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

68. Shiho Returns! Crow's Gambit part 7

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Welp, here we are in chapter 68. Granted, there's still at least a couple chapters left of Arc 6 before we begin Arc 7, though if I end the arc with the scene that played at the start of the game, then next chapter might be the last chapter of Arc 6. If not, then I'd end the arc with the final interrogation that, if done correctly, leads to maxing out the Judgment Confidant. So we'll see about that. Feel free to sound off in the reviews or through PMs if you have an opinion of how Arc 6 should end. That said, let's do the disclaimer now, before I forget.

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis, and any other minor recurring OCs such as Mimille, Slim, Lumine, Akira, and Kyori, which are all made and owned by sithlorde1988 along with any other OCs that might pop up unless otherwise stated), and the credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

Having said all that, before starting the chapter, let me just say real quick that once Arc 6 wraps up, we'll be about 60% of the way through the Royal half of the story, so that's a thing that happened. And while we're talking about statistics for this story, how about the fact that as of the time I'm typing this start-of-chapter A/N (which for the purposes of timelining things and reference, it's currently 9:03PM on Tuesday, April 4th, 2023), this story has officially broken the 20,000 views mark, which is very insane to me, as that's a first for my stories!

So thanks to everyone who's viewed this story, as the support is greatly appreciated! And with that, let's get on with chapter 68!

Chapter 68: The Wait Continues! More Birthday Prep Shenanigans? Crow's Gambit part 7

(At Leblanc, in the evening with Kusa, Morgana, and Ren)

"Well, what's the play now, Ren?" Kusa asked Ren, who looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"First of all, I'm about to go out and rank up another Confidant, so I need you to watch Morgana for me while I do that. That said, I did get Suzui-san's contact info from Ann today, so if you want, I can shoot that to you beforehand so that you and Morgana can start making headway on our surprise for Ann. Does that sound good?" Ren asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"Works for me, Ren. Of course, that's up to him if Morgana wants to remain here with me or not also, since he can make his own choices." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"I don't mind, Kusa. I feel like we don't spend as much one on one time together as we used to, anyways." Morgana said agreeably as Ren lifted the not-cat gently out of his bag and set him in Kusa's arms before heading to the airsoft shop after ensuring he had the correct Persona type on hand for the rank-up. Once he went inside and approached the counter, Iwai sighed and spoke up as he saw Ren.

"Oh, hey there, part-timer. It's gettin' crazy out there, with all those incidents happenin'. Well, it'll make my attention easier if the cops have their attention elsewhere, y'know? So, you're here because you saw my message, right?" Iwai asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. I found myself with some free time tonight, so I figured this was a good opportunity to come put in a shift and do some work, if any work needs done." Ren said as Iwai nodded and spoke up.

"Good. Glad to hear you're here to work, part-timer. This time, I'm going to have you gather some info. You'll be on your own though. I gotta take care of some other business." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fine by me. That's what I'm here for, after all, to do what needs done." Ren said agreeably. Iwai smiled and nodded before speaking up.

"Good, that's the attitude I like to see. The guy you're lookin' for is homeless, but he knows what's up. He'll be somewhere in Shibuya. Get info on the 'rumor about the underground deal', and don't act all suspicious. I gotta take care of some other business, so I'm countin' on ya, kid." Iwai said as Ren nodded and headed out of the shop and down the road a little ways to where some lockers were located, as well as the old man Iwai had mentioned, who spoke up as soon as Ren approached.

"I see how it is, kid. So you wanna know about some underground business deals, huh? Y'know you can find anything you need on the internet, right?" The homeless man said as he turned to look into Ren's eyes before he kept speaking.

"Or are you maybe lookin' for something a little more? I can see it in your eyes. Tell me the truth, who sent you here?" The homeless man said as Ren mulled the question over and spoke up, deciding to be honest.

"Between us? Iwai sent me." Ren said honestly. The homeless man blinked at this and spoke up.

"I see. So Iwai's havin' a kid come gather info for him? Never woulda expected that outta someone like him. All right, just act like I'm mumblin' to myself, you got it? No promises I'm gonna say anything useful, either." The homeless man said to Ren, who nodded his understanding before the homeless man kept speaking.

"So, an exec for the Hong Kong mafia came to Japan some time 'round New Year's. Apparently something big went down with a huge Asian investor. The deal was worth about around 100 million yen." The homeless man said into Ren's ear before stepping back while he kept speaking.

"Though you'd figure something that massive woulda got more people talkin' about it, if you ask me. Maybe they leased some kinda high-end club to keep it as private as possible or something? I didn't hear a thing about that though. All right, we're done here. Go." The homeless man said as Ren nodded and returned to the shop where he heard an intimidating voice speak up from the back, making Ren blink as he listened in despite himself.

"Your store is impressive as always. Great stuff, Iwai!" Ren heard a voice say before he heard Iwai's voice respond uneasily.

"Y-Yeah? It's nice to hear that comin' from you, Tsuda-san." Iwai said as Tsuda's voice turned ominous as he spoke up again.

"I bet you could start a war with realistic models like these. Seriously, these are incredible. I should get going now though." Tsuda said as he made to walk out, only to blink as he saw Ren standing in the entrance and spoke up.

"Hm?" Tsuda said as Iwai looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Yo! Welcome." Iwai said to Ren as Tsuda turned to Iwai and spoke up.

"All right, Iwai, I'll take one of everything you showed me today. I'll need an entire arsenal. How long would that take?" Tsuda asked as Iwai frowned and spoke up.

"Depends on how fast the parts come in. Some stuff's prolly gonna have to go through customs to get here, y'know. How long things get stuck there's totally outta my control though, Tsuda." Iwai said as Tsuda frowned and spoke up.

"Oh yeah? Is that so? Tell me, Mune, and be honest with me. What's your son's name? Kaoru-kun, was it?" Tsuda asked as Iwai blinked at the question but could only nod as he spoke up.

"Hm? Yeah, that's right." Iwai said as Tsuda nodded and spoke up again.

"Well then, Mune, listen to this. If you don't deliver on time, I might just have to let Kaoru-kun in on your little secret." Tsuda said as Iwai winced and spoke up.

"Tsuda-san, please be reasonable. I'll make the order as fast as I can." Iwai said as Tsuda spoke up.

