could have on Taba's psyche." Draconis said to Joker, who nodded before he spoke up, giving Draconis a reassuring smile while he spoke.

"Yeah, let's go, Draconis. I agree with you, the sooner we finish this Palace, the better. Plus we only have so long to get the Palace done and deal with Medjed, so we don't necessarily have the luxury of time in this instance. So let's get to it." Joker said decisively as Panther nodded and spoke up from where she, Fox, and Skull were following at a distance as the rear guard.

"Okay! We'll find out more about Futaba's secrets in here, right?" Panther asked as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed, Panther. There's no telling what may await us within, so let us proceed with caution." Fox said. Queen nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes, well said indeed, Fox. Well, let's head inside." Queen said as the group headed into the pyramid, the front lines heading in first. Once everyone was inside, Skull spoke up in surprise, grinning happily as he spoke.

"Whoa, it's so nice inside! Is this place air conditioned or something!?" Skull asked as Queen spoke up uncertainly.

"It may be because Futaba's room in reality has A/C pumping through it. Either way, this is definitely a relief." Queen said as Panther nodded before speaking up.

"Huh, our clothes still haven't changed, even now. This has never happened to us before." Panther said as Draconis spoke up uncertainly.

"This is unexplored territory for us all, Panther. If I had to venture a guess as to why we're not in our Phantom Thief garb yet, it's probably because Taba doesn't see us as a threat, plus she asked us to come here. As such, it's less likely she'd perceive us as a threat if she realizes we're here to help her. But that's just my opinion." Draconis said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed, Draconis. That's a good guess. That said, it is refreshing that she doesn't see us as a threat, but we are completely surrounded by walls." Fox said as Mona spoke up.

"I guess this IS a tomb. It's probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let's explore." Mona said as Joker and Draconis nodded, the latter grinning as he spoke up.

"Besides, if we can find spots to use it, hard to reach spots are why we have grappling hooks, am I right Joker?" Draconis said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Well put, Draconis. Anyways, let's get moving!" Joker said as the group nodded and kept moving. After crossing a very rocky gap using a lot of borderline parkour moves, the group looked at the stairs in front of them that led far upwards as Panther spoke up in surprise.

"Wow, this is amazing. These stairs go pretty far." Panther said as Skull frowned before he spoke up, looking annoyed while he spoke.

"True, but still, there's way too goddamn many." Skull said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Hey! I get that you're naturally pre-disposed to swearing, which isn't a crime, but can you at least try to dial back on the blasphemy in here, Skull? This IS an Egyptian-based Palace, and as I recall, the Egyptians were big on reveling and worshiping their gods, so by that logic, I would imagine that any form of blasphemy is highly frowned upon while we're in here. And, another thing? Please don't complain so much. At least the layout is a relatively straight line so far." Draconis said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Draconis! You get it! Don't ask for too much, Skull. You should be happy we're not being attacked as we ascend." Mona said as his eyes went glinty as he kept speaking.

"Oh! But more importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We're getting pretty close now!" Mona said as Queen nodded before she spoke up, frowning while she spoke.

"True. These stairs seem to be headed into the heart of the pyramid. I wonder if that's where the Treasure awaits?" Queen asked as Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Most likely. And if the heart of the pyramid is in fact where Taba's Treasure awaits, I'd be willing to bet good money that's probably where the worst of the obstacles we'll have to face here will probably be kept." Draconis said ominously with a sage nod before Skull spoke up, grinning while he spoke.

"Fair enough. Welp, time to keep climbin' then. Let's go." Skull said as the group kept moving. Skull chuckled as he spoke up.

"Man, no enemies or nothin'? I'm all for shit like this." Skull said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"For now, at least. That doesn't mean that'll last the whole Palace. So stay on your guard." Draconis mildly rebuked Skull as the group kept going. Panther then spoke up at that point.

"Is it because she's not a criminal, that we're having it so easy?" Panther asked as Mona spoke up at that point.

"That's possible, though it's likely just as simple as her not perceiving us as threats as yet." Mona pointed out as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"True. Either way, we should remain on our guards while going through here in case there's still traps despite the lack of Shadows." Queen said as Joker and Draconis nodded and the group kept moving. Fox then spoke up at that point.

"So this is the mystical remnant of a bygone era, is it? My, how fascinating. The real thing far surpasses any picture." Fox said as Queen frowned before speaking up.

"Do you really think so, Fox? Can this honestly be called the 'real thing' though?" Queen asked as the others shrugged and kept going. Skull chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, yeah! Looks like our job's gonna be pretty easy this time!" Skull said as Draconis groaned before his eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at Skull while speaking up.

"Did you seriously JUST say that, Skull!? I agree that this trip has been pretty simple thus far, but you are familiar with a thing known as Murphy's Law, right? Let's hope for your sake, your little remark doesn't wind up jinxing us!" Draconis snapped bluntly as the group kept moving. After scaling a few more steps, the group was stopped as Mona frowned before he spoke up, seeing someone ahead of the group.

"Hm? There's someone there!" Mona said as the group walked forward for a closer look. When they did, Joker, Fox, and Queen all exchanged surprised looks while Ann and Skull gave Draconis a pensive look as he blinked at the figure ahead of them, while trying not to be too obvious about looking the figure over, as despite the unusually Egyptian attire on them, the red hair flowing down their back and shoulders made it only too obvious to Draconis who it was as Skull spoke up.

"Hey, is this...?" Skull asked, trailing off as Draconis blinked and spoke up, subtly blushing slightly behind his mask as he looked what could only be Futaba's Shadow over, before speaking up, ignoring the smirks on Joker and Skull's faces while he spoke.

"Damn, is this Taba's Shadow? If so, she cleans up real nice. Never would've taken her for being a midriff-baring sort of girl, but her Palace IS Egyptian-themed, so it tracks she'd want to beat the heat. And to be completely honest? While this isn't necessarily the look that I'd expect Taba to rock, I do have to agree that it does look rather fetching on her, even though she's already rather beautiful in my opinion." Draconis said, trying to keep his tone casual, even though internally he was in shock at how well this version of Futaba could pull off the Egyptian look.

For the flowing white skirt with a multi-colored sash with gold trimming, the gold armbands, the dull grey midriff top, flashy silver necklace and distinctive black visor with red optics that covered most of her upper face and a bit of her head under her hair could only be described as Egyptian. Joker smirked as he spoke up, seeing the clear effort Draconis was making not to check out Futaba's Shadow while he spoke.

"Heh, NOW who's the one looking at a pretty girl like a love-struck buffoon, Draconis!? Turnabout's fair play, you know. Told you I'd get you back for busting my balls about Yoshizawa for so long. And like you, I pride myself on being a man of my word. Besides, you know what they say. Revenge is often a dish best served cold." Joker said teasingly as Skull laughed, fist-bumping Joker while he spoke up.

"Truth, Joker! As if it wasn't already obvious that Draconis totally has it bad for Futaba." Skull said as Draconis huffed and crossed his arms before pouting and glaring at Skull and Joker while he spoke up in a deadpan and annoyed tone, glad he had a mask on so the others couldn't see how red his face was behind it as he spoke.

"Shut up, the both of you! You're lucky I'm not trying to make Taba's Shadow there perceive us as threats, or I'd punch the both of you." Draconis deadpanned as Mona spoke up, glaring at Joker and Skull as he spoke up.

"Knock it off, you two! This is serious! And yes Draconis, that's Futaba's Shadow. It's not the real her, though. Just so you're clear on that point." Mona said to Draconis, who simply nodded his understanding before Skull also nodded while speaking up.

"Oh yeah, you and Draconis have both seen the real Futaba's face, haven't you Mona? True. This one's kinda dressed like a queen." Skull said as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"While you're not wrong, I believe the term pharaoh would be more accurate in this case, Skull. Either way, that ties in quite nicely to my theory that these Palaces seem to hinge on different types of rulers. With Kamoshida's, he was a king. Madarame was dressed as an emperor. Kaneshiro was dressed kind of like a mafia don. And now Futaba is dressed as a female pharaoh." Draconis pointed out as Queen nodded before she spoke up.

"Good point, Draconis. We'll have to track that going forward to see if any other Palaces follow that pattern." Queen said before she turned to Futaba's Shadow and kept speaking.

"So, you're Futaba Sakura." Queen said to Futaba's Shadow, before Futaba's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Tch." Futaba's Shadow said as Skull approached her and spoke up.

"Hey, where's the Treasure?" Skull asked as Draconis facefaulted before he spoke up in an annoyed tone.

"She might want us to help her, but I would be very shocked if she just up and tells us where it is." Draconis said uncertainly as Queen spoke up.

"Good point, Skull." Queen said before turning to Fotaba's Shadow as she kept speaking.

"It's doubtful that you wouldn't know where it is." Queen said as Skull spoke up again at that point.

"Hey, say somethin'!" Skull said as Draconis frowned at Skull, though before he could snap at him, Panther beat him to it, to his surprise.

"Don't be like that, Skull!" Panther rebuked Skull as she approached Futaba's Shadow and spoke up in what she hoped was a reassuring/comforting tone.

"I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. It's okay, there's no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?" Panther asked as Fox spoke up dryly.

"Ugh, this is going nowhere." Fox said as Draconis spoke up at that point with a frown.

"Maybe because you don't let the lady have a chance to speak up before you all keep talking? Just putting that out there. Besides, I doubt she's going to up and tell someone she barely knows where her Treasure is. I'd be surprised if she even told me that, and I'd like to think I'm one of the people she's closest to at this point. So let's not get our hopes up of Futaba's Shadow being much help." Draconis said sagely. Skull sighed as he looked at Fox before he spoke up once more.

"Ugh! Let's just leave her." Skull said as Panther huffed and spoke up.

"Draconis has a point! Would you guys shut up for a bit!?" Panther snapped at Fox and Skull as Futaba's Shadow spoke up at that moment.

"Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you come?" Futaba's Shadow asked as Panther spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, she talked! But..." Panther said, before trailing off as Skull spoke up.

"What're you sayin'? You want us to steal it, right?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Skull, don't be a moron! The real Futaba asked us to help her, but this is her Shadow. She might not have any such inclination or desire for our help." Draconis rebuked Skull before turning to face Futaba's Shadow as he kept speaking.

