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

49. Medjed's End! Traumatized Oracle part 13

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Hard to believe that next chapter will be chapter 50, but yep we're already about at that point. And we're likely at least 2-3 chapters from finishing arc 4, if not 4 chapters from it. Depends on how many in-game days I can cover in each chapter, I suppose. Either way, we're getting closer to the end of the arc. So yeah, it is what it is there. Now, let's hit up the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series, in any way, shape, or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made, and thus does own, along with any other recurring OCs that are in the story, as they were all made and thus owned by him unless otherwise noted), and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus, and to a point Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

That being said. I don't have much else to say here, so I guess on with chapter 49!

Chapter 49- Wait's End! Phantom Comeback? Birthday Miracles! Traumatized Oracle part 13

(At Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, I guess we don't have a lot of options tonight, do we?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed. Looking at your map, only Ohya and Kawakami seem to be available. So unless we want this to be a stat increasing night, we'll have to hang with one of them." Morgana said as Ren nodded.

"True. Thinking about it, I think I'll hang with Kawakami since I've been ignoring her a lot of recent. Which means you'll need to not be spotted by her since I don't think we can pawn you off on anyone tonight. And I wouldn't dream of making you go out alone in the rain." Ren said as Morgana nodded and Ren walked over to the yellow phone to request Kawakami. Once Ren called the number, Kawakami eventually answered, her greeting making Ren and Morgana both wince at how she worded it.

"Hiii, Becky is so drenched and wet right now-Wait, it's you. Ugh, rain is the worst. It takes longer for all my laundry to dry up and everything. And I have to run the dryer for ten minutes longer than usual, just to set off the extra rain. But anyways, I'll provide my services for 5,000 yen, request fee included! So, you'll request me today, right? That is right, isn't it?" Kawakami asked Ren, who was still wincing at what Kawakami had said at the start of the call. Morgana then turned to Ren while speaking up. *1*

"It'll cost you 5,000 yen, but are you going to call Kawakami over?" Morgana asked Ren, who put his hand over the receiver as he spoke up.

"Yes, that is the plan. Not much else to do tonight anyways." Ren said to Morgana, before removing his hand from the receiver and speaking up.

"Yes, I will request you. I have the money to cover your request fee, at the very least." Ren said. Kawakami then spoke up once more.

"Thank you so much! Yayyy! I love you, Master! Okay, I'll come over there right away, so wait patiently for me, okay?" Kawakami said as Ren nodded and waited for Kawakami to show up, tidying up a bit as he did so...

(A short time later, with Ren and Kawakami)

"Hey! So, Master, can we talk?" Kawakami said before turning and looking into Ren's eyes as she spoke up, either not seeing or ignoring the uncomfortable look on Ren's face while she spoke up, both of them sitting on the sofa.

"To be honest, I want to provide more services for you, Master." Kawakami said as Ren blinked before speaking up.

"That would be great, I guess? But just to be clear, this is just strictly to help you pay your sister's medical bills, right? This isn't you trying to come on to me? Because if so, I'm going to have to reluctantly pass, since I already have my heart set on Yoshizawa-san." Ren said, deciding not to voice his question of what Kawakami could be scheming. Ren almost immediately regretted not voicing it, however, with what Kawakami said next.

"I'm really good at giving massages. Meow! I'll massage you aaanywhere you like. And I do mean anywhere." Kawakami said, making Ren look at her in a mix of shock, confusion and disbelief, not able to believe Kawakami had just said that, blinking as he realized that Kawakami had been lightly massaging his knee as she'd said all that. Kawakami then kept speaking, seeing that Ren wasn't saying much. *2*

"Well? How was that?" Kawakami asked Ren, who gave her a very confused expression, one eyebrow slightly arched as if to ask 'why was that necessary!?', making Kawakami sigh as she spoke up.

"Ugh, the thing is, I talked to my boss about picking up more shifts recently. But he said that he prioritizes 'younger' women!" Kawakami said to Ren, who huffed as he spoke up.

"For real!? How rude can he get? Also, you look rather young to be honest. If I had to guess, I wouldn't say you're older than like 25 to 29, tops? Maybe even 30?" Ren said understandingly. Kawakami smiled and nodded her agreement as she spoke up, blue notes going up over her head while she spoke.

"Seriously, Master. He didn't have to say that right to my face. And that's sweet of you to say that about me. That said, I mean, age has nothing to do with cleaning a room! And I look damn good for my age, if I do say so myself. The girls in my neighborhood always tell me I'm pretty. And the latchkey kid who lives next door always asks me to tie up her hair. Thanks to that, I'm an expert with these pigtails now. See? I'm damn good for-Wait. Don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks this way? Master? Would you please give me your honest opinion? I look pretty good as a maid, don't I?" Kawakami asked Ren, who thought about it before he spoke up.

"Honestly? I won't deny that you are pretty, but at the same time, should it really matter what others think of you, Miss Kawakami? I would think the main thing is that you love yourself. So you need to do that more, I'd say." Ren said sagely, having to think his response over carefully a bit so as not to give the wrong idea to his teacher. Kawakami looked at Ren in surprise after his honest response.

"Huh? Are you serious, Master? That's sweet of you to say, but I don't really feel like I'm worth being loved. But, to be honest? You're right. You go out of your way to request me, and all I do is sit here and vent to you. Ugh, what the heck am I saying? You're my student, and I'm your teacher. My double life as both a teacher and a maid is so exhausting. Hm, maybe I let my guard down because you know both sides of me. The more I come here, the more I feel I can relax.

As a maid, I'm supposed to help my master relax, since that's my job. But instead, I'm the one who's being helped. Haha. My bad. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible maid." Kawakami said to Ren, who nodded as he felt her kindness in that moment. At that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming a 'IV' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached rank 4, though no new skills were gained for the rank up. Afterwards, Kawakami spoke up once more.

"Ah, so, to be honest? I have to confess something, Master. I lied about the reason why I need to make more money. The truth is, I don't have a sick sister at all. All that stuff about the fees and charges was a lie too." Kawakami said to Ren who nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine, Miss Kawakami. I knew about it already. I mean, you kind of caught yourself out when you said it was an incurable disease. Why would you raise money to treat something that can't be cured? That, and I honestly don't feel like you even have siblings in the first place, but that's entirely a guess on my part." Ren said. Kawakami sighed but nodded as she spoke up.

"That's fair. Honestly, I can't get requested unless I make up those types of stories. See, you understand now, right? Nothing good will come from involving yourself with a terrible person like me. It's a good lesson learned. Ugh, let's just put an end to this." Kawakami said as she turned and made to leave, speaking up once more as she left.

"Thank you for using our service, Master. Bye." Kawakami said as she left, leaving a confused and surprised Ren behind. Ren then laid down for the night with Morgana...

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

"Not a lot of options today, are there Morgana?" Ren said as Morgana nodded, before Ren had an idea.

"Well, if that's the case, maybe I can use the opportunity to invite the others to a game of billiards? Plus, that way I can confer with them on the possibility of arranging a small gathering for Kusa's birthday tomorrow, though I get the sense Kusa would be more focused on both the imminent deadline and on Futaba waking up." Ren said as Morgana nodded before speaking up.

"That's true. On the upside, if he's standing vigil by her side, we don't have to worry about keeping him busy. And we can easily discuss that over billiards." Morgana said as Ren nodded before the two fast-traveled to Kichijoji and headed to the Penguin Sniper for some billiards...

(At the Penguin Sniper, in Kichijoji, with Ren and Morgana)

Ren looked at Morgana before he had a thought occur to him which prompted him to speak up to voice it.

"Come to think of it, did I invite Kasumi to Kusa's party? I think I did while we were at the aquarium, but I don't recall for sure." Ren said as Morgana nodded while speaking up.

"You did. You told me about it while we laid down last night, as I recall. Now let's play some billiards." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the two turned to the person at the counter who spoke up.

"Welcome! What'll you play? Would you like to play darts or billiards? It's 800 yen to play all you want." The guy said as Ren spoke up.

"I'll pay the 800 yen so I can play some billiards." Ren said as the guy nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, Expert Billiards! So you bought it! Umm, Oh. But you haven't read it yet. I think it's quite an interesting read. It talks about trick shots and the like, you know!" The guy said as Morgana spoke up.

"So what do you wanna do? All right, let's get the others over here. So, billiards, right?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded, handing the guy at the counter 800 yen as he spoke up.

"Thank you! Please enjoy yourselves!" The guy at the counter said as Ren got his phone out and invited the others over for billiards, aside from Kusa who Ren didn't call, since he also wanted to broach the subject of a surprise for him with the others. After the group was gathered, Ann did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"YES! Okay, let's get started! I hope we can do this right!" Ann said as the others nodded, with Ryuji speaking up at that point.

"Heh, this intensity right before the game starts, it's so great! I love it!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded, taking a shot to start things off. After a bit, Ann spoke up once more.

"That was fun, huh? Even if you don't win, it's fun just to sink the balls into the pockets!" Ann said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Lady Ann! That said, glad to see everyone had fun. I gotta say though, thanks to playing billiards, I think you've learned more about making bold decisions when the time calls for it!" Morgana said as Ren nodded while his Proficiency was given a boost. Ren then spoke up.

"While I have you all here, tomorrow is Kusa's birthday, so I was thinking we could try to gather the crew together for something of a surprise party for him, which can also double as our watch party to see what comes to pass with regards to Medjed. Is everyone agreeable to that? I realize that doesn't leave most of you a lot of time to pick stuff out for Kusa, but I feel like he'd be more grateful just to have friends there with him on his special day.

Though if you were going to pick gifts, I recall he's big into music, and gaming, so anything related to those things or possibly martial arts, would probably be a safe bet as gifts go." Ren said to the group. Everyone else nodded as blue notes went up over their heads as Ann spoke up.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Of course I'll be there. You and him are like brothers to me, after all." Ann said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Truth, Ann! Ren and Kusa are like bros to me as well, even if Kusa has been on my case a lot more of late. So of course I'll be there. I'm sure I can figure out a last-minute gift as well." Ryuji said before Makoto spoke up.

"I'd be delighted to be there, even if I might not be able to figure out a gift necessarily. But we should be celebrating each other's special days where we can. Besides, he did go to all that trouble to set up that surprise for you and Ryuji, Ren. So it's only fair that we return the favor for him." Makoto said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. I'm sure I can figure out something for Kusa's day. But I will of course be there." Yusuke said agreeably as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good. Ren and I will probably have to consult the chief first, but I think we can have it at Leblanc like before. Granted, I feel as if the chief has a fairly high opinion of Kusa, so I don't think he'd mind us having a party for him there. So we'll see what happens." Morgana said as the others nodded and Ryuji spoke up.

"Agreed. Welp, seeya tomorrow!" Ryuji said as the group parted ways for the day on that note, Ren and Morgana heading back to Leblanc... *3*

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

"Well then. You made a promise with Futaba, right? I'm sure she'll pull through." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I'm sure she will. If nothing else, Kusa's probably waiting with bated breath for her to wake up. That seems like kind of a Kusa thing for him to do, really. And if that's how he wants to spend the lead-up to his birthday tomorrow, that's his choice." Ren said as his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Makoto sending the first response.

"How is Futaba?" Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"I'm worried about her myself. But as of now, I've not heard anything new from Boss or Kusa, so I figure no news is good news." Ren sent as Ryuji and Kusa sent responses close together, Ryuji's coming through first.

"Dude, this ain't some normal oversleeping stuff! Our deadline's tomorrow! If Futaba's not up by then..." Ryuji sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Stop worrying, Ryuji! She's still asleep as of this moment. However, I have heard her seemingly mumbling to herself in her sleep. And in my experience, that's usually a sign that someone's close to waking up, or is in the throes of a nightmare, and with Taba, it could easily be either one. But I do agree that we could be screwed if she's not up tomorrow. All we can do now though is hope for the best since we don't have the time to do much else, it would seem." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"True. But, can she do anything even if she does wake up, do you think?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. Either way, Kusa-kun is correct. Our only option now is to place our trust in her." Makoto sent as Ren and Kusa sent responses close together, Ren's coming through first.

"That's right. We are powerless, but at the same time, I feel confident trusting in Futaba's skills." Ren sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Exactly, Ren! Taba's not the type to leave people hanging. We just have to trust in Futaba, and have faith in her managing to wake up in time. And if she doesn't, well then you can blame it on me for being so insistent we trust her. We are not blaming this on her if the worst does happen and she's not up tomorrow, right?" Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yeah, that's correct, Kusa. And good point, Ren. Come to think of it, if she's been asleep all this time, do you think she's having some kind of long dream?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I would NOT be surprised in the slightest if that is the case. After all, she had all those hallucinations and stuff happening, so her mind is probably processing everything, plus let us not forget that she got to, albeit briefly, reunite with her mother's spirit after we beat that distorted version of her, so she might be having that long dream to let herself come to terms with having to say goodbye to her mother once more. So we need to be understanding of that." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. Hm, dreams are said to be the sorting of memories, after all. She surely needs ample time to face her troubled past." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Her past? You think she's really facing all that shit right now, Yusuke? I mean, I could believe that, but about two weeks' worth of a long dream!? That's a long time to dream for." Ryuji sent. Kusa then sent a response.

"Without a doubt, that's what she's doing, Yusuke. And Ryuji? If you're going to be doubtful of Futaba, can you at least not do so around me, please? At this point, the best thing we can do is be positive and keep Futaba in our thoughts and try to lend her as much moral support as we can while she processes things. But I have faith that she will come through for us when we need her most." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"True. However, if that is the case, Kusa-kun? She would probably need a great amount more time to do so. But considering how she had us, or perhaps more accurately had Kusa-kun, wrapped around her finger, she could probably do anything she set her mind to. That, and I feel as though she'll be able to pull this off." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Good recovery, Makoto. I was about to be livid if you were about to say you doubted Taba. But you're not, so we're good. And Ren? What say you? You've been fairly quiet so far." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"That's because I've been observing. But I believe in Futaba. After all, she was able to awaken, to not one, but TWO Personas AND help you with a Showtime all in one fight, so if she can do that, she can do most anything, within reason." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Yes." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Well, give us a ring if anything changes!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response at that point, followed by Kusa.

