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

42. More Filler! Traumatized Oracle part 6

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Originally I wasn't gonna type one out today (for reference it's currently 4:44PM on Christmas Day as I type this start-of-chapter A/N so Merry Christmas to anyone reading this chapter, however belated/early it might be), but then I found myself with a bunch of free time and decided why not? I'd at least start the chapter today, even if I end up splitting the chapter over today and tomorrow, though given how early I'm starting this, I might possibly finish the chapter today, but we'll see what happens. That said, on with the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis, and the potentially recurring OCs Somasi/Slim, Lumine, and Mimille, and any other OCs that might appear in this story, as he made and thus owns them unless otherwise stated. I guess technically the Akira Kurusu that was in chapter 41 is more or less an OC too, which sithlorde1988 made and thus also owns). That said, the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 42!

Chapter 42- Prep Week Continued! More Phantom Shenaniganry! Traumatized Oracle part 6

(At Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, and Sojiro, in the bottom floor)

"WHAT!? What do you mean, Kusa's in the hospital!?" Ren asked Sojiro in shock after Sojiro told him that Kusa was in the hospital, making Sojiro frown at Ren as he spoke up.

"Just what I said. Apparently Kusa had the misfortune of getting jumped while he was at this dinner he was invited to, and apparently some friends of his found him beaten up and unconscious in a back alley behind the diner he was invited to. Originally the hospital was going to treat and release Kusa, but then a further check gave them reason to believe that whoever beat him up might have fractured both of Kusa's kneecaps, given the bruising that was discovered on both of his shins. As it is, his nose was definitely banged up.

They're keeping him for observation while they wait for the results of the x-rays they ran to come back, in case it is in fact fractures in both of Kusa's kneecaps, and not just sprains. Either way, he's going to be there for at least a couple of days. Why anyone would want to beat him up, I have no idea. But I don't look forward to having to tell Futaba her friend got jumped and is in the hospital. She's not gonna take that well at all, if I had to guess.

So yeah, try to keep him in your prayers if you can, and hopefully everything comes back good for Kusa." Sojiro said to Ren who exchanged a horrified look with Morgana, who'd popped up to listen in when he heard Kusa's name mentioned, before nodding his agreement and heading upstairs to his room where he could speak to Morgana alone.

"Did you hear that, Morgana?" Ren asked Morgana, who nodded before speaking up in a shocked/stunned tone, his eyes wide in shock while he spoke.

"I sure did! How could anyone be cowardly enough to attack a good, honorable man like Kusa!? That's just unthinkable! But at least we know where he is now, even if the news wasn't all the best." Morgana said as Ren nodded and pulled out his phone to start up a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, and Yusuke, sending out a brief but to the point response.

"Well, I got some news about where Kusa is. The problem is, it wasn't necessarily good news that I got." Ren sent, making everyone else in the chat gasp before Ryuji sent a response.

"FOR REAL!? Is he okay, at least?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Would Kusa be okay if Ren said the news isn't good, Ryuji!?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Kusa's in the hospital, isn't he?" Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Kusa? In the hospital? Isn't he usually nothing if not extremely careful of his health?" Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"Yes. He's not in there for health reasons, though. According to Boss, he was found beaten up in a back alley behind a diner where he was apparently invited to join Maruki and some old friends of his for dinner. Way Boss told it to me, apparently some of said old friends might have taken issue with him having to move to Yongen with me and possibly beaten him up over it. Either way, apparently he had bad bruising along his stomach, legs and face, and his nose and both of his kneecaps might be broken from how he was hit.

At least that's what Boss says the hospital staff told him. We're just waiting to hear back with the results of some X-rays they ran on his knees. I'm hoping it comes back okay and they just messed up his knees slightly or something. After all, the last thing we need right now is a laid-up teammate, especially in the middle of such a critical deadline." Ren sent. At that point, Ryuji sent a response, and the tone of it made it clear he was very angry.

"FOR REAL!? WHAT THE EFF!? Yes, it is true that Kusa has been even snappier and grouchier than usual recently, especially to myself and Makoto. But even so, he's a good guy who doesn't deserve to be beaten up. Besides, if nothing else we need him to be able to finish this next Palace. If I ever find out who beat him up, I might be heading back to where Ren and Kusa used to live, in order to pay some friggin' scumbags a visit." Ryuji sent as Makoto frowned and sent out a response.

"I agree with your response, Ryuji, but anger is not the answer. I think you know that, deep down. But I also believe that despite this, Kusa would want us to stay on task and trust in him to get back to full health on his own. If nothing else, he has a very strong and un-yielding will, as evidenced by how stubbornly he refuses to trust Akechi-kun, and how much he used to distrust Doctor Maruki, according to what Ren and Ryuji told me once." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"More importantly, I hope he gets well soon. I don't like the idea that he might be laid up suffering alone in that hospital bed while we're having this back-and-forth discussion over group chat." Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"I agree, both with Makoto and with Ann. We need to stay on task. However, we're in the middle of a prep week at present, so we can possibly squeeze in visits to him if he's allowed visitors, but only like one of us at a time, with the likely exception of myself, who will probably have Morgana with me so he can see Kusa too." Ren sent, getting an approving nod from the not-cat in question, before wincing as a thought occurred to him.

"Oof, I'm sure glad I'm not Boss right now, though. That poor man has the unfortunate job of telling Futaba that Kusa's in the hospital. We all know how close those two are, even if neither will admit to it, so she'll likely be devastated when she finds out." Ren sent as Ann sent a response.

"And not just Futaba, either. If I recall right, he was also rather close to Yoshizawa-san as well. Though I feel like Ren'll want to tell her about Kusa himself." Ann sent as Ren nodded and sent a response.

"I do want to tell her myself. Next time she reaches out to me, I'll tell her. Assuming, of course, she doesn't find out on her own first somehow." Ren sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Well, if it makes you feel better Ren, I think I speak for everyone when I say our thoughts and prayers go to Kusa." Yusuke sent as Ren smiled and put his phone away as Morgana spoke up.

"I hope Kusa recovers quickly, because I feel like he'd be more angry to not be able to help out Futaba than to be sidelined if his legs are badly hurt. But then it's the fault of whoever beat him up." Morgana said as Ren nodded before speaking up.

"I feel like going out for a walk right now, Morgana. Let's go take a look around Shinjuku. Want to?" Ren asked Morgana who shook his head.

"Nah, I think I'll stay here and keep an eye on things. You go have fun." Morgana said as he curled up on the sofa as Ren nodded before fast-travelling to Shinjuku. He thought about ranking up Mishima, but then he noticed the twins standing outside the Velvet Room door and decided to go see what they wanted. When he approached. Caroline spoke up.

"Ah, Inmate. Good timing! All right, time to name the next location-Justine, you do the honors." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Now, listen closely. The place we wish to evaluate for your rehabilitation is where one offers up faith and words of devotion." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Every day, lost sheep flock there to pray. There are even cases where individuals will confess to crimes." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Confessing one's crimes due to a fear of divine punishment...This has a familiar ring to our own Inmate's rehabilitation." Justine said to Caroline before looking at Ren as she kept speaking.

"Does such a place sound familiar to you?" Justine asked as Caroline spoke up.

"Well, if you do know where that is, then escort us there immediately!" Caroline said. Ren thought about it before speaking up.

"What you're describing, I can't be sure, but that sounds like a church. Do you mean the church?" Ren asked Caroline and Justine. Caroline blinked and nodded as she spoke up.

"Oh, so it's called a church? Let's witness this so-called faith that humans offer with our own two eyes." Caroline said as Justine smirked and spoke up.

"Now, guide us there, Inmate." Justine said as Ren shrugged and escorted the twins to the church in Kanda. Once there Justine and Caroline looked around and the latter spoke up.

"Oh! So, this is where one prays to the gods in your world?" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"The peaceful atmosphere here is the antithesis of a prison cell." Justine said as Caroline blinked as she looked at a man standing at an altar in front of the trio before speaking up.

"Hmm? Is that man standing there one of the gods?" Caroline asked as Ren laughed and shook his head before gently speaking up to correct Caroline.

"No, he's just a priest. He's basically a servant of God, who considers himself an instrument of God's divine will." Ren explained. Caroline nodded her understanding while she spoke up, intrigued by Ren's explanation as she spoke.

"Oh, so a servant to the gods? That explains why I don't sense any exceptional abilities in him." Caroline said as Justine frowned and looked at the cubicle near the man as she spoke up.

"What is that over there...A smaller room?" Justine asked as Caroline grinned before speaking up.

"I know! It's an 'iron maiden' for reforming criminals, right? Whoever goes inside and fails rehabilitation gets skewered!" Caroline said as Ren shook his head before speaking up.

"No, it's a confessional booth. That's where people go to confess their sins every so often. More often than not, those who confess are usually forgiven for their sins for a price." Ren said simply. Caroline frowned as she spoke up.

"Confession...booth? You mean, THIS tiny box is where the crimes are confessed?" Caroline asked as the priest turned around and spoke up.

"Is something the matter?" The priest said as Caroline and Justine approached him and Caroline spoke up.

"Hey, you. We're here for the confession booth deal you have going here." Caroline said, making the priest blink at her in surprise before he spoke up.

"Ohhh...You seek to confess? At such a young age? All right, which of you would like to go first?" The priest said as Justine frowned and spoke up.

"What are you saying? Which of us? Do you intend to split us up and pick us off one by one?" Justine asked, not seeing Ren wince behind her at her question before Caroline spoke up, frowning at the priest while she spoke.

"Hmph, no such luck. We're both going in." Caroline said confidently as the priest blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"Erm, I see...You're free to do so, but there really isn't much room inside." The priest said as he went in to the confessional booth with Caroline and Justine, and the latter of the two quickly spoke up with a frown."

"Are you attempting some sort of deceptive practice by calling yourself a servant of the gods? Wait, you what? Listen to people's concerns? This isn't a form of rehabilitation? Regardless, such talk is cheap, but pays quite well. We shall undertake this confession and decide the truth for ourselves." Justine said as the priest spoke up.

"Then, ah, as for your confession..." The priest said as Caroline spoke up with a frown.

"Hmmmm, what to confess...It's probably unkind to kick the inmate, but it's part of my duties as warden, so that can't be held against me..." Caroline said as the priest frowned and spoke up.

"Inmate? Warden?" The priest asked in confusion. Caroline frowned and spoke up rudely to the priest.

"This is none of your business. We're speaking to the gods right now." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Recently, I've been shifting my more mundane bookkeeping responsibilities onto Caroline..." Justine said as Caroline frowned and spoke up.

"You WHAT!? I knew my workload was feeling larger for some reason!" Caroline said accusingly as Justine kept speaking.

"But, she made so many mistakes in her work that I regret not doing it myself..." Justine said as Caroline frowned and glared at Justine while she spoke up.

"EXCUSE ME!? Of COURSE I'd make mistakes when I have nearly twice the work!" Caroline snapped as Justine spoke up.

"How about yourself, Caroline? Don't you have anything you'd like to confess while we're here?" Justine asked as Caroline blinked and spoke up.

"Uhhh, huh? Like...what?" Caroline said as Justine smirked and frowned while she spoke up.

"I know you went out and ate menchi katsu all by yourself. Did you really think you could escape my notice?" Justine said as Caroline winced and spoke up.

"Erk! I...was curious about what could humans want so badly that they would stand in place for so long-" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Megidolao-" Justine said as Caroline winced and spoke up fearfully.

"Fine, fine, fine! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! ...Confession time is over! We're done here!" Caroline said as she and Justine exited the confession booth and Caroline spoke up, looking right at Ren as she spoke.

