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

65. Variety Chapter! Crow's Gambit part 4

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Not really a lot to say for this start-of-chapter A/N, other than to acknowledge the amount of complaints I've been getting about how overly quick to anger I made Kusa for most of the story thus far.

At this point, I can't do much about what I've typed out thus far, but I can say that arcs 6 and 7, and to a point 8 and 9 will likely be setting up some serious character development for Kusa, even if both Arc 7 and Arc 8 will start to see a slight downturn in the amount of screentime Kusa has. But that said, know that I acknowledge those critiques and plan to rectify them where I can. Having said that, let's do 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, all of whom are made and owned by sithlorde1988 unless otherwise noted) and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to an extent Koei Tecmo, so all ownership credit for the Persona series goes to them!

That being said, on with chapter 65!

Chapter 65- Prepping for the Casino Palace! More Potential Filler! Crow's Gambit part 4

(At Leblanc, in the daytime with Ren and Morgana)

After pondering his options, Ren noticed that in addition to Makoto's name, Haru's name had shown up on his map at Shujin, suggesting the time could be right to forge a Confidant link with her, much as he had with everyone else in the Phantom Thieves, so he shrugged and headed to Shujin Academy, heading up towards the school gate, where Haru blinked as she saw Ren, speaking up in surprise.

"Oh, Ren-kun! What seems to be the matter? Do you need something from the roof?" Haru asked Ren, who thought about it and spoke up.

"Yeah, you could say that, Haru. If it's not too much trouble, could you please take me there?" Ren asked Haru, who nodded as she spoke up.

"I can do that. Thanks to being on the student council, which I only did as a favor to Makoto since there wasn't any other third-year females who wanted the spot for who knows why, I'm authorized to use the back entrance to the school. Come on, we can go in that way." Haru said as she led Ren up to the roof, where Ren approached Haru and spoke up.

"Truth be told? I asked to come up here so I could speak to you." Ren told Haru, who blinked in surprise as she spoke up.

"Oh, my! Um, Ren-kun? Have you decided on any plans for today?" Haru asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Not as such, but if you're not against it, we could hang out if you want." Ren said. Haru blinked in surprise before speaking up.

"Oh? You want to hang out? With me? At a time like this? Is this perhaps part of your grand infiltration strategy?" Haru asked Ren who smirked and spoke up.

"That's a trade secret, I'm afraid. But I can tell you that I try to make time to hang with each of my teammates where I can, and you're no exception. Plus we're on our prep week anyways, so we've got time to hang out." Ren said sagely. Haru giggled as she spoke up.

"Oh, I see. You make it sound like it's really important. Even so, I suppose relaxation is pretty vital at times like these, isn't it? Hey, I know! In that case, I'd like to use this opportunity to bring my most recent harvest to Sakura-kun. That said, I'd like to stop by Leblanc today, Ren-kun. Care to join me?" Haru asked Ren, who thought about it and nodded as he spoke up.

"Sure. I don't mind taking you to Leblanc so you can have Boss appraise your harvest. I can't guarantee he'll be the most complimentary since he tends to be rather harsh in his reviews, but he usually gives a fair shake to things." Ren said to Haru. Haru smiled as she spoke up.

"Great! Let us go then." Haru said as Ren nodded and led Haru to Leblanc, where she approached the counter and spoke up to get Sojiro's attention.

"Hello, Sakura-kun. I'm sorry for asking this of you." Haru said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"It's all good. Not like I have customers to deal with. Besides, I have a bit of free time right now anyways since there's no customers around and Kusa's keeping Futaba entertained for me. That being said, so then, this is what you grew?" Sojiro said to Haru who nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes. I'd like an honest opinion from a culinary professional." Haru said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Okay. Let me see the harvest." Sojiro said as Haru brought out her harvest and Sojiro chopped it up to appraise it.

"To be honest, both the taste and appearance are the opposite of what I'd call market-grade." Sojiro said to Haru who nodded and spoke up.

"I see." Haru said uneasily as Sojiro gave her a smile before he crossed his arms and spoke up.

"But, it's impressive you managed to grow anything at all on a rooftop of all places." Sojiro said to Haru, who smiled as she spoke up.

"I'm honored to hear you say that." Haru said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Y'know, how do I put this? To be honest, I can't say it tasted good, but it was actually somewhat refreshing. Kinda like how you feel good after taking bitter medicine." Sojiro said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Hmm, I see. To be honest, I first came across this plant in my house by chance. It's possible that it's an experimental breed created for use at Okumura Foods or something. Thank you very much for the input, Sakura-kun. I'll take note of that." Haru said as Sojiro rubbed the back of his head uneasily but nodded as Ren and Haru relocated to a booth seat with Haru's chopped-up harvest. Ren idly noted that Haru's vegetables have a bitterness to them, but also exude a strong energy of sorts. Haru blinked when Ren said this aloud before she nodded and spoke up.

"True. You know, he's right. That was the same thought I had. I think I understand what Sakura-kun meant when he said they were refreshing." Haru said as Ren nodded, feeling as if the sun-bathed vegetables seem to fill him with energy. Ren then mused that they could prove useful during Palace forays potentially. Ren then said as much to Haru, who blinked and nodded as she spoke up.

"I agree, Ren-kun! To be honest, I'm so happy. I didn't expect this hobby of mine to provide value to the Phantom Thieves. This is actually the only thing I can honestly say I'm good at." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. To be honest, it sounds like a lot of hard, but rewarding, work." Ren said honestly. Haru smniled as she spoke up.

"Thank you for worrying about me Ren-kun, but I find the work relaxing. Hey, um, Ren-kun? Do you think you could help me out again sometime? Like you did today." Haru asked as Ren nodded without hesitation, making Haru giggle as she spoke up.

"Then it's a deal! We're like real phantom thieves! Okay, I'll do my best from now on!" Haru said as Ren nodded, noting as he did so that Haru seems a little more enthusiastic than she did before he'd taken this time to hang out with her...

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

"It seems you were probing into a certain conglomerate. There's the possibility you even infiltrated their company building. Perhaps some sort of connection on the inside? If so, tell me about this person!" Sae asked of Joker...

(Back in the present, with Ren and Haru)

At around that point, Ren heard the by-now expected voice go off in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Empress Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lad to freedom and new power..." Ren heard as a new card, this one saying 'Empress' on it, appeared in his mind's eye, an 'I' appearing under the word 'Empress' to signify that his newly-forged Empress Confidant link with Haru was at Rank 1. As a result of the newly-forged link, Haru had enlightened Ren on the ways of 'Cultivation', allowing Ren to grow vegetables with Haru on the Shujin Academy rooftop. *1*

Afterwards, Haru winced as she spoke up.

"Still, he was right about one thing. The taste leaves much to be desired, if we're being honest here." Haru said as Ren walked Haru out, at which point she smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you for having me! Your feedback on the vegetables was a big help. Oh! If there are any vegetables you'd like in particular, just let me know. I certainly have plenty of seeds, so if you have a preference, I'll prioritize growing those first." Haru said to Ren, who spoke up.

"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Haru. I'm counting on you." Ren said. Haru smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Of course. I won't let you down. I may not be very good yet, but I'll contribute to the Phantom Thieves in my own way. All right, I'm going home for the day." Haru said as Ren nodded and escorted Haru to the station, at which point Haru waved and spoke up.

"I'll be okay from here, Ren-kun. Well, see you later. Goodbye!" Haru said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, at which point Sojiro sighed and spoke up.

"Ah, you're back, Ren. Well, how do I put this tactfully? I'm glad you made it home in one piece, Ren." Sojiro said as Ren nodded before his phone went off to signify a gruop chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Yo, Akechi." Ryuji sent as Akechi sent a response.

"What is it?" Akechi sent as Ryuji sent a response which had both Kusa and Akechi's eyes widened on reading it, likely for very different reasons.

"You got any idea who the true culprit might be?" Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response next.

"Oh yeah! You said you saw a masked guy, right?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"I wanted to ask about that too." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Did you really see him? That masked guy's gotta be the true culprit, right?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"That sounds pretty accurate to me, Taba. But at the same time, didn't we already ask this of Akechi-kun? Besides, he literally had a gun pointed at him. I doubt he had the most time to take in a lot of details when his focus was likely on the very distinct threat to his life." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Huh, never thought I'd be getting defended by Amamiya-kun the younger, of all people. But he's not wrong. That said, if this so-called culprit is acting alone, then there can be no doubt about it." Akechi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I see. Also, don't be so surprised that Kusa defended you, Akechi-kun. He's a pretty kind-hearted man once you get past his rough and guarded exterior." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"Yes, well, back on topic. The next question is, who is that masked man?" Yusuke sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Unfortunately, I do not know that much." Akechi sent as Futaba and Kusa sent responses close together, Futaba's coming through first.

"Ugh, you're useless." Futaba sent as Kusa's response came in.

"Did I read that correctly, Akechi-kun? There's something even you don't know? I'm shocked. But at the same time, that tracks given you had a gun pointed at you at the time, so naturally you'd not think to ask about things like names. And Taba, let's be fair to Akechi-kun here. Just because he didn't know this one thing doesn't make him useless. It merely makes him human like the rest of us." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response.

"That was quite harsh, Sakura-san. And thank you, Amamiya-kun the younger. I wasn't expecting you to speak up for me like that, but I appreciate it." Akechi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Aw, you're making me blush!" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Assuming you were directing that at Akechi-kun, that's not his job to make you blush, now is it Taba? Also, I don't think he meant that as a compliment. Let's keep in mind Akechi-kun is known for being as blunt and dry in his remarks as I am at times, so I could see that being more of Akechi-kun's usual brand of dry and cynical buffoonery." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"I agree with Kusa on this! That wasn't a compliment, Futaba!" Ann sent as Akechi sent a response.

"And now we have a response from Amamiya-kun the younger that seems more on brand for him. He's not wrong though, about my dry and blunt way of replying to things. Maybe that's something he and I have in common? Either way, at this point, I have yet to even grasp any clues. But once this is dealt with, I will surely capture him. I promise you that." Akechi sent as Kusa and Ren sent responses, Ren's coming through first.

"We'll be counting on you, Akechi-kun." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"While that is true Ren, we also have to be cautious. After all, even for a skilled detective like Akechi-kun, this Black Mask might be a difficult opponent. So my question is, can he do it? Or will he end up not being able to be up to the task? And after all, he's basically one of us now for all intents and purposes, even if it's only temporarily, so he doesn't have to do this alone. And even if he is a bit of an insufferable douche a lot of the time, not even he deserves to be offed by Black Mask if he underestimates him." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Perfect. Leave it to me, Amamiya-kun the elder. And Amamiya-kum the younger, if I need your assistance, I'll ask for it, but otherwise at least have SOME faith that I can handle myself. After all, it's not often I let myself lose. So if nothing else, believe that I will fight this Black Mask with all my might. Also, as you yourself pointed out, and it might sound somewhat odd for me to say this, but I am an exceptional detective. I assure you all, I will catch this culprit. Look forward to it." Akechi sent as Ren put his phone away in time for Morgana to speak up.

"He doesn't have any clues, but he's confident enough to say he can definitely catch the guy, it seems. No wonder he's a star detective. Even the way he talks about these things is different from us." Morgana said as Ren nodded, before remembering his ticket and heading to Station Square to check it out, also figuring he'd hang out with Yoshida while he was there since he needed one more rank to max out his Sun Confidant link.

To his surprise, when he checked his ticket, he'd found out he won 5,000 yen off of a 3,000 yen ticket. After getting his winnings, Ren turned 3,000 yen of it into another ticket, figuring it was a good idea. Afterwards, Ren looked around, blinking at all the people in costumes, before he recalled it was the night before Halloween. After that, Ren shrugged and walked over to where Yoshida was giving a speech, listening to said speech.

"Please, listen to what I have to say! As the birthrate continues to suffer, we adults must redefine our mission. We must create a country that can give birth to life. And we must create a country that can nurture that life. The power of this country lies with the power of its people, after all." Yoshida said before he noticed Ren and smiled while speaking up.

"Oh, good evening. Hello, Amamiya-kun. There's something I want to talk to you about, as it happens. You won't be able to help me once the election begins, but we still have some time before that. Come to think of it, I haven't told you about what I aspire to do. I'm starting to uncover various behind-the-scenes situations. I want to tell you all about them. Would you be willing to listen?" Yoshida asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Absolutely, I'm willing to listen, Yoshida. " Ren said as Yoshida gave him a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Thank you. Let's talk before the speech." Yoshida said as he led Ren around behind the car to talk.