"We're counting on you!" Ann sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Don't worry, you guys and Boss are the first ones on the list to know if there's any change at all with Taba, so be sure you have your phones close by at all times, just in case." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"I have to agree with Makoto. Who knows how this might turn out?" Morgana said as Ren nodded, his phone showing several new chats, and to his surprise, he had chats from Iwai, Hifumi, Yoshida and Kawakami. Weighing his options carefully, he decided to view Yoshida's chat once he was ready. But before that, he headed downstairs to speak to Sojiro, who looked up at Ren and spoke up.

"Hey, something up?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded his agreement before he spoke up.

"Yeah. As you might or might not know, Kusa's birthday is tomorrow. So I was wondering, and you can tell me no if you don't want us doing this, but can I invite some of Kusa and I's friends over here for a little gathering that might double as a birthday party for Kusa? Naturally, you're invited to join in as well, since I know you have a high opinion of Kusa, Boss." Ren said to Sojiro who thought about it and nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"I don't care if you invite your friends over for a gathering. However, I make no promises on if Kusa will be that easily parted from Futaba's side for a party, whether it's his birthday or not. So if he wants to remain by her side, that's his choice to make. But I like that you're trying to do something for him. Maybe you and I can go pick out gifts for him on the morrow, fairly early? In the interim, hopefully Kusa can keep himself busy standing vigil at the house while he waits for Futaba to wake up." Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"I could agree to that, Boss. Thanks." Ren said as Sojiro nodded understandingly, giving Ren one of the few smiles Ren recalled getting from Sojiro as he spoke up.

"No problem. If nothing else, I owe Kusa a great deal for being there for Futaba the way he has." Sojiro said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"Right. And on the subject of Futaba, allow me to once again apologize to you for being so persistent and nosy about her before. I was just worried for her, after what that lady said to you. So you can understand why I would then feel the need to do all due diligence in making sure things were okay, if only for the sake of not making Kusa worry unduly for his friend, even if we both know he sees her as more than just a friend. But for what it's worth, I never doubted you for a second, Boss." Ren said to Sojiro, who smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, is that right? Well, thanks Ren. Maybe you're not so bad, after all." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and walked back upstairs to open up his private chat with Yoshida to view it.

"I'm about to give a speech in Shibuya. If you have time, I'd like to ask for your help. What do you think?" Yoshida sent as Morgana spoke up.

"Yoshida seems to be waiting for you in front of the station. You wanna go see him?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren then spoke up.

"Yeah, might as well go help him out. If nothing else, makes a good use of my time tonight. Plus it beats sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Although before that, I need to send a quick group chat." Ren said as he pulled out his phone to start a group chat with Yusuke, Makoto, Ryuji and Ann.

"Just a quick heads-up, and no this isn't related to Futaba before anyone asks. I spoke to Boss, and he gave the okay for us to have a party at Leblanc tomorrow for Kusa's birthday. So we're good to go there. Boss even offered to take me to go pick out gifts for Kusa early tomorrow so I have that going. So odds are we'll have the party sometime either in the afternoon or the evening, if we can get Kusa away from Taba long enough to do so that is." Ren sent, getting a chorus of affirmative responses from the others, who all started discussing gift ideas with one another as Ren opened up his private chat with Yoshida to send a response to his request.

"I'll be right there. As it happens, your timing for asking for help tonight and not tomorrow is quite opportune, since tomorrow is my younger brother's birthday so I couldn't possibly have been available tomorrow, anyways." Ren sent as Yoshida sent a response.

"Thank you, that'd be helpful. And tell your brother happy birthday from me tomorrow! I'll be waiting in front of the station." Yoshida sent as Ren fast-traveled to the station, idly hoping Kusa's night was as enjoyable as his was...

(At around the same time, in the Sakura house with Kusa)

"Huh, almost the day of the deadline. And my birthday, as well. But for real, I'm more worried about the deadline than I am my birthday. I do so hope Taba wakes up in time. But I have to trust she will." Kusa said to himself, before frowning as he heard what sounded like mumbling from Futaba's room, making him walk down the hall to poke his head in and check on Futaba, in time to hear her mumbling to herself.

"...No. Mom, don't go. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet. Please, don't leave me!" Futaba mumbled to herself, making Kusa sigh as he debated with himself before walking in to try and comfort Futaba if he could, unaware of what was going on at that point in her dreams...

(Meanwhile, inside Futaba's dreams, with Futaba and Wakaba, Futaba's POV)

"I know you don't want to hear this, my daughter, but the time has just about come for us to part ways once more. You're just about at the point where if you don't wake up soon, you might not be able to wake back up at all. So you need to be strong and return back to the land of the living. As much as I've enjoyed getting to spend the best part of the past two weeks with you, it's not your time to join me yet.

Not to mention, you have both Sojiro and Kusa who're probably worried sick for you and waiting patiently for you to wake up. Can you really be so selfish, as to keep them waiting and possibly take yourself from them?" My mother rebuked me gently but firmly, making me pout as I spoke up.

"No, I can't say I would do that to them. But Mom, I've enjoyed this time with you. I don't want it to end!" I said petulantly, not really caring if I came off as whiny or bratty in that moment. My mom laughed as she patted me on the head and spoke up.

"Oh, silly little one. I'm so pleased to hear that. But at the same time, we both know you can't dwell in the past forever. It might be scary and not pleasant to consider, but you have to be brave and let yourself wake up. After all, I recall you made a promise to those people who saved you that you'd in turn save them when they needed it most?" My mom pointed out as I nodded before speaking up.

"True. I did promise Ren and the others I'd help them if they changed my heart. But still, I didn't know then I'd be able to spend time with you after my heart was changed. I'm sure they'll understand if I want a bit longer with you." I said stubbornly, if a bit mulishly. Mom frowned at me as she spoke up.

"Perhaps, but is that not selfish of you to think that way? And I recall you told me you weren't going to be selfish anymore?" Mom said to me as I sighed and nodded my understanding while I spoke up, knowing that she had a point even if I didn't want to admit it.

"I did say that. But what if I wake up and I'm not able to save them? I won't lie, it's not a guarantee that I'll be able to succeed at helping the others." I said fearfully as Mom spoke up with a smile.

"I can't really say one way or the other if you'll succeed or not, but you'll never know until you try. And I do believe tomorrow is the planned day of the cleanse that you saw on the news a few weeks ago, so you're running out of time to help them, Futaba. You have to get up and help them." Mom said as she started getting transparent, making me gasp as I spoke up, knowing what was about to happen, but not being ready for it, despite having the past almost two weeks to prepare for it.

"No! Mom, don't go! I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet! Please, don't leave me again!" I said in horror as I saw Mom acting as if she was getting ready to fade away. Mom smiled as she looked at me and spoke up kindly.

"Silly Taba, my spirit might fade away now, but I'll always be with you in here." Mom said to me, gently tapping the area of my chest where my heart was, making me look at her and smile as I spoke up.

"You promise?" I asked as Mom nodded, but before she could say anything more, another voice reached our ears, one I'd not heard in a couple weeks, but still recognized.

"Taba? You okay? I heard you mumbling to yourself. If it's just a nightmare, fight it! You're a fighter, and I know you'll find your way back to us, but moreso to me. Please, don't give up. Ren and the others are counting on you to come through for them, but more importantly? I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you to open those pretty eyes of yours so I can look into them once more.

I understand that you need time to come to terms with your past, and with letting go of your mother once more, but you don't have to do it alone! Even if you don't feel comfortable letting the others in, at least let myself or Sojiro in, Taba. We just want to see you happy. So please, don't give in! Let us help you find peace." Kusa's voice reached not only my ears at that point, but Mom's as well, both of us smiling at his words as Mom spoke up, looking at me while she spoke.

"You see? You're not alone, Futaba. You have others who are more than willing to lend you their strength, should you need it. And I'm willing to bet that Kusa's probably willing to let you lean on him as much as you need to get things done. So you shouldn't be afraid to depend on him. But one way or another, I'm afraid our time is just about up. But I'm pleased I was able to see you again, for however short of a time it was. Never doubt that I love you and always will, my daughter." Mom said to me as she faded away before my horrified eyes, making me fall to my knees in shock, disbelief and horror.

"Mom? Noooo! Mom! Why'd you have to leave me again!?" I said in horror as I sighed and knew I couldn't put off waking up any longer...

(Back in the waking world, with Kusa and Futaba, normal POV)

As Kusa stood there, looking over Futaba with a worried look on his face, he blinked as he heard a low groaning come from Futaba before his eyes went wide as he saw her eyes slowly flutter open as she looked around in uncertainty before speaking up.

"Uh, wha? Where am I?" Futaba asked as Kusa smiled and spoke up kindly, relieved to see Futaba up and about.

"You're in your bedroom, where you're safe, Taba. Also, hey there, sleeping beauty. Nice to see you up and about, even if it's only briefly." Kusa said to Futaba, who blinked and turned to see Kusa standing next to her bed as she sat up and threw her arms around him, hugging him for all she was worth before she spoke up.

"Kusa! I wasn't expecting you to be here when I came to, but I'm glad to see that you're here. It seems Mom was right about you being worried about me." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Of course I was worried about you, Taba. You've been asleep for pretty much the entirety of the past two weeks since we got back from the Metaverse. How much of that do you remember, incidentally?" Kusa asked Futaba gently, making her frown slightly, scrunching her nose in a way that Kusa found oddly adorable as she pondered the question before speaking up.

"I remember awakening to my Personas and helping you guys beat that distorted version of Mom, and then asking you to bring me back, but not much past that." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a smile and a nod.

"That's probably because if I had to guess, you felt the drain of your Awakening while we headed back here, and probably passed out on getting back. I won't deny that you almost gave me both a heart attack and a shock when I turned around and saw you out cold. I thought maybe you'd gone catatonic or something. But Ren called a doctor friend of his to do a discreet house-call, and she confirmed you were just massively exhausted, something Boss also confirmed after comparing you to a robot with his 'she ran out of batteries' comment.

But I thought it was hilarious, since he wasn't wrong. You did crash out pretty hard when we got back. Harder than a person on a sugar crash, even. But the important thing is you're awake now, and not a moment too soon. It's the night of the 20th. Tomorrow is the planned cleanse. If you're feeling up to it, we might need you to pull a miracle out of your metaphoric hat and stop Medjed.

If anyone can do it, it's you Taba. But you don't have to be afraid. I'll be by your side every step of the way. And all I ask is that you do your best. If you can't pull it off, that's fine. Japan might be screwed, but as long as you give it your best shot, they only have themselves to blame for not trying harder to stop Medjed." Kusa said with a smile as he hugged Futaba, gently patting her on the head comfortingly as she smiled contentedly and spoke up, letting herself rest her head on Kusa's chest as she spoke.

"I see. Well, I make no promises, but I'll certainly give it my best shot. But for now, I think I just want some cuddle time with you in the living room." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up, smiling fondly at Futaba as he spoke.

"That's more than fine, Taba. We can cuddle together tonight, and then get to work tomorrow. Sure, tomorrow's my birthday, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not important. After all, I got to see you wake up, so that's all the present I could ever want or need." Kusa said as Futaba nodded, the two going out into the living room to get comfortable on the hide-a-bed and watch TV together, Kusa deciding that he could let himself have this evening for himself and Taba, and let the others know on the morrow of Futaba's recovery, idly wondering what Ren was up to...

(At the station, with Ren, Morgana and Yoshida)

Once he reached the station, Ren walked over to Yoshida, who stopped his speech and spoke up as he saw Ren approach him.

"Oh, Amamiya-kun. I'll be giving a speech again today, but also I'd like for you to come with me somewhere afterwards. What's your availability like today?" Yoshida asked Ren as Morgana spoke up to confirm that Ren wanted to hang out with Yoshida, to which Ren nodded and spoke up while looking at Yoshida.

"My availability tonight is pretty open, other than I have stuff to do in the morning, so I can't be out and about too late. Other than that, I'm free to help you tonight." Ren said. Yoshida nodded before he spoke up.

"I see. Actually, Dietman Matsushita asked me to meet after this. You remember how he asked me to become his right-hand man? Well, he likely wants my answer about now if I had to guess. As such, I'll need you to come with me after the speech." Yoshida said as Ren nodded his understanding and followed Yoshida to the meeting spot...

(A short time later, in an unknown location with Matsushita, Yoshida and Ren)

"What's wrong? What did you ask me here to discuss?" Yoshida asked Matsushita, who spoke up.

"I'll get right to the point, Yoshida. I heard you met with Kuramoto's grandson." Matsushita said as Yoshida nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. You have your ears to the ground, huh? And to think that he's the candidate the party is backing to ruin my chances of winning the election." Yoshida said as Matsushita spoke up.

"I'll be completely straight with you, since I already asked you to be my right-hand man. We're currently fighting the Kuramoto group." Matsushita said as Yoshida's eyes went wide while he spoke up.

"WHAT!? You're fighting with Mister Kuramoto!?" Yoshida asked Matsushita, who nodded before he spoke up.

"I have ambitions of my own, you know. I owe him for all he did for me, but I don't want him to have influence over me forever. All the more, now that he's secretly working with Diet members from other parties. I know he asked you to join his group, but I think you should decline his offer." Matsushita said to Yoshida, who frowned as he spoke up.

"Hm." Yoshida said as Matsushita kept speaking.

"They want to keep you on a leash, so you won't reveal any damaging information. The real culprit of the expense misappropriation case you were blamed for, the one that got you kicked out of the Diet? Is old man Kuramoto." Matsushita said as Yoshida gasped and spoke up.

"What in the world!? What did you just say, Matsushita!?" Yoshida asked Matsushita, who nodded and spoke up.

"I know you might find it hard to believe, Yoshida. But in order to make sure this was true, I searched through the party's off-the-record accounts from twenty years ago. There's no doubt. Can you still forgive him? He led you into the political world and kicked you out in the worst way!" Matsushita said as Yoshida shook his head and spoke up.

"I see, but why would he do such a thing?" Yoshida asked as Matsushita spoke up.

"It seems he bought his popularity, and as a result, he was having some serious financial trouble." Matsushita said as Yoshida crossed his arms with a frown and spoke up.

"I see. It sounds as if you're saying that this is my opportunity to clear my name, Matsushita. I thank you. And so, you need an answer form me on whether or not I'll be your right-hand man, yes?" Yoshida asked as Matsushita nodded and spoke up.

"Unfortunately, you are correct. Kuramoto's own grandson has already tried to persuade you. Therefore, I can't wait any longer. If you join me, you can accuse Kuramoto of his crime. You can clear your name and put No-Good Tora behind you. This is your best and last chance!" Matsushita said as Yoshida frowned and spoke up.