"Odd as it may be, I actually feel quite refreshed." Caroline said as Justine nodded, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Were it not for this opportunity, we would have likely kept these matters locked away deep in our hearts." Justine said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"I see. So, have you righted your wrongs?" Ren asked. Caroline frowned as she spoke up.

"That's YOUR job, Inmate!" Caroline rebuked Ren as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Know your place." Justine said as Caroline spoke up again.

"By the way, why do humans pray to gods? Shouldn't they be spending that time trying to solve their problems themselves?" Caroline asked as Ren spoke up.

"This might be hard for you two to believe, but even humans have their limits. That said, sometimes confessing your sins and praying for absolution is all you can really do." Ren said sagely. Justine frowned as she spoke up.

"Well, isn't that all too convenient for the humans..." Justine said with a frown as Caroline spoke up.

"I'll bet the gods don't appreciate that answer any more than we do. No matter. We've come to learn how these places of worship work firsthand. We'll consider the assignment complete." Caroline said as Justine spoke up at that point.

"Here is your reward." Justine said as Ren received a 'Samarecarm' skill card. Caroline then giggled and did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"You know, confessions seem like they'd be rather useful to your rehabilitation. You ought to confess to us every day!" Caroline said as Justine cut in with a frown.

"Put that out of mind, Caroline. Once we return, you're going to tell me all about your experience eating you-know-what!" Justine said as Caroline gasped and spoke up.

"Wha-!? But I've already confessed!" Caroline said as Justine glared and spoke up.

"Not enough, you haven't." Justine rebuked Carolline, who put her head in her hands as Justine turned to Ren and kept speaking.

"Now, let us return! Take us back now, Inmate." Justine said to Ren, who escorted the twins back to the Velvet Room and headed back to Leblanc where he got comfortable for the night, smiling at the sight of Morgana protectively curling up over the sofa where Kusa usually slept, letting him sleep as he went to bed...

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

"Hey! There's 23 days left before Medjed's deadline. I know we're all worried about Kusa and stuff, but that doesn't mean you can slack off just because it's summer, okay?" Morgana said to Ren who huffed, but nodded his understanding. He then checked his chats to see who all wanted to hang out with him, and to his surprise, only Ann had sent him a private chat, so he opened it up to view it.

"What are we doing today? Aren't we meeting up today? I'm at the underground mall in Shibuya right now. It's super packed there since it's summer vacation. I'll still be in Shibuya for a little while. Let me know if anything comes up." Ann sent as Morgana spoke up.

"Aha, so it would seem that Lady Ann is is Shibuya. Wanna go spend some time with her?" Morgana asked Ren, who stroked his chin in thought as he spoke.

"Hmm, it IS true that I've not hung with Ann in a while, but at the same time, she's one of my higher-ranked Confidant Links if I recall correctly. However, considering the literal only other person available to hang out with is Takemi, I figure hanging out with Ann is probably the better move at this point, so yeah, let's hang out with her." Ren said as Morgana nodded approvingly while Ren sent a response to Ann.

"I don't have any real plans to speak of for today, so I figure since we've not hung out in a bit, we could definitely hang out if you're up for it. If nothing else, it beats twiddling my thumbs and worrying about Kusa. But enough about him, I'm heading your way." Ren sent as Ann sent a response.

"I understand, Ren. We can definitely hang out if that's what you want to do. Oh, sure. OK." Ann sent as Ren fast-traveled to the Shibuya Underground Mall, where Ann was standing. Ren blinked as he noticed that Ann had swapped her usual look for a casual, form-fitting black tank top with a caption that Ren couldn't quite make out on the front and a pair of torn jean shorts and what appeared to be a red button up sweater tied around her waist over her pants. Ann smiled as she noticed Ren looking at her and spoke up.

"Oh, hey Ren. What're you thinking of doing today?" Ann asked as Ren spoke up.

"I was thinking we could hang out, like I said in our private chat. It's been a bit since we did that." Ren said. Ann frowned as she spoke up.

"That's true, but are you sure about that decision? We still haven't found the Treasure..." Ann said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I'm sure. Besides, we're in the middle of a prep-week and this happens to be a slow day for prep, so hanging out with you seemed like a good way to pass time, which we have plenty of." Ren said as Ann blinked but nodded as she spoke up.

"I dunno about that, but I suppose there's no point in worrying if you're so sure. But, it's actually good timing that you want to hang out, because to tell the truth? I went to go see Shiho again the other day. I've been thinking a lot since then though...Do you have time to talk?" Ann asked Ren as Morgana spoke up.

"It is good to take a break every so often. Do you want to hang out with Lady Ann?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, I do. As I said, it's been a bit since she and I talked, and I figure it can't hurt to rank her up here while the opportunity is there." Ren said to Morgana before looking at Ann and smiling as he spoke up reassuringly.

"You know I've always got time for my friends, Ann. So yeah, we can definitely talk right now if that's what you want to do." Ren said agreeably. Ann gave Ren a grateful smile and nodded as she spoke up.

"Thanks. Does the diner work for you?" Ann asked Ren, who nodded and escorted Ann to the diner...

(At the diner with Ren, Morgana and Ann)

"Umm, so I talked to Shiho about what happened with Mika back at the photo shoot, and you know what she did? Laughed! She couldn't stop talking about how tough she thought Mika sounded, though I do recall her mentioning once or twice how much she admires me for not letting Mika push me around either. Honestly, though? It was kinda refreshing. I'm not even mad anymore. I guess you really just need someone to laugh at you if you want to feel better.

And besides, if anything, it made me remember why I first started catching feelings for Shiho in the first place. She's so direct, it hurts. That, and she pulls no punches. If you've been messing up, she'll call you out on it. She's kinda like Kusa in that regard, as well as in the regard that both have very indomitable and unbreakable wills. Speaking of Kusa, did you ever tell Yoshizawa-san that Kusa's in the hospital?" Ann said to Ren, who blinked at the question before he spoke up.

"Honestly? I haven't seen her yet to tell her. And I don't think this is something to tell her over a private chat, if I'm being completely honest with you. Though I did mention to her the other day when I met up with her in Kichijoji to help her pick out glasses for her dad that Kusa was missing. As such, I probably should let her know what I told you guys, just so she's in the loop on that point. And to you and Shiho, it does seem that way.

Though I will say that I think you and Shiho would be such an adorable couple, if you'd ever get the nerve up to confess to her. I mean, what're you afraid of? Worst case, she gets caught unawares and steps back to process. Then odds are, she realizes she feels the same and confesses to you. Because I don't think Shiho would reject you, Ann. I get the sense she quite admires you, much like how you admire her." Ren said confidently. Ann gave a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"You know? You're right, Ren! I am just being afraid that she'd reject me! That wouldn't happen, though. Worst case, she'd ask me to give her time to process things and then reply after she's had a chance to think things over. So I should just confess so she can start thinking it over now. That said, they always say laughter's the best medicine, right?

I've seen the truth of that saying firsthand. But anyway, even though I'm trying to strengthen my heart, Shiho's the real strong one here. Hey, I went to one of her rehab sessions the other day. She said she wanted me to be there. So I agreed without thinking much of it, but it ended up being...pretty overwhelming." Ann said as Ren winced before speaking up.

"Oh? How so, if you don't mind me asking Ann? I would think you'd enjoy spending time with your crush?" Ren asked with a teasing smirk. Ann flushed as she swatted Ren on the arm playfully before speaking up.

"You hush with that teasing, Ren! And I do enjoy spending time with Shiho! However, this was a lot tougher than I'd ever imagined. It was horrible. She was dripping with sweat, teeth clenched. She was clearly in a lot of pain, and to be honest, it hurt me a bit on the inside seeing her in pain like that. Apparently, she can't even move her feet. She said it feels like her legs are filled with sand. But she dragged them along, legs swollen with blood. I hated watching that, but I knew I had to be there for her, even if I wanted to just make her stop. By the time it was all over though, she was the one in tears instead of me.

I could tell by looking at her that it was really tough on her. Do you know what she said to me after her rehab session? She said she wanted to give up. And that's why she asked me to come, to keep her motivated. I of course told her not to give up, that she still had a lot to live for and that to give up would be letting Kamoshida win in a sense. But I do have to say, that whole time she was complaining about things in ways she normally never would. But even with that, she finished her session." Ann said, before pausing to wipe tears from her eyes as she kept speaking.

"I...I don't know why I'm crying! I wasn't the one who had to go through that, Shiho was! Is it because I'm weak?" Ann asked Ren who shook his head and spoke up.

"No, that's not it at all, Ann. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say it's because you love her, and as such you hate to see her suffering like how you described her suffering during that session. And because you care so deeply for Suzui-san, it makes you sad to see her like that. But I know deep down, you went to that session not only to motivate her, but to show her that you care a great deal for her, and believe in her ability to recover from what she went through. If I'm being honest? I'd have done the same if I'd been in your position and it'd been any of our team in Shiho's position, but especially Kusa and even Kasumi.

Because, if I'm being honest with you, Ann? I think, and this surprises me to realize, much less admit to. But I think I'm falling for Kasumi. She's so amazing and selfless, not to mention even when she's suffering, she always tries to put others first. It's like she worries about herself after all else. Kind of like how you worry so much about Suzui. I think it's because you're in love with her, even if you can't find the words to confess that to her. And that's not a bad thing at all, Ann. If anything, it's quite an admirable trait." Ren said honestly to Ann, who shook her head as she spoke up.

"You're wrong, Ren. I'm not selfless, and definitely not kind. After all, prior to joining up with you guys I was just another one of those vapid girls who would be the center of gossip and have rumors spread about her. I was so busy worrying about myself, I likely never spared even an iota of a thought for others, at least until you and Kusa came along and saved me that day that Kamoshida tried confronting me over the phone. I don't think I said it to you then, but I was truly grateful for you two for stepping in and talking me through that time. I shudder to think of what could have happened had you two not decided to check on me and make sure I was okay.

If anyone's the kind one here, it's you and Kusa, Ren. But you know what? Even through all that pain, I thought Shiho was so cool. Shoot, I even thought she was beautiful! And despite all her complaining, she still tried so incredibly hard. Strength is more than just not getting fazed. It's the power to fight through adversity. Anyways, so I was thinking, and um, what can I do to help Shiho?" Ann asked Ren, who stroked his chin contemplatively, seriously considering Ann's question before he spoke up to answer her.

"Honestly? I'd say you should continue to be there for her, Ann. Even if she doesn't acknowledge it at first, eventually she's bound to take notice if you're always there to comfort her when she needs it. And I think it'll make you feel better as well since even if it's not an overt acknowledgement of it, it's you showing in some form or other that you truly and deeply care about her.

And more importantly, you can also show her your own strength while comforting her as she finds hers. I think, in the long run, she'll appreciate you being there for and supportive of her." Ren said honestly to Ann, who blinked before smiling at Ren as she spoke up, a faint hint of a blush on her face at Ren basically calling her out on her feelings for Shiho while she spoke.

"You know, you're right. I should stay by Shiho's side, talk to her, heck even try to find the words to tell her how I feel about her. How I want to be there for her no matter what, and not let that beautiful face of hers be marred with grief or sadness if I can help it. And that I...that I love her and want to spend every moment I can making her happy just to see her smile, since making her feel good makes me feel good. And how, even if it's just by giving her moral support, I want to be by her side in any way I can while she goes through this rehab. Because you know something, Ren?