"A weekly magazine reported that Kuramoto was the real culprit in the funds misappropriation case. Old Man Kuramoto will likely be forced to retire from the political world. The police can't do anything because it was twenty years ago, but he has a moral obligation. I hear his grandson Benzo resigned from the party as well. It could be due to Matsushita's influence, or perhaps it's the party's way of atoning for what they did to me. Either way, now, it's all up to me, and more importantly, to my abilities." Yoshida said as a man's voice could be heard from nearby.

"When's your speech gonna start, Toranosuke? We can't wait!" A man's voice was heard saying, making Yoshida do a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Did you hear that, Amamiya-kun? To think that people would be excited to hear me speak at all. Also, the article mentioned I didn't want the real culprit to be named even though I knew who it was. Apparently, people admire me for having quietly accepted a false charge for twenty years. I didn't intend for any of this to happen though, to be honest." Yoshida said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm happy for you, Yoshida. You're finally getting justice done to you. But that said, don't take this as an invitation to let your guard down. If anything, treat it as the exact opposite. Always be careful what you say and do, since you never know what could happen to you at a given moment." Ren said sagely. Yoshida nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, I'll be careful not to make a slip of the tongue. I've struggled for the past twenty years, you know. But I can put that all behind me after the election. Hm? Oh, look at the time. I should get started. Today will be the last day I'll request help from you, Amamiya-kun. Or, more specifically, it'll be the last day I request help from a phantom thief." Yoshida said as Ren and Morgana's eyes widened at this in shock as Yoshida chuckled and spoke up.

"I don't intend to meddle. Everything I've told you has been based on assumptions, but if you're still willing to listen to what I have to say, then I think you should focus on your 'work', because the time is now. I can't think of anything else to teach you. You are now an expert on giving speeches. I taught you all I know about the art of public speaking, in return for you supporting a guy like me.

And over time, you became someone who shared my beliefs. Thanks to you, I was able to overcome my crisis these last few months, Amamiya-kun. That said, I will strive for the royal road of politics, thinking of you as you walk down your own path." Yoshida said with a closed-eye smile. He then got a serious look on his face as he kept speaking.

"That said, but if you ever find yourself in harm's way, I will be there to help you. We'll be comrades who reform the world, the way it needs to be reformed, together." Yoshida said as Ren smiled and nodded, feeling a strong bond with Yoshida as the expected voice rang out in his head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Sun, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard as the 'Sun' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' becoming an 'X' to signify that his Sun Confidant link with Yoshida had reached Rank 10, though on the rank screen it read as 'RANK MAX', signifying that Ren had maxed out his Sun Confidant link with Yoshida.

As a result of the level-up, Ren was granted the power of 'Charismatic Speech' by Yoshida, enabling him to form contracts with higher-level Shadows. Furthermore, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared after the rank-up confirmation, notifying Ren that he know had access to fusing 'Asura', the strongest Persona of the Sun arcana. Afterwards, Yoshida spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"I'm sure you will accomplish everything you set out to do. Thank you for everything. All right, it's time to begin!" Yoshida said as Ren nodded and took his place as a placard holder when a young man in the crowd spoke up.

"Yoshida's speech is about to start!" The young man said as a nearby young woman spoke up.

"I cut my date short so I could watch this, you know." The young woman said as Yoshida spoke up.

"Does anyone out there have something they aspire to do? I met a certain young man recently, and through a method that differs from mine, he was trying to reform the world. As you know, that is a very large mountain to cross. Unfortunately, I am unable to travel the same path as him. That being said, however, I will not say goodbye. Because we will surely meet at the peak. He is desperately doing what he aspires to do. So I encourage you all. Please find what it is that YOU aspire to do. And I will support you. Because that is what I aspire to do." Yoshida said as a man spoke up agreeably in the crowd.

"Way to go, Toranosuke!" The man said as a woman spoke up at that point.

"I believe in you!" The woman said as Ren listened to the speech, noticing that listening to the speech served to give his Charm a needless boost. Ren then decided to listen to Yoshida's speech for a little longer before heading home. After that, Ren spared an idle thought for what Kusa might be up to at that same time...

(A bit earlier that evening, at the Sakura house with Kusa and Futaba, in Futaba's room)

"So, you heard the same things in Akechi's responses that I did, right Taba?" Kusa asked Futaba bluntly, getting a nod from Futaba as she spoke up.

"Yup, sure did. The way he evaded the question about Black Mask is reason enough to set our plan into motion. Of course, this plan is super-risky, since if Akechi gets even a hint of what we're up to, it could end quite disastrously for us both, especially if your theory about him is right. But I trust you to not only keep us both safe, but to also know what you're doing, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up while crossing his arms.

"Naturally. Also, I hope this plan works, since if what you got off that document I found and showed you is correct, I'd rather not alienate potential family members if I can avoid it. Of course, first we have to actually get proof of your theory, Taba. I trust you have a solution for that, though." Kusa said as Futaba nodded before smiling as she spoke up.

"Yep. I'll discreetly try to get a sample of his DNA, and we can run it against yours to confirm my suspicions. But the fact that you and Ren's mother was on that list is pretty suspicious in and of itself. But we'll figure it out together. Mwehehe." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. And if there's anyone I'd want by my side while figuring this out, it'd be you, my lovely and oh so supportive girlfriend. So let's figure this out together, yeah?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded before speaking up.

"Precisely. But for now, what say we continue this discussion back at Leblanc, up in you and Ren's room?" Futaba said slyly as Kusa spoke up.

"I don't mind, but you do realize Ren and I have school tomorrow, so we can't exactly afford to be up too late. Plus, I don't imagine that Ren would be that comfortable having us making out on the sofa that close to him. But maybe he'll grit it and bear?" Kusa said as Futaba spoke up.

"Alternatively, we can continue this here, and you can just sneak out the window in the morning to go get ready for school. I'm okay with that too." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Wow, you really crave my company that much, eh Taba? Can't say I'm surprised, but still, what if Sojiro catches us?" Kusa asked as Futaba spoke up.

"I'll tell him I asked you to stay for comfort and that I'll send you over to get ready in the morning." Futaba said dismissively. Kusa shrugged and nodded as he spoke up.

"Well, if the lady wants it, far be it from me to argue." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and shyly guided Kusa to her bed, where the two laid down and got comfy in each other's arms as they eagerly yet passionately made out with each other for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms...

(The next morning, on the walk to school with Ren, Morgana, and Makoto)

Makoto waked over to Ren and spoke up as he went to change trains for the ride to school.

"Good morning. My sister is, rather bluntly put, serious. Her determination to win this fight is reflected in the casino. She won't be easy to beat. I know that better than anyone. I want to understand our situation as soon as possible. Let's go to the Palace today." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Calm down, Makoto. I know you want to get a feel for things, but we're on our prep week right now. We'll head back in on 11/5, and no sooner. Okay?" Ren said to Makoto, who sheepishly nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. Sorry. Perhaps I AM getting a bit too high-strung. But I can't bear seeing my sister like this. We'll stop her, no matter what. If you're going by any chance, let me know. I'll make sure I'm ready at a moment's notice." Makoto said as Ren nodded, finishing his walk to school alone, idly wondering as he did so if Kusa was going to be at school since he'd not returned home the night before...

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

"Let's begin class. We'll continue from last time." Ushimaru said as a woman's voice came over the intercom.

"Uhh, ahem, is this on? Mister Ushimaru, please come to the faculty office at once." Everyone heard over the intercom as Ushimaru frowned and spoke up.

"What's going on? I don't know what business this is, but I intend to find out. That said, you better study on your own until I return!" Ushimaru said as he left the class, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"That voice, was that who I think it was? Hey! Wasn't that Kawakami on the PA? There's no way that announcement was real, Ren. It must've been the signal! Kawakami's been kind enough to give us this free time, so we better put it to good use!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, pulling out his copy of 'Game Secrets' to finally read it, figuring it was as good of a use of his time as any. Ren then read quietly from the book.

"Hm. This says 'It's not a programming bug, it's a secret technique!" Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Wow! Secret technique, huh? Sounds like something phantom thieves would use, or at least I think so." Morgana said as Ren nodded and kept reading, quickly finishing 'Game Secrets', at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Oh. So, you've finished reading 'Game Secrets'. It was full of a bunch of secret techniques for a bunch of games. That said, I think we could beat any video game we want now! Although, I guess it's up to you whether or not you actually want to use any of those cheats." Morgana said as Ren noted he now knew several secrets and cheats for video games. He could thus use these to lower the difficulty of these games, making them easier to beat. Morgana then frowned and spoke up.

"Oh! Ah! The teacher's back!" Morgana said as Ren quickly put his book away right as Ushimaru came back in with a pissed-off look on his face as he spoke up.

"Waste of my time! God, they don't even know who called me out of class? Anyway, time to resume the lesson!" Ushimaru said as Morgana spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yup! Phew, that was close. Kawakami helped us get a good chunk of free time though!" Morgana said as Ren nodded and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

Ren saw on checking his phone he had 4 new chats, one each from Futaba, Maruki, Yusuke and Haru. After weighing his options, he recalled Kawakami's words about Maruki's tenure being near its end, and decided to go get a Councillor Persona before ranking up Maruki. While doing so, he also created an Empress Persona just to have one on hand. Once done, he opened up Maruki's private chat to read it.

"Hi, how have you been? As far as I can tell, my paper just needs some finishing touches. Though you'd be welcome to drop by even without the academic excuse, of course." Maruki sent as Morgana spoke up, having read the chat over Ren's shoulder.

"So, what's it gonna be? Kawakami had a point before when she said you were on a timer with Maruki's Confidant link, so maybe getting him ranked up some more isn't a bad idea." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"I think I will spend time with Maruki, just so he's close to maxed out, since I believe he only needs two more ranks, and if I am on limited time, I should probably hard-focus him. And probably also Akechi to a point as well since I sense I don't have a lot of time to rank him up either. But back on topic, yeah, I'll go hang with Maruki." Ren said. He then sent a response.

"Sure. I don't got that much else going on today anyways. Besides, rumor on the school grapevine is that you're not going to be around for that much longer, and I figure I might as well make the most of the time you have left at Shujin to a point." Ren sent as Maruki sent a response.

"Thanks. Then I'll be waiting at the nurse's office." Maruki sent as Ren went back to Shujin to meet Maruki at the Nurse's Office. Once there, he knocked on the door and was told to come in by Maruki, which he did and took a seat as Maruki did the same and spoke up.

"Thanks for coming. You see, there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about." Maruki said as Ren blinked in confusion as Maruki kept speaking.

"You see, I know this is a little personal, but to be honest? You remember how my former girlfriend came up the other day? Rumi?" Maruki asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, kind of." Ren said honestly as Maruki spoke up.

"To be honest, we were even engaged, if you can believe that. She was so cheerful. I mean, she could get pretty aggressive. She was always kind of hot-headed, you see. But she was always so kind, too. All things considered, she was the best thing that ever happened to me." Maruki said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Well said, Doc. Spoken like a true man in love. Not that I have a lot of experience to compare yours to." Ren said with a shrug as Maruki spoke up.

"That's true, Amamiya-kun the elder. You don't have that much experience to draw on. Even so, I didn't deserve her, but that didn't matter to her. Honestly, if we'd had our shot, my life would've been so much happier than it had ever been. But in the end, reality's never that simple. Especially for Rumi. One day, a burglar broke into her family's home. Rumi and I had been visiting. We were there to see what he'd done to them. It was both tragic, and at the same time, just bad luck. But of course, it didn't end there.

He must have been desperate to escape, considering the fact that he attacked Rumi on his way out. I was right there with her, and, in the end I couldn't do anything to save her. Haha, I must look pretty pathetic, right? That said, we were lucky Rumi's injuries weren't more severe. Her physical ones, at least. But the shock of the incident was too much. She had a mental breakdown. Hm, we talked about that, didn't we? How wounds of the heart aren't as straightforward as physical ones?

Well, she never really recovered from what happened. Even after all this time. I, to be quite honest, also kind of lost myself in that pain for a while, too. Why? She didn't deserve that, Amamiya-kun the elder! None of them did. None of them did anything wrong! Oh, um, I'm sorry. To tell you the truth, when I saw her in that hospital bed, I made a vow. I swore that I'd do all I could to fight back against the unfairness of reality. If someone suffered like that, I'd help.

But like I said before, despite what happened, Rumi's in a better mental place now. She's happy. But that pain I felt back then-that's how this project was born. And thanks to you, I've finally found the true goal of that research, too. I don't care how long it takes me. I will make my dream come true. For Rumi's sake, of course, but not just for her, but for you too, Amamiya-kun the elder.