"I see. So, join with Matsushita and take my revenge against Mister Kuramoto, but drop out of the election as a trade off." Yoshida said as Ren spoke up at that point.

"Indeed. If you ask me, that seems like a difficult decision to make, Mister Yoshida." Ren said honestly. Yoshida nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, to say the least, it is a very difficult decision for me to make. That said, Matsushita? I appreciate the offer, but I must respectfully refuse." Yoshida said as Matsushita sputtered before speaking up in an angry tone.

"What!? You have no conceivable REASON to refuse!" Matsushita said as Yoshida spoke up.

"And that's where you're wrong. My goal in things is to become a member of the Diet, not a right-hand man. I will not cast aside my beliefs. On that, I stand firm." Yoshida said as Matsushita spoke up again.

"I see. Be that as it may, this information would be the deciding factor in taking down Kuramoto once and for all. Yet you refuse?" Matsushita said as Yoshida nodded.

"That is correct. I'm sorry, but I cannot join you." Yoshida stated firmly. Matsushita sighed but then smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I was simply offering you a deal. I assumed you might decline it, given how you like to stand firm with your beliefs. In that case, very well. Please forget it. I apologize for bringing it up so suddenly. I'll talk to the party and provide support for yoru next speech about the Phantom Thieves." Matsushita said as Ren blinked at the mention of the Phantom Thieves. Yoshida spoke up at that point, his face one of clear surprise.

"Why are you doing this, Matsushita?" Yoshida asked. Matsushita spoke up with a smile.

"I don't want a debate about the Phantom Thieves. I simply want to draw attention to them. And you can assert your innocence there, on a grand stage. To be frank, I'll be happy as long as the Kuramoto group's influence diminishes. Oh, and Amamiya-kun? Don't breathe a word of this to anyone, for both our sakes. Very well, then." Matsushita said as he left, leaving Ren and Yoshida alone, as the latter spoke up.

"Ugh, It feels like I'm caught in the crossfire of a political conspiracy. My friend is trying to take advantage of me, while my former mentor is trying to win me over. To achieve my dream, I have to set aside my beliefs. What should I do?" Yoshida asked Ren, who spoke up.

"If you ask me? I'd say the clear answer is that you stay true to your beliefs. After all, did you yourself not once tell me that was your central philosophy as a politician?" Ren said. Yoshida turned to Ren and gave him a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Yes, you're right. Betraying myself means betraying my supporters. Which also means betraying you. For some reason, just talking with you always helps me make up my mind. It's as if my heart is being manipulated. Hm, perhaps, could it be that manipulation and/or mind control is a skill of the Phantom Thieves? Also, if the Phantom Thieves truly do exist, Amamiya-kun, then I'm sure they're very much like you." Yoshida said to Ren, who gave him a surprised look as Yoshida spoke up.

"I'm serious. For some reason you stood by me, No-Good Tora, who didn't have any supporters. Actually, to be honest? I've been thinking about this for a while. You must've experienced cruelty and injustice in this life. I can tell by the look in your eyes. That's why I sense your desire to help the weak. And the strength to stand up to the hecklers, to Matsushita, and even to Kuramoto's grandson. You're no ordinary high-school student. Even I know that much. Hey, would you care to possibly talk about it?" Yoshida asked Ren, who thought about it before speaking up.

"I could, but to be honest, I'm not sure what good it would do to talk about it. And to be honest, Mister Yoshida? So what if you're right?" Ren said, uncertain on if he should share his past with Yoshida or not. Yoshida fixed Ren with an unreadable look before he chuckled and spoke up.

"Just a joke. Haha, sorry. I crossed the line there. I've always lacked restraint in these situations, to be honest. Heh, see what I did there? I relieved the tension by making fun of myself. Think of it as an advanced technique for winning people over." Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded, feeling as if his bond with Yoshida was growing deeper still. At that point, the 'Sun' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VII' becoming a 'VIII' to signify that his Sun Confidant link with Yoshida had reached Rank 8.

As a result of the rank-up, Ren found himself being instructed by Yoshida on the art of 'Mind Control', which enables Ren to occasionally skip negotiations when attempting to recruit a Persona to his side. Afterwards, Yoshida spoke up once more.

"You're right. All right then, Amamiya-kun. Well, I'll at least make good use of Matsushita's help setting up my next speech. I feel like I'll be able to fully express my beliefs if you're there with me. I shall ask you for your help again another time. We can discuss it again at the speech." Yoshida said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his Charm increase from hanging out with Yoshida, giving his Charm a sizable boost from hanging with Yoshida. At that point, Ren and Yoshida parted ways for the evening, Yoshida speaking up once more.

"Well then, I'll see you again. Good work today, Amamiya-kun." Yoshida said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, at which point his phone rang when he was on the doorstep and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, not surprised to hear Yoshida's voice on the other end.

"Thank you for tagging along today. Goodness, I've gotten you wrapped up in my whole messy past now, haven't I? I told you before, Amamiya-kun, becoming a Diet member shouldn't be your only goal in life. I still stand by those words, of course, but what are your thoughts on what happened today? Say you were in my shoes. Could you say with all confidence that you wouldn't be swayed by such a lucrative deal? Humans are easily swayed. One glimpse of a temptation could be all it takes to make us forget our principles. That is why you must never forget what's truly important to you, Amamiya-kun. Do you understand?" Yoshida said to Ren, who thought about it before he spoke up.

"It's tougher than it seems, isn't it? That said, I'll never forget that, Mister Yoshida." Ren said honestly. Yoshida spoke up once more with a nod.

"Good. Life is full of tough decisions. I can only hope today's lesson will nourish your growth. And with that said, well, the real battle begins now. I need to devote myself to this fully. After all, I can hardly afford to disappoint you. Alright, see you next time, Amamiya-kun. I'll be counting on you." Yoshida said as Ren hung up the phone and went inside, getting comfortable with Morgana as he laid down, knowing that the next day was going to be a very important one...

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

"So, this is it, eh? The day of the deadline, and of Kusa's birthday." Ren said as Morgana spoke up with a nod.

"Yep. Also, didn't you and the chief make plans to go pick out gifts for Kusa this morning?" Morgana asked Ren, whose eyes went huge as he recalled making said plans. After shooting to his feet and hurriedly getting dressed and ready, Ren spoke up.

"Shoot, I did make those plans! You're right, Morgana! Let's get going!" Ren said as he hurried downstairs to speak to Sojiro. As he came downstairs, Morgana spoke up.

"Isn't today our deadline for dealing with Medjed? Futaba's still asleep, too, as far as I know. This won't be good, will it?" Morgana said as Ren merely nodded and walked over to Sojiro.

"Hey, ready to go pick out gifts for Kusa, Boss?" Ren said to Sojiro, who blinked and nodded as the two headed out to the store to get gifts for Kusa, after which they returned and wrapped their gifts up, storing them in the back. After that, Sojiro spoke up.

"Oh, right, I forgot! Hey." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"Hm? What's up, Boss?" Ren asked. Sojiro sighed as he spoke up.

"There's something I came to do, Ren. To be honest, today's the day Wakaba passed. I do this every year since she passed." Sojiro said as he set out a cup of coffee on the counter, presumably in memory of Wakaba. Sojiro then spoke up to Ren.

"Here, I've got a cup for you too. And between us? Kusa seemed a bit more content than usual last night, but as he was asleep when I got home, I didn't ask why, though come to think of it, it did look like someone was laying next to him on the hide-a-bed. I wonder...Could it be?" Sojiro said as Ren shrugged and sat down to accept his cup of coffee as Sojiro kept speaking.

"You know, Futaba reminds me so much of her mother. She's a smart girl. Doesn't just go with the flow, either. Or at least she didn't go with the flow that much until she met Kusa, after which she seems to have started to go with the flow a bit more than she used to. That said, I wonder if she didn't briefly wake up last night and then fall asleep again next to Kusa?" Sojiro mused to which Ren could only shrug. Sojiro then sighed as he spoke up.

"Wakaba, I miss you so much. You work and your kid were so fulfilling for you. Why'd you have to die so suddenly and leave me and Futaba behind? Oh, that reminds me. You saw me talking ot that prosecutor-I mean, that woman in a suit, right?" Sojiro asked Ren, who frowned and nodded his understanding while he spoke up.

"Yes, I do. Wasn't she the one who all but accused you of being abusive to Futaba? I distinctly recall Kusa being in a right temper over that when he found out about it later. About tore Makoto's head off too, when she echoed the same accusations. I could be wrong, but I get the distinct impression he already cares a great deal about you, as well as for Futaba." Ren said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"True. He does seem to be rather protective of Futaba and I, now that you mention it. But anyways, I remember you were real bothered by it. She might come back, so I guess I should tell you about it. That woman was trying to get information on Wakaba's research out of me." Sojiro said as Morgana spoke up, to Ren's surprise.

"That's what we heard in the Palace." Morgana said as Ren blinked, making Sojiro speak up.

"You don't need to know what it was about. Just know that there was some trouble behind it. Obviously, Wakaba got dragged into that as well. Now, they ruled her death a suicide, or so the coroner says, but I've got my doubts." Sojiro said as Morgana spoke up once more so Ren could hear.

"Doubts? Could she have been killed?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged, idly wondering if Kusa's birthday was off to a good start or not...

(Meanwhile, at the Sakura household, with Kusa and Futaba)

Kusa yawned slightly as he sat up, reaching for his hair tie-off to pull his hair into its usual ponytail, before smiling after doing so as he looked down at the red-head still sleeping contentedly on him, her head leaned cutely on his chest, making Kusa smile as he gently patted the top of her head lovingly, smiling as he spoke to himself.

"Ahh, waking up with a pretty lady in my arms, not having to stress much? I could get quite used to this, methinks. Mwehehe." Kusa said to himself, smiling as he laid back and put his arms around Futaba carefully, making her yawn slightly as she stirred from Kusa holding her in his arms, looking up as she spoke up.

"Oh, is it morning already? Happy birthday, Kusa." Futaba said with a smile as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Thanks, Taba. Having you awake and laying here next to me like this is probably the best birthday gift I could've possibly received. I know you have work to do still, so unfortunately we can't just stay like this all day, no matter how right it might feel." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. Actually, I'm feeling adventurous. You know what we should do? Go take a walk and surprise Sojiro and Ren at Leblanc." Futaba said excitedly, making Kusa blink at Futaba in surprise before speaking up.

"Wait, did I hear that right!? You want to leave the house!? Is that for real, Taba? If so, that's a huge step for you!" Kusa said as Futaba smiled and nodded, before sighing as she spoke up.

"Yeah, but the truth is, today's also the anniversary of the day Mom passed away." Futaba said, smiling wryly at the shocked look on Kusa's face at this reveal before she kept speaking.

"Yeah, what are the chances that she died on your birthday, Kusa?" Futaba said sadly as Kusa smiled, gently putting an arm around Futaba as he gave her a one-armed hug of comfort before he spoke up while looking into her eyes kindly, seeing the slight hurt in Futaba's eyes and wanting to comfort her if he could.

"That's true. It is my birthday today. But considering it's also the anniversary of your mother's passing, I can understand if you're not in that much of a celebratory mood. I know it probably hurts to think of her, and that you probably miss her something fierce, but even so, you shouldn't have any doubts that she loved you a great deal if she willingly gave her life to protect you, Taba. I've no doubt in my mind that she died to keep you safe, not to hurt you. But I understand if you'd rather just take it easy and remember your mom today. No one's trying to push you into anything you're uncomfortable with, after all." Kusa said honestly, as Futaba nodded her understanding while she smiled at Kusa and spoke up.

"True, but I think Mom wouldn't want me to mope over her any longer. She'd want me to be strong and keep doing what I have to do. So I figure, start things off slow and take a quick break to charge up with Sojiro's curry and coffee, then come get to work on taking out Medjed. I understand though, if you'd rather be at Leblanc celebrating your birthday, Kusa." Futaba said to Kusa who shook his head in the negative as he spoke up while smiling at Futaba.

"Nah. It might be my birthday, but as far as I'm concerned, I can afford not to celebrate one or two of those. You, however, aren't in this much of a sociable mood that often, so I want to take advantage of that if at all possible. So, we can definitely go and surprise Ren and Sojiro if you want, though odds are Morgana will be with Ren as well, and if so, we'd be surprising him too." Kusa said to Futaba, who nodded understandingly while she spoke up.

"I realize that. Shall we get ready and go?" Futaba said to Kusa, who nodded, as the two went into separate rooms to get dressed for the day before heading off hand-in-hand to Leblanc...

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

"Doubts? Could she have been killed?" Morgana asked, as Ren shrugged before Sojiro spoke up.

"Supposedly, there were people who wanted to take her research and use it for their own benefit. It's not a secret that what she was working on could have easily changed the world. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't have a lick of evidence. That's why I haven't told Futaba any of this. I don't want to cause her any more trouble." Sojiro said as Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"It sounded like she had suspicions of her own, based on what she said in the Palace." Morgana said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Still, there's one thing I regret. It was right before Wakaba died. To be honest? She told me, 'I think I might die.' I brushed it off, thinking it was a joke, but if i had just taken her seriously, maybe I could've done more to save her? I dunno. Ugh, that's another reason I took Futaba in. Redemption, both as Wakaba's friend, and as a man. She went through such horrible things. Those heartless adults just yelled at the poor girl. Hoo boy, was Kusa in a snit when I told him about this. But then, he's always been protective of Futaba, as far as I can tell. Oh, hey Ren? How do you heal emotional scars?" Sojiro asked Ren, who thought about it and spoke up.

"I'm honestly not sure? If I had to guess, I'd say that they can eventually heal on their own. But again, that's purely a guess on my part." Ren said. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, I agree. I'm waiting for it to happen, but the longer I wait, the more I wonder if it will happen. But then I see Kusa having such faith in her, and I realize I shouldn't give up on her either." Sojiro said as right at that exact moment, almost as if on cue, the doors of Leblanc opened up, and Sojiro's eyes went wide as he saw who'd walked in, speaking up in disbelief.

"Futaba? You're awake!?" Sojiro said as Futaba nodded, and took a seat before sipping the pre-placed cup of coffee as she spoke up.

"Aww, it's cold." Futaba said as Kusa chose that moment to walk in and speak up, smirking at the shocked looks on both Ren and Morgana's face at seeing both Kusa and Futaba at Leblanc while he spoke.