Being with you really helps me see things clearly. What I should do, the true meaning of strength. Well, thank you for that. Maybe if you were this open with others, you'd be surprised what sort of potential impact this could have on others, like Yoshizawa for example. I can sense that you love her as much as I love Shiho, maybe even more.

But I won't pester you about confessing to her, since I know you'll do so when you're ready, Ren. Same for Kusa and Futaba, I'm sure he'll confess to her when he feels the moment is right, and probably no sooner. But seriously Ren, thank you so much for that." Ann said to Ren, who smiled and nodded, even as he had to hide some embarrassment at Ann calling him out on his feelings for Kasumi.

Despite that, Ren found himself smiling as he felt a heightened motivation from Ann. At that moment, the 'Lovers' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Lovers Confidant link with Ann had reached Rank 6. As a result of the rank up, Ann had awoken to the power of 'Harisen Recovery', which allowed Ann the chance to occasionally cure status ailments inflicted upon party members while she was in the front lines. Afterwards, Ann sighed as she spoke up once more.

"Ugh, my nose is all runny..." Ann said as Ren blinked at that, looking a bit surprised, making Ann frown as she spoke up, giggling at the shocked look on Ren's face while she spoke.

"Wh-What are you looking at me like that for? Pretty girls get runny noses too, you know!" Ann said to Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"I know that. I was more surprised that you actually acknowledged it, since I know most girls find that sort of thing gross and refuse to even acknowledge it." Ren said as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"True, but I'm not most girls, now am I Ren? That said, I think we should get going now. Well, see you around." Ann said as she got up and left, waving to Ren as she did so. Ren nodded as he headed back to Leblanc, where Ren's phone rang as he got to the door, making him answer it and speak up.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, smiling slightly as he recognized the sound of Ann giggling on the other end as she spoke up.

"Oh, it's me. Thanks for earlier. I actually feel better now that I got to talk to you about everything. I'm going to try my best to help Shiho out, in my own way. Maybe our relationship won't ever be exactly the way it was before. But now that I saw her crying, I know I'll find something I can do for her!" Ann said to Ren, who grinned as he spoke up.

"Well, well. Look who's sounding motivated now. Maybe my speech helped you more than I thought it did? But for real, I'm glad to hear that you're thinking about how you can help Shiho. I'll cheer you on, both in finding a way to help Shiho and in you finding the strength to hopefully tell her how you feel about her, preferably before she moves away and you possibly miss your chance. Because I know you can do anything you put your mind to, Ann. And I know Kusa would agree with me as well." Ren said confidently and encouragingly. Ann giggled and kept speaking, making Ren able to easily imagine the likely closed-eye smile she was sporting as she kept speaking.

"Thanks! I can't let her leave me behind, and I especially can't let her slip away without admitting my feelings to her, even if she might not reciprocate. After all, doesn't the saying go, 'You'll never know until you try", or something like that? That said, watch me! One day, I'll be cool, and strong-just like Shiho! I feel great now that I got everything off my chest. You're such a great listener, Ren. If you end up getting together with her eventually, I hope Yoshizawa realizes how lucky she is to find someone like you. Hope I can keep counting on you for that. Okay, byeee!" Ann said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone, heading into Leblanc. Once inside, he blinked as he listened to the news report on the TV as he went inside.

"...There's still no response from the Phantom Thieves to Medjed. What do you make of this?" The newscaster said as Ren gasped as he saw Akechi on screen as he responded.

"Most likely, the Phantom Thieves simply don't have the means of confronting them. After all, Medjed is quite different from anyone they've gone up against thus far. It seems their best option is to reveal their identities before more people are needlessly harmed." Akechi said as Morgana huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, he really hit us where it hurts...We're going to beat them, though! And I'm sure Kusa would agree with me if he were here right now." Morgana said confidently. Ren nodded as he spoke up.

"You're right, of course! And I'm sure Kusa will pull through his problems with flying colors just because he's that determined to make sure Futaba's heart is safely changed. I don't see him letting something like some injuries stop him from helping her. But then, I think you and I both know that even if he won't admit it to himself, he's already got it quite bad for her, even if they've only known each other for a few short months.

But then I have no room to judge him for that, given that's about how long Kasumi and I know each other, and you heard me tell Ann I'm falling for Kasumi, so it's not like I'm any better than Kusa is about falling hard and fast for girls we haven't known that long. But then I think that's probably a genetic trait of us Amamiya men, falling hard and fast for special people. From what I recall, mine and Kusa's mom said she was like that with my dad when she was younger.

As for Kusa's dad? Well, let's just say I have reason to suspect that she has good reason to not speak about the man who fathered Kusa. But as I lack proof of my theory, I haven't said a word of it to Kusa. Because, let's be honest. Would he really believe me if I told him he could have been the product of either an illicit affair or forced relations, most likely the latter? I doubt he would, at least at first. But, that doesn't really help narrow down who Kusa's biological father could be.

But that's not important now. What IS important is that we keep having faith that Kusa will pull through, get well quickly and fight his way back to us so he can be there with us when we steal the Treasure and change her heart. And to be honest, I feel like he has more right than most of us to be there for that." Ren said as Morgana nodded. At that point, Sojiro chuckled and spoke up from behind Ren.

"Funny you should mention Kusa, Ren. I heard from the hospital this afternoon. Apparently Kusa came to at some point this morning. And not only did he come to, but he was confused as to why he was in a hospital room until the staff explained to him about what they knew. Once Kusa heard the staff's explanation, he apparently told them what he knew of the attack on him.

However, the interesting part is that he apparently didn't name any names of who did it. I think that's because he might plan to deal with them himself at some point. Kusa's stubborn that way. But isn't that good that he's conscious? It means that you can go see him probably in the next few days. And it might mean he'll be back here sooner, rather than later." Sojiro said as Ren smiled and nodded, a bit relieved to hear that Kusa was doing better, even if he was still his usual dry and cynical self.

Plus, wanting to get his own back was very much a Kusa response to being beaten up to the point of winding up in a hospital bed, so Ren couldn't fault Kusa for not wanting to name names. Morgana then spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"It's so wet out! It's raining, but it's not any cooler out..." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement. Ren then stroked his chin as he considered his options before approaching the yellow phone, at which point Morgana spoke up once more.

"Oh? Were you thinking of calling Kawakami?" Morgana asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, might as well get her ranked up since there's not a lot else to do tonight. Plus I believe she's one of my only two level 2 Confidants at the moment and I need to get on changing that ASAP." Ren said decisively. After he dialed the number, it rang for a bit before a familiar voice answered.

"Hiii! I'm Becky, guerrilla maid of the maid wooorld. The type of work we do depends on how- Oh, it's you. Umm, Master? Are you hungry at all? Now we're offering special services like 'Maid's Cooking' and 'Together with a Maid!' With the request fee included, it'll only cost you 5,000 yen! What a steal!" Kawakami said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear, making him put his hand over the receiver so Kawakami couldn't hear the meows as he listened to Morgana.

"It'll cost you 5,000 yen, but are you going to call Kawakami over?" Morgana asked as Ren nodded and spoke up, his hand still on the receiver so Kawakami couldn't hear.

"Yep. Figure this way I can get her ranked up, have one less rank 2 confidant, AND maybe slowly start to get Kawakami to warm to me a bit, if only so as to hopefully make life at Shujin just a bit more enjoyable. After all, her letting me slack off occasionally has already been quite beneficial to us at least a few times. So who knows what other beneficial perks getting into her good books might have?" Ren said with a shrug as he took his hand off the receiver and spoke into it.

"Yeah, sorry for putting you on hold like that, but yes, I'd like to request your services. I'm fine paying the 5,000 yen fee, of course. If you're recommending the new services, and they're part of that fee, then why not? I'll give them both a try. After all, you only live once, as they say." Ren said conversationally. Kawakami blinked as she processed Ren's payment and spoke up in surprise.

"WHAT!? Seriously? I-I mean, thank you for requesting me, Master! That said, please wait for me! I hope you have a big appetiiiiite, Master!" Kawakami said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone, heading up to his room to tidy up a tiny bit for Kawakami. A short time later, Kawakami had shown up, providing the services that he'd requested, and giving Ren a closed-eye, but thankfully NOT chibi, smile as she spoke up.

"Well, did you enjoy the 'Maid's Cooking' and 'Together with a Maid' services I provided today? The high-end cup noodles really do make a difference, don't they?" Kawakami asked Ren, who thought about it before he spoke up.

"Yeah, they do. Granted, it's just a cup noodles dish, but those are usually rather tasty I've found. That said, it could also be the fact that we shared the meal that makes the difference as well to some extent, at least in my opinion." Ren said conversationally. Kawakami giggled, giving Ren another closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"I thought you'd agree, Master! Ugh, they are pretty complicated though...It says to drain the hot water once and leave the sauce packet on the lid so it gets warm. Don't request me if you're going to complain, though. And besides, I thought I warned you already. Why would you request me again?" Kawakami asked as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"A couple of different reasons, honestly. Firstly, I was curious about the services you mentioned, both of which were amazing despite my comments before about the noodles. Secondly, and this might be hard for you to believe, but I wanted to see you, maybe get to know you somewhat. Or is a student not allowed to want to try and make friends with his teacher? Because I'm pretty sure there's only rules against students being more than friends with their teachers, unless I missed a rule?" Ren said honestly. Kawakami frowned at Ren's response.

"No, there's no rule against students being friends with their teachers. However, are you sure that's REALLY the reason? Well, I guess I'm in no position to complain, since I'm making money from it." Kawakami said before yawning as she kept speaking, a frown on her face while she spoke.

"I'm so tired. We had a faculty meeting just the other day. Why do they have to last so long? Jeez! Thanks to the Phantom Thieves, the students have been really restless lately. The teachers can't agree on what to do about them or the Phantom Thieves. To be honest, I wish they talked more about our bonus instead. I heard they might even cut the teachers' salaries. I'm so sick of it." Kawakami said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That sound quite rough, Miss Kawakami. I'll see what I can do about requesting you more often, so as to hopefully lighten the pinch on your finances some. Granted, those requests might be fewer and further between for now since I'm trying to get better about managing the money I have left, which is a decent bit, though not quite as much as I'd like, but I can make it work either way. But regardless, I'll do what I can to request you when I can." Ren said honestly, hoping to make Kawakami feel at least a bit better. Kawakami gave Ren a surprised look, before it became a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Really? In that case, I'll continue to serve you with all my might, Master! Ugh, but seriously, I'm going to be in trouble if I don't pick up more shifts." Kawakami said as her phone chose that moment to ring, making her walk off a bit so Ren couldn't hear as she answered it, not aware that he'd hear regardless since there was nothing else making noise in all of Leblanc at that moment.

"Hello! ...WHAT!? How much!? I can't...Yes, but! That's, that's true...Ugh, sure. Yes...Yes, I understand. Yes, it's my responsibility, after all..." Kawakami said as she hung up the phone and walked back over to a confused looking Ren who raised an eyebrow inquiringly as he looked over at a sheepish-looking Kawakami who spoke up.

"Ohh, umm did you hear that? Haha...Yeah, I'm a little behind on my sister's medical bills." Kawakami said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I see. Well I can't really tell you what to do since you're the adult of the two of us, but I can at least say that while you seem to have it quite rough, you won't do yourself or anyone else much good if you work yourself into collapsing from exhaustion, Miss Kawakami. So, as your friend, or at least your concerned student, I must advise that you try not to overdo it, though it's entirely up to you if you heed that advice or not.

I merely speak out of worry for you, and not out of any desire to try to tell you what to do since you can make your own choices." Ren said gently but comfortingly to Kawakami, or at least he hoped his response came off as comforting if not reassuring. Kawakami blinked, her eyes widening slightly at the genuine and sincere concern she could hear in Ren's tone before she spoke up.