I, for once, honestly don't have the words to say what all this means to me. But I can at least say this. Thank you, Amamiya-kun the elder, so much, for everything. Thanks to you, I found my answer. And once it's ready to go, I hope you'll let me use it to help you find the happiness you deserve." Maruki said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? And suppose I might have already found the happiness I deserve before your answer is ready to go, Doc?" Ren asked as Maruki gave Ren an amused smile before he spoke up.

"If so, then that makes my job simpler. Regardless, my path is clear now. I think this'll probably be the last time I come to you about the paper." Maruki said as Ren nodded before speaking up in a surprisingly sad tone.

"I see. Well, that's good that you've finished your paper, but it's also kind of sad, to think that this might be how our time together ends." Ren said honestly. Maruki smiled as he nodded before speaking up with a smile on his face.

"I know how you feel, Amamiya-kun the elder. It's a bit of a bittersweet feeling. But it meant a lot to me, too. And really, I couldn't have done it without you. That said, I'll let you know when I finally finish that paper. When I do, I'll have to thank you one last time. You helped me see my dream through-I owe you so much, Amamiya-kun the elder. But for now, I should uphold my end of the deal. I've got a really special one for you today. I think you're ready for something on another level now!" Maruki said to Ren, who nodded and smiled as he felt a strong bond of friendship from Maruki.

At that point, the 'Councillor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VIII' becoming a 'IX' to signify that his Councillor Confidant link with Maruki had reached rank 9. As a result of the rank up, Ren had been taught the ways of 'Detox DX' by Maruki, which boosted the chances of Detox X succeeding. Afterwards, Maruki spoke up.

"Also, to be honest? There's one more thing I want to tell you, but I'll save it until I finish my paper. I just hope you can forgive me for it, to be honest." Maruki said as Ren gave him a confused look, making Maruki keep speaking in a flustered tone.

"Oh, uh, no, don't mind me! Sorry, that came out way too ominous!" Maruki said as he talked Ren through some mental training, per his end of their deal, as Ren noted his mind felt stronger from the training, leading to a slight boost to his max SP. Maruki then spoke up.

"Oh, and here. Never a bad time for a snack, am I right?" Maruki said as he gave Ren a 'Fulfiller' item. Ren then left to go back to Leblanc at that point...

(That night at Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, Sojiro and Kusa)

As Ren walked back into Leblanc, Sojiro spoke up.

"You're back, Ren. Um, about before, when I gave you, Kusa and Futaba the third degree? I'm sorry. All I can do is welcome you home at night for now." Sojiro said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"It's fine, Boss. I forgive you. You were just acting out of worry for Futaba, and to be fair, it was mine and Kusa's fault for not trusting you sooner to know about us. Kusa even insisted more than once we bring you into the loop about us, but he was overruled, with the argument of the less who know our secret, the less apt said secret is to leak. So I'm not mad at you for what you did, Boss. If anything, I'm glad you did it, since now you know about us, and we don't have to hide that from you anymore.

To tell you the truth, I was starting to feel rather bad about not trusting you with our secret, but I knew as the leader of the group, I had to do my bit to keep the others safe and protected. But I get the sense you understand that, Boss." Ren said kindly as Sojiro nodded while Ren walked over and did the crossword that was on a booth seat, before deciding to check the fridge for leftover curry ingredients, figuring he had to try making curry eventually. Morgana spoke up in surprise as Ren saw ingredients in the fridge.

"Hey, there are some leftover curry ingredients here! So, what do you wanna do? Gonna make some curry?" Morgana asked Ren, who thought about it and spoke up.

"Why not? Let's make some curry. If nothing else, that'll give us dinner for the night. Plus I figure it's about time I try my hand at making curry, since Boss has Kusa learning how to brew coffee at this point." Ren said to Morgana as Sojiro spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, you're cookin' dinner, Ren? I'm about to head home myself, but make sure you close up, and be careful with the stove, all right?" Sojiro said to Ren, who nodded as Sojiro turned and left, at the same time that Kusa walked into Leblanc, blinking as he saw Ren in the kitchen stirring a pot of curry. He then spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, what's this now? Tryin' your hand at curry, eh Ren? Interesting. This I have to see. Lemme go set my bag down and then if you don't mind, I'll taste-test your finished product for you." Kusa said as Ren nodded agreeably while figuring it was going well so far. As Kusa headed upstairs, Morgana spoke up.

"Dang Ren, this curry sure has a lot of ingredients, doesn't it? Did I see you put fruit in there?" Morgana asked Ren as Kusa laughed at the question while heading downstairs before eventually having a seat in the stool next to Morgana, lightly patting the not-cat affectionately on the head before he spoke up.

"Silly Morgana, that's the beauty of curry. You can put most anything you want in it, and it'll likely cook in well. Though, I will say from experience, do NOT try to put coffee into the curry. Take it from me, it will not end well if you try that. On the other hand, putting things like cheese, chocolate, or even vanilla can have rather interesting effects on the curry. But that's also part of the fun of curry is experimenting with different things and seeing what works well and what doesn't." Kusa said sagely as he then did his best Sojiro impression while he kept speaking with a grin.

"Curious about the fruits specifically, Morgana? Well then, let me explain! Grated fruit is frequently used as a secret ingredient in curry. The hint of sweetness makes for a subtle, delectable flavor. Apples are recommended due to their fiber. Stewing the apple will bring out its sweetness balancing the spice of the curry." Kusa said as Morgana gave him a shocked look while speaking up.

"Huh, I had no idea that you were that good at imitating the chief, Kusa! Also, that's actually kind of interesting. I never knew apples would go so well with spicy curry." Morgana said as he stood up excitedly on the counter while watching Ren cook as he kept speaking.

"Also, you throw it all together with such gusto, Ren. Could it be that the secret ingredient is, of all things, confidence?" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Confidence is key, but that's another part of the fun of curry, is trying to guess the secret ingredient used in a given curry. Where's the fun in knowing ahead of time what you're in for with curry?" Kusa said with a wry grin. Ren nodded as he felt his Guts get a needless boost. Morgana then did a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Nice! The curry's smelling good, Ren! This'll definitely be a hit!" Morgana said as Kusa smirked before lightly scooping up Morgana, sitting on the stool Morgana had been occupying, then gently sitting the not-cat on his lap so he could still stand up to look over the counter. After a bit, Ren smirked and brought out two plates of curry for himself and Kusa, the latter of whom asked Ren for a smaller plate.

Despite his confusion at the request, it was one which Ren confusedly obliged with as Kusa scooped a portion of his curry onto the smaller plate before sitting said plate down by his own and moving Morgana onto the adjacent stool so he could have some curry too. Afterwards, the three dug in, Ren grinning as he sampled his handiwork, before pumping a fist and smiling as he spoke up.

"YES! This came out great!" Ren said as Morgana spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"You look awfully proud of yourself." Morgana said to Ren as Kusa swallowed his current bite and smiled wryly before he spoke up.

"Can you blame him, Morgana? Ren's a natural at this! He's not on par with Boss yet by any means, but he's easily on par with my curry, if not better than me at it. But I'm happy he's learning it so well." Kusa said with a smile as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"True. I could tell that this recipe sure has some love and care behind it." Morgana said as he kept speaking.

"Come to think of it, maybe you should make more of it so we have some to try in the Metaverse. Maybe it'll heal your wounds." Morgana suggested as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former getting 2 'Master Curry' items for his troubles. After that, the trio finished their meal hungrily, after which Ren did the dishes with Kusa as Morgana spoke up.

"You were given the chance to learn how to make curry Ren, so don't let it go to waste. There may come a time you'll be asked to serve it to someone. Wouldn't hurt to hone your skills." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"If he just practices this every so often, like I do, he'll be just fine. After all, it's not like he needs exceptional cooking skills to impress the ladies, given the fact he finally landed Yoshizawa at the dance the other night. Not that I have room to talk, considering I too landed my crush finally. Granted, I don't think I've heard Ren mention spending time with Kasumi even once since that dance, where I've hung out a few times with Taba since then.

And from what I've heard, even Ryuji and Makoto have found time for each other. But I assume that Ren has his reasons for this. After all, he seemed content enough when he got back from Hawaii, as I recall." Kusa said as Ren's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Hawaii!? Oh crap, that's right! Also, thanks for reminding me, Kusa! I never handed out souvenirs from that trip, and I got something for you, Futaba, and Morgana! I'll be right back!" Ren said as he dashed upstairs before quickly coming back down, a souvenir bag in each hand. He then spoke up.

"Okay, first of all. Let's do Morgana's souvenir. I want to see his reaction to it." Ren said as he reached into the right-hand bag, and when his hand came out, Morgana's jaw dropped at the sight of the anago in Ren's hand before he smiled happily and spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"WHAT!? Is that an anago fish!? How is that not spoiled!? YES! Thanks, Ren!" Morgana said as he pounced on the anago, licking it blissfully, before gaping as he spoke up, his face a mix of horrified and shocked as he kept speaking, ignoring the smirk on both Ren and Kusa's face, the latter clearly trying not to laugh as Morgana spoke.

"Wait a minute! This isn't a real anago! And why does it taste like catnip!?" Morgana asked in horror as Kusa actually burst out laughing at this before he spoke up.

"I think I know what's going on, but I don't want to say what it is until Ren answers you since if I'm right, what he did is both hilarious and kind of a low-key dick move. However, what Ren did is also a forgivable dick move, since with apologies to you Morgana, it's kinda funny seeing your face right now." Kusa said with an amused grin, giving Morgana an apologetic look as Ren spoke up.

"If you think I got Morgana an anago-shaped catnip toy, you're correct, Kusa. Sorry it's not real, but you know it'd have gone bad before I got it back if I tried bringing sushi back. Besides, I thought the idea of a catnip toy was way funnier, considering how you're always insisting you're not a cat." Ren said as Kusa frowned for a moment before shrugging as he spoke up.

"I should be annoyed at that, but I just find it funny. Sorry Morgana, but I agree with Ren on this. A catnip toy was a perfect novelty souvenir for you. If nothing else, you can use it to vent your anger on." Kusa said as Morgana huffed but conceded the point at that as Ren spoke up while opening up the other bag and retrieving a black box which he handed to Kusa and spoke up.

"Technically, this is both a souvenir for you AND a souvenir for Futaba, but as she's not here, I'll trust you to share it with her next time you see her. Go on and open it." Ren said as Kusa nodded, opening up the box and gasping at the yin-yang pendant duo inside, before he spoke up with wide eyes, blue sparkling music notes going up over his head while he spoke.

"No freaking way! You actually found one of these in Hawaii!? Nice! These are incredible, Ren! Ignoring the fact that yin-yangs are moreso Chinese than Japanese, I'm impressed you found one of these in Hawaii of all places. If I recall my lore correctly, these are said to be really lucky for couples who each keep half of the yin-yang pendant duo and never take them off. I'm kinda shocked you didn't get a second set for you and Yoshizawa, to be honest. But maybe they only had the one?" Kusa said with a shrug as Ren internally groaned at the obvious suggestion from Kusa, mentally berating himself for not thinking of that. Ren then spoke up with a sheepish look on his face.

"Truthfully? There were multiple, but I didn't even consider stopping to grab a set for Kasumi and I, considering she was there when I picked out the souvenirs for you two. So I had to refrain, such that I could surprise her possibly later on." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. Thank you though for the neat souvenir, Ren! I love it, and I know Taba will love it too! She's been trying to find a pendant to match my gold yin-yang pendant Boss got me for my birthday, so this is a good opportunity to rectify that situation. So thanks for helping me to do that, Ren." Kusa said gratefully as sparkling blue music notes went up over his head while he looked at Ren and kept speaking.

"Also, hopefully we can finish this Palace sooner, rather than later. I seem to recall that a certain someone we all know has a birthday coming up, and I think if we worked together, we could surprise her quite nicely for the occasion. Not to mention I'm sure Morgana would love to help make Lady Ann's birthday an occasion to remember?" Kusa said, slyly winking at Ren as he spoke, around the same time that Morgana's head shot up from his anago toy to give Kusa a shocked look before he opted to speak up at the mention of Ann.

"Wait, for real!? Lady Ann's birthday is coming up?" Morgana asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Don't you remember what I said when we discussed birthdays with the others, Morgana? After Ren and Ryuji's joint party, mine was next, and then after me is Ann on 11/12, followed by Haru on I think it was either 12/3 or 12/5, forget which. Either way, after Haru is Yusuke, who if I recall correctly has a birthday sometime in January, the 28th I think? Then after him is Futaba, whose birthday is 2/19, and then after Futaba is Yoshizawa, whose birthday so happens to be March 25th from what she said to me once. Kinda rough that it's so close to the end of your year-long probation, isn't it Ren?" Kusa said conversationally as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True that. And I notice you left out Makoto, Akechi, and Morgana's birthdays from that list." Ren mentioned as Kusa spoke up.