"Maybe that's because these two were up earlier than we were, and placed it for decoration? To be sure, I doubt they were expecting you to wake up, much less both of us to show up today." Kusa said as he walked in and had a seat at the open seat to Futaba's left, smirking at the disappointed look on Futaba's face, ignoring the shocked look on Sojiro's face as he blinked at Futaba and spoke up.

"Huh?" Sojiro asked in shock as Futaba huffed and spoke up.

"You can't sell this!" Futaba pointed out, making Sojiro sputter as he spoke up.

"N-Never mind that, Futaba. How did you get here when last I checked, you were still asleep?" Sojiro asked as Kusa spoke up.

"She decided she wanted to surprise you and Ren with the fact she was up and about, so she and I decided to walk over here. Apparently she woke up last night, but wanted to wait to let everyone know until this morning. Can't say I blame her. Sometimes, the best way to come back to the land of the living is to have someone you care about there to just hold you and give you whatever emotional comfort they can. Either way, still a damned good gift to get, having her up and about, if you ask me." Kusa pointed out sagely. Futaba nodded her agreement with Kusa's explanation, smiling wryly as she spoke up.

"Yeah, what Kusa said. I walked? I know you're surprised to see me here, but I can't just be a shut-in my whole life, can I?" Futaba said sagely as Kusa nodded with a smile, speaking up in an amused tone.

"Well said, Taba. But in Boss' defense, you walking over here to Leblanc IS a pretty big step for you, even if I was walking with you. So you can't be too mad that he's stunned to see you here." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded his agreement, looking at Futaba in surprise as he spoke up.

"Wait, so are you saying that you're okay, Futaba!?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who nodded before wincing as she spoke up.

"Yep. Wait, was that bad that I walked over here?" Futaba asked Sojiro, who kept sputtering as he spoke up.

"Th-That's not it! I'm just shocked to see you out of the house, especially given how much you usually shut yourself away and all." Sojiro said. Futaba nodded before sighing as she spoke up, a remorseful look on her face as she spoke up.

"Right. Uh, Sojiro? I'm sorry I made you worry about me." Futaba said as Sojiro looked at her in surprise. And at that moment, to Kusa's surprise, he could swear he saw tears in Sojiro's eyes, probably tears of joy, making him turn to give Ren a warning look, silently advising him to not say a word as Sojiro spoke up.

"Ha, this is incredible. That said, it's all right, Futaba." Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up, ignoring the shocked look on Kusa's face at what she said next.

"By the way, what's the date today?" Futaba asked Sojiro, who blinked and spoke up.

"Eh? It's uh, It's Kusa's birthday, or more accurately it's August 21st." Sojiro said to Futaba as he walked over to open up the shop, still stunned to see Futaba out of the house. Speaking of Futaba, she turned to speak to Ren at that point.

"Huh, why is it I feel like I'm forgetting something, possibly something important?" Futaba asked Ren, who exchanged an uncertain glance with Kusa before he spoke up.

"Could it have to do with the cleanse everyone's been talking about? Also, not to be rude, but we've all been waiting for you to wake up with bated breath since you passed out two weeks ago. You damn near gave poor Kusa over here a legit heart attack when he found you out cold after you two got back. But then I think that's just how much Kusa cares for you, that thinking he could've lost you might've destroyed him." Ren said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, crossing his arms with a rare petulant look on his face while he spoke.

"Oh, shut up Ren! Way to pick on the birthday boy. Though, you're not wrong that I was worried for Futaba. I didn't even think it was physically possible for a person to be asleep for two weeks straight without needing food, or the bathroom, much less without dying of starvation." Kusa said uncertainly. At that point, Futaba's eyes widened slightly as she spoke up.

"Oh crap, that's right! I remember now! Medjed. I know it's Kusa's birthday, but I think it's better that we take care of it, sooner rather than later. I'm sure Kusa doesn't mind putting off celebrating his big day to make sure the job gets done, yes? Come." Futaba said as Kusa nodded approvingly before he and Ren followed Futaba back to the house and to her room...

(A short time later, in Futaba's room, with Futaba, Kusa, Ren, and Morgana)

"Hmph, you helped me out when I needed it the most, and I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. But that said, I made you a promise, and I mean to make good on it. So now? It's my turn to help out. Hmph, 'Medjed'. Now how do we cook them?" Futaba asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I don't really care how you deal with them, just don't go too overboard with it, since you just got your strength back, and don't do anything you'll regret later." Ren said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Taba? Having regrets where it comes to Medjed? That's about as likely to happen as Morgana getting over Ann. In other words, highly unlikely." Kusa said with a smirk. Futaba nodded as she shook her head before speaking up, deciding not to question why Ren and Kusa's cat would have feelings for Ann as she spoke.

"Exactly, Kusa. And Ren? Nope, no can do. I'll worry about my health later, but when it comes to Medjed, I'm gonna be relentless." Futaba said as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, Futaba? We don't have much time left? Are you sure you can do this?" Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Ah, how naive you are, Morgana-sensei. Of course Futaba can do it. After all, she's managed to single-handedly hack and take down countless government websites, so bringing down some hacktivist group should be child's play by comparison for her." Kusa said. Futaba blinked in surprise as she realized Morgana could talk, making her speak up.

"Th-The kitty talked!? Is this a dream? I'm going back to sleep now." Futaba said in shock as Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"it is NOT a dream! Get up! Say something, Ren!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Futaba. He's a talking cat. Either myself or Kusa will explain it to you later, assuming Kusa isn't about to do so right now." Ren said as Kusa huffed at Ren before speaking up, pointedly ignoring Ren for the sake of focusing on keeping Futaba on task, despite wanting to punch Ren for being an idiot.

"Shut up, Ren! Also, don't go back to sleep yet, Taba! Remember what I mentioned to you before, Taba? We don't call Morgana 'Kitty' or 'Cat' around him. But yes, he talked. You just weren't aware of it before since you'd not been to the Metaverse until the other day, so it's gonna take you some getting used to, hearing Morgana talk." Kusa said gently by way of explanation. Futaba blinked but nodded to Kusa as she spoke up.

"Oh, yeah, you did say that before, didn't you Kusa? R-Right." Futaba said as Morgana spoke up in an irritated voice.

"Now hurry it up!" Morgana said before yelping in surprise as Kusa gently scooped him up to look him in the eyes while he spoke up in a firm tone.

"Morgana? I respect you and everything, but I would very much appreciate it if you could refrain from talking to Taba like that around me! She doesn't have to be helping us with this, you know. Show some gratitude and let her work." Kusa said conversationally as he smirked and sat down, setting Morgana in his lap as he got comfy to watch Futaba work. Futaba smiled as she spoke up.

"Heh, thanks Kusa. Eh, I guess it doesn't matter if he talked or not. Let's get cracking!" Futaba said as Kusa and Ren nodded, unaware of Sojiro taking their departure as a cue to improvise Ren's plans...

(Back at Leblanc, with Sojiro)

"Right, now which of these buttons was that private chat thing?" Sojiro said as he opened up Ren's phone, which he happened to leave on the counter when he followed Kusa and Futaba to the house to deal with Medjed, eventually finding the chat app and opening it, starting a private chat with Makoto, Yusuke, Ryuji and Ann.

"Hopefully this is the right app. Hey, are these Ren and Kusa's friends? It's their guardian, Sojiro. I'm using Ren's phone to message you guys, since Ren left it on the counter while he and Kusa went over to do something with Futaba, who by the way is awake, in case those two didn't mention it to you guys yet. That said, Ren said you guys had made plans for a surprise party for Kusa since his birthday's today?

If you guys have your gifts ready, you can come on over to Leblanc and put them away and we'll set the place up for when they get back. I know Ren wanted to be in on it, but sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good." Sojiro sent with Ren's phone, getting a response back from Ann almost immediately.

"Boss!? You're messaging with Ren's phone? I don't know if I should be impressed you figured it out, or annoyed at Ren for leaving his phone lying around. Luckily for him, you were the one to find it. But anyways, yeah we did make those plans. I also recall Ren mentioned something about having invited Yoshizawa-san to the party, but he never said if she accepted or not. And only Ren has her contact information, and maybe Kusa, so I doubt any of us can reach her to ask about it." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response next.

"Wait, WHAT!? For real!? Futaba's awake!? Why the eff didn't Ren or Kusa tell us?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Probably because in Kusa's case, he was just excited she was awake, and maybe also she asked him to let the two of them have last night to themselves, which is more than fair if that is the case. Also, hi Boss!" Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. And Ryuji? Does it matter if they forgot to tell us? We know now, do we not? And we can gather at Leblanc to surprise Kusa. If we can get Ren back to help with it, all the better." Yusuke sent as Sojiro sent a response.

"Good. I'll leave the store open, and we can say I reserved the place for a private party. So I'll see you guys when you get here." Sojiro sent as the others sent affirmative replies and Sojiro set Ren's phone down, satisfied that that part was in motion. A short time later, the group had gathered at Leblanc, minus Ren and Kusa, but plus Yoshizawa, who had ran into Makoto by chance at the store where they both found out they were after the same thing and picked out their gifts for Kusa together, and Makoto had guided Yoshizawa to Leblanc.

At that point, their gifts were all stored in the back, and the group was decorating for the surprise party, while Sojiro used Ren's phone to discreetly private chat Kusa to wish him a happy birthday and ask him to send Ren back to Leblanc for a bit since his phone was there, which Kusa did, looking slightly confused...

(Back in Futaba's bedroom, with Ren, Kusa, Morgana and Futaba)

"You're just tapping away over there, Futaba. Are you sure this will work?" Morgana asked Futaba, who ignored the not-cat and focused on her work, leading Kusa to chuckle as he gave Morgana some gentle head pats as consolation.

"First of all, do not doubt Futaba, Morgana. She will get it done. Secondly, of course it'll work. Would she be trying it if it wouldn't work?" Kusa asked Morgana gently but rebukingly, making Morgana huff but nod as he spoke up.

"Fair point. Hey, Futaba!" Morgana said as Futaba chuckled to herself but said nothing. Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Let her be, Morgana. When she gets hyperfocused like that, she likely won't register much that's going on around her. I recall one time she kept on working, even through Boss coming in here and leaving her dinner on her desk without knocking. He's lucky, too, since she usually gets pretty cheesed off when people let themselves in uninvited and/or without knocking." Kusa said to Morgana who nodded before speaking up.

"Fair enough. I don't think she can hear me, anyways. Whoa, talk about intense concentration." Morgana said. He then frowned as he looked around at how messy Futaba's room was as he spoke up.

"This place is so messy, though. And to be honest? I'm surprised she can focus at all. Futaba? You should really clean your room a bit." Morgana said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"And you should hush. You never tell a lady what to do, especially a shut-in lady like Taba. Besides, she'll clean it when she's ready to." Kusa said as Futaba gave what sounded vaguely like a 'mm-hmm' or a 'yeah!' in response to Kusa's remark. Morgana sweatdropped as he spoke up.

"She's not listening, is she? Oh well, just waiting around is boring. Let's clean the place up." Morgana said as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"We could. But I have a feeling she has a reason for not having done so before now. Though I will admit, there is a good bit of clutter in here." Kusa said. Ren nodded in agreement with Morgana, however, and proceeded to work with Morgana to clean the place up a bit, ignoring the gaping Kusa, who crossed his arms and huffed once Ren finished while Morgana spoke up with a smile and a nod.

"Phew, good job Ren! It looks a little better now, don't you think?" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as Kusa spoke up.

"It does look better, but still! I say we should've made sure she was okay with it before you two took it upon yourselves to clean her room without asking. If she gets upset, I blame the both of you for taking it upon yourselves to clean her room without asking her first." Kusa said dryly. Morgana ignored Kusa to look at Futaba as he spoke up to try and get her attention.

"Well, Futaba? We're done on our end. Are you finished yet?" Morgana asked as Futaba ignored the not-cat, smirking to herself as she kept working. Morgana and Ren sweatdropped as the former spoke up with a wince.

"She can't hear a word I'm saying, can she? Ugh, I don't know what Kusa sees in her if she gets that hyperfocused." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up, giving the not-cat a very pissed off look while he spoke up.

"Excuse you!? Just because she gets immersed in her work does not mean she's not amazing, Morgana. Kindly never make such a rude comment around me again." Kusa said bluntly, clearly offended by Morgana's shot at him. Morgana huffed and spoke up.

"Sorry. Ugh, guess we'll just have to keep waiting, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded, Kusa blinking as he got a private chat from Sojiro on Ren's phone. Kusa then looked at Ren and spoke up, his eyes widened after reading the chat that Sojiro had sent him with Ren's phone.

"Hey, Ren? You and Morgana might wanna head back to Leblanc for a bit. Apparently you left your phone there, and Sojiro's been using it to send chats?" Kusa said to Ren, who gasped at this and swore under his breath before he snatched up Morgana as the two bolted from the room to head back to Leblanc, leaving Kusa to smirk to himself as he leaned against the wall, patiently waiting for Futaba to finish her work, not bothered by her not saying anything as she worked...

(At Leblanc, with Sojiro, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto and Yoshizawa)

"Whew, that's the last of it. We should just about be good to go here." Sojiro said as he heard the doors of Leblanc open, going to gesture for everyone to hide until he heard Ren's voice as he spoke up.

"Boss? You said I left my phone here?" Ren said as he walked back in, Morgana riding shotgun in his bag. Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. You left it right on the counter, so I used it to call your friends over to help set up the party for Kusa. He's not with you, is he?" Sojiro asked as Ren shook his head.

"Nope. He's back at your house with Futaba while she's working on stuff. He looked pretty content to sit and wait, so I think that'll keep him busy for awhile." Ren said as Ryuji spoke up at that point.

"Good. That means we have plenty of time to be mad at you, Ren! Kusa might get a pass, but why wouldn't you at least tell us Futaba was awake? Why did we have to find out from Boss!?" Ryuji said to Ren, who winced as he spoke up.

"My bad, man. I was so shocked to see her walking into Leblanc, I forgot to tell you guys she was up. Besides, if anything, it's Kusa's fault for not telling me last night so that I could relay it to you guys in a timely manner. But from what I understand, Futaba asked him not to tell anyone until this morning, so they could have last night to themselves. And to be honest? I can't be mad at him for that, since it IS his birthday, and he's been waiting patiently over the last two weeks for her to wake up." Ren said as Ryuji huffed but nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, I guess. Fine, I forgive you." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and the group spoke up among themselves while Ren smiled as he spotted Kasumi in the corner, apparently looking at her phone, smirking happily before sitting next to her and speaking up.