"You better be on time, Mune. I wonder though, how will an adolescent boy like him react to finding out his father was in the yakuza? I guess if things go sour, we could always try to sell him again, like we did before." Tsuda said threateningly as Iwai frowned and spoke up, both ignoring the confused look on Ren's face as Iwai spoke.

"Fine, you win. I'll put a rush on your order. Happy now?" Iwai asked as Tsuda nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I am happy. Very much so. Well then, I look forward to hearing from you again, Mune. Hopefully soon." Tsuda said before turning to Ren as he spoke up once more.

"Sorry to make you wait, kid." Tsuda said as he left, leaving Iwai and Ren alone, at which point Iwai frowned and swore profusely, to Ren's surprise.

"Shit, not Kaoru! Goddammit!" Iwai said as Ren spoke up warily after considering his options.

"So, that was Tsuda, was it?" Ren asked, partly to try and change the topic from Tsuda's rather pointed threat to Iwai. Iwai nodded as he spoke up, glad for the change in topic.

"Yeah. Ugh, sorry you had to see that. Anyways, how'd it go today? Did you learn about anything good?" Iwai asked as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"I do believe so. That guy you sent me to earlier mentioned something about a 100 million yen deal. He also mentioned the Hong Kong mafia." Ren said as Iwai frowned in intrigue, giving Ren an unreadable look before speaking up.

"Huh. Interesting. So someone made a big deal with the Hong Kong mafia worth 100 million yen, and it happened sometime 'round New Year's, it sounds like. Y'know, it wouldn't surprise me if Tsuda had somethin' to do with it. I hear he's been braggin' all over about a big score he made right near the start of the year. I've gotta do some more research into it myself, just to confirm that what I heard is true." Iwai said before chuckling appreciatively at Ren as he gave him a pleased look before speaking up with a grin.

"Heh. Anyways, nice job. I'm gonna be able to give Tsuda a real scare thanks to the info you gave me!" Iwai said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"That's nice for you, but I recall you mentioning something about a reward for me? So, at the risk of coming off like a punk, where's my reward, Iwai-san?" Ren asked, trying to sound as gutsy as he could. Iwai laughed at this, liking the balls Ren showed with his response as he spoke up.

"Heh, anyone ever told you how demandin' you are? But, uh, just so you know? I didn't forget, but we'll have to get to that another time, yeah? Heh-heh. Man, I can't wait to see the look on Tsuda's face. It's been ages since I've felt this excited. And it's all 'cause of you, kid. Turns out you're pretty useful." Iwai said gratefully as Ren rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, feeling as if his bond with Iwai had grown even deeper.

At that point, the 'Hanged-Man' card appeared in Ren's mind's eye, the 'III' becoming an 'IV' to signify that his Hanged-Man Confidant link with Iwai had reached Rank 4, though no new skills were gained for the rank up. Afterwards, Iwai kept speaking.

"Well, I'm gonna head home early and spend some good ol' quality time with Kaoru to celebrate. Damn fine job again, kid. Get on outta here." Iwai said to Ren, who nodded as he noted that helping Iwai with his work has honed his Proficiency, netting him a needless, if modest, boost to his Proficiency. He then let as Iwai spoke up one more.

"Later! I'll see ya next time." Iwai said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep. Ren answered it, having a good idea who it'd be.

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

"Yo, it's me. Just wanted to give you fair warning before I go home to Kaoru. You definitely got me some good intel. Honestly, I appreciate that a lot, part timer. But now Tsuda knows our face. And that could be a real problem." Iwai said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Iwai. Having my face be known by Tsuda could be a very real problem, especially given I already have a record. But I suppose that's my own fault for letting Tsuda see me." Ren said. Iwai smirked and chuckled approvingly as he spoke up.

"You catch on fast. Thanks to that shit today, Tsuda knows we're connected, at least. Which means that stunt we pulled with Masa ain't gonna work on him. Well, what's done is done. If one method isn't gonna work, we just gotta find another. I'll think about our next move. Until then, don't do anything stupid. When I need help, I'll get in touch. Hope you'll be ready." Iwai said as Ren nodded and hung up his phone before heading into Leblanc, unaware of the moves being made by Kusa while he was helping Iwai...

(Earlier that evening, shortly after Ren left to go help Iwai, with Kusa and Morgana)

"Hey Morgana, can you keep the sofa warm up here while I go make a phone call downstairs?" Kusa asked Morgana, who nodded agreeably as he curled up on the sofa while Kusa walked downstairs and whipped out his phone, dialing the number that Ren had given him, and listening to the sound of the phone ringing on the other end, before a familiar, if slightly groggy, voice answered after a few rings.

"H-Hello?" Kusa heard the voice of Suzui answer him after a few rings, prompting him to speak up at that point.

"Hello, is this Suzui-san's phone? Sorry for calling out of the blue so late, but this was the first chance I had to do so. This is Kusa Amamiya, by the way. I don't know if you remember me, but you spoke to me and my brother Ren once while you went to Shujin back in April. I realized recently, as in shortly after you moved, that neither myself or Ren had gotten to know you as well as we'd have liked, so I had Ren get your contact info from Ann for the purpose of re-establishing at least loose contact with you." Kusa said as Suzui blinked on the other end before smiling and speaking up.

"Ohh! Hi there, Amamiya-kun the younger. I wasn't expecting it to be you who called this late, but it makes sense, since if I recall correctly, you led a pretty busy life while I was at Shujin. It's nice hearing from you. And before you ask, no I don't mind that you got my contact info from Ann. I'm just as glad to hear from you. So, how's life been for you and your brother since we last spoke?" Suzui asked Kusa, who spoke up.

"Oh, it's been pretty good overall, all things considered. A few bumps here and there, but overall pretty smooth sailing. But I didn't necessarily call you up just to catch up, though I'm definitely open to it. I also called since a certain someone we both know rather well has a birthday coming up on the 12th of this month, and I was curious to see how you'd feel about making your way back this direction to surprise her with a visit, even if it's just for a few hours.