"I have no clue about Akechi's birthday, and I don't think Morgana ever shared his birthday." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"My birthday? I don't have one that I can recall, though I think I vaguely recall hearing the date 4/20 tossed around once or twice, so we could go with that as my birthday?" Morgana said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"That tracks. I mean, we already cracked that joke about how the idea of you turning into a tour bus must've been inspired by stoners and/or hippies, so you having a birthday of the most stoner day of the year tracks so hard." Kusa said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, but wasn't 4/20 also the birthday of that one dictator we were taught about in history before?" Ren said as Kusa spoke up quickly.

"If you mean that douchebag Hitler, that's irrelevant. Besides, 4/20 is more commonly celebrated as a stoner holiday anyways. Or at least so I was told by the pen pal I had when I was younger. Why I was the one chosen to have the American pen pal I have no idea, but I'm not arguing with it either, since he turned me on to so much iconic shit, between the NFL, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Smosh, and pretty much every non-Japanese band I listen to. Too bad we eventually fell out of contact out of nowhere. Wonder whatever happened to Yuki-san?" Kusa said to himself as Ren spoke up.

"Didn't we see him on the news a couple years ago? Something to do with being involved with some supernatural occurrence involving a seal and him being a hero?" Ren said as Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Not sure. I feel like that could've been his older brother, to be honest. Though I do vaguely want to say I recall hearing something about him sacrificing himself to save the world." Kusa said before shrugging as he spoke up.

"Oh well, it's not important I suppose. What IS important is that we stay on our toes, at least until we can track down and deal with that son of a bitch Black Mask. If I ever find out who's behind that mask, it's a pretty safe bet I'm gonna fight them, unless they're a girl, in which case I'll let Makoto whoop their ass.

After all, as I'm sure you're aware by now, I wasn't raised to hit a lady if I can avoid it. But back on topic, glad to see you remembered us while in Hawaii, Ren. Also, this was a pretty sweet way to spend our Halloween, I think." Kusa said happily as he and Ren exchanged a fist-bump, the latter smiling as he felt a sense of his bond with Kusa growing still deeper.

At that point, the 'World' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his World Confidant link with Kusa had reached rank 7, and as a result of the rank up, Kusa had awakened to the power of 'Business Acumen', taking the effects of 'Financial Savvy' and increasing them so that instead of a flat 10% increase to obtained yen, Ren now got a 25% boost to dropped yen after battles. Additionally, it increased the chances of 'Haggle' succeeding from 5% to 15%. Afterwards, Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"But for real though, I feel like that Hawaii trip did you a world of good, even if the aftermath wasn't either of our proudest moments." Kusa said sagely as Ren nodded and Morgana looked up from adorably playing with his anago toy to speak up with a content smile.

"Well then, as much as this has been a blast, we should all get to bed. It's late, after all, and you two have school tomorrow." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded agreeably before finishing the dishes and going up to get comfortable for bed, the former of the two sitting the box with the yin-yang pendant duo on the table by the game console as he laid down, sitting his phone on top of the box while he and Ren got comfortable and dozed off for the night, Morgana hopping up onto Kusa's chest to curl up as the three dozed off...

(The next morning, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

"It's already November, believe it or not. We've already gone through pretty much all the school events now, so that frees you up for studying. It'll be getting colder from now on, so wrap up warm and don't get sick. I mean it. If you even THINK you've got a fever, go see the nurse. Oh right, speaking of the nurse's office, I should inform you that Doctor Maruki's going to be leaving us on the 18th.

If you need to talk to him, now's the time. He was kind of a quiet guy, but it was nice having him around, if I'm being honest. I think I'll be kind of sad to see him go. So if he helped any of you feel better, make sure you thank him before he's gone. But with that said, anyway, time to start class." Kawakami said as Morgana spoke up.

"Man, time really flies, doesn't it? A whole year's gone by already." Morgana said as Ren blinked but figured he meant a calendar year, not a year since he and Morgana met. Ren said nothing as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

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

As Ren and Ann sat in class, their phones buzzed to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Was school always like this? Don't it feel kinda different than usual?" Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"Do you think?" Haru sent as Ann sent a message at that point.

"I'm getting a weird feeling too." Ann sent as Haru sent a response.

"What do you mean?" Haru sent as Ann sent a response.

"It's like the people around us seem restless or something." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Pretty unsettling, right?" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"Maybe you're right Ryuji, but it feels the same to me." Ren sent as Haru sent a response at that point.

"Mm, I agree." Haru sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Nothing seems unusual on my end. What about you, Makoto?" Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Someone ask for me? Everything's normal over here." Futaba sent as Kusa and Yusuke sent responses close together, Yusuke's coming through first.

"We most certainly did not ask for you. Is Makoto sick today?" Yusuke sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Good question, Yusuke. And Taba? You know that I love you to bits, but Yusuke very clearly asked for Makoto, and your name isn't Makoto as far as I'm aware. But thanks for letting us know you're all right. Also, Yusuke, you do know you tend to come off just a tad rude when you respond to Taba like you do, yeah? Just putting that out there." Kusa sent conversationally as Makoto sent a response.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. I only just noticed the chat right now. I think everyone's just agitated by the Phantom Thieves rumors. Try not to be affected by the people around you." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Agreed. Also, as Kusa demonstrated, it's important to stay calm and not lose your chill in times like these!" Futaba sent as Ren put his phone away and the rest of class passed uneventfully..,

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

Ren and Morgana blinked as Ren got a message from Haru asking him to meet her at the rooftop, which he did, blinking as he saw a full-size flowerbed set up in front of Haru. Morgana gaped as he spoke up in surprise.

"Holy moly!" Morgana said as Haru heard the not-cat and looked up at Ren while speaking up.

"Hm? Oh, Ren-kun! Hello. What are your thoughts on this flowerbed? I brought it here in the hopes of doing some serious gardening." Haru said with a smile as Morgana spoke up in shock.

"Wow, Ren. I'm impressed. She's so diligent with what she does." Morgana said as Ren smirked before speaking up.

"Careful, Morgana. If one didn't know better, one would think you were getting over Ann only to be getting interested in Haru. And regardless of the fact you're not a cat, she's already kinda spoken for." Ren said to Morgana in a mix of light-hearted teasing, disgust at mentioning Haru's fiance, and light awe that Morgana seemed to somewhat be moving on from Ann. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, is Mona-chan taken with me? That's so adorable. I don't mind it at all, since he's so adorable. Mind, I'm not sure I could really be attracted romantically to him with his current form, but anything's possible I guess?" Haru said with a shrug as she changed the subject and kept speaking.

"That said, let me know if you'd like me to grow any vegetables. So, what should we do today?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up.

"I was originally here to see why you asked me to come up here, but I think this flowerbed answered that question for me. That said, let's give this flowerbed a go, yeah? I'm here for the vegetables now." Ren said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"That makes me happy, Ren-kun. These vegetables should grow nicely here. What do you think? Plants grow better if you talk to them, you know? Grow big, okay?" Haru said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I take it those pouches that are out are the seeds you have on hand?" Ren asked Haru, pointing to 4 pouches labeled 'Sun-Ripe Tomato', 'Moonlight Carrot', 'Onion', and 'Garlic'. In the end, Ren chose the 'Moonlight Carrot' seeds for the first harvest, seeing the label advertise the product as a full-heal for one ally's SP, and figuring the more ways to get free SP items, the better. Haru nodded as she and Ren worked together while they planted the selected seeds, before smiling at Ren as she spoke up.

"The 'Moonlight Carrot' is doing well. It should be ready to harvest on 11/5! Hehe. I hope you're looking forward to it." Haru said as Ren nodded his agreement before deciding to go hang out with Ryuji, finding him loitering by the steps near his classroom. Ryuji looked at Ren as he walked over, speaking up cautiously.

"Yo, Ren. What're you doin' today?" Ryuji asked Ren. Ren spoke up.

"I know we need to get back into the Palace, but we're on our prep week, so we have a couple days. As such, I was thinking you and I could hang out if you were up for it." Ren said to Ryuji, who blinked and spoke up.

"Huh, for real? You sure we're gonna be okay not headin' in?" Ryuji asked Ren, who nodded.

"Of course. We've got loads of time. We have about 3 weeks before our deadline, so taking another 3-4 days to prepare for the Palace isn't gonna hurt us at all." Ren said as Ryuji frowned but nodded as he spoke up.

"Well, if you say so, Ren. Eh, I guess it ain't gonna hurt gettin' a change of pace. Yo, I've got something I wanna talk to you about. It's about the track team, so you mind hearin' me out?" Ryuji asked Ren, who spoke up with a nod.

"No problem, Ryuji. I've got time to hear you out." Ren said agreeably. Ryuji grinned as he spoke up.

"All right, let's go! You're a lifesaver, dude. I'm feelin' real hungry, so let's get some monja while we talk. it's on me." Ryuji said as he and Ren headed to the monja shop where they ate their fill of monja. Afterwards, Ryuji did a closed-eye grin and chuckled as he spoke up.

"Heh! Man, I'm stuffed! Pretty damn good, huh? This one's on me. Don't expect it to happen too often though. Wait a second, where's my wallet at? Did I lose it? Eh, whatever. Oh, by the way, I got a text from Takeishi the other day. He said the track team's gonna try n' ditch Yamauchi. They wanna start practicin' without him. They're trying to get their old coach back too, from what Takeishi said. Y'know, the one from before Kamoshida. Looks like they're finally walkin' their own path." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. Are you satisfied now?" Ren asked Ryuji gently. Ryuji blinked as he spoke up.

"Hm? Umm, yeah, I guess so. Oh, and uh, to be honest? Actually, they asked me to come back to the team." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Don't do it, man. I know you miss track, but you yourself just said that they have to walk their own path." Ren said. Ryuji blinked at Ren's response before speaking up.

"Dude, I wasn't gonna. It felt kinda bad, but that's not where I belong now. When you first came to Shujin, people were talkin' so much shit about you. But you took it in stride. You just did whatever you thought was cool, and didn't care what other people said about you. I think that's why people kinda get pulled towards you, man. Wherever you decide to be, that's where you belong." Ryuji said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Huh, that's pretty deep, Ryuji. To be honest? I never realized that." Ren said honestly. Ryuji gave Ren a shocked look as he spoke up.

"Seriously? Y'know, to be honest, back before I met you, I kept makin' excuses for why I couldn't fit in. It was always 'cause of someone else. Kamoshida, the track team, the teachers. Hell, I even blamed my dad. I was such a freakin' loser back then. But I've realized now that as long as I'm bein' myself, I'll always have somewhere I can fit in. It ain't really the same place as before, but it's damn good. But I'm just glad I found it." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Ryuji. You've done well to find such a place all by yourself. I'm proud of you." Ren said honestly to Ryuji. Ryuji chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, don't worry, man. There's a place here for you too. Right next to me probably, or maybe ahead? Something like that." Ryuji said as Ren nodded, feeling as if his bond with Ryuji was growing ever deeper. As a result, the 'Chariot' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VIII' becoming an 'IX' to signify that his Chariot Confidant link with Ryuji had reached rank 9.

As a result of the rank up, Ryuji had come into the power of 'Protect', making it so that like Ann and Morgana, Ryuji could now shield Joker from an otherwise fatal attack. Afterwards, Ryuji kept speaking.

"I ain't gonna stop trainin' though. I've still got a long way to go. Someday, I'm gonna show you speed so lightnin' fast, you're not even gonna be able to see me. Wait, but if you can't see me, am I really showin' you anything, then? Eh, whatever. I think we've been talking too long. We're all outta monja, it seems. Hmm, wanna try grillin' some toothpicks?" Ryuji said as Ren blinked but shook his head in the negative as Ryuji spoke up again.

"Fair enough. Wanna head back? Let's head home." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc, where the phone rang as soon as he got to the doorstep, making him stop to answer it.

"Hello?" Ren said, nodding at the sound of Ryuji's voice on the other end.

"Yo, get this! I just got a call from Nakaoka and others earlier, tellin' me that the track team's officially gonna be restored. They're apparently keeping Yamauchi as their advisor for now, but it's cool. Sounds like they got him under control." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Congrats, Ryuji. But it sounds to me like you better watch out for them, just in case." Ren said. Ryuji grinned as he spoke up.