"Forgive us our impudence, Lady Taba, oh majestic Queen of this tomb. We were sent here to help ease you of your burdens, but we can only do so if you want us to help you. So can you help guide us to the location of your Treasure so we can do what we have to do in order to change the heart of not only you, but your true self, which is suffering greatly from the weight of her demons and fears. We only wish to help alleviate that suffering any way we can." Draconis said humbly but honestly to Futaba's Shadow, who huffed as she spoke up.

"What manner of riddles are these that you speak? True self? Suffering? Wait, did you say you were after my Treasure? I see...If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might." Futaba's Shadow said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"That's rather defiant-sounding." Mona said before Fox spoke up, his words making Draconis turn to face him in surprise as he heard what Fox had to say.

"Perhaps this is that 'tsundere' thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood." Fox said as Draconis blinked but before he could question Fox, Futaba's Shadow spoke up.

"Considering the state that my Palace is in, there is no way that you can steal it." Futaba's Shadow said as at that moment, ominous voices could be heard echoing, yelling things like 'Creepy Child!', 'You killed her!', 'You're a plague!', and most notably, "You're the one that killed her! You're a monster!", making Fox frown before he spoke up.

"What are these voices?" Fox asked as more voices could be heard, yelling things like "MURDERER!", "WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING!?", and "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT KILLED HER!" making Futaba's Shadow hold her head as she went to her knees as Queen spoke up with a frown.

"Murderer?" Queen asked as more voices could be heard, yelling things like "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED HER!" and "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!", making Panther blink and then frown before speaking up.

"This is horrible..." Panther said as Skull frowned and spoke up, looking around while he spoke up.

"Hey, the hell is this?" Skull asked as Draconis crossed his arms and frowned as he spoke up.

"If I had to guess? Probably the Palace's way of representing the hallucinations that Taba sometimes gets. If nothing else, those yells track with what Taba said her family would yell at/say to her, and most of them are just a bunch of effed up asshats." Draconis said huffily. At that point, more voices could be heard, yelling things like 'Don't come near me!', 'MURDERER!', and 'WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING?' as Futaba's Shadow spoke up in a hollow-sounding tone.

"That's right. I did it." Futaba's Shadow said as Skull blinked and spoke up.

"What?" Skull said as Futaba's Shadow spoke up once more, her words making Draconis' eyes narrow as she spoke.

"I am the one who killed my mother." Futaba's Shadow said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"You say that, but that's just your self-guilt speaking. I refuse to believe for one moment that any version of you is anywhere in the same category as being a murderer! What those people told you is just a bunch of lies they were using to deflect their own grief and guilt at not being able to save your mother. If anything, they're the real criminals! No one should be projecting that sort of guilt and hatred onto an innocent young lady, whether she's not that talkative or not!

So you have no reason to blame yourself, Queen Taba! But I don't think you'll believe me that easily, so I'll keep saying that as much as I have to in order for you to believe it, even if it takes the rest of our time here to get through to you." Draconis said huffily. At that moment an ominous-sounding scream echoed through the room followed by an equally ominous sounding rumbling, making Panther blink as she spoke up with a gasp.

"What was that!?" Panther said in shock as Futaba's Shadow spoke up with a smile that Draconis could easily see didn't reach her eyes while she spoke, Draconis smirking at the sight of the dragon headband that Futaba's Shadow wore, having a good guess as to what that symbolized.

"My mother exists here. I will remain here. I will do so until I die." Futaba's Shadow said ominously as with a serious of flashes of blue light, everyone's clothes, bar Mona's which were already changed, turned into their respective Phantom Thief attire, making Queen blink as she spoke up.

"Our clothes have changed? Does that mean we've become threats!?" Queen said as Fox gasped and spoke up.

"She sees us as a threat now...What's going on!?" Fox asked as the room kept rumbling ominously...

(Outside of the Metaverse, in Futaba's room with Futaba)

Futaba blinked as she stopped the typing she was doing and spoke up quietly to herself, after hearing what sounded like Kusa's voice echoing in her mind saying that he believed that she'd never do such a thing as kill her own mother, making Futaba gasp as she spoke up.

"Hm?" Futaba said before wincing as she heard the ominous echoes that heralded one of her hallucinations, making her wince as she spoke more.

"This...again..." Futaba said as the same creepy voices echoed in Futaba's mind that the others had heard inside her Palace before making her wince as she spoke up.

"That's right...I killed Mom. I don't deserve to be alive...This place is a tomb. I'll die here..." Futaba said fearfully before blinking as she could almost hear Kusa's voice echoing in her head.

"The hell you will, Taba! You won't believe it now probably, but I know in my heart you did not kill your mother. But it won't do much until you yourself believe it. But I'll be here to repeat it as much as is needed until you can accept it for yourself. But in the meantime, I want you to know that I have your back, now and always, Taba." Kusa's voice said in Futaba's mind, making her blink in confusion before the ominous voices replaced it.

"That's right...DIE!" One voice said before another replaced it.

"Don't come near me!" Another voice said as yet another voice replaced that voice.

"Your fault! Why don't you say something!?" Yet another voice said as Futaba winced, shaking her head as she realized she had to fight the hallucinations.

"No! Someone, anyone, help me..." Futaba said as she laid her face on her knees and whimpered as she vainly struggled with the voices in her head...

(Back inside Futaba's Palace, with Mona, Skull, Queen, Joker, Panther, Draconis, and Fox)

"Dammit! What the hell?" Skull said in confusion and anger as Queen winced and spoke up.

"This is bad. I'm having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation. We should regroup and-" Queen said as she was cut off by more rumbling making the group wince as Panther spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, what now!?" Panther said as at that moment a huge boulder dropped down and started chasing the Phantom Thieves, who ran for their lives as Mona and Draconis both yelled

"Oh, crap! Bad, bad, bad! Ruuuuuuuuuun!" Mona said as Draconis added his two cents in as the group ran.

"I'm probably the only one who gets this quote, but...BAD DAY! BAD DAY! BAD DAYYYYY!" Draconis said as the group reached the bottom of the stairs, hiding on the sides as the boulder flew past and into the open pit the Thieves had previously hopped across, at which point Queen caught her breath and spoke up. *1*

"We're safe...That was too close." Queen said as Panther winced before she spoke up.

"W-Wait! Now what!?" Panther said as Fox spoke up uneasily.

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, it seems the door is shut. What should we do?" Fox asked as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Dammit! This is likely some of Taba's natural defenses at work! After all, one thing to be said for shut-ins is that they're insanely good at putting up defenses to keep others out when they want them out. I'd know, as someone who was a former shut-in when they were younger. So now we have to start making our way back to the top, probably disarming traps and stuff along the way." Draconis mused as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Draconis. However, I think our best option is retreating for now. This won't be as simple as we expected. Why don't we prepare a little more, then come back?" Mona said, as Joker spoke up, partly to cut off the huffy outburst he was sure was preparing to come from Draconis.

"My thoughts exactly, Mona. A prep week sounds like just what the doctor ordered! Plus it gives us time to try to plan a plan of attack for taking on this Palace. Because clearly we won't be able to tackle it head-on, even if some of us might want to." Joker said sagely, giving Draconis a pointed look as he spoke, getting a mulish glare back from the aforementioned Phantom Thief as he spoke up.

"Shut up, Joker. I know we have to be smart about this. Doesn't mean I'm not going to be worried for Taba until we get this done right, though." Draconis said huffily. Queen nodded as she spoke up.

"True. You're right, Draconis. We have to be smart about this, as well as careful, not just for all of our sakes, but for Futaba-chan's sake as well. I think the reason you're so determined to get this done properly is because whether you want to admit to it or not, you're in love with her and as such, you find it incredibly painful having to see her suffer the way she does, to which I say that not only is it not a crime to feel that way, but it's even quite understandable. That being said, then let's retreat for now and return to the Palace another day." Queen said, as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Whatever. Let's suppose for a moment that you're right, and I am, in fact, in love with Futaba. Given her mental state at the moment, I don't exactly think it would be a very wise or tactful decision to try to act on those feelings just now." Draconis said dryly as the group returned to the real world...

(Back in the real world, at Leblanc with Morgana, Yusuke, Ren, Kusa, Makoto, Ann and Ryuji)

"The date that Medjed has set for the alleged cleans is 8/21. That day is fast approaching. The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterrorism?" The newscaster said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"In order to stop them we need to help Futaba Sakura before the 21st. Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Meetin' up in Shibuya, then comin' here's a pain, right? Let's make this place our hideout for a while." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Why doesn't it surprise me you'd make that sort of a suggestion, Ryuji!? Sheesh, between this crap with Medjed, and Futaba's situation, I'm beginning to wish I hadn't called my birthday being too chaotic to celebrate. Jeez!" Kusa huffed, crossing his arms in irritation as Ren nodded before speaking up.

"I know what you mean, Kusa. But from a tactical and long-term point of view, Ryuji's suggestion does have a lot of merit. Granted, there'd be the issue of not raising Boss' suspicions, which might be raised already after that incident at his house the other night." Ren said as Ryuji nodded before Makoto spoke up.

"Is everyone fine with this place being our next hideout then?" Makoto asked as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm not thrilled with the idea, but I do agree that it's a smart play, so I agree with it." Kusa said reluctantly as Yusuke spoke up.

"You do have a good point, though, Ren. We must take care not to be discovered by Boss." Yusuke said as Morgana spoke up.

"There's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid. We all need to be cautious so that place doesn't become our graveyard. " Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation. We're dealin' with international hackers and lookin' for treasure in a pyramid." Ryuji said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"How can you be enjoying this!? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know!?" Ann rebuked Ryuji, who huffed and spoke up.

"I know that!" Ryuji said angrily as Ann frowned and spoke up, reminded of something else that had happened that bothered her while she spoke.

"Oh, that reminds me! While we were in the Mona Car, you were staring at me with a dirty look, you perv." Ann said in disgust as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Shuddup! It was a great view!" Ryuji said flatly as Kusa huffed and spoke up with a glare at Ann and Ryuji.

"Both of you stop fighting! And Ann, it's the Mona Bus, not the Mona Car! That said, I agree that Ryuji was in the wrong to ogle you the way you did, but hopefully you can wait to kick Ryuji's ass until AFTER we deal with the Palace, since we'll probably need Ryuji for it, even if it's just as human bait to spring traps." Kusa said dryly. Ryuji grinned at Morgana, Yusuke, Kusa, and Ren as he spoke up, ignoring Kusa's remark while he spoke.