I know she'd be thrilled to see you, especially if what Ren told me about you two finally hooking up shortly before you moved is true. But I figured I'd run it by you and make sure you're not busy that day." Kusa said as Suzui smiled at the suggestion and spoke up.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised your brother told you about Ann and I getting together. But it sounds like you're supportive of us given the tone of your voice. That said, I'd love to come back that way for a couple days and surprise my girlfriend for her birthday. Not sure where I'd stay if I stay the weekend, but it could be fun." Suzui said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I was hoping you'd say that, Suzui-san. Because if you end up staying the weekend, I might be able to pull some strings so I can stay the weekend over at Boss' house while you can crash at Leblanc on the sofa I usually sleep on while you're in town, if you're okay with that. If nothing else, you can possibly show up on the 11th and stay that night on the sofa until you can surprise Ann, and then after that, maybe she'll let you spend the weekend at her house? Who knows? Either way, I thought you'd be up for surprising your girlfriend for her birthday." Kusa said as Suzui giggled and spoke up.

"You know, you're a very shrewd man, right Amamiya-kun the younger? Even so, that's not really a bad thing, and I must admit that I respect that about you. Also, I'm guessing that when you say Boss, you mean the owner of Leblanc, given you mentioned letting me stay there for a day or so prior to Ann's birthday? If so, interesting. But more to the point, I'm surprised you don't call me 'Senpai' or something like that, given how respectful you are of others." Suzui said teasingly as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"HA! Good one, Suzui-san. I could call you Senpai, but I try not to use that honorific if I can help it, since my brother's girlfriend may or may not have staked claim on using that term as a pet name of sorts for my brother, and I don't like to step on other people's toes if I can help it. But you're not wrong about me being respectful of other people's wishes. I try to go by other people's wishes as best I can." Kusa said as Suzui smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, really? Is that so? In that case, since we don't go to the same school anymore, and I could give two fricks less about that whole 'going by surnames' BS, you can call me Shiho, if you like. I let Ann call me by my first name, and I try to let all my friends do so as well." Shiho said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah? I'll try to remember that then, Shiho. And to be honest, if I'm going to be on a first-name basis with you, I feel its only fair to let you call me Kusa, if you want." Kusa said calmly as Shiho smiled and spoke up at that point.

"Very well, Kusa. I think I will do that. With such a chill attitude like that, I can see why Ann thinks of you as a younger brother, honestly. Also, since when does your brother have a girlfriend!? Last Ann told me, he was still too busy tap-dancing around the subject to actually stake claim on Yoshizawa-san? If we're being honest, I could say the same of you, but from what Ann told me, you at least acknowledge your feelings for your crush." Shiho said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ren and Kasumi hooking up was a rather recent development, like within the last two weeks type of recent. I assume Ann told you about the dance that Shujin had last month as part of the school festival where Akechi-kun was the guest of honor?" Kusa said as Shiho blinked before speaking up with a frown.

"A dance, you say? Ann never said a word about that to me, that sneaky little brat. But no matter, I can honestly guess what happened. Odds are you and your brother probably asked your respective crushes to that dance, danced for a bit with them, then headed out to the balcony where you asked them out, and they said yes. Do I have that just about right?" Shiho asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up with an amused smirk.

"Yep, pretty much, except you left out the bit where Ryuji asked Makoto to be his date for the dance and they also hooked up there. Honestly, the fact it took Ryuji that long to acknowledge that he has feelings for Makoto, never mind asking her to be his girlfriend, both annoys me to no end, yet also somehow manages to amuse me." Kusa said as Shiho gasped and spoke up.

"No way! Sakamoto-kun, and Niijima-san? Together!? I'd never have seen that coming! But at the same time, it makes a sort of sense, since Niijima-san always struck me as being a closet rebel who liked bad boys. But glad to hear everyone's doing well back at Shujin." Shiho said as Kusa winced before speaking up.

"Well, I dunno that I'd say everyone from Shujin is doing well. Did you hear about Principal Kobayakawa passing away a few weeks ago?" Kusa asked Shiho, who gasped and spoke up.

"For real!? The principal passed away!? No, I didn't hear about that. Probably because I was busy rehabbing and Ann probably forgot to mention it to me. Though I recall seeing something on the news about some overweight guy being hit by a truck and getting killed around that time. Maybe that was him? Either way, hope he rests in peace.

But back on topic, I guess I'll speak to my parents about heading out that way after school on the 11th, and then figure on heading back here late on the 13th, after spending time with my girlfriend for her birthday. Either way, nice to hear from you, Kusa. Feel free to tell your brother I said hi. And I'm happy for him and Yoshizawa-san, as they make quite the cute couple." Shiho said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"I agree whole-heartedly, Shiho. And it was nice hearing from you as well. So my brother and I will see you on the 11th then, probably?" Kusa said as Shiho spoke up.

"Correct. See you then, with any luck. Good night, Kusa. It was nice to hear from you again." Shiho said as Kusa hung up the phone and smirked smugly as he mentally cheered for a well-executed plan, right as Ren came inside and blinked at seeing Kusa at the counter, prompting him to speak up.

"Um, Kusa? Is there a particular reason you're downstairs right now?" Ren asked Kusa, who grinned and spoke up.

"Oh, not really. Just got off the phone with Suzui-san. She's agreed to come down and hang for a couple days for Ann's birthday. I suggested she come crash in the attic with you on the 11th so she could surprise Ann on her birthday, which implies to me that we'll either have to invite Ann over here before her party to surprise her, or try to set the party up to be over here again.

Also, one or both of us will have to talk Boss into not only letting Shiho stay in the attic for at least one night, but also let me crash on the hide-a-bed at his and Taba's house while Suzui-san's here. Hopefully you can handle sharing a room with her for a short time, Ren." Kusa said as Ren nodded.

"Makes sense to me, Kusa. I'm impressed by how fast you work sometimes." Ren said as Kusa laughed and spoke up, sparkling blue notes going up over his head while he spoke.

"Oh, Ren. Don't underestimate how efficient I can be when needed, my dear foolish brother." Kusa said with a smirk as Ren nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"Okay, fair enough. Let's get to bed though, yeah? We have school tomorrow, after all." Ren said as Kusa nodded, and the two headed upstairs to get comfortable while Kusa gently lifted up Morgana so he could lay on the sofa before gently setting the not-cat back on his chest as the trio dozed off for the night...