"Nah, they're not even close to catchin' up to me. Besides, I'm gonna be trainin' my own ass off. Gotta beat my old time form the old days! But yeah, we can let the track team handle the rest of their problems. They gotta do the runnin' from now on. Heh, but to be honest, I'm not gonna let my guard down now! I ain't about to lose to them! 'Kay I'm gonna go for another run! Keep on bonkin'!" Ryuji sent as Ren just nodded fondly as he hung up his phone and headed inside. Once inside, Ren and Morgana decided to figure out their plans for the evening, unaware that elsewhere, Kusa was having an interesting conversation of his own...

(Earlier that day, around the same time as Ren hanging out with Ryuji, back at Shujin with Kusa and Kasumi)

As Kusa made to leave the school, he heard his name being called, looking around for the source, only to find it was Kasumi, whom he walked over to and smiled at while speaking up.

"Oh, hi there, Kasumi. I didn't realize you were looking for me. What's up?" Kusa asked as Kasumi cautiously looked around before she spoke up.

"To be honest, I was hoping to get your opinion, if not your advice, on something. Maybe also get your girlfriend's opinion too? I seem to recall she's smart, so maybe she has a unique perspective on things." Kasumi said as Kusa thought about it before speaking up.

"I can most likely do that, but let me shoot a quick chat off to Taba and see if she's up for that. After all, she tends to have an unpredictable schedule from time to time." Kusa said by way of response before discreetly opening up his phone to send a private chat to Futaba.

"Hey there, beautiful. First of all, sending this to let you know I'm thinking of you. But also, Kasumi stopped me after school and asked if she could speak to us both, since apparently she needs our advice/opinion on something. I told her I'd ask if you were up for it, but feel free to say no if you're either busy or not up for it, and I'll understand." Kusa sent as Futaba fairly quickly sent a reply.

"First of all, that's sweet that you're thinking of me so much. Second of all, if by Kasumi you're referring to the Yoshizawa-san that is your brother's girlfriend, I'm definitely up for chatting with her, mostly since I think we can use this chance to test our theory about her, so ask her where she wants to chat." Futaba sent as Kusa looked at Kasumi and spoke up.

"OK, she's up for it. But she said to ask where you want to meet up." Kusa said to Kasumi, who thought about it before responding.

"Hm, good question. I suppose, all things considered, maybe Leblanc is an option? If nothing else, I know it's a spot that your girlfriend is comfortable at." Kasumi said as Kusa nodded before speaking up.

"This is true. Taba is rather comfortable around Leblanc. But what do we say to Boss if he asks why I'm bringing two girls around Leblanc?" Kusa asked as Kasumi smiled and spoke up.

"We can say you're bringing me over to do homework together, or for a study group. And Futaba's there because she wanted to spend time with you while getting to know me." Kasumi said after pondering Kusa's question, getting an approving nod from Kusa as he spoke up.

"That makes a lot of sense. Let me send Taba a quick chat to see if she's okay with that." Kusa said as Kasumi nodded while Kusa sent Futaba a reply.

"To answer your question, Kasumi apparently wants to meet up at Leblanc to discuss whatever she wants to discuss. Something about it being a comfort place for you apparently? But I told her I'd make sure you had no objections to that. She even came up with a solid cover story we can use if your dad asks about why Kasumi's with us." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"That sounds good to me. I'll start heading that way now. I assume you two will be there shortly?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Most likely. I don't think Kasumi's gonna want to wait on this, but I could be wrong. Either way, I'll see you over there." Kusa sent as he put his phone away and turned to Kasumi.

"OK, so Taba's on board with meeting up at Leblanc. She said she'd see us over there when we get there. So assuming you're not wanting to wait, we can start heading that way now, if that's fine with you." Kusa said to Kasumi, who nodded as she spoke up.

"I'm okay with that. Might as well get this over with, I suppose. Shall we head over then?" Kasumi asked Kusa, who nodded as he escorted Kasumi to Leblanc, where sure enough, Sojiro raised an eyebrow at Kusa and Kasumi walking in together.

"Wait, hold on. Tell me, why are you walking in with Ren's girlfriend, Kusa?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who spoke up.

"We're here for a study group of sorts, plus apparently Kasumi also wanted to get to know Futaba a little bit, so she asked me to sit in on that so Futaba would be more comfortable around her. Basically just a social call in general. No need to worry, Boss." Kusa said to Sojiro, who nodded before turning to Kasumi and speaking up.

"Nice to see you again, Yoshizawa-san." Sojiro said as Kasumi nodded and spoke up.

"Likewise, Boss-san. Sorry for showing up unannounced like this." Kasumi said apologetically before Sojiro waved it off and spoke up.

"It's fine. I was just doing my due diligence to make sure everything was above board, lest there be a repeat of the time Kusa got angry at Ren and stormed off after knocking Ryuji out with one punch." Sojiro said as Kusa flushed a bit in embarrassment as he spoke up.

"Boss, do you have to bring that up around Kasumi? After all, I don't think she knows the specifics of that day very well." Kusa said to Sojiro in a mixed whiny/embarrassed tone, making Sojiro laugh as he spoke up, both Kusa and Sojiro either not hearing or ignoring the giggling coming from Kasumi as Sojiro spoke.

"Sorry, Kusa. Just telling it like it is." Sojiro said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's fair I guess. Did Futaba happen to walk over here already, by chance? She said she'd meet us here." Kusa said to Sojiro, who nodded before smirking as he spoke up.

"Yep. She's upstairs waiting for you in the attic." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and guided Kasumi up the steps to the attic room he and Ren shared. Once upstairs, Kusa looked over at Kasumi and spoke up, smiling as he saw Futaba cutely curled up on the sofa while he spoke to Kasumi.

"I don't know if you remember it from the last time you were up here, but this is the room Ren and I share. Ren sleeps on that bed in the corner by the window, while I lay with Morgana on the sofa that Taba's currently curled up on, presumably waiting to tackle-hug me when I least expect it, as she's prone to doing on occsion." Kusa said to Kasumi as they walked up into the attic, at which point Futaba darted forward to throw herself at Kusa, hugging him for all she was worth before lightly kissing him and speaking up, ignoring the knowing smirk and wink that Kasumi gave her as she spoke.

"Ah, you made it, Kusa. Mwehehe. And Kasumi's with you. Excellent." Futaba said as Kasumi blinked but nodded as she spoke up.

"That's right. Glad to see you again, Futaba-san." Kasumi said as Futaba chuckled and spoke up.

"You don't have to be formal with me, Yoshizawa-san. I don't mind you calling me Futaba. After all, you're older than me, so if anything I should be the one calling you by an honorific, eh Senpai?" Futaba said with a teasing wink, making Kasumi flush red at Futaba's use of the term she herself often called Ren, making her speak up in embarrassment.

"You don't have to call me Senpai, Futaba. You can just call me Kasumi. Besides, Senpai is what I call my boyfriend, or Kusa's brother." Kasumi said as Kusa spoke up.

"So you two did finally get together then. I was hoping so, and that Ren wasn't just talking out of his ass when he made that claim the night of the dance." Kusa said as Kasumi spoke up, an unreadable look on her face while she spoke.

"No, it's true. But it's funny we're mentioning Ren, since that's partially relevant to what I wanted to ask your advice about." Kasumi said uneasily as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, now we're getting to it. Do tell us what it is that you needed mine and Futaba's advice on, Kasumi. Futaba and I have been curious about that since you brought it up." Kusa said as Kasumi seemed to steel herself before speaking up.

"The truth is, I agreed to be Ren-senpai's girlfriend at the dance, but I was extremely hesitant to do so. Partially because a certain someone happened to advise me to 'be honest with him about your feelings' right before that." Kasumi said, pausing to give a sheepish-looking Kusa a pointed look before she kept speaking.

"But back on topic, the truth is, I've been lying to myself for quite some time. I don't know if Ren told you this, but I had a sister until recently, who was at my side for most everything I've been through in life. However, a few months ago, she and I were talking, and without getting into specifics, we exchanged some heated words and I darted off in anger, mortification and frustration. As a result, I didn't hear her calling out to me from behind, since I was headed into a crosswalk where traffic was approaching as I started going across the street.

Because of this, she had to dart forward and shove me out of the way of an oncoming vehicle, only to then get hit by it herself. Sadly, she ended up succumbing to her injuries from what I can recall, and passed away that same day. I seem to recall hearing that it made it onto the news? After all, she was only 15 when she died, not that much older than I am now." Kasumi said as Kusa and Futaba exchanged shocked looks. Kusa then spoke up, eyes slightly wide as he realized this was probably the same accident that Sojiro had told him and Ren about when they first moved to Yongen back in April while he spoke.

"Wow, I had no idea, Kasumi. I'm so sorry for your loss. If it's not too tactless and/or insensitive, what was your sister's name?" Kusa asked Kasumi, who thought about it, trying to recall her sister's name, seeming to visibly struggle with it as Futaba spoke up.

"I think I can guess. Your sister's name was Kasumi, wasn't it?" Futaba asked Kasumi, who blinked at the question before frowning and eventually nodding, making Kusa raise an eyebrow as he spoke up.

"Wait. So you mean to say that you and your sister were both named Kasumi? That's kind of unusual, but I suppose it's entirely possible." Kusa said before turning to Futaba as he kept speaking.

"Taba, do you have that article bookmarked still that you showed me?" Kusa asked Futaba, who nodded as Kusa spoke up once more.

"Can you pull it up so Kasumi here can see it?" Kusa asked as Futaba nodded before pulling out her laptop and pulling up the article in question as Kusa gently guided Kasumi over and spoke up.

"Kasumi, I think you need to read this article before you say anything else, since I think what you just said basically raises up a wee bit of a red flag or two for both myself and Taba." Kusa said as Kasumi frowned but nodded, gasping as she read over the article, which mentioned Kasumi Yoshizawa having a younger sister named Sumire, who had survived the accident but was seemingly nowhere to be seen after the fact. Kasumi gasped as she turned to Futaba and Kusa in shock, giving them a look that was a mix of shocked, stunned and almost betrayed while she spoke up.

"Where did you find this article, Futaba!? I want to know, since the person who wrote this is wrong. The girl who died was not Kasumi Yoshizawa! It was her younger sister, Sumire!" Kasumi insisted as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Ah, no offense Kasumi, but that girl in the picture looks the same as you, other than she has a beauty mark that you don't on her face. I'm not trying to call you a liar or anything, but I think you might be in denial. After all, I looked up a picture of Sumire after seeing this article, mainly out of curiosity to see what she looks like, and as it turns out, she has the same color hair and eyes as you. However, unlike you, she wears her hair down and has glasses.

And to be quite honest, from what I could see of her face, while Futaba is better looking, Sumire was still rather pretty in all honesty. So correct me if I'm wrong, but could it not be that you're actually Sumire Yoshizawa, and not Kasumi? Which if so, why claim to be your sister? That legitimately confuses me." Kusa said to Kasumi, who gasped at Kusa's words, before recoiling as if struck while she spoke up, a look on her face that was a mix of hurt, shocked, and even slightly betrayed while she spoke.

"You don't believe me, Kusa? Really? That's surprising. I am Kasumi Yoshizawa! I don't know why that article said she died, but it's not true! The one who died that day was my little sister, Sumire Yoshizawa! She was the one of us who had a beauty mark on her face, not me. So kindly quit believing these lies! And where did you and Futaba even find such an article!?" Kasumi asked in annoyance as Futaba spoke up, now slightly annoyed at Kasumi for calling both her and Kusa liars while she spoke.

"I got bored one day and started surfing the net. I happened upon that article by chance, but didn't think much of it at first, or at least I didn't until Kusa introduced you to me as 'Kasumi Yoshizawa'. After that, I looked up the picture of the dead girl, and other than her hair being a darker shade of red than yours, she looks just like you, with the same ponytail and everything. Yet the article also had a picture of Sumire, and she had the same hair color as you, and like you, she had no beauty mark on her face.

I think you're actually Sumire, but in denial because of your loss, which is totally understandable. I can relate, since I had the same reaction when my mom passed. So it's okay. You can be honest with us, and we'll keep your secret." Futaba said reassuringly to try and relax Kasumi, who seemed to hesitate before nodding as she spoke up.

"Ugh, you want the truth? The truth is, Sumire Yoshizawa is my younger twin sister, who looks really similar to me. So that's why the picture of her looks so similar to me. But I promise you both, I'm telling you the truth! Whoever said that Kasumi Yoshizawa died that day was wrong! Her younger sister Sumire was the one who passed away that day. Now quit asking about that, please. I'm not even sure I want to tell Ren about it, which was what I wanted your advice on. Should I tell him what I just told you guys?" Kasumi asked as Kusa frowned, possibly at Kasumi not using her usual 'senpai' honorific for Ren, and spoke up while giving Kasumi a concerned look.