"Uh, apparently it's some crazy incurable disease, so there's a lot of fees and extra charges! That's why it would really help if you requested me more...Oh, never mind. You're my student. I can't keep relying on you. Ughhh...What am I going to do? Anyways, it's time for me to go. Hey, feel free to call me over to do housework. It doesn't have to be through the maid service.

I live close by, so I can stop over whenever you need me. Besides, I'm worried that you can't cook or do laundry because you don't have your parents. Oh, and if your friends or your brother suddenly come over/home, I can always leave out the back way." Kawakami said to Ren, who smiled as he felt Kawakami's kindness towards him, which he took to be their bond deepening.

At that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached rank 3. As a result of the rank up, Ren had gotten the ability to use 'Housekeeping' which allowed him to request Kawakami to brew coffee or do laundry for him. At that point, Kawakami sighed as she turned around while speaking up.

"Ugh, this isn't how it was supposed to go. In any case, I need to talk to my boss about giving me more shifts. I need to get requested more. Anyways, I better get going. Good night, Amamiya-kun the elder! I hope your brother gets better soon! I can't believe someone would beat him up! And before you ask how I know about it, Doctor Maruki contacted the staff to advise us that Kusa had been beaten up.

But to be fair, he was required to do so since we put a rule into place that if an incident involving a Shujin student was to occur, even during vacations, that we'd have to inform all faculty of it so as to be able to decide on the proper course of action for how to handle said incident. That said, good night!" Kawakami said as she left, leaving Ren to gape after her in surprise before he followed behind Kawakami to escort her to the station. A short time later, as Ren got back from escorting her to the station, his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, shrugging as he recognized Kawakami's voice on the other line.

"Oh, is this Master? Thank you for using our service today! Wasn't my meal so delicious? Could you taste all the love I put into it? But you can't just eat cup noodles, right? You need balanced nutrients! Maybe next time you can try some of my 'home-maid' cooking instead? But seriously though, you're still young. As such, you really need to eat properly." Kawakami said as Ren rolled his eyes before speaking up.

"Thanks for your concern, Miss Kawakami. But I'm making sure I eat as properly as I can. If nothing else, I have friends who help me keep on top of my food groups. Besides, if I'm being honest, Yoshizawa-san would probably never let me hear the end of it if my diet WASN'T balanced. But I respect that about her, that she's so concerned for me. Even if you have a slightly different way of doing so, you're kind of that same way. And it's not a bad thing." Ren said with a smile. Kawakami huffed on the other end as she spoke up.

"Hmph, as flattering as hearing you compare me to someone like Yoshizawa-san is, you can thank me once you start making actual improvements! Uh, I mean, you're sooo very welcome! Um, I know this is kind of silly to say, but you really do need to eat healthy, whether you're told to do so or not. Okay? I mean, considering how much you spend on requesting me, you can probably afford some good food. Well, that said, I hope you'll request me again sometime! Bye-byeeee!" Kawakami said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone, getting ready for bed afterwards, hoping that Kusa would be able to get well enough to return to Leblanc sooner rather than later...

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

"Hey, shouldn't you tell the others about that target in Mementos?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren looked at Morgana and shook his head.

"No. That's the only target we have right now, and I like to try to wait until we have a decent sized pile of them built up before dealing with them. So not just yet." Ren said before he decided to go put in a shift at the flower shop again since he could always use more Kindness, plus the pay is usually pretty solid. That, and it seemed to Ren like it could be a good use of his time. Furthermore, there wasn't anyone that noteworthy available to rank up aside from Ryuji, but Ren didn't really want to hang with Ryuji just then since he could rank him up most anytime. Nodding to himself, Ren went to the flower shop, wondering as he did so how Kusa was holding up...

(Meanwhile, in Kusa's hospital room with Kusa)

Kusa frowned as he looked around the hospital room that he had to himself, noticing how, aside from the sterile, bright-colored walls that were decorated in various shades of blue and/or red and the various medical implements around the room, the room had little in it, aside from a TV and some books. The TV didn't even have a gaming system hooked to it. Kusa shrugged as he pulled out his phone to send a private chat to Futaba out of boredom.

"Hey there, Taba. Sorry for worrying you the last couple days. However, in my defense, how was I to know that those cowards who called themselves my teammates back when I led the Okinawa Academy karate team would turn on me and beat me up just because I was basically ordered to move to Yongen with Ren for his probation!? Seriously, eff those guys! Once I get out of here, if I find them, they'll find out how bad they messed up in attacking me!

That is, assuming they didn't end up fracturing both my effing kneecaps when they beat me up. Go figure the dirty cowards would try to break me while beating me up. Joke's on them, though. I'm not gonna be kept down that easily! I'll overcome this somehow, and then once I do, we'll find a way to overcome your demons together. So yeah, figured I'd let you know I'm thinking of you and hope you're doing well." Kusa sent as he saw dots next to Futaba's icon before she sent a response.

"Whew! I'm so glad you're awake, Kusa! You have no idea how badly you scared me when Sojiro told me you were in the hospital! I can't believe they got the jump on you either! But I agree, jumping you was a cowardly thing of them to do. Hopefully you won't have any lasting injuries or issues from this. I'm glad you're conscious at least now, Kusa." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Naturally. A true warrior doesn't let themselves stay knocked down for long. They find a way to get back up and push through, finding the will inside to persevere despite the odds. And I am no different! Neither are you! We're both fighters, so we can overcome our obstacles if we work at it enough. Oh shoot, looks like I gotta go for a bit. I think I'm about to be looked at again." Kusa sent as he put his phone away. And he did so just in time, since right after he put it away, a doctor came in and looked at Kusa, who smiled and gave the doctor his full attention as he spoke up.

"Oh, hello Doc. What's up?" Kusa said conversationally as the doctor looked at Kusa before speaking up.

"Well, there's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" The doctor asked as Kusa shrugged before speaking up.

"Eh, let's get the metaphorical bandage off now. Gimme the bad news first." Kusa said as the doctor nodded and spoke up.

"OK, the bad news is that your right knee is sprained in two different places from where you were kicked. But the good news is that neither of your knees was fractured, luckily for you. However, your nose WAS broken, so we had to fix it back into place and splint it, hence why you sound stuffed up a bit." The doctor said as Kusa nodded before he spoke up.

"I see. So how badly is that sprained knee gonna set me back in terms of getting back on my feet? I'd prefer it if I can manage to not let this keep me down for long if I can avoid it, since both as a man and as a warrior, I refuse to allow something like this to keep me down for too long." Kusa said resolutely as the doctor smiled and spoke up.

"That's an admirable attitude for you to have, Amamiya-kun. Luckily, knee sprains heal quickly, so you'll probably have to take it easy for a couple weeks. However, most of that will be recovering at home. As it turns out, other than having to remove that gauze from your nose, there're no lasting problems to address so you'll probably have to remain here today just to be observed, but the goal is to have you fit to be discharged the day after tomorrow. However, once you get discharged, you'll have to probably walk with either crutches or a knee brace, if not both, for about two weeks just to ensure you don't accidentally damage that sprain further." The doctor told Kusa, who nodded before speaking up.

"Fair enough, sir. I'll try not to over-do it then. And thank you for being honest with me. I prefer to have people be up-front with me on things so I can know what I'm dealing with and be able to adapt to a situation accordingly. As you might guess, it's kind of hard to do that if I don't know what I'm dealing with." Kusa said obediently as the doctor nodded understandingly as he spoke up.

"I quite understand, young man. Just take it easy today and tomorrow, and with any luck you'll be able to go home the day after. Okay?" The doctor said as Kusa nodded while the doctor left the room to tend other patients, at which point Kusa pulled his phone and re-opened his private chat with Futaba.

"Okay, I'm back. Sorry about that, the doc came in to update me on my situation. Apparently, I got lucky not to have fractured kneecaps, but I did have a busted nose and a sprain in two different spots on my right knee that I'm going to have to wear a knee brace for once I get discharged, which barring any complications or unforeseen problems is set to be day after tomorrow, so the good news is that I'll still be able to help you as best I can. The bad news is that my mobility will be slightly impaired while I have that brace on, but I'm sure I'll find a way to adapt to it." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Hm, sounds to me like you got off quite lucky, Kusa. But I'm glad to hear it. And I'll be just as glad to have you back at Leblanc, since to be honest, I've missed hanging out with you the past few days. So I'll be happy to be able to do so again." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Agreed, I've missed our hangouts too. But I've also missed being able to hold you close to me like we were doing. I know it was just innocent cuddling, but it still felt so right to me somehow being able to have you in my arms." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"To be honest, I've felt the same. But let's worry about changing my heart first. Once that's done, then we can start discussing where things stand with us, yeah?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Agreed. I intend to get healthy as quick as I can, so that I might be better able to help change your heart quickly." Kusa sent, smiling as he put his phone away, before yawning and deciding to take a bit of a power nap to keep his energy built up...

(Back at the flower shop, with Ren)

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

"This customer is looking for reddish flowers, so please make a bouquet using those." Hanasaki said to Ren, who bowed and started on the bouquet as Morgana spoke up.

"Hmm, the request is for reddish flowers. Ones that are close to red in color are probably okay too." Morgana said as Ren nodded, picking a Scarlet Rose, a Care-nation, and a Gecko Orchid for the bouquet as they were the best match that Ren could see to the request. As he finished, Morgana spoke up.

"I hope the customer likes what you picked, Ren. That was rather hastily picked out, after all." Morgana said as Ren nodded and went to give the bouquet to the customer. The customer smiled as he received the bouquet and bowed to Ren and Hanasaki as he left with a pleased look on his face. After he left, Hanasaki turned to Ren and smiled as she spoke up.

"Amazing! Our customer was extremely happy! Well, here's your pay for today! I gave you a little bonus because of how well you did!" Hanasaki said to Ren as she gave him 7,800 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 and left the store, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Nice! Work went great today! Living surrounded by flowers might be your true calling. And you were good with the customers, too." Morgana said as Ren huffed but nodded as his Kindness got a sizable boost from working at the flower shop as he spoke up.

"Hmph. You're funny, Morgana. But that order wasn't that hard. Maybe I should read that 'Flowerpedia' book I picked up though next time I think of it, just to make sure I'm more well-versed in flowers, if for no other reason than so I can have better success at that job." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good idea. Anyways, wanna head back? All right, we should head home." Morgana said as Ren headed back to Leblanc. Once he got back, Sojiro huffed and spoke up.

"Man, it's hot. Another scorcher. Can't we catch a break? Oh, speaking of catching breaks, I heard from the hospital. Apparently, Kusa's X-rays came back negative for fractures, but he did have a sprain in his right knee that he has to get a knee brace for. But that's the bad news.

The good news is he didn't have any serious injuries aside from the sprained knee and busted nose, so the staff is hopeful Kusa will be able to be discharged the day after tomorrow. Which to be honest, I'm glad to hear he can come back so soon, since the place isn't the same without him around. I'm sure you agree." Sojiro said as Ren nodded. After checking his chats, he saw that Kawakami and Hifumi had messaged him. After sending the group a quick group chat to update them on Kusa's condition, he then opened up his private chat from Hifumi.

"Greetings, Amamiya-kun. You have more natural aptitude for shogi than I thought. In addition to skills, you seem to have a lot of ambition. As long as I'm your instructor, I must measure your progress. Therefore, I'd like to take you somewhere after our match today. Would you like to go?" Hifumi sent as Ren looked at the chat before Morgana spoke up.