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

"The lower house disbanded. It was an internal split." Ren and Kusa overheard a young office worker telling his glasses-wearing co-worker, who nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Masayoshi Shido. He's the only one. He's the only one that can stand up for what's right, and the only one who will make good on his word. That's the kind of person we need leading this nation, especially in times like these." The glasses-wearing worker said as the young office worker nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. Shido leads the United Future movement, right? He was right, to be honest. If we'd taken the Phantom Thieves seriously from the start, they'd be behind bars by now. Which'll come first, do you think? Regime change or the apprehension of the Phantom Thieves?" The young office worker said as Morgana sighed and spoke up.

"Mmm, what sheeple." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"True. But what catches my attention is what the young worker was saying about Shido leading a movement. That makes him sound like some sort of politician, or high-ranking person. And for some reason, that raises a big red flag for me, though I can't quite think of why that would be. Maybe it's tied to why I feel like I've seen or heard him before, if not both." Kusa said with a shrug. Ren also shrugged as the rest of the train ride passed uneventfully...

(Later that afternoon, in class with Ren, Ann, and Morgana)

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

"Including the day we gotta carry out the plan, there's only eleven days left." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Time is really slipping away." Ann sent as Haru sent a response at that point.

"What will happen to us if we fail to change the target's heart, I wonder?" Haru sent as Ren sent a response.

"We won't fail. We can't afford to fail. If we fail at changing this target's heart, it's not a stretch to say all of our lives would be over, with the possible exceptions of Futaba and Morgana." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Even if you are right Ren, it's kinda tough to say that we won't fail for sure, though." Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response next.

"Maybe, but we can't lose heart before we've even done anything." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Agreed, Taba! I get where you're coming from Ryuji, but we all know how high the stakes are on this mission in particular, and I'm not just saying that for Akechi-kun's sake, either. This target can literally either make or break our continued freedom. So of course we're going to take this seriously as a result. So let's just all relax and try to be as prepared as possible for when the appointed time arrives.

Stressing over it won't help us any bit at all. On an unrelated note, I'm gonna need to see Ryuji, Haru, Yusuke, Makoto, Ren, and Futaba, assuming that all of them are available in a separate group chat later, along with Akechi-kun if he has the free time. However, I respect the fact that he has a job to do, and as such, might not have the time for it." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response again.

"Kusa's right. If we do that, we'll just mess everything up, even the parts we can definitely succeed in. Also, interesting how you named pretty much everyone except Ann just now. I assume you have a reason for that?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Very observant, Taba. You are correct. However, we're leaving it at that for now, since there's a good reason I'm not including Ann in that separate chat, but I'm not going to say more than that with her reading. Just know it pertains to a certain special day that's coming up." Kusa sent ominously as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hm, you actually said something wise for once, Futaba." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response that had Kusa laughing as he read it.

"You wanna fight!?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response before Kusa could do so.

"You two get along so well." Haru sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Don't they just get along splendidly, Haru? Also, no fighting Yusuke, Taba. While I've no doubt you can handle yourself, that's not fair to make Yusuke have to hit a lady. I feel like he's too much of an honorable gentleman for such uncouth behavior." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Uhh, how so? I feel like they're always at each other's throats." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"That is an outrageous claim!" Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"That's what I should be saying!" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"First of all, since when is getting along with Taba an outrageous claim, Yusuke? Secondly, we both know damn well you wouldn't call that claim outrageous, Taba. You'd call it absurd or something like that." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"I agree with Kusa-kun here. You two need to stop it. Come on, let's try to keep tensions low. We're all feeling anxious here. And I agree with Kusa that it's great you two get along so well." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"All of us are feeling anxious? Even you, Makoto?" Ann sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"Yes Ann, even me. It really can't be helped this time, though." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"That's not how I raised you. Get a hold of yourself, Ryuji!" Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response while Kusa was busy laughing at what Futaba had sent.

"Why're you singling me out, Futaba?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response once he'd stopped laughing, not seeing the confused look Kasumi had given him as a result.

"Probably that's her way of dragging you into the conversation again, or to change the subject. Either or. That said, exactly who did you raise in this chat, Taba? Last I checked, you were the youngest of the group, with the possible exception of Morgana?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I was aiming that remark at Ryuji, obviously. I raised him since I joined the group, hence why he was able to ask Makoto out." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Oookay then, changing the subject now. Am I the only one who noticed that Akechi-kun hasn't sent a single response today?" Kusa sent as Ren put his phone away while the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"We're supposed to send the calling card on the 18th, Ren. That means there's only 9 days left before the appointed day of our calling card." Morgana said as Ren nodded before looking at his options. After looking, Ren saw that Haru, Futaba, and Ryuji could all be ranked up, and both Kasumi and Ann were available to hang out with, though both were as far ranked as they could be for the time being. After thinking it over, Ren decided to go and rank up Ryuji. Ryuji looked up as Ren approached him and spoke up.

"Yo, sup? We've got our day set for the callin' card, so I guess we just gotta wait 'til then. In the meantime, are you feelin' up for a little exercise? You are, aren't you? C'mon, let's go. I got something I wanna talk to you about durin'." Ryuji said to Ren, who noted that his bond with Ryuji was ready to max out as Morgana spoke up.

"It's good to take a break every so often, Ren. Do you want to hang out with Ryuji?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, I think I will max out my bond with Ryuji since this is a pretty good opportunity to do so. You can go find Kusa and hang with him if you don't want to come along, Morgana." Ren said conversationally as Ryuji grinned and fist-bumped Ren after Morgana nodded and padded off to find Kusa.

"Aw yeah! Let's grab some ramen after we finish trainin' then!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and headed off to train with Ryuji...

(After training, at the ramen place in Ogikubo with Ren and Ryuji)

"Ahhh. This is the perfect way to refill after some training." Ryuji said to Ren with a grin, before he got a more serious expression on his face as he kept speaking.

"By the way, the track team's up and runnin' again. Yamauchi got taken down pretty quick. You know Takeishi's mom is the PTA prez, right? Her told her everything. After that, she came storming in with the other parents and forbid the whole scouting plan. Ohh, wish I coulda seen the look on Yamauchi's face! Hahaha! I mean, the school can't ignore the PTA. And as a result, the track team's back. Our old coach's fillin' in for now. Man, it serves that dick right! What a great feelin'! I think they might even go far in the meet." Ryuji said to Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"I agree. I'm looking forward to it. But to be honest, Ryuji? I'm just glad everything worked out for them. I bet it makes you feel a lot better knowing you were able to do a good thing for others just for the sake of it being the right thing to do. I'm proud of you, man. Respect!" Ren said to Ryuji, who smirked as he fist-bumped Ren and grinned while speaking up.