"I personally think you're lying to yourself Kasumi, but if you insist you're not, I'll believe you for Ren's sake. But you better not be lying to Taba and I, and especially not to Ren! Dammit, Kasumi! I don't care if I do see you as a sister, I won't let anyone hurt Ren, or anyone I'm close to. So I advise you to be completely and totally honest with him if you do speak to him about this. After all, Ren's a forgiving man, so he'll probably understand if you trust him with the whole truth and don't lie to him." Kusa said as Kasumi spoke up while fixing Kusa with an unreadable look.

"So you say, Kusa. But that's easy for you to say. You and Futaba don't have to wait long periods of time to see one another, unlike Ren-senpai and I. And especially unlike Sumire and I." Kasumi said as Futaba spoke up.

"Be that as it may Kasumi, I doubt your sister would've wanted you to use her as a crutch to be selfish and try to hide from your pain." Futaba said as Kasumi frowned and spoke up with a hurt expression on her face.

"Oh, like you'd know about losing a family member! Last I checked, you have a tight relationship with your dad, and see Senpai as a brother, while also having Kusa-kun here as your lover. So don't think you can act like you know anything about me, when you're just an introvert who likes to hide behind doors and walls all day like a coward." Kasumi said bluntly as Futaba's eyes widened behind her glasses, before tears formed in them as she spoke up.

"T-Take that back, Yoshizawa-san! I am NOT a coward!" Futaba said, seemingly blinking back tears as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Was that necessary, Kasumi? Futaba is not a coward!" Kusa said lightly as Kasumi scoffed before frowning at Kusa and Futaba while she spoke up darkly.

"No? If she's not a coward, then she's just a prissy bitch who thinks she knows it all." Kasumi said as Kusa and Futaba's jaws dropped at this before the latter gave Kasumi a shocked look while she spoke up.

"What did you just call me!?" Futaba said in horror as Kusa spoke up, trying to comfort Futaba as he spoke, all while giving Kasumi a warning look.

"She called you a bitch, Futaba! And she's going to apologize for it, right now." Kusa said in a deceptively calm tone as Kasumi spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"Why should I have to apologize, Kusa!? It's true. I don't care if she has been through a lot recently, that's no excuse for her to be prying into other people's private business and acting like she knows all the facts, when she very clearly doesn't. So if you're going to take the side of an introverted know-it-all like her, then maybe we shouldn't speak to each other for a while." Kasumi said to Kusa, who gasped and spoke up while frowning at Kasumi in a mix of hurt, surprise and confusion while he spoke.

"Isn't that going a bit far, Kasumi!? I get you're hurting right now, but that doesn't mean you get to lash out at us over it. Yes, it's true we could've gone without prying into your private life, but we were making sure you weren't trying to deceive Ren. So excuse me for wanting to do right by my brother and my girlfriend." Kusa said as Kasumi scoffed derisively at Kusa's response before she huffed and spoke up.

"Oh, give it a rest with that self-righteous bullcrap, Kusa! Until you and your little girlfriend can admit you were wrong and apologize, don't bother speaking to me!" Kasumi said angrily before stunning both Futaba and Kusa by proceeding to open-palm backhand the latter of the two across the face, not unlike how he'd done the same to Ryuji previously.

Kusa staggered backwards from the impact before tripping over the table and landing face-first on the sofa by a stunned Futaba, who tried to get him on his feet as Kasumi turned on her heel and stormed off angrily while blinking back tears, leaving Futaba to try and gently wake Kusa up, which he eventually came to and groaned as he rubbed the spot where Kasumi had slapped him as he spoke up, looking up at Futaba while he spoke.

"Ugh, did that just happen, Taba?" Kusa asked as Futaba shyly nodded and spoke up, wisely not pointing out that what had just happened was a bit karmic considering Kusa had done the same thing to Ryuji recently as she spoke.

"Mm-hm. You got backhanded by Kasumi, and the impact knocked you out for a few brief moments. Luckily you came to quickly. But she stormed off after slapping you." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a frown.

"Fantastic. I'm honestly glad it was just you here for that, since I feel as if Ryuji would never let me live it down had he seen that just now. But whatever. Let's just forget about what just happened with Kasumi and let her have her space. Going after her right now would be counter-productive and counter-intuitive. More importantly, are you all right, Taba? I recall she said some rather hurtful stuff about you." Kusa said to Futaba, who nodded and spoke up.

"Mm-hm. I'm okay. More stunned than anything. I had no idea Yoshizawa could be so mean and hurtful." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up while gently bringing Futaba into a comforting hug, enjoying the smile she gave him while he spoke.

"I don't think she meant what she said. And in her defense, we did back her into a corner with our questions, to be fair. But even then, that's no excuse for her to call you what she did. She's lucky I see her as a sister, or I'd have probably yelled at her for being rude to you like she was. I am so sorry she said that to you though. You gonna be all right, Taba?" Kusa asked Futaba, who mutely nodded as she hid her face in Kusa's shirt, what sounded suspiciously like sniffling coming from Futaba as Kusa just gently patted her on the head and kept speaking.

"Shh, it's okay Taba. You're safe with me. I won't let anyone hurt you." Kusa said as he gently held Futaba close while letting Futaba cry herself out on Kusa's shirt, eventually falling asleep in Kusa's arms after a bit, making Kusa look down and smile as he spoke up.

"Yes, that's right, my love. Rest now. This was a rough experience for all of us. Hopefully we'll all feel better once we sleep it off and cooler heads have the chance to prevail." Kusa said as he gently but lovingly pressed a kiss to Futaba's lips as he gently scooped her into his arms and carried her back to her house so he could tuck her in himself. Because he left when he did, Kusa just missed Ren and Morgana as they walked back into Leblanc...

(A short time later, in Akihibara, with Ren and Morgana)

"Ugh, the things I do for my Confidants sometimes. Now, we're sure the Maid Cafe was around here, Morgana?" Ren said to Morgana, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. I believe it was across the way from the arcade?" Morgana said as Ren looked around and found it.

"Ugh, I guess we'd better go in and check it out, so we can bring the twins here if needed." Ren said in annoyance as Morgana nodded, the two heading inside, both wincing at how much pink was everywhere. Morgana then spoke up with a smile.

"Y'know, the atmosphere here is kind of cute, Ren. But moreso in a cloying way, if that makes sense." Morgana said to Ren, who only had time to nod before a maid walked over to him and spoke up.

"Welcome home, Master! I'm Clara, your clumsy maid! Oh? My goodness! Master, is this your first time here?" the now-named Clara asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Embarrassingly so, yes. This is my first time coming here." Ren said, pointedly not voicing his unbidden thought that Kasumi would probably rock a maid outfit better than these maids. Clara giggled and spoke up.

"That's how everyone feels their first time! This is your home, so please relax! Oopsies! I almost forgot to inform my first-time visitor! How clumsy of me! We offer stamp cards here! If you collect 20 stamps, you can get a special item from us! You get one stamp per 1,000 yen spent! It would make me sooo happy if you'd collect a lot of them! So, what will your order be?" Clara asked Ren, who thought about it and spoke up.

"I might as well start off with something simple. I'll have a Relaxing Coffee, please." Ren said to Clara. Clara nodded and spoke up.

"Absolutely! A 'Relaxing Coffee', correct!? As you wish, Master." Clara said as she hurried off to fill Ren's order, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, Ren. To be honest, all this is pretty overwhelming for me. Not to mention, all the pink hurts my eyes." Morgana said, at which point Clara walked back over and set a cup of tea in front of a blinking Ren as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Here is your 'Oo-hot Tea'!" Clara said as Morgana spoke up from inside Ren's bag.

"Hold on, Ren! You ordered coffee, didn't you?" Morgana said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Um, Clara? I thought I ordered a 'Relaxing Coffee'? But this is a tea?" Ren said as Clara gasped and spoke up.

"Oh no! So sorry! T-That's not right!? I'm sorry, Master. I'm such a klutz! But, but, I made it with all my love and energy. Is this not okay, Master?" Clara said as Ren thought about it before speaking up.

"I did order a coffee, but to be honest? I'm fine with this. It's fine, Clara. Just, y'know, be more careful next time, yeah?" Ren said. Clara smiled and spoke up.

"Yay! Thank you! I'm so glad you're such a kind Master!" Clara said as Morgana spoke up from in Ren's bag.

"HEY! I feel like you're going too easy on her, Ren! But I guess you learned how to be tolerant, so it's not ALL bad?" Morgana said uncertainly as Ren nodded while his Kindness got a minor, if unneeded, boost. Once Ren finished the 'Oo-Hot Tea' and Clara had left with the empty cup, Morgana spoke up.

"Ugh, that sure was, for lack of a better word, unique. Either way, I think you learned how to get people to like you more. Not that you need it, considering you have a girlfriend and all, Ren." Morgana said to Ren, who just nodded as his Charm got an unneeded boost at that point. After that, Clara walked back out and spoke up.

"Ugh, sorry about that. Master, I'm sorry for messing up today. But it really is nice having as kind a master as you! Since this is your first visit, I'll give you a stamp card!" Clara said as she handed Ren a 'Stamp Card' before she kept speaking.

"Let's see. Every Saturday is our Maid Day, where you can get four additional stamps! I highly recommend you visit us then! Today, you get 1, leaving you with a total of 1 stamp. Have an amazing rest of your day, Master! I'll be waiting patiently for your next visit!" Clara said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc where he laid down for the night, not seeing Kusa curled up on the sofa with a troubled look on his face as he dozed off, even as Morgana gently climbed up on top of Kusa to curl up...

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

"Hey! Ah, we were all able to grab seats this time! Why don't you read something until we get there, Ren? I'm sure Kusa will probably keep himself busy." Morgana said as Kusa nodded before flipping through stuff on his phone. Ren thought about it before recalling he'd recently picked up a book on darts, digging out his copy of 'Learn Pro Darts' to read it.

"Hm, this says 'Find the posture that feels most stable to you.' Thanks for stating the obvious, book." Ren said as Morgana spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Nice! True, it is obvious, but at the same time Ren, it'd be impossible to aim your throw without having a solid stance." Morgana pointed out as Ren nodded and kept reading. Eventually he finished 'Learn Pro Darts', at which point Morgana spoke up again.

"Oh! So, you've finished reading 'Learn Pro Darts'. Did you get some tips on playing darts? There sure is a lot more to the game than it first seemed, huh? That said, there's not much point to just studying the theory of it. Let's put that knowledge to use and play sometime!" Morgana said as Ren nodded before noting that he was now able to use 'Third Eye' when playing darts. This increases his focus when preparing to throw a dart, making it easier to hit where you aim. Morgana then spoke up.

"Oh, we're almost at the station. I'd say that was an efficient use of your time." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as Kusa put his phone away at that point. The two then got read to get off the train, and as they got off to change trains, Ren and Kusa found their path blocked by a frowning Akechi, who then spoke up.

"Good morning, Amamiya-kun brothers. Oh, mm, good morning, Ren. I was working late yesterday, so I'm tired today. Speaking of which, I trust you haven't forgotten the deadline? I'm going to give it everything I have, for your sakes as well. Also, once the Phantom Thieves finish this final job, I don't think I'll be seeing you privately like this anymore." Akechi said as Ren spoke up.

"What do you mean, Akechi-kun?" Ren asked as Kusa also spoke up with a raised eyebrow, finding Akechi's claim sketchy.

"Really? Are you being for real right now, Akechi-kun?" Kusa asked. Akechi nodded in the affirmative as he spoke up.

"I'm being totally for real right now, Amamiya-kun the younger. And Ren? Don't get me wrong, it was time well spent. A part of me is sad to see it end. But once you've disbanded, everyone's going to be busy looking for the culprit behind the psychotic breakdowns. Until that happens though, let's continue to work together. Now then, I'll be going." Akechi said as he walked off at that point, exchanging curt nods of respect with Ren and Kusa, who returned the gesture as they headed to school...

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

"Ugh, that's disappointing. I've been a teacher for twenty years now, but this has been the craziest year of my career. There were those incidents in April, then the Phantom Thieves and the principal, and now look at us! Our nation is in crisis! Ugh. Yes, indeed. As you young folk might say, this situation is indeed quite wack. Perhaps you're wondering why I used such hip terminology, hm? Now then, Amamiya-kun the elder." Inui said as Ren looked up and gave Inui his full attention as he heard his name called.

"Ah, let's see how you're doing! The word 'wack' was originally part of a code used by ancient thieves. Can you tell me me the meaning of the word 'wack' in Thieves' Cant?" Inui asked Ren, who blinked for a moment before smiling as he recalled reading about this in a book recently and spoke up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is a share of stolen goods!" Ren said. Inui smiled and nodded as he clapped while speaking up.