"You guys were lookin' too, am I right!?" Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up, not getting the question as he spoke.

"Indeed. The pyramid's golden ratio was a sight to behold." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up for himself and Ren.

"No, Ryuji, Ren and I were NOT looking! We have other girls we'd rather look at! Besides, that'd be way too dirty if either of us were ogling Ann like that! She's like a sister to Ren and I, you effing creep! So for us, ogling Ann like that would be akin to incest! Be glad I don't want to waste my energy clocking you after you made such a crass comment about Ann." Kusa said huffily. Ren put a hand on Kusa's shoulder, both to calm him and to restrain him in case he tried leaping over Ren to hit Ryuji, who slumped over as he kept speaking, once more ignoring Kusa's remarks.

"That ain't what I'm talking about, Yusuke. And shuddup Kusa." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up to defend himself.

"I wasn't looking, Lady Ann. I'm a gentleman, after all." Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"You were also too busy to look, since technically you were caught up being our ride at the time, and as such were unable to do so." Kusa pointed out in amusement. Ann nodded her agreement with Kusa's remark as she spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. It's not that you 'weren't', but that you 'couldn't', since you were transformed, am I right Morgana?" Ann chastised Morgana as Kusa spoke up.

"I don't think he'd have looked regardless, Ann. Morgana's too respectful and gentlemanly for that, unlike Ryuji." Kusa pointed out as Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, will we be all right like this?" Makoto asked worriedly as at that point, the group's phones got a notification that the group's hideout had switched from the 'Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway' to the 'Yongen-Jaya Cafe Leblanc'. At that point, the group just shrugged, not sure how to answer Makoto's question, before dispersing for the day on that note...

(Around that same time, in Futaba's room with Futaba)

"Not again..." Futaba said as she held her head as a flash of red happened behind her, and what appeared to be the ghost of a taller woman with black hair in a bowl cut was looking down at Futaba and saying something indecipherable as Futaba held her head in her hands and winced as she spoke to herself.

"Rgh...Agh...Ngh..." Futaba said as the ghost vanished as suddenly as she'd appeared, making Futaba speak to herself once more.

"Mom..." Futaba said as she struggled with herself...

(Back at Leblanc, in the attic with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

As Morgana looked at Ren while Kusa laid on the sofa and flipped through his phone idly, both Ren's and Kusa's phones went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Makoto, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Well, that sucked." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Is doing this really going to help us do something about Medjed?" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It'd be a shame if our efforts were a waste." Yusuke sent as at that moment, another person sent a response, a person whose cat icon Ren blinked as he saw.

"Medjed will definitely make a move." Alibaba sent as the group gasped and Ann sent a response.

"Alibaba!" Ann sent as Kusa chose that moment to send a response, an amused grin on his face as he sent his response.

"Well, well, it seems that the great and powerful Alibaba has decided to grace us with her awesome presence." Kusa sent teasingly as Alibaba huffed and sent a response.

"Don't be such a dork, Kusa. That said, I'm checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?" Alibaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Hey, Alibaba! Can you really do something about Medjed?" Ryuji sent as Kusa and Alibaba sent responses close together, Alibaba's coming through first.

"Of course." Alibaba sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Of course she can do something about them, Ryuji! Alibaba is one of the single greatest hackers that ever took up hacking! Rumor has it she once hacked and took down a government website for a week before putting it back up afterwards, just to make people take her skills seriously. So don't doubt her, you fool." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Be that as it may Kusa, unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that." Yusuke sent as Alibaba smirked at Kusa's response before sending a response of her own.

"I have no idea where you heard such a thing, Kusa, but you're not wrong. But to be fair, you left out the part where I did it on a dare! However, you are wise to trust my skills. That said, your work will be rewarded, I promise. Besides, you have no other option, do you?" Alibaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I suppose that's true." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"For real!? Can you do stuff like take down a server? Show me." Ryuji sent as Kusa growled at Ryuji's skeptical response and sent an irate response of his own.

"RYUJI! This isn't the time for you to be demanding practical demonstrations of Alibaba's skill when time is limited. So stop being an effing dumbass and focus on the task at hand." Kusa sent dryly as Makoto sent another response.

"Hey! Don't start any trouble, Ryuji! And Kusa, simmer down. We know you're on edge, but that doesn't mean you get to take it out on us." Makoto rebuked both Ryuji and Kusa. Alibaba then sent a response.

"Is that all it would take to convince you? All right. I ask that you take care of this quickly." Alibaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"We will. We're taking a small break to prepare before we go back in and really deep-dive into your heart, but we will have it changed, sooner rather than later. You have our word on that, Alibaba." Kusa sent as Alibaba nodded and sent a response.

"Very well. Until then." Alibaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"Wait! Are you ditching us again?" Ann said as Makoto sent a response.

"This is troubling, but there's little we can do for it now. Instead, we need to do what we can at the moment." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I have concern for Futaba herself during all this." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Man, why'd this have to be during summer vacation?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Are you kidding!? It would've been even tougher to manage this during the school year, Ryuji. Besides, it's doubtful, at best, if we'd have ran into Taba at all if this was during school." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Kusa has a point. Besides, it's not like we have any other choice." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Exactly. That said, as always Ren-kun, we'll leave it to you and Kusa-kun to call us together." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away before Morgana spoke up.

"The sight of her Palace bothers me too. We have to do this." Morgana said as Kusa nodded agreeably before he spoke up.

"Damn straight we do. Screw what Ryuji and Makoto said about it being a waste! Helping someone in need is NEVER a waste! Those two are just getting hung up on our increasing popularity! And if Ryuji keeps talking smack that he can't back up, he might just have an ass whooping coming." Kusa said dryly as Ren just nodded, not wanting to pick a fight with Kusa, and at that moment his phone went off to signify a private chat with Mishima, which Kusa stood up and walked over to Ren's bed so he could read it over Ren's shoulder as Ren opened it up.

"Hey listen up! This is horrible! The Phan-Site is gone! I try to access the URL, but it says that page doesn't exist! The fruit of my labor has completely disappeared! Oh! Do you think it's because of Medjed!?" Mishima said as Ren and Kusa groaned before the latter swore and spoke up.

"DAMMIT, RYUJI! You HAD to dare Alibaba to show her skills right then, didn't you!? That absolute effing moron." Kusa said, trailing off as he grumbled angrily under his breath while Ren turned back to the private chat after nodding and sent a response to Mishima.

"Nah, it's the work of a hacker named Alibaba, who probably took it down briefly to prove to Ryuji that their skills were legit. So it's nothing to be worried about." Ren sent as Mishima sent a response.

"Huh? Who's Alibaba? Anyway, this has to be Medjed's doing! Is this supposed to be some kind of penalty for cheering for the Phantom Thieves!? But wait, they're totally jumping the gun! There's still time until the cleanse! Hold on, something came up. 'Is this proof enough for you?' What's that supposed to mean? Do you think it's a virus!? Oh!" Mishima sent as Ren sent a response.

"No, it's not a virus. As Kusa would put it, and I happen to agree with him on this, it's just a result of Ryuji being stupid and doubting someone who agreed to help us deal with Medjed if we help them first. That said, try to calm down Mishima." Ren sent as Mishima sent a response.

"Oh. Umm, right. Well, uh, this is awkward. Just as suddenly as it went down, the Phan-Site is back up. As such, it looks like everything's back to normal. Sorry for making a fuss about all this, Amamiya the elder. I'm going to try and look into it a little more though. See you." Mishima sent as Ren closed his phone once more, at which point Kusa went to sit on the sofa and huffed as he once more cussed Ryuji out in his head while Morgana spoke up in shock.

"Was that Alibaba proving what she said earlier? Talk about a crazy thing to pull off." Morgana said as Ren nodded. At that point, he headed downstairs to read while Kusa idly flipped through his phone and debated sending a private chat to Futaba, but decided against it as he just laid on the sofa and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the current mission. As for Ren and Morgana, once they got downstairs, Ren sat at the counter and pulled out his copy of 'Tidying the Heart' and began reading from it.

"Let's see here...'The secret to decluttering is a pure and serene heart.' I see." Ren said as Morgana spoke up from where he'd been curled up listening to Ren read.

"Is this book really about cleaning? Or is it training you to become a monk? Either way, whoa! You still got time to read. Let's go a little further." Morgana said to Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"Right. Now, where were we? Ah yes, here we are. 'Gaze upon your clutter with a heart detached from desire. The answer will then come to you.' Uh, what? Okay then, I guess?" Ren said as he finished reading 'Tidying the Heart' eventually staring at the covers as Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm...So, you've finished reading 'Tidying the Heart'. Cleaning as a way to speak to your heart? I've never thought of it that way. Reading this book must have taught you how to contemplate the task more efficiently, huh?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as his Proficiency got a sufficient boost to increase from rank 3, which was 'Skilled', to rank 4, which was 'Masterful'. Morgana then spoke up.

"Well done on the rank-up, Ren. But we should probably go to sleep. Masterful Proficiency or not, staying up too late is bad for you, you know." Morgana said as Ren nodded, heading upstairs with Morgana, smirking as they saw Kusa curled up with his blanket, trying to fall asleep, though Ren frowned as he thought he heard what sounded vaguely like Kusa muttering a prayer under his breath, probably praying for Futaba's continued health and wellness or something like that. As Ren got ready for bed, Morgana hopped up on the sofa and curled up on Kusa, gently nuzzling his head on Kusa's shoulder to try and comfort him as the group dozed off for the night...

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

As the group got ready for the day to come, Ren's phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said before wincing as he heard Caroline's voice on the other end.

"HEY! You better not have forgotten about that Persona you left here!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Listen carefully. You must come today. Otherwise, you shall very well lose that Persona..." Justine said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone as Morgana spoke up.

"Now then, if we want Futaba's help, we're gonna have to steal her Treasure by the day before the deadline. So, we have to find her Treasure by the 18th, and send the calling card by the 19th. It's up to you when we go to the Palace, but keep the deadline in mind, all right!?" Morgana said as Ren nodded before speaking up, having reached a decision.

