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

50. Traumatized Oracle Finale: Beach Week!

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! As unlikely as it might seem that we'd get here when this story started, here we are at the big chapter 50!

Pretty damned insane if you ask me, considering that before this, the longest story I'd typed out was Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory- The Amasawa Files, which while we're speaking on that story, as of the point of typing this start-of-chapter A/N (which it is currently 10:47 AM on Wednesday, January 18th as I type this A/N), I have officially edited and fixed chapters 1-6 of The Amasawa Files and have plans to gradually correct the other chapters as well when time permits.

Yeah, finally making myself get around to doing editorial type stuff for my other stories. So no, they've not been forgotten! In fact, because I can, let's do a quick status update on my active stories.

Persona 5: The Phantom Files (this story) - Currently 49 chapters typed out, soon to be 50, and many more to come! IN PROGRESS

Digimon Frontier: Return To The Digital World - 3 chapters in, kinda got back-burnered just a tad since I forgot about it slightly and have been pre-occupied with Phantom Files and editing Amasawa Files, but plan to keep going on it. ON TEMPORARY HIATUS UNTIL I GET FURTHER INTO OTHER STORIES

A Mine Is A Terrible Thing to Waste Redux (rewrite) - 5 chapters in, with chapter 6 being typed out slowly. IN PROGRESS

Digimon Data Squad Redux (rewrite) - 5 chapters in, with plans to start chapter 6 once I finish a few other stories. ON TEMPORARY HIATUS UNTIL I GET THROUGH OTHER STORIES

Bakugan: The Pyrex Chronicles - 5 chapters in, with chapter 6 in development, though said development is slow since I've been focused on other stories. ON TEMPORARY HIATUS UNTIL I GET THROUGH OTHER STORIES

Pokemon: Shuffled Journeys - 10 chapters in, with chapter 11 being slowly typed up, though I keep forgetting to get back to it. IN PROGRESS

So yeah, that's an update on my slate of currently active stories. If I'm being totally honest though? At this moment, this story is taking up a lot of my focus, so it's entirely possible that updates for the others will be somewhat sporadic at best and put out when I find time to type the chapters out, so I apologize to anyone who has any of the other stories listed above favorited/followed (if they're reading this), but I will finish all of those stories in time, so bear with me!

Back on the topic of Phantom Files, I think with some luck most likely next chapter or worst case the chapter after will be the final chapter of arc 4. I'd have said this chapter, but that's unlikely given I'd have to literally cram just a shade over a week's worth of in-game days into one chapter to end the arc here, and unless I want another 30k+ word length chapter, that's probably not gonna happen. But I'll do my best to get as much in this chapter as possible. That said, on to the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis, and any other recurring OCs in the story, all of which he made and thus does own unless otherwise stated), and the credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and to an extent Koei Tecmo! So yeah, all credit to them!

Real quick before I start the chapter, tonight at midnight/tomorrow (as of the day I'm typing this start-of-chapter A/N) is the release of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden for most modern consoles, so I'm probably going to be getting those to play through, so that's hopefully some fun to be had. Also, at some point down the line, I might have one or two 'special' one-shots tied to this fic to celebrate hitting certain chapter milestones, so keep an eye out in case I do that in the future. But for real, on with chapter 50!

Chapter 50 - The Pre-Beach Prep Week? Getting to know Futaba! Traumatized Oracle part 14

(At Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, and Kusa)

"Well, that was a day we just had, wasn't it?" Ren said to Morgana and Kusa, both of whom nodded as the latter spoke up.

"Indeed it was. Though I don't know if I'd say it was a good day or not, considering how many times I found myself pissed off by Makoto's lack of tact, and utter disregard for Taba's desires. She even cut right over Taba when she tried to speak up near the end there." Kusa said huffily as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. So what's our plans for tonight?" Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"I can probably put some time into private chatting I suppose. Have you checked to see who you can hang out with?" Kusa asked Ren, who blinked and spoke up.

"No, I haven't. Let's see here. Oh! Apparently Boss is able to be hung out with again? Interesting. Maybe I'll spend time with him. I mean, it's been a hot minute since I did that." Ren said as Kusa nodded approvingly.

"That it has, Ren. Good plan. I can keep an eye on Morgana-sensei if you like, and if he's agreeable, while you do that." Kusa said to Ren, getting an agreeable nod from the not-cat in question as well as from Ren, as the latter headed downstairs to hang with Sojiro. Ren eventually approached Sojiro, who looked up and spoke up in surprise.

"Ren? I know you've been busy hanging out all day, but if you have time, can you help me prepare dinner?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Sure thing, Boss. I was just thinking that we've not gotten to really hang out a lot of late anyways, so this is a good chance to rectify that while helping you." Ren said honestly, making Sojiro smile and nod approvingly while he spoke up.

"Thanks. Futaba's coming to eat today too. Actually, if he's still here and not busy, we should invite Kusa to join us, and make this something of a family type setup." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"He is here, but he's currently watching Morgana while we hang out. But if you don't mind Morgana accompanying Kusa, I think he could be persuaded to join us, specifically if Futaba is also joining us." Ren said with a knowing grin, one that Sojiro matched as he spoke up.

"Ah, yes. Good point. I'd forgotten that those two are rather close to one another." Sojiro said teasingly as Kusa chose that moment to walk downstairs, as if summoned by Ren and Sojiro mentioning him by name.

"Did I hear my name? And Ren? Shut it. While it is true that Taba and I are rather close, that doesn't mean you get to treat that as an inside joke of sorts. Though if it makes you and Boss here bond more, I guess I can overlook it." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, Kusa. Good timing. Yes, I was just telling Ren that Futaba was going to be joining us for dinner, and that we should consider inviting you to join as well so as to give it a more family-esque feel. But he said you were watching Morgana for him? I guess he can join too as long as he behaves himself, if he wants. You interested in joining us?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who briefly thought about it before smiling and nodding.

"Do I want to join you, Ren and Taba for dinner? I'd love to. But Morgana just laid down for a nap, so he probably won't be joining us." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded his understanding before speaking up.

"Fair enough. You can get the counter set for us, while I get the curry ready. I'll leave the coffee to you, Ren." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the three setting about their respective tasks. A while later, the group had enjoyed an impressive meal of curry and coffee, after which Futaba spoke up with a chuckle.

"Ah, that was nice. A delicious meal, which I got to share with Sojiro and Kusa, plus Ren, and plenty of fun conversation. Phew, that was great. I'm wicked full." Futaba said as Kusa smiled at Futaba while Sojiro spoke up.

"Right. How was the curry, Futaba?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who smiled and looked at Sojiro while she spoke up.

"Delicious! I'm gonna be dreaming of that stuff tonight!" Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up, unable to resist making a playful quip.

"Oh really? Does that mean you've found the meal of your dreams?" Kusa joked teasingly, ignoring the groans from Ren and Sojiro at the slight pun in his quip. Futaba chuckled as she looked at Kusa while speaking up.

"I guess so? But I dunno about calling Sojiro's curry the meal of my dreams. Yes, Sojiro's food is great, but of my dreams? I'd like to think that sort of description isn't usually applied to food so much as to people? But maybe I'm wrong on that. Either way, for as amazing as he is, I certainly wouldn't say that Sojiro is the guy of my dreams, considering he's as good as a father to me. However, that's not to say that there isn't possibly a certain other guy who could fill that spot instead." Futaba said, giving Kusa a playful wink, giggling at the subtle hint of red in his cheeks as the implication of her words hit him. Sojiro chuckled before speaking up.

"As much fun as seeing Futaba be lively and playful like this is, I have to ask. Um, Futaba, did the curry taste the same as you remember it?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, it sure did! I feel like a dummy for not wanting to eat it back when I was depressed about my mom and all." Futaba said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"You are not a dummy, Taba! If anything, you were just too depressed to want to be reminded of your mom, which is quite understandable. But never call yourself a dummy. After all, would a dummy be able to reach out to complete and utter strangers for help and then have the courage to confront the past head-on and find peace with it? I think not.

But also, would a dummy be able to tell great people when they see them, whether said people are myself, Ren or even Sojiro? No, they wouldn't. You are, if anything, one of the brightest, most gifted people I know, Futaba, and most certainly not a dummy, so don't insult yourself like that." Kusa gently but firmly rebuked Futaba, who looked at Kusa in surprise before smiling shyly and nodding as she spoke up.

"T-That's true, Kusa. I never thought about it like that. Thank you for caring enough to point that out to me. Also, I didn't know you started calling Sojiro by name? I thought he was always Sakura-kun or Boss to you?" Futaba said, making all three of the men in the room blink at her comment before Kusa spoke up in surprise.

"I usually do call him Boss or Sakura-kun, since he asked me to do that when I'm here or in public. I think he'll forgive me slipping up this once though, since I was doing so to illustrate a point to you, namely that I will not sit idly by when someone is insulting you Taba, even if that someone is you. So yeah, try not to be so hard on yourself." Kusa said with a soft smile, making Futaba's cheeks pink a tad in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"OK, I'll try. It might not be easy at times, but I'll do my best to not be so self-deprecating. Oh yeah! The first episode of this brand-new anime I wanna watch is airing tonight! I'm outta here!" Futaba said with a smile, surprising both Sojiro and Kusa by quickly leaning in to kiss the latter of the two on the cheek before darting off to go home and watch the anime she mentioned, stopping as she heard Sojiro speak up as she left, pointedly not mentioning Futaba kissing Kusa while he spoke.

"Eyes in front when you walk, okay? No spacing out. You ran head-first into a pole last time you went for a walk, you know." Sojiro rebuked Futaba, before Kusa spoke up in a mix of amusement and horror, seemingly unaware of his cheeks being slightly red from Futaba kissing him.

"Is that right, Boss? Taba ran into a pole on her last walk? I'm not sure if I should be amused that she pulled that off or horrified that she might arguably have luck that gives Ren's luck a run for its' money." Kusa said with an amused chuckle, ignoring the twin huffs from Ren and Futaba at his playful dig at their luck as the latter spoke up.

"Shut up, Kusa! You're lucky I know you were just teasing." Futaba said to Kusa huffily before turning towards Sojiro as she kept speaking.

"And is that right, Sojiro? Well, you stubbed your toe on the dresser the other day!" Futaba said to Sojiro, not seeing Ren and Kusa wince sympathetically at her comment, having both done that in the past and knowing full well that doing that is not by any means painless. Futaba winced as she spoke up once more.

"Aw crap! It's gonna start! Making like a leaf and-Eh, screw it. Bye!" Futaba said, racing out of Leblanc at that point, making Ren and Kusa chuckle, along with Sojiro. Sojiro then spoke up after Futaba had left.

"Heh, she thought it was 'delicious', did she? And what about you two? What did you think?" Sojiro asked Ren and Kusa, as the former of the two spoke up first.

"Honestly, Boss? I think I'm addicted, it's so good!" Ren joked as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"If that was a joke Ren, it wasn't funny. Addiction's not a joking matter, after all. But at least you have sense enough to recognize greatness. And to answer your question Boss, I liked your curry as well. Probably one of the few times I've actually gotten to really sample curry before, and it's really quite delicious as curry goes. Of course, it might be because you cooked it, but this curry has its' own unique taste to it. Probably the love you put into it, if I had to guess." Kusa said honestly. Sojiro smirked as he spoke up.

"Really, you two? You both like it? I guess the two of you have pretty good taste if you can understand how incredible that curry is. Now then, to be honest, there's something I should probably tell the two of you. Here, take a seat. I'll pour the both of you some coffee." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded, both claiming seats at the counter as Sojiro handed each of them a cup of coffee, which they sipped on as Sojiro spoke up.

"Ren, remember how I said that the recipe for this curry was developed by a scientific genius? You might have realized by now, or if you haven't, Kusa's probably realized it, but that genius was Futaba's mother, whose name is Wakaba." Sojiro said as Kusa gaped and spoke up, eyes slightly wide in surprise while he spoke.

"For real!? Futaba's mom developed that recipe? I was joking about there being love in the recipe, but if she developed it, that might actually be a legitimate ingredient, considering that she cared a great deal for both you and Futaba, from what I understand." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, that's right, Futaba's mom developed that recipe. So, in other words, that curry is one of the last remaining connections Futaba has to her mom." Sojiro said, surprising Ren and making Kusa smile fondly as Sojiro kept speaking.

"I first met Wakaba back when I was doing work for the government. She was real trouble, let me tell you. Logic prevailed over emotion for her, and she had an intricate knowledge of the human mind. I thought my pick-up lines were the best in town, but not a single one worked on her in the least. Heh, I think that's the worst I've ever struck out was with her." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"She wasn't normal, huh?" Ren said as Kusa frowned and spoke up, mistaking Ren's joking tone for a serious one while he spoke.

"Ren! That's rude. That is still Futaba's mother after all." Kusa said, but to his surprise, Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"You can probably get a good idea just from looking at Futaba. Wakaba was the adult version of that." Sojiro said making Kusa blink in surprise as he spoke up.

"Wait, so Futaba's mom was a shut-in too? And she was big into gaming and anime?" Kusa asked in surprise. Sojiro nodded once in the affirmative as he spoke up.

"Yep. It was almost impossible to keep up with her." Sojiro said as Kusa chuckled before speaking up again.

"Perhaps that's true, but if she really was the adult version of Futaba, then that was probably part of the draw for you, that she was so unashamedly unique and herself. Because to be honest? Hoo boy, Taba can be a spitfire at times, but she's still special despite that." Kusa said with a fond smile, ignoring the knowing smirk on Ren's face as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That's a fair point, Kusa. Men are idiots though, if we're being honest here. We spend time chasing after things we can't get. Wakaba rejected me time and time again, without fail. But, there was one instance I managed to surprise her. And that was when I gave her a plate of my homemade curry. The very next day she came asking all about the ingredients and what goes into the cooking process, things like that, so I told her. And then, just a few days later, she handed me a scientifically-enhanced version of the recipe. And, to be honest? It was incredible. She had used my curry as the basis, but it was miles better than anything I made." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Well, no wonder your curry is great, then. It was created by a great barista like you, and scientifically enhanced by Futaba's mom, so of course it'd be steeped in greatness. Can we all agree then, that Boss' curry is best curry?" Kusa asked as Sojiro and Ren nodded, the former speaking up.

"Agreed. That said, curry was Wakaba's specialty from then on. Naturally, Futaba grew to love it in no time as well. But then after Wakaba's accident, and everything that came after, Futaba stopped eating it entirely." Sojiro said as Kusa winced before speaking up.

"Can't say I blame her. Odds are it probably held too many memories of her mom for her to be able to look at it while the pain of that loss was still fresh in her mind. I have to say, if I'd been in her shoes, I'd have probably done the same. I can't imagine how heartbroken and devastated she must have been when it happened. Losing a loved one is not an easy thing to cope with, to be sure. I would know, as would Ren, as we were both rather devastated when our grandmother passed a few years ago.

We eventually recovered in time, but it was a rough one while we were coming to terms with it. So I'd like to think I can say that we can somewhat feel Futaba's pain on that point at least, even if losing a grandmother and losing a mother are two different things." Kusa said sagely. Sojiro nodded with a frown as he spoke up.

"True. The flavor would make her remember the pain of losing her mother, I'm sure. I've heard even smells can bring back memories too. But even so, that curry was the only point of connection I had with Futaba." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"Oh? You and Taba never swapped stories of her mom then? I can see how that would be too painful to do now, but I would imagine you and her would have had to have chatted about her mom at least a bit while she was alive, even if you might not have seen much of her at that time." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Honestly? Never thought of that. But no, we didn't. That's why when I took her in, I vowed to keep this recipe alive until she could eat it again." Sojiro said as Ren nodded with a smile and spoke up.

"And it really paid off in the end." Ren said sagely as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Damn right it did, Ren. Did either of you see that smile on her face while she was eating that curry? Probably the happiest I've seen her in the time I've known her. Which is nice to see a smile on her face since she doesn't smile like that very often that I remember." Kusa said with a sage nod. Sojiro nodded in agreement as he spoke up.

"Yeah. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders when she said it was delicious. The whole idea of pairing the curry with a nice brew is thanks to Wakaba's refinement too. Despite how introverted she seemed, she was extraordinarily perceptive of the people around her, almost uncannily so. I never even told her about my love of coffee. She figured it out just from looking at me, apparently. And that was when I realized she was totally out of my league. Not like I really stood a chance to begin with, though. She already had Futaba by then, after all." Sojiro said as Kusa smiled understandingly and spoke up.

"Ah yes, I see. Sounds to me like what you and Futaba's mom had could best be described as a case of 'hot for single mother'. But to be honest, I can't say I blame you. If, as you say, she was the adult version of Futaba, then she was no doubt every bit as exceptional, gifted and spunky as her daughter is now. Heh, with any luck, hopefully she's not as out of my league as her mother was out of yours, Boss." Kusa said with a laugh, making Ren smirk at Kusa's remark before he spoke up, while Sojiro smiled at Kusa's apt observation.

"Aha, so you finally admit it, Kusa. You do in fact have a crush on her." Ren said with a smirk. Kusa huffed and crossed his arms as he spoke up.

"Not that I have to justify myself to you, Ren, but yes, I do in fact have a crush on Futaba. But until she's recovered a bit more from what she's been through, I doubt I'll be making any particularly big moves on her, out of respect for not wanting to overstep my boundaries or make her uncomfortable with me. If I'm being honest, I'd rather she be able to feel comfortable enough to lean on and confide in me, even if it's just as her friend for now. Because, when all is said and done, I'd like to think it's her happiness that's the important thing here, rather than whatever feelings I might have for her." Kusa said honestly as Sojiro chuckled before nodding approvingly as he spoke up.

"Well said, Kusa. Back on the topic of this curry though, this might seem like any old curry to most people, but there're tons of emotions crammed inside. So, uh, if either of you two takes to making it, make sure you keep the tradition going, yeah?" Sojiro asked Kusa and Ren, both of whom nodded as the latter of the two felt his bond with Sojiro deepen a bit more. At that moment, the 'Hierophant' card appeared in his mind's eye for the first time in awhile, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Hierophant Confidant link with Sojiro had reached Rank 5, though no new skills were gained for the rank-up. Afterwards, Sojiro spoke up with an amused chuckle.

"All right, that's enough of this for tonight! Things are getting downright sappy in here. Futaba's probably waiting for me at home too, so I should probably be heading back. The rest is on you two. Make sure you clean up before you go to bed, yeah?" Sojiro said to Ren and Kusa, who nodded while the former felt the compassion behind Sojiro's actions. As a result he felt his own compassion increase, giving him a boost to his Kindness. At that point, Kusa and Ren cleaned up and headed upstairs, though the latter doubled back downstairs as his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone, smirking as he heard Sojiro's voice on the other end.

"Hey, it's me? You and Kusa finish cleaning up?" Sojiro asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Yep. Kusa just went to go lay down with Morgana, so I came downstairs to answer your call so as not to keep him up." Ren said as Sojiro nodded and kept speaking.

"That's rather considerate of you. To be honest, I wasn't expecting him to be so outspoken tonight, but maybe that's because Futaba was with us. I have noticed she seems to bring out a different side of Kusa when she's around. Speaking of Futaba, she's still watching anime. Eh, but as long as she's in a good mood though, I don't mind it. Seeing her so happy now makes me glad I kept Wakaba's curry alive. However, it's only a problem when she asks for it three times a day." Sojiro said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"Three times a day!? Maybe she's the one addicted to the curry! I was joking when I said I was addicted earlier, but I was sincere when I said that I liked it because it really is delicious. That being said, and in all seriousness, it might not be my place to say so, but I think she needs to have a more balanced diet. After all, that doctor we had look Futaba over said she lacked muscles and stamina for her age, which is probably a result of her eating mostly curry if I had to guess." Ren said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up in agreement.

"It's really not your place to say that, but at the same time I appreciate that you care enough to say so regardless. Even so, that's exactly my problem. Futaba's still growing. I gotta be strict with her. She needs to eat balanced meals so she gets vitamins that curry can't give her by itself. But man, the expression on Futaba's face when she took a bite of that curry was something else.

I think the only other time I've seen her smile like that recently was when I'd find her snuggled up to Kusa on the hide-a-bed while he was staying here. Maybe those two are more serious than we thought? Eh, forget it. Back on the subject of her diet, maybe I'll stick with curry as the staple, but I can sneak in some veggies here and there. Heh, I guess it's true when they say that cooking can be a labor of love. Ah, love. Oh crap, I talk too much. See you later, I guess." Sojiro said to Ren, who hung up the phone and headed upstairs to lay down for the evening, smiling at the sight of Morgana curled up contentedly on Kusa's chest as he and Kusa were dozing off...

(In the Velvet Room with Ren, Justine, Caroline, and Igor)

Ren sat up in his cot in the Velvet Room, walking towards the door of his cell, prompting Justine to face him as she spoke up.

"Our master would like a word with you. Stand up straight and listen closely, Inmate." Justine said as Igor spoke up.

"It seems you freed the heart of a frenzied girl and saved her from her haunted past." Igor said, chuckling as he kept speaking.

"Another step has been taken to rehabilitation, Inmate. You are progressing quite nicely." Igor said as Caroline spoke up huffily.

"Our master bestows words of praise upon you! You'd better feel honored!" Caroline said as Igor spoke up before Ren could reply to her.

"By the by, more curious information has found its way to your ears. A scientist's research on cognitive psience, hm? It seems that world may secretly be known after all. Furthermore, that very research has been stolen, and is now used by those with malicious intent even as we speak. I wonder how this will change the approach you take towards your rehabilitation, if it changes it at all." Igor said as Ren spoke up.

"I have a bad feeling about all this. That said, any chance you know who specifically stole that research?" Ren asked. Igor chuckled as he spoke up.

"Alas, I do not know that. That said, let me grant you a new power worthy of your current self. Though you have my aid, be sure not to let your guard down. Otherwise, you may get swept off your feet when you least expect it." Igor said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his bond with Igor deepen more. At that point, the 'Fool' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Fool Confidant link with Igor had reached rank 7. However, despite Igor's mention of a new power, Ren gained no new skill from the rank-up, surprisingly. Afterwards, Igor spoke up once more.

"Take care, Inmate. We shall meet again in the near future." Igor said as Caroline spoke up huffily.

"Time to go, Inmate!" Caroline said as the alarm rang and Ren laid back on his cot and dozed off...

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

"Makoto and Yusuke are scheduled for today, huh? I haven't seen them yet today. What happened to them?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged as his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Makoto sending the first response.

"Futaba, can you open up?" Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Open what?" Futaba sent in confusion as Kusa sent a response, followed by Yusuke.

"She probably means the door. If I recall right, she and Yusuke were given the first shift hanging with you for their inane 'get to know Futaba' scheme. Granted, I applaud that they want to get to know you better, but I still think they could've planned things out more and tried consulting you in advance to try and get your take on it, but I can understand why it's necessary, even if I don't like how they're going about it. Know that I'm just a chat away if you need me, Taba." Kusa sent as Yusuke's response came through at that moment.

"Kusa is correct. She means the front door, Futaba." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Thank you, Kusa. Nice to know you care. And why do I need to open the front door, Yusuke?" Futaba sent. Makoto then sent a response.

"Won't you come too, Ren? Yusuke and I are in front of Futaba's house. I'm actually impressed Kusa didn't pitch more of a fit when we penciled him in to share your day with him, to be honest." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That's because, unlike you, I listen to what Futaba wants. And she told me herself she wanted to at least try going along with your crazy scheme without me, so I'm also going with it. But don't think that means I won't be there in an instant if she needs me. So keep that in mind before you get any stupid ideas about trying to push her past what she's comfortable with." Kusa sent warningly as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"Wait, you wanna meet here at my house, and not at Leblanc? Also, I'll keep that in mind, Kusa." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Isn't that more comforting?" Makoto sent, and when Futaba sent her response, Kusa immediately facefaulted when he read it.

"Wha? Y-Y-You never mentioned this." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"For real!? Why doesn't that surprise me that she'd spring that on you with no advance warning? Very classy, by the way, Makoto. Nice to see you have as little concern for what people want as Ryuji has common sense half the time." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Shut up, Kusa. And Futaba? It would be nice if you could hurry down soon. It's scorching hot out here." Makoto sent as Kusa and Futaba sent responses close together, Futaba's coming through first.

"You demon, Makoto! No fair springing this on me!" Futaba sent as Kusa's response came through.

"This is going to be a long week, isn't it? And Makoto, I give Futaba permission to stand up for herself if she needs to, so don't think she won't defend herself." Kusa sent as Ren huffed and put his phone away, deciding to join Makoto and Yusuke, if only to prevent Makoto from doing anything to work Kusa into a fit or set him off. Morgana winced and spoke up.

"Umm, looks like we're meeting up immediately over at Futaba's. I wonder what Kusa's doing during all this?" Morgana said as Ren spoke up with a smirk.

"I do believe he said something about hitting the gym to keep himself in shape and hone his form? Probably trying to keep his leg worked out and keep himself in shape, or he's trying to work on his physique to surprise Futaba if we end up going through with the beach plan." Ren said to Morgana, who laughed and spoke up.

"I see. Silly Kusa. He needs to just tell her how he feels. It's so plain to see she feels the same way, even if she won't admit it." Morgana said as Ren nodded and Morgana kept speaking.

"That said, Makoto's really going about this seriously, if a bit dangerously." Morgana said as Ren nodded and headed off with Morgana to meet up with Yusuke and Makoto...