"Hey there, beautiful. I see that you kept your word and showed up to the party." Ren said suavely, making Kasumi blink as she looked up and saw Ren, making her smile at him before she spoke up.

"Oh, hi there Senpai! I didn't know you'd come back. Boss said you had gone over to his house to help Kusa out with something?" Kasumi said as Ren nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, but it's a long story that involves explanations that would take even longer." Ren said as Kasumi nodded and smiled before hugging Ren as she spoke up once more.

"Fair enough, Senpai. So, are we going to see the birthday boy at all today?" Kasumi asked as Ren shrugged, not sure of the answer to that himself. After thinking about it, he looked Kasumi in the eyes as he spoke up.

"Maybe. All I know is right now he's with his friend at Boss' house watching her work for who knows why. Maybe they'll be back this way later?" Ren said as the group hung out for a while, until Ren headed back to check on Futaba and Kusa, Morgana still riding shotgun in his bag...

(Back at the Sakura household, in Futaba's room with Kusa and Futaba)

"And I'm doooooone!" Futaba said as she stretched her arms out in satisfaction, almost jumping as she heard Kusa's voice behind her, turning around to see him smiling kindly at her as he spoke up.

"Ah, finally finished then, Taba? Took you long enough to do it. It's already evening. But I knew you'd get it done. Good job, I'm proud of you." Kusa said as he patted Futaba lightly on the head before smiling at her, smirking at the slight hint of embarrassment on her face as she spoke up. At that point, Ren and Morgana walked in, the not-cat poking his head out of Ren's bag as he spoke up.

"Wh-What's up? Something happened?" Morgana asked as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. It's finished." Futaba said as Morgana spoke up in confusion.

"Finished? What is?" Morgana asked as Kusa chuckled and laughed as he spoke up, fixing Morgana with a pointed look while he spoke.

"Why, Medjed's downfall, of course. What else would Futaba spend the day working on? I told you she could get it done, though. When it comes to hacking and computers, Taba here is an unrivaled goddess of all things tech-related. Never doubt her in my presence again." Kusa said smugly, ignoring the wincing not-cat in favor of crossing his arms in satisfaction while giving Futaba a pleased grin. Futaba then blinked as she looked around, seeing her room and speaking up in shock.

"Oh! My room! Ah, it's so clean! Why!?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up, giving Ren and Morgana pointed glares while he spoke.

"These two decided it was too dirty in here and then took it upon themselves to tidy up while you worked. Apparently Morgana thought the mess was too distracting or some such? I told him that we should've asked you first before doing so, just to be sure you actually WANTED your room cleaned." Kusa said by way of explanation. Morgana nodded, giving an irate glare to Kusa while he spoke up.

"We cleaned it, that's why." Morgana said before he kept speaking, sounding more interested.

"Anyway, is it true? Did you really take care of Medjed? OW!" Morgana said, the 'OW!' being a result of Kusa lightly flicking Morgana on the head in annoyance while he spoke up.

"Of course she did! What part of 'unrivaled tech goddess' didn't you understand, Morgana!?" Kusa said in annoyance. Futaba blinked, her eyes widening as she spoke up.

"Wait, so I handled them, and someone else handled my room! I don't understand, but this is good!" Futaba said, sounding happy, to Kusa's surprise, making him speak up after giving Futaba a look of surprise.

"It is? So you're not angry at these two for cleaning your room for you?" Kusa asked, turning to blink at Futaba in surprise. Futaba nodded and spoke up briefly while smiling.

"Nope, I'm actually happy with them for that. Thanks, you two. And on that note, I'm spent. Night-night." Futaba said a she pulled out a cat-shaped pillow from nowhere and set it down before her head laid on it and she fell asleep, prompting Ren, Kusa and Morgana all to go wide-eyed as the not-cat spoke up in surprise.

"Futaba? Hey, Futaba! What's wrong!?" Morgana asked as Kusa looked Futaba over before speaking up.

"I think she went back to sleep. I'm sure all that hacking was taxing for her. Futaba really needs to learn to take better care of herself, the stubborn minx that she is. You guys can head back to Leblanc if you like, and I'll be along once I put this one to bed, since I have a feeling my presence might be needed at Leblanc." Kusa said as Futaba confirmed his thought by audibly dozing off at that moment. Morgana winced in surprise as he spoke up.

"She's sleeping, huh? Well, it looks like it's been taken care of. I guess we should get home and check on the others too. Hopefully they didn't leave yet." Morgana said, making Ren's eyes go wide when he realized Morgana had said that where Kusa could hear, but luckily Kusa was too busy fixing Futaba's bed for her to hear what Morgana said. Instead, Kusa smiled as he swooshed Ren and Morgana off of said bed while he made it, then gently picked up Futaba, set her pillow down on the bed, then laid her on the bed, carefully pulling the blanket over her and tucking her in before gently pressing a kiss to her cheek as he spoke up.

"There we go. That way, she won't have a killer back-ache from sleeping in that chair tomorrow. And since she's out like a light, I suppose we should head back to Leblanc and let her rest." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana nodded, leaving the room ahead of Kusa, who lingered as he looked Futaba over before speaking once more.

"Get some rest, Futaba. You've earned it. Thank you very much for your assistance. Hopefully this time you won't need two weeks to recover, but if you do, I understand. Night, Taba." Kusa said as he hesitated briefly before steeling himself and leaning down to gently press a kiss to Futaba's lips before straightening up and turning around, wasting little time following Ren and Morgana out of the room with a slight blush on his face, not seeing the soft but contented smile on Futaba's face from his bold and slightly impulsive decision as she slept...

(At Leblanc, with Sojiro, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Yoshizawa)

"They've been over there awhile, haven't they?" Yoshizawa said in surprise as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That they have, but Futaba was pretty hard at work, so Kusa probably wanted to be sure she finished before tucking her in after she crashed, which she likely will do after that kind of hard work. After all, she might have been sleeping the last two weeks, but even then, there's only so much you can do without eating." Sojiro said as the others blinked, right as Ren and Morgana walked back in, the former speaking up.

"Okay, the birthday boy shouldn't be far behind me, since Futaba finished what she was doing and fell asleep, so he lingered behind to put her to bed. Heck, if I were a betting man, I'd probably put down good money he even kissed her goodnight. However, that's not important right now. The important thing is that he had to tuck Futaba in, so I'd imagine that he'll be over here shortly." Ren said to the others as they nodded. After a bit, they started getting into place, waiting until they heard the footfalls of the birthday boy and the door opening, the former being the group's cue to kill the lights and wait to surprise Kusa, who frowned as he walked in to a blacked-out Leblanc. Kusa blinked as he spoke up.

"Wait, since when is there no power here? What in the effing-!?" Kusa said before being cut off mid-sentence as right at that moment, the lights came on and about a half-dozen different voices all yelled out at once, almost making Kusa jump in surprise.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KUSA!" Kusa heard, making him gasp as he looked around to see Sojiro and all of his friends except for Futaba gathered in Leblanc, prompting his jaw to drop before he eventually spoke up, his shock eventually giving way to a surprised smile as he looked over the gathered group (comprising of, from left to right: Sojiro, Yoshizawa, Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, Makoto, Yusuke, and Ann) and spoke up in polite surprise.

"Wait, what the total and complete freaking eff? Whose idea was THIS? And thank you, everyone." Kusa said after he got over his shock, eventually sitting at a booth seat, where Ren, Yoshizawa, Ryuji, Ann and Morgana joined him, while Makoto got the booth seat behind the group, Sojiro smirking as he worked the counter while speaking up.

"Technically, it was Ren's idea. But because he was busy this morning helping you and Futaba, I took it upon myself to put the finishing touches on things. I'm sure you'd have preferred that Futaba was here, but you understand that she gets tired easily." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I do indeed, and she was hard at work all day, so I don't begrudge her being too tired to come join the party. Besides, I got to hang with her all day, so that makes up for it somewhat. But more importantly, thank you all for going to the trouble of gathering here today. I wasn't expecting a party at all." Kusa said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Exactly. That said, let's bring out the cake and presents." Sojiro said as Ryuji and Ren nodded, going back to bring out Kusa's presents, while Sojiro brought out the cake he'd picked out for Kusa, a rather sumptuous-looking cake, or more specifically a dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, (Say what you will about Kusa, but he loves himself some chocolate!) making Kusa's eyes go wide before he grinned and spoke up, surprising everyone present with the sight of a genuine smile on his face, with the exceptions of Ren and Sojiro, who'd both each seen this same smile on Kusa's face at least once prior to this, along with Morgana, who sees Kusa smile that way a lot.

"Awesome! A huge chocolate cake and a lot of friends to share it with! AND I got to see Taba wake up! Easily one of my better birthdays! Maybe even the best one yet." Kusa said happily as he blew out the candles in one go, to the group's only slight surprise, given how many times they've all, aside from Yoshizawa, seen him tear into people with a considerable amount of gusto. Afterwards, the cake was divvied up, with some of it put away for Futaba to enjoy later at Kusa's insistence, making Sojiro smirk at Kusa being so considerate. Sojiro then spoke up.

"Now that the cake's been handed out, what say we have the birthday boy open his presents?" Sojiro suggested as the group nodded and Kusa shrugged and reached for his gifts to open them up, smiling as he did so.

From Ryuji, Kusa got a shiny new bo staff, making him grin excitedly at the likely overdue upgrade to his melee weapon as he set it next to him before opening the next gifts. From Makoto, Kusa got a planner and a slip of paper that he frowned at until he read it, at which point his eyes went wide at what it said. The paper read as thus: 'Dear Kusa, congrats on your 16th birthday! But also, I wanted to speak to you about something important regarding school. If you get time in the next few days, maybe we can meet up and discuss what I wanted to discuss? Either way, enjoy your big day! -Best Wishes, Makoto.', making Kusa grin as he nodded to Makoto's request while looking directly at Makoto and speaking up.

"Yeah, sure thing, Makoto. I'll have to look at what I have going this next week, but I think we can squeeze in a hangout at some point. And thanks for the planner, this will be be very helpful in organizing my schedule." Kusa said approvingly, making Makoto smile at the gratitude he'd shown her. From Ren, Kusa had gotten a really fancy pair of black sunglasses, which ironically were the same pair he himself had modeled for Kasumi previously, making Kusa smile at Ren and fist-bump him. From Ann, Kusa had gotten a black muscle shirt with a dark green dragon on it, along with a black leather vest and dark green leather shorts, which made him grin at Ann as he hugged her appreciatively and spoke up.

"I love it, Ann. If nothing else, I can use this as my new summer attire until summer ends. Thank you so much." Kusa said as he reached for his gift from Kasumi, blinking in surprise as he opened it to find what appeared to be a pair of black leather fingerless gloves that Kusa eventually realized were meant to be driving gloves, making him smile at Kasumi and thank her as he hugged her. He then opened up his gift from Sojiro, and gasped, as it was a really fancy gold chain with a white-gold yin-yang with peridot where the black would be on a yin-yang.

This gift had the result of making Kusa smile at Sojiro as he nodded to him and shook his hand before thanking him and putting the chain on immediately, which looked good on him. He then got to his gift from Yusuke, which he carefully opened up before his eyes widened as he turned an inquiring gaze onto Yusuke, as it was a painting of what appeared at first glance to be Futaba, but on second inspection was clearly Futaba in her Palace Ruler outfit from the Palace, appearing to be coyly winking at the room, making Kusa's jaw drop before he fist-bumped Yusuke and spoke up.

"Dude, how did you get this done so well? I love it, Yusuke! Thanks. Though, is there a reason you chose to have Taba dressed like a pharaoh in the painting?" Kusa asked, ignoring the confused look on Yoshizawa's face as Yusuke spoke up.

"That was Ryuji's idea, to be honest. He suggested we base it off of that version of her, since I think he heard you telling Ren that you called that version hot before?" Yusuke mentioned, making Kusa's eyes narrow as he turned to glare at Ryuji, his tone quite dry as he spoke.

"Oh, really? Did he, now? And what was Makoto's reaction to him calling another girl hot, even if he was just quoting what I may or may not have said about Taba?" Kusa asked dryly, smirking at the glare Makoto gave Ryuji while she spoke up.

"I wasn't amused, to be honest, but I knew he was talking about what you said, so I wasn't angry with him for it. Besides, what should it matter to me if he finds other girls attractive? He's at perfect liberty to crush on whomever he likes, no matter who it might be." Makoto said primly, ignoring the intrigued look in Ryuji's eyes as he saw the subtle hints of red on her cheeks as Kusa nodded and spoke up after chuckling at the entirely expected response from Makoto.

"Yeah, that about tracks. That said, thank you all! I love these gifts! And thank you especially for being able to be here, Yoshizawa-san. I'm sure Ren was quite happy to have you here, even if he didn't get to spend a lot of time with you since he was helping me and Futaba. And I apologize most profusely for keeping him from you." Kusa said as Yoshizawa smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"I get it, he was busy. I'm not upset at all. Besides, I'm sure I'll see plenty of him eventually, so I understand he had family issues." Yoshizawa said maturely, smiling as she nodded, before squeaking as Ren gently gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he spoke up.

"Glad you're so understanding, Sumi." Ren said to Yoshizawa, who flushed as she spoke up.

"S-Senpai! Not in front of the others!" Yoshizawa said in embarrassment, making Ryuji and Kusa both grin as the former spoke up.

"Oh, what's this? Is Ren getting close to Yoshizawa? Good job, man!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up with a teasing smirk on his face.

"Nooo, he's just casually holding hands with a friend, Ryuji. Of course they're getting closer to one another. Maybe, you and Makoto will be the next two to start getting cozy?" Kusa said teasingly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Ryuji, not seeing the red-faced Makoto behind him or feeling the light flick she gave him upside the head as he laughed at the stunned expression on Ryuji's face.

At that point, everyone present bar Ren had sparkling blue music notes go up over their heads as the party dispersed and everyone headed home, Ren escorting Kasumi to the station while Kusa headed upstairs. Once Ren got back, Kusa nodded to Ren as a private chat came in on their phones from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Ann sending the first response.

"So, Futaba's awake?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Awesome. And how has Medjed been taken care of? Er, more importantly, how's Futaba doing?" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response, Kusa sending one shortly after.