"Fair enough. Today's only 7/26, so we have around 3 and a half weeks before we hit the Treasure deadline, so we can easily afford to take our prep week here to get prepared for the Palace. Kusa might not like it, but even he has to agree that it's better to be over-prepared rather than under-prepared." Ren said, Kusa grudgingly nodding his agreement as the 'MISSION START!' prompt popped up on Ren and Kusa's phones, the former checking his phone at that point for chats. After going to the Velvet Room to deal with Arsene and re-set his Lockdown, Ren decided to go hang with Makoto, fast-travelling to the School Gate to do so. Makoto smiled as she saw Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, Ren-kun. Have you decided on our plans for today?" Makoto asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed, I have. Given how hard that roadblock we hit is, I'm making the executive decision to do our usual prep week this week, starting today. So that places the date that we'll go into the Palace again at around 8/2, so feel free to let the others know, or failing that, I'll send a group chat along later to tell everyone. But we need to be as prepared as possible for this Palace, both because the stakes are too high this time not to take all precautions, and because I don't want to know what it would do to Kusa if we fail this and something happens to Futaba as a result. That said, let's hang out." Ren said as Makoto gasped and spoke up.

"Now? I guess, if that's really what you want to do...Is this a part of your grand strategy?" Makoto asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"That's exactly right. Part of a prep week also involves strengthening our bonds as needed to make sure we mesh together well as a team." Ren said agreeably. Makoto nodded understandingly as she spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Hm. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take things a little slower. Oh, right. I wanted to ask you a favor about that student we saw in the red-light district." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up.

"Ah, I see. It's good to take a break every so often. Want to hang out with Makoto?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Why don't you go see if you can find Kusa and hang with him, if for no other reason than to keep him company." Ren said before turning to Makoto and speaking up.

"I would be delighted to help you out with that, Makoto." Ren said to Makoto who smiled and nodded gratefully before speaking up.

"Thank you. It will be nice to have you there when I talk to her. Let's do it in the student council room. I'll leave the back entrance open for you." Makoto said as Ren nodded and Makoto called the student in question into the student council room...

(In the Student Council Room, with Ren and Makoto)

"Excuse me. Eiko Takao-san. You've been spending time in the red-light district lately, haven't you? Both myself and Ren-kun here saw you there. Based on where you were heading, we assume you're working a ta store called the After School Salon. How is it, working there?" Makoto asked the now-named Eiko Takao, a girl who at first glance struck Ren as vaguely similar in appearance and build to Ann's friend Suzui. Takao blinked at the question and looked up, putting her phone away to give Makoto her attention before she spoke up.

"Whaddya mean? It's just a normal cafe. They make me wear a costume and stuff, but that's it. Oh, and I don't hafta do anything weird, if you know what I mean. It's all totally legal." Takao said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Hm So you're sure nothing strange is going on?" Makoto asked Takao, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Yup yup, the worst I get is some weird old guys gawking at me." Takao said as Makoto spoke up once more.

"I see...Beyond that though, why are you working there? How's your financial situation?" Makoto asked Takao, who blinked as she spoke up.

"Uh, fine? I mean, I can just ask my parents for cash whenever I want." Takao said as Makoto blinked and spoke up.

"O-Oh, I see." Makoto said as Takao nodded and spoke up more.

"But they'd totally bug me about what I'm buying if I did that. That's why I work at the salon. I get some good spending money, plus the guys who come in there like, mega pamper me." Takao said as Makoto blinked and spoke up.

"Mega...pamper?" Makoto asked as Takao nodded as she spoke up again.

"It's nice having people treat you like you're special, y'know? I'm sure a super honor student like you gets that all the time, though." Takao said as Ren frowned and spoke up, visibly offended at Takao comparing Makoto to Kasumi while he spoke.

"I don't know where you got that impression, Takao-san, but you're sadly mistaken. Not every honors student likes getting special treatment. And with respect to Makoto here, I'm not sure she's counted as an honors student. So kindly check your facts before you speak if you're going to speak factually inaccurate statements." Ren said politely but bluntly as Takao blinked and spoke up.

"Uh, okay then? If you say so, Amamiya-kun. Anyways, are you gonna tell on me? You even brought a witness today. Wait, hold up. Doesn't that mean you two were in Shinjuku together? What's up with that, Miss Prez?" Takao asked as Ren frowned and spoke up once more.

"Again, you have the wrong idea, Takao-san. I went with her as a favor to her to help her do some investigating. Makoto is a nice girl and all, but she and I are just friends." Ren said bluntly but honestly. Makoto nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Yes, it's as Ren-kun says. He's right. It was nothing more than an errand that I asked him to accompany me on. At any rate, don't mind him. He might seem intimidating, but he's mostly harmless. And as for you, I don't plan on telling anyone." Makoto said as Takao blinked before nodding as she spoke up.

"Ohhh, I get it! So we're like, protecting each other's secrets? Oh crap, and I just realized your boyfriend's that rumored criminal. You're a real badass, Miss Prez!" Takao said as Ren blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Wait, what!? What part of 'she and I are friends' don't you get, Takao-san?" Ren snapped, not wanting to deal with rumors going around about him and Makoto, when his interests were firmly set on a certain red-headed first-year honors student. Makoto nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Like Ren-kun said! And I told you Takao-san, that's not how it is! I was just worried you were getting wrapped up in some shady business, so I asked him here for support." Makoto said as Takao frowned but shrugged as she spoke up.

"Hmmm...Eh, whatever. By the way, I was wondering. Is that a Buchimaru-kun pencil case!?" Takao asked as Makoto blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? You know Buchimaru-kun...?" Makoto asked Takao, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah. I had like, tonnns of Buchi stuff back when I was a kid. What a blast from the past! Wait, why's it so beat up!?" Takao asked as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Well, it was given to me when I was still in elementary school. I'd like to buy a new one, but they've stopped selling Buchimaru-kun merchandise." Makoto said as Takao spoke up, smiling as she spoke up.

"OMG, this is too hilarious! The student council president has an adorable pencil case? My image of you has done like, a complete 360 today." Takao said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Um, isn't that a full circle?" Makoto asked as Takao nodded and spoke up.

"Mmm, I dunno. I'm just real surprised. You don't look like the kinda person who'd be into that stuff. I mean, I always thought you were kinda like a robot, but I guess I just had to get to know you better. Hey, why don't we trade phone numbers!? I really wanna talk to you more about Buchimaru-kun, and your boyfriend." Takao said as Ren huffed, not bothering to reprimand Takao for once again incorrectly calling him Makoto's boyfriend. Makoto, for her part, just nodded and spoke up.

"O-Oh, um, Okay. Wait, Ren-kun's not my boyfriend. Rumor has it he's interested in Yoshizawa-san, even if they're not really serious about one another yet. But I'm quite sure they're smitten with one another. Not that it's my place to be saying things like that, just stating what I've heard." Makoto said as Ren glared at Makoto, both grateful for her setting Takao straight and annoyed at her for gossiping about him and Kasumi, but rather than rebuking Makoto, Ren huffed, crossed his arms, and said nothing for the moment. Takao then spoke up after registering Makoto's number.

"Aaand saved! Oh crap, it's this late already? I've gotta get to work. I'll send you tons of pics of my Buchimaru-kun collection later though. Bye byeee!" Takao said as she left, leaving Makoto to turn and give Ren a sheepish look as she spoke up.

"Oh, um sorry about talking to her about you and Yoshizawa. I just didn't know how else to get her off my back about you and me. That said, she was all over the place. Honestly though, I'm in shock. She thought I was a robot." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up, resisting the urge to be a smart aleck and say 'beep boop' as he spoke.

"That's her lookout, Makoto. You can change, though. You've demonstrated as much already when you joined us during that whole debacle with Kaneshiro recently. And I'm honestly grateful for that, since who knows if we'd have managed to change his heart without you." Ren said honestly to Makoto. Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes. That's why you're helping me. You know, I believe what Takao-san said about me is how others think as well. I thought I had changed after the incident with Kaneshiro, but perhaps it wasn't enough. That aside, it was almost inspiring to meet someone so distinct from myself. I'm going to try to look at things a little differently from now on. And, well, I think that will help me break out of my shell. I hope you're ready. I'm going to show you how useful an honor student can really be." Makoto said to Ren, who nodded as he felt he could sense a quiet resolve from the student council president.

At that point, the 'Priestess' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that his Priestess Confidant link with Makoto had reached rank 3. As a result of this rank up, Makoto had awoken to the power of 'Black Belt Talk', making it so that if negotiation with a martial-arts using Shadow fails, Ren could try it again with Makoto in the party. Afterwards, Makoto spoke up once more, looking at Ren as she spoke.

"I'll be interested to speak with Takao-san some more now that I have her contact information. Perhaps I can correct her misconceptions about you." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, please do. Last thing EITHER of us needs is a pissed-off/jealous Yoshizawa-san right now. And I think, if I'm being honest with you, Yoshizawa-san probably does have genuine feelings for me at this point, even if she hasn't realized it as yet. I myself honestly find her rather attractive and fun to be around. But I'm not going to rush her into anything she's not ready for." Ren said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Good for you, Ren. I support you and Yoshizawa-san wholeheartedly. And as always, I'll let you know if anything important happens." Makoto said as Ren nodded and the two got up and left, Makoto speaking up once more as the two left the Student Council Room.

"Well, see you later, Ren-kun." Makoto said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang once he reached the door. Ren answered it.

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

"Hello? It's Makoto. Thanks for sitting in with me today. It really did help. I got a message from Takao-san earlier. She turned out to be quite a fan of Buchimaru-kun. It was crazy to see a picture of her entire collection. She even has a bunch of Buchimaru-kun emoticons!" Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like you two get along." Ren said honestly. Makoto blinked before she spoke up.

"Huh...? Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't expect to bond over something like this, though. I'm pretty shocked, to be honest. Though, I'm still a little worried about that store she works at. I'll try a little harder to get through to her about it. I might come to you for more advice later. For now, I'll let you go. Talk to you later." Makoto said as Ren nodded and headed into Leblanc after hanging up the phone. Once inside, his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"So, just what's Medjed gonna do?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"It is hard for me to even fathom what it could be." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"People have really been up in arms about the whole cleanse thing..." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"To think a global hacker group would be targeting us." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Should we just ignore 'em?" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"If only we could, Ryuji. But we kinda can't since most of Japan is counting on us." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Not to mention, we already promised Taba we'd change her heart, and I, for one, have no intention on going back on that promise. You can punk out on it if you want though, Ryuji. We'll just find a way to see things through without you." Kusa sent dryly. Ryuji then sent a response.