(In Futaba's room a short time later, with Makoto, Morgana, Ren, Futaba, and Yusuke)

"Um, Futaba-chan? Not to be rude, but what is that supposed to be?" Makoto asked Futaba, who spoke up uneasily.

"Don't worry about it." Futaba said as Ren spoke up, smiling in amusement while he spoke.

"I'm just guessing here, but it's probably a security blanket of sorts for her. Kusa did mention once that she tends to have those when dealing with people she doesn't know that well." Ren said, recalling when he and Kusa had briefly discussed some of the more finer points of what makes Futaba tick, so to speak. Yusuke then spoke up.

"Such avant garde design. You have excellent taste." Yusuke said as Futaba turned to face the others as she spoke up.

"Is that right? Mwehehe." Futaba said, giggling in amusement at what she took as Yusuke complimenting her while Makoto spoke up uneasily.

"Right. Well then, l-let's get started, shall we?" Makoto said as Morgana spoke up, drawing Ren's attention to her while Futaba hunched in her chair, staring at her computer, or perhaps more accurately her private chat with Kusa, all of their attention away from Yusuke, who set about busying himself in the corner of the room near Futaba's curtain.

"What do you plan on doing?" Morgana asked Makoto, who looked at the not-cat as she spoke up.

"I'd like to simply have a normal conversation. That is the basis of true communication, after all." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"True, but there's also something to be said for actually being able to understand the person you're communicating with on a personal level. That said, do you think having a normal conversation with her will be enough?" Ren asked skeptically, deciding to play the skeptic a bit since Kusa wasn't there. Makoto spoke up with a smile.

"Good point, Ren-kun. I thought it would be best to start off just by learning some more about each other. That said, don't think too hard about our conversation. We're just going to talk about ordinary topics today." Makoto said, making Yusuke turn to face her as he spoke up.

"And what do you mean, pray tell, by 'ordinary topics'?" Yusuke asked, unintentionally echoing Futaba's thoughts with his question. Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Good question, Yusuke. I'm referring to, you know, things like food or the weather." Makoto said, unaware that Futaba was only half-listening, being pre-occupied with her private chat with Kusa, who had some rather pointed things to say about Makoto's choice of topics. Makoto then kept speaking.

"Well then, let's begin with food. What do you like to eat, Futaba?" Makoto said as Futaba shrugged and spoke up.

"Organic ones." Futaba said, her tone making it clear to Ren and Morgana she wasn't interested in that topic. Makoto didn't seem to get the hint, however. She kept speaking.

"Um, that wasn't exactly what I meant, Futaba-chan." Makoto said as Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Uhhh..." Futaba said, not sure how else to answer Makoto, who seemed to finally realize she didn't care for that topic as she spoke up.

"L-Let's try a different topic! How about the weather? I heard that this heat wave is showing no sign of stopping, after all." Makoto said as Futaba shook her head and spoke up.

"Eh, dunno. I haven't been out, to be honest." Futaba said as Ren and Morgana winced at how horribly Makoto's choice of topics were going. Makoto winced at Futaba's response and spoke up sheepishly.

"O-Oh, right, sorry. I forgot you don't go out much." Makoto said sheepishly. Morgana spoke up while looking at Ren.

"Looks like Makoto's getting pretty overwhelmed, Ren." Morgana said as Makoto winced, looking flustered as she spoke up.

"Th-This is odd. Nowhere in the plans I made, did I expect this. It wasn't supposed to go like this at all." Makoto said, before blinking as she finally noticed Yusuke working in the corner and spoke up once more.

"Um, by the way, Yusuke? What have you been doing this whole time?" Makoto asked Yusuke, prompting both Ren and Futaba to glance in Yusuke's direction as he spoke up.

"Hm? Ah, superb." Yusuke said as he moved aside to show he'd been messing about with the action figures on the shelf next to him, though what he said next had Ren and Morgana wincing, while Futaba, for her part, recoiled in horror.

"I was working on this. Some of their heads came off when I was moving them, but I made sure to rearrange them pleasingly." Yusuke said as Futaba's jaw dropped and she could only say one thing.

"Wha-!? W-Waaaaaaaah!" Futaba said in horror as she saw what Yusuke had done to her figures. She walked over and looked at Yusuke's handiwork, her hands shaking in mixed fury, disbelief, horror and even anguish while she spoke up.

"M-My children, why are you like this? Wh-What have you done, doing this to my children?" Futaba asked Yusuke in disbelief, making both Ren and Morgana exchanged horrified looks, both agreeing that it was lucky Kusa wasn't here, otherwise he'd have probably been chewing Yusuke out right now. Yusuke, for his part, spoke up uncertainly.

"They appear to be quite shoddily made." Yusuke pointed out as Futaba pouted and stomped her foot a bit while speaking up, glaring at Yusuke as she spoke up.

"That's beside the point! They're from 'Phoenix Rangers Neo Featherman'! N-No, what has he done to you!? Yellow and Pink's heads, and Red's been hacked to bits, the horror! This is all Inari's fault!" Futaba said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Inari?" Yusuke asked in confusion as Futaba spoke up huffily.

"You know, inari sushi? The tofu things foxes eat in the old stories? What kind of Fox doesn't know that?" Futaba asked as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"The kind that are phantom thieves, like Fox and Zorro?" Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"True. Come to think of it, don't they have some sort of similarity in their names? Could they be related?" Ren said as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.

"Nah. Last I checked, having the same name, even in different languages, doesn't make someone related to someone else. After all, people can have common blood relatives and not be related." Morgana said and Ren nodded, making Makoto raise an eyebrow as she spoke up.

"What're you two whispering about over there?" Makoto asked Ren and Morgana, who blinked before the former of the two spoke up to answer Makoto.

"N-Nothing. Just an inside joke of sorts." Ren said quickly as Makoto nodded before Yusuke spoke up with a slight frown, turning a confused gaze towards Futaba while he spoke.

"Inari, you say?" Yusuke asked as Futaba sighed and spoke up, her tone slightly sad as she spoke.

"Rghhh, they were in the perfect poses too! It was so much work getting them set up just right! Ugh, you wouldn't know aesthetics if it hit you in the face, Inari!" Futaba said huffily, frowning at Yusuke. Yusuke, for his part, got an affronted look on his face as he spoke up, not seeing Ren and Morgana having to stifle laughter at his voice choosing then to crack slightly as he spoke.

"H-How dare you say that to me, of all people!?" Yusuke said as he and Futaba exchanged glares, having a back-and-forth argument that had Morgana wincing as he spoke up.

"Sheesh, Ren. That's not a conversation anymore, it's a full-blown argument. To be honest, I think Kusa dodged a bullet not being here for this. However, at the same time, Yusuke might be the lucky one that Kusa isn't here, since I sense Kusa might very well have had to keep himself from punching Yusuke when he saw those figures." Morgana said as Ren nodded. Makoto also nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Morgana. But, at least he's getting her to connect to him, sort of." Makoto said with a wince. After a bit, the arguing had stopped, replaced by Yusuke giving Futaba an intrigued look as he spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Interesting. So you say their versatility allows you to recreate almost any dramatic scene you can imagine. Fascinating." Yusuke said as Futaba smiled and nodded while she spoke up.

"Mm-hm. Victory is great for action, and Neo's got the best transforming suit. So cool." Futaba said as Yusuke got a rare closed-eye smile on his face as he spoke up.

"I see. Fascinating. Art depicts a flash of inspiration, but models offer a much different means of enjoyment." Yusuke said, not seeing Ren and Morgana wince at his word choice, the latter of the two blinking in surprise as he spoke up.

"Huh? Take a look at that- Futaba's having a regular conversation." Morgana said as Makoto blinked in surprise and spoke up.

"Interesting. It seems she doesn't have a problem talking to others as long as the subject interests her. I suppose the topics I brought up were not the right ones." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Indeed. But to be fair, I'm pretty sure only adults would find those topics interesting, Makoto. But you get points for trying, at least." Ren said agreeably. Futaba smirked as she spoke up.

"So this is all I gotta do? What a breeze!" Futaba said happily as Yusuke spoke up.

"In that case, we should advance to the next step. How about we have her spend time in someone else's room?" Yusuke suggested, not seeing Ren's eyes widen at how Yusuke had worded his suggestion, his reaction mirrored by Futaba, Makoto, and even Morgana. Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. She hasn't had many chances to leave the house yet, so that would be the perfect opportunity." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Good point. But shouldn't we make sure she's comfortable with it? If nothing else, I feel like Kusa would be supremely livid if we pushed Futaba too much too quickly." Ren said as Futaba nodded with a wince.

"Right? Don't set the bar so high!" Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"Don't worry, Futaba. You won't be doing it alone. We'll all be there too, even Kusa." Ren said reassuringly to Futaba, who frowned but sighed as she spoke up.

"W-Well, I guess in that case, it's not THAT high of a bar." Futaba said as Makoto spoke up at that point.

"I've left tomorrow to Ann and Ryuji. Ren and Kusa will both be there as well, since I could only get Kusa to sit out one of the days, but he was firm on being by your side the other days. That said, with them there, hopefully you'll be okay." Makoto said. Futaba spoke up uneasily.

"Can I wear my mask?" Futaba asked, making Ren and Morgana exchange a wince, while Yusuke blinked at the mention of Futaba's mask as Makoto spoke up.

"I-I think it would be best if you didn't wear it, Futaba-chan. After all, you have to eventually get to the point you can handle meeting people without it, yes?" Makoto said as Morgana frowned and spoke up uneeasily.

"There's no telling how tomorrow's going to go, is there?" Morgana said as Ren nodded.

"Agreed. But I have a feeling Kusa will make sure it doesn't go TOO far awry." Ren said sagely as the group dispersed for the evening on that note...

(That evening, at Leblanc with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

"Ugh, not bad, for her first time socializing with a group. She's still got a long way to go, though. I wonder how long before she's ready for the beach. Granted, it might be worth the wait, just to see Kusa's face when he sees her in a bikini. After all, his face was red enough the other day when Ryuji mentioned the beach. No doubt that was what went through his mind at that point." Morgana said teasingly as Ren chuckled and nodded. At that point, his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Kusa, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Dude, people're so pumped! They're talking all about how the Phantom Thieves took down Medjed. Mishima's website has a shit-ton of comments flooding in too!" Ryuji sent as Kusa and Ann sent responses close together, Kusa's coming in first.

"Is that so? While they're not wrong that we did triumph, I'd like to at least think that they'd know enough to give credit where it's due. In this case, recognizing that it wasn't the Phantom Thieves, but a certain very gifted, very amazing hacker friend of theirs who actually took down Medjed, right Taba?" Kusa sent as Ann's response came through.

"The news coverage has been pretty insane as well!" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"There were quite a few people talking about the Phantom Thieves at the gym too, even if most of the talk was about how they were incredible if they were able to not only prove Akechi wrong, but bring down a hacktivist group that even the police struggled with. Which gave me a pretty good chuckle to hear people tearing Akechi a new one." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes, they have only spoken of the Phantom Thieves for the entirety of today." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Yes, we've been getting attention all over the city." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Oh yeah, and since Kusa mentioned her, how's the one who helped us take Medjed down doing?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Right, Futaba-chan!" Ann sent as Futaba sent a response at that point that was distinctly upset.

"Still in shock. My Phoenix Rangers almost met their demise earlier today." Futaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"For real!? Oh no, what happened!?" Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"To be fair, it was Yusuke's fault, since he was the one who took it upon himself to keep himself busy while we talked." Ren sent as Kusa's eyes narrowed before he sent a response.

"Oh, really? Yusuke, what did you do to Taba's action figures!? Those are her pride and joy!" Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"REN! Don't complicate things further!" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"OI! Don't yell at Ren for telling the truth, Makoto! And for the record? This is why I knew letting you two plan a day with Futaba was likely to lead to disaster!" Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Shut up, Kusa! Anyways, things didn't go perfectly, but it's definitely a step in the right direction." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response then.

"I merely rearranged her figures in what I thought would be a pleasing manner. I didn't realize she was so attached to them or I wouldn't have touched them. Sorry, Futaba. Also, tomorrow's goal will be to spend time in someone else's room." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"You did WHAT!? Yusuke, first rule when you go into someone else's room is 'Never touch their stuff without permission!' That's something that should've been taught to you in grade school! Also, excuse you!? What do you mean, 'spend time in someone else's room'? What the eff!? Also, didn't she basically accomplish that yesterday when she hung out with us in the attic, which is basically myself and Ren's room?" Kusa sent. Yusuke winced and sent a response.

"Indeed, you are correct. My apologies. That said, Futaba is a difficult personality to handle. Good luck, you four. But I think with Kusa there, it should be fine." Yusuke sent as Futaba and Kusa sent responses close together, Futaba's coming through first.

"Shut it, Inari." Futaba sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Inari? Is that your nickname for Yusuke? If so, that's insanely good. Why the eff didn't I think of that when we were picking Yusuke's code name before? That could've been a great code name. Also, you can quit it with the lies, Yusuke. Futaba might be quirky and fussy at times, but she's not a difficult personality! And even if she is, it's worth the work to see her smile, on the rare occasions she deigns to aim it at you.

You and Makoto are just too socially clueless to realize that. And honestly? I'm glad I wasn't there, since I get the feeling I'd have punched first and asked questions second, since I can imagine that Taba was rather devastated and horrified to see what Yusuke did to her poor figures." Kusa sent. Ryuji then sent a response at that point.

"All right, it's our turn next! Seeya tomorrow, Futaba!" Ryuji sent as Ann and Kusa sent responses close together, Ann's coming through first.

"We have so much to talk about! Oooh, I can't wait!" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Do you, though? I get the sense that it's more you having stuff to talk about and hoping that Taba is receptive to your choice of discussion topics. Speaking of which, really Makoto!? Food and the weather!? A ten-year-old could've picked better conversation topics! Even I know that the best way to get Taba's attention is if the conversation involves anime, gaming, or some other form of nerdy topic.

Especially since, and I say this with all apologies to Futaba, she's the quintessential definition of the nerdy shut-in, but she's OUR adorable nerdy shut-in when all is said and done. Also, make sure the door's unlocked Ren, since I'm headed back to Leblanc now from the gym." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away. Morgana chose that moment to speak up.

"Honestly? Lady Ann and Ryuji teaming up honestly worries me, Ren. But I guess we'll see what they can do. Fortunately, Kusa will be here this time, so he should keep things from getting too awkward, hopefully." Morgana said as Ren chuckled.

"Yeah, but will it be before or after one of us has to hold him back so he doesn't pummel Ryuji over some comment he makes?" Ren pointed out knowingly making Morgana laugh as he spoke up.

"Heh, true. Hey, shouldn't you tell the fortune teller that you gave the abusive guy a change of heart?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Yeah, we probably should. Seems like a good use of my night to me, to be honest." Ren said before he and Morgana fast-traveled to Shinjuku and walked to Chihaya's booth, where she looked up from what she was doing alone and smiled as she saw Ren, speaking up.

"Well? Did her fate change?" Chihaya said as Ren who spoke up.

"Yep. It changed." Ren said as Chihaya blinked and spoke up.

"Oh? Let's hear it. Please sit down." Chihaya said as Ren sat down, Chihaya's eyes widening as she heard what Ren said before she spoke up.

"G-Goodness gracious! Her boyfriend stopped abusing her!? I don't believe it! But even if he did stop, her fate should still be headed down the pat to misery, without changing! I mean, if you don't believe me, look!" Chihaya said as she flipped a card over to read the lady's fortune and gasped at what she saw.

"What!? The sequence of arcana has completely changed! 'Death' has moved far off into the future for some reason." Chihaya said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"You see, Hifune-san, as it turns out, not only is fate not absolute like you think it is, but hearts can be changed." Ren said sagely. Chihaya huffed and spoke up in disbelief.

"Nrgh, seriously? No, no, no! This must be some sort of trick. What are you, a scam artist? You made a deal with her boyfriend or something, didn't you?" Chihaya asked Ren, who frowned as he spoke up.

"Excuse you!? I am most certainly not a scam artist. That said, I didn't make any deals." Ren said as Chihaya huffed in frustration before speaking up.

"Ugh, then what DID you do!? Did you plunge him into Tokyo Bay, or cram him into a metal drum and dump insects on him?" Chihaya said as Ren gave her a horrified look, sensing that she had some underlying issues, but not commenting on them as Chihaya kept speaking.

"Either way, you must've taken some sort of extreme measures!" Chihaya said as Ren spoke up.

"Extreme measures? Hifune-san, I think you're mistaken. I'm just an ordinary high-school student." Ren said. Chihaya huffed and sighed as she spoke up.

"Ugh! Well, to be honest, you certainly do seem quite ordinary at first glance. Yes, quite ordinary, indeed." Chihaya said, shaking her head stubbornly as she kept speaking.

"But there's no way that could've happened to him, without you breaking the law. I mean, how could an ordinary high school student change the course of fate?" Chihaya asked as Ren shrugged before speaking up.

"I reached out to some friends of mine and they changed his heart. I'm not privy to the details past that, unfortunately." Ren said as Chihaya huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, fine. I'm just going to have to verify your power. The very power that reversed my tarot card prediction!" Chihaya said as Ren gave her a shocked look while she kept speaking.

"This is quite a serious situation for me. I need to get to the bottom of this. You won't have to do anything. Just sit next to me while I tell fortunes. And if another unopposable happens to appear, well then I'll test your power." Chihaya said to Ren, who spoke up with a frown.

"That sounds annoying, but I'm not against it, if it'll convince you. Even so, it sounds rather annoying if I'm being honest." Ren said. Chihaya sputtered as she spoke up.

"Th-This is a very serious issue on my end! Oh, I know! If you help me out, I'll read your fortune! Please? I'll even prioritize your readings over my regular customers. Besides, I'll be able to provide much more accurate predictions once I get to know you better! How does that sound? Is it a deal?" Chihaya said to Ren, who had a contemplative look on his face as Chihaya sighed and spoke up.

"Hopefully it is, otherwise I won't be able to go on without knowing. Please, I beg you, Amamiya-kun! I need to know if fate truly can be changed or not." Chihaya said to Ren, who shrugged and spoke up after a moment.

"Well, I suppose you do seem like you could be useful to know. Eh, why not? All right, I guess. I'll help you out." Ren said. Chihaya perked up, giving Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"You will? Really!? Okay, then, I look forward to verifying your 'skills'! Please don't blow me off, okay? We made a deal, after all." Chihaya said as Ren nodded, inwardly cringing at how Chihaya had worded her last sentence. If Ren was honest with himself, Chihaya was rather pretty, but even so, his eyes were firmly set on Kasumi. That aside, Ren idly noted he'd made a deal with Chihaya...

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

"Unless you were lucky, there's no way you could've repeatedly done so many crimes. Or perhaps you had someone you consulted who gave you precise advice. You're not getting away this time with just luck!" Sae said to Joker, who just shrugged, not really able to answer Sae, since this particular Confidant largely was just luck at times...

(Back in the present, with Ren, Morgana and Chihaya)

As Ren mused on his newly-struck deal, the expected voice was heard in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy bonds of captivity. With the birth of the Fortune Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing hat shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard as a new card appeared in his mind's eye, this one reading 'Fortune' with an 'I' under the word 'Fortune', signifying that his newly-forged Fortune Confidant link with Chihaya had reached Rank 1.

Thanks to the newly-forged link, Ren had gained access to the ability to use Chihaya's 'Luck Reading', which when applied, temporarily boosted the growth rate of a selected social stat. Afterwards, Chihaya spoke up, looking uncertain as she spoke.

"Is fate, in actuality, really something that can be changed? If it's really possible, then, anything's possible. Hmm." Chihaya said as Ren gave her a confused look making Chihaya blink and speak up once more.

"Oh, it's getting late! Let's close up shop for today. It's past your curfew after all, Amamiya-kun." Chihaya said as Ren nodded and made to leave, but stopped when he heard his name being called, turning around to see Chihaya running up to him.

"Amamiya-kun! Phew, hah, hah, oof. I forgot to get your contact info!" Chihaya said to Ren, who sweatdropped before exchanging contact info with Chihaya, who did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Phew, that's better. There we go! I'll be contacting you soon, so please come for the verification test, okay? I suggest you don't try to get out of it. Or else, who knows what kind of black magic I'll have to resort to in order to get you here? Tee hee!" Chihaya said to Ren, who winced as he spoke up.

"I'll be there. No need to threaten me with black magic, Hifune-san." Ren said reassuringly as Chihaya did a closed eye smile while clapping her hands happily, which Ren couldn't help but find adorable, as she spoke up.

"Yay! Great! Now our deal is official! Sorry for taking up so much of your time. Please be careful on your way home. I'll see you soon. Until next time!" Chihaya said to Ren, who nodded as he went back to Leblanc for the night, getting comfortable as he laid down, smiling at the sight of Morgana purring away contentedly from his spot on Kusa's chest, making Ren smirk as he laid down on the bed, dozing off for the night...

(The next day, with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, and Futaba)

"Huh, you seem surprisingly calm. I thought you'd be more panicked." Morgana said to Futaba, as Kusa spoke up, smiling at Futaba before looking at Morgana while he spoke.

"Oh, ye of little faith. If this weren't Leblanc, then yeah, she'd probably be panicked. But also, Taba knows I'd never let anything happen to her, so that probably also helps her feel at ease." Kusa said sagely as Futaba nodded agreeably, smiling as she leaned into Kusa while she spoke up.

"Yup! Also, there're no customers, so that helps too." Futaba said as the door opened up, and Ryuji's voice could be heard as he and Ann came in to Leblanc.

"Yooooo." Ryuji called out as he and Ann walked in, Ann choosing then to speak up.

"We're here!" Ann said as Futaba blinked and ran to hide behind Kusa in shock.

"Eep!?" Futaba said as she ran to hide behind a laughing Kusa, who turned to Futaba as he spoke up.

"Oh, Taba. You silly dork. You know that's just Ann and Ryuji. I'll give you the fact that they can be a lot to get used to, but even then, they really are good people. Even if Ryuji does tend to drive me up the wall at times with his lack of tact and/or common sense." Kusa said reassuringly to Futaba as he gently reached behind him to pat her on the head comfortingly. Morgana and Ren walked over to Ann as she spoke up.

"Sorry we're late. We were out buying stuff and I got a little caught up in what to get." Ann said as Ryuji smirked at the sight of Kusa comforting Futaba while Morgana spoke up.

"Wow, you brought so many snacks. Lady Ann, what exactly do you plan on doing!?" Morgana asked as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Well, summer vacation's the time when you lounge around in your room all day. Or in those two's case, on the hide-a-bed in the living room." Ryuji said, smirking at the twin looks of shock and embarrassment on Kusa and Futaba's faces at him calling them out on their cuddling, making the former glare at Ren and speak up.

"Ren, did you tell Ryuji about that?" Kusa asked in a deceptively calm tone, making Ren wince and speak up.

"N-No, I would never do that. He probably heard it from Boss." Ren said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Still, you DO know what paybacks are, don't you Ryuji? Or do I need to drag up the time you got super tongue-tied in front of Makoto?" Kusa said to Ryuji, who huffed and nodded as Ann spoke up.

"Back to what Ryuji was saying, yeah! And eating snacks is the best part of that!" Ann said, changing the subject from a potential argument between Ryuji and Kusa, the latter of whom just sighed and shook his head in annoyance, groaning at what Ryuji said to Ann in that moment.

"You're gonna get fat, y'know." Ryuji said as Ann, Kusa and Futaba gaped, the latter two speaking up in unison.

"RUDE!" Futaba and Kusa said at the same time, before the latter kept speaking.

"Also, I know you were taught not to talk about a lady's weight, Ryuji! Come on now, man." Kusa said rebukingly as Ann spoke up.

"Yeah, what Kusa said! Also, shut it!" Ann said with a frown. Ryuji then spoke up as if he hadn't just called out Kusa and Futaba.

"Hey, where's Futaba?" Ryuji said, having heard Futaba speak up but not seeing her. Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"If you must know, she tends to panic easy around people she doesn't know well, so she's hiding behind me for safety, which I don't mind, since I think it's adorable that she's that comfortable with me." Kusa said with a smile. Futaba then spoke up a moment later, her voice sounding different.

"You have done well in coming here." Futaba said as she stepped out from behind Kusa, making Ryuji gasp and jump back in shock at the mask she was wearing, making Kusa laugh at Ryuji's reaction as Ryuji spoke up.

"Wh-Whoa! Shit freaked me out! Oh! Wait, that you, Futaba?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"Yep. That's another of her security blankets, or in this case her safety mask." Kusa said with a laugh, finding it adorable how quirky Futaba was. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yup. Welcome." Futaba said as Ann spoke up in confusion.

"Um, why are you wearing that?" Ann asked Futaba, who spoke up.

"Habit." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Last I checked, it was a free country, so she's allowed to wear a mask if it'll make her comfortable, though I'm sure she knows she's gonna have to get used to not wearing it eventually, but she can take her time doing so." Kusa said fondly, making Ren and Ryuji grin at how tolerant Kusa was being of Futaba, who then kept speaking.

"Exactly, Kusa! You get it! Anyway, bring it!" Futaba said, making Ryuji grin as he spoke up, seemingly having shaken off the shock of Futaba's mask while he spoke up.