"She's in her futon crashed out once again, but not before telling us that Medjed is finished. Of course, she initially fell asleep on her desk, but then Kusa took it upon himself to tuck her in and even kiss her goodnight before we came to Leblanc." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"SHUT UP, REN! So what if I kissed her good night!? It's my effing birthday, isn't it!? If I want to kiss my crush on the effing lips to reward her for a job well done, then dammit I'm gonna effing kiss her on the friggin' lips! Hmph. At least you didn't bust my balls about it at the party, so that's something." Kusa sent dryly. Ryuji sent a response.

"Seriously? For real!? Also, good point, Kusa! Ren's a hypocrite if he gives you crap about kissing Futaba on the lips, since I know for a fact he kissed Yoshizawa on the cheek on the day of our shared party. And how is that, you might ask? The answer is rather easily, since I saw them at the station before I hopped my train home. And Ren, I'm both impressed you had the balls to kiss her and shocked it wasn't on the lips, the way you two were looking at each other." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"Screw off, Ryuji!" Ren sent, ignoring Kusa who was now actually laughing at Ryuji's response as Yusuke sent a response.

"She must have been quite exhausted. I can't say I blame her at all." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"If Medjed's been affected, it will surely make the news. That should be enough to confirm whether or not the deed has been done." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"For real!? Between you and Morgana, what is it with people being so doubtful of Futaba's ability to adapt to her circumstances quickly? It's getting a bit annoying, to be honest." Kusa sent irately. Ryuji sent a response.

"I know you're probably frustrated by it, but please try to understand, Kusa. We don't know Taba as well as you do yet, so we're still unfamiliar with her capabilities, so of course there's going to be some skepticism while we get used to her being potentially part of the group." Ryuji sent to try and placate Kusa before he sent another response.

"That said, then why don't we all try and watch the news together?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes. We should meet up in Leblanc as usual." Yusuke sent as Kusa sighed in annoyance but relented as he sent a response.

"Fine, but Morgana and Makoto better be ready to admit they were wrong and apologize when they see that Futaba did in fact come through big time for us." Kusa sent. Ann then sent a response.

"Relax, Kusa. I'm sure they'll come around eventually. Try not to be so uptight, OK? That said, see you tomorrow, guys!" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Fine, but I reserve the right to start reading people the damn riot act if they keep doubting Taba around me." Kusa sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away. Morgana then spoke up at that point.

"We should be in the clear now, right guys?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Seems that way to me, Morgana." Kusa said as he stretched out on the sofa, having taken his previous spot on the sofa back now that his leg was well enough to not need the bed anymore. Ren just nodded as Morgana spoke up with a sigh.

"I don't know, maybe it'd be better if we just stayed in today." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine. If nothing else, we can always clean up Leblanc or train, since I don't think we have any more video games to play." Kusa said. Ren shrugged as he headed downstairs to check a few things, blinking as he saw Sojiro downstairs and spoke up to him.

"Oh, hey there Sojiro. Pretty crazy day today, yeah?" Ren said conversationally as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. TV, customers-everyone's talking about the Phantom Thieves. I have to listen to that everyday. But more importantly, how's Futaba doing? Are you hitting it off fine?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I think we're getting along somewhat. Granted, the only real lengthy interaction she and I have had one on one so far was earlier when she asked me if she'd forgotten something, and even then that wasn't one-on-one since Kusa was next to her at the time. But I'm sure she's a nice lady, so I'm more than willing to be patient in getting to know her. After all, between the fact that she's basically your daughter, and Kusa's clearly quite attached to her, I'm sure one way or the other I'll be calling her my little sister eventually." Ren said with a shrug as Sojiro blinked and spoke up.

"True. Man, I don't have much of an appetite after gorging myself on that cake. I mean, who knew dark chocolate was so delectable? Surely not I. Eh, guess I'll just have soumen again or something. That said, you wouldn't be trying to suggest that Kusa and Futaba could be serious about one another, would you? Eh, no, it can't be that. It's nothing. Ignore me. That said, Futaba's been through a lot. Be kind to her. No wait, not just kind. That's not it. Be normal to her." Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded and headed upstairs, where he sat on the bed, getting Kusa's attention as he spoke up.

"Well, Sojiro didn't have much to say. Other than to praise your taste in cake, that is. Apparently he's a closet chocolate fanatic. Go figure. But on topic, I did buy a new game for the console from the second-hand shop while you were staying with Futaba and Boss called 'Gambla Goemon' which is a gambling game to raise Charm, and I swapped out 'The Running Dead' with a movie called '31' which apparently also raises Guts. So we can either play the game, or watch the movie. Unless you want to study or something?" Ren said to Kusa, who blinked before he spoke up with a smirk.

"Hm? '31', did you say? If so, nice! I've seen trailers for that movie, and it looks interesting. I'm down to give that a watch tonight if you are." Kusa said as Ren nodded, and the two got comfortable as Kusa went to make popcorn while Ren put the DVD of '31' in and Kusa came up with a bowl of popcorn as Ren hit 'play' to start the movie. Kusa and Ren were both intrigued by '31', which was a movie about an editor trying to rush a struggling writer to meet his deadline. Morgana winced as he spoke up from on Kusa's lap, where he'd curled up once Ren and Kusa had finished their popcorn bowl and Ren had paused the movie to take it downstairs to wash it.

"That editor is terrifying, isn't he? No one could finish that many pages in such a short time. Does he even stand a chance?" Morgana asked as Kusa laughed and spoke up with a smile to answer Morgana as Ren came back upstairs.

"Probably not, Morgana. But to be honest, I get the feeling that editor is a bit of a low-key asshole anyways. As someone who considered being a writer, though, I can empathize with the writer. That sort of deadline is surely not the easiest to meet, and that's when you're not being stressed about it." Kusa said sagely as Morgana nodded, purring as Kusa gave him some gentle pets while he spoke. Ren nodded as he came back in and sat down, resuming the movie with a nod. After the movie, Morgana spoke up.

"Yup! That writer was given an impossible task, but he kept on writing until his fingers bled. Maybe Ren's learned a thing or two about 'Guts' from watching this drama." Morgana said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Has all of these movies really been labeled under 'drama'? If so, that's crazy." Kusa said in surprise as Ren shrugged, not sure as his Guts got a sizable jump from watching '31', and the bonus from 'The Craft of Cinema'. At that point, Morgana spoke up once more.

"Well then, it's starting to get late. Let's head to bed soon, okay you two?" Morgana said to Kusa and Ren, who nodded as they got laid down for the night, Morgana curling up on the chest of the former, happy he was home once again, while the trio laid down for the night...

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

Kusa and Ren stretched as they sat up for the day as Sojiro's voice called up the stairs.

"Hey, Ren! Kusa! Your friends are here. Hurry down." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa exchanged surprised looks but nodded as they hurried downstairs. At that point, Ryuji's voice could be heard from downstairs.

"Whaddup!" Ryuji yelled up the stairs as Ren, Morgana and Kusa joined the others downstairs, as Sojiro smirked at Ren and spoke up.

"So, you and Kusa're finally up? I can give Kusa a bit of slack since he's had a rough go the last few days, but you Ren? Don't slack off just 'cause you're on summer vacation." Sojiro said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up with a grin on his face.

"Ren? Slack off? Are you sure you're not confusing him with Ryuji? No offense Ryuji, but you are kind of the best in our group at slacking off." Kusa said jokingly as Ryuji shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, you're not wrong, Kusa. Yo, you look tired Ren." Ryuji said as Ann did a closed-eye smile and spoke up while Kusa claimed a booth seat for himself and Ren.

"We've made ourselves at home." Ann said as the newscaster spoke up, making the group hush up to listen.

"Late last night, it was discovered that someone has tampered with the hacker group Medjed's website. The site's main page now displays what is thought to be the mark belonging to the Phantom Thieves, or as they've also been called, the Phantom Crew. Moreso, the personal information of a Japanese man, a possible Medjed member, was illegally publicized." The newscaster said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"Aren't these the guys people have been up in arms about?" Sojiro asked as no one answered and the newscaster kept speaking.

"Medjed has yet to issue an official reply. Furthermore, their previously announced cleanse of Japan remains unimplemented for now. Some speculate that they have taken this series of events seriously and ultimately canceled their plan." The newscaster said as Ryuji, Yusuke, Ann, and Ren all smirked triumphantly while Kusa and Makoto were just relieved that Futaba had seemingly saved the day, the former fixing Makoto and Morgana with a pointed look as Sojiro spoke up.

"Hm? What're you all smirking about?" Sojiro asked as Ren spoke.

"Oh, just pleased to see Medjed get theirs. In case it isn't clear, all of us here are fans of the Phantom Thieves." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"As it turns out, Taba's a pretty huge fan of theirs too, so I'm sure if she saw the news, she's quite pleased as well right now." Kusa said happily. Sojiro shrugged at that, figuring that fair was fair as he spoke up.

"I see. Either way, can you stop it? You're going to drive away all my customers." Sojiro said as the newscaster spoke up once more.

"After the commercial break, we will be asking guests form various fields about this turn of events." The newscaster said as Ryuji spoke up in confusion.

"But, there ain't any customers?" Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Hey, watch that mouth of yours, man! We're his customers, for now, so can it with the skeptical tone, Ryuji. And for the record, Boss is allowed to be worried about his place of business." Kusa said sagely. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa! And Ryuji? Can it, wise guy. My customers are on summer vacation too." Sojiro said as Kusa laughed at Sojiro's comeback. Ryuji then blinked as he spoke up, Sojiro's summer vacation comment making his eyes widen in realization.

"Oh crap, I just realized our summer break's almost over!" Ryuji said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Technically, there're still ten days left." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up.

"True. I want to go somewhere, but we can't just leave Futaba-chan alone." Ann said as Kusa nodded approvingly before he spoke up.

"True, but you forget, I hang out with her a lot these days, so she's not really alone per se. Plus, she's trying to not be so shut-in, so she might be seen leaving the house on occasion, even if it's just a bit here and a bit there at first. But I can understand why you'd be worried about that, Ann." Kusa said sagely. Makoto spoke up.

"Fair. But, some things still concern me too. Like that 'research' Futaba's mother worked on." Makoto said, as Kusa's eyes went wide as he saw the door of Leblanc open and Futaba walked in as if summoned by himself, Ann, and Makoto mentioning her. Sojiro smirked at Futaba as he saw her walk in.

"Oh? Hey there, Futaba. Did you just get up?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who nodded as she went and grabbed a seat next to a pleased-looking Kusa, who smiled widely as Futaba sat with him, nodding in response to Sojiro's question as she got comfortable and Makoto spoke up.

"Good morning." Makoto said to Futaba, who winced and tried to hide in an amused Kusa's chest, making him chuckle as he spoke up while patting her on the head gently.

"It's okay, Taba. These people might not always be the most tactful, but they are generally quite trustworthy, when they're actually using their heads and not simply assuming the worst of people." Kusa said reassuringly to Futaba. Yusuke winced and spoke up as he saw Futaba's reaction to Makoto.

"It seems she's cautious of us, still." Yusuke said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Of course she is, Yusuke. Or need I point out that Makoto and Ryuji were both rather rude to her in her own home recently!? Not to mention a certain someone else in this room openly doubting her yesterday." Kusa said, aiming a pointed look towards the now-wincing not-cat in Ren's bag as Ren chuckled at Kusa's remark while Makoto spoke up.

"Hey, why don't we go upstairs? If any more customers come, she'll be even more afraid." Makoto suggested as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"If you say so, Makoto. I'm personally not sure that going up to the attic will make Futaba any more relaxed with you guys, but it's worth a try I suppose." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with Kusa. And moreover, I trust him to keep Futaba safe. So, why don't you go with them, Futaba? Have fun. It's about time my regulars show up anyway, so I don't want you guys loitering around my store." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough, Boss. We'll keep ourselves upstairs then." Kusa said agreeably as the group headed upstairs...

(A short time later, in the bottom floor of Leblanc)

"The fact that there were no damages due to the hackers' action is but an afterthought." The bald-headed man on TV said as he kept speaking.

"The issue I want to make clear is the attitude of the police, and more importantly, the government." The bald-headed man on TV said as Sojiro growled, seemingly recognizing him. At that point, the newscaster spoke up.

"What do you mean?" The newscaster asked the bald-headed man as he spoke up once more.

"Are they doing their best to find an effective countermeasure against these Phantom Thieves? Is it not the government's duty to create a society where its citizens can live without worry? Unfortunately, the current cabinet is powerless. As such, they should be disbanded." The bald-headed man said with a frown on his face that made Sojiro wince at how uncannily similar it was to the frown he'd often seen Kusa aiming at his friends on occasion. The bald-headed man kept speaking at that point before Sojiro could ponder his thoughts any further.

"I believe now is the time for me to risk my political career in hope of making a new reality. A new political system that goes beyond parties or factions. An ideal country of peace and order." The bald-headed man said as the elderly male customer spoke up.

"This politician seems quite promising." The elderly male customer said as the female with him spoke up.

"I have to agree. I hope he can work to ease the anxieties of the elderly." The elderly female customer said as the elderly male customer spoke up once more.

"What do you think, Boss?" The elderly male customer asked Sojiro, who frowned as he looked up, stirred from his idle musings on how similar the bald-headed man struck him as being to Kusa to turn and speak up.

"Hm? Oh sorry, I wasn't listening." Sojiro said...

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

"So the Phantom Thieves only stole the heart of Futaba Sakura? And Medjed was, in turn, defeated by her real-world hacking abilities? This does correlate to the facts as we know them, thus far. If he's telling the truth, then Wakaba Isshiki didn't commit suicide after all. Did a third party target her life with the goal of destroying her research? Wakaba's death was two years ago, and that also coincides with when the incidents started occurring, as it happens. Does this other Metaverse user that both Madarame and Kaneshiro have mentioned, does he really exist?" Sae asked Joker, who shrugged as Sae kept speaking.

"Earlier, I briefly mentioned about those psychotic breakdown incidents that have alarmed the public. All of a sudden, people will lose consciousness or become violent out of nowhere. A situation as incomprehensible as that can't be explained away as 'troubled social conditions.' As such, I suspect that these cases are all connected to a larger, man-made plot. The method involved always muddled the explication, but your story has virtually confirmed its viability. Although to be honest, I wouldn't have expected a new criminal to come to light from your testimony at all. What did your group think of this other Metaverse user?" Sae asked Joker, who spoke up with a shrug.

"Clearly, he's the true criminal. While most of us were skeptical of this idea, Draconis remained convinced virtually the whole time that this was the case. So much so, that it led him to taking more than a few reckless and impulsive risks." Ren said. Sae frowned and spoke up.