"Yeah, I guess it'd be easy if that was one of our options. And Kusa, shut up! I was just thinking out loud. I'm aware we have to change your friend's heart. No need to be an asshole about it." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Asshole!? So, just because I'm being a concerned friend, that makes me an asshole now? Granted, I'll give you my response did come off ruder than I meant to, so I'm sorry for that, Ryuji. But my point about owing it to Taba to help her still stands." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa. No matter how you look at it, we need a countermeasure." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Our best bet would be Alibaba." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"True, but she might not be capable of it in her current state. Kusa-kun might have a point on her needing to take top priority for now, for the sake of possibly securing vital assistance in striking back against Medjed." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"I guess we should think of some other ways too, then." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes, it would be best to have as many solutions as possible." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Well we still got time, so let's come up with something good, k?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Oh sure, we'll split our time between devising how to tackle the fourth Palace and researching possible other options for how to take down a notorious hacktivist organization. I'll be legitimately surprised if we do come up with another option that works." Kusa sent dryly as Ren sent a response of his own, being reminded of something he'd told Makoto he'd tell the others earlier.

"Before I forget, this next week is officially our pre-Palace prep week! So do everything you can to be as prepared as possible! Come 8/2, we go back in and hit Futaba's Palace hard and fast!" Ren sent as he got a chorus of affirmative responses before he put his phone away at that point. After considering his options, Ren decided to study, just so he could finish off his summer homework since there wasn't a lot else to do. At that point, Kusa came downstairs and looked at Ren.

"Studying, are we? Could be fun. If nothing else, would give a good excuse for us to finish our summer homework so we have that done ahead of time." Kusa said as Ren nodded while Morgana spoke up.

"Ah, so are you two going to study then?" Morgana asked Ren and Kusa, who nodded. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"Good on you two, keeping on your studies even during your break. That's what I call work ethic. Also, before I forget, Futaba told me to tell Kusa that she wants him to 'focus on helping Ren and the others out for now and not worry about hanging out with me', whatever that means. Well, with that message passed along, I'm headin' home. Make sure you two close up." Sojiro said as Kusa frowned, but nodded his understanding as Sojiro left and Morgana looked at Ren and Kusa in shock as he spoke up.

"Wow! Whoa, you two can solve these difficult problems now!? You two are truly amazing!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded.

"Thanks, at least you acknowledge it. You're about the only real bright spot that's happened recently." Kusa said with a huff as Morgana nodded.

"Naturally. You take care of me, so it's only fair I return the favor by providing comfort and unconditional support where I can. That said, you're making some great progress, Ren. I can see the increasing intelligence behind those glasses! And Kusa, you continue to sharpen that mind of yours every time you study! Not to mention, you both finished your summer homework, which is good." Morgana said as Ren nodded, his Knowledge getting increased a fair bit. Morgana then nodded as he spoke up.

"Good. Well then, let's not keep at it for too long, you two. Wouldn't want you two to over-work and push yourselves to collapse. You should stop here and get some sleep." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the three laying down to get comfortable for the night. As Ren laid down, his phone went off making Morgana wince from on Kusa's chest as he spoke up.

"Ugh, huh? Who could that be at this hour?" Morgana asked as Ren checked his chat, and saw it was a private chat from Yusuke.

"Since it's summer vacation, I'll be heading to Leblanc tomorrow afternoon. The cafe is cool and quiet, and it's relaxing with the 'Sayuri' there. It's a peaceful place. I'm thinking of relaxing and reading a book. Moreover, we can easily meet up should something occur. We can kill two birds with one stone. Don't worry if you already have plans, though. I'll be stopping by either way. If you'd like, though, we could spend some time together." Yusuke sent as Ren put his phone down while Morgana spoke up.

"Yusuke's coming tomorrow, huh? Might be nice to hang out with him." Morgana said as Kusa frowned before he spoke up.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be too bad to hang with him. Though I fail to see how that helps us prepare for the Palace to do so." Kusa said with a shrug. Morgana nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Fair point. I'm going to bed." Morgana said as he laid his head on Kusa's chest and fell asleep, Kusa and Ren doing the same shortly after once they exchanged a wary glance, the latter setting his phone down on the bed next to him...

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

"Dang, whoever would've guessed we'd have effing torrential rain in the tail end of July!? That's crazy!" Kusa said in surprise as he heard the rain coming down from the window. At that point, Sojiro's voice called up the stairs.

"Hey, Ren and Kusa! One of your friends is here to visit!" Sojiro called up, making Kusa blink before nodding as he spoke up.

"Ah, that'll probably be Yusuke. I recall you got a message from him last night." Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct, he said he was coming over today. That said, we should go downstairs, you two. Come on." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former checking his phone for chats as he nodded. After checking his options, Ren decided to go put in a shift at the flower shop, while Kusa decided to hang out with Yusuke, figuring it was as good of a use of his time as any, and he did feel like he hasn't really spent as much time with Yusuke as he has some of the others, so the two decided to hang out together...

(At the flower shop with Ren)

"Ren-kun, we have an order for a bouquet. Please handle it. Our customer wants small flowers with soft coloration. Please find three that meet the request." Hanasaki said as Ren nodded and Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm...The request is for 'small flowers with soft coloration'. That means white or other light colors, right?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded. He then picked out the 'Rainbow Sage', 'Justice Jasmine' and 'Enamored Orchid' flowers for the bouquet, figuring they were small and soft-colored, or so he hoped. Morgana frowned and nodded as Ren confirmed his choice, speaking up at that point.

"Hmmm...I see. I hope they like it." Morgana said to Ren. When all was said and done,the customer nodded and bought the bouquet without complaint. Hanasaki smiled at Ren as she spoke up.

"What a relief! They bought the bouquet without any complaints. I guess that's a pretty standard reaction. Well, here's your pay for today!" Hanasaki said as she handed Ren 6,200 yen. Hanasaki then kept speaking.

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

"How are you feeling? Nice job. You worked pretty hard today. Still, I bet this job making gifts has boosted your Kindness." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his Kindness increased from the job. Afterwards, Morgana kept speaking.

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

(Back at Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

Sojiro frowned as Ren came back in from work, huffing in frustration before he spoke up.

"Rain, huh!? Just a few degrees cooler would do it." Sojiro said as Ren nodded agreeably as he checked his chats, seeing chats from Hifumi and Kawakami, deciding to hang with the former, though Sojiro spoke up.

"Oh yeah, before I forget Ren, make sure if you go out that you leave the door unlocked. Kusa apparently went out to meet someone from Shujin. Something to do with a surprise for him or some such? He seemed uneasy of it when he went, but I think he was wise to go." Sojiro said as Ren and Morgana exchanged confused looks but shrugged as Ren opened up his private chat with Hifumi.

"Good evening, Amamiya-kun. How about a match? I'm at the church. Please visit me, if you'd like." Hifumi sent as Morgana spoke up.

"Wanna go hang out with Hifumi?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded.

"Yeah, might as well get going on ranking her up more since she's one of my lower-ranked Confidants as I recall, tied for lowest with I believe Kawakami." Ren said as Morgana nodded understandingly. Ren then sent a response.

"Sounds good to me, Togo-san. There wasn't much else to do tonight anyways, so I'll be right there if you're serious about wanting me to visit you." Ren sent as Hifumi sent a response at that point.

"OK, I'll be waiting. See you when you get here, Amamiya-kun." Hifumi sent as Ren headed to the church in Kanda to see Hifumi...

(At the church in Kanda, with Ren and Morgana)

Ren got to the church and approached Hifumi, but blinked as he saw she was talking to someone, as Morgana spoke up.

"Oh? Hifumi's talking to someone. She seems kinda troubled." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"In that case, we should help her out if she needs it." Ren said decisively before deciding to talk to her. As he approached her he saw a man talking to her, probably a fanboy if Ren had to guess, though what he said had both Ren and Morgana cringing.

"Thank you for shaking my hand! I'm never gonna wash it!" The man said as Ren and Hifumi's eyes went wide as the latter spoke up in surprise.

"Huh!? Um, please wash it. I didn't shake your hand so you'd develop gross habits like not washing your hands." Hifumi said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as the man spoke up.

"I can't believe that you're really here...in a church. I read on the internet that you pray to God for victory. Is that true?" The man asked as Hifumi shook her head and spoke up.

"No..." Hifumi said, her tone making her disinterest and displeasure with the man clear to see, though he seemed to ignore it as he kept speaking.

"Can I take a selfie with you and post it online?" The man asked as Hifumi regretfully shook her head as she kept speaking.

"Sorry, I've been turning down all such requests." Hifumi said as the man shrugged and kept speaking.

"By the way, is it true that you're trying to become a professional shogi player?" The man asked Hifumi who blinked before wincing as she spoke up.

"Well, nothing's been..." Hifumi started to say as the man cut her off by speaking up.

"I'll be cheering for you to qualify! You'd be the first woman to surpass the third-dan league! I really believe in you!" The man said as Hifumi smiled, though Ren could see easily that the smile didn't come close to reaching her eyes as Hifumi spoke up.

"Thank you very much." Hifumi said as the man finally left, leaving Ren alone with Hifumi, who smiled and spoke up as Ren sat down next to her.

"Oh. Good evening! Men like that approach me all the time. At first, I thought you were one of them..." Hifumi said to Ren, who shook his head as he spoke up.

"Absolutely not, Togo-san. Unlike that guy, I respect a lady's wishes. And I took no offense to your rudeness before. I can understand how it might seem unusual for someone to approach you out of the blue and ask for tutoring with no warning or tact." Ren said as Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you for understanding. Also, I really must apologize for being rude to you. Um, it bothers me when people make such a big fuss over me. Considering that the priest is doing me a great favor by letting me play here. You see, he's my shogi friend. And he's very kind. He once told me that he wanted to become a professional player. And he doesn't laugh at my embarrassing habit when we play together. So...I did the photoshoot. I'm embarrassed just thinking about it. Did you see it? It was called 'The Venus of Shogi'." Hifumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Ah. 'The Venus of Shogi', eh? Describes you perfectly, at least in my opinion." Ren said honestly. Hifumi's cheeks got a bit red in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"N-Nonsense. Please stop. Ever since I won the female shogi league, I've been getting a lot of attention. I just figured I could contribute to the shogi world. Besides, my mother seems to be very happy. Whenever I win, she rejoices as if it were her own victory. So I want to live up to the expectations she has for me. However she's been a bit overzealous lately. She set up the interview and photoshoot. It's as if she wants to be the manager of a celebrity." Hifumi said as Ren frowned before he spoke up.