"Not sure I get it to be honest, but let's do this!" Ryuji said as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"Sheesh. Looks like today's going to be another noisy day, isn't it?" Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up while petting Morgana.

"Come now, Morgana-sensei. You say that like you're not eager for it too. Besides, I know you like that Futaba shows you affection, even if you don't agree with her pinching your cheeks. And for the record, I find that super-cute, both that she does it, and that you bat at her when she does it. It shows that you two are getting along." Kusa said with a smirk as the group relocated to the attic, where Ryuji told a story about himself.

"For real, it was freakin' amazing! There were girls all over me! Uh, wait. You don't believe a word I'm sayin', do ya?" Ryuji asked the others as Ren and Morgana just shook their heads while Ann spoke up.

"Uh, it's YOU we're talking about here." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up with a grin from where he was leaning on the wall next to Futaba.

"Exactly, Ann! And nope, don't believe a word of it, Ryuji. To be honest? If anyone's got girls all over them, it'd be Ren over there! Way I hear it, he has not only girls his age and younger all over him, he's even got older girls into him. Let's see here, there was that journalist, that fortune teller, that goth doctor who examined Futaba when she passed out, that shogi player chick, and I think even Yoshizawa-san.

I'd have included the females of our group, but one of them clearly has eyes for someone else, one's most likely bi-curious, and the other one hopefully only sees him as a brother, since I dunno about Ren, but I'm not really one to buy into the whole 'brothers sharing a girl' trope that often happens in anime. Oh, and he also has that one mystery female confidant that he won't tell me or Morgana about." Kusa said with a smirk, as Ren glared at Kusa and spoke up.

"Shut up, Kusa. Or need I point out, you also were looking at that fortune-teller?" Ren said bluntly, making Kusa wince and nod, seeing Futaba give him an inquiring glance at Ren's remark about the fortune-teller before she giggled at the embarrassed look on Kusa's face while she spoke up.

"Kusa? Into fortune-tellers? Mwehehe, I didn't think he was into tarot?" Futaba said as Kusa spoke up, glaring at Ren while he spoke.

"Ren's telling the story wrong. All I said was that that fortune-teller was cute. He left out the part where I said she had nothing on you. Because, for real? You're easily one of the prettiest girls I've ever laid eyes on." Kusa said honestly, ignoring Ren and Ryuji blinking at Kusa's words behind him and Ann squealing at what she took for a confession.

"Aww, that's so cute. I knew you liked her, Kusa. That said, there's no way you were ever a chick magnet, Ryuji." Ann said. Ren and Kusa laughed while Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"What was that, Ann?" Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up, her next remark making Kusa burst out laughing.

"Agreed. As a member of the opposite sex, I sense no charm from you, Ryuji." Futaba said as Kusa managed to stop laughing long enough to speak up.

"Damn, Taba! Way to destroy that man! Hey Ren, you might need to go get Ryuji some ice from that sick burn!" Kusa said as he got his laughing under control while Futaba huffed and lightly swatted him on the arm before speaking up in a mock-offended tone.

"Hush up, you. It wasn't THAT funny. But I'm glad you like my sense of humor, at least." Futaba said with a shy smile. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Futaba. Plus, popular guys wouldn't go bragging about that stuff to other people." Morgana said as Kusa smirked, speaking up with an amused grin on his face.

"Damn Ryuji, even Morgana-sensei agrees. Talk about being annihilated, man. Sorry about that. Do we need Ren to get his Phoenix to use Recarm on your ego?" Kusa said teasingly as Ryuji huffed but said nothing. A while later, Ann spoke up once more.

"I keep wondering if I should do it while I'm young or not, but the dresses show a lot of skin, right?" Ann said, before blinking as she realized that both Ren and Ryuji, and even to a point Kusa, seemed to not be fully paying attention to her, though she gave Kusa a pass since she knew he was probably subtly stealing glances at Futaba. Ann then huffed and spoke up.

"Hey, are any of you boys listening!?" Ann said as Ren and Kusa jumped but nodded while Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, there's no point talkin' about wedding dresses right now. None of us have significant others." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Much less girlfriends. But I think that out of those of us in this room, only maybe one or two of us would have a problem getting into a relationship." Kusa said, giving a subtle nod towards Ryuji and Morgana as he spoke. Futaba nodded agreeably as she spoke up, not seeing Kusa wince slightly at what she said next.

"Yup. I'm not getting married anytime soon. And I very much doubt that any of you are either." Futaba said as Morgana sighed and spoke up.

"Can we please talk about something else!?" Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? But Morgana-sensei, I'd have thought you'd love the idea of Lady Ann in a wedding dress. Or is that only if it's with you?" Kusa said teasingly, making Ren and Ryuji laugh while Futaba just huffed at Kusa being a dork while Ann gaped at Kusa and spoke up.

"Sh-Shut up! Don't give him ideas!" Ann said in embarrassment as Ryuji grinned and spoke up while fist-bumping Kusa.

"Hah, good roast, Kusa! And, y'know, Futaba's fine havin' conversations." Ryuji said as Ann nodded and spoke up with a closed eye smile.

"Yeah, she doesn't have any trouble speaking her mind." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. If it's people she's used to and/or comfortable around, Taba has no problems at all speaking her mind and socializing. It's only when she gets around crowds and/or strangers, especially crowds of strangers, that she might struggle. That said, I know she'll overcome it in time. Until then, hopefully she'll trust that we have her back, even if some of us have funny ways of showing it." Kusa said, making Ren and Morgana chuckle at the slight dig at Yusuke and Makoto in his words. Ann nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. She seems totally normal to me." Ann said as Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Well, I dunno what normal is, but honestly? If this is it, I'm happy." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"I totally thought you were going to be some weirdo, but I guess all that worryin' was for nothing." Ryuji said before yelping as Kusa lightly flicked him on the back of the head before huffing and speaking up.

"I get you're trying to reassure her Ryuji, but you could've left out calling her a weirdo." Kusa said rebukingly. Ryuji winced and spoke up.

"Yeah, true. My bad." Ryuji said as Ann nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Mm-hm, I'm relieved too. I think things should keep going smoothly at this rate. By the way, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Ann asked as Morgana spoke up, his words making Futaba and Kusa's eyes widen at what he said.

"How about we try having her helping around the cafe?" Morgana said as Kusa and Futaba exchanged shocked looks while Ann spoke up.

"That's perfect! It'll be good practice to have her up in front of strangers." Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Maybe to you, but have we checked to see how Taba feels about that?" Kusa pointed out sagely as Futaba gave him a grateful smile before she spoke up.

"Eep! Nope, nope, nope! Showing up in the shop at lunchtime'll be like, super-crushing hard mode!" Futaba said as Ann spoke up understandingly.

"True. You don't have to deal with customers if you don't want to. Maybe you could dry plates in the back or something?" Ann suggested as Futaba grunted uncertainly as Kusa smiled and patted Futaba on the shoulder lightly before speaking up.

"Don't stress so much, Taba. You're not gonna be alone in it. Even if most of the others aren't gonna be there, Ren, myself and most likely Morgana will be there for moral support." Kusa said to Futaba, giving Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana a look that dared any of them to contradict him, even as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, what Kusa said. All three of us will be there too." Ren said. Kusa then spoke up.

"On the other hand, if you don't think you can handle it, don't push yourself." Kusa said. Futaba pouted cutely as she spoke up.

"Hmph! I'd be mad if you weren't there, Kusa. I'm still on the fence with Ren and Morgana, though. But they seem nice enough." Futaba said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Then it's all set! We'll be rootin' for you, Futaba!" Ryuji said encouragingly. Futaba huffed and spoke up angrily.

"Grrrr, fine, but you're all gonna pay for this someday, except maybe Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa laughed and smiled before speaking up.

"Sure we will, Taba. Sure we will. I'm sure you'll enact some insidiously evil form of revenge upon us foolish fools who dared to doubt you, the great and lovely Futaba. But for real, don't worry so much. You know if nothing else, I'm here for you." Kusa said comfortingly, ignoring the smirks on Ren, Ann, and Ryuji's faces as he gave Futaba a one-armed hug of comfort from behind, making her squeak a bit in surprise but smile as she relaxed into it after a moment. Eventually, the group dispersed for the evening on that note...

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

Ren and Kusa's phones went off to signify a private chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ryuji once more sending the first response.

"Our popularity's through the roof! You gotta hear this! This cute chick said she wants to go out with a phantom thief!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response that had both Futaba and Kusa struggling not to laugh as they read it.

"But not you specifically, huh?" Ann sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Not surprised. As a member of the opposite sex, I sense no charm from you, Ryuji." Futaba sent as Kusa laughed for a bit and then sent a response.

"Hoo boy, I don't care if you already used that one on Ryuji earlier Taba, that's still hilarious! Also, I do believe that makes that a second-degree burn on Ryuji. Better have a Burn Heal, Ryuji!" Kusa sent with a smirk. Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Shut up, Kusa! And Futaba, you don't gotta say it over text too!" Ryuji said as Kusa sent a response.

"OI! Give Taba a break, Ryuji! She's allowed to roast you if she wants to. It's a free country!" Kusa sent as Makoto sent a confused response.

"What in the world were you all doing today, or do I want to know?" Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Girl talk at Leblanc. Er, more like chatting and snacking really." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"LIES! Not only is that rude Ann, that's also factually inaccurate! If, as you claim, it was girl talk, then why were Ren, Ryuji, myself and Morgana also present, hm? I will, however, give you the snacking part, since that food was good, considering it was convenience store food." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. I see. So she's completed her objective for the day." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Next up is practice going out in front of people." Ann sent as Futaba and Kusa sent the same response close together.

"WAIT, WHAT!?" Kusa and Futaba both sent at the same time, making Ann, Ren and Ryuji laugh as Makoto sent a response.

"You'll be fine, Futaba. Ren and Kusa will be with you the whole time." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Damn right we will. We're not letting Taba go through this on her own." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That said, we want to ease you into it, Futaba, so your first test will be helping out at Leblanc." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response that made Kusa frown.

"Only Ren will be with you tomorrow, Futaba. Kusa will be busy. Good luck!" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Excuse you!? What exactly will I be busy with, pray tell!? I just said I wasn't letting her go through this alone, Ann!" Kusa sent in annoyance as Ren sent a response.

"Leave it to me, Ann. And Kusa, she meant we'd both be with her I think. She just said only me to make it seem more like a trial probably." Ren sent. Futaba sent a response.

"Thanks for the help, Ren. And I agree with Kusa, of course he's gonna be by my side!" Futaba sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana gave Ren a closed-eye smile while he spoke up.

"Hey! You and Kusa better make an effort tomorrow, Ren!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded before Morgana kept speaking.

"She seems to be opening up a little. Maybe we're finally inching our way to the beach?" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Probably, but we're not rushing it. We take this at whatever pace Taba's comfortable with. And that's non-negotiable." Kusa said bluntly as Ren and Morgana nodded. After a bit, Ren decided to go wash some sooty armor to pass the evening since there was no one to really hang out with. After doing the laundry, Ren returned home to get in bed for the night, smirking at the sight of Morgana eagerly jumping up on top of Kusa to curl up as he got comfortable...

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

Ren yawned as he sat up after waking up, at which point Morgana spoke up with a smile after hopping off of Kusa to pad over to Ren.

"Morning, Ren. Today's the day we're having Futaba try and help out at the cafe, right?" Morgana asked, as Kusa woke up with a yawn at that moment, nodding as he pulled his hair into its usual ponytail while speaking up.

"Yep. That would be today. And while I'm thinking of it, let's get something clear, yeah? We are taking this at whatever pace Taba wants to take it at. We will not make her do anything she doesn't want to do, or is uncomfortable with doing. First time I hear of either of you trying to convince her otherwise, and you'll be hearing it from me. Got it!?" Kusa said bluntly as Ren and Morgana just nodded, not liking the slightly irritated look in Kusa's eyes as he finished speaking. Kusa then smiled as he spoke up.

"Good. As long as we have that established now, I'm sure we'll have lots of fun today." Kusa said cheerfully as the trio got ready for the day...

(Later that morning, with Ren, Sojiro, Futaba, Kusa, and Morgana)

"WHAT!? You want me to let Futaba help out around the shop? First of all, is that what she wants?" Sojiro said, and when Futaba shyly nodded, he kept speaking.

"Okay, but I've never had her do anything like that before. Is she gonna be okay?" Sojiro asked Ren, who spoke up.

"She'll be fine, Boss. If nothing else, Kusa and I will be right there by her side if she needs anything." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, exactly. Unless Taba would rather do it solo, which I somehow doubt. That said, relax Boss. If all else fails, I'll watch over her." Kusa said reassuringly. Sojiro blinked at this and spoke up in surprise.

"You two!? This isn't the same as taking care of a cat, you know?" Sojiro said as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"Yeah, we know. But I have faith that Taba can handle it. You didn't have to drag Morgana into this, though." Kusa said, trying to placate both Sojiro and Morgana in one sentence. Futaba then spoke up nervously.

"D-Don't worry. I did graduate middle school last year, after all. I-I'll be fine if I just think of this as my first summer job of high school!" Futaba said as Sojiro frowned and reluctantly nodded before speaking up.

"Well, in that case, I suppose it's fine. To start, how about you wash the dishes, while I have Ren helping me with food prep, and Kusa can act as a go-between while taking orders from the customers?" Sojiro suggested as Kusa, Ren, and Futaba all nodded. Sojiro then smiled at Futaba as he spoke up.

"I don't mind you helping out around here, Futaba. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay? And Kusa, I'll also have you keeping an eye on her so that you can step in if it seems like she's having a hard time." Sojiro said as Kusa smiled and nodded as the group got to work. A short time later, a crash was heard from the kitchen as Futaba winced.

"Eep!" Futaba said as Kusa frowned and walked in, seeing Futaba knelt over with a slightly uneasy look on her face, making him walk over and smile at her reassuringly as he spoke up.

"Taba? You okay?" Kusa asked Futaba at the same time that Sojiro walked over and spoke up.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sojiro asked Futaba, unaware that Kusa had also asked the same thing. Futaba nodded, and Kusa hunched over to sweep up and toss out the broken glass, while giving Futaba a reassuring smile as Sojiro heard the door open, and heard a customer speak up.

"The usual, Boss. Extra strong." The pompous-sounding customer said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Eh? A-Ah, sure thing." Sojiro said as he relayed the order to Ren, who started filling it as Kusa finished sweeping up the dish Futaba unintentionally broke before looking at her and speaking up encouragingly.

"Don't worry about it, Taba. Accidents happen. Just breathe and relax, you'll be fine. And worst case, Ren, Boss and I are all just outside if you need anything. You gonna be OK?" Kusa asked Futaba, who nodded, shyly smiling at Kusa before she got back to work, allowing Kusa to go back to waiting tables as he was asked to do. Sojiro stopped Kusa as he spoke up.

"Keep an eye on Futaba for me." Sojiro asked Kusa, who nodded understandingly. Futaba then spoke up after being asked once more if she was okay, this time by Ren.

"Eheh, Oui, oui! Heheh." Futaba said anxiously as Kusa just nodded. He and Ren exchanged uneasy glances when they heard the customer speaking up from the counter.

"She a new part-timer? Man, smooth as always. What number Bond girl is this, Boss?" The customer asked as Kusa frowned at this, telling Ren to watch Futaba as he walked out and glared at the customer as he spoke up.

"Bond girl!? What are you talking about, sir? And for the record, that's his daughter you're talking about, you effing creep." Kusa said bluntly, not in the mood to waste time on some foolish pre-conception. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"It's not like that. And Kusa here is correct. The girl who's doing dishes back there is someone I consider a daughter." Sojiro said. The pompous customer clearly didn't hear a word that was said, given what he said next.

"You usually go for the older ones, right? It's only natural you'd want someone younger sometimes. It's like the Guatemala Peaberry coffee. Its acidic sweetness is akin to a breath of fresh air." The pompous customer said as Kusa frowned and made to speak up, but Sojiro cut him off with a warning look before speaking up.

"Sorry, we're serving a blend today." Sojiro said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, glaring at the customer as he spoke up.

"Kindly do not EVER make such a disgusting insinuation as what you just said around here again, sir. Even if Boss might like younger girls, he's not going to go for girls who are young enough to be his daughter, never mind ones he considers as good as a daughter. So get your filthy mind out of the gutter before we have a problem." Kusa rebuked the customer with a huff as Sojiro walked over to Futaba and spoke up.

"Hey, snap out of it. Hurry up and bring him the coffee before it gets cold." Sojiro said to Futaba before turning to give Kusa a pointed look, which Kusa wisely took to mean back off, doing as he was told. However, Kusa couldn't stop himself from bursting out laughing at what happened next. Futaba brought the customer his coffee, but scared him with the mask she had on while doing so.

"A-Aaaaah!" The pompous customer said, jumping as he saw the mask Futaba was wearing, gaping at her after falling backwards onto his booth seat, a look of fear on his face as Futaba spoke up, ignoring the laughing Kusa behind her.

"Yo, here's your coffee." Futaba said as Kusa was laughing at the look on the pompous customer's face at Futaba's mask. Sojiro, for his part, huffed and spoke up.

"Wha-? When in the world did she put that on? Hey, Futaba. Haven't I told you not to show up in front of people with that damn thing on?" Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"Be fair here, Boss. That guy deserved that after what he was insinuating about you and Futaba. Frankly, he's lucky I respect you and your place of business, or I'd have dragged his slanderous ass out behind the building and dealt with him myself." Kusa said bluntly. Ren gave Kusa a stern look that quieted him, as Sojiro spoke up.

"I realize that, Kusa. But there's still such things as time and place for everything. And Futaba, be more polite when you're bringing something to a customer." Sojiro said, scolding both Kusa and Futaba in the same sentence. Futaba winced but nodded behind her mask as she spoke up.

"Uh, H-H-Here is your coffee, sir." Futaba said to the pompous customer who straightened up and spoke up.

"A-Ah, right. Thanks." The pompous customer said. After he left, Futaba spoke up.

"Did you see? I did my job right!" Futaba said happily, as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"Oh, you did your job right all right. You also even managed to scare that pompous jerk to boot. Well done, Taba. Maybe next time he'll think before casting aspersions on both you and Boss." Kusa said with a grin. Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Even if that was admittedly hilarious, it was still wrong. Even so, Futaba did great bringing out the coffee, at least." Ren said. Futaba smiled and nodded while speaking up.

"Fair enough. Huh, turns out this is pretty easy." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, but don't expect to be able to scare every customer like you did that guy before. Usually, that's frowned upon. But I feel like an exception can be made here considering he basically suggested that you and Boss were a couple. I also don't think I like what he was suggesting about you having a large number of Bond girls, Boss. But you're a grown man, so I can't really lecture you on that. Doesn't mean I can't be concerned, however." Kusa said. Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Fair point. Still, to think Futaba'd go out and talk to a customer by herself, with little help. Mask aside, I'm impressed. Looks like people really can change." Sojiro said as Futaba smirked behind her mask, speaking up in a confident tone.

"Sojiro! Want me to bring coffee to more customers?" Futaba asked, idly being glad that her mask was on since her face had gone a bit red previously when Kusa stood up for her and Sojiro. Sojiro frowned as he spoke up.

"Ah-ah, mask off first." Sojiro said as Futaba winced and grunted before speaking up.

"H-Hrghhh, fine. I'll think about it." Futaba said reluctantly. Kusa smiled at Futaba, even as he laughed at the memory of the look on the customer's face. After a while, and more work, the group dispersed for the evening...

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

As Ren and Kusa sat on the bed and sofa to ponder their options, their phones went off to signify a group chat with Ren, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Yusuke surprisingly sending the first response.

"Did anyone here share information about our real identities?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"What're you talkin' about, Yusuke? None of us would do something like that!" Kusa asked as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth, Kusa! Like hell we'd do that!" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Why the question, Yusuke?" Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I overheard someone in the city saying they're our acquaintance." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Talk about false rumors." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"At least we're famous enough to HAVE rumors about us! We might even break into the news online! Or maybe TV!" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"Yeah, if we get caught maybe. Get real, Ryuji." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"For real, Ren! Also, be careful not to let that fame go to your head, Ryuji. You know what they say. 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.' Or perhaps a more accurate quite would be 'The pride goeth before the fall.' Either way, keep your ego in check." Kusa sent. Ann sent a response.

"Well, that's a good point. Yeah, Kusa's right." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"By the way, how did today go?" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Aside from this one asshole who came in and tried making slanderous remarks about Boss and Futaba, everything went quite well, all told. And I even got to see Futaba scare the guy who was basically insinuating that Boss was dating Futaba by walking out with her mask on. I swear, I think that guy's face was funnier than Ryuji's face when Futaba did the same thing to him yesterday." Kusa sent in amusement. Futaba sent a response.

"Despite the fact he's exaggerating, Kusa's also right. I served coffee to customers! I did scare said customer with my mask, but that's beside the point, despite how much Kusa was laughing over it." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"In my defense, it was pretty effing hilarious seeing that guy scream like a girl and jump backwards when he saw your mask. He's lucky that's all that he got. I was seriously tempted to drag his ass out behind Leblanc and beat some sense into him. How dare he insinuate that Boss would even think of Taba romantically, much less that he has a large line of 'Bond girls' as he called them. Pretty sure that's a reference to harems, but I can't say for a fact that's the case." Kusa sent. Ren sent a response.

"The mask incident aside, she did good, even if I did have to stop Kusa from fighting that guy he mentioned." Ren sent as Ann sent a response.

"That's great, Futaba-chan!" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Anyways, you better get used to it fast. You can't be a phantom thief if you're scared of people!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Dammit, I hate that he's right. He's still rude though, telling her to hurry. Futaba will take her own time and go at her own pace while acclimating to things. If that's too slow for you Ryuji, you can just deal with it." Kusa sent dryly as Futaba sent a response.

"Relax, would you? He meant no harm, Kusa. That said, I'll do my best." Futaba sent as Ren put his phone away while Morgana did a closed eye smile and spoke up.

"We're on a roll! Futaba's been working really hard. And then, there's Ryuji. It's like he doesn't have a care in the world for whatever reason. Ugh, he's gonna get in trouble somewhere down the line if he keeps this up, I think." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"For real, Morgana! Odds are, it'll be because he finally pushes me too far with his buffoonery and I end up full-on punching him. I get he's eager for the beach, but that doesn't mean he gets to pressure Futaba, dammit." Kusa said huffily as he crossed his arms while Morgana spoke up.

"Yes, well, anyways, mask aside, I really think she's built up some confidence." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded. After a bit, Ren decided he didn't really have anyone he particularly wanted to rank up, so he looked at Kusa.

"Hey, Kusa. What say we finish up the rest of '31' tonight since my night is fairly free?" Ren asked Kusa, who thought about it and nodded his agreement and spoke up, finding himself surprisingly eager to finish '31'.

"Sounds good to me. A movie night could be good." Kusa said agreeably as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"I agree too. It's unanimous! Movie night it is." Morgana said as Kusa went to go get the popcorn while Ren put the second disc of '31' into the DVD player. Once Kusa returned with the popcorn, he handed it to Ren, who held it in his lap while Morgana got comfortable on Kusa's lap as Ren put the popcorn bowl on the table Kusa had brought up and set up between the two of them, Ren then hitting 'play' on the movie. As the movie went on, the editor demanded a manuscript, but the writer could only hang his head in defeat. Morgana groaned as he spoke up from in Kusa's lap.

"Ugh, for real!? This is no time for writer's block! How is he gonna make the deadline at this rate!?" Morgana asked as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"He's probably not. But you'd be surprised how suddenly inspiration can strike out of nowhere, so maybe he will. We'll see, I'm sure." Kusa said sagely as Ren nodded and the movie kept going. When it finished, Morgana looked at Ren and Kusa, speaking up contentedly.

"Oh! So we finished watching '31', huh? Interesting. We were pressed for time ourselves, but we made it." Morgana said as Kusa nodded.

"Indeed we did, Morgana. Indeed we did. And not only is Japan all the better for it, but so is Futaba." Kusa said happily as Morgana looked at Ren and kept speaking.

"In any case, I'm sure you've learned a thing or two about Guts from watching this drama." Morgana said to Ren who nodded, as his Guts got a generous bump from the movie, plus the bonus given by 'The Craft of Cinema'. Morgana then spoke up.

"Okay, let's go return the finished DVD soon." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Agreed. Maybe next time, you can find either a comedy or possibly an action flick. Either one of those sounds good." Kusa said as Ren nodded his understanding and spoke up.

"I'll keep that in mind, Kusa." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Well then, it's starting to get late. Let's head to bed soon, okay?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded as he and Kusa got comfortable and laid down for the night...

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

"Well then, our plans for today are...Huh? Do we actually not have anything planned?" Morgana asked. Ren shrugged, as at that moment, his and Kusa's phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ann sending the first response.

"I'm out shopping with Makoto. We'll head over when we're done." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Honestly, I wanted to bring Futaba along with us on this trip." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response before Kusa could do so.

"Whoa, we can't just take her into crowds like that though. That'd be way too soon!" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Exactly! Ann gets it. But I know you meant well with your intentions, Makoto, so I won't be angry at you this time. However, might I suggest you actually ASK Futaba what she wants before planning things? Maybe she might be more receptive to it if you do so." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Perhaps. But, and I apologize in advance for this, sometimes drastic measures are necessary." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Drastic measures!? Excuse you!?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response of her own.