"Hell yeah! Thanks, RenRen! You were just as key to all that as I was, just so you know. Aw crap, the ramen's gonna get soggy. Let's eat!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! No one wants to eat soggy ramen!" Ren said sagely as the two eagerly ate their ramen. When they were done, Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Phew! That was awesome, wasn't it Ren?" Ryuji said as Ren nodded his agreement before Ryuji's expression turned unreadable as he spoke up.

"To tell the truth, I was scared of facin' those guys straight up. I couldn't stand how much they hated me. It only just made me think of how stupid I was back then. Most of all, it made me remember how I lost my place with them. Hey, this ain't like me, but to be honest? I managed to change because you were here helpin' me. I got you all wrapped up in this shit, but you stayed to the bitter end. More importantly, you didn't abandon me. So yeah, I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart, Ren. Thanks, man." Ryuji said to Ren, who smiled as he spoke up.

"You're welcome. It's true it was because of your efforts, but at the same time it was also because we make such a damn good team. I know we're buds, but in addition to that, I'd like to think we've also become bros of a sort to one another through all this." Ren said honestly. Ryuji chuckled agreeably and fist-bumped Ren as he spoke up.

"Hahaha, for real man! For real! But, you know? It's funny, huh? This started out as us trainin' for the Phantom Thieves. Heh, how'd it end up like this? Either way, it's my turn now. If anything comes up, you tell me. I'll help you with whatever you need." Ryuji said to Ren, who exchanged significant nods of respect with Ryuji, before smiling as he felt the strength of his bond with Ryuji, appreciating how tight it had become as the expected voice spoke up in Ren's head as he and Ryuji shook hands.

"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 Chariot, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard in his head as the 'Chariot' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' becoming an 'X' to signify that his Chariot Confidant rank with Ryuji had reached Rank 10, or more accurately, MAX Rank.

As a result of the maxed-out link with Ryuji, Ryuji had gained the power of 'Second Awakening', transforming his Persona into a mythological trickster. After that, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared in place of the 'Chariot' card before his phone got a notification that Ren could now fuse 'Chi You', the strongest Persona of the 'Strength' arcana.

After that, the camera cut to a shot of Ryuji's 'Captain Kidd' Persona as a flash of light enveloped it and when the light died down, in place of Captain Kidd was shown what looked like a grinning man with a red helmet that had a giant yellow head fin on top, and what appeared to be built-in shades on the helmet, wearing what appeared to be light green/blue chest armor with matching shoulder pads that had yellow trim, and matching colored armbands, along with dark red sweatpants and light blue pointed-toe boots with black leggings.

Interestingly, the new Persona also had a red, white and gold staff in one hand that was very similar to the staff Kusa often wielded in the Metaverse, but much shinier. Lastly, the new Persona was shown riding on what appeared to be a dark-colored brain with distinctive yellow eyes with red pupils. Ryuji spoke up after seeing his new Persona in his mind's eye.

"I can feel it, Ren! My new power!" Ryuji said with a grin as his and Ren's phones went off with a notification that Ryuji's 'Captain Kidd' Persona had transformed into 'Seiten Taisei'. After the camera cut back to Ren and Ryuji, Ryuji grinned and spoke up with an excited look on his face.

"All right! Now that I have that off my chest, let's do this! First up: The Phantom Thieves! I'll be countin' on you, Leader! And you can count on me too!" Ryuji said as Re nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. I expected no less from you, bro. We got this!" Ren said decisively as Ryuji smiled and fist-bumped Ren again before speaking up.

"Definitely! Hey, now that we're all fueled up, wanna race to the station?" Ryuji asked Ren, who shrugged and nodded as the two dashed to the station. As they did so, 'Seiten Taisei' managed to learn the special passive skill 'Evade Wind' as Ren headed back to Leblanc...

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

"Ah, you're back. Yo! Another box came for you." Sojiro said to Ren, who blinked as he walked over to the box and opened it.

"What did you get?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren looked inside and spoke up.

"It's the stuff we ordered off that Shady Commodities website. Gotta say, they ship their goods fast. Wasn't that just a couple days ago that we placed that order?" Ren asked Morgana, who nodded as Ren claimed the contents of the box, which were a handful of attack items and an accessory, as Morgana spoke up.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. You bought stuff from Shady Commodities." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After sizing up his options, he decided to go hang out with Mishima, only to stop short as he saw the twins outside the Velvet Room, recalling he hadn't quite done all his outings with them despite maxing out their Confidant link. Ren changed course and approached the twins as Caroline spoke up.

"What're you going to do today, Inmate? All right, time to name the location. Justine, as always, you do the honors." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Listen closely. The place we wish to evaluate for your rehabilitation today is an odd feature of the city where slaves attend to the needs of the visitors." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"Apparently, the slaves in this camp refer to visitors as 'Master', and their behavior can even be controlled to some degree." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Indeed., I wonder how this compares to our devotion for our own master. This could even make a strong example for the Inmate. Does such a location sound familiar to you, Inmate?" Justine asked as Caroline frowned and spoke up.

"Well, Inmate? If you know where that location is, then you need to escort us there immediately!" Caroline said to Ren, who blinked before realizing they might be speaking of the maid cafe in Akihibara, which he'd only been to one time so far. Caroline kept speaking when Ren didn't reply immediately.

"So, what'll it be, Inmate? What're you gonna do?" Caroline asked as Ren spoke up.

"By chance, are you two referring to the maid cafe in Akihibara?" Ren asked the twins, as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph! What is it that makes a cafe 'made'? Is it the slaves? I wanna find out!" Caroline said as Justine smiled and spoke up.

"Agreed, Caroline. We shall do just that. Inmate, please take us there immediately." Justine said as Ren shrugged and escorted the twins to the maid cafe. Once there, Caroline blinked as she looked around before speaking up in surprise.

"Oh! So this is a slave camp, then. The decor is bizarrely cheery for such a horrid place, am I right?" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. I'm surprised one is operating in the heart of the city like this. I had originally thought such places would need to hide in the shadows, far from public scrutiny." Justine said as Clara, the maid who'd waited on Ren the last time he came to the maid cafe, walked over and smiled at Ren as she spoke up.