"Oh? I could be wrong in saying so, but I get the sense you're not enjoying it. Having a difficult time?" Ren asked. Hifumi nodded.

"Yeah, a bit. But, it's fine, because it's for my mother. Oh, sorry! I should be teaching you how to play instead of talking about my mother. Today, I'll be showing you something very practical. It's a tactic for using the reserved pawns you've taken from your opponent in a more effective way. Nevertheless, I apologize. You're such a good listener, I feel at ease speaking with you. Actually, aside from the priest, you're the first person I've spoken to about my mother." Hifumi said to Ren, who smiled at Hifumi, pleased that he could feel her trust in him growing.

At that point, the 'Star' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that his Star Confidant link with Hifumi had reached Rank 3. As a result of this rank-up, Hifumi had taught Ren the ways of Uchikomi, which allowed Ren the chance for a follow-up attack by a backup member if Joker downs an enemy. Afterwards, Hifumi kept speaking, smiling as she spoke.

"Now then, I will instruct you while we play. I look forward to it. Are you ready, Amamiya-kun?" Hifumi said as the two bowed and started their match, Ren smiling as he felt his mind sharpening as he played shogi with Hifumi, netting him an increase to his Knowledge, but not quite enough to rank it up. At that point, Hifumi spoke up.

"Well then, until next time. I look forward to our next match." Hifumi said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang once he hit the doorstep and he answered it.

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

"Ah, this is Hifumi. I appreciate you spending time with me today. Um, I ended up feeling much better after sharing my concerns with you. But this hardly seems fair. How can I teach you properly when I'm this distressed?" Hifumi asked Ren, who spoke up with a smile.

"I'm not sure. I know I'm willing to listen if you're that distressed. But otherwise, sometimes playing games can be quite cathartic, so if we have to play more matches to help you feel better, then bring it on." Ren said confidently. Hifumi blinked as she spoke up.

"Oh, are you sure? You really are a strange individual. But thank you for the encouragement. If that is the case, I can only hope to repay you through my lessons. You make for a refreshing opponent. Somehow, the more we exchange, the more I feel my world expanding...Teaching you is also a great learning experience for me, as it leads to a deeper understanding of myself. Well then, if you'll excuse me. I'll see you for our next match, Amamiya-kun." Hifumi said as she hung up the phone, Ren heading inside as he wondered idly about what Kusa had gotten up to that evening...

(Earlier that evening, in Shibuya with Kusa)

"I wonder why Doc would want to meet with me this late? And during the summer, no less? That's a bit odd, but I suppose I've had stranger occurrences." Kusa thought as he headed to the diner he was told to meet Maruki at. When he got there, Kusa was surprised to find that Maruki wasn't alone. He had a gaggle of very familiar faces sitting with him. Maruki smiled as he saw Kusa walk in, waving him over to the table the group was at, speaking up as Kusa walked over, looking clearly perplexed as to why the karate team he used to lead was in Shibuya with Maruki, while the aforementioned counselor spoke.

"Ah, good, Kusa! Just who we were looking for. Come, have a seat!" Maruki said as Kusa did as told, looking confused as he sat down. Maruki then spoke up at that point.

"Sorry about all the cloak and dagger, Kusa. But apparently these guys over here said they used to go to school with you? Something to do with you led their team until you and your brother had to move here for his probation?" Maruki said, as Kusa blinked before nodding in realization as he spoke up.

"Ah, yes. That's quite correct, Doc. Do you remember how I told you I used to be captain of my previous school's martial arts team?" Kusa asked Maruki, who nodded his understanding of Kusa's question, prompting Kusa to return the nod as he spoke up.

"Well, meet said martial arts team. The long, lanky guy with the piercing green eyes and dark hair to your right is my former second-in-command and now leader of the team, Somasi 'Slim' Ridgeley. To his right, the petite-looking blonde girl is the previously third-in-command who I would guess is now second-in-command, Lumine Mizrahi.

Next to Lumine, the spunky-looking short-haired brunette is Mimille Kurusu. Next to her, the mousy-looking red-headed guy is Lumine's older brother, Kyori Mizrahi. And finally, the spiky-haired ravenhair with the smug grin in the back is the last student I personally recruited to the karate team. He's Mimille's older brother, Akira Kurusu. *2*

And that makes up the roster of the karate team I used to be captain of before I had to regretfully step down so I could move here to help oversee Ren's probation. That said, nice to see you guys. How's everyone been in the few months I've been away?" Kusa said to his former teammates, who all just shrugged before Slim spoke up.

"We're doing okay, Kusa. Or as okay as we can be without our leader here. We got to the championship, but unfortunately so came up just short against the Shujin karate team. I'm not sure how they got to be so good, but we were out-classed without you. But we did the best we could to win for you." Slim said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I see. That sucks, guys. But I'm pleased you got us runner-up for the championship. That's still damned impressive. And I don't blame you all one bit for coming up short, since I was the one to basically up and leave you guys when you probably needed me the most, but I didn't have much of a choice. I was ordered to go with Ren, by the court. And no one turns down a court order." Kusa said regretfully as Mimille and Lumine nodded while Akira huffed and spoke up in a dry tone.

"So you say, Kusa. So you say. However, I did notice that some of the Shujin karate students had a surprisingly similar style to yours. Makes me wonder, did you join the Shujin karate team once you got here?" Akira asked Kusa, who blinked but shook his head furiously in denial as he spoke up.

"W-What!? No! Why would I join another karate team? I would never turn my back on you guys like that! How many times have I always said our team is like a family and we would always have each others backs no matter what? I was planning to come back once Ren's probation was over. My hope with that was that the team would still be together so we could continue it like old times, even if i have to accept a lower ranking in the team for the sake of fairness." Kusa said firmly as Kyori spoke up.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen, Amamiya. Slim, myself, and Akira discussed it, and we decided that once you left, that was it for you. No second chances. So you're no longer on the team. And, just to prove a point, AND to show how good we've gotten, let's go spar out behind the building." Kyori said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"In the rain!? I have no problems sparring you guys, but wouldn't it be smarter to do it where we won't get rained on?" Kusa asked as Kyori and Akira shook their heads and dragged a surprised Kusa outside, leaving Lumine and Mimille inside to talk to Maruki as Slim followed the three outside. Once outside, Kyori and Akira held Kusa down as Slim advanced on a shocked and confused Kusa.

"W-wait? What the heck is this, guys? We're all friends here, right!?" Kusa asked his friends, only Slim to dryly chuckle at the question as he spoke up in a very no-nonsense tone while glaring at a shocked Kusa.

"Friends!? You stopped being our friend the moment you left the team, Amamiya! Now, you're just a traitor. And as such, time to punish you." Slim said as he hauled off and slammed his fist into Kusa's stomach, making him wince as he grunted in pain before Slim's next punch connected with Kusa's face, making him wince as it connected with his nose, making him crumple to the ground from the onslaught of blows that Slim rained down on Kusa.

After Kusa hit the ground, Akira and Kyori dropped Kusa's arms and each of then kicked at one of Kusa's legs, colliding with his shins and making him wince in pain before the three of them started raining down blows upon Kusa as they beat him up for what they perceived as a betrayal of the team, before eventually leaving his battered and unconscious body in the alley and heading back to the diner to pick up the girls. Once they got back, Maruki frowned as he spoke up, noticing that Kusa wasn't with the guys when they returned, making him frown in concern while he spoke.

"Wait, where's Kusa? Why isn't he with you?" Maruki asked Slim, Kyori and Akira, the latter of whom spoke up to try and assuage Maruki's concerns and sidestep the question of Kusa's absence.

"Oh, he had to go after we sparred him. Something to do with he was needed back at whatever cafe he's staying at. He sends his regrets on having to leave so suddenly." Akira lied smoothly as Maruki frowned but nodded, buying the story. Unbeknownst to the guys, though, Lumine and Mimille exchanged worried looks, wondering if the guys had gone and done what they had talked about doing to Kusa. After the group placed their orders, Mimille and Lumine looked over as the former spoke up.

"Sorry, if you'll excuse us? Lumine and I have to powder our noses before we eat. We'll be right back." Mimille said as she and Lumine got up and left the table, discreetly heading out of the diner to go look for Kusa. A short time later, they found him laying unconscious in the alleyway that he'd been taken to, looking battered and bruised. Mimille winced as she carefully turned Kusa over to check him for injuries.

When she did so, Mimille gasped when she saw the trail of blood down Kusa's face from where his nose had clearly been snapped back by a punch to the face. Lumine actually screamed slightly as she saw the visible bruise on Kusa's stomach when she slightly lifted his shirt to check for bruises to his torso, only to wince as she saw saw the swelling on each of Kusa's shins where he'd been kicked.

Mimille wasted little time in calling for help for Kusa after fixing his nose back into place for him. Afterwards, she gently held Lumine close to comfort her while they waited for the ambulance to arrive and have Kusa put on a stretcher and stuffed in the back of the ambulance as he was rushed to the hospital, a worried Lumine and Mimille riding alongside him as the ambulance went. As the ambulance drove past the diner, Maruki frowned as he realized that Mimille and Lumine never had returned from powdering their noses. He then turned to Slim, Kyori and Akira and spoke up.

"Guys, do your friends usually take this long to powder their noses?" Maruki asked the guys as Slim laughed and spoke up.

"I'd be surprised if they actually were powdering their noses. No, odds are likelier they said that to cover their tracks so they could go sneak off and make out somewhere. You see, those two are kind of, sort of bisexual and dating one another. We were shocked at first when we found out, but we don't judge them for their life choices. Though I'd guess that Kusa might be a bit relieved, since Lumine in particular might have had something of a crush on him before he left to come here with his brother.

Crushed her something fierce, it did. Crushed Mimille a bit too, since I think she also carried a torch for Kusa. So of course, the boys and I couldn't take what Kusa did to the girls lying down. We may have had a sternly-worded conversation with him about not hurting his so-called friends before he left. But he seemed to understand the lesson well enough, at any rate." Slim said dismissively as Akira and Kyori nodded. Maruki frowned before he gave Slim a skeptical look while he spoke up.