"Such spiky words, Makoto." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Yes, Kusa-kun, drastic measures! I get you have a crush on her, and that it's making you want to be extra cautious with her, but sometimes it's for her own good that we do these things. Besides, you know you'll need to do this someday, right Futaba-chan?" Makoto sent as Kusa frowned and sent a response.

"Sh-Shut up, Makoto! Whether I have a crush on Futaba or not is irrelevant right now! We're talking about how you might be rushing her into too much before she's ready. And in the end, that's Taba's decision to make, regardless of how you or I feel about it. So if she decides she wants to go with your plan, I'll support her." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Actually Queen's clothes have lots of spikes too. They'd prolly pierce my hand if I touched them." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I have honestly considered that possibility as well." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Not you too, Yusuke!" Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response that had Kusa torn between laughing at it and groaning at Ryuji's one-track mind.

"Hey, this sounds like fun. I wanna join in." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"We're talking to Futaba! This doesn't involve you!" Ann sent as Futaba sent a response that had Kusa burst out laughing as he read it.

"Note: Ann is cold to Ryuji." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response after he got his laughter under control.

"Man, that was hilarious, Taba. Never stop being you." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Futaba, don't take notes on this. And Kusa, don't encourage her. Anyways, look forward to us coming over!" Ann sent. Futaba sent a response.

"Eep! An all-girls hangout!? My heart's pounding in my chest. Kusa, save me." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I wish I could Taba, but if it's girls-only, then I'm afraid my hands are regretfully tied on this one." Kusa sent. Morgana spoke up after Ren and Kusa put their phones away.

"Just what are those girls scheming?" Morgana asked as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"Heck if I know, Morgana. But I needed that laugh just now. And she's not wrong either. Most of us, myself included, are rather cold to Ryuji. But sometimes he deserves it." Kusa said with a shrug. Ren also shrugged as he put his phone away...

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

"Today's the fourth day. You gettin' a little better at dealin' with other people?" Ryuji asked Futaba. Futaba shrugged as she spoke up.

"Hrmm, to be honest? I dunno. I can't really tell." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up while giving Futaba a reassuring smile.

"You've definitely gotten better, Taba. The old you would never have even gotten this far. Never doubt you've become a lot better for what we all went through to help you, Taba." Kusa said sagely. Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"True, but keep this in mind, Kusa. People cannot change their deep-seated habits that easily." Yusuke said. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Well, let's just say you've made some progress for now." Morgana said before wincing as Futaba walked over and gently pinched and prodded Morgana's cheeks, making him grunt as he spoke up while batting at Futaba's hands.

"Ack! S-Stop it! You're gonna pull my cheeks off!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"You do realize she does that because she likes you, right Morgana?" Kusa said to Morgana with a smirk, making the not-cat huff and speak up.

"Shut up! I knew that, Kusa." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Man, who do those girls think they are, makin' us wait like this?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"They're ladies, who like to shop. So I'm not surprised they're taking a while. And if they're shopping where I think they are, there's probably good reason they didn't want us going along. In Taba's case, she begged off, but I suspect where they went was not suitable for male eyes, especially those who are prone to ogling, eh Ryuji?" Kusa said teasingly with a wink at Ryuji, who huffed and spoke up.

"M-Man, shut up, Kusa! I get it. I shouldn't have ogled Ann before." Ryuji said huffily as Ann's voice was heard from below at that moment, as if on cue.

"Hello." Ann said as Makoto's voice could also be heard.

"Please excuse us." Makoto said as the two came upstairs to join the others as Makoto spoke up with a sheepish look on her face.

"Apologies for the lateness. We were looking at multiple items and weren't sure which to choose." Makoto said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Looking? Looking at what?" Morgana said as Kusa blinked, his mind pondering several potential scenarios for what they were looking at, but not voicing them. Ann then spoke up, confirming Kusa's suspicions with what she said next.

"A swimsuit, of course. For Futaba-chan." Ann said, as Futaba blanched and spoke up in surprise.

"A-A s-s-swimsuit!?" Futaba asked, eyes wide as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Yeah, a swimsuit. You know, the kind most girls wear in summer to beat the heat and show off their figures? Though to be honest, I had a feeling they were clothes shopping. I didn't actually consider that said shopping was for a swimsuit at first, though, to be fair." Kusa said sagely. Ann nodded and spoke up, what she said next making Kusa turn away so no one saw his eyes go wide at what Ann said next while his cheeks went a bit red in embarrassment at the mental image her next words painted.

"You don't have one, do you?" Ann asked Futaba, who winced as she spoke up.

"No, but maybe I didn't want one?" Futaba said meekly. Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Don't be silly, Taba. All girls own a swimsuit eventually. Consider it a rite of passage, if you must. But if Ann here picked it out, it'll probably look amazing on you, since she has good taste in clothes for the most part." Kusa said comfortingly to Futaba as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa. Okay, let's have you try it on right now then." Ann said as Futaba gaped and spoke up, her eyes going wide while she spoke.

"N-N-N-Now!?" Futaba asked as Ann nodded and spoke up with a laugh.

"Yes, now. You can't go to the beach if you don't have a good-fitting swimsuit." Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Technically, she can, but she'd be risking wardrobe malfunctions if she did that. Unless she goes to one of those 'swimsuit optional' beaches that some areas have, but I don't see her being quite ready for something like that just yet." Kusa said in a voice that was a mix of sage and amused before turning to Ren as a thought occurred to him.

"Actually, regarding what I said before about all girls owning a swimsuit eventually, there might actually be exceptions to that rule, like Yoshizawa-san. Rumor has it she doesn't own a swimsuit, since all she has are leotards. But maybe that means she's brazen enough to go to one of those swimsuit-optional beaches?" Kusa said, giving Ren a teasing wink as he spoke up, enjoying the embarrassed look on Ren's face as he spoke up.

"Shut up, Kusa! And for the record, those rumors are false. She does in fact own a swimsuit. She told me so herself the last time I talked to her." Ren said as Kusa laughed while speaking up.

"Ah right, the time that you finally grew a pair and kissed her. Granted, she kissed you first, but the point is you kissed her." Kusa said with a grin as Ryuji and Yusuke's jaws dropped on hearing this as the former of the two spoke up.

"Wh-What? For real!? Damn! Go Ren! You da man!" Ryuji said, fist-bumping Ren as Ann smirked and spoke up.

"Oh really? You do realize, Kusa, if he's kissed Yoshizawa-san, that puts you behind the 8-ball, so to speak, with your crush?" Ann said teasingly to Kusa, whose turn it was to blush before speaking up.

"That's beside the point! And if we're being technical here, Taba kissed me way before Ren kissed Yoshizawa. So if anything, I'm ahead of Ren, not behind." Kusa said indignantly, giving a red-faced Futaba an apologetic look after basically calling the both of them out. Ann smiled and spoke up, turning to Makoto with an outstretched hand while she spoke.

"AHA! I knew it! You owe me 200 yen, Makoto! I told you Kusa would make the first move!" Ann said smugly as Makoto frowned but nodded and handed the requested money to a grinning Ann as Kusa huffed and spoke up, eyes wide in surprise while he spoke.

"Wait, what!? You two bet on who would make the first move out of myself and Ren!? What the eff? Not cool, Ann! You don't see me betting on how fast you finally confess your feelings to Suzui-san, do you!?" Kusa said to a now red-faced Ann, who spoke up.

"N-No. Ugh fine, sorry Kusa. Either way, we don't have much time left, you know." Ann said as Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Uh, but I've never been to the beach before and, um, I'm really embarrassed about being seen in a swimsuit, and, and, Uhhh!" Futaba said sheepishly as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"You, embarrassed? Taba, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. From what I can see, you have a figure that could give Ann here a run for her money. You could be a model, just as surely as Ann could. You just need more self-confidence to go with that natural beauty of yours." Kusa said kindly to Futaba, who shyly nodded and smiled before speaking up.

"Ugh, fine. I'll try it on. I hate that you were able to talk me into it, Kusa." Futaba said with a slight pout. Kusa laughed fondly, smiling at Futaba as he spoke up in an amused tone, enjoying the sight of Futaba's pout while he spoke.

"I apologize that I want you to try and have some fond memories, Taba. I'll let you punish me for it later, when you're ready." Kusa said contritely, ignoring the laughing Ren and Ryuji as Makoto spoke up.

"Be that as it may Kusa-kun, you boys do know what'll happen if you try and look while she's trying it on, right?" Makoto said, fixing the boys and the not-cat with a pointed glare as they headed downstairs to wait. After a bit, they heard the girls talking from upstairs.

"Oh wow, it's perfect. I'm amazed you were able to eyeball it with such accuracy, Ann." Makoto could be heard saying as Ann's voice could be heard next.

"I know, right? Just a bit more, and there we go. It's on." Ann said and the next voice to be heard was Futaba's, and when she spoke, Kusa's eyes were comically wide at what she said.

"What the heck!? This barely covers anything!" Futaba said as Ann laughed and spoke up.

"That's normal for a swimsuit. Now, we just need to push these a little more this way, like so." Ann said as the next thing to be heard was a 'Gyah!' from Futaba as Ryuji spoke up in surprise.

"Push? What?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up, face slightly red.

"I'm pretty sure they're adjusting the top to fit properly, if I had to guess. Which then makes it rather obvious exactly what Ann was pushing." Kusa said, making Ryuji and Ren blink, but they then heard Makoto's voice.

"Are you supposed to move them with that much force?" Makoto could be heard asking as Ann laughed and answered.

"You gotta put some oomph into this stuff, you know? There! Good to go!" Ann said as they heard Futaba speak up again.

"Whoa, even I'm impressed!" Futaba said, making Kusa have to shake himself to remove the mental image he'd gotten from the girls' conversation, even if it was very much accurate for Ann. At that point, Kusa found himself idly wondering if Futaba was strictly into men, or if she swung both ways, so to speak. Ryuji then spoke up.

"I wonder what they're doin' up there." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Odds are they're making sure the swimsuit fits. And to do that, Ann likely had to push the top into place, meaning she probably had to gently use her hands to guide Futaba's chest into place so it fit into the top right." Kusa said, making Ren and Ryuji grin at how Kusa described it while Morgana spoke up with a confused frown on his face.

"They're totally just having her try on the swimsuit, right? What else could they be doing?" Morgana asked as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Well, considering I know for a fact that Ann, at least, likes girls, who's to say they aren't testing the waters a bit, so to speak, while helping Taba try her swimsuit on? Granted, I'm nearly positive that out of the three, at least Makoto is straight, and most likely so is Taba, but even straight girls are bi-curious at least once in their lives, or so they say." Kusa said, making Ryuji grin at Kusa's response as Yusuke spoke up.

"Futaba in a swimsuit, hm? Not something that either of us thought we'd see, right Kusa?" Yusuke said as Kusa nodded and spoke up, even as he blinked at Yusuke's usage of 'we' in his previous statement.

"True. But that's just a testament to how far Futaba's come since we helped her." Kusa said proudly. Yusuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"True, plus it could make for a great painting. Perhaps we should ask Makoto about it?" Yusuke asked as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"What!? Did you just seriously say you wanted to paint Futaba in a swimsuit, Yusuke!? I'm not sure if I should be mad at you for even thinking of that, or glad. After all, you did do amazing work on that painting of Futaba in her Palace Ruler outfit. Thank you for that, by the way." Kusa said to Yusuke as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You hung that up above the sofa, didn't you?" Ren said teasingly to Kusa, who flushed and spoke up.

"Shut up, Ren! And you have no room to talk about me hanging up my birthday gift from Yusuke, since you hung the painting of you and Yoshizawa up above the bed!" Kusa shot back, face red. Ryuji laughed as he spoke up.

"Hah, look at how flushed Kusa is. You can admit it, man. You're hot for Futaba, aren't you?" Ryuji said as Kusa looked at Ryuji, glared, but then just sighed and nodded reluctantly as he spoke up.

"Fine. Yes, you're right. I'm falling for Futaba. I admit it. You happy now, Ryuji? Since Ren already admitted to Ann that he's falling for Yoshizawa, you're the only one of us aside from Yusuke yet to admit that you have a crush on a certain someone, as if we don't already have a good guess of who that someone is." Kusa said as Ren nodded his agreement, making Ryuji sigh and nod as he spoke up.

"Fine, ya got me. I have a crush on Makoto. Maybe it's just the biker look, but something about her has me not able to get enough of her." Ryuji said reluctantly as Kusa smirked before he spoke up.

"There now. Was that so tough, Ryuji? I'm proud of you man. Respect!" Kusa said as he fist-bumped Ryuji before looking at Yusuke while he kept speaking.

"And what about you, Yusuke? You got any girls you've taken notice of?" Kusa asked Yusuke, who didn't initially respond, but instead looked away shyly, making Ryuji and Kusa grin as the former spoke up.

"No way. Does he actually like someone!?" Ryuji said as Yusuke eventually nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I actually do. I only know of her in passing from my classes at Kosei, but she's still so breathtaking to behold. Yet, considering she seems to be into her shogi to the exception of most all else, I doubt she'd even realize that I exist. Then again, I've also been taking notice of another girl as well fairly recently. However, I'm not sure I want to say who, since one of you also said you like her, and I'd rather not step on any toes if I can help it." Yusuke said as Ren and Ryuji exchanged confused looks before Kusa's eyes widened slightly before narrowing in realization as he spoke up, fixing Yusuke with an accusing glare while he spoke.

"Just be honest, Yusuke. You've also developed an infatuation with Futaba, haven't you?" Kusa asked Yusuke, making Ren and Ryuji gasp in disbelief as Yusuke slumped but nodded before he spoke up.

"You're of course correct, Kusa. But I'm not trying to act on it, since you already staked dibs on her, and I follow the bro code. Besides, I think I have more of a chance with Togo-san anyways than I would with Futaba." Yusuke said honestly as Ren and Kusa gasped at the name he mentioned, the former speaking up.

"Togo-san!? As in the shogi player, Togo-san!? What a coincidence. She started giving me shogi lessons not that long ago." Ren said sheepishly. Yusuke raised an eyebrow as he spoke up.

"Truly? Perhaps you could introduce me sometime?" Yusuke asked Ren, who nodded. He then spoke up.

"Back on the subject of you painting Futaba, I don't know who the bigger perv is here: Kusa, for being able to describe what the girls are probably doing up there in such precise detail, or Yusuke for wanting to paint girls nude." Ren said as Ryuji and Kusa facefaulted at the reference to Yusuke's brief stint of wanting Ann to model nude for him. Kusa then spoke up with a huff after picking himself up off the ground.

"OI! Just because I've seen a few dirty movies doesn't make me a perv! It makes me able to easily imagine what girls do behind closed doors. And to be fair, some of that is Ryuji's fault for sneaking us into that nudie flick while you and Morgana were busy getting info out of that Ohya chick the night we took that trip to Shibuya with Ryuji." Kusa said huffily as Ren and Morgana's jaws, along with Yusuke's, dropped. Ren then spoke up, frowning at Ryuji in surprise while he spoke.

"Wait, Ryuji did what!? Dude, I don't know if I should be pissed at you for encouraging Kusa to do that, or impressed you two did it. But for real, outside of Morgana, you're all such pervs." Ren said. Yusuke huffed, clearly affronted by Ren's remark as he spoke up.

"How rude! I speak from a purely artistic standpoint." Yusuke said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"First of all, thanks for ratting us both out, Kusa! Some pal you are. That said, let it go, okay? We should just stay put." Ryuji said. Morgana huffed as he spoke up.

"You guys are such children." Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"That's rich, coming from the guy who spends pretty much all of his time simping for a girl he has no shot with." Kusa pointed out dryly. Ren and Ryuji laughed as the latter fist-bumped Kusa before he spoke up.

"Truth, man!" Ryuji said with a grin. At that point, Sojiro walked over and spoke up.

"What's with all the ruckus upstairs? Something about a swimsuit?" Sojiro asked as Kusa nodded in the affirmative while he spoke up.

"Yeah. To make a long story short, Makoto and Ann decided to go buy Futaba a swimsuit, since she apparently doesn't own one, so she could go to the beach with us. We then got unceremoniously hustled down here to give Futaba privacy so she could try it on, but of course the girls failed to account for the lack of soundproofing in the attic. Which is something YOU might try to make a note of Ren, just in case you ever decide to bring Yoshizawa back here at some point." Kusa explained to Sojiro as Ryuji nodded and spoke up, drawing the group's attention away from the now red-faced Ren, who'd blushed rather profusely at Kusa's insinuation of Ren bringing Yoshizawa back to Leblanc with him.

"Yeah, what Kusa said. We're goin' to the beach pretty soon, so they're tryin' some swimsuits out." Ryuji said as Sojiro gasped and spoke up.

"Is that true? Futaba's going to the beach, for what might be her first time?" Sojiro said in surprise before chuckling as he spoke up.

"Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think I'd ever see her take that much interest in going outside again, not since her mom's accident at least." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"To be fair, she was more or less talked into it by Ann and Makoto. Let me tell you, those two are very stubborn and persuasive when they want to be." Kusa said sagely. At that moment, Makoto's voice echoed from upstairs again.

"Well then, it seems we're good to go with the swimsuit." Makoto said as Ann's voice was heard next.

"All flattery aside, I think it looks pretty great! Now you just gotta get rid of those round shoulders. Come on, straighten your back." Ann could be heard saying. Futaba's voice was heard next.

"R-Right, I'll do my best." Futaba said, making the guys gape, Kusa mouthing 'round shoulders!?' under his breath in disbelief. Sojiro then spoke up

"She might be some trouble, but I hope she can make some great memories with you guys." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's the goal, Boss. We want Futaba to be able to have memories she can look back on fondly." Kusa said agreeably. Ren and Yusuke nodded their agreement as the group dispersed for the evening...

(That evening, at Leblanc with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Ren and Kusa's phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ann sending the first response.

"We've got swimsuits! We're totally ready to hit the beach!" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"All that's left is for Futaba to prepare herself mentally." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I can do this. I can do this, I think. Maybe." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"So you're not confident." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Shut up, Inari." Futaba sent as Kusa chuckled before grinning as he sent a response.

"Seriously though, that never gets old, you calling him Inari. If not for the fact you said it's another word for Fox, I'd be worried it was your pet name for Yusuke, Taba." Kusa sent jokingly as Futaba flushed and spoke up.

"Shush up, Kusa! Don't be such a dork! Why would I ever have a pet name for Inari?" Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Ahhh, it's finally starting to feel like summer vacation." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Still, I've been thinking about some things now that matters have calmed down a little more, especially recently." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"Like what?" Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"What Ren said. What's on your mind, Makoto?" Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"The psychotic breakdowns, cognitive psience, and the one in the black mask." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Oh? So you think Black Mask could be linked to the psychotic breakdowns, then? The only question would be if they know anything of cognitive psience. If so, then not only is Black Mask likely behind the shutdowns, but there's a better than fair shot they're also the ones who took out Futaba's mom. Which if so, that's just more reason to get better so so we can make Black Mask pay." Kusa sent. Ren sent a response.

"Careful, Kusa. You might be right, but we can't underestimate Black Mask. If your theory is right, they could very well be dangerous, whether they know about cognitive psience or not." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Right. We'll need to proceed with extreme caution going forward. That said, we don't have enough information right now to say one way or the other who Black Mask really is, or what they're really after. We'll have to investigate more." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I'll help out too." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I was hoping you would say that, Taba. To be honest, once things settle down, we might have to put some serious thought into checking to see if that bastard Akechi has a Palace. Because if not, that lends real credence to my theory of him being Black Mask. Admittedly though, that's just pure speculation on my part. The only real evidence I have to support the idea is the fact that he can somehow inexplicably understand Morgana speaking, when only people who've been to the Metaverse before and heard him speak should be able to do that." Kusa sent. Ryuji sent a message.

"As much as I agree that Akechi's a bastard, can we talk about this some other time? I'm so damn sleepy right now." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"OK, good night then! Futaba-chan, good luck tomorrow too!" Ann sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away. Morgana then spoke up.

"Nice! The chief had such high expectations of us. We need to work harder to help Futaba make some good memories." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. But I'm sure we'll help her make memories she can enjoy." Kusa said as Ren nodded.

"I'll be back shortly, Kusa. I gotta go swap out this DVD while I'm thinking of it." Ren said to Kusa, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Good idea. I'll wait here with Morgana, so he doesn't have to get his fur wet." Kusa said as Morgana gave Kusa a grateful look as Ren quickly went to swap out '31' for 'Mouse M.D.' which was a movie about a maverick rodent's medical heroics, which ups Kindness. Ren then returned to Leblanc. Kusa then smirked at Ren as he came upstairs.

"Welcome back. How went the DVD swap?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"Successful. I rented a movie called 'Mouse M.D.', which is for Kindness. But I was thinking, if you're agreeable to it, we should go hit up the bathhouse since we've not done that in awhile, and the rain could make it more impactful." Ren said as Kusa nodded his agreement.

"Sounds good to me. We can leave Morgana here to hold down the fort while we go have a soak so he doesn't have to get his fur wet. But if you ask me, a good soak sounds like just the ticket after the day we've had." Kusa said as Ren nodded, the two going to the bathhouse. Ren paid the 1,000 yen for him and Kusa, and the two went into the bathhouse where they enjoyed a leisurely soak, even if it was a bit too hot for Ren. Kusa, for his part, wasn't as bothered by the heat, and just smiled as he soaked in the tub. Eventually Ren and Kusa got out, the former complaining of lightheadedness. After leaving the tub, Ren keeled over and hit the ground, making Kusa wince and speak up.

"Yo Ren, you good bro?" Kusa asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit scalded from how hot the tub was." Ren said as Kusa winced and nodded while giving Ren an apologetic look as he spoke up.

"Right, my bad. I forget that you have a lower heat tolerance than I do, so you can't stay in hot tubs as long as I can. I'm sorry." Kusa said as Ren waved it off as his Charm went up from the hot tub. Additionally, because it was raining, he also got a slight boost to his Guts as well. Kusa then spoke up.

"Let me know when you're good to move again, and we can get dressed and head home." Kusa said as Ren nodded. A short time later, they headed back to get in bed for the night...

(The next day with Ren, Kusa, Futaba, and Ryuji in the bottom floor of Leblanc)

"So, what should we do today?" Yusuke asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Hm, let's see here. Wanna eat together? Y'know, like how we had hot pot that one time." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"We can, but let's please not have this time end with anyone else we know turning up as having a Palace, unless it was Akechi-kun, which would track if he had one." Kusa said as Ren and Ryuji nodded. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up.

"That may be a good idea. It'll be a great way to strengthen our intrasquad friendships." Yusuke said as Futaba shyly spoke up from next to Kusa, where she was smiling as Kusa had an arm draped lazily over her waist.

"I-I can do that!" Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up understandingly.

"I have no doubt that you can do that, Taba." Kusa said with a smile as Ryuji spoke up, looking towards Sojiro as he spoke.

"Okay, I'll take a cola and an omelette with rice. Oh, and make that a large please." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"I'd like the same." Yusuke said as Ren and Kusa winced, the latter speaking up.

"I don't think Boss serves omelettes here? But in any case, I think we all know what Taba here wants." Kusa said teasingly with a wink as Futaba went red but spoke up.

"And so what if I want curry? It's kinda my staple food." Futaba said defiantly as Kusa laughed, gently patting Futaba on the head as he spoke up.

"Peace, Taba. I wasn't saying that to mock you. I was saying that because I think even Yusuke could tell you love curry. No need to get defiant. We all like you just the way you are, Taba." Kusa said reassuringly as Futaba smiled and nodded. Ren then spoke up.

"The question of how predictable or not Futaba is aside, the better question is do Ryuji and Yusuke even have the money for that?" Ren asked. Yusuke spoke up.

"No, but this is for Futaba's sake." Yusuke said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, fine. You owe me, got it Yusuke?" Ryuji said. Surprisingly, Futaba spoke up.

"I'll have what they're having. Extra large." Futaba said as Kusa blinked before turning a surprised glance onto Futaba while he spoke up.

"Wow, you're having something other than your staple food? Way to be adventurous, Taba. I'm proud of you." Kusa said with a smile, making Futaba smile. Eventually the entire group had ordered food and eaten their fill, at which point Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Ahhhhhh, I ate loads!" Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up with a grin.

"Damn, Futaba! I'm impressed!" Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Indeed, your appetite is quite nice to see. I much prefer that to women who don't eat a lot." Yusuke said as Kusa frowned warily at Yusuke's remark before he spoke up.

"Ignoring Ryuji's genuine praise, I'm not sure if Yusuke was praising Futaba, hitting on her, or possibly both." Kusa said warily. Futaba nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Agreed, Kusa. You better not be hitting on me, Inari!" Futaba rebuked Yusuke, making Kusa grin as he spoke up.

"Damn Taba, way to wreck that man. Sorry about that shot to your ego, Yusuke." Kusa said with a laugh. Yusuke huffed and spoke up.

"How rude, Futaba! And you as well, Kusa!" Yusuke said as Futaba made Kusa double over laughing at what she did next.

"Sojirooo, help meee!" Futaba called playfully as Kusa laughed at the affronted look on Yusuke's face as he spoke up.

"Will you stop that, Futaba? And Kusa, quit laughing at me!" Yusuke said, which only made Kusa laugh harder, both Ryuji and Ren grinning at how amusing Kusa found Yusuke's situation as Kusa spoke up, smiling at Futaba as he spoke up.