"Oh. Hee hee! Welcome home, Master!" Clara said as Justine blinked and spoke up, not realizing that Clara had been addressing Ren at first.

"Are you addressing me? You are sorely mistaken about who is your master, slave." Justine said as Caroline spoke up.

"We've come here to observe fully, Justine. Don't worry, we'll free her when we're finished." Caroline said to Justine before turning to Clara as she kept speaking.

"Hey, you." Caroline said to Clara, who smiled as she spoke up.

"Yes, Master?" Clara asked, making Caroline frown as she spoke up, while giving a skeptical yet disapproving look to Clara.

"Tell me, why are you grinning like that? You're a slave." Caroline said as Clara frowned and spoke up in surprise.

"Huh? A slave!? Did you just call me a slave? Whatever do you mean, Master?" Clara asked as Caroline scowled and spoke up.

"Maybe you're ordered to smile, but what? Do you lack a will of rebellion? Or are you just naturally submissive?" Caroline said as Clara blinked at the question before eventually speaking up again.

"Well, Master, uhhh, to be honest? I dunnooooo!" Clara said as Caroline scoffed and turned to glare at Ren while she spoke up.

"What is with this insufferable twit? Hey, Inmate! Do you really think you get proper rehabilitation here?" Caroline asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I've only come here one other time before tonight, so I'm not sure. Am I right to guess you don't like it?" Ren said. Caroline nodded before furiously shaking her head in the negative as she spoke up.

"NO! It's safe to say I'm well beyond disliking it!" Caroline said angrily as Justine looked at Caroline and spoke up.

"Caroline! Calm yourself, please." Justine said as Clara smiled at the twins and spoke up.

"Aw, aren't you just the cutest? Hee hee!" Clara said while giggling at the twins, making Caroline scowl at Clara as she spoke up.

"Watch it! You think laughing at your masters is proper discipline?" Caroline asked as Clara blinked before gasping as she spoke up.

"Ohhhhh, NOW I get it! You're here for the discipline service, is that it? Then listen up, you little shrimp!" Clara said, making Caroline gasp at the sudden shift in attitude, while Ren just blinked at what was going on, very glad he'd not taken a drink, otherwise he very likely would've done an epic spit-take when Clara used the words 'discipline service'. Caroline then spoke up.

"Wha-!?" Caroline said in shock as Clara spoke up in a much angrier tone, to the surprise of Ren as well as both the twins.

"Quit gawkin' at me and order already! You wanna get jabbed with one o' those tiny little shrimp forks!? Out with it!" Clara said angrily as Ren's eyes widened as he took in the aggressive stance Clara had taken, her hands cupped like she was ready to throw something, an almost uncharacteristic scowl on her face. Caroline's eyes widened slightly as she spoke up.

"Sh-She's thrown off the yoke of oppression, hasn't she!?" Caroline said in shock as Clara kept speaking up in an aggressive tone that had Ren and Justine exchanging mixed stunned, horrified, and confused looks.

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY!? Order! Or do you need a menu-if you can even read! Is that it? Widdle baby can't wead a menu?" Clara said as Caroline gasped in horror and spoke up, not seeing Ren struggling not to laugh next to her.

"A-Ahh, this is so surprising." Caroline said as Ren barely managed to get his urge to laugh in check in time to speak up.

"Let's take it down a notch, yeah? These two are just here checking out the cafe since they were curious about it. To be quite honest, I had no idea that this place even had a discipline service." Ren said as Clara blinked before resuming her friendly tone and stance while speaking up.

"Ohh, so you wanted the normal service after all? Whoopsy-daisy, I got ahead of myself there! Here's the menu!" Clara said as Caroline looked down in confusion while speaking up.

"Wh-What is wrong with her, Justine? Her mood changes in an instant." Caroline said as Justine sighed and shook her head.

"No clue, Caroline. But still, such versatility she has. Could she possess the potential for the power of the wild card? Well, never mind that. We are to focus on the matter at hand. Hm? What could this be?" Justine said, looking at the napkin holder, which was shaped rather like a pair of black bunny ears. Caroline looked at a menu while speaking up.

"Love Star Pancake? What do they put in it? Nothing suspicious, I hope, for the Inmate's sake." Caroline said as Ren spoke up.

"Usually, they put love in it, hence the name. But anything's possible." Ren said. Caroline scoffed and spoke up.

"They put 'love' in it? How is that possible? Love isn't a physical substance? Have they been scamming you here?" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Let's order something else." Justine said as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. In that case, let's go with the Sincere Omelette." Caroline said as Clara bowed and spoke up.

"As you wish, Master." Clara said before returning with what appeared to be green flapjacks with ketchup all over them. Clara winced as she spoke up.

"Sorry about that! Oh no! I messed it up. Please forgive me, Masterrrrr!" Clara said as Caroline glared at her and spoke up.

"ARE YOU JOKING!? How absolutely DARE you!? Fix this right now! You can beg for forgiveness once I receive a perfectly sincere meal!" Caroline said as Clara winced before shaking her head as she spoke up.

"But, but, I filled it with love, Master. Waaah, you're mean!" Clara said as she proceeded to break down crying, making Caroline frown and speak up.

"Dammit! Don't even try that fake-cry act on me! Fix it! Double time! I'm not letting you off until it's right!" Caroline snapped as Clara whimpered and spoke up.

"N-No, I can't, Master. I tried so, so hard on it, but I'm just so clumsy and inept. I even practiced a ton, and, and, nothing." Clara said sadly as Justine and Ren gave Caroline pointed looks making her sigh as she spoke up.

"Uh, hey, slave?" Caroline said as Justine frowned at Caroline and spoke up rebukingly.

"How could you make this poor slave cry like that, Caroline?" Justine rebuked Caroline, who winced as she spoke up.

"Wha-!? Fine, fine, I'll say I'm sorry!" Caroline said before turning to Clara as she kept speaking.

"Look, slav-I mean, maid! I'm sorry! I'll eat it, I'll eat it! Just please, stop crying!" Caroline said, making Ren look at her in shock, not having ever heard her say 'please' before that he could recall. Clara smiled and cheered up as she spoke up.

"You will!? Yaaaay! Thank you so much! Would you care for some Oo-hot Tea to go with it? I also recommend the Relaxing Coffee! I promise to pour aaaall my heart into making them for youuuu!" Clara said as Caroline sighed and spoke up.