"How self-centered of you. The Phantom Thieves tamper with peoples' hearts without asking consent. How is that different? Hmph! Well, it would seem that no matter how you thought of them, there can be no doubting your resolve. Are those incidents because of you, or someone else? Either way, I WILL get to the bottom of this." Sae said as Joker nodded, feeling his unlikely bond with Sae starting to deepen, as the 'Judgement' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that his Judgement Confidant link with Sae had reached rank 3. As usual, there was no ability gained from the rank up. Afterwards, Sae spoke up once more.

"Now, let's move on to your next crime." Sae said as she flipped open the notebook to the next picture, showing a distinguished-looking man with black hair, a defiant sneer, rounded-looking glasses, a black and red neckerchief, and a black tuxedo jacket over a white dress shirt. Sae then kept speaking.

"Kunikazu Okumura, and, well, you should know who he is. You know, considering what happened. Your testimony regarding this incident will be serious. I'm sure you understand why. Answer my next question carefully. What did you do to this Okumura?" Sae asked Joker, who frowned as he continued telling his story...

(Back in the present, in the attic of Leblanc with Makoto, Ren, Morgana, Yusuke, Futaba, Kusa, Ryuji, and Ann)

"To think, the cognitive version of a person would transform into such a horrible monster and attack us like that." Yusuke said as Kusa chuckled dryly at Yusuke's surprise before he spoke up.

"You say that like it's the first time we've had that happen to us. Granted, this one was more significant since it was a distorted cognition made of an innocent person that was created from someone else's distorted desires. But they're gone now, and we're all here, and that much stronger for having overcome it. That said, I'm impressed that Taba isn't wincing at what you just said, Yusuke." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. That means our enemies aren't limited to just Shadows." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"Oh? I thought the other people were just victims, like the slaves at the castle or the walking ATMs." Ann said as Kusa blinked at Ann mentioning their previous trips to the Metaverse around Futaba, who for her part just listened as Makoto spoke up.

"Even though they seem to be alive, they're only part of the backdrop, or more simply put, the environment. In other words, the Palace ruler determines the form and strength of their cognitions. I would've loved to ask Futaba's mother how far along she was with her research, but clearly that's not possible." Makoto said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, did you seriously just say that, Makoto? I understand where you're coming from, but don't you think that's a little bit rude to speak so casually of asking Futaba about her mom's work. Granted, to be fair, I don't think you realize that today is the anniversary of Futaba's mom's death, so I suppose I can't be too mad at you for being so unintentionally rude. But at least to her credit, Futaba doesn't seem that upset by what you said.

Still, I think that Futaba would really appreciate it if you and Ryuji both could try and practice a bit more tact when speaking of her mother around her. And Ryuji, maybe don't make tactless remarks about Boss around her either, yeah? " Kusa said, aiming the back half of his statement at Futaba, who was holding a bowl of what appeared to be curry in her lap and slowly eating on it, merely nodding her acknowledgement of Kusa's words in lieu of speaking up with her mouth full. Ryuji frowned at Kusa's remark but spoke up.

"Eh, that's fair. I can't say that Kusa's wrong either, since I am rather tactless at times without meaning to be. Research, huh?" Ryuji said. When no one spoke up he kept speaking.

"She was looking into that cognitive psience stuff, yeah?" Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up.

"If we put together all the information we've gathered up to this point and look at it, we'll find that abuse of cognitive psience can lead to death, and it may even relate to the psychotic breakdown incidents. Considering the 'cognitive' aspect, I sense a strong connection between it and the Metaverse." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up from Ren's bag.

"On top of that the research might have been stolen and used by someone else." Morgana said as Ann nodded and spoke up with a frown.

"You mean those guys that showed Futaba-chan the fake suicide note." Ann said as Kusa frowned but nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, those unscrupulous and self-serving asshats who're effing lucky I haven't tracked them down yet to kick their friggin' asses for what they put poor Taba through." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. If that is the case, those people are unforgivable." Yusuke said as Makoto looked over at Futaba as she spoke up.

"Hey, Futaba. Is there anything else you can remember?" Makoto asked Futaba, who blanched, got up, and went downstairs, making Kusa glare at Makoto as she spoke up.

"She is quite difficult, isn't she?" Makoto said as Kusa spoke up, eyes narrowing as he tore into Makoto with a great deal of gusto, starting to get fed up with her tactlessness around Futaba, thus causing the others to slightly wince at the sheer amount of annoyance and even irritation in his tone while he spoke.

"Futaba is quite difficult, you say? Considering the sort of topics you bring up around her, is it any wonder she's a bit guarded around you and Ryuji, Makoto? Also, I'm trying really hard to be patient, but you're making that difficult with the way you continually speak without taking Futaba's feelings into account. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a dick right now, but you really need to understand that there's a time and place for everything, Makoto." Kusa said irately, crossing his arms and giving off a frustrated sigh. At that moment, Futaba came back upstairs and sat back down with Kusa, helping herself to more curry, making Yusuke and Ryuji blink as they recognized the smell of Sojiro's curry as they spoke up.

"That smell, is that Boss' curry?" Yusuke asked as Ann spoke up with a whine.

"Oh c'mon, no fair Futaba-chan." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up hopefully.

"Hey, can I snag a bite?" Ryuji asked, only to wince when both Futaba and Kusa glared at him, making him back away and pout as he spoke up.

"Meanies." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up, frowning at Ryuji as he spoke up.

"That's Futaba's decision on who she shares her food with, Ryuji. And also, how is she the meanie when you and Yusuke are the ones who practically got up in her face trying to see her food? If you ask me, you're the meanies here along with Makoto, since she apparently doesn't know the meaning of the word tact." Kusa said dryly. Makoto winced at the edge in Kusa's tone as she spoke up.

"Why don't we take a short break?" Makoto said as the others nodded and stopped for a food break. A short time later, they reconvened, Morgana now sitting on the table that had Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Ren and Yusuke around it, while Futaba was sitting on the bed, facing away from the group, seemingly staring at the wall, while Kusa sat on the ground between Ryuji and Futaba so the latter could stretch out on the bed as Makoto spoke up.

"I've been thinking, and I have to ask. Even if Futaba is a genius, could she really crush an international hacker organization that easily?" Makoto asked as Kusa glared at Makoto, ready to light into her yet again about doubting Futaba, only for Futaba to speak up and cut him off before he could speak.

"I can see Kusa looking livid at you doubting me, so I think in order to save you a serious tongue lashing, and Kusa the effort of having to reprimand you, I'll just answer your question. The one who taunted the Phantom Thieves was a guy in Japan. I knew the Medjed members in Japan weren't anything special, so I wasn't worried." Futaba said as Kusa nodded approvingly while Ann spoke up, a confused look on her face while she spoke.

"Eh? How do you know that?" Ann asked Futaba, who turned to nod at Kusa appreciatively before speaking up, her next words shocking most of the present group.

"'Cause I'm the founder." Futaba said as Ren, Morgana, Yusuke, Ann, Ryuji, and Makoto all blinked at Futaba in surprise while Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ayup, that's right. I know she might not look like it to some of you, but Taba here is the OG, or original, holder of that handle. But I'll let her explain that herself if she wants you to know." Kusa said with a smirk. Futaba nodded as she smiled at Kusa before speaking up.

"Yep. Kusa is correct. It was only me at first, back when I was referred to as the hacker of justice. But since I stayed anonymous, a bunch of guys from all over the world started using the name." Futaba said as Ann spoke up.

"And those were the ones committing cybercrimes." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. They were just a bunch of copycatting wannabes that wished they could be as good as Taba." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. Also, it was a hassle to expose all of them, so I just left them be." Futaba said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up, his words making Kusa snort in amusement as he tried not to laugh at what Ryuji said next.

"Uhh, so if I have this right, Futaba was the true Medjed, and we were freakin' out over some weak-ass dipshits? Ugh, you should've told us from the start, Futaba." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Again, why would she do that? I understand why you'd ask that Ryuji, but think about it, would you? If she was too embarrassed to reach out for help, why would she be any less embarrassed to let us know the truth of her?" Kusa asked with a frown as Futaba smiled at Kusa and nodded approvingly to Kusa's response as she spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa! You get it. Also, I discarded the Medjed name a while ago. I'm Alibaba now." Futaba said as Makoto spoke up.

"Futaba, what do you want to do now? Since you know our secret, we'd like you to join our team." Makoto said as Futaba blinked, thought about it and just nodded, not seeing Kusa blink at what she said next.

"'Kay." Futaba said as Ann blinked and spoke up, not seeing Kusa frown as she spoke.

"Just like that?" Ann asked as Makoto spoke up, looking towards Futaba as she spoke.

"This may even ensure our investigation of Menentos goes along smoothly." Makoto said as Morgana frowned and spoke up, surprising Kusa with what he said next.

"Well, if you think she should join Makoto, I guess it's not a bad idea." Morgana said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Well, Futaba's real amazin'! She's gonna be a big help for us, huh? Not to mention, with her around, we have another Showtime in our arsenal! Or did we all forget about that badass Showtime she and Kusa whipped out on that sphinx lady before?" Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"That was brought about by necessity, and while it was pretty great to share that Showtime with Taba, it's going to be her choice, and her choice alone, on if she joins us or not. None of us will try to influence that choice in any way. Even if I get the feeling that some of us seem to be against the idea." Kusa said, aiming a confused frown at Morgana. Makoto then spoke up.

"Say, Futaba. How did you find out about us?" Makoto asked as Futaba shook her head and spoke up.

"Secret." Futaba said as Makoto spoke up more, not deterred by Futaba's reaction.

"Where did you learn to hack?" Makoto asked, not seeing Kusa frown at her basically interrogating Futaba. Futaba looked away as she spoke up.

"Private." Futaba said as Makoto kept speaking.

"Where did you obtain the Nav?" Makoto asked Futaba, who shook her head and spoke up, not seeing Kusa actually having to stifle laughter behind her at her responses.

"I refuse to answer." Futaba said as Ann winced and spoke up, her next words making Kusa manage to get his amusement at Futaba basically destroying Makoto by snubbing her under control as he turned an embarrassed glare on Ann at what she said next.

"Futaba-chan sure is unique, to say the very least. Maybe her quirkiness is what drew Kusa to her? Because with how he's been acting, I think it's plain to see he's quite attached to her." Ann said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Oh sure, just because I happen to be protective of Taba, and I try to stay by her side, all while I spent the last two weeks keeping vigil over her while waiting for her to wake up, that means I'm attached to her? I'm not allowed to be a concerned friend of hers? Besides, Futaba is still barely coming out of her shell, so to speak. I hardly think now is the time to bring up the subject of liking and/or having a crush on her.

And to be honest? Regardless of if I have feelings for Futaba or not, surely that can wait until she's more comfortable being outgoing and social, and until she's ready to think about that. If it comes out later that she does in fact have feelings for me and somehow wants to be with me, great. If not, that's fine too. I intend to respect her wishes where it comes the subject of her and I together, whatever they may be." Kusa said huffily, his cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment at Ann calling him out like she had. Ann nodded to that and spoke up.

"Fair enough, Kusa. Still, it'll be a problem if she doesn't open up to us some more." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"At the very least, we need to be able to communicate normally with her." Yusuke said. Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, what should we do?" Makoto asked as Kusa spoke up, fixing Makoto with a pointed glare as he spoke.

"Do you want my opinion on this, Makoto? Much less Futaba's!? Given the way you seem to not worry about how Futaba feels, I think you don't. But assuming that you do care about such things, maybe we can let Futaba say how she feels. And where it comes to getting her to open up to us, we should let her set the pace on that, and respect however long it takes her to do so.

I understand you don't like to wait long periods of time for stuff, but sometimes the best things in life truly are worth the wait, once you finallly get to them. Especially if said things include Futaba's smile, which really is quite radiant for how rarely she shows it off. But that's her business if she doesn't feel like smiling that often." Kusa said dryly, not seeing Futaba smile fondly at him for coming to her defense, or Morgana looking at Kusa in surprise at what he'd said. Ren chose to speak up then for the first time in a while.

"I have to agree with Kusa on this one. Let's let her set her own pace at opening up to us. Until she's comfortable with letting us get to know her, I say she's okay as she is. If and when she's ready to open up to and somewhat confide in us, we'll be ready to listen, but until then we won't pry too much into her personal business if we can avoid it." Ren said in what he hoped was a diplomatic tone. Kusa nodded approvingly to Ren's response as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Uh, that ain't gonna fly, Ren." Ryuji said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. First, we'll need to help her open up to us. If we each spend an entire day with her, maybe she'll get more used to being around us." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"Perhaps you're right, Makoto. But at the same time, have you considered that there's an equal chance that doing that could also make her more likely to want to close herself off from us if we push her for more than she's ready for too soon? I'm trying to be understanding here, but there's only so much that I can put up with and still keep my cool." Kusa said dryly as Futaba turned towards Makoto, a shocked look on her face before smiling appreciatively at Kusa for speaking up for her. Yusuke then spoke up, making Futaba turn towards him at what he said next.

"I see. We do have the time, thanks to summer vacation." Yusuke said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. We can begin tomorrow." Makoto said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up, his next words making Kusa blink, as he was torn on what Ryuji said next.

"Let's go to the beach! There'll be tonsa people there, plus we got totally dried out in that desert." Ryuji said as Ann smiled and spoke up.

"That's a great idea! I forgot I hadn't gone to the beach yet!" Ann said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"While I do agree a beach trip could be interesting, maybe we can try to not go to a crowded beach, at least until after we get Taba more acclimated to crowds? Last thing we need is her having a panic attack and getting separated from us and ending up who knows where." Kusa said bluntly, not trying to focus on the mental image Ryuji's offhanded remark about the beach had given him of Futaba in a bikini, an image that he was admittedly having to keep himself from being distracted by as he pictured it, making him curse Ryuji out in his head for his ability to put admittedly pleasant images in his mind.

Even though if Kusa was being honest with himself, said image was one which had him both intrigued and embarrassed, since he already got enough flack for calling Futaba's Shadow hot. He wasn't trying to compound things by getting caught checking Futaba out while she's in a bikini. Futaba quietly giggled at the embarrassed look on Kusa's face, correctly guessing it was there because of her, which she found amusing. After a moment, she blinked and spoke up.

"Uh, excuse me, everyone?" Futaba said as Makoto spoke up, acting as if she hadn't heard Futaba speak up.