"Ooh, very clever Taba. Way to play the 'Angry Coffee Daddy' card there. You're so sly and clever. I like that about you." Kusa said happily as Yusuke huffed and spoke up.

"What!? How is it fair that Futaba tells ME not to hit on her, but doesn't even bat an eyelid when Kusa does the same thing!?" Yusuke said angrily as Ryuji spoke up to correct Yusuke, since both Ren and Kusa were too busy laughing at Yusuke's reaction to do it themselves, and Futaba was busying herself glaring at Yusuke for his remark, and probably for hitting on her as well.

"Yusuke, relax. Girls tend to turn a blind eye if it's for a guy they have a crush on. Even I know that." Ryuji said, making Kusa and Ren both blink in surprise at Ryuji saying something wise, as Ryuji spoke up once more.

"What? Something I said? Changing the subject, does this mean that, hopefully speaking, her training's goin good?" Ryuji asked as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former speaking up.

"I think so. What do you think, Kusa?" Ren asked Kusa, who spoke up.

"I concur. Futaba's clearly come a long way from the timid, shy shut-in I knew when we first met one another. Granted, she's still as spunky, spirited and beautiful as she was then, if not more so." Kusa said smoothly as Futaba blinked but smiled as Ryuji spoke up.

"I see. Let's go with that then." Ryuji said as Sojiro smiled and spoke up.

"Hey, let me make you guys some after-meal coffee. It's on me!" Sojiro said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"All right! Freebies!" Kusa said happily, making Ryuji and Futaba both laugh at how dorky he sounded right then. *1*

Yusuke then nodded as he spoke up.

"Thank you." Yusuke said as Futaba spoke up excitedly.

"I want iced cocoa!" Futaba said happily as Kusa laughed while speaking up.

"Yep, that tracks. A woman with eyes the color of cocoa liking iced cocoa? I'd buy that." Kusa said in amusement. Ren smirked and spoke up.

"And you watch her eyes a lot to know that about them?" Ren pointed out teasingly as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Damn! Better have a Burn Heal, Kusa!" Ryuji said, throwing Kusa's words from before back at him. making Kusa blink at Ryuji before nodding approvingly as he spoke up. *2*

"Ha, ha. I guess I deserve that one. Well played, Ryuji. Well played." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up, looking at Ryuji as he spoke.

"You can't handle bitter stuff either, right? Iced cocoa sound good?" Sojiro asked Ryuji who grinned and nodded appreciatively before he spoke up.

"Yeah, definitely! Extra cold, please!" Ryuji said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Hm, I don't think we've ever had a lunch this lively." Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up happily.

"Mm-hm! It's lots of fun!" Futaba said happily. Kusa smiled as he looked at Futaba proudly before he spoke up.

"Welp, if nothing else, nice to see you enjoying yourself, Taba." Kusa said as he deftly slipped an arm around Futaba's waist from behind, making her smile as she leaned into the arm, getting comfortable on Kusa as the group enjoyed their drinks before going their separate ways for the day, Kusa reluctantly walking Futaba home...

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

Kusa and Ren both shrugged as they looked at each other before their phones went off to signal a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ryuji once more sending the first response.

"Hey, what do you think we should do about the beach trip? Does it look like she can go soon?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Well, she HAS started to talk a lot more." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"She's made great progress compared to how she was at the beginning." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response that had Kusa frowning.

"Thoughts, Futaba? Will you be able to do this tomorrow perhaps?" Yusuke sent as Kusa and Futaba sent responses close together, Futaba's coming through first.

"Tomorrow!?" Futaba sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Excuse you, Yusuke!? Are you trying to rush Taba?" Kusa sent in frustration. Futaba sent a response.

"Seems that way to me, Kusa. Either way, that's too soon. I wanna prepare myself." Futaba sent as Ren sent a response, wincing at the warning look on Kusa's face as he sent his response.

"So Kusa doesn't lash out on me next, when would be good for you, Futaba?" Ren sent as Kusa gave Ren an approving nod before Futaba sent a response.

"Hm, I think I should be good if it's the day after tomorrow probably. I think?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Don't worry about it if you're not good. If all else fails, we can always go hot-tubbing at a later point so that the swimsuit the girls got you doesn't go to waste." Kusa sent as Ryuji and Yusuke blinked at his mention of hot tubbing. Ryuji sent a response.

"Not sure what Kusa means by hot-tubbing, but we can do the trip day after tomorrow then!" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Despite what Kusa might think, we actually do care what you want, Futaba-chan. As such, just let us know if you aren't up for it, Futaba. OK?" Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I appreciate that Kusa's trying to look out for me, but it's all right. I can do this." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Good. Glad to hear you're sounding more confident at least, Taba." Kusa sent as he and Ren put their phones away and Morgana spoke up.

"Looks like we know when we'll finally finish up now. The beach is finally within reach!" Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded before Morgana kept speaking.

"Okay, well we made it this far. Let's see how tomorrow goes." Morgana said as Ren nodded with Kusa. After a bit, Ren thought about it and looked at Kusa before speaking up.

"Can I leave Morgana with you tonight, Kusa? I need to go do some selling of stuff and might have to work a night shift somewhere and I don't want Morgana getting his fur wet if it can be avoided. So would you be okay with watching him?" Ren asked Kusa who spoke up.

"That's up to Morgana too, but if he's okay with it, I don't mind chilling with him tonight." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"I have a feeling I know why Ren's foisting me off on to you, but I agree with it so if he wants me to stay here with you, I'll humor him." Morgana said as Ren nodded and handed Morgana to Kusa before he fast-traveled to Untouchable, where after selling some stuff to Iwai to re-fill his coffers to a more comfortable level, Iwai spoke up.

"What's up, gun enthusiast? So, you're here because you saw my message, right?" Iwai asked Ren, who nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"That's correct. Apologies for not coming in sooner, been busy the last few days with my own problems. But I'm here now and ready to work if you need me, Iwai-san." Ren said respectfully. Iwai nodded as he spoke up.

"Very good. There's a job I need you to do for me. Don't worry, it ain't that difficult. I'm sure you can handle it." Iwai said. Ren nodded as he spoke up.

"I understand. Please enlighten me as to this job you need me to do for you, Iwai." Ren said as Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Good. I'm gonna meet with a guy at the diner after this. I need you to sit close-by. When I give you the signal, call me. The signal is when I cough. got it? Let's go. C'mon, let's head over there." Iwai said to Ren, who nodded as he followed Iwai to the diner...

(At the diner with Ren and Iwai)

"A diner, huh? I thought only old farts come to places like this." A thuggish man said to Iwai before he smirked and kept speaking.

"You've really changed, Mune-san." The thuggish man said as Iwai laughed and spoke up.

"Hey, don't knock this place. It's pretty decent, and cheap too." Iwai said as the thuggish man spoke up, what he said next making Ren's eyes go wide in mixed shock and surprise.

"Ha, this comin' from the guy who beat the crap outta fifty rival gang members!" The thuggish man said as Iwai spoke up.

"You don't need to exaggerate." Iwai said as the thuggish man spoke up.

"So anyways, what'd you wanna talk about?" The thuggish man asked Iwai who spoke up.

"Oh, right. How's Tsuda-san doin'?" Iwai asked as the thuggish man spoke up.

"Same as always. Why, what's up?" The thuggish man asked Iwai, who shrugged as he spoke up.

"Oh, nothing. Just saw him 'round the other day." Iwai said as the thuggish man blinked before speaking up.

"Hold up, didn't you two cut ties when you left the family? Why're you askin' about him now?" The thuggish man asked Iwai who spoke up.

"I mean, we were both young back then. I just figured it's about time we bury the hatchet. I can't just go up n' talk to him though, as you know." Iwai said as the thuggish man nodded and spoke up.

"Ohhh, I getcha. You're still tryin' to uphold the ol' code of honor, huh?" The thuggish man asked Iwai who nodded as the thuggish man kept speaking.

"Okay, I'll tell him you wanna meet up!" The thuggish man said as Iwai frowned and spoke up.

"Don't say stupid shit like that! No, you fool. I just wanna end up at the same place at the same time. It's gotta look like a coincidence." Iwai said as the thuggish man nodded and spoke up.

"Oh. In that case, Shibaura might work for your purposes. Y'know we're talkin' about redevelopin' it." The thuggish man said as Iwai spok eup.

"Hm, Shibaura, you say?" Iwai said as he coughed. Ren recognized this as the signal and decided to call him. At the same time, the thuggish man spoke up.

"Huh? You sick or somethin'?" The thuggish man asked Iwai, who spoke up.

"Nah, it's just a cold." Iwai said as at that moment, he picked up his phone and spoke up.

"Hello? Yeah, how's it goin'? What? Your order's all wrong? My bad. I'll get back and take care of that straight away." Iwai said as he seemingly hung up and looked at the thuggish man as he kept speaking.

"Sorry, I gotta run. Work shit. Let's talk some other time, yeah?" Iwai said to the thuggish man, who spoke up.

"Mm, seeya." The thuggish man said as Iwai spoke up to signal he hadn't hung up the phone yet.

"Hey, don't hang up. Masa's still on the phone, right? Just stay quiet so I can hear what he's sayin'." Iwai said as Ren nodded as the now-named Masa spoke up on his phone.

"Tsuda-san. It's Masa. Iwai was askin' about you. I did just like you told me though." Masa said before he turned and saw Ren, frowning as he spoke up.

"Hey! The hell're you lookin' at?" Masa asked Ren, who winced as he spoke up.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry about that. You caught me daydreaming a bit there." Ren said quickly. Masa then went back to his conversation.

"Nah, it's nothin'. Just some weird kid starin' at me for no real reason. Anyways, Iwai prolly heard about htat deal of yours and now he's tryin' to squeeze some cash outta you or something. O-Oh, sorry! No, it's nothing. Yes. Sorry, Tsuda-san. Yes. I understand." Masa said as he hung up and left, at which point Iwai spoke up once more.

"Hm, a deal? I see. Sounds like there's some weird stuff goin' down." Iwai said as Ren nodded his understanding and spoke up.

"Agreed. So, what should I do now?" Ren asked Iwai, who chuckled as he spoke up.

"You're all good for today. I'll have to thank you in person later. To be honest, at any rate, I wasn't expectin' too much outta you. But it looks like you're gonna actually be useful to me. I'll be countin' on you, kid." Iwai said to Ren, who nodded as he felt his bond with Iwai deepen. At that point, the 'Hanged-Man' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that his Hanged-Man Confidant link with Iwai had reached Rank 2, though no new skills were gained from the rank-up. Iwai then kept speaking.

"Good work today. Order yourself somethin' nice as a reward. Oh, and bring me the receipt so I can pay you back for it. Well, later." Iwai said as Ren hung up, enjoyed his unplanned meal, getting a boost to his Proficiency as a result of helping out Iwai, and headed back to Leblanc to get comfortable for the night...

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

"Okay! Just one more day to go! Tomorrow, we hit the beach!" Morgana said as Ren nodded before Sojiro's voice called out from downstairs.

"Hey, are you there? Sorry, but I need your help with the dishes." Sojiro said, before Futaba's voice joined in a moment later, to Kusa's surprise as he sat up sleepily on hearing Sojiro's voice, looking over at Ren while yawning a bit and stretching before he stopped short on hearing the voice that called out to the two next.

"Heeelp with the dishes!" Futaba called up at that point, to Kusa's surprise, making him blink before he turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Am I still half-asleep Ren, or was that Taba's voice just now?" Kusa asked Ren, who chuckled as Morgana spoke up.

"Wait, is Futaba here, too? That means we're not only helping out at the cafe, but we're also babysitting Futaba today too, apparently." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up while getting ready for the day.

"You say that like she's a hassle to look after, Morgana. But I'd like to think she's been nothing but a treat to help out this past week." Kusa said as he pulled his hair into its' usual ponytail. Morgana nodded his agreement while speaking up.

"Good point. Well, the faster we get started, the faster we'll finish!" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, both heading downstairs to help with the dishes after the former stepped downstairs as the latter got dressed and ready...

(Later that morning, downstairs with Sojiro, Futaba, Kusa and Ren)

"You want anything, Futaba?" Sojiro asked Futaba with a smile. Futaba nodded as she spoke up.

"Orange juice. 100% natural." Futaba said, making Sojiro blink as he remembered something.

"Oh, that reminds me. You're going to the beach tomorrow, yeah? Go have fun, and make up for the fireworks. Just try not to cut loose too much. And this time, Kusa will actually get to come along even, so that makes it even better." Sojiro said as Kusa's voice could be heard speaking up from the kitchen at that point.

"That's the plan, at least! But that depends on if Taba's still up for that or not. It's not set in stone, after all. Now, where is that juice? I'm pretty sure you said we keep some in the fridge?" Kusa said, clearly trying to get the orange juice for Futaba, who blinked at Sojiro's last remark as she spoke up.

"Fireworks?" Futaba asked in confusion, making Sojiro blink as he turned to face Futaba and spoke up.

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know since you were still shut away in your room at the time, or possibly cuddled up to Kusa, not sure which. Either way, Ren here tried to go to a firework festival, but it got rained out. Kusa was invited to go to it too, but being the selfless guy he is, he declined so he could be there for you. Anyways, picking the story up from where I left off, not only did Ren get crushed in the crowd, but he came home looking like some kind of drowned rat." Sojiro said as Kusa laughed from the back as he walked out with a glass of orange juice in hand, which he set down in front of Futaba as he spoke up.

"There you go, Taba. One glass of 100% natural orange juice. Why it was so far back in the fridge, I have no clue. But it is what it is. To what you were saying, Boss, it sounds like I made the right call passing up on that festival if it got rained out. After all, while Ren and the others got rained out, I got to stay inside where it was dry and watch the festival on TV with this feisty little spitfire right here." Kusa said, smiling smugly as he nodded towards Futaba while he spoke to indicate he meant her with his 'feisty little spitfire' comment. Futaba frowned at Sojiro's explanation, even as she smiled at Kusa saying he enjoyed watching the festival with her as she spoke up.

"Fireworks, huh? Interesting." Futaba said, as right at that moment, the door to Leblanc opened, making Futaba scurry to the counter to hide behind an amused Kusa, though that amusement quickly faded from his face as he saw who had walked in, as it was none other than Akechi, who spoke up as he saw Ren at the counter, not seeing Kusa at first.

"Hello." Akechi said as Sojiro spoke up in surprise, giving Kusa a warning look as he spoke.

"Oh, hello. Akechi-kun, right? Welcome." Sojiro said as Akechi spoke up, though Kusa wasn't sure at first who Akechi was addressing with what he said next until Akechi looked at Ren while he spoke.

"Oh! You're Amamiya-kun the elder, right?" Akechi said to Ren, making Sojiro blink as he spoke up.

"Huh? You know each other?" Sojiro asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, that they do. Ren just so happened to be interviewed by Akechi-kun here the day he and I went to the set of a TV studio where Akechi-kun happened to be filming a live interview at for our school's social studies trip. After that interview, Ren and Akechi got to talking, and given the fact they exchanged contact info, I'd dare-say they hit it off to some extent. And yet, even if Ren here seems to have taken a liking to him, somehow I find myself on guard around Akechi-kun for some reason." Kusa said, moving so that he was between Futaba and Akechi, just to be safe. Sojiro blinked as he recognized the name Kusa had said and spoke up.

"Wait, aren't you that detective who's on TV a lot?" Sojiro asked. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"I'm Akechi." Akechi said as Sojiro nodded as he spoke up, what he said next making Kusa laugh despite himself.

"Oh yeah, the one on TV and stuff. So what brings you here, Mr. Detective?" Sojiro asked Akechi, who did a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Amamiya-kun the elder over there told me about this place once, so since I had some time, I figured I'd check it out for myself. I must say though, this place is more than I imagined it to be. The atmosphere is wonderful. No wonder Sae-san recommended it so strongly to me as well." Akechi said as Sojiro blinked at Akechi's mention of the prosecutor from before, frowning as he sighed and crossed his arms as he spoke up.

"I already told her everything I know. There's nothing more I got for you people." Sojiro said angrily as Akechi did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Oh no, that's not my intention. I just came to enjoy some coffee." Akechi said reassuringly as Sojiro blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, I see." Sojiro said as Akechi spoke up, noticing Futaba peeking out from behind Kusa, making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Ah, and who is she?" Akechi asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up, not wanting Akechi to have the chance to comment on Futaba's shyness.

"If you must know Akechi-kun, she's Futaba Sakura, Boss' daughter. She's also a good friend of mine, so I'll thank you not to do anything to make her uncomfortable. She's not good around strangers she doesn't know very well, you see. But she's also an excellent judge of character." Kusa said in response to Akechi's question, getting a grateful smile from Futaba for his speaking up for her. Akechi blinked in recognition as he spoke up.

"Oh, you must be Wakaba Isshiki's daughter then." Akechi said as Sojiro spoke up, seeing the glare on Kusa's face and moving to intercede before Kusa did something he might regret later.

"What'll it be?" Sojiro asked Akechi, giving Kusa a look as if to say 'not in front of Futaba!', which Kusa understood and backed off immediately. Akechi spoke up agreeably.

"I'll have whatever you recommend." Akechi said winsomely, not seeing Kusa's eyes narrowed distrustfully at him as he kept Futaba close to him just in case Akechi tried anything funny. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"Coming right up." Sojiro said as he and Kusa went back to prepare Akechi's order, leaving Futaba to hide behind Ren as Akechi spoke up.

"Huh, it seems I'm unwelcome no matter where I go." Akechi said as Ren spoke up in surprise.

"You mean it's not just here? Way I hear it, most everyone is denouncing you right now for criticizing the Phantom Thieves. And to be honest, you should have heeded Kusa's advice before and stopped criticizing the Phantom Thieves. Maybe then you wouldn't be in this situation." Ren said gently to Akechi, who winced in surprise at Ren's remark as he spoke up, surprising Ren and Futaba with what he said next.

"Amamiya-kun the elder, did I bother you? My apologies. Apparently, my mother was in a relationship with some low-life of a man at one point. She was swiftly discarded when he learned she was pregnant. In the end, that despair would lead to her death." Akechi said, unaware of Kusa's eyes widening from in the back at Akechi's story, as aside from Akechi's stating he didn't really know his biological father well, which Kusa could reluctantly relate to, Akechi's story had a few too many similarities to Futaba's backstory for his liking. Akechi kept speaking as if nothing had happened.

"Thanks to him, I was passed from foster home to foster home. But, I do quite well for myself these days." Akechi said as Futaba groaned, not liking that Akechi had something in common with her, in that they were both passed around from home to home. Akechi then spoke up and changed the subject.

"Ah yes, Medjed, the hacktivist group. To think they'd be taken down by another hacker. I'm not sure whether Medjed was defeated by the Phantom Thieves themselves or an avid supporter, not that it matters either way." Akechi said as he turned to Futaba and spoke up gently.

"Ah yes. Um, you're Futaba-chan, right? Sae-san told me about you." Akechi said to Futaba, who said nothing as he kept speaking.

"Many kids your age seem to be fans of the Phantom Thieves, for whatever reason. Do you like them too?" Akechi asked Futaba, who huffed in lieu of answering Akechi, as Kusa walked back out to check on things, looking at Akechi as he spoke up.

"I heard your question from in the back, Akechi. And does it really matter who took down Medjed? Either way, the deed was done by someone a hell of a lot better and far braver than you are. And for the record, if Sae-san is who I think she is, she can kindly keep her slanderous opinions to herself. Boss is not now, nor would he ever be, an abusive man, in ANY sense of the word. And to what you asked Taba, maybe she does, and maybe she doesn't. Either way, she doesn't have to answer questions from the likes of you." Kusa said bluntly to Akechi, who turned to face Futaba, blinking at the look on her face as he spoke up.

"What's the matter?" Akechi said to Futaba, who spoke up at that point, presumably getting strength to do so from Kusa's presence.

"Just so you know, you're popular too, Ace Detective Akechi." Futaba said as Akechi laughed and spoke up.

"Is that so? Eheh, thank you." Akechi said as Kusa spoke up.

"Pretty sure that was sarcasm, Akechi-kun. But if it wasn't, consider yourself blessed that Futaba felt like being nice to you." Kusa said. Akechi spoke up as if he didn't hear Kusa.

"Although to be honest with you, I'd rather not be compared to people like the Phantom Thieves, if at all possible." Akechi said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Why? Afraid that you won't compare favorably to them? I wonder why that would be, considering how much of your time you spend openly criticizing them on TV and in the news. If you want some advice Akechi-kun, lose those negative opinions of yours and open your eyes to the truth. Preferably before you find your heart changed." Kusa warned Akechi, who nodded and spoke up.

"I'll take that under advisement, Amamiya-kun the younger." Akechi said as he sipped his cup of coffee and spoke up.

"Mm, this is delicious. You get to drink this coffee every day? I'm incredibly jealous." Akechi said as Kusa smirked and crossed his arms.

"As you should be, Akechi-kun. Someone like you is far from worthy to be able to appreciate the greatness that is Leblanc and enjoy Boss' coffee and curry every day. And why, you may ask? Because unlike people like you, who are so close-minded it's painful, Boss is a man among men, able to look even those he doesn't care for in the eye and give them the same good coffee he'd give anyone. Boss is one of the rare few who's able to not discriminate one person from the next. He just helps out everyone he meets, because he's that noble of a man." Kusa said bluntly before he nodded towards Futaba as he kept speaking.

"And if we're being honest? Taba here is the really lucky one. Not only did she get blessed with incredible beauty, sharply honed intellect, and incredible wit and insights, but she gets to live with Boss every day and benefit from his wisdom, care and love. Level with me here, Akechi-kun. When was the last time you can honestly say you did something kind for another person purely out of the goodness of your heart?" Kusa asked Akechi, ignoring the gaping and red-faced Futaba next to him. Akechi shrugged as he spoke up.

"Not sure, to be honest. That said, I never would have thought the two of you would be boarding at this cafe together. We seem to share some kind of bond." Akechi said as Ren gave Kusa a look as if to say 'let me do the talking!' before he spoke up.

"I agree, Akechi-kun. Pay Kusa here no mind. He's just extra testy because we've been helping Futaba slowly open up to others, and he's had to spend most of the time being her go-between and keeping things from going too awry during the process, which is a task he takes seriously. And, between us? He's hopelessly smitten with her, even if he won't act on it just yet for whatever noble, selfless reasons he might have." Ren said to Akechi, who chuckled as he spoke up, smirking at the irritated glare Kusa shot Ren for mentioning him being smitten with Futaba in front of both Futaba and Akechi, the latter of whom smirked while he spoke.

"Is that so? Well, heheh, thank you. I believe that fate brings people together. It's strange Amamiya-kun the elder, but talking to you is thought-provoking. But I will admit that what your brother said earlier is also thought-provoking, in its' own way. Well then, I think I found my go-to cafe." Akechi said as Kusa frowned and spoke up in a deadpan tone.

"Is that so? Well then, looks like I found another person to keep a close eye on while they're here." Kusa said pointedly as Akechi and Ren exchanged an awkward wince before Akechi eventually left, Kusa huffing as he escorted Futaba home per her request...

(A short time later, in the evening, on the bottom floor of Leblanc with Ren and Sojiro)

Ren blinked as his phone went off, signifying a private chat from Futaba, making him blink as he read it.

"Come out right now. I'm outside Leblanc with Kusa." Futaba sent as Ren blinked and headed outside to see what was going on, surprised to see Morgana and Kusa standing outside with Futaba, who smiled as she spoke up.

"I wanna light fireworks. Can we? I bought some." Futaba said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Did you do that by yourself, Futaba? Or did you take Morgana with you, since he's with you now? And where was Kusa during all this?" Ren asked. Futaba nodded.

"Mm-hm. I went while Kusa was at the gym blowing off some steam after dealing with Akechi. I ran into Mona by chance on the way back, though. I'll go get Sojiro!" Futaba said as she ran inside to get Sojiro, leaving Ren to look at Kusa as he spoke up.

"So, the gym, huh? I didn't think Akechi would piss you off that badly, Kusa." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"If it'd just been me, I'd have probably just ignored the jackass. But when he started trying to get all friendly with Taba, I had to step in. No disrespect at all to Taba, but we both know she'd never have stood up for herself against him. And that weasel's good at manipulating people to see things his way. I wouldn't put it past him to try and spin things to paint us negatively if we left him alone with Taba.

And I'm not about that. Hence, why I went to go spar some training dummies at the gym to blow off steam. Luckily, Morgana-sensei happened to follow us and followed Taba to the store. Thank you for that, by the way, Morgana." Kusa said gratefully as he gave Morgana some petting as Morgana purred and spoke up with a contented smile.

"You're welcome. And I was worried, so I decided to follow her. She was able to buy everything on her own, though." Morgana said as Kusa nodded.

"Surprisingly. And I'm proud of her for it." Kusa said proudly. Morgana nodded as she spoke up.

"If she can do that, she should be good to go. Plus, she did a good job dodging that ace detective." Morgana said, making Kusa laugh as he spoke up.

"Never mind that, that roast she gave him was top-tier. I mean, even Ryuji would've been able to tell Taba was trolling Akechi, but that idiot had nary a clue. Not to mention the way she threw his popularity in his face like she did? Total genius. I know I say it a lot, but damn I love that girl." Kusa said happily, making Ren and Morgana smirk as they saw Futaba coming out right as Kusa finished speaking up, seemingly dragging Sojiro behind her as she spoke up.