"Oh, not bad! Correct. You know a lot about this, do you Amamiya-kun the elder? You must be pretty wack, yourself. Heh, I'm joking, of course. Still, you must be quite diligent in your studies. Thieves in olden days might have worked in groups, but at the end of the day, they all expected to get their cut. If you wanted your part of a haul of riches your group stole, you would demand your wack, you see." Inui said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence ensued, complete with Morgana complimenting Ren on getting the question right, making him smile as his Knowledge got a slight, if unneeded, boost. After that, Inui kept speaking.

"If today's youth are freely using Thieves' Cant to each other in broad daylight like they are, then truly, we live in wack times indeed." Inui said as Ren winced while Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"I see. To be honest, I've been listening to a lot of teenagers, but I'm not sure I've ever heard them say that before. But still, he's trying so hard, so it would be a shame to correct him." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, with Ren and Morgana)

"It's pretty bad that we haven't met up at the hideout since we went into the Palace, Ren. Okay, let's get everyone together!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"Fine. I was gonna see what options I had first, since we're in the middle of a prep week, but if you insist." Ren said before pulling out his phone to send a quick group chat to summon everyone to the hideout for a meeting, getting a chorus of affirmative responses. After that, Ren headed to the hideout to await the others...

(Meanwhile, at the Underground Accessway, with Haru and Makoto)

"Oh, Mako-chan. I didn't realize we take the same train." Haru said after happening upon Makoto in the underground accessway. Makoto blinked on hearing Haru's voice and turned to face her with a slight smile as she spoke up.

"Haru, what a surprise to see you here. And what a coincidence, too. I was just thinking of you." Makoto said as Haru blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, were you?" Haru asked in surprise as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Hm, how should I put this? Our battles from this point forward are only going to get tougher, right? So, I've been reflecting on our approaches to combat in the hopes of finding some new tactics. In the end, I came up with something, but I realized I'll need your help with it." Makoto said to Haru, who blinked in surprise and spoke up.

"Me? Sure! If I can be of any help, I'd love to work with you on this!" Haru said agreeably as Makoto did a closed eye smile and spoke up.

"I appreciate it. So, what I'm thinking is this." Makoto said as she proceeded to explain her idea to Haru, who blinked as Makoto hesitated, making Haru frown as she spoke up.

"Mako-chan?" Haru asked in confusion as Makoto chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Heh, to be honest, now that I think about it, this is probably going to sound rather absurd." Makoto said as Haru spoke up with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. If it's your idea, Mako-chan, I'm sure it'll be great." Haru said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Well, ready to hear it?" Makoto said as she explained her idea to a shocked Haru, who spoke up after Makoto finished her explanation.

"Uhh, huh?" Haru said in surprise as Makoto spoke up.

"So, any thoughts?" Makoto asked as Haru nodded and spoke up eagerly.

"What a great idea! I'd be honored to help." Haru said as Makoto smiled and chuckled as she spoke up.

"Oh, thank you. Well, I hope it works out." Makoto said as Haru smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Mm-hm, just leave it to me! But wow, Mako-chan, to tell you the truth? You come up with some pretty bold moves sometimes. I really look up to you for that." Haru said as Makoto blinked before doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Do you? I'm not sure how that makes me feel, but thank you." Makoto said as Haru nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"The star will grant us our wish if it's based on such a great plan. I'm positive!" Haru said as Makoto nodded and the two kept heading towards the hideout...

(At the hideout, with Ann, Makoto, Akechi, Ren, Ryuji, Haru, Yusuke, Futaba, Kusa, and Morgana)

"So this is the location you've been using as a hideout." Akechi said in surprise as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Can we just get started?" Ryuji asked as Makoto nodded and spoke up with a slight smile.

"The forced investigation will take place on November 20th. That's our deadline this time." Makoto said as Yusuke looked at Akechi with a frown and spoke up.

"Is there any possibility of that investigation being moved up to an earlier date?" Yusuke asked Akechi, who smiled as he spoke up.

"I highly doubt it." Akechi said, not seeing Kusa and Futaba exchange a skeptical glance nearby as Yusuke spoke up once more.

"How can you be so sure? Didn't they want to catch us as soon as they possibly could?" Yusuke asked as Akechi chuckled and spoke up.

"Be that as it may, they may be corrupt, but they are still a bureaucracy. Certain steps must be taken in order to continue forward. Unless their situation becomes extremely dire, they won't act with only circumstantial evidence." Akechi said as Futaba spoke up with a smile on her face.

"I'm impressed, detective man. You sure know a lot about internal affairs." Futaba said as Kusa grinned, having to keep from laughing at the subtle dig at Akechi in Futaba's words, while Haru smiled admiringly at Akechi while she spoke up.

"Yes, I quite agree with you, Futaba-chan. Akechi-kun is both very smart and quite han- err, promising! I mean promising." Haru said as Akechi looked over at Haru and smiled as he spoke up, both Haru and Akechi ignoring the amused smirks Futaba and Kusa exchanged at Haru's near-slip of the tongue while Akechi spoke.

"Heh, you're not so bad yourself, Haru. That said, well, this is a purely give-and-take relationship. You taught me the inner workings of the Phantom Thieves, so it's only fair I return the favor. And I will be sure to contact everyone if the investigation team makes any odd movements." Akechi said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"That would be helpful." Makoto said to Akechi as everyone's phone got a notification that 'Makoto and Haru's Showtime' had been unlocked, which Kusa shrugged at as he spoke up, giving Haru and Makoto an amused grin while he spoke.

"Ah, so you two got a Showtime after all, then? I kinda figured that would be the case to be honest. Now, the only ones of us with less than two Showtimes are myself, Ren, Futaba and Akechi. If I had to guess, I'd say most likely Ren and Akechi might get a Showtime, and then maybe Akechi and Futaba? But I feel like we have one more person still to join us, so maybe they also get a Showtime with Ren? Past that, I'm not sure." Kusa said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Dude, could you imagine if you and Ren both had Showtimes with Akechi? How insane would that be, Kusa?" Ryuji said jokingly as Akechi and Kusa turned identical looks of horror onto Ryuji as Akechi spoke up.

"Do not even joke about that, Ryuji! I can tell quite plainly from the look on his face that Amamiya-kun the younger here grudgingly tolerates me for the sake of the greater good, and I can understand that. I could see myself having a Showtime with Amamiya-kun the elder, though. I've always felt we had an odd connection, after all." Akechi said as Futaba spoke up.

"Mwehehe, I think it's pretty safe to say that Ren's two Showtime partners, with his luck, are prolly Yoshizawa and Akechi. Meanwhile, I feel like possibly I could have either Yoshizawa or Akechi as my other Showtime partner, if I had to guess?" Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a sigh and a nod.

"You're not wrong on your guesses, Taba. But to be honest, I could see myself potentially having Akechi-kun here as a second Showtime partner. It'd probably be one of those 'borne by necessity' type scenarios, but I could see it happening." Kusa said as Akechi blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"I'm impressed you can be so accepting of that idea, Amamiya-kun the younger." Akechi said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Well, I can't always be hateful and angry, now can I? A true man has to be able to let such things go for the sake of not only the greater good, but also his peace of mind. Besides, only a fool lets their anger rule them all the time." Kusa said sagely as Ren spoke up.

"Well put, Kusa. That said, sorry to waste everyone's time like this, but we're here just to compare notes. We're still in our prep week until 11/5, maybe 11/6, so we're done here." Ren said decisively. Ryuji blinked as he spoke up.

"Huh? That it for today? In that case, I'm gonna go wander around for a bit. Drop me a line if something comes up." Ryuji said as the group dispersed on that note. After that, Ren pulled out his phone to see who he had available to spend time with. He noticed Futaba sitting outside of Leblanc, but apart from her, he saw that Ann or Ryuji could be ranked-up, either one being maxed out with said rank-ups, which he idly considered maxing out Ann.

But then his eyes were drawn over towards Kichijoji, where he noticed that Kasumi was available to hang out with. Ren paused at this, realizing he'd not really spent any time with her since they'd gotten together at the dance. Making up his mind, he fast-traveled to Kichijoji to spend some time with his girlfriend. Once there, Ren smirked as he approached the spot Kasumi was standing before he spoke up.

"Well, well. Fancy seeing you here, Sumi. Been a bit, hasn't it?" Ren asked as Kasumi jumped a bit internally but externally smiled and turned to face Ren as she spoke up.

"Oh, Ren-senpai. You seem kind of tired. Are you okay? It's important to give it your best, but please don't push yourself too hard. Um, would you like to go hang out someplace today? It's good to take breaks now and then, so, you know, if you don't mind, maybe we could spend some time together?" Kasumi asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Of course I don't mind spending time with you, Sumi. I know I've not been trying to seek you out as much as I should, especially after we got together, but I've been busy, the same as you. Regardless, I apologize for being so rude. If you'd like, I'd be delighted to hang out with you today, Sumi." Ren said as Kasumi smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Senpai. What do you wanna do? Was there something specific you had in mind?" Kasumi asked Ren, who looked at the map before he spoke up.

"Actually, there is. I was looking through some books recently, and one of them told me of the location of a place called 'Meiji Shrine'. I was thinking, if you're agreeable, we could go check that out?" Ren suggested. Kasumi smiled as she spoke up.

"Ah, I've heard of that place! That sounds great! It's good to pray every now and then. Yes, let's go there. Shall we get going?" Kasumi said to Ren, who nodded as he escorted Kasumi to the shrine, where she spoke up with a soft smile.

"So anyways, I really like the atmosphere of shrines. There's something inspiring about them. Do you go to places like this often, Ren-senpai?" Kasumi asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Honestly? I've not gone to this specific shrine before, but I do go to a shrine fairly often as needed. Shrines, in addition to being good places to pray, can also be good spots for meditation when you're in a mood for quiet self-reflection, or so Kusa told me once. I've not tried that myself, but I tend to believe him on these things." Ren said. Kasumi did a closed-eye smile that she knew Ren enjoyed seeing as she spoke up.

"Is that so, Well, I probably don't go as often as you, Ren-senpai, but I like to stop by every now and then. I might have told you this before, but whenever I had a huge competition, my little sister would bring me here. Now that I think about it, I guess I'm pretty superstitious. Oh! Since we're here, let's pray! It couldn't hurt, right?" Kasumi said as Ren nodded, and the two prayed together.

Ren, for his part, prayed for his friends' continued happiness, and of course Kasumi's continued happiness, but also for his and Kasumi's relationship to be long and prosperous. As for Kasumi, she prayed for the strength to find herself and for success in gymnastics. After a bit, Kasumi spoke up.

"Okay, it's two bows, two claps, and then after that, uh, shoot, I forgot. How does it go again?" Kasumi said as Ren smiled and showed her how to pray, after which the two headed back to where they met up, at which point Kasumi spoke up.

"I guess we should be heading home now, Senpai. Thank you for today, I think I needed that chance to de-stress and get my mind right. I'm truly blessed to have a boyfriend like you, Ren-senpai." Kasumi said happily as she leaned in to kiss Ren on the lips, which he willingly returned. After she and Ren separated, Kasumi smiled and spoke up.

"Well, I guess I'll see you next time we hang out, Senpai! Love you!" Kasumi said as she headed home, Ren smiling to himself as he headed back to Leblanc...

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

After having a seat at a booth seat once returning to Leblanc, Ren saw he had 3 unread private chats. He noticed one was from the beef bowl shop, which he disregarded, one was from Kawakami which he kept on hold for consideration, and to his shock, the third chat was from Akechi. Ren opened the chat with Akechi.

"Do you have time today? I was thinking we could play another game of billiards. After all, losing doesn't sit well with either of us. Am I right?" Akechi sent as Ren thought about it and nodded as he sent a response.

"You know? You're right. I'm in. Let's hang out." Ren sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Thanks. Then I'll be waiting in Kichijoji." Akechi sent as Ren nodded, and made to meet Akechi in Kichijoji, after leaving Morgana with Kusa...

(In Kichijoji, with Ren and Akechi)

Akechi gave Ren a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"Billiards is such a fascinating game, don't you think? You can't simply strike the ball you're aiming for. You have to be indirect, but precise, to land it in the pocket you aim for." Akechi said as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, it's convoluted, but still very fun and satisfying." Ren said agreeably. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"I can understand how you feel, Amamiya-kun the elder. But at the same time, it shares many similarities with the hypothetical 'perfect crime.' Also, you eliminate your target without directly connecting yourself to it. I don't suppose that rings any bells?" Akechi asked as Ren made to blink before his eyes widened in realization and he spoke up.