"Fine, just bring whatever you recommend." Caroline said reluctantly as Clara nodded and brought out drinks. After the meal was finished, Caroline sighed as she spoke up.

"Ugh, this has been so tiresome, to be honest. Even the people being served have to behave a certain way, Justine. I struggle to comprehend why it's so complicated." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"And yet, people here are willing to pay good money to partake in this master-servant charade for some reason. The lengths that huans will go to hold positions of power stuns me. Their desires truly appear to be limitless." Justine said as Caroline turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Anyway, we hereby deem your assignment complete." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Here is your reward." Justine said as Ren got the 'Tetraja', 'Dekunda', and 'Dekaja' skill cards. Caroline then spoke up.

"I feel as though we saw a side of humanity today that was new to us. As a matter of fact, this isn't a new event to us at this point." Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"True. We do seem to witness curious new facets of humanity with each special assignment we undertake. Most intriguing indeed, I think." Justine said as Caroline sighed and turned to Ren while speaking up.

"Ugh, but the only thing that matters to YOU is your rehabilitation! And don't you dare forget it!" Caroline said as Ren just nodded before escorting the twins back to the Velvet Room and heading back to Leblanc, where he barely got comfortable for the night before flopping down on his bed after setting his glasses on the windowsill and falling asleep near-immediately to doze off for the night...

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

"Hey! Ah, we were able to grab seats today! Why don't you read something until you get there, Ren? Kusa will probably keep himself occupied with his phone." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and set about sending a private chat. Ren looked through his options and decided not to read, making Morgana look at him in surprise and speak up.

"Oh? Did you change your mind? Hold on, you were able to grab a seat, but you're not reading?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly, I don't have anything worth reading at this point, Morgana. Maybe once I get more books, I'll read one next time I get a seat, but for today I'm gonna skip on the reading." Ren said. Morgana shrugged and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I see. I suppose we'll just sit and relax until we get there, then, since you don't want to read." Morgana said as the rest of the ride passed uneventfully...

(Later that morning, in class with Ren and Ann)

Kawakami yawned as she spoke up.

"Why're you looking at me like that? I'm not sleep-deprived because I want to be, you know. My neighbors have been careless lately on garbage day, and the crows were cawing away this morning. Those trash nets the city makes us use only keep them away at the start. Crows are quick learners. On that note, do you all know how to write the kanji for 'crow'? The characters for 'bird' and 'crow' look similar, but the latter has one fewer line. What do you think, Amamiya-kun? Isn't it easy to confuse with 'bird'?" Kawakami asked as Ren looked up when he heard his name called, giving Kawakami his attention as she kept speaking.

"Do you know the answer? The line in the character for 'bird' has a line that the character for 'crow' doesn't. It represents the eye, but that's not what I'm asking. Do you know why it's missing in the character for 'crow'?" Kawakami asked Ren, who thought about it and nodded as he spoke up, vaguely remembering seeing this in a book once.

"This is it! The answer is because crow eyes are hard to see." Ren said confidently as he gave the answer. Kawakami nodded approvingly as she clapped while speaking up.

"Way to go! That's right. Crows are black-feathered, of course, so it's hard to spot their black eyes. But crows actually have great vision. They can even see UV rays, apparently." Kawakami said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence ensued, complete with Morgana praising him for getting the answer right as Ren's Knowlege got a needed boost. Kawakami then kept speaking.

"By the way, one reading for a different 'crow' kanji is 'ga', to imitate the sound of it cawing. The character for 'pigeon' is the same. It's based on the bird's coo, leading to the 'ku' pronunciation. Crows are pretty smart, so you'd better study enough that you don't lose to them." Kawakami said as Morgana winced and spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Ugh. Crows are scary, lemme tell ya. When your eyes meet, they start flapping and it's scary." Morgana said while shuddering as Ren nodded and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Hey! We're supposed to send the card on the 19th, which means there's only 8 days left until the appointed day." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"True. And before you ask, we need one more target before we discuss Mementos. But I hope to get a run in before the 18th if we can manage it." Ren said. Morgana nodded his agreement while Ren looked over the map to see who was available, frowning slightly as he saw that his only options were Makoto and Futaba. After considering his options, Ren headed to Yongen-Jaya to rank up Futaba. Once he got there, he found her squatting in front of Leblanc, walking up to her and speaking up.

"Huh, it's not often that you can be found sitting here alone, Futaba. What's up?" Ren said to Futaba, who looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, hey Ren. Yo! Kusa was here with me until just a bit ago, then he took off to hit the gym. Kusa does that a lot these days. But at least he's not all broody and anti-social like he was when we first finished Okumura's Palace. But that was then, and this is now. Anyways, we've just gotta wait for our scheduled day now. So if you're free, it's promise list time! What should we do next?" Futaba said to Ren as Morgana poked his head out of Ren's bag to speak up.

"Y'know, it's not the worst idea to kick back and take a break every so often. That said, do you want to hang out with Futaba?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up.

"Yes, I want to hang out with Futaba. Not only is she one of my lower-ranked Confidants, but my literal only other option would be hanging out with Makoto and having to accompany her on a double date while pretending to date her. Let's just say I'd much rather avoid that for now if I can, if only so as to spare myself the pissed-off Ryuji and Kasumi that would no doubt result from pretending to date Makoto. I'm honestly not sure which of them I'd be more terrified of seeing angry." Ren said as Futaba smiled and nodded her understanding as she spoke up.

"Ah, I see. So we're hanging out? All right, time to form our plan of attack." Futaba said, pointing towards Leblanc as she kept speaking.

"Get in there! Go, go!" Futaba said as Ren shrugged and followed Futaba into Leblanc. Once inside, Futaba pulled out her promise list and frowned as she spoke up.

"Hm, so the next promise is, let's see here. Ah, here we are. It's 'Learn about my generation.' Oh wait, I think I can do the next one too! 'Have a normal conversation with a stranger my age'!" Futaba said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Um, didn't you already do that when I took you to Shujin when you had that conversation with Kasumi, no matter how short-lived it was?" Ren said as Futaba spoke up.