"Sojiro! Hurry, hurry! We're gonna have a firework festival!" Futaba said excitedly as Sojiro sputtered and spoke up.

"Hold on, Futaba. I haven't even put out my cigarette yet, after all." Sojiro said as both he and Futaba came out in time to hear the latter half of Kusa's remark about Futaba, namely his declaration of 'but damn I love that girl', making Sojiro smirk as he knew Kusa meant Futaba, while Futaba blinked at who Kusa could've meant, not realizing that it was her that Kusa was referring to with his declaration. A short time later, Futaba and Ren were letting off sparklers, much to the chagrin of Morgana, who got too close to watch, and ended up getting a ton of second-hand smoke to the face, making him cough and wheeze as he spoke up.

"C'mon, don't get the smoke on me!" Morgana said as Kusa laughed, gently picking up Morgana as he spoke up.

"You're the one who wanted to get an up-close and personal look at the sparklers, silly. You could've kept a distance so as not to get all that smoke in your face. But I got you now." Kusa said fondly as he gently patted Morgana on the head, getting a content purr from the not-cat for his efforts. Futaba smiled as she grabbed two sparklers at once and spoke up happily, not seeing the pleased look on Kusa's face as he watched her play with the sparklers.

"Super double move! Wheeee!" Futaba said as Morgana spoke up once more as the smoke was now pointing up into his face.

"Will you listen to-?" Morgana spoke up before he cut himself off to cough once more at the amount of smoke blowing at him. Sojiro frowned as he spoke up.

"Hey, the cat doesn't like the smoke! Keep the flames away from him." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"He's the one who wanted to see the sparklers, though, so it's partly his own fault. Curiosity killed the cat, they say." Kusa said, giving Morgana an apologetic look as he spoke while mouthing 'play along!' so only Morgana could hear, getting an understanding nod from the not-cat in question. Futaba nodded, speaking up happily in child-like wonder.

"Daaaaang! I made a huge one!" Futaba said happily before turning to Sojiro as she kept speaking.

"Sojiro, look! Look!" Futaba said happily as Sojiro nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"R-Right. Just be careful, okay?" Sojiro said before chuckling as he kept speaking up.

"Memories of summer, huh?" Sojiro said fondly as Kusa nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yep, pretty much. Though just think, this time tomorrow, these might not even be Taba's most cherished memories anymore." Kusa said sagely as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Okeydokey, I'm gonna do ten now!" Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Don't over-do it now, Taba. And let me take Morgana inside first before you do that, since he can't handle the smoke." Kusa said as he quickly ran Morgana inside and set him down on the sofa before running back downstairs and outside to watch Futaba let off more sparklers. After a while, Futaba was finally satisfied as she walked home with Sojiro, while Ren and Kusa headed back inside and upstairs where Morgana huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, dammit. Does she think I'm some kind of toy?" Morgana asked Kusa, who spoke up as he looked Morgana in the eyes apologetically while he spoke.

"Nah, she thinks you're Morgana, adorable and wise sensei to the Phantom Thieves. She only prods and pokes you like that because she likes you and is curious about you. I am sorry about the smoke, however. I'll try to encourage her not to have smoke so close to you in the future. And also, sorry about having to act like you were a cat back there. It's easier to explain it that way for now, since I don't know if Boss would buy you being cursed to lose your true form or understand half of the involved principles.

Heck, to be honest, I'm not even sure Taba fully grasps it." Kusa said, getting an understanding nod from Morgana as Ren went downstairs to answer a call about his Persona in lock down, which he made a note to go pick up. At that point, he headed upstairs in time for his and Kusa's phones to go off with a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"All right, we're going to the beach tomorrow!" Ryuji sent. Ann sent a response.

"I've been anticipating this for so long!" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"We'll be entrusting care of Futaba to you and Kusa, Ren." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"All right. To be honest, I'm a bit worried, but I think it'll work out." Ren said as Kusa sent a response.

"Relax, Ren. It'll totally work out. Worst case, if anyone comes up tryin' anything with Taba, I'll knock them the eff out. Between us, she should be just fine." Kusa sent confidently, laughing at what Futaba sent next.

"Don't worry, Ren. I'll be there to keep you safe, mwehehe. Also, why are you always so good to me Kusa?" Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I only ask that you try not to get separated from each other in the crowd, OK?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Relax, Yusuke! I'll make sure Taba stays close by me as much as I can. And to your question Taba, do I need a reason to make sure my best friend is happy and healthy? Am I not just allowed to care about you from the goodness of my heart? Whether you believe it or not, I do actually care about you Taba." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"No worries, Inari. And you care about me, Kusa!? I knew you had feelings for me and liked me, but I didn't realize you cared for me!? Were you referring to me before perchance, when I heard you saying 'damn, I love that girl!'?" Futaba sent as Kusa blinked and sent a response.

"You heard that!? And honestly? Yes, I was referring to you with that remark, Futaba." Kusa sent as Futaba blinked and sent a response.

"I...wow. Anyways, I've already made preparations for when that happens." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"When!? Don't you mean 'if' that happens, Taba?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"For real, Kusa! That don't make me feel better at all, Futaba." Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away to avoid the lengthy text chat between Kusa, Ryuji and Futaba. Morgana then spoke up.

"Make sure you and Kusa keep an eye on her. It's tough enough going solo, let alone watching someone else. But I'm confident you and Kusa are up to the task. Still, going to enjoy the beach, in the summer no less. We can finally have a good time!" Morgana said as Ren nodded to check his chats. Kusa then saw Morgana frowning and spoke up.

"What's up, Morgana?" Kusa asked Morgana, who winced as he spoke up.

"Ugh, my fur reeks of smoke now. Dammit Futaba, why did you have to do that by me? Well, at least she seemed like she was having fun out there, but still this sucks. Guh." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and gave Morgana some consolation head pats while he spoke up.

"I'm sorry about your fur. If not for the fact you don't like water, I'd offer to take you down to the bathhouse and wash your fur myself, or I can take you down and gently wash your fur in the bathroom sink if you'd prefer. Otherwise, I'm not sure what to tell you." Kusa said to Morgana, who spoke up.

"If it's you, I think I can handle being bathed in the bathroom sink." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and gently scooped up Morgana, taking him down to wash him. After Kusa finished that, Ren spoke up.

"I need to go check the aojiru stand real quick, but after that, you wanna go get a late-night burger from Big Bang together while I try to tackle the last level of the Big Bang Challenge, since we don't have much else going on tonight?" Ren asked Kusa, who shrugged as he carefully dried off Morgana from his bath, enjoying the contented purring the not-cat gave off under the towel as Kusa carefully dried him off. After he finished, Kusa spoke up.

"That sounds like a plan to me, Ren. If nothing else, it's free food and a chance to see you better yourself. Hopefully this time, you conquer the final step. I've heard no one's conquered it yet. So, shall we?" Kusa said as Ren nodded, the two heading to the Big Bang Burger...

(A short time later, at the Big Bang Burger with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Ren and Kusa walked in to the Big Bang Burger, as Kusa got a seat with Morgana while Ren went to place their order, which was a burger for Kusa and the final stage of the Big Bang Challenge for Ren. After Ren confirmed his intention of taking the challenge, the employee at the counter smiled and spoke up.

"Certainly, sir. Now then, go take a seat! And good luck!" The employee said as Ren nodded, sitting with Kusa and Morgana. Eventually, the waitress came out and spoke up.

"Thank you very much for taking the Big Bang Challenge once again. This is the final task before you can ascend to the rank of Captain. Our store's behemoth burger stands in your way! A meal of leviathan proportions, that few have dared attempt, and none of which have ever conquered it. Actually, according to our records, you tried it once before and failed since you were only a 2nd Mate at the time, but now that you're a 1st Mate, you might have better luck?

Either way, here's your opponent! Behold, the Cosmic Tower Burger!" The waitress said as she unveiled the burger, not seeing Kusa's jaw drop next to Ren at the sheer size of the massive burger facing Ren. Morgana, for his part, was also stunned as he spoke up.

"Th-That's incredible, and it's massive. Holy crap, I'm honestly at a loss for words right now." Morgana said as Kusa smiled, gently giving Morgana some comforting pats as he smiled and spoke up to Ren.

"Well, it's all you, Ren! Good luck bro! Morgana and I will be sitting here giving you moral support while I enjoy my non-cosmic sized burger." Kusa said to Ren as the waitress spoke up.

"Indeed. This burger is the ultimate embodiment of the limitless nature of space! The volume, the flavor, even the calories, heck every aspect of this burger is astronomical! That said, if you can succeed at eating the entire thing, you'll be presented with an extraordinary gift." The waitress said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren and Kusa could hear.

"I wonder if anyone's actually ever finished it, though?" Morgana asked as Kusa chuckled and spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Probably not, though I heard a rumor that Kasumi tried it once and came super close to finishing, but came up just short in the end. So if Ren manages to finish it, not only will he avenge his own defeat by that burger, but he'll also be avenging his crush's defeat as well." Kusa said with an amused smirk, seeing the determined look in Ren's face as he stared down the Cosmic Tower Burger. The waitress smirked, seeing what Kusa was trying to do as she spoke up.

"Well then, it's time to get the thirty-minute Big Bang Challenge started! Ready? Get Set? GO!" The waitress said as a whistle blew to start the timer as Ren dug into the burger, musing on how tough of a battle it was, but steeling himself as he was determined to win and avenge not only his own honor, but Kasumi's honor as well. Morgana then spoke up.

"I'm rooting for you, Ren. And remember, nobody will think any less of you if you give up partway through." Morgana said as Kusa slyly smirked and spoke up.

"Well, no one other than maybe Kasumi, and probably Akechi. I heard the former tried and failed to conquer that burger, but came super close, and I've no doubt Akechi would be quite amused to see you fail at that burger. Let's prove him wrong, yeah Ren?" Kusa said encouragingly, seeing the motivation in Ren's eyes as he kept going. After a longish struggle, to Kusa and Morgana's stunned shock, the ultimate victory fanfare played a short time later as Ren smirked, looking down at the now-empty plate that once contained a Cosmic Tower Burger. Ren grinned, satisfied with himself for somehow eating the entire thing. Morgana gasped and spoke up.

"W-Whoa! I have no idea how, but somehow you've done it again, Ren! You even conquered the unconquerable! You took down the Cosmic Tower Burger!" Morgana said as Kusa grinned and spoke up.

"I knew he could do it, once I brought up that rumor about Kasumi. I may or may not have lied about Akechi expecting him to fail, however. But I figure that gave him the extra push he needed to get past the burger, so I think he'll forgive me this once for that." Kusa said with a smug grin as Ren nodded his agreement while he spoke up.

"Nah, it's fine Kusa. I knew you were lying about the Akechi part, since he told me himself he couldn't care less about Big Bang Burger." Ren said knowingly. At that point, a flabbergasted waitress came out to congratulate Ren.

"You've done it! My sincerest congratulations on completing the final challenge! Since you've managed to topple the Cosmic Tower Burger, previously thought to be unconquerable, I present to you, Amamiya-kun the elder, toppler of burgers, the highest-ranked certification available here: The 'Captain Badge'!" The waitress said as she handed Ren the 'Captain's Badge', which turned out to be an accessory. She then kept speaking.

"And as a bonus, to the baron who defeated this challenge, we present to you, on the house, our world-famous Big Bang Burger! We hope you enjoy the taste of victory." The waitress said as Ren got 10 'Big Bang Burger' items. The waitress spoke up once more.

"Please come again! You are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. No more challenges await you here, but please do the challenge again and show us how gallant you are! All of us here at Big Bang Burger sincerely await your return!" The waitress said to Ren before turning and walking off as Morgana grinned and spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"I knew you could do it! You beat the Cosmic Tower! You were so admirable, taking on such a daunting task with that intense level of courage!" Morgana said as Ren's Guts got a sizable boost from the Big Bang Challenge. Morgana kept speaking at that point.

"Nice! Your pace, your strategy of using well-timed drinks, and just the spectacular way you devoured it, Ren. Everything was perfect!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, getting boosts to his Knowledge, Proficiency, and Charm, the latter boost being sufficient to boost Ren's Charm from Rank 4, which was 'Suave', to rank 5, which was 'Debonair', and which was also labeled as 'RANK MAX' for Charm. Ren smirked as he spoke up.

"Sweet! I think I just maxed out my Charm! Let's see Kasumi resist this now!" Ren said, doing a smug, charming grin that had Kusa laughing as he spoke up.

"Oh yeah, you definitely maxed your Charm stat, all right. Why else would you have that smug and condescending of a presence to you now? Granted, it's not as bad as Akechi's, but it's still rather up there." Kusa joked. Ren rolled his eyes and spoke up. *3*

"Ha freaking ha, Kusa. But thank you. I appreciate your support." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Now that the excitement's over, shall we head back? It's getting kinda late, I'm full from watching you, and we have a beach trip tomorrow." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, after which Ren paid the bill, Kusa carried out the leftovers, and the trio went back to Leblanc to get settled down for the night...

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

"Futaba will be in yours and Kusa's care today, Ren. Make sure you don't let any dudes try to hit on her." Sojiro said as Ren laughed at how protective Sojiro was being before he spoke up to reassure Sojiro.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I have a feeling Kusa will clobber any guy who even looks in Futaba's general direction, so Futaba is quite safe with us, Boss." Ren said reassuringly, making Morgana laugh in Ren's bag at his remark. Luckily for Ren, Futaba and Kusa were further off in the distance talking about the beach and didn't hear Ren's comment, the former staring at the ground for some reason. Sojiro frowned as he spoke up.

"I believe you, but summer beaches are filled with all sorts of idiots letting loose. I need you to stay by her side." Sojiro said as Futaba turned to Ren and Sojiro and spoke up impatiently, clearly ready to go, as Kusa smirked from next to her.

"Hey, can we go already?" Futaba asked as Sojiro spoke up once more.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Sojiro said as Futaba stamped her foot petulantly as she spoke up, making Kusa chuckle fondly as she spoke.

"It's just a day trip! Don't underestimate me!" Futaba said as Kusa chuckled and put an arm around Futaba's waist while he spoke up.

"Chill, Taba. He's just trying to look out for you because he worries about you, you know. We'll get going soon enough. I'm sure you're excited to enjoy the beach, after all. I'm sure it's gonna prove to be one heck of an amazing view." Kusa said with a knowing wink to Futaba, who blinked at his comment before giggling as she spoke up.

"You're funny, Kusa. But you're not wrong. I might be uneasy about this swimsuit the girls picked for me, but way I hear it, you've been getting in shape for this trip, so I'm actually kind of excited to see the results." Futaba said honestly, making Kusa chuckle as he spoke up.

"Oh don't worry, you'll get to see the results, all right. Just try not to be TOO floored when you see them." Kusa said with a laugh. Sojiro chuckled as he spoke up.

"R-Right, sorry. I worry about you, but I guess I have to let it go and accept you're growing up, Futaba. Have fun, but be careful, you three." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded as they headed for the beach with Futaba in tow...

(Later that morning, at the beach, with Yusuke, Ren, Ryuji, Kusa, Morgana, Makoto, Ann, and Futaba)

As Ren cooled his neck with a can of soda he'd purchased, Yusuke was sitting in a hooded shirt, looking out at the view in the distance, ignoring the skeptical look on Kusa's face next to him as Ryuij spoke up.

"Man, it's packed around here. Hopefully we weren't too hasty in getting Futaba ready for this." Ryuji said. Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"Nah, man. I'm pretty sure Taba's as ready as she's ever gonna be for this. I might be concerned for her, but I do it because I care. That said, what I don't get is why Yusuke felt the need to wear a freaking hoodie to the beach. Who does that?" Kusa said in confusion as Yusuke made a frame around Ryuji's face with his fingers, getting a confused look from the blonde in question. Fortunately for Yusuke, he was saved having to answer Kusa's question by the sound of Ann's voice as she spoke up.

"Sorry for the wait, boys. Here we are." Ann said as the guys turned to where Ann's voice had come from, prompting Yusuke and Ryuji's jaws to drop at the sight of Ann's bikini, and of course Ann in said bikini. Kusa just nodded approvingly at Makoto and Ann's bikinis, briefly sparing the two an appraising glance before his eyes, which were hidden behind the sunglasses he'd gotten for his birthday recently, went back to scanning uncertainly for the sight of the still-missing redhead who'd went into the changing rooms with Makoto and Ann.

As Ryuji and Yusuke and Ren came forward for a closer look, Ann and Kusa both started laughing at the sight of the popsicle stick in Ryuji's mouth suddenly standing straight up at the sight of Ann's form-fitting two-piece multi-colored bikini, Ryuji's eyes wide as he looked Ann over while Ren just smiled approvingly at how good Ann and Makoto looked, idly wishing they'd been able to also invite Kasumi, but knowing full well that it wasn't possible due to how much she was busy with training. Ann, for her part, walked over and threw an arm around Ryuji's neck as she laughed and started punching him in the abs as she spoke up.

"How about now? Got a better opinion of me now!? What!? Cat got your tongue? C'mon!" Ann said as Ren blinked, realizing why Kusa was still scanning the crowd and smirked as he spoke up.

"Um, are we missing one of you girls? Or is Kusa idly scanning the crowd for no reason?" Ren joked, as Kusa wordlessly flipped Ren off while continuing to watch for Futaba, getting an amused chuckle from Ryuji for his efforts. Makoto just nodded towards a nearby changing room where footsteps could be heard as the group spotted two just-visible sandal-clad feet wearing orange and white sandals, which the guys guessed were Futaba's, making Ryuji gulp, as if nervous for a big reveal.

Kusa huffed as he focused his gaze on the booth in question as it opened up, the missing redhead in question walking out, Ren and Ryuji blinking at the sight of Futaba's bikini-clad figure, though Kusa's jaw was full-on dropped at the sight, as he wasn't expecting it to hug her figure so well or look so good on her. But before he could be too stunned, he blinked as he looked up and saw the wrap covering every inch of Futaba's head. Kusa then frowned in a mix of confusion and shock as he spoke up.

"Wait, why the eff is Taba walking around with a towel wrapped over her head!? Is that supposed to be her approximation of her favorite mask!? Yeesh." Kusa said in surprise, laughing as Ryuji's popsicle stick literally fell out of his mouth as his jaw also dropped at the sight of the wrap on Futaba's head as the red-head in question spoke up in a muffled voice.

"Thish is perfect!" Futaba said in a partially muffled tone as she blindly walked towards the others, Kusa gently walking forward to put an arm around Futaba's waist and guide her to the group.

"This way, Taba. I got ya." Kusa said gently as he guided her to the group where an amused Makoto shook her head and spoke up.

"There's nothing perfect about that, Futaba-chan. Even Kusa disagrees with it." Makoto said as she walked forward to undo the wrap, as Futaba gave indecipherable sounds of what seemed to be protest as Makoto chuckled and spoke up, ignoring the indignant look on Kusa's face at Makoto using him as an example as she spoke.

"Stay still for a second. You'll be just fine." Makoto said as she unwrapped the wrap so Futaba could see. Kusa looked on as Makoto undid the wrap, while Yusuke once more used his fingers to frame the moment, making Kusa huff at him but keep his eyes on Futaba. Eventually the wrap came off to reveal a uncertain, but smiling, Futaba, who looked towards the guys, not really looking much at Ryuji or Yusuke, blinking slightly as she looked Ren over despite herself, before her gaze landed on Kusa's chest, where her jaw dropped slightly as she saw the small but defined six-pack abs Kusa was sporting, which showed the signs of potentially becoming an eight-pack eventually.

The sight of Kusa's physique had the result of making Futaba's eyes widen as she looked Kusa over, while Kusa himself was blinking at how well the bikini the girls had picked brought out her eyes in that moment, making him have to keep his eyes firmly on Futaba's eyes, rather than wanting to look her over from head to toe, despite that being his first instinct. Eventually, Futaba's gaze landed on Ren and Kusa's eyes, her face eventually settling into a soft, if rather shy, smile as she looked at the two. After the group gathered together, eventually setting out some beach chairs to sit on, Ryuji spoke up in a whiny-sounding voice.

"It's so hoooooot though." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up, giving Ryuji an amused grin while he spoke.

"That's why it's called the sun, Ryuji. And the sun heats up sand, hence why it's hot. That said, why are you complaining? We're at the beach, yeah? And I'd say it was worth the wait, just by the look on Futaba's face alone as she came out of that changing room, or more accurately after Makoto got that wrap off her head and she actually looked around. I don't think I've ever seen Taba smile like that before. So if she can handle it, so can you. So suck it up, buttercup." Kusa said in an amused tone. Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa-kun. Also, there's a lot of people here. Are you okay, Futaba?" Makoto asked Futaba, who looked at Makoto uncertainly as she spoke up slowly.

"I'm fine. You guys are here, after all." Futaba said as Kusa nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"That's right. We are here. And we're not going anywhere." Kusa said reassuringly. Ann spoke up at that point.

"Exactly. Oh right, it's almost lunchtime." Ann said as a woman nearby squealed as she spoke up, drawing the group's attention.

"Nooo, the squid's staring at me." The woman said as the man with her spoke up.

"It's cooked, so don't worry. Would you even eat squid if I'm not around?" The man said as the group sweatdropped and Ann spoke up.

"Why don't we eat lunch too?" Ann suggested as the others nodded. Ryuji spoke up.

"I'll go get some stuff for us then." Ryuji said as Futaba reached into the bag she'd brought and pulled out a bowl of Sojiro's curry, to Yusuke's surprise, as he spoke up.

"You're eating that even here?" Yusuke asked Futaba in surprise, eyes wide. Futaba nodded and spoke up, giving Yusuke one of the few smiles he could recall seeing aimed at him while she spoke.

"Yep. It's my staple food. Eating it even here is comforting." Futaba said as Kusa nodded, frowning at Yusuke as he spoke up.

"Why are you so surprised, Yusuke? You should've guessed she'd bring some curry. And if it makes her more comfortable out here, I'm not against it at all." Kusa said bluntly as the group had their own lunch. Yusuke eventually spoke up.

"This should be a familiar flavor, yet how does it taste so good?" Yusuke asked as Ryuji frowned and looked over at Makoto, who hadn't seemed to eat very much, while he spoke up.

"What's up, Makoto? You ain't eatin' much. You all right?" Ryuji asked Makoto in concern, making her blink in surprise as she looked at him, not expecting Ryuji to be concerned for her, making her flush a bit in embarrassment and surprise as she spoke up.

"Oh, um..." Makoto said, trailing off shyly as she was unsure how to answer Ryuji, who spoke up once more.

"Not feelin' well or somethin'?" Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up.

"You just don't get it, do you Ryuji? When a girl's in a swimsuit, she wants to look as slim as possible." Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"While you're not wrong, how in the eff do you even figure something like that out, Morgana!? I mean, we don't see Taba trying to look slim over here. But then to be fair, she's already pretty damn slim and slender as is, so she doesn't have to try very hard. And while it is a very good look on her, she can afford to let herself go just a bit. But I give you kudos for trying to be considerate and respectful of the ladies, Morgana." Kusa said approvingly, laughing as he felt Futaba lightly swat him on the arm as she spoke up with an adorable pout.

"Hey! I can so try to slim a bit if I want to, Kusa! But, um, I do appreciate the compliment." Futaba said shyly as Kusa spoke up with a laugh as he smiled at Futaba.

"I wasn't saying you couldn't slim, Taba. I was saying you should try to be healthy about it. After all, no sense making yourself sick just to try and make yourself extra beautiful, which is not at all necessary, since you're already plenty beautiful the way you are, if you ask me." Kusa said sagely, ignoring the amused grins on Ann, Ren, and Ryuji's faces as he complimented Futaba. Morgana turned to Makoto as he kept speaking, his next words making Kusa and Futaba both have to keep from facefaulting.

"Still, you're worrying too much. Did you make sure to eat breakfast?" Morgana said as Futaba spoke up.

"Mona lacks tact." Futaba said as Kusa burst out laughing before he gently corrected Futaba.

"Morgana lacks tact, you mean. We don't use those other names outside of the Metaverse, Taba. Do try to remember that, won't you? Otherwise, I agree with you 100%. I think sometimes he and Ryuji could have a most tactless buffoon competition, and it'd be surprisingly close between them." Kusa said jokingly as he smiled at Futaba. Ryuji grinned as he spoke up, surprisingly not reacting to the not-so-subtle shot Kusa had taken at him and Morgana.

"So, whadda we do now? Should we play some beach volleyball?" Ryuji asked as Ann smiled and spoke up in a slightly regretful tone.

"Oh, sorry. Us girls already made plans to ride a banana boat." Ann said as Kusa blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Those are real? I've heard about those, but never really seen one, much less rode on one. That's cool, though. Have fun with that, Taba." Kusa said happily to Futaba. Makoto spoke up sheepishly, her gaze slightly regretful.

"Unfortunately, we could only rent a three-person one. Sorry about that, guys." Makoto said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Wait, what? Then what about us guys?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up sagely.

"Clearly, the four of us can play something or work on our tans. If it comes to it, I'm sure Morgana's more than capable of refereeing. If nothing else, he's got the right color scheme for it." Kusa joked. Ann smirked and spoke up.

"Keep an eye on our stuff." Ann said teasingly as she got up, Ryuji following suit shortly after as he scoffed and spoke up.

"Pfft! Hell no! Why you gotta treat us like that!?" Ryuji said as Kusa winced at Ryuji's words, especially after what he said next.