"Don't forget you have a Confidant link with Hifumi, so be sure to accept her invitations until you gain her trust, okay?" Morgana said to Ren who nodded and sent a response.

"That sounds wonderful, Hifumi. I'd be delighted to accept your invitation, so let's do it." Ren sent as Hifumi sent a response.

"Excellent. After our match is over, I'll take you to Book Town." Hifumi sent as Ren heard his phone go off as the location of 'Jinbocho Book Town' was added to his travel map so he could fast-travel there at his leisure. He then went to meet up with Hifumi...

(In Jinbocho, with Ren and Hifumi)

Hifumi giggled as she spoke up, smiling at Ren as she spoke.

"That was a good match. I really do enjoy teaching you. You're such a quick learner, Amamiya-kun." Hifumi said to Ren, who nodded as Hifumi kept speaking.

"Today I thought we'd find you something to help you train on your own. This bookstore is filled with shogi-related books. I've been coming here a lot lately. There's also a curry restaurant just around the corner. I recommend their katsu curry. I always eat katsu curry before an important match. You know, for good luck." Hifumi said as Ren nodded before an almond-eyed girl approached Ren and Hifumi, looking at Hifumi as she spoke up.

"Hifumi." The girl said as Hifumi turned to the girl and gasped lightly as she spoke up.

"Oh, hello. I hope your match went well today." Hifumi said as the almond-eyed girl blinked and spoke up.

"What are you talking about? Today's our day off." The girl said as Hifumi blinked and nodded as she spoke up.

"Ah yes, that's right. My apologies. I forgot there aren't any matches scheduled for today." Hifumi said as the almond-eyed girl huffed and spoke up.

"Tch. Out shopping with your boyfriend? Hmph, how nice for you." The almond-eyed girl said, smirking at the twin looks of stunned disbelief on Ren and Hifumi's faces as she kept speaking, ignoring the two sputtered denials from Ren and Hifumi as she spoke.

"I shouldn't be surprised. You ARE a famous shogi player, after all. Well, I won't intrude. Bye." The almond-eyed girl said as she walked off as Hifumi winced and spoke up.

"Sorry. She was only glaring at you because you're with me. She's my senior. You see, I recently defeated her in a title match." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Eh, it's fine. I didn't mind. Though I do hope she doesn't go around telling people that we're together. Since, to be honest, I think we both see each other as friends, and little more. And besides that, I already have my eyes, and my heart, on another girl. As a result, I wouldn't really be able to reciprocate if you did feel something for me, I'm sorry to say." Ren said honestly as Hifumi blinked but nodded as she spoke up.

"Well, that's very kind of you to say. And I appreciate you being honest with me. Truth is, I don't see you as anything other than a friend, and maybe a trusted shogi buddy." Hifumi said as Ren nodded understandingly before Hifumi winced and kept speaking.

"The truth is, I'm not very well liked by my seniors. The more attention I get, the more enemies I make, and the more lies are spread about me. Perhaps it's odd to compare myself to them, but I wonder if it's the same for the Phantom Thieves." Hifumi said as Ren blinked at her in surprise while she kept speaking, smiling as she spoke.

"People are so divided about them on the internet. Some love them, while others hate them. But I myself can't help but see similarities between us. What do you think about them?" Hifumi asked Ren, who pondered the question before he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"To be honest, I myself think they're rather cool. My younger brother feels the same way about them. He thinks they're the best thing to happen to Japan in quite some time." Ren said as Hifumi nodded understandingly before she spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Your brother sounds like a smart person. I feel the same way about them, actually. Why am I only just now hearing that you have a little brother? I'll admit we don't do that much getting to know one another, but I feel like that should've come up in conversation sooner." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up.

"True, but recently he's not been home much since he's been laid up in the hospital after some cowardly ex-teammates of his beat him up for some reason and now he's stuck in the hospital dealing with a busted nose and a sprained right knee. But he's not letting it stop him. He's determined to get healthy again so as not to let them win. He's rather stubborn that way, Kusa is." Ren said as Hifumi gasped in recognition at the name that Ren had just dropped before she spoke up in surprise.

"Kusa? Is your younger brother Kusa Amamiya, the captain, or probably former captain in this case, of the Okinawa Academy karate team who was building a reputation for being hard to defeat in a spar?" Hifumi asked as Ren blinked but nodded despite his surprise at Hifumi knowing about Kusa. *2*

"Yeah, that's him. But I had no idea he had a reputation in the martial arts circuit." Ren said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up.

"Are you kidding, Amamiya-kun!? Some were considering him a legend. I heard rumors that there were even some who were treating him as the potential next Bruce Lee, he's so good. Of course, if his knee's sprained, that might hamper his form in the long run. But I'm sure he'll still be incredible despite that. But anyways, it's amazing that the Phantom Thieves're still doing what they do, even though so many people criticize them.

They really give me courage with what they do. But, their victories can't be won with will alone. How do they change a person's heart, I wonder? I'm interested from a tactical standpoint, and, well you know. Oh, I'm sorry! We really are quite off-topic. I feel like I've become much more talkative of late. I usually don't talk this much. You're more than just someone I can practice new moves with. You're someone I feel I can confide in, as surprising as that might sound to you. Um, if you don't mind this sort of thing, I'd like to go out and chat with you again." Hifumi said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"I don't mind that at all, Togo-san. I'm happy to be someone you can confide in." Ren said as Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"Great! I look forward to it!" Hifumi said as Ren nodded again, feeling Hifumi's trust in him growing. At that moment, the 'Star' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his Star confidant link with Hifumi had reached Rank 4. However, no skills were gained from the rank up. Afterwards, Hifumi kept speaking.

"Oh yes, there's a book that I'd love for you to read. Let's go." Hifumi said as she took Ren to see the book before speaking up as the two went to part ways.

"Well then, until our next match. Take care, Amamiya-kun, and I hope your brother gets better soon. I wouldn't mind getting to meet him, if only to pick his brain a bit for tactics since if he's as good at spars as the rumors say, that likely suggests he has a head for tactics as well." Hifumi said to Ren who nodded as he went back to Leblanc, where the phone rang as he hit the doorstep, which he answered.

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

"Hello, Amamiya-kun. Thank you for accompanying me today. My intention was to show you how great Jinbocho is, but I ended up just talking about myself. My apologies. I was shocked, though. Ordinarily, I don't talk that much, I assure you. Perhaps it's because I never had friends at school who I could talk to about shogi? But I hope this won't discourage you from spending time with me. really, I would be delighted to do this again." Hifumi said as Ren spoke up after pondering his response.

"Sounds good to me, Togo-san. Where shall we go next then?" Ren asked with a smirk. Hifumi blinked at the question as she spoke up.

"What? Erm, well, let's see. Ugh, I give up. There are too many places I'd like to visit. I cannot narrow it down to one. Other than used books and katsu curry, there are many things I'd like to recommend in that city. If you have the chance, perhaps we can explore more of the city next time. Well, I'm afraid I must go. I'll see you at the church." Hifumi said as Ren nodded and hung up the phone before heading inside to get ready for bed.

(The next day, in the bottom floor of Leblanc with Ren, Morgana and Sojiro)

Ren's phone went off with a private chat, but Ren just skimmed it, smiling as he saw it was from Kasumi, but focused on his meal instead as Sojiro spoke up, smirking as he saw the slight smile on Ren's face.

"Hm? You talking to your friends? Ah, the beauty of youth. Although, with that smile, maybe it was moreso you were talking to a certain special someone? I suppose it's possible. Are you gonna head out once you're done eating? I'm sure Kusa would love it if you surprised him with a visit at the hospital. You might have to ask for the number of the room he's in, but that shouldn't be too tough for you, right? He's at Yongen-Jaya General if you do go visit him." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and pocketed his phone as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! Is your plan all set for today? We should finish our food and then head out." Morgana said as Ren nodded and then headed upstairs once he was done eating. At that point, Morgana spoke up, making Ren frown as he heard what Morgana had to say.

"You guys haven't met once. Are you taking it easy this entire summer? Tell everyone to meet at the hideout. Let's discuss our next move." Morgana said as Ren huffed and nodded as he sighed before he reluctantly spoke up.

"Fine. Though I hope you realize that Kusa's not gonna be able to be there for this meeting, since he's still in the hospital as far as I know." Ren said to Morgana, who winced and nodded his understanding before speaking up.

"Good point. Let's meet with everyone else then." Morgana said as Ren sighed and invited the others to the hideout...

(A short time later, in the attic of Leblanc with Yusuke, Morgana, Ann, Makoto, Ren, and Ryuji)

"Excuse me, Ryuji. I hope you still recall the details of our new battle tactic." Yusuke said to Ryuji, who blinked as he spoke up.

"Huh? Battle tactic? Ohh yeah, you mean that move we talked about before the summer festival, right? Yup, still got it." Ryuji said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Very good. Too bad Kusa couldn't join us today, but I understand he's not able to do so at present since he's still stuck in the hospital for at least today." Yusuke said as Morgana blinked and looked over towards Yusuke and Ryuji as he spoke up.

"Hm? What's up? What're you guys talking about?" Morgana asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"We're simply discussing how it's important to spice up our battle tactics here and there." Yusuke said as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? Spice up your battle tactics?" Morgana asked as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Eh, don't worry about it! We've got something crazy to show you later!" Ryuji said as the group's phones, including Kusa's phone, despite him being hospitalized, went off to confirm that 'Ryuji and Yusuke's Showtime' had been unlocked. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"I'm honestly surprised at the Palace this time. Everywhere we looked was just dessert." Morgana said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Oh yeah, all the other ones until now have just been normal cities outside of the distortion itself." Ann said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Truth! Thanks to that, we didn't even know we were in a Palace our first time goin' into Kamoshida's, and by 'our', I mean myself, Ren and Kusa. However, as we hadn't met him yet, I'm not including Morgana in that." Ryuji said as the aforementioned not-cat nodded and spoke up.

"True. That's still part of the Palace though. The city may not have been distorted, but it was still cognition. The Palace Rulers may have been criminals, but they were social enough to know the city layout. But Futaba probably doesn't. In fact, I'd bet she isn't even interested in the outside world." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"From what little Kusa's said to me about her, you'd lose that bet, Morgana. She might not go out a lot, but she still keeps tabs on the outside world, so I'd say that suggests a lot of interest in the outside world." Ren pointed out as Morgana winced but nodded as Yusuke spoke up.

"Hence why the whole thing is a bleak desert. Understandable, considering her lifestyle." Yusuke said as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"You mean her lifestyle up until now, Yusuke. Don't forget, Kusa's been working with her on trying to slowly break her of her shut-in tendencies. So he might be brightening up how Futaba-chan sees the world bit by bit. That said, I doubt many famous criminals are shut-ins like her though. Hopefully that means we won't have to go through all this dessert business in the future." Ann said as Makoto blinked and spoke up.

"That might not necessarily be the case. Many upper-class citizens travel by limo or plane, so they don't know or care about city life." Makoto said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.

"For real? A plane!? Damn, that sounds pretty good! I mean, wouldn't you want to go to a Palace wayyy up above the clouds if you could?" Ryuji asked as Ren spoke up.

"Totally. Though, considering we kind of did that with Kaneshiro's Palace, I'd actually be more inclined to say no thanks." Ren said. Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Agreed, Ren-kun. I think a flying bank is quite enough, thanks." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up.