"You're referring to the psychotic breakdowns, aren't you?" Ren asked warily. Akechi nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"That's right. Even the cases of criminals' hearts being changed, too. Everything happening around us, every little inconsequential event, may simply be one ball striking another. However, it's still a game of chance, in the end. But there's no guarantee that the ball can be precisely controlled. And despite the player's best intentions, the ball may strike many unrelated obstacles in its path. Even then, Amamiya-kun the elder, do you still intend to play this game?" Akechi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I do. I've made up my mind, Akechi-kun." Ren said as he proceeded to line up an expertly placed shot that let him sink the 9-ball, winning him the game, to which Akechi gave Ren a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Not bad, Amamiya-kun the elder. Very impressive. You win. How about this? That was quite a heated match. Shall we cool off in the evening breeze for a moment?" Akechi asked as Ren nodded, still stunned but pleased he'd bested Akechi at billiards. The two then went outside, where Akechi spoke up.

"Very impressive, Amamiya-kun the elder. Even if it was with my self-imposed handicap, I'm impressed that you beat me. You've become quite skilled." Akechi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, just playin' the game. I couldn't let myself lose, after all. Neither of us likes to lose." Ren said sagely. Akechi did a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"Ah, I see. So we even share that perspective, do we Amamiya-kun the elder? You truly are fascinating. Remember when I said before that you and I are similar? We're both victims of unjust adults. And now, we have the will and power to rise up against them. Yet I'm doing so as a detective, and you're acting as a phantom thief. Our stances couldn't be more different." Akechi said as Ren nodded.

"That is true, Akechi-kun. Our stances are very different. Yet, we're able to work together, even if it's only a temporary arrangement. But that's not to say it has to stay that way. What do you say? Even if the group disbands, you want to join us? You'd be welcome to jump back in with us if we ever have to reform the team." Ren offered. Akechi laughed as he spoke up, grinning at Ren's response.

"Haha, is that a serious question, Amamiya-kun the elder? Why not join me instead, if you're so keen on working together? All you'd have to do is abandon the teammates you have now." Akechi said as Ren noted that Akechi's eyes are deadly serious. As such, he needed to give Akechi a serious answer. Akechi kept speaking.

"Well? How about it?" Akechi asked Ren, who seemed to consider it before sadly shaking his head and speaking up.

"I'm flattered by your offer, really I am, but I have to regretfully decline. After all, you're my rival. How often do rivals work together long-term?" Ren replied seriously. Akechi chuckled at Ren's response as he spoke up.

"Heheh, you really are intriguing. I agree. I think a relationship of equals suits us better than being co-conspirators anyway, Amamiya-kun the elder. I believe that to be true, no matter what else may change. In any case, what you just said carries great weight. Remember what you decided, and don't run from it. All right?

That said, as long as we're working together, you'll have my strength. Leave it to me! Rest assured, I'll do my part. You'll find me very useful indeed." Akechi said with a closed-eye grin. Ren nodded, feeling as if his bond with Akechi was growing deeper. At that point, the 'Justice' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Justice Confidant link with Akechi had reached rank 7.

As a result of the rank up, Akechi had awakened to the ability of Harisen Recovery, making it so that he had a chance of auto-healing a status ailment inflicted upon a party member, much like most every other Phantom Thief aside from Haru and Futaba had already gotten. Afterwards Akechi spoke up with an unreadable look on his face.

"Ah, that reminds me. I did say that if you ever beat me using my right hand, I'd face you with all my ability, didn't I, Amamiya-kun the elder? Hmph, very well. I'll keep that in mind." Akechi said as he and Ren parted ways for the night while Akechi spoke up once more.

"Good night! Well then, farewell for now." Akechi said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he reached the doorstep. Ren answered it, knowing who it probably was.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone, finding himself unsurprised to hear Akechi's voice on the other end.

"Greetings, Amamiya-kun the elder. Hey, it's me. Is it alright if we chat for a little bit? You never cease to amaze me. It wasn't against my dominant hand, of course, but I still can't believe you beat me. Your competitive spirit definitely deserves praise. You really were terrible at first. But you caught up to me in no time flat. I have to ask, why do you get so competitive against me?" Akechi asked as Ren spoke up.

"That's easy. We're rivals, aren't we?" Ren replied bluntly. Akechi blinked at the blunt response before he spoke up.

"That was fast! Haha, but yes, that's right. Neither of us can afford to lose, because we fight in service of our principles. And that is precisely why, no matter what, I cannot allow you to change. As you are now, as you think now, Amamiya-kun the elder, I cannot allow you to win over me. Ah, well, perhaps that's a bit much. I'll let you go for now. Good night." Akechi said as Ren hung up his phone and headed inside to get comfortable for the night...

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

Ren woke up and felt like changing things up, so he decided to go commission a round of darts at the Penguin Sniper. On a whim, he invited Morgana to play, who then invited Ann and Haru along as well so they had a group of 4. When it came to Ren and Morgana's game, the duo worked surprisingly well together.

(Ren and Morgana's game, Target Score: 301)

Ren went up first, throwing two bulls and a 2, bringing his and Morgana's remaining score to 199. Morgana then high-fived Ren as he tagged in, throwing a single 1, a single 5 and a triple 20, to drop their remaining score from 199 to 133. Morgana then tagged in with Ren, who threw a single 1, a single 20, and a bull, dropping the remaining score for him and Morgana to 62, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Hm, so it's my last round. It's come to this, huh? I can do this." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"You got this, Morgana. I'm counting on you, bro." Ren said to a stunned Morgana, who smiled as he threw a bull then smacked a single 12 to get the duo's score exactly to 0.

(End of Ren and Morgana's darts game)

Morgana smiled as he spoke up, doing a closed-eye grin while he spoke.

"Whoa! We got a perfect 0, Ren! Nobody can beat us when we're teamed up!" Morgana said happily. He then smirked as he kept speaking.

"No, but for real, it was because I could feel your motivation. It made me able to try harder than usual." Morgana said as he grinned while his Baton Pass jumped from Rank 1 straight to Rank 3, making him speak up.

"Mwehehe! We're on a roll!" Morgana said as Ren smiled and lightly patted the not-cat on the head, ignoring the twin 'Aww's from Ann and Haru, the latter of whom spoke up.

"As cute as that is, I think we're here for darts? Okay, that said, it's my turn next. Let's both do our best." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Sure. Let's do it." Ren said agreeably. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-kun! As for the rules for us, Let's go with 301, I think. I can handle this, err I think." Haru said as Morgana spoke up.

"I guess that means you and I get to pair up for a game then, Lady Ann." Morgana said smoothly to Ann, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, why not? I could use the practice. Let's do it, Morgana." Ann said agreeably.

(Game Start-Haru and Ren's game. Target Score: 301)

"Good luck, Ren-kun! The most important thing is to have fun!" Haru said to Ren, who nodded agreeably. Ren then proceeded to open the game with three bulls, dropping the target score from 301 to 151. Haru blinked at this and spoke up.

"Wow, superb!" Haru said before smiling as Ren turned to her as she spoke up.

"All right then! Here I go, I'll do my best, Ren-kun! My turn now!" Haru said as she high-fived Ren to tag in. Haru then threw a single 12, a triple 14, and a triple 7, dropping their remaining score from 151 to 76. Ren then smiled at Haru as she spoke up.

"OK! It's the third round! I've got a good feeling about this! Give it your all, Ren-kun!" Haru said. Ren stepped up, hitting a single 5, a double 5, and a single 1, dropping their remaining score from 76 to 60. Haru then looked at Ren as she spoke up.

"Look at our score, Ren-kun! We can finish! How should I throw!?" Haru asked Ren, who thought about it and spoke up.

"Most of all, relax. But for real, I'd say throw like you're swinging an axe, since you seem to enjoy doing that a lot." Ren said as Haru blinked and spoke up.

"Huh!? Does that have anything to do with darts?" Haru asked before she proceeded to throw a 0, a 17 and a 6, leaving them with 37 points as their remaining total as Ren tagged in for his last round, hitting a 3, a 0, and a 17, leaving the duo 17 points short, to their embarrassment. Haru winced and spoke up.

"17 points short, huh. That's unfortunate. Wonder what went wrong?" Haru said as Ren winced and spoke up.

"Probably the two 0's we threw between the two of us at the end. In my defense, the double 17 is hard to aim for reliably. But you could've gotten us out with a triple 20, which you were nowhere close to hitting." Ren said as Haru sighed but nodded.

"That's fair, Ren-kun. We both messed up on that one. Oh well, there's always next time, right?" Haru said cheerfully as Ren nodded before Morgana spoke up and complimented his playing, giving Ren two separate needless Proficiency boosts. Haru then spoke up.

"Hehe! It was so fun to play with everyone! I didn't even realize how into it I was!" Haru said as Morgana spoke up, having gotten to 0 in his game with Ann.

"That should do it for now. We can train up, and have fun at the same time. This is a pretty handy place." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the group left as Haru spoke up.

"Well, goodbye for now!" Haru said as the group dispersed, Ren heading to Leblanc. After he got there, his phone went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Goddamnit. People're acting like we're the ones who killed him." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I have even heard them say we are assassins hired to deal with psychotic breakdown victims." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Ugh, that's not what we're trying to do." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Agreed, Ann. What the hell do these people think we are, effing Black Mask!? If anyone's an assassin, it's that son of a bitch! He certainly looked the part when he gunned President Okumura down and threatened me before sparing me. He said to me, and I quote, 'Not bad, Phantom Thief. I'm impressed you were able to sense me. As such, I'm going to spare you this time, such that we might test our skills another time in a more suitable location. Until then, farewell.' before he fled the scene while President Okumura's Shadow was destroyed. I was lucky I got out in time after that, to be honest." Kusa sent sagely as Akechi sent a response.

"I see. This guy sounds crazy to me. That said, this must be part of the plan to shift the blame onto the Phantom Thieves. After all, the true culprit is the one killing the people on that ranking list." Akechi sent as Ren sent a response.

"Whatever their reasons, what they did is unforgivable." Ren sent decisively. Akechi sent a response.

"Indeed. I have no intentions of letting this slide." Akechi sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Man, this culprit guy really won't let up. I don't remember ever doing anything that'd make someone hate us THIS much." Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"He used my father as well in his plan." Haru sent as Akechi sent a response.

"I cannot fathom what his motive may be at this time. We will just have to capture and interrogate him." Akechi sent as Makoto sent a response.

"But before that, we need to change my sister's heart. That's our first step toward stopping him." Makoto sent as Akechi sent a response.

"I must agree. The true culprit will be caught, but before that we must deal with Sae-san. If ranking is being taken into consideration, perhaps I will be targeted too? Eheh, just kidding." Akechi sent as Kusa sent a response.

"No, Akechi-kun. I doubt you'll be targeted, but anything's possible." Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away. Once that was done, Ren sat down to plan his next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And there we go, another chapter done and dusted! Real quick question though before I continue this A/N: Do the terms 'san' and 'kun' mean more than just honorifics for girls and guys respectively? Because that's the understanding I've been proceeding under thus far. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me in the reviews or a PM, and I'll credit you for it in a future A/N. That said, I got quite a lot done in this chapter, between maxing out another Confidant (Yoshida), getting several others ranked up (Akechi, Kusa, Ryuji, Maruki) and even setting up for the return to Sae's Palace.

As for that scene with Kusa, Kasumi and Futaba, that was needed for a plot point later during a later chapter. So yeah, thanks to all who've followed this story as well as those who put it on their 'Favorite Stories' list, as well as put this story and me as an author on their Story/Author alert lists. And especially those of you who have left reviews. As I said in the start-of-chapter A/N, I have seen all the complaints about Kusa and will strive to start writing him better from this point forward. So thanks to all who give feedback in either PMs or reviews, as the feedback is appreciated. Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1*- Haru's 'Culitivation' ability is, in my opinion at least, a very underrated Confidant ability. If you have the patience to get her leveled up really far, you can use her gardening skills to grow lots of items that restore all SP to one ally or a large chunk of SP to a group in the form of the 'Moonlight Carrot' and the 'Sun-Red Tomato' respectively, along with vegetables that give the 'Charge' and 'Concentrate' effects. So I think people are sleeping on a very viable way to farm free SP items. But that's just my opinion.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 65

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 5

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 1

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 5

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank MAX (10)

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 9

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 9

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 7

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 4

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 3

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) - Rank 9

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 3

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 7.5

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 5

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 5

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 6

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank MAX (10)

JUDGMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 6

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

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank 9

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 7

YET TO BE UNLOCKED: TOWER