"And you're sure it was just a talk? There weren't fists involved at all?" Maruki asked as Slim and Kyori shook their heads quickly in the negative. Akira spoke up.

"Nope, no fists at all. Just four men, having a heart-to-heart." Akira lied smoothly as Maruki nodded, seemingly buying Akira's words without question while he spoke up.

"Okay, I believe you guys. Let's eat, and the girls can eat when they get back." Maruki said as the guys nodded and they had dinner eagerly...

(Back at Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, that was a thing that happened, wasn't it?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded his agreement as the two got ready for bed, right as Ren's phone went off. Morgana groaned as he spoke up.

"Huh...? Now who could that be at this hour? Maybe it's Kusa? Oddly enough, he's not back yet. And I recall the chief told him Futaba wanted him to focus on the mission, so I very much doubt he's hanging out with her. So I have no idea why he's not home yet." Morgana said uncertainly. Ren checked his phone to find it was a private chat with Ryuji.

"I'm gonna hang out at your place tomorrow during the day! If I'm at the hideout, I can move out whenever. Oh, I'll bring some manga, so you don't need to worry about me. If you got stuff to do, just ignore me! Seeya!" Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away as Morgana spoke up.

"Ryuji's coming over tomorrow, huh? It's going to be noisy all day...That said, I'm going to sleep. Hopefully Kusa comes home before too late." Morgana said as he curled up on the sofa and fell asleep uneasily, as did Ren on the bed as he set the phone down...

(The next morning, with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren sat and enjoyed his breakfast, he heard his phone go off and checked it, wondering if it was Kusa, only to be pleasantly surprised when it was instead Kasumi who was private chatting.

"Senpai, I have a favor to ask today! It's not really a gymnastics thing, but would you mind coming with me on a shopping trip?" Kasumi sent as Ren decided to finish eating before replying. At that point, Sojiro looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Yo! Sorry to bother you while you're enjoying your after-meal coffee, but I'm gonna open up shop soon. You either need to go upstairs or get out of here." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, before speaking up.

"Got it. Hopefully Kusa turns up at some point today. He never came home last night, which is entirely not like him, since I'm fairly sure he wasn't at your house." Ren said as Sojiro nodded in the affirmative before speaking up with a worried look on his face.

"I can confirm this, since the last time I saw Kusa, he was headed to go meet with some staff member from your school for a dinner at the diner in Shibuya. Something to do with some old friends of his wanting to catch up or something? I didn't bother to get the specifics." Sojiro said as Ren frowned at this and spoke up, a theory occurring to him that he hoped was wrong.

"Did the staff member mention how these 'old friends' knew Kusa, by chance?" Ren asked Sojiro, who thought about it before speaking up.

"I think the staff member, who I think said his name was Maruki, mentioned that they were Kusa's old teammates from a past martial arts team?" Sojiro said as Ren frowned but thanked Sojiro as he headed upstairs with Morgana, who spoke up as they got upstairs.

"Who was that chat from?" Morgana asked Ren, who blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, it was from Kasumi. She wants me to go shopping with her. But now I'm worried about Kusa. Apparently, he was told to go meet his old teammates from the karate team where we used to live at a diner with Maruki. And he never came home last night. I wonder if he got beat up by his former teammates?" Ren wondered as Morgana blinked before speaking up, his eyes slightly widened with concern while he spoke.

"That is a good cause for concern. That said, you have the day off today. Why don't we go somewhere, maybe take Yoshizawa up on her request, just so you don't have to worry about Kusa for a bit? With any luck, Kusa will show up while you're gone and be okay." Morgana said as Ren shrugged and nodded, but before he could answer Yoshizawa's message, a group chat was opened up with Ryuji, Makoto, Yusuke, and Ann, with surprisingly enough Alibaba, who'd once more joined in, sending the first response.

"What are you doing?" Alibaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"It's her again!" Ann sent as Alibaba sent a response.

"How much longer are you gonna make me wait? Do you not care about me reporting you to the police?" Alibaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Whoa, slow down! Just give us a little more time." Ryuji sent as Alibaba sent a response.

"I can't do that." Alibaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"We're doing our best here." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"If you truly cannot wait any longer, go ahead and report us." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Hey!" Ryuji sent in annoyance as Alibaba sent another response.

"Hmph. Maybe I can give you a little more time. Come to think of it, one of you isn't saying much today. Is Kusa still asleep?" Alibaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"No, he's actually not home. Apparently, he went out late yesterday afternoon to meet Maruki at a diner, apparently to see some old friends of his according to Boss, but he never came home. And given he was apparently going to meet up with his former teammates from the karate team he used to be captain of, I can't imagine there're a lot of good reasons for him to not have come home last night." Ren sent, making everyone else, aside from Alibaba who just huffed, gasp in surprise as Ryuji sent a response.

"FOR REAL!? That's not good." Ryuji sent as Makoto then sent a response shortly afterward.

"I agree, Ryuji. I don't care how much he's been snappish and grouchy to the both of us lately, Kusa's still a valued member of this team! I hope he's okay." Makoto said, now slightly worried for Kusa. Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth, Makoto! Also, maybe!? Alibaba, what in the eff do you mean, maybe!?" Ryuji sent as Ren just read the chat at that point, not really saying much else out of a mix of annoyance at Alibaba's impatience and his growing worry for Kusa as he put his phone away. Morgana spoke up at that point.

"Alibaba doesn't know what's happening, so I'm sure she's getting anxious. We'll just have to try and appease her for a while." Morgana said as Ren nodded and put his phone in his pocket, standing up as Sojiro's voice shouted up the stairs.

"Hey, Ren! One of your friends is here to visit!" Sojiro called up the stairs as Morgana spoke up.

"Sounds like Ryuji's here. Come on, let's go downstairs." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After considering things, Ren spoke up to Morgana.

"I think I will take up Kasumi's request to go shopping with her. I could use the distraction. Meanwhile, if you can get along with him long enough, you can bring Ryuji upstairs to debrief him about the situation with Kusa, and see if the two of you can find any info while I'm hanging out with Kasumi, and if we can, we'll see what we can dig up as well." Ren said as Morgana nodded, sneaking downstairs to tell Ryuji to meet him up in the attic while Ren pulled out his phone and opened up the private chat with Kasumi. Ren then sent a response.

"Morning, Kasumi. Sorry for the delay in answering. I was eating when you messaged, then I had another chat to deal with, and I was also held up a bit because I was worrying about Kusa, since he went to go meet some friends at the diner last night and hasn't come home since. But, rather than stress on that, I think I will offer you my services with your shopping trip, since you asked me so nicely and I was raised not to turn down the request of a lady in need, especially a beautiful lady like yourself. So, I can do that." Ren sent, frowning as Kasumi didn't immediately reply, but he figured maybe this time she was the one caught busy by a reply so he waited. After a bit, she replied.

"Thank you! RESEND: Thank you! Oops, sorry. My phone always seems to be acting up. I think I'm good now. So, about the place. It's in Kichijoji. You know it, don't you? If not, I'll send you the location of the shop. I'll be waiting! And I'm sorry to hear that Kusa hasn't come home. Hopefully he's just out catching up with friends and that's all it is. See you when you get here, Senpai!" Kasumi sent, making Ren smile while he heard Morgana herding Ryuji upstairs to fill him in on the situation with Kusa, as he headed to Kichijoji to meet Kasumi at the glasses shop she sent him the location of...

(In Kichijoji, at the glasses shop with Ren and Kasumi)

"Hello, Senpai! Sorry for dragging you out here like this. I need to get a pair of glasses. I've been wanting to come here for a while, but I never had the chance to drop by." Kasumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, glasses shopping? In that case, I'm happy to help out if I can. So, you're looking to buy? Or are you checking on your prescription?" Ren asked Kasumi, who smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah, I want to buy. I want to get my dad a present. You seem like a real glasses buff, so I wanted to get your advice. Could you try on a couple pairs for me? I'd like to get some visual reference." Kasumi asked Ren, who smiled as he spoke up.

"But of course, Kasumi. I would be most delighted to model some glasses for you. Though I'm not sure how much advice I'll be able to give you, but I'll do my best." Ren said honestly as Kasumi gave him a very pretty closed-eye smile as she spoke up, her tone one of profound gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Ren-senpai! Let's see...How about this pair?" Kasumi said as she put a simple pair of black-framed glasses with clear lenses on for Ren to try on, making her smile as she spoke up, a pretty closed-eye smile on her face while she spoke.

"Wow, those really work for you! You look so cool! What do you think?" Kasumi said as Ren spoke up simply, smiling at Kasumi while he spoke.

"Honestly? They're not bad, though they strike me as a pretty modern look, but that's not a bad thing necessarily." Ren said honestly as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"I know, it's so fashionable! And it's good that it'd help your vision, too." Kasumi said before cutely tapping the side of her chin in thought, making Ren give her a fond smile as he watched her think, amused by her unique little quirks while Kasumi spoke.

"This could be a good one...Hmm..." Kasumi said as Ren spoke up, smiling as he looked at Kasumi while he spoke.

"That's true, but do these suit your dad, though? He's the one you're buying for, after all." Ren pointed out wisely. Kasumi blinked but nodded as she spoke up.

"Good point. You're probably right, these might be a little too hip for my dad. But your input's been really helpful for me so far! Would you mind poking around with me for a bit longer?" Kasumi asked Ren, unintentionally batting her eyelashes as she blinked, making Ren blush slightly at how cute Kasumi looked batting her eyelashes as he spoke up.

"Of course. Anything for you Kasumi, within reason. Besides, this way I can keep my mind off the question of where Kusa could be for now." Ren said agreeably. Kasumi did another of her pretty closed-eye smiles as she spoke up, happy with Ren while she spoke.

"Thank you, Ren-senpai! I'm counting on you! Also, this is kind of fun! Let's pick up the pace!" Kasumi said honestly. Next was a huge pair that were hard to see. Kasumi blinked as she spoke up.