"I have to say though, the topic of the area outside the distortion is fascinating. Depending on the criminal, there might be an exact replica of Tokyo within their Palace. I would love to examine the aesthetics of such a strange place at least once." Yusuke said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Too bad Kusa's not here to make a dry but snarky remark to that, but I can do it for him. Huh, you don't got a damn thing but art in that head of yours, huh?" Ryuji said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Not true, Ryuji. Need I remind you about the time he mentioned being intrigued by the idea of getting to know Togo-san? And last I checked, she has no connection whatsoever to art, outside of shogi being an extension of the tactical arts I suppose. But that's not really art per se, at least not in my opinion." Ren pointed out as Morgana nodded.

"Good point, Ren. That said, but it's true that an observant criminal could have a true to reality city in their Palace. Although, if such a place did exist, it's not like we'd have any use for it." Morgana pointed out as the others nodded and Ren spoke up.

"That's fair, Morgana. Well, now that we've touched bases, I suppose I should update you all on Kusa while we're here. Apparently, his x-rays came back negative for fractures, but he has a sprain in his right knee and a busted nose. So barring complications, he's due to be released tomorrow, which is good timing if so since the day after is the last day of our current prep week.

That said, we're not going into the Palace until probably 8/2, maybe 8/3 if we have to give Kusa the extra day to rest his leg so he's good to join us in the Metaverse. Otherwise, thanks for coming over, but I'm calling this meeting to a close, since I have other people who need my attention today." Ren said as the others nodded. Ryuji blinked in surprise and spoke up as Ren closed out the meeting.

"That it for today? In that case, I'm gonna go wander around for a bit. Drop me a line if something comes up." Ryuji said as Ren nooded, then blinked before he spoke up once more, looking at the group as he spoke.

"Got it, Ryuji. That said, Boss did say that Kusa could possibly have visitors today. With that in mind, perhaps some of you can go drop in and say hi to him, and if possible, maybe one of you wouldn't mind taking Morgana with you when you go, so he can go see Kusa as well? That way Kusa isn't forgotten, and I can handle what I have to. Kusa knows I love him to bits, but Yoshizawa wants me to hang with her. And to be honest, as much as I'm worried for Kusa, I think he'd rather I spend time with Yoshizawa. So yeah, it is what it is there." Ren said as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"I was thinking about checking in on Kusa anyways, so I suppose Morgana could ride along with me if you'll lend me your bag to carry him in, since I don't think he'd stay on my shoulder that well." Ann said as Ren and Morgana nodded agreeably. On that note, the group dispersed, with Morgana leaving with Ann in Ren's bag for the day. After that, Ren smiled as he let himself look at the private chat that Kasumi had sent him that morning more thoroughly, having skimmed it that morning since he was eating when she'd messaged.

"Good morning, Ren-senpai! First of all, I hope Kusa's okay and that you found him. That said, would you be in the mood for some training today? The truth is, I want to try something a little different! I was hoping, maybe you'd like to join me?" Kasumi sent. Ren blinked and sent a message.

"Oh, that's right. I haven't told you yet. Kusa was found, however the person who found him apparently found him beaten up in a back alley behind the diner he was invited to meet Doc and some of Kusa's old friends at for dinner, so now he's in the hospital getting ready to have a knee brace fitted on his right knee, which was sprained in two different places when he was beaten up. On top of that, his nose was busted, so they had to operate on it to fix it.

So he's healing from that, but is expected to hopefully be released tomorrow if all goes well. But anyways, sure. I'd love to join you for some training, Sumi. I always have time for you, after all." Ren sent as Kasumi gasped on reading Ren's response and sent her own.

"Oh no! I'm glad he's okay, but that's terrible that he got jumped and beaten up! And doubly so that his knee got sprained. Those are the worst. My sister had one of those once, but luckily she got over it quickly. That said, that's the spirit, Senpai! We're going to train at the batting cages! Let's meet up there. It'll be fun, and a good way to take your mind off Kusa's situation, I promise!" Kasumi sent as Ren smiled and headed to meet up with Kasumi after making sure he smelled good and had his hair slicked back slightly to look better. Ren then headed to the batting cages to meet Kasumi...

(At the batting cages, with Ren and Kasumi)

"Umm, hi there Ren-senpai. Probably didn't expect to be meeting me at the batting center, huh?" Kasumi asked Ren, who smiled as he spoke up.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a surprise, but definitely a welcome surprise to be sure. Truth be told, I come here myself from time to time. I haven't been in a bit since I've been busy, but this will be fun to make sure my form hasn't gone completely to crap from the few weeks I've been away from the cages. But I would hope you know by now I always enjoy spending time with you, Sumi." Ren said to Kasumi, who blinked at the short-hand nickname Ren had called her. Kasumi nodded after a moment before smiling prettily at Ren, before looking into his eyes for a bit and speaking up at that point.

"Sumi? Not that I mind, but since when do you do nicknames, Senpai? That said, I thought so. But I'm glad you decided to humor me. By the by, is that perfume I smell on you? It smells rather nice, if it is." Kasumi said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, it's just a bit of some Axe Phoenix body spray that I occasionally use if the mood strikes me, kind of like when I hang with you. But I'm glad you like the smell of it." Ren said charmingly as Kasumi smiled as she kept speaking.

"Fair enough. Anyways, I read that batting helps train your reflexes and dynamic vision. It also strengthens your stance. And really, those are important elements in gymnastics, too! It all sounds pretty plausible, right? Actually, to be honest, I just wanted to come here. The fact it gave me an excuse to ask you along was just a bonus. To be honest, I wanted you to see me hit a home run." Kasumi said as Ren blinked and then laughed as he spoke up.

"That's a good one, Kasumi. Pretty sure you mean a baseball home run, and not the other type of home run though. Otherwise I'd have wondered why you'd want me to watch. Also, this seems kind of sudden, not that I mind. I'm just pointing that out." Ren said teasingly as Kasumi blushed in embarrassment before pouting adorably and speaking up after swatting Ren on the arm as she registered how her previous remark had probably sounded.

"Not funny, Senpai! Of course I meant the baseball type of home run! Besides, I'm quite sure neither myself or you are into voyeurism, Senpai! But I find it flattering you thought I meant that, I suppose. That said, I remembered something from when I was little. My father used to take me to the batting cages a lot. The other kids were scared of getting hit by the baseballs, but I just loved swinging the bat around." Kasumi said as Ren chuckled and smiled at Kasumi charmingly as he spoke up.

"Nice. You're a girl after my own heart, Kasumi. I also like to swing the bat around, but I also enjoy it when I can hit the ball, especially when it's a home run." Ren said as Kasumi giggled cutely and nodded as she spoke up.

"Isn't it just the best feeling when you can hit a ball? Also, every time I hit one, I kept thinking, 'It doesn't matter how fast they are! I'll slam them into orbit!' I thought if I tried to put myself back in that head space, i could get some ideas on how to get my boldness back. What do you think? That could work, right?" Kasumi asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up, giving her his most charming and winsome smirking grin. As he did so, Ren found himself enjoying how red Kasumi got as she looked at it, making Ren laugh while he spoke.

"It is a very good idea, Kasumi. If you want to try and hit a home run, go for it. I'll be nearby, watching you. To be honest, I always enjoy watching you when I can, because you're usually so darn cute and adorable to watch." Ren said suavely as Kasumi blushed a bit as she giggled cutely and spoke up, clearly amused and surprised at this more brazenly flirtatious side of Ren while she spoke.

"S-Senpai, stop it! I'm not that cute or adorable, but I appreciate the compliment! That said, I feel so energized now! I'll show you what I can do, Ren!" Kasumi said as Ren smiled and nodded as he got a seat behind the mesh fence separating the batter from the crowd to watch Kasumi as she stepped up to the batter's plate, looking over at Ren with a determined look as she spoke up.

"Next up to the plate, Kasumi Yoshizawa! Here I go! Now, come on!" Kasumi said as she got into batting stance to await the first pitch which flew right past her, making her blink as she spoke up.

"Wait, what!? W-Were they always this fast!?" Kasumi asked Ren, who shrugged, figuring that was probably a medium-ish speed pitch. Kasumi smiled and nodded as she spoke up some more.

"I'll get the next one...!" Kasumi said as the pitch came in and flew past her once more, faster than she could swing at, making her blink in surprise before she spoke up.

"It's the next one that counts! Okay, no more warm-ups! From now on, it's gonna be 100% home runs!" Kasumi said as Ren winced as the next several pitches kept flying past her, hearing Kasumi occasionally give out adorable-sounding 'Eep!'s of surprise, making Ren smile at her as he watched, mentally cheering her on in his head, knowing that it would be both distracting and rude, even if it was encouraging, to cheer for her aloud. As the pitches kept flying past, Kasumi winced and spoke up.

"Wh-What the..." Kasumi said as after a bit, she still hadn't hit a single pitch, making her wince as she looked at Ren and spoke up with a look of embarrassment on her face.

"Oof, my bad, Senpai. I-I'm sorry...I knew I was rusty, but I didn't expect to miss ALL of them. I never see the ball coming, and I keep flinching. I didn't think my slump was hitting me this hard." Kasumi said, looking a bit disappointed and sad, making Ren smile as he spoke up, giving Kasumi an encouraging grin as he spoke.

"Don't give up yet, Sumi! You just have to get used to the speed of the pitch and time your swing accordingly! I believe in you! You can hit that home run! And when you do, I'll be cheering for you. So keep at it, and show me what you can do, Sumi!" Ren said encouragingly, giving Kasumi a sly wink as he finished speaking that had Kasumi blushing prettily as she spoke up.

"Senpai...No, not Senpai. Ren, thank you. You're right! I'll give it one more shot!" Kasumi said as she got back into batting stance, speaking to herself to steady her nerves.

"Stay calm...don't be scared...Eyes on the ball! Okay, MY TURN! Here I go! Come on...! Ngh..." Kasumi said as she took a few swings that missed, before her fourth or fifth swing caused an audible 'DINK!' to echo through the room as her bat hit a ball, sending it right into the home-run target. Kasumi gasped but smiled, pleased with herself, though she nearly jumped when she heard Ren cheering for her. flushing a bit as she shyly smiled as she heard what Ren said.

"YESSSS! Way to go, Sumi! That's how you do it! That's my girl!" Ren said, before blushing in embarrassment as he heard how he'd worded his last sentence, making Kasumi giggle even as she blushed slightly at Ren calling her his girl before she walked back over to him and spoke up happily.

"I...I did it. We did it! I DID IT, SENPAI! I hit the ball!" Kasumi said happily, only just resisting the urge to squeal loudly and jump up and down, making Ren chuckle fondly as he smiled proudly at Kasumi before he spoke up.

"Congratulations, Sumi! I told you you could do it! Way to go." Ren said in a congratulatory tone. Kasumi nodded, blushing prettily as she gave Ren a cutesy sort of closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"I'd never have done it without your encouragement, Senpai...Ren. To be honest, up until now, I've only been working for myself. i was so desperate to make a good impression. But since I started hanging out with you, Ren, I started feeling like I wanted to live up to your expectations, since you're my Senpai and all. And that feeling's helped me feel so much stronger! I'd forgotten how it felt to work that hard on someone else's behalf." Kasumi said happily, still wearing a closed-eye smile as Ren nodded approvingly and spoke up, smiling as he looked at Kasumi while he spoke.

"Exactly. And that's important that you remember what, or even whose benefit, you're working for. If it's for someone else, all the better. But even if it's just yourself, never forget what you're working for, as it will give you strength. And to be honest, you're one of the strongest, and most selfless, people I know, Kasumi. And if I'm being completely open with you? I find that trait very admirable and endearing about you.