"We're celebrities makin' headlines! You should treat us better!" Ryuji said and Kusa glared at him, lowering his shades so he could stare into Ryuji's eyes over his shades, fixing Ryuji with an unimpressed frown as he spoke up.

"And YOU should quit playing the celebrity card, Ryuji! How many times have I said we shouldn't let our fame go to our heads!? Yet despite that, you seem to be enamored with your fame. Ugh, at least Morgana-sensei doesn't let his fame go to his head, or Ren, or Yusuke. Hell, even I don't do that." Kusa said dryly, making the girls laugh at his roast of Ryuji. Futaba giggled as she walked over and high-fived Kusa, having heard his roast of Ryuji, before speaking up with an amused smile.

"Top-tier roast, as always, my apprentice! I give it a 10/10!" Futaba said as Kusa laughed and spoke up with a wink.

"You are too kind, my Master. It is I who should be humbled that I was able to hone my roasting skills at the feet of an oracle of the roasting arts like yourself." Kusa said playfully, smirking at the stunned look on Futaba's face as he spoke up.

"You do know I'm just playing with you, right Taba?" Kusa asked as Futaba shook herself and nodded.

"Yeah, I do. I was just shocked for a moment at how well you pulled off an Anakin Skywalker tone there with your response, Kusa. Methinks someone watches a bit too much Star Wars." Futaba said teasingly as Kusa laughed, giving Futaba an amused grin while he spoke up.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Taba. When it comes to a classic series like Star Wars, is there really such a thing as too much?" Kusa pointed out sagely as Futaba blinked and nodded, shyly smiling while she spoke up.

"Ah, touche. Well played, Kusa." Futaba said with a smile as Makoto spoke up.

"I do think they're not bad in the Metaverse, but in reality, eh, not so much? Strange, isn't it?" Makoto said to Ann, referring to the boys, but keeping her voice down so said boys wouldn't hear, though if the frown on Kusa's face afterwards was any indication, she hadn't quite succeeded. Ann nodded as she spoke up.

"Ah, yep. They can steal treasures, but other than maybe Kusa, they don't seem like they can steal a girl's heart after all. Oh, and probably Ren as well, considering I'm sure he's made good progress at stealing Yoshizawa-san's heart." Ann said teasingly as Morgana went wide-eyed at Ann's remark and spoke up.

"B-But, that can't be right! Lady Ann, surely you jest?" Morgana said as Kusa chuckled at Morgana.

"Oh Morgana, my silly sensei. You may be a master of the Metaverse, but when it comes to the ladies? You have about as much to learn about them as the rest of us men do, methinks. Well, other than Ren. I'm pretty sure Yoshizawa would be giving a rather glowing review of his understanding of ladies right about now if we asked her." Kusa said jokingly. Futaba giggled as she smiled at Kusa before speaking up.

"As much as I enjoy Kusa's wit, and those abs, can we get to the banana boat already?" Futaba asked, not seeing Kusa smirk behind her at her mentioning his abs specifically. Makoto blinked and stood up as she spoke up.

"Oh, sorry. We'll go now." Makoto said as Ann turned to the guys, a closed-eye smile on her face as she spoke up.

"We'll switch when we're done. Keep an eye on our stuff for us!" Ann called to the guys as the girls walked off to their banana boat, missing the sight of a smirking Kusa walking over and getting money from both Ren and Ryuji as a result, the both of whom were frowning at Kusa managing to win a bet against them. Kusa laughed as he could hear Futaba yelling out, "Oh! BANANA! BANANA!" as she raced towards the banana boat, ignoring Makoto telling her not to rush. His attention was drawn by Ryuji huffing as he spoke up.

"Dammit, guys. They don't get how amazin' we are. We risk our lives bein' Phantom Thieves. There's no way we're the same as other guys around here." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up, glaring at Ryuji over his shades while he spoke.

"First of all, will you QUIT yelling that so loudly!? You're lucky this is a beach. And yes, the public might have a high opinion of us now, but I recall about a month and a half ago, if even that, the same was true for Akechi-kun, and look at what the public thinks of him now. That should be proof enough that public opinion can flip on a dime out of nowhere. As such, I try not to buy into fame too much.

Sure, it's great we're in the public's eye now, but all I worry about is that we're giving people courage and inspiration that need it, like we did with Futaba. Because to be honest? It's moments like the one where she turned that smile of hers at us that make what we do worthwhile, at least in my opinion." Kusa said bluntly. Ryuji, for his part, just huffed as he spoke up while Ren nodded his agreement to Kusa's comment while Ryuji spoke.

"True, but even so, shouldn't we be havin' more good times in reality too!?" Ryuji said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"While I do agree we could get more respect, I have to agree with Kusa that you're getting just a tad full of yourself, Ryuji. But even so, and with apologies to Kusa, you do have a point." Ren said agreeably as Kusa huffed before eventually nodding his understanding as he spoke up.

"Whatever. I can't be mad at you for trying to keep the peace, Ren. But be careful that you don't let Ryuji use that tendency to get you into trouble. I'd say the same of Yusuke, but I doubt he'd let himself be led like that. He might be eccentric, but damn if he doesn't have a backbone on him and a good head on his shoulders." Kusa said sagely. Ryuji grinned at Ren as he spoke up.

"Right, Ren!? Don't you agree, Yusuke?" Ryuji asked Yusuke, who surprised Kusa with what he said next, getting a huff from him as he spoke.

"Well, to be honest? If you put it that way, you may be right." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Ann and the others don't get it 'cause they're always around us." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up, giving Ryuji an intrigued look as he spoke up.

"Hey, how do we get Lady Ann to notice how amazing we are as the Phantom Thieves!?" Morgana asked Ryuji, who looked at the not-cat with a serious expression as he spoke up.

"Well, we gotta steal, well, you-know-what." Ryuji said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"I'm not sure if you mean treasure or hearts with that, Ryuji. At least, I'd hope it's one of the first two, since I get the feeling that Kusa might just have conniptions if you meant swimsuits." Ren said, ignoring the sputtered mutterings of what sounded like 'Wh-wha!? Don't speak for me!' from Kusa at his remark. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, no. I meant hearts. As much as it could be funny to steal swimsuits, it'd just get us beat up by the girls, so it's not really worth the suffering it'd bring. That said, Ann made fun of us and all. Let's show her what we're really made of." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"I see. I just need to prove my skills in reality as well, then." Morgana said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up.

"In that case, let's steal all the hearts with the skills we've honed as the Phantom Thieves!" Ryuji said as Kusa sputtered and spoke up.

"Ryuji! Would you quit yelling those words so loudly!? You know by now that's a dumb idea and you shouldn't do it...Oh, forget it. Why do I bother to reprimand you? It's not like you listen to a word of it. But regardless, if you lot want to partake of that inane scheme that's likely going to just end in a mountain of strikeouts, be my guest. As for me, I will stay here and watch our stuff, as the five of us were asked to do in the first place. Plus this way, I can work on my tan a bit, because why not?" Kusa said flatly, refusing to be part of Ryuji's inane scheme. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.

"If you say so Kusa, but I'm sure girls will be all over us, considering the vibes we give off!" Ryuji said persuasively as Yusuke stood up and spoke up.

"Very well, let's do this. Pulling off our work in reality doesn't sound bad." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up with a nod.

"It's settled then. So, that said, Mona, you and Kusa are in charge of watching our stuff, since Kusa's refusing to partake in the mission like the prude he is." Ryuji said in a satisfied tone after Ren and Morgana nodded their agreement, while Kusa just huffed as he ignored both Ryuji calling Morgana by his code name along with the subtle dig at him from Ryuji. Instead, Kusa just frowned before he sat in one of the chairs, slid his shades back over his eyes, and laid back to work on his tan while watching the group's stuff, pointedly not speaking to Ryuji. Morgana blinked as he spoke up in shock.

"Huh?" Morgana said in shock as Ryuji turned to Yusuke and Ren as he spoke up.

"All right, let's hurry up and go." Ryuji said as Ren and Yusuke walked off, leaving a sputtering Morgana behind as he spoke up.

"Hey! What the hell!? Get back here! Don't leave me behind!" Morgana yelled at the retreating guys. Kusa laughed as he spoke up while trying to console Morgana with some comforting head pats.

"It's fine, Morgana. You don't need their inane schemes or their buffoonery. Eventually, you'll find a girl who'll accept you just the way you are, even if she's not necessarily Ann. Trust me on this. After all, my instincts haven't really been wrong much yet, have they?" Kusa said to Morgana, who sighed and nodded as he sat down with Kusa to watch the girls' stuff as the other guys proceed to strike out time and time again, just as Kusa had predicted would happen. Eventually, the three stood by the edge of the water as Ryuji spoke up.

"Ugh. I dunno, the ocean just looks kinda bland to me, somehow." Ryuji said as Ren gave Ryuji a comforting smile as he spoke up.

"Feel better yet, man?" Ren asked Ryuji, who frowned at Ren as he spoke up.

"Don't say that like I'm the only one who messed up! We were goin' at it as a team, right!?" Ryuji said to Ren as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Hm? Did someone follow us here? Something tells me we're being watched right about now." Yusuke said ominously as Ryuij spoke up hopefully.

"Really? You think, maybe one of those girls changed her mind?" Ryuji asked hopefully as Ren and Yusuke winced at what they saw behind Ryuji. At that point a familiar voice spoke up, or at least it was familiar to Ren and Ryuji.

"O-M-G. It's the golden boy himself!" Ryuji and Ren heard as Yusuke walked off on his own. Another, equally familiar, voice, answered the first.

"And he's already got his own little entourage! We really did teach him right, didn't we?" Ren and Ryuji heard, as they turned in horror to see Angel and Julian approaching them as Ryuji groaned and spoke up in horror.

"You!? Oh no, for real!? Why here, of all places? What are YOU guys doin' here!?" Ryuji said in disbelief. Angel eventually spoke up after a bit.

"Sometimes we just gotta get out of the city! Forget the nightlife, breathe fresh air, enjoy some eye candy, things like that! Come to think of it, I don't see that guy with the ponytail with you this time. Did you leave him behind?" Angel said as Julian spoke up before Ren could do more than frown at Angel's subtle dig at Kusa.

"We thought we'd lost our protege! Who would've guessed our vay-cay was actually the call of fate!" Julian said as Angel spoke up once more.

"Aw, what's with the look? Don't believe in fate? Or did you really not have fun last time?" Angel said as Julian spoke up.

"You gonna tell us you saw yourself in all that chiffon and felt nothing?" Julian asked as Ryuji gulped as he spoke up.

"Um, I-I don't think I felt what you guys were hopin', to be honest." Ryuji said as Angel spoke up.

"Aw, honey, I get it. Everyone's nervous when they first start out, but trust me. You'll make their jaws drop!" Angel said as Julian spoke up.

"Just an hour at the vanity, three hours at the boutique, and we can just pick up where we left off last time. So, that said, are you ready to steal some hearts?' Julian asked. Ren and Ryuji exchanged horrified looks as Ryuji spoke up.

"Uh, we gotta go! Sorry!" Ryuji said as he and Ren ran off in horror as Julian spoke up in disappointment.

"Was it something I said, Angel? Ugh, what a tragedy. Another starlet slips through our fingers." Julian said as Ren and Ryuji ran far away from the two, eventually stopping once they were a safe distance away as Ryuji hunched over to catch his breath, speaking up as he did so.

"Ugh! No! No more makeovers! Ughhh! And by the way, where's Yusuke?" Ryuji asked Ren, who shrugged, realizing they'd not seen Yusuke in a few minutes. As if summoned by Ryuji talking about him, Yusuke walked over, a huge writhing live lobster in each hand, and a satisfied smirk on his face as he spoke up.

"So this is where you two were. I've been searching for you." Yusuke said as Ryuji slumped over before speaking up.

"Uh, what're you doin' with those lobsters?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"While you were busy with your interrogation, I found these beautiful specimens on sale. And so, I decided to spend the last of my money on them." Yusuke said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Man, you're real hopeless when it comes to cash, Yusuke." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Maybe I can have Kusa give him some pointers to help him get better?" Ren suggested. Ryuji blinked as he had a more important thought occur to him.

"Wait, you were watchin' us!? Why didn't you help!?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"Apologies, but I was entranced. The moment I set eyes on this distinct shape, I was in love. I haven't had my very core shaken as vigorously as this since the first time Ann entered my gaze." Yusuke said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up in a deadpan tone.

"Good for you." Ryuji said, looking disappointed in Yusuke...

(Meanwhile, elsewhere on the beach with Ann and Makoto)

"We're here with friends." Makoto said as one of the men looking her and Ann over spoke up.

"C'mon, don't lie to us, baby. How about you come for a nice cruise on our boat?" The pretentious man said to Makoto and Ann as the wealthy-looking man spoke up.

"There's going to be a party too. Tons of celebrities and industry people will be coming along." The wealthy looking man said as Ann huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh! Are you even listening to us!?" Ann said as a huff from behind her and a laugh led to another voice answering her question.

"Given that they're probably thinking with their little heads? Probably not. But even still, that doesn't mean they can expect to get away with propositioning you two." Kusa said dryly as he walked up, crossing his arms as he glared at the two and spoke up, Futaba hiding behind him as he spoke.

"So this is your game? Trying to pick on these two ladies just because they look defenseless and weak? Well news flash, you two, they're not! And they're with me and my friends, so I'd suggest you back off, before I have to break out my martial-arts moves on you lot. Then again, I've yet to find a person who doesn't quake in their boots when they hear the nickname 'Kung-Fu Dragon'!" Kusa said imposingly to the guys looking at Ann and Makoto. Right as the two guys gasped at Kusa's nickname, Ryuji, Ren and Yusuke walked over, Ryuji smirking as he spoke up.

"Sorry about the wait." Ryuji said as Kusa groaned at Ryuji's non-chalance. The pretentious man spoke up.

"Huh, so you were serious about being here with friends. And if you have the likes of the 'Kung-Fu Dragon' with you, bodyguards too." The pretentious man said. Ann huffed as she spoke up.

"That's what we've been saying from the start!" Ann said insistently. The wealthy-sounding man huffed as he spoke up.

"Don't you find it boring spending your time with kids like them?" The wealthy-looking man said as Makoto huffed and spoke up dryly.

"It's far more interesting than anything involving you two." Makoto said dryly. The pretentious man spoke up.

"What was that?" The pretentious man said as Kusa spoke up.

"She said, she and her friend aren't interested in what you two are offering, so get lost." Kusa said bluntly, fed up with the posturing of the two men in front of him. The wealthy looking man spoke up dismissively.

"Hey, let's just let the children have fun with their fellow children. We'll be going now." The wealthy-looking man said dismissively as he and the pretentious man took their leave. Kusa huffed at the men's departing backs as he spoke up.

"Yeah, that's what I thought! You better walk away, you cowardly scumbags!" Kusa yelled after the two retreating men as Ann spoke up huffily.

"Ugh, what creeps, am I right?" Ann said. Makoto turned gratefully to Ryuji as she spoke up.

"Thanks for coming in like that." Makoto said to Ryuji, Ren and Yusuke, not seeing Kusa almost facefault at this, only for Futaba to somehow keep him from facefaulting. Makoto ignored this as she kept speaking up.

"Those guys wouldn't stop pestering us." Makoto said. Ren nodded as he spoke up.

"You two did well to hold them off, though I think Kusa showing up and scaring the wits out of them probably helped too. Luckily for him, his reputation on the martial-arts circuit still precedes him." Ren said as Kusa nodded sagely, grinning in amusement while he spoke up.

"Yep. It might be a pain in the ass most of the time, but it does have its' perks too." Kusa said wisely. Makoto spoke up.

"Be that as it may, to be honest? I was nearly at my wits' end. But thank you for stepping in when you did, Kusa-kun." Makoto said to Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"You're welcome. If anything, thank Futaba for having the presence of mind to come find me when those guys started harassing you. If anything, she's the real hero here, since all I did was run them off with my reputation." Kusa said as Yusuke blinked and spoke up.

"By the way, where ARE Futaba and Morgana?" Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"Taba's right behind me, of course. I think Morgana's still watching our stuff, though." Kusa said, as Futaba walked out from behind Kusa at the same time that Morgana walked up, both having seen the lobsters in Yusuke's hand, as the former spoke up.

"Ooooh! Are those lobsters? One in each hand!?" Futaba asked as Kusa grinned and spoke up, unable to resist making a bit of a joke at Yusuke's expense.

"Somehow, I doubt that's what was meant when they coined the saying 'Double the pleasure, double the fun!', but I could be wrong." Kusa said jokingly as Ann spoke up.

"I was wondering about that too." Ann said honestly. Morgana chose that moment to speak up with stars in his eyes as he stared at the lobsters.

"Are you going to make them into sashimi? Or perhaps roast them whole?" Morgana asked Yusuke, who frowned as he spoke up.

"Enough with your vile postulations! These are purely for the sake of visual appreciation!" Yusuke said as Kusa had burst out laughing by this point as he watched Futaba adorably try to reach up and snatch the lobsters out of a frowning Yusuke's hands. Ryuji grinned as he spoke up.

"We did tons of stuff today. All in all, I guess comin' to the beach was pretty worth it!" Ryuji said happily as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Was this with or without you three deciding to go see how many women you could strike out with after Ann absolutely destroyed your ego, Ryuji?" Kusa asked bluntly as the girls laughed. After a while of fun, games, and enjoyment, the group sat at the edge of the water, Futaba standing out at the absolute edge looking out at the sunset, smiling as she leaned into Kusa while doing so.

At the same time, Futaba found herself subtly sneaking glances into Kusa's eyes, perhaps spurred on by the sight of the setting sun in the distance. Whatever the case, she probably surprised both herself and Kusa when she leaned up to gently tilt Kusa's head towards her so she could gently press a kiss to Kusa's lips, making him give her a surprised look before blushing a bit as he briefly returned the kiss before the two pulled apart, both their faces red in a mix of embarrassment and shyness.

Once he got over his surprise and amusement at Futaba's sweet yet very bold move, Kusa had smiled wryly before he simply put an arm around Futaba's waist and grinned while walking out with her to also look at the sunset, finding the idea, and the view, much more enjoyable than listening to Ryuji whine about his ego some more. Makoto smiled at the sight of the two looking happy together as she spoke up.

"We should probably start heading home soon." Makoto said eventually. Yusuke nodded as he spoke up.

"Agreed. Let's pack up." Yusuke said as Ann nodded and spoke up, smiling fondly at how cute Futaba and Kusa looked watching the sunset together, wisely not mentioning that she and Makoto both had managed to turn their heads in time to see Futaba steal a kiss from Kusa, despite the fact she'd had to cover her mouth to not let anyone hear her amused giggles at the look on Kusa's face when Futaba had made her move.

"Yep. Futaba seemed fine in the crowd too, so it looks like she's overcome her last exercise." Ann said as Ren nodded before he spoke up wryly.

"True, though I daresay part of that might be the guy she's currently leaning into as she watches that sunset." Ren said with a smirk, as Ryuji spoke up, calling out to Kusa and Futaba, not seeing them both wince at what he had to say before breaking apart reluctantly as Ryuji spoke up.

"Hey, Futaba! Kusa! We're goin' home. Stop standin' around and help us." Ryuji said as Kusa winced and spoke up in a vaguely annoyed sounding voice.

"Ugh, well the mood was fun while it lasted, I guess." Kusa said dryly as Futaba smiled and nodded her agreement before lightly pecking Kusa on the cheek to try and cheer him up as she spoke up.

"Agreed. That moment, as well as the kiss that went with it? Given how short-lived they both were, they were also surprisingly romantic, to be honest." Futaba said as the two walked over to join the others, Kusa giving Ryuij a dry glare as he spoke up.

"Hey, Ryuji? Great job ruining the potential Kodak moment with that oh so wonderful timing of yours. Remind me to return the favor someday, when and/or if you ever find yourself in that position with Makoto." Kusa said snarkily to Ryuji. Ren blinked as he saw Futaba kneel down, walking over to her and standing with her as Kusa stood on her other side while she spoke up, smiling as she felt Kusa gently give her an encouraging head pat.

"You know, to be honest? All this time, I thought that it was my fault that my mom died." Futaba said as Ryuij spoke up.

"Uh-huh, we knew that." Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, sighing as he gave Ryuji a disappointed look while he spoke.

"Ryuji? Shut it and let her finish saying her piece before you start being a tactless buffoon. Continue, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Now, where was I? Oh, I remember. It's because everyone said I killed her. Everyone looked at me thinking I was a murderer. I ended up hating this world. That's why I shut myself in and covered my ears. I wished, I wished that my mom would come back to life. Sometimes, I'd wake up and think it was all a dream. But nothing had changed in the world. At least, not until I met Kusa anyways.

That day was so random, to be honest. There I was, heading into the kitchen to grab a drink and use the guest restroom for a change of pace, when there he was standing in my kitchen looking around. Apparently Sojiro had sent him over to get some stuff for the cafe, or so he said. Either way, I couldn't help but find myself looking into his eyes after he spoke up, as they were not only some of the prettiest eyes I've ever seen, but they were extremely honest looking eyes. Either way, after that, I started slowly feeling like maybe the world wasn't all bad. That's why I'd sleep again, it'd be a repeat of that, day after day." Futaba said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, that's horrible." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up with a smile.

"Indeed. I couldn't believe it when I heard her gasp that day. I turned around, and there she was, her eyes wide as she looked at me in surprise. In fairness, I probably did scare her, since to her I was probably just some random guy who coincidentally wound up showing up in her kitchen out of nowhere, when the truth was Boss had asked me to fetch some curry ingredients he'd left at home. But I'm glad he did, because if he hadn't, who's to say I'd have met Taba still before her Palace? And to be honest, I'm glad I met her. My life's been a lot better for it since then, even if sometimes Ren or Ryuji makes it a bit more annoying." Kusa said. Futaba smiled as she spoke up once more while standing up.

"Mm-hm. To be honest, I loved my mom. I wanted to become like her. How she'd work late into the night. How she'd wake up early and make me a boxed lunch everyday. How she'd do her best to further her research. How she'd scold me for peeking at her notes." Futaba said as Makoto spoke up.

"It was cognitive psience, wasn't it?" Makoto nodded as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Mm-hm. I can recall a quote I read from her research once. 'The cognitive world can become distorted through desires. If it becomes distorted, a person begins exhibiting problematic behavior in reality. That cognitive world disappears when you remove its core, and further problematic actions stop.' That's what it said." Futaba said as the group gasped and Ann spoke up.

"Isn't that about Palaces?" Ann asked as Kusa and Morgana nodded, the latter speaking up.

"That's the Metaverse! She knew about that?" Morgana asked. Futaba nodded as she spoke up.

"Mm-hm. It made no sense back then, but now I understand after it happened to me. All I thought about was my mom. I was trapped in a cognitive labyrinth. I couldn't get out of it. There was nothing I could do by myself. In the end, it was the voices of my mom, and of Kusa, that helped me to get out of the labyrinth. So thank you, Kusa. I owe a lot to you." Futaba said gratefully as Kusa smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"You're welcome, Taba. I was more than happy to help you get free. You didn't deserve to be suffering the way you were. I honestly am astounded you lasted as long as you did like you were. You're a lot stronger than you realize, Taba." Kusa said honestly to Futaba. Ryuji huffed as he spoke up.

"That's why you asked us to steal your heart? That's a huge jump in logic in so many ways!" Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up once more.

"At first, I didn't believe the rumors about the Phantom Thieves, or that they steal hearts, but again, that changed when I met Kusa. To his credit, he didn't do it on purpose, but he managed to be the reason I was clued in to your existence. That, and the calling card he wrote for me did somewhat have a bit of his writing style to it. But I also overheard you accidentally. I learned that you were near me." Futaba said. Kusa frowned at Ryuji at this, but Yusuke spoke up before Kusa could roast Ryuji.

"Overheard? Ah, the bug that Kusa mentioned. Of course. So why were you listening in on Leblanc in the first place?" Yusuke asked as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"I had to keep an eye on Sojiro. Make sure he was actually working." Futaba said as Ryuji hung his head and spoke up.

"Talk about an awful hobby to choose." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned at his remark, giving Ryuji a deadpan glare as he spoke up.

"Shut up, Ryuji. You have no room to talk about awful hobbies, after all. Last I checked, you have no real hobby to speak of." Kusa said pointedly as Futaba giggled and spoke up, finding Kusa's defense of her both adorable and comforting.

"Anyways, as I was saying, you talked about stealing hearts. When I heard that, I was so happy I jumped up and down." Futaba said as Kusa smirked and chuckled as he spoke up.

"Aw man, I missed the adorable Happy Taba dance?" Kusa joked as Futaba huffed and spoke up after lightly smacking Kusa in the arm, ignoring the amused laughs from both Ren and Ryuji at her actions.

"Just shut it, Kusa. Where was I? Oh right, I thought maybe the Phantom Thieves could cure my heart." Futaba said as Kusa nodded his agreement and spoke up, looking Futaba in the eyes as he spoke, and surprising the group, as they saw him give off one of the few genuine smiles they'd seen on his face while he spoke.

"And you weren't wrong, Taba. It might have taken longer than you'd wanted, but we did cure your heart in the end, even if you were the one to make the final push to cure it. Never doubt that you were the one who made that final stand against that distorted version of your mom that day, and it was that determination that allowed you to awaken to your true self and your two Personas. The fact we got a Showtime out of it was just an added bonus." Kusa said as Ann spoke up.