"I'll come by tomorrow. See you then." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Let me help as well. I don't have anything planned." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up, neither seeing the skeptical looks on Kusa and Futaba's faces as she spoke.

"Thanks. We can set a schedule with everyone else depending on when they're free." Makoto said as Ann spoke up.

"Okay!" Ann said as Kusa spoke up, glaring pointedly at Makoto for cutting Futaba off when she was trying to speak up as he spoke up with a huff.

"That's fair. Though the last time I checked, other than maybe you and Ren, all of us are free for the rest of summer vacation, Makoto. Other than maybe Ryuji needing to finish his homework still, if I had to guess. But changing the subject a bit, here's some food for thought, Makoto? Maybe you could try not cutting across Futaba when she's trying to speak up?

That was rather rude of you, to be honest. Also, if I'm to be completely honest right now? I have the feeling that you and Yusuke being in charge of the planning can only lead us to disaster. After all, while you probably have a passable record of planning things, I'm pretty sure that Yusuke does not, with all apologies to him." Kusa said uncertainly, making Ren and Morgana wince as they could see the concentrated effort Kusa was making to keep his tone civil and patient, despite the clear signs that he was getting irritated with he saw as Makoto's continued disrespect of Futaba. Futaba, for her part, just smiled gratefully at Kusa for once more coming to her defense.

After a bit, everyone left except for Ren, Kusa, Morgana, and Futaba, the latter of whom looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Can I really do this?" Futaba asked Ren, who smiled as he spoke up.

"Honestly? You never know until you try. Though I do have to agree with Kusa that anything involving Yusuke and Makoto working together might very well be a disaster. But I also sense that Kusa won't let you go through that alone. If nothing else, he was certainly ready to throw hands earlier." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's because, as you might hopefully have noticed, none of them, aside from MAYBE Ann and Morgana, were even asking Taba how she felt about that plan. They just went along with it without so much as a 'how do you feel?' or 'do you want to do this?' towards Futaba. Ugh, I can't believe how inconsiderate our friends can be sometimes, Ren." Kusa said with a huff as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True. Well, good luck Futaba. Hopefully Kusa here can keep it from being too big of a disaster. And Kusa, no punching people! Even if they do stuff to deserve it, you're also setting an example for Futaba. And I don't think you want her wanting to swing first and think second?" Ren pointed out as Kusa sighed and nodded his agreement, reluctantly conceding that Ren had a point while he spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right of course, Ren. Excuse me for wanting to make sure Futaba's desires were looked out for earlier." Kusa said with a huff. Futaba smiled at Kusa and nodded before walking over to Morgana and gently playing with his cheeks, making the not-cat wince as he spoke up.

"Argh! Why me!?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up between laughs, smiling at the annoyed not-cat while he spoke.

"I'm pretty sure that's her way of saying she likes you, Morgana. And I believe you said you wanted the ladies to like you, yes?" Kusa said with a grin as Morgana huffed and spoke up with a frown.

"Oh, shut up Kusa! And when I said that, Futaba wasn't the lady I was thinking of! But I guess I can handle it if she likes me, since that's a good thing." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and Futaba giggled at the put-out expression on the not-cat's face as the latter smiled at the former while they discussed the upcoming week of getting to know Futaba...

(Around that same time, with Sae and Akechi)

"Stress is the enemy of beauty, you know." Akechi said to Sae with a smile. Sae huffed at Akechi as she spoke up angrily.

"How can I stay calm about this!?" Sae snapped at Akechi, who smiled patiently as he spoke up.

"I understand how you feel." Akechi said as Sae huffed and spoke up with a frown.

"Thanks to the incident with those hackers, people are calling us incompetent. And on top of all that? The Phantom Thieves are claiming justice is on their side. Don't make me laugh." Sae said as Akechi nodded and spoke up with his usual grin.

"Medjed was dealt with by either the Phantom Thieves themselves, or some avid supporter. There are no tracks whatsoever, so they must be quite skilled, whoever they are. Either way, the general public recognizes the Phantom Thieves as the subjugating party." Akechi said as Sae nodded and spoke up.

"They're gaining support and influence much faster than we could've anticipated, which annoys me." Sae said as Akechi nodded, frowning as he spoke up with an unimpressed look on his face while he spoke up, wincing near the end of what he said.

"It is indeed an abnormal situation. I'm beginning to suspect mass manipulation of some kind, or even brainwashing. It's even possible that a powerful person is behind them, plotting the psychotic breakdowns for some nefarious purpose. If only I had realized this sooner!" Akechi said as Sae blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Oh? It's rare to hear you speak in that tone." Sae said as Akechi nodded and spoke up, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke up.

"For the sake of MY justice, and for that of our victory, I won't forgive them." Akechi said as Sae looked at Akechi in surprise, but said nothing...

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

As Kusa laid on the sofa, glaring at the ceiling while he tried to simmer his temper down after having to listen to Makoto and Yusuke basically not listen to Futaba the whole day, his and Ren's phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and perhaps most surprisingly for Kusa, Futaba, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Hey, I heard some people talking about us on the train home! They were saying how awesome they think the Phantom Thieves are!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"I've heard things too. It's becoming a huge topic of conversation." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Well, to be fair, the casualties from a Medjed attack would have been massive. It's no surprise they revere us for preventing it." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Perhaps, but they should really be revering Taba, since she's the real hero here. If not for her god-tier tech skills, we wouldn't have clutched out that comeback win against Medjed! So if you ask me, she should be the one being revered as a hero right now." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"You're not wrong about that, Kusa. It WAS extremely close this time though." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Yeah, Kusa-kun is absolutely right. It is all thanks to Alibaba. You were a great help, by the way. Thank you." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"At least you're calling her by her preferred handle, Makoto. I'm happy to see that you're learning from your mistakes, even if your people skills still leave a bit to be desired at times, with all apologies to you." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"It was nothing. Kusa knows I do this all the time for fun." Futaba said as Ann sent a response.

"Oh, that reminds me. Remember before, when I mentioned all that stuff about ATMs and banks just stopping? That wasn't Medjed, was it?" Ann asked as Kusa blinked before Futaba sent a response that had Kusa frowning in confusion.

"Nope, that was totally separate." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"So people were overreacting to mere coincidence?" Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Either that, or those rumors were never true to begin with." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hm, you seem to be quite talkative in these conversations." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"She's a recovering shut-in, Yusuke. Of course she's more talkative in text chats than in-person chats. At least she's trying to be social, so I say that we should acknowledge that she's making great strides in trying to better herself, even if she's not as talkative as she could be outside of text chats. But Futaba knows that if nothing else, I like her exactly the way she is." Kusa sent as Futaba smiled at Kusa coming to her defense, even if part of her was oddly pleased at how quickly Kusa corrected Yusuke. She then smirked and sent a response.

"Exactly, Kusa! You get it! And oh really, Yusuke? Is that so? I'll shut up then. :l " Futaba sent as Kusa had to stifle a laugh at her response, despite the emoji at the end of her response. Yusuke then sent a '?' by way of response, to which Futaba replied with a ':C' emoji. At that point, Ren, Kusa, Morgana and Ryuji all groaned as the chat turned into an emoji fest courtesy of Futaba and Yusuke. Ann then sent a response.

"I don't think I get it, but I'm pretty sure she's angry, right?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response, smirking at how effortlessly Futaba was wrecking Yusuke with her emojis while he sent his response.

"Not sure what the first emoji she sent is other than probably a frown emoji, but the second one is definitely a cross of angry and evil. But yes, I'm sure she's pissed at Yusuke. Which while I'm thinking of it, really!? Why would you go and comment on how talkative she's being!? What part of 'she's not used to crowds just yet' didn't you get, Yusuke?" Kusa sent. Ryuji sent a response next.

"Truth, Kusa! Even I know that you don't pick on a lady like that! You gotta apologize, Yusuke." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Me!? Why?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Maybe because you were completely and utterly out of line to question how talkative Futaba is just now, and probably managed to hurt Taba's feelings in the process!? Which you're lucky I'm trying to be more understanding here for Taba's sake, or I'd have been tempted to be very irritated at you over that." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a ':U' emoji before sending an extra response.

"Ah, Kusa. Always so quick to jump to my defense. Truly, my hero." Futaba sent, making Kusa blush in embarrassment at Futaba calling him her hero as he and Ren put their phones away. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey. Is this really going to be okay? I'm worried about how things will be from now on, you guys." Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Don't be worried. Worst case, I'll have to drag Yusuke and maybe Ryuji out back behind Leblanc and beat some common sense into them if they don't learn some tact, and that should sort most of the issues. As for Makoto, I'll let Futaba handle her, since I was raised not to hit a lady if I can avoid it. And more importantly, Ren had a point before when he said that I should be setting a good example for Taba. Besides, I know that Futaba can handle herself if she has to." Kusa said sagely. Ren just chuckled and nodded as Morgana spoke up once more.

"Ugh, Training Futaba's gonna be a lot of work-moreso than stealing someone's heart." Morgana said as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Isn't that kind of a redundant point, since if you think about it, we technically already stole Futaba's heart when we took her Treasure? Also, you know what they say. 'The harder the work, the greater the reward that awaits', or something to that effect." Kusa said as Morgana nodded as Ren's phone went off to signify a private chat from Mishima.

"Now that's my Phantom Thieves! I knew they'd pull it off! This definitely proves the justice of the Phantom Thieves!" Mishima sent as Ren sent a response.

"Are you sure?" Ren sent, not entirely convinced that what Futaba did proved the Phantom Thieves' justice since she's not one of the group just yet, strictly speaking. Mishima then sent a response.

There's no doubt about it! I mean, they took Medjed down. Even the guys who had been criticizing the Phantom Thieves basically have to accept them now! The news has been spreading like wildfire too. I'll give it an extra boost on my site as well. I bet the approval rating will be through the roof tomorrow. Look forward to it!" Mishima sent as Ren frowned and put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"Why is HE, of all people, getting excited about this?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, you mean Mishima? He's had our back since day one! So naturally he's excited to see the downfall of Medjed. Though I do have to say I fear that he, like most of our group, is getting blinded by the temptation and allure of fame. I only pray that it doesn't come to bring about our downfall at some point." Kusa said. Morgana nodded and spoke up, seeing Kusa's point while he spoke.

"True, that's a good point Kusa. Well, the news really did draw a lot of attention. I can't wait to see what happens." Morgana said. Kusa then frowned as a thought occurred to him, making Ren and Morgana turn to him as the former spoke up.

"You okay, Kusa?" Ren asked Kusa, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah. I just had a thought, that's all. That whole time we were in Taba's Palace, who did we not hear mentioned even once, other than when I mentioned them the once in one of the Safe Rooms? Black Mask. And unless I'm mistaken, who's been unusually radio silent towards us all summer since the sushi restaurant debacle? Akechi! Am I the only one who finds that parallel just a wee bit suspect? And do I need to once again bring up the fact that we figured out that Akechi can understand Morgana speaking, given that said understanding caused the whole pancakes fiasco while we were at the TV studio?

I could be wrong, but I'm starting to suspect that Akechi either knows Black Mask, OR, and wait for it, Akechi IS Black Mask. But again, this is strictly conjecture at this time, since I lack any definitive proof to actually link the two. But, if I'm right, that could be why Akechi can understand Morgana despite not having been to the Metaverse that we know of." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana blinked and the latter spoke up.

"That's a surprisingly good point, Kusa. We might have to keep an eye on that as we keep going forward, in case you're right." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement, the stunned trio having a seat to ponder Kusa's surprisingly perceptive observation, and consider where it could lead...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And there we go, chapter 49 done and dusted! Next chapter is gonna be the big chapter 50! First time ever one of my stories will hit that many chapters! I'm both excited for it, and stunned I've gotten this far in the story! Either way, I owe it to everyone who's followed and favorited the story so far. Granted, I've only got maybe one consistent reviewer on the story, but that one reviewer usually gives pretty good feedback on the chapters so I can gauge what I'm doing right and doing wrong and be able to better fine-tune future chapters as well as possibly correct previous chapters.

So feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the story, as well as your feedback/opinions/constructive criticism. Or, feel free to shoot me a PM with that information. I enjoy hearing from my readers either way. And until next time, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Okay, real talk? I would REALLY like to know which of the developers okay'ed that line in the script. I mean, come on. 'Hi, Becky is so drenched and wet right now'!? REALLY!? Please tell me I'm not the only one who almost read that line as an innuendo the first time they saw it while playing Royal? Don't get me wrong, Royal is a fantastic game that is very worth playing at least once, but when it has its flaws, damn does it have its flaws! At the same time, I think I see why they slapped an 'M' rating on this game, or at least part of the reason for it.

*2* - Speaking of cringy lines, I'm surprised whoever wrote the script thought a throwaway line of a teacher (albeit one moonlighting as a maid) just randomly telling her student that she's really good at giving massages and that she'd massage said student anywhere they like was okay. Granted, this game IS rated M, but I personally think that the whole idea of the Joker/Kawakami confidant link is a bit sketchy.

I mean, think about it. Was not at least part of the reason that the Phantom Thieves targeted Kamoshida in the first place because he was having illicit relations with his students? So would it not then be slightly hypocritical of Joker to then be okay with having similar relations with his teacher? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but that just seems like a bit of a double standard to me. But that's just my opinion.

*3*- How ironic that the same place that Ren and Ryuji came to keep each other busy during their shared birthday party arc is also the same place Ren brings the group to plan out Kusa's birthday party later on. Also, I think the dialogues that come up when you invite the group to billiards might be randomized, since the lines I typed for it in the chapter were the lines I got when when I first played through that part.

I then had to close out of Royal without saving a short time later since stuff came up, and when I replayed the billiards bit with the group later, the lines were entirely different the second time, and they even changed the stat boosted. When I typed it out, Ren got a boost to Guts, but when I replayed it later, he instead got a boost to Proficiency, which was fine since it made Proficiency move to being 'somewhat close' to ranking up. So yeah, I guess that's RNG shenanigans for you.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 49

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 6

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 6

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 4

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 5

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

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 7

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 7

JUSTICE (Akechi) - Rank 5

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) - Rank 7

HANGED MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 1

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 7

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 4

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 1

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 5

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 5

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank 8

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 3

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) - Rank 5 'MAX'

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) - Rank 5

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 4

YET TO BE UNLOCKED: FORTUNE, HERMIT, TOWER, EMPRESS