Truthfully, I've only recently realized it, but I think it might even be letting me see you in a totally new light, compared to how I'd been seeing you before. And before you get worried or upset, it's not a bad thing. It just means I'm starting to realize exactly how deeply I care for you, as well as how much I've come to enjoy your company, Kasumi. As cliche as this might sound, I think it's one of the things I love about you, Kasumi. But then, I think I might love everything about you, to be fair." Ren said, taking a breath to steady his nerves as he kept speaking.

"Kasumi? I know we've only known each other for a few months, but I think...I think I love you." Ren said to Kasumi, who blinked at this and chuckled nervously as she spoke up, blushing prettily at Ren's words.

"S-Senpai!? Did you just say what I think you did!? Also, right! Thank you very much! Can I be honest now? Ever since I met you, Senpai, I've been discovering so many things about myself. But now, I feel like I'm closer than ever to getting my confidence back. Please, listen to me! Oh, right! I've been feeling a lot more limber and energized lately, too! I'm not totally back to normal yet, but even my grades have been going back up. And, to be honest? I think I might be falling for you too, Ren." Kasumi said honestly as Ren smiled and spoke up, looking into Kasumi's eyes while he spoke.

"Nicely done! That said, while it might seem like it's over Kasumi, believe me when I say that it's not over yet. If anything, it's only just beginning. As far as I'm concerned, the sky's the limit. We could do most anything we wanted to do if we put our minds to it. That's the kind of incredible team we make. And if we work at it together, there's no limit to what the two of us can accomplish together, Kasumi." Ren said honestly as Kasumi's smile got wider, if it was possible, and she blushed a bit in embarrassment as she spoke up, giggling while she spoke, happy beyond words at how supportive and caring Ren was being at that moment.

"Yeah! I still need to show you what I can do! Next time, you won't have to watch me fumbling with a bat! I'll show you an all-new, full-power gymnastics routine!" Kasumi said as she gave Ren a brilliant and beautiful smile that had Ren blushing even as he felt Kasumi's intense trust in, and possibly her affection for, him. At that point, he heard a voice speak up in his head, to his surprise.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast birthed a bond clad in the heart's strength. This union, born and embraced by will unyielding, shall become the balefire that lights thy path. Thou hast gained a glimpse of the Faith's truth, granting thee further power to tread the Abyss..." Ren heard the voice say ominously as the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, as the 'IV' became a 'V' to signify that his Faith Confidant bond with Kasumi had reached Rank 5, which was marked as Rank 5 (MAX), suggesting this confidant was maxed out, but Ren somehow had a sense this wasn't truly the case, but that it was only maxed for the time being. Regardless, no new moves came from this rank-up. Afterwards, Kasumi giggled as she kept speaking.

"Anyway, we've still got a lot to hit! I think it's your turn, Ren! Give it all the guts you've got! Smash it into outer space!" Kasumi said encouragingly to Ren, who nodded as he and Kasumi sweated it out in a batting contest. Afterwards, the pair had tied, making them smile at one another and laugh as Kasumi spoke up.

"Oh, sorry. I need to get going. But first..." Kasumi said as she walked over and wrapped her arms around Ren, smiling as she looked up into his eyes.

"Thank you, for all that you do, Senpai. Never doubt that I appreciate you. And also, I recall you said you might love me? I wonder then..." Kasumi said to Ren before giggling as she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, smiling at how red his face got, before smiling at him as she stepped back, only to squeak in surprise when Ren smiled, gently putting an arm around her waist before leaning in to press his lips to hers.

This one spontaneous decision by Ren had the result of making Kasumi blink in mixed surprise, confusion and elation as she registered that Ren was actually kissing her, letting herself briefly return the kiss in her surprise at what Ren had done. After a few blissful moments where Kasumi couldn't tear herself away, she finally found the strength to pull away, smiling at Ren even as she was blushing heavily from the unexpected kiss.

"S-Senpai...wow. Just wow. Umm, right, good effort today! Thank you very much for the wonderful time you showed me! Byeee!" Kasumi said, racing off with a very red face, making Ren wait until she'd left before smirking and laughing at how adorable she'd looked running off blushing as he headed back to Leblanc. Once he got to the doorstep of Leblanc, his phone rang, and Ren smiled, knowing who it probably was as he answered it.

"Hey there, Kasumi." Ren said knowingly as he answered the phone making Kasumi squeak in surprise as she spoke up on the other end.

"H-Hi, Ren-senpai! Thank you so much for coming with me today! I haven't swung a bat in a while. My arms still felt kind of weird. I was kind of hoping to knock it out with a clang, but I'm just happy I managed to hit the ball! It was worth it, if only because of how eagerly you rewarded me for it afterwards, hee hee! That said, it's nice to dip into sports aside from gymnastics. Was there anything else you wanted to try, Senpai?" Kasumi asked Ren, who chuckled before he spoke up, his response making Kasumi's face go red on the other end from what he said.

"Honestly? I've been before, but I wouldn't mind giving swimming a go with you. I bet if nothing else, you'd look absolutely stunning, if not drop-dead gorgeous, in a swimsuit, Kasumi. Not that you don't already look amazing, because you do." Ren said charmingly as Kasumi blushed prettily on the other end before speaking up.

"S-Senpai, not funny! Even if it is flattering! Besides, I don't even know if I still have a swimsuit that fits properly, since it's been a bit since I bought one. That said, ooh! Good choice! Swimming is great full-body exercise. Good for a well-balanced muscle tone. And for showing off incredible physiques like what you might be sporting, Ren-senpai.

That said, also, since it's not as stressful on your bones and joints, it enhances your cardiopulmonary functions as well! Perhaps we can go next time, if i can find a swimsuit that fits me. And no, Ren-senpai! I'm not wearing a swimsuit that won't fit! That's asking for embarrassment to happen, especially if it were to fall apart at the pool!

I've heard horror stories about that happening to girls when they're with guys they like, making no small amount of mortification and embarrassment for them. Though I get a feeling you'd enjoy the view if it did, wouldn't you? Hee hee! Or wait, do I even own a swimsuit? I don't actually know that I have anything other than leotards. Um, that said, I have a request for you, Ren-senpai. May I ask you to join me for more things from now on? When I'm with you, I just feel so much more capable.

And the fact you seem to deeply care both for and about me is also an added perk. So, truly, whether you want to go train again or just hang out and chat, please, feel free to reach out whenever. And on that note, I think I'll let you go. Bye, Ren! I love you!" Kasumi said as Ren smiled and hung up the phone before blinking and smiling blissfully as he realized that Kasumi had just said she loved him.

Granted Kasumi had probably said it without really thinking about it, but she'd said it regardless. Ren then headed into Leblanc, with a self-satisfied smirk on his face at having confessed to Kasumi, even if she hadn't necessarily said if she reciprocated his feelings or not, but he could wait to find out if she returned his feelings or not. Once he came inside, Ren's phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and surprisingly enough Kusa, with Ann sending the first response.

"Hey, I heard some company's info got leaked?" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes, it seems the private dealings of a large corporation were publicly disclosed." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"It's caused quite the stir. People are wondering if Medjed is behind it." Makoto sent as Ren frowned and sent a response.

"If it IS them, it's not what they promised at all." Ren sent as the next response actually came from Kusa.

"True, but who says those cowards will stay true to their word? When it comes to Medjed, I'm not ruling anything out. And yeah, I'm back, sort of. Sorry for worrying everyone. Screw those cowards who jumped me! I don't care if I DID up and leave them when they needed me most, how dare my former teammates try to kill me over something I had little to no control over!? At least not ALL of them were involved in attacking me, not that I'm saying that something like that's much of a silver lining." Kusa sent as the others blinked at seeing the response before Makoto sent a response.

"First of all, welcome back Kusa-kun! Not sure if you're back at Leblanc or not, but at least you're back to chatting, so that's a start. That said, indeed. I agree Ren. That wasn't the promise they made at all! I doubt they'd do anything before the deadline they imposed on us. This seems to be a minor thing. Quite different from what Medjed has done up until now." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Is that so? And glad to see you back in chat Kusa." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Glad to be back, honestly! I think I got lucky, all things considered. From what I was told by the doctor when I came to, the dirty cowards that beat me up were trying to break my legs when they kicked me. Luckily their aim is worse than Morgana's aim at darts, so they missed my knees completely other than the one who managed to partly hit my right kneecap, causing a sprain in two different places on that knee. No offense to Morgana if he's reading this, mind you." Kusa sent as everyone laughed. Ryuji then sent a response.

"For real!? So it wasn't Medjed!? Damn, that shit freaked me out! And yo, so glad to see you able to chat again, Kusa! If you want help getting those effing cowards back for what they did to you, let me know! I got your back, man! Screw them! That's not cool, trying to cripple you like that! I can personally vouch that leg injuries suck, especially broken/sprained legs, since mine only just recently started somewhat healing! I don't care if you can be an asshole to me sometimes, Kusa! You're still one of my best friends, dammit!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response, pleased by the genuine expression of support from Ryuji.

"Thanks for the offer Ryuji, but if I do go after them, I doubt I'll have the time to wait for you to get to me so we can get them together, even if you are an ex-track star. But the offer is much appreciated, man." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"It's honestly kind of hard not having a knee-jerk reaction to this stuff nowadays. Um, pardon my choice of phrasing there, Kusa. Also, welcome back! Glad to see you chatting again." Ann sent as Kusa laughed and sent a response.

"It's fine, Ann. I knew what you meant. And if I was going to let something like that bother me, I would have to have some pretty thin skin indeed. That said, glad to be back." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Sometimes people react to these situations by pleading for help from the Phantom Thieves." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Indeed. We need to find a way to stand up for them. And Kusa, don't worry about it if you have to take it slow at first once you get out of the hospital. We can help shoulder some of the load to make it easier for you to recover if needed." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Fair enough. But really, there's no need. I'm just wearing a knee brace, so it might slow me down a bit, but it's not going to mess up how I do things much. Besides, the bigger issue isn't dealing with my temporary setback. It's making sure we get that Palace infiltrated and the Treasure taken. I might be banged-up a bit right now, but Taba's heart is literally in need of changing.

And I think that right now, that's just a tad bit more important than me being stuck in an effing knee brace. That, and I refuse to let down Taba when she needs me! I promised her we'd change her heart, and I mean to keep that promise!" Kusa sent vehemently as Ren put his phone away. Morgana chose that moment to pad downstairs to see Ren and smirk as he spoke up.

"Ah, you're home, Ren. Why don't you follow me upstairs? I think you might be surprised if you do." Morgana said as Ren frowned but nodded as he walked upstairs with the not-cat, only to gasp as he got up to the attic, since as it happened, Kusa was actually back, carefully sitting on the sofa while smiling at Ren, even though Ren could see the slight wince in Kusa's face as he smiled. Ren recovered from his surprise and walked over to give Kusa a one-armed hug as he spoke up.

"You're home already!? I thought you weren't expected to get discharged until tomorrow? Not that I mind you getting home early, bro." Ren said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"I got lucky that my knee brace arrived earlier than scheduled, plus they knew I wanted to get home and start recovering, so I was released late this afternoon. Just as well, since I was hoping to get home in time to be able to rest my leg up some before hopefully being recovered enough to join you guys on the infiltration when we return to Taba's Palace. I owe that much to her, since she's counting on us to change her heart." Kusa said with a determined look on his face. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"We'll talk about that on Tuesday, since tomorrow's the last day of our prep week! And I don't want to risk you aggravating that knee issue by being stubborn about wanting to take on more than you can handle! So don't be afraid to be honest if your leg's not up to an infiltration. I have no problems putting you on backups for the Palace if needed, so you can rest your leg more. I'm just happy you're home, honestly." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Thanks, man. Were you going to hang out with anyone tonight? If not, maybe we can have a bro's night, just us two and Morgana if he's up for it? Granted, I know we finished that 'ICU' DVD, but maybe you've swapped it out by now?" Kusa said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"As it happens, I went out and swapped the DVD out yesterday afternoon while I was in Shibuya hanging out with Ann. I turned in 'ICU' and rented some movie called 'The Running Dead' which apparently ups Guts." Ren said as Kusa smirked, seemingly pleased with the DVD that Ren chose, grinning widely while he spoke up.