"I see...Wow, you look like a salesman! But it doesn't feel right, somehow!" Kasumi said as she put the next pair on which were pink and had pointed edges, and had Ren trying not to cringe at how feminine these glasses felt, instead thinking about how Kusa would've probably mentioned the fact that they looked like something out of Harry Potter, which was a favorite book series of his. Kasumi giggled as she spoke up, clapping her hands together and giving off a brilliant closed-eye smile as she spoke. *3*

"Those definitely leave an impression! Heck, people might remember the glasses and nothing else about you!" Kasumi said as she put the next pair on, a simple pair of dark-colored sunglasses that had Ren feeling a bit like a bad-ass. For a second, Ren even briefly compared himself to the likes of Johnny Cage and Duke Nukem as he looked at himself in the mirror as Kasumi cutely tapped the side of her chin in thought briefly before speaking up.

"You're like a star right out of Hollywood! But if my dad wore them, he might look a little shady." Kasumi said before putting on the next pair and giggling as she looked at them, as they were one of those older Groucho Marx-type joke glasses complete with the fake nose and mustache, which Ren just nodded to, even if he felt stupid wearing them. Kasumi gave Ren a pretty closed-eye smile again as she spoke up between laughs.

"What the heck? Why are those even here!? I'm not gonna lie to you, Ren. Seeing these makes me kind of want a pair." Kasumi said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Why not? They'd probably look adorable on you, Kasumi. If nothing else, I could get a pair and we could match, and both be dorks together." Ren joked. Kasumi took the joke glasses off of Ren and frowned as she spoke up, giving Ren a frustrated look as she spoke.

"Sorry...I can't decide. A lot of them are good, but none of them have really clinched it for me yet." Kasumi said as Ren smiled, gently giving her an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he spoke up.

"Don't overthink it, Kasumi. You're a smart, clever, lively, kind-hearted and amazing young lady. Just trust your instincts, and you'll find the answer." Ren said, leaving unspoken the fact that he thought Kasumi was beautiful since he was trying to encourage her, not embarrass her, even if he did think she was cute when she was embarrassed. Kasumi blinked at Ren's words before smiling as she spoke up with a nod.

"You know, you're right! I'm the one who has to make this call!" Kasumi said before reaching over and snatching up a pair of simple red-framed glasses and looking at them as she spoke up.

"I'm just going off a gut feeling, but I'll pick this pair. I don't know how to describe it. It just seems perfect for my dad somehow." Kasumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Good job. You found an answer on your own. I'm sure your dad will love the glasses you chose, Kasumi. After all, you picked them out, and you usually have pretty good taste in picking things. You picked me out to get advice from, after all." Ren said teasingly to Kasumi, who gave Ren a very pretty closed-eye smile, as she cocked her head slightly and spoke up.

"Then it's set! Yes, I think I can be confident in this one. In fact, I know he'll like it!" Kasumi said as the two headed up and rang up their purchases. Once outside, Kasumi bowed before she spoke up with a smile on her face.

"Thank you for bringing me here! And thank you so much for coming here with me today, Ren-senpai! I ended up with a great present. All thanks to you, Ren-senpai!" Kasumi said as Ren smiled winsomely at Kasumi before he spoke up confidently.

"Not a problem at all, Kasumi. I was happy to help. It was a welcome distraction from my worries. But then to be fair, you're usually good at making me feel better once I've seen you." Ren said honestly as Kasumi blushed at his words before speaking up.

"I-Is that so, Ren-senpai!? I'm happy to hear that you feel that way. That said, I've still got to make it up to you. Let's go practice at Inokashira Park after this!" Kasumi said before looking down as she spoke up.

"If I'm being honest, trying to pick out glasses was setting off my anxiety. All I could think of was what'd happen if I couldn't choose, or if I chose wrong. I mean, I already failed in gymnastics. And my cooking turned out bad, too. After cracking under pressure so many times, I kind of figured I'd just ruin everything again. The more I thought about it, the more empty I felt. Like I wasn't even me anymore." Kasumi said as Ren spoke up reassuringly.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Kasumi. That's natural to feel that way. Everyone deals with that at some point." Ren said comfortingly, trying to make Kasumi feel better. Kasumi looked at Ren in surprise before she spoke up.

"So even you know how that feels, Ren-senpai? It's not just me. Senpai? I think I'm starting to understand what my coach was telling me. It's easy to say you're in a slump, and write yourself off. But maybe 'finding out who I really am' is also about finding new depths to myself. It does make me feel a little down, but at the same time, I feel like I'm closer to getting my confidence back. And having your support makes me even more determined to make that happen." Kasumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Of course. And you'll always have my support, Kasumi. No matter what. That said, don't worry about it being a slow process to get your confidence back. I believe in you, and we can keep working at building you back up, together." Ren said confidently, walking forward to look Kasumi in the eyes before quickly pecking her on the cheek. After he stepped back, Kasumi's face went red as she looked at Ren in surprise, before giving him a very cute closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"This is strange. I don't know if I should be feeling like this. I want to give my best performance, but it's like I'd be doing it for you as much as for myself. O-or something like that! I'm still working on myself, but I hope we can keep helping each other too!" Kasumi said, making Ren smirk as he could clearly see twin points of pink on Kasumi's face as she bowed to him, making Ren smile as he could sense a strong trust from Kasumi.

At that point, the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming an 'IV' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Yoshizawa had reached Rank 4, and as a result of the level, Kasumi taught Ren about the ways of the 'Chaines Hook', which would allow Ren to ambush enemies from a distance by attacking with the grappling hook. Afterwards, Kasumi smiled at Ren and spoke up, giving Ren a beautiful closed-eye smile as she spoke.

"Now, we should get to training! Maybe we van try some intermediate-level exercises today." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and the two trained together, enjoying the workout with one another, even if Kasumi spent part of it blushing as she watched Ren stretch. After the workout, Ren felt his stamina improve, giving his health a boost. At that point, some chimes echoed from near Ren and Kasumi, making the latter speak up.

"Let's stop there, Senpai. Good effort today! I'll be heading home now. I should get going. I'll contact you again soon, Senpai!" Kasumi said as she surprised both herself and Ren by leaning in and briefly pressing her lips to his cheek before smiling and running off, leaving a shocked and red-faced Ren behind as she ran off, Ren looking stunned by what had just happened. Once he recovered from his shock, Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone went off as he got to the doorstep, which he answered.

"Hello?" Ren said, smiling as he heard Kasumi's voice on the other line.

"Hello, Ren-senpai. Are you able to talk right now?" Kasumi asked as Ren nodded and she kept speaking.

"So I already gave my dad the glasses we picked out today. And it suits him even better than I imagined! He was so happy with them!" Kasumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I'm glad to hear it, Kasumi. I told you you have good taste, and great instincts. Even if you can be a bit of a sneaky little brat at times. I literally did not see what you did at the end there coming, just so you know." Ren said in a mock-stunned tone. Kasumi giggled as she spoke up.

"Perhaps, but it was your own fault for looking so cute right then. That said, thank you, Senpai! I think this helped me feel a little more confident! And thanks to you, I even feel like my gymnastics are going to go better now. I'm sick of wasting my time worrying. Whatever I'm up against, I'm just gonna give it my best shot." Kasumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I see. Maybe now you'll finally be more self-confident and assertive? Not that I mind you as you are, since you're always so adorable." Ren said teasingly as Kasumi huffed a bit and spoke up.

"Very funny, Senpai! You're lucky you're cute so you can get away with that. That said, they say actions speak louder than words, right? I'll prove I'm not all talk! Okay, I'd better go. I hope that Kusa makes it home safely, and that we can talk again later!" Kasumi said as Ren spoke up happily.

"I hope so too, Kasumi. I always enjoy talking to and seeing you." Ren said honestly as Kasumi giggled cutely before hanging up as Ren headed into Leblanc. Sojiro frowned at Ren as he spoke up, making Ren look at Sojiro in uncertainty as he saw the frustrated look on Sojiro's face while he spoke up.

"Ren, sit down. There's something I need to tell you." Sojiro said as Ren frowned, not expecting anything good to come from Sojiro's mouth after the way he'd greeted Ren, but did as he was told. And once Sojiro spoke up, Ren was very glad he had sat once he heard what Sojiro had to say.

"Ren? There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna give it to you straight. Kusa's in the hospital."

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Ooh, I left y'all on a cliffy! And a big cliffy at that! So with Kusa in the hospital, will that affect the Thieves' timetable for tackling Futaba's Palace? Only time (and by time I mean future chapters) will tell the story on that. That said, thanks to all who read, review, follow and favorite this story! The support means a great deal to me!

And if you like this story, feel free to favorite and/or follow it, as well as leave me either a PM or a review (or even both if you want) with your thoughts/feedback/opinions/constructive criticism on this story. I always welcome the input from readers as it allows me to get better as a writer! And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- I doubt many people remember this show, but I for one had to make this reference here to Jackie Chan Adventures, which was a kick-ass show in the late 90s and early 00s! I heard it got a reboot recently, but I've not seen much more about it since then so I dunno if it actually happened or not. But still, that show rules!

*2*- Yep, I went there! This was the OTHER reason I didn't use Akira Kurusu as the default for Joker's alter-ego aside from the stated continuity/consistency reasons that I quoted back in chapter 1 for why Joker's alter-ego is Ren Amamiya in this story. Because I planned on reworking Akira Kurusu into his own character, in this case an opportunistic, but low-ranked member of the karate team that Kusa led. Too bad his decision to personally recruit this Akira ended up being a very costly one for Kusa. But yep, there's the random OC shenanigans for this arc, I suppose.

*3*- The glasses Ren had on that were pink with odd tips looked a lot like the Spectrespecs (literally spelled that way and everything) that Luna Lovegood wore in the movie version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince early on when she rescues Harry from being left on the train unconscious by Draco Malfoy and his goons after Harry tries and fails to eavesdrop on them to get info on Draco.

Kinda funny that Persona 5 Royal worked in a reference to Harry Potter, but it works as well on some level. Personally, I agree with it. Though I don't think those glasses would've looked so good on Kasumi to be honest, since pink kinda clashes with red, and Kasumi's a legit red-head (assuming the implications of Futaba not being a natural red-head are true at least) so yeah.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 41

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 6

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 3

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 4

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank 4

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 5

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) - Rank 5

STRENGTH (Justine and Caroline/Twin Wardens) - Rank 5

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 6

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) - Rank 2

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 3

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank 5

JUDGMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 2

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 4

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) - Rank 4

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) - Rank 5

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