"Be that as it may, you could've just told us from the start, you know." Ann said as Futaba spoke up uneasily.

"You might've been wary of me if I'd asked you out of nowhere. And besides, you could've been bad guys. That's why I had Kusa help me cautiously get in contact with you. I checked many times to see how you'd react." Futaba said as Makoto did a closed eye smile and spoke up.

"Yes, you had us twisted around your little finger, especially Kusa. But then I think he's always been a bit partial when it comes to you, Futaba-chan." Makoto said as a red-faced Kusa spoke up.

"Sh-Shut up! And so what if she did have me wrapped around her finger!? You say that like it's a bad place to be. Hell, I'm sure you could have Ryuji wrapped that same way, and Ann could have Morgana wrapped that way, if you two wanted to. The jury's still out on if either Ren or Yusuke could be wrapped around anyone's finger like that, though. Then again, maybe Yoshizawa has Ren wrapped around her finger already, even if she doesn't realize it as yet" Kusa said in embarrassment as Futaba smiled and hugged Kusa from behind as Ann spoke up.

"But, Futaba, you didn't talk to anyone besides Boss for a long time, right? Not until you met Kusa, if I'm not mistaken?" Ann said. When Futaba just nodded, Ann kept speaking.

"You must've needed a lot of courage to contact the Phantom Thieves." Ann said as Futaba spoke up.

"True, but there were two reasons for it. One was Medjed's taunt. The Phantom Thieves were so pitiful, it frustrated me. I would've been in trouble if they got disbanded, too, honestly." Futaba said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. You were our only hope." Yusuke said gratefully as Futaba smiled and kept speaking.

"The other was what I heard through wiretapping Leblanc. Sojiro was being blamed with lies, like abusing me, among other things." Futaba said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, turning to fix a wincing Makoto with a pointed look that seemed to scream 'I told you so!' while he spoke.

"See!? I told you that stuff your sister said about Boss was lies, Makoto!" Kusa said smugly to Makoto, who just sighed and muttered an apology to Futaba and Kusa, who forgave her as Futaba kept speaking.

"He was being threatened to spill everything about my mom and her research." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up sympathetically.

"Talk about makin' shit up." Ryuji said as Makoto winced, actually managing to look remorseful and guilty for believing the worst about Sojiro. Futaba kept speaking.

"It made me sad, and it hurt. I thought, I have to save Sojiro. I have to do something." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"And you did do something, Taba. You not only had the courage to do what needed doing to get your own heart changed, you were able to help prevent our group from being forcibly disbanded. And for that, you have our deepest and most sincere gratitude." Kusa said honestly. Ann then spoke up.

"So that's why you did it." Ann said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. But the Phantom Thieves, you guys, I didn't think you guys'd be taking such huge risks for me." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Are you kidding? Considering how close you and I are, you're practically as good as one of us. And not only that, but I'd be very surprised if Ren hasn't started seeing you as something of an adoptive younger sister." Kusa said. Futaba smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"I didn't think you'd worry about me so much. I'm sorry that I acted like I doubted you guys." Futaba said as Ann spoke up.

"Do you believe in us now?" Ann asked Futaba, who spoke up honestly.

"Yeah. I can tell. You aren't bad guys. That's why I have a request. Let me join your team." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"There's nothing to join. You're already one of us." Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up.

"I'll be honest. Changing people's hearts isn't my goal. I want to learn what happened to my mom back then. The reason why she was killed." Futaba said as Yusuke frowned at Futaba's words and spoke up.

"Killed?" Yusuke asked as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yes. It was written in her notes. Should the self in the cognitive world die, the self in the real world would lose consciousness as well." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Is this about mental shutdowns?" Ryuji asked. Yusuke then spoke up.

"Then, the criminal that Kaneshiro mentioned, that Madarame mentioned, could he have been involved?" Yusuke asked as Kusa spoke up.

"You mean that dirty rotten cock-sucking bastard Black Mask?" Kusa asked skeptically as Makoto spoke up, ignoring the amused smirk on Ryuji's face at Kusa's well-phrased roast of Black Mask.

"Yes. Kusa's vulgar choice of descriptions aside, that could be the case. I don't like pursuing this line of thought, but perhaps your mother's shadow was destroyed in the Metaverse." Makoto said as Futaba spoke up.

"I don't know for sure, but it's possible. Also, right before my mom died, she didn't seem right." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"In what way?" Ryuji asked as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"No matter how much I talked to her, she wouldn't answer back. And she didn't jump into the road. It was more like she collapsed and fell in, if anything. That's why I thought what was written on the notes was real and looked into it. I read books, checked theses that were released online, anything I could find. I even snuck into the networks of various research labs to look at their classified data, anything i could think of." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up in impressed shock.

"That's why you're good at hacking? Damn! What kind of brain do you have?" Ryuji asked. Futaba kept speaking without answering Ryuji's question.

"But, I didn't figure anything out. My mom's research data was nowhere to be found. She was killed by someone, and her research was treated like it never existed. I bet it's them who did it. Those adults in the black suits who read the fake suicide note. I'll never forgive them." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up angrily.

"Nor should you! What they did to you was not only unforgivable, it was beyond effed up! And to be honest? They better be praying to every higher power they have that I never catch up to them, because they won't like what happens next if I do." Kusa said bluntly as Ann looked at Futaba in surprise.

"Futaba, I, I don't know what to say." Ann said. Futaba smiled as she spoke up.

"If I stay with you guys, I think I can find out more about that world. Then eventually, it might even lead to those men in black." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up while gently putting a comforting arm around Futaba while he spoke.

"If it does? We're going to punish those asshats together, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and kept speaking, even as she leaned into Kusa's gesture of comfort.

"Agreed. That said, it's a super-personal reason why I wanna join you guys. Is that okay? Or would I just be dead weight?" Futaba asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"If anything, you're dependable. Ain't that right, Mona?" Ryuji said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"I'm sorry, WHAT!? Are you seriously trying to have a go at Morgana in front of me, Ryuji? Also, stop calling him Mona in the real world. That said, Morgana is not useless. And if we're being fair, the only dead weight I see right now is you, Mister 'yells at the top of my fool voice about being a Phantom Thief so that Makoto can hear us and almost get us in trouble'! You're lucky Makoto was cool about what she heard, or you could've landed all of us in an absolute heap of trouble that day." Kusa snapped at Ryuji. Morgana huffed as he spoke up, nodding approvingly to Kusa's reprimanding of Ryuji as he spoke.

"Hey! Why are you looking at me? Are you trying to say that I'm inadequate!?" Morgana asked as Kusa spoke up.

"No, if anything, he's trying to project his own inadequacies on you, Morgana. Which is not only not cool, but it's also very much not okay for him to be doing that." Kusa said. Ryuji then spoke up once more.

"Well, she was more useful than you, as a matter of fact." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned at Ryuji and spoke up while giving Ryuji a pointed glare, not impressed with how Ryuji was treating Morgana.

"Shut up! How many times has Mona bailed us out of Palaces up to now!? Don't you dare call Morgana useless, Ryuji!" Kusa said huffily. Morgana huffed as he spoke up.

"Hey, that's inexcusable!" Morgana said angrily. While Morgana and Ryuji were at each other's throats with Kusa vainly trying to mediate, Makoto turned to Futaba and spoke up.

"This is what our Phantom Thieves are like. I hope we get along, Futaba." Makoto said as Futaba smiled and nodded her agreement before she spoke up.

"Thanks." Futaba said as Ann spoke up, ignoring the bickering Ryuji and Morgana while she spoke.

"Let's leave those two be while they argue. I doubt even Kusa could break them up. Instead, why don't we lose no time and decide on Futaba's code name?" Ann suggested. Futaba blinked as she spoke up.

"What's that?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up to answer Futaba, having evidently given up on mediating Ryuji and Morgana's argument, given the fact that Ren could be seen taking a turn at being the mediator while Kusa spoke.

"Basically, it's the name you go by in the Metaverse, like how we're Joker, Draconis, Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, and Queen, respectively." Kusa explained to Futaba. Ann nodded as she spoke up.

"Exactly, what Kusa said. As Morgana once said, it's not cool if we called each other by our real names in the Metaverse." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Joker, Skull, Mona, Panther, Queen, Draconis, and I'm Fox." Yusuke said, as Kusa rolled his eyes and spoke up.

"Way to basically re-state what I just said, Yusuke." Kusa said dryly as Makoto spoke up.

"Hm, in Futaba's case, what would be good? 'Hacker' wouldn't be right, would it?" Makoto said as Kusa shook his head before speaking up.

"Nah, it's just a bit too on the nose for her, I think." Kusa said as Ann spoke up.

"Hmm, maybe 'Mech'?" Ann suggested as Yusuke spoke up.

"'PC'?" Yusuke suggested. Futaba frowned at both suggestions and spoke up.

"No." Futaba said flatly. Morgana walked over with Ren and Ryuji, having stopped arguing with the latter in order to help decide on Futaba's code name, and spoke up with a closed eye grin.

"Why don't we go literal and call her 'Goggles'?" Morgana said as Kusa glared at Morgana before speaking up in an annoyed-sounding tone.

"Hell no! That'd be like if I'd let Ryuji call you 'Cat'! Which I wouldn't do, since I'd probably punch him for suggesting it." Kusa said, smirking at what Futaba said next.

"Super lame. You've got no taste, kitty." Futaba said as Kusa chuckled in amusement as he spoke up.

"You kinda set yourself up for that one, Morgana." Kusa said while laughing. Ryuji also laughed as he spoke up.

"Haha, in your face!" Ryuji said smugly as Kusa huffed at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Do you WANT me to punch you, Ryuji!? I might have let Taba call Morgana 'Kitty', but that doesn't mean you then get to laugh at him!" Kusa rebuked Ryuji. Ann turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Do you have any good ideas for Futaba's code name?" Ann said as Kusa spoke up, smirking as he turned to face Ren while speaking up.

"You're asking Ren for ideas? This I have to hear. Go on, Ren." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"Well, I'm ruling out Glasses since that's not much better than Goggles, and Internet is just too basic and generic. Maybe Pharaoh?" Ren suggested as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Seriously!? Lame! At least with Makoto, she can pull off being a Queen. And Pharaoh is the same as Queen, if the Pharaoh is female. No, if we're being real, we need something a bit more elegant, yet also enigmatic. And given how much she's showed us the way since she's joined, I feel like maybe something in the vein of 'Oracle' could be a good idea?" Kusa suggested. Futaba glared at Ren's suggestion, speaking up in a disapproving tone.

"I'll curse you, Ren." Futaba said before blinking in impressed surprise as she heard Kusa's suggestion, right as Makoto spoke up.

"What would you want it to be, Futaba?" Makoto asked Futaba, who spoke up while shyly smiling at Kusa's suggestion as she spoke.

"Hm, to be honest? I kind of like Kusa's idea. Let's go with 'Oracle.' With my vision, I'll guide you all to victory." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, I've no doubt you'll do that for sure, my pretty little Metaverse Oracle." Kusa said agreeably, ignoring the laughs from Ren, Ryuji, and Morgana at his terrible flirting. Ann just gave a closed-eye smile at Futaba's decision as she spoke up.

"Sounds great." Ann said as Ryuji grinned and nodded to make it official as he spoke up.

"Then, Futaba'll be 'Oracle'." Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up.

"But man, I never dreamed the rumored Phantom Thieves would be so close!" Futaba said as Morgana spoke up.

"Same to you. We could say that about the rumored 'Alibaba' too, you know." Morgana said before he kept speaking.

"But man, to think you'd be the daughter of a Metaverse researcher, of all things? Talk about a mysterious fate." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"I dunno about mysterious, so much as destined. Like how her and I running into one another at Boss' house that day might well have been destined." Kusa said wisely. Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. Should we get going then?" Makoto suggested. Futaba nodded as she smiled while speaking up.

"Yup! Let's go home!" Futaba said as the group gathered their stuff and headed back from the beach...

(Meanwhile, around that same time, in the SIU Director's office with the SIU Director)

"Ah yes, the incident with Medjed seems to have been more effective than predicted. This should spur the Phantom Thieves' support even more now." The SIU Director said as he listened to the voice on the other end before speaking up a bit more.

"I agree. There are effective ways to use the Phantom Thieves to our benefit. Now would be the best time to dispose of unnecessary trash, for the greater good, whether they're connected to us or not." The SIU Director said ominously...

(That evening, at Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

"Hey, how'd it go with Futaba?" Sojiro asked as Ren and Morgana came back in, sans Kusa. Sojiro blinked as he spoke up.

"Wait, where's Kusa? Wait, never mind. I can probably guess. He's probably walking Futaba home to keep her company if I had to guess. Either way, I hear you've been keeping her company for the past few days. Thanks." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Makoto sending the first response.

"A criminal who uses the Metaverse to carry out their crimes? How suspicious. Moreover, this is no longer a matter we can ignore." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Especially since they might be the one who killed Futaba's mom." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"OI! Ever hear of tact, Ryuji!? If I had to guess, I'd say that you haven't, between what you said to Morgana earlier and what you just said." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"To be honest, I had considered the idea that they might be behind only the psychotic breakdowns, but not behind the mental shutdowns as well. But now it appears as though this person is killing people as well." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Technically, they're making people have mental shutdowns, which then cause them to die." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"That's what happens when you kill someone's Shadow, yeah?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Mm-hm. We were worried about it back with Kamoshida and Madarame, remember?" Ann sent. Futaba sent a response.

"Psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns, two sides of the same coin. That said, it would make sense if the same person was behind them both. The news never talks about the victims dying, so people only know about the breakdowns." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"So this shit's seriously a case! If that's for real, whoever's doing it is some kinda assassin!" Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I'm gonna beat the crap outta them if I find them." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Get in line, Taba. I have first dibs on beating the crap outta Black Mask, especially if they're who I think they are, since if I'm right, it would perfectly explain how they were able to understand Morgana the day of the pancake fiasco that happened during that ill-fated social studies trip." Kusa sent bluntly. Yusuke sent a response.

"I would suggest we be more cautious going forward as well. We still don't know much, even about our Metaverse Nav." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That is true." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I wonder why that thing exists, to be honest." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"I don't know, but I sense we'll be made privy to that knowledge when the time is right." Ren sent ominously as Ann sent a response.

"I wonder if that criminal is using the app too to get in to the Metaverse?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Futaba, this seems like your area of expertise. Do you know anything about it?" Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"No. I'd never even heard of it before. I mean, it's not really even an app. It's more like, I dunno, a mysterious app-like thing." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I see. Interesting." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"It's OK though. I might not know much about the Nav, but I can still navigate you guys on the path to victory! I'll guide you to whatever criminal you're looking for. Mwehehe, yep, you can rely on me!" Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response that had both Kusa and Morgana frowning as they read it.

"Awesome, dude! You're way more reliable than Mona!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"OI! Don't start that up again, Ryuji! I really don't feel like mediating another beef between you two. I would much rather spend my time celebrating Futaba's induction into our ranks in my own way." Kusa sent as Futaba giggled while sending a response.

"Mm-hmm, with lots of cuddles on the hide-a-bed!" Futaba sent happily as Ren put his phone away, not wanting to see Kusa and Futaba flirting over group chat as Morgana spoke up angrily.

"Ugh! Dammit, Ryuji! You stupid moron! You always find the worst possible things to say!" Morgana growled, clearly offended at what Ryuji had said about him. At that point, Ren's phone went off with a private chat from Mishima that he read.

"Hey Amamiya, you live in Yongen, right? You know about the old movie theater there? Well, the od couple that runs it is apparently getting threatened by land speculators. They're trying to say the theater's in the way of some building they want to put up. We can't just let them force the people out, right?" Mishima sent as Ren sent a response.

"Hell no! I feel bad for them." Ren sent as Mishima sent a response.

"Right? That old couple is so afraid of the threats that they don't even want to open their theater. Anyway, our target is a guy named Yasuo Jochi. Let's drive him off and save that old couple!" Mishima said as Ren put his phone away while Morgana spoke up.

"Hm, there might have been a change in Mementos because of all the Medjed stuff. If you want to go, now would be the right time! Let's discuss with everyone at the hideout." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his phone pinged to signify the receipt of a request titled 'Who's Muscling in Yongen-Jaya?'. At that point, Ren checked his chats, and winced as he saw another group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, and Futaba, with Ann sending the first response.

"I know we just finished talking about it, but to be honest? Here's a photo I took today." Ann sent as she sent a picture of herself, Makoto and Futaba in their bikinis munching on watermelon slices while Yusuke could be seen in the background working on a sandcastle. And if you looked closely behind Makoto and Futaba, you could just see Kusa laid out working on his tan in the stretchout chair just behind Futaba, though Makoto's positioning cropped out his face and shoulders, and all you could see of him is his waist and legs. Futaba blanched as she sent a response.

"Bwuh!? I'm in there too!" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Be glad you're at least fully visible in the picture, Taba! I have no effing clue where Ren, Ryuji and Morgana were for this, but I'm the one who got effing Wazowski'd out of the photo AGAIN. At least this time, it's only part of me that got cropped out." Kusa sent as Futaba giggled and sent a response.

"True, but they cropped the best part out. That being your roguishly handsome grin and glorious six-pack." Futaba sent, ignoring the various sputters and gasps from most of the others at her response as Kusa grinned and sent a response.

"Oh, really!? I didn't think you were checking me out THAT closely, Taba! But I'm flattered. And to be honest? I can't even be mad, since I admittedly had a hard time tearing my eyes off of you at first when I saw you in that bikini." Kusa sent as Futaba blushed and sent a response.

"Thank you, Kusa. I guess it was worth all the hassle, just to see your face when I walked out of that changing room with that wrap around my head! Hee hee!" Futaba sent. Makoto sent a response.

"Anyways, changing the subject from Futaba and Kusa's clear and blatant mutual attractions to one another, you look like you're having fun, Futaba! Ann's a pretty good camerawoman! It was just bad luck that Kusa got partially Wazowski'd." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Is this what it's like to feel photogenic, I wonder?" Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"You're not used to looking good in pictures? It certainly is a fine shot." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I get you." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed, this picture has even captured all the architectural grandeur of my sand castle." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I'll take your word for it, Yusuke. But I was talking to Futaba moreso." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"To answer your question, Taba? Yes, it is. Ann can correct me on this if I'm wrong, but you seem like you're naturally born to shine for the camera, Taba. But you'll realize that in time, I'm sure." Kusa sent as Ren closed the chat, idly wondering what Kusa and Futaba had gotten up to...

(At that same time, at the Sakura household with Kusa and Futaba)

"Is this what it feels like, Kusa?" Futaba asked Kusa as the two laid together on the hide-a-bed, looking contentedly at one another. Kusa smiled at Futaba while he spoke up.

"Is this what what feels like? Being part of a team?" Kusa asked. Futaba nodded before she spoke up.

"Yes, that. But also, this feeling of actually belonging to something." Futaba said happily as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Yep, this is indeed how both those things feel. And to be honest? Even if I am a bit worried to have you on the team, I'm also glad you're part of us now. I hope you realize, I'll do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe out there, Taba." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled while nodding as she spoke up.

"I believe you, Kusa. And I think...I think I finally get what my mom was trying to say about you being my greatest source of strength. I do feel like I've become a lot more confident and sure of myself since I met you, Kusa." Futaba said happily as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I'm glad to hear it, Taba. Know that you can always count on me to have your back, no matter what. Because, to be honest with you Taba? I love you." Kusa said to Futaba, who smiled as she looked at Kusa.

"Oh? I love you too, Kusa." Futaba said honestly as Kusa smiled, leaning in to kiss Futaba on the cheek. Futaba smiled as she laid her head on Kusa's chest while speaking up.

"I'm glad you're so kind, patient and understanding with me. Most guys would've probably given up on me by now after waiting as long as you have for me to hear me return their feelings, but not you. You're always there for me, never complaining about me being so slow to figure out how I feel about you. And I want you to know I admire that about you, Kusa. It's truly one of your better qualities." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah? Well, get used to it. That's probably one thing that will never change about me. That, and the fact that as unlikely as it might seem, even though we were the ones to save you by changing your heart? I think you were the one who stole my heart first, Taba." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"Mwehehe, is that right?" Futaba said as Kusa nodded, blushing slightly at his own honesty as he spoke up.

"Yep, it is indeed right. Much how us laying together like this feels so right." Kusa said, looking into Futaba's eyes as she smiled, cutely yawning before she spoke up once more.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. But, it's getting late. We can continue this discussion later. For now, let's get to sleep." Futaba said sleepily as Kusa nodded understandingly before speaking up as he gently snaked an arm over Futaba's waist protectively while he spoke.

"I can respect that. You've had a busy day today, Taba. So rest easy. I'm not going anywhere, either now, or ever." Kusa said sincerely as Futaba smiled, laying on Kusa's chest as she fell asleep, making Kusa smile as he leaned down to gently press a kiss to Futaba's forehead before speaking up.

"Yes, that's right. Rest easy, my beautiful Treasure. I've got you. You're safe with me. Sleep, pretty little Oracle." Kusa said gently into Futaba's ear before he laid back on the pillow, pulling a blanket over himself and Futaba before wrapping his arms around Futaba's waist underneath said blanket as the two dozed off, both wearing similarly contented smiles on their faces.

Little did either of the two know that this would be the one of the last times for quite awhile that they'd get to have a peaceful cuddle together like this. For while one of the Phantom Thieves' roughest tests was now behind them, the hardest part of their journey was yet to begin. And the next part that awaits would be one that could very well make or break the entire of the Phantom Thieves' collective efforts...

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 4: TRAUMATIZED ORACLE

A/N: HOLY. EFFING. CRAP! I knew this would be a longer chapter if I was going to end the arc this chapter, but over 42,000 words long before this end of chapter A/N!? Damn, that's long! But for all that length, I got quite a bit of stuff in this chapter! From new Confidants (Chihaya), to rank ups (Iwai, Sojiro, Igor), to even some character development (mainly Futaba), this chapter had everything in it! And to be honest? I'm probably gonna end up taking at least two full days to chill after this bad boy.

That said, here's to 50 chapters typed out! Never thought I'd get this far! And I owe it all to everyone who favorited/followed this story as that gave me the motivation to keep plugging away at this. But extra-special shout out to AKANOS for always taking time to leave reviews on each and every one of the first 39 chapters of this story (which is as far in as I've posted as of the time I type out this end-of-chapter A/N), since you're the real reason this story has gotten where it has to date.

Hopefully I can count on you to continue supporting this story since your feedback and input has been invaluable in helping me fine-tune this story, so thank you so much for your reviews and input, even if there have been some chapters you found yourself particularly frustrated with. Even so, you still continue to give me feedback and constructive criticism for how to make my work better, which is so absolutely invaluable! Thanks so much!

And for the record? I accept feedback and input from all my readers. Just leave a review or PM me with your thoughts, feedback, opinions, constructive criticism or whatever else for the story. The only thing I ask is NO FLAME REVIEWS, please. I've already had two people leave those so far on this and had to ignore them. I did also have one other reviewer who offered feedback as well in Thekahlibear for a bit of erroneous math I had in chapter 34. So thank you as well for your input! I welcome hearing from my readers either way. And until next chapter (and next arc). sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- And here we continue the list of classic movies that get referenced in this story. In this case, it's the DreamWorks movie 'The Road To El Dorado' that was referenced. More specifically, it's the part after Cortez tells Miguel and Tulio they're being shipped off to the Cuban sugar plantations for the rest of their lives. At that point, Miguel smirks at Tulio, then looks at Cortez before he says, and I quote, "All right! Cuba!" which I will admit I laughed at pretty hard the first time I heard that line, just for how random yet low-key iconic it was.

*2*- Speaking of classic references, anyone who's played any of the Gen 1 Pokemon games (e.g. Red/Blue/Yellow/FireRed/LeafGreen/Let's Go Pikachu!/Let's Go Eevee!) knows this reference given how often the Cinnabar Island gym leader Blaine says it before you battle him. That and I recall it being made into a meme awhile back, so I was also making a reference to that. So yeah, yay for meme references.

*3*- Kusa's remark to Ren here is a subtle nod to the fact that apparently there were unused files for a sixth rank of each social stat in the game. And apparently, according to some Persona 5 Royal playthroughs I've watched on YouTube (specifically the ones done by the YouTube user Chaosinthesky13, which while I'm thinking of it? Shout-out to Chaosinthesky13 for being an awesome game player, amusing to watch, and most importantly a huge source inspiration for this story with his running commentary during both of his playthroughs of Persona 5 Royal.

In addition, he was also the one to inspire the idea of Sojiro's nickname/potential code name being Coffee Daddy so credit to him for coining that name), the name for the unused sixth rank of charm was literally 'Goro Akechi', implying Akechi has his own level of Charm. Granted, that's the only actual rank 6 name to be revealed, leaving the other four up to speculations. So in other words, Kusa was saying Ren's Charm was starting to rival that of Akechi.

CONFIDANT LINKS AS OF THE END OF ARC 4 AND CHAPTER 50

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 7

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 6

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 4

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox)- Rank 5

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank 5

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 7

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 7

JUSTICE (Akechi) - Rank 5

FORTUNE TELLER (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 1

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

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 2

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

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) - Rank 4

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 1

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 4

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 - HERMIT, TOWER, EMPRESS