"Awesome! Futaba raves about that film! Apparently it's one of her favorites, despite how gory it is. Which honestly surprises me. I wouldn't have pegged Taba for a horror movie girl, but there you go. I guess it is what it is there." Kusa said with a laugh as Ren nodded and spoke up, smiling while he spoke.

"True that. But then you'd probably know all about her, given how often you and she hang out. Granted, you've probably not gotten to hang with her as much lately since you got beat up, but my point stands either way." Ren said as Kusa nodded, agreeing with Ren's point while he spoke up.

"That's true. I do like to think I know Taba rather well by now, even if we've only been getting to know one another for a couple of months. Speaking of ladies we're getting to know, how've things been with you and Kasumi, Ren?" Kusa asked conversationally, grinning as he saw the dusting of red on Ren's face as he spoke up.

"Surprisingly well, now that you mention it. I've seen her twice in the last week. The first time, she surprised me by kissing me for a second as we left at the end of the afternoon. But today, I saw her again. And, this time I was the one to surprise her. I actually told her how I felt about her, and even kissed her. And given she didn't exactly pull away at first, I think she might well feel the same, even if she never outright stated she feels that way about me.

However, when she called me afterwards, she blurted out 'I love you.' as she hung up the phone, so I don't know if that was a knee-jerk impulse on her part, or if that was her subtle way of confessing to me. Either way, I take it as a good sign." Ren said with a self-satisfied grin as Kusa smiled at Ren, giving him a manly clap on the back as he spoke up, a proud look on his face while he spoke up after fist-bumping Ren.

"Hell yeah, Ren! That's how you do it! Now the ball is in Kasumi's court, so to speak, on if she feels the same about you. But I think if you just be patient, you might be surprised by what she does, if I had to guess. Similarly, I guess that means now it's my turn to confess to Futaba when I get a chance. That's going to be fun." Kusa said in his usual dry tone, making Ren laugh as he spoke up, giving Kusa an encouraging pat on the shoulder while he spoke.

"Hey, if I can do it Kusa, so can you! And we Amamiya men are NOT quitters! If nothing else, you've proven that with how stubbornly you've bounced back from getting beaten up. And speaking of which, for the record? Fuck those cowards for doing that to you! They're lucky I wasn't there, or I might have actually assaulted them." Ren said as Kusa smiled and spoke up, blue music notes popping up over his head as he spoke up.

"True, but it's probably better you weren't there. After all, you already have one assault charge on your record, no matter how effing false it might be. No reason for you to get more on my account. That said, let's watch us some Running Dead, yeah?" Kusa said as Ren nodded and popped in 'The Running Dead' so Kusa and him could watch, heading downstairs to get a bowl of popcorn for the two as Morgana smiled, happily hopping into Kusa's lap carefully to curl up, being careful of Kusa's bad knee before speaking up happily.

"Ah, much better. I'm glad you're back home, Kusa. I kept the sofa warm for you while you were gone, but it just wasn't the same without you here." Morgana said to Kusa, who smiled as he carefully gave the not-cat a one-armed hug before speaking up.

"Thanks Morgana, that means a lot to me, actually. And thank you for keeping an eye on Ren and keeping him out of trouble while I was unable to do so. I appreciate that, more than you can imagine." Kusa said sincerely to Morgana who smiled and spoke up.

"No problem. I was happy to do it." Morgana said, purring contentedly as Kusa lightly petted him on the head before Ren came up, smirking at the sight of the two looking content together, ignoring the unimpressed glare the not-cat gave him for what he said next.

"I knew Morgana missed you! He wouldn't say it, but I could see the wistful look in his eyes while he kept that sofa warm for you! He even refused to accompany me on some of my trips. That's how much he missed you." Ren said to Kusa, who smiled and looked at the not-cat and spoke up.

"If he did, I don't mind. To be honest? I think even if we've only known him for a few short months, it's not a lie to say that he's become something of a brother to us both in that time, Ren." Kusa said as Ren smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you might be right on that, Kusa. Of course, it probably helps that Futaba likely is as big of a sucker for a cute animal as you are." Ren joked as Kusa huffed and spoke up, resisting the urge to flip Ren off as he spoke.

"Ha freaking ha. You're effing hilarious, Ren. Now let's start that movie!" Kusa said impatiently as Ren nodded and hit the 'play' button on the movie. As the trio watched, Morgana winced as he watched the movie from in Kusa's lap, Kusa smirking at the movie as he and Ren watched it. As it turns out, 'Running Dead', or 'The Running Dead', is a story about people trying to survive in a city infested with zombies. After a bit, Morgana gasped as he spoke up.

"For real!? Ugh, talk about a dead man walking. I saw a lot of dogs in the movie too, but despite that, not a single cat." Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Silly Morgana, don't you know? They say that cats are more commonly depicted in horror films as zombies than dogs are, so the directors were probably not trying to make things harder for the main character by excluding cats from the film." Kusa said making Morgana nod understandingly as the trio kept watching. A short time later, the first disc was finished and Morgana spoke up again.

"Phew, what a scary world...I wouldn't want anything to do with that." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up, smiling at Morgana while he spoke.

"You do know I'd protect you if we ever did end up in that sort of situation, right Morgana? Also, some of those guys in that film were absolute buffoons! You never go right into the obvious trap! As a wise person once said, you GO LEFT! Left is always the way, except when you actually do have to go right. But that's besides the point. Also, don't feel bad if you're scared. That's why they're called horror movies. They're meant to scare people." Kusa said with a laugh as three blue music notes appeared over his head, though they weren't sparkly. *1*

Morgana frowned but nodded, realizing Kusa was right before he spoke up.

"True. And I respect that about you, Kusa. That said, I bet Ren here's summoned a little more Guts by watching this drama, plus the Guts he probably got from actually making a move on his crush. Good job on that, by the way Ren! I don't know if I congratulated you on that or not yet, so congrats!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, smiling as his Guts got bumped up a good bit, the bump increased by the bonus from 'The Craft of Cinema'. Morgana chose that point to speak up.

"Well then, it's getting late. Let's head to bed soon, okay?" Morgana said as Ren nodded before turning to Kusa.

"Agreed. And Kusa? Until your knee's better, I'm going to insist that you and Morgana take the bed, while I use the sofa as a bed for however long your knee takes to heal. No way is that sofa going to be good for your knee while it's healing." Ren said as Kusa sighed but nodded.

"Very well, if you insist Ren. But I'll give you the bed back once my knee's all better, I promise you that." Kusa said as Ren nodded, the two fist-bumping as they got ready for bed. However, once Ren got settled in on the sofa, his phone chose right then to go off, making Morgana and Kusa wince as the former spoke up.

"Ugh, huh...? Who could that be at this hour?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren lifted his phone to check it, smiling as he saw it was Yusuke.

"I'll be intruding on you tomorrow. Your house manages to be cool despite this heat. There's a book I want to read, and should something happen, I would be ready in case we must assemble. And if it works with your schedule, and even Kusa's, we could hang out. But don't worry if you already have plans. I'll be stopping by either way. Until then, good day." Yusuke sent as Ren put his phone down and Morgana spoke up, having read the chat from the edge of the bed on Kusa's good leg.

"Yusuke's coming here tomorrow, huh? He's definitely making the most of his summer vacation. I'm going to bed now." Morgana said as he walked back towards Kusa's chest and curled up happily, Kusa smiling as he gently put an arm over Morgana as the trio dozed off for the night...

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

"Hey, Ren! One of you and Kusa's friends is here to visit!" Sojiro called up the stairs. Morgana spoke up at that point from on Kusa's chest.

"Sounds like Yusuke's here. Come on, let's all go downstairs." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded. Ren then blinked as he remembered the plant, and checked on it. Surprisingly, it was in need of nutrients so he grabbed a bag of 'Mega Fertilizer' from under the bed and applied it to the plant, making Morgana smile as he watched Ren apply the fertilizer.

"Whoa! You're really gonna use that expensive fertilizer on the plant!? You must really care about this plant!" Morgana said as Ren nodded as he get a boost to his Kindness, surprisingly so a big enough one to rank his Kindness up from Rank 3, which was "Empathetic', to rank 4, which was 'Selfless'. Morgana smiled at this and spoke up.

"Nice one, Ren! I knew you were a selfless guy in there deep down! Congrats! And likely as not, that should do it for a while on fertilizing that plant!" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as he and Morgana followed Kusa down the stairs, where Yusuke was waiting...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: Yeah, yeah. I know I didn't finish the prep week in this chapter, but in my defense, I also didn't plan on Kasumi hitting rank 5/her 'MAX' rank in this chapter, and that's kind of a big deal where the story's concerned, as this chapter hopefully demonstrated. Also, the chapter got partially lampooned by the whole 'Kusa in the hospital after getting beaten up' subplot. But, next chapter should be the end of the prep week AND the return to Futaba's Palace. Can Kusa's leg recover enough for him to join the others, or will it stop him from going with them on the infiltration? You'll have to read next chapter to find out!

That said, thanks to all who read, follow/favorite, and leave reviews on this story as not only is it much appreciated, it gives me valuable insight on how you, the readers, find this fic. And in turn, that makes it easier for me to be able to fine-tune things to make this hopefully more enjoyable for people. So feel free to leave a review with your thoughts, opinions, constructive criticism and/or feedback on the story so far. Or feel free to PM me with it instead. I appreciate the support from my readers either way. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- I couldn't resist having Kusa make that comment. Funnily enough, what he says in the line 'GO LEFT!', is actually a reference to the movie The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, which in and of itself is the sequel to The Boondock Saints, both incredible freaking movies starring Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus about a pair of Irish brothers who take on an unlikely mission from above to take a stand against criminals.

Ironically, Norman Reedus also stars in 'The Walking Dead', which is likely the series that 'The Running Dead' was a nod to, so I couldn't resist a chance to both reference an iconic movie and throw a fun fact about that movie that ties it to the series that 'The Running Dead', which Ren and Kusa watch part of in this chapter, was likely based off of. So yeah, now you know. Seriously though, go watch the Boondock Saints movies if you've not seen them yet, they're freaking amazing!

*2*- For reference, the game never does state where Ren/Akira/Joker lives prior to the start of Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal, so I improvised and made it so that the Amamiya brothers used to live in Okinawa, since if I recall right that's also an area in Japan, but feel free to correct me in reviews on if it's not and suggest an alternative area to use in place of Okinawa, and not only will I edit this chapter to use any suggestion that is viable, but I'll even credit/shout-out the reviewer in a future A/N.

Also, of course I had Kusa as a karate legend of sorts. Given he's related to Joker, he's got to have at least SOME tenacity, since let's be real, canon Joker has buttloads of tenacity and resilience, which Kusa also has demonstrated, hence his refusal to let his knee and nose injuries slow him down from helping Futaba with her change of heart.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 42

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 6

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 3

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 4

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) - Rank 4

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 6

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 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 4

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 5 'MAX'

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) - Rank 5

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