"That doesn't count, since she's hardly a stranger if she's a friend of yours that Kusa also knows. Not to mention, she's your girlfriend! So she's as good as a friend of a friend, and thus not a stranger. But never mind that! Hmmm, where can I find lots of young people? All right! Welp, ain't no time like the present! Come on, let's go!" Futaba said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"Uh-huh. Wow, you guys have actually started getting pretty close. Not that that's a bad thing though, given the fact that for all intents and purposes, you two're pseudo-siblings, which is a bit ironic considering the fact that I'm basically Ren and Kusa's guardian while they're staying here. Not to mention, I know for a fact I heard the two of them calling me Coffee Daddy before, even if they seem to think that I can't hear them. But that's not important. Anyway, be careful out there." Soiro said as Ren nodded and led Futaba out to the diner. Once the two got seats at a booth, Futaba spoke up.

"Hm! So we've arrived at the diner, have we? I've heard all about the unlimited fountain drinks at these places from Kusa, and Morgana to a lesser extent. Well, Ren? Where are they? I don't see 'em anywhere!" Futaba said to Ren, who made to answer her, but someone else spoke up before Ren could answer Futaba's question, making Ren turn to face the speaker as they spoke up.

"Hi! Amamiya? Oh crap, and you're with a girl?" Mishima said to Ren, who winced slightly at Mishima's reaction while Futaba blinked and spoke up.

"Is this a friend of yours?" Futaba asked Ren, who spoke up.

"He's in my class. He's pretty much an acquaintance of mine, though we're also kind of friends-ish? Anyways, Futaba, this is Mishima. Mishima, this is Futaba Sakura, the daughter of the guy Kusa and I stay with, who's also Kusa's girlfriend, and pretty much a little sister to me." Ren said as he introduced Futaba and Mishima to one another. Futaba blinked before smiling as she spoke up.

"Oh, that's right! Hmmm. How 'bout I ask him to help with my promise?" Futaba said to Ren, making Mishima blink at Futaba as he spoke up.

"Hm? What promise?" Mishima asked as Futaba tilted her head to the side cutely before speaking up.

"W-Welll, it's like this." Futaba said before explaining her promise list to Mishima, who nodded after hearing Futaba's explanation as he spoke up.

"Ah, I see. So that's what you mean. So, you just want to have a regular old conversation? So, wait. You're saying that you, a girl, and a cute girl at that, want to talk to, of all people, me? I see. In that case, I guess I don't have a choice. Nope, none whatsoever. I'll just have to help you out." Mishima said as Futaba smiled at Mishima and spoke up.

"Really!? Oooh, you're so nice! My name's Futaba Sakura, and don't you forget it! Granted, I think Ren already told you that, but I felt like saying it again." Futaba said as Ren frowned at Mishima before speaking up.

"Mishima? Before that, let's get something clear. I don't mind you being friends with Futaba, but nothing more than that. You did hear the part where I said she's dating Kusa, right? And considering the fact that the last guy who pissed Kusa off got laid out flat on his ass with one swift right hook to the jaw, I doubt very much you'd want to piss off Kusa by trying to flirt with his girlfriend. Kusa can be kind of over-protective of those he cares about, even if he's working on dialing it back some.

Just thought I'd put that out there. As long as you're understanding of that, I have no issues with you and Futaba speaking to one another. Sorry Futaba, but since neither Kusa nor Boss are here, someone's gotta play the overprotective family figure here." Ren said, giving an apologetic look to Futaba after he finished giving Mishima a stern look for most of his explanation. Mishima winced as he spoke up.

"O-Oh! So she's dating your brother!? In that case, I don't mind just being her friend. I've seen Amamiya-kun the younger's temper first-hand, and it's not something I want to have aimed at me if I can help it. After all, I have a feeling he could've easily helped Sakamoto-kun mess up Kamoshida if the two worked together. Luckily he has more restraint than that. That said, u-uh, okay, I think I can live with that. I'm Yuuki Mishima, but everyone just calls me Mishima for the most part." Mishima said as Futaba smiled and spoke up, just giving Ren a nod of understanding before she spoke.

"Hrmhrmhrm. It seems like help always comes my way when I need it most. Maybe my luck stat's really high." Futaba said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I think you're right. After all, it would have to be for you to quite literally walk into a room where you'd meet your eventual boyfriend, who was coincidentally there at Boss' request to drop stuff off for Boss." Ren said with a teasing smirk. Futaba huffed cutely before she spoke up.

"E-Enough teasing, Ren! But that said, heck yeah! I could prolly roll a natural twenty right now if you asked me to!" Futaba said as Mishima sweat-dropped before sitting down with Ren as he listened to what Futaba had to say, eventually nodding as he spoke up.

"Let me see if I have this right, Sakura-san. So you want to learn more about our generation? I doubt it'll be easy to explain, but I'm willing to at least try." Mishima said as Futaba spoke up with a smile.

"Youth, that which some call the unknown frontier. Such is the way of life on the Futaba Enterprise!" Futaba said as both Ren and Mishima blinked before Mishima spoke up again. *1

"OK? Hm, maybe I should try talking about my hobbies to start off. Um, do you like computers?" Mishima asked Futaba who nodded eagerly and spoke up.

"Do I like computers!? Uh, yeah! Mm, I'm always online." Futaba said as Mishima nodded and spoke up some more.

"Me too! What sites do you use? I usually keep to forums myself, since I tend to moderate forums at times in my spare time. Or are you more into streaming? I'd gladly subscribe to your channel. W-W-Wait, do you by chance run one of those, y'know, racy channels? You'd need to be super courageous to do that, though it certainly wouldn't be unwelcome, to be honest. Kek." Mishima said as Ren literally had to swallow his drink really quickly so he didn't do a spit-take when he heard the words 'racy channel' come from Mishima's mouth.

While Ren was busy trying not to choke on his drink, in his head, Ren was legitimately very glad Kusa wasn't there, given the fact that he'd have more than likely sputtered and then had apoplexy if he'd heard what Mishima had just said. While Ren was busy coughing after nearly choking on a drink, Futaba smiled at Mishima's question and spoke up.

"Whoa, that's the first time I've heard anyone actually say that out loud, to be honest. Kek!" Futaba said as Mishima winced and spoke up.

"H-Huh? That's all you took from that conversation?" Mishima asked as Ren frowned at Mishima before he huffed in slight irritation and spoke up.

"Would you rather she took away that you basically were asking her if she was a freaking cam girl, Mishima!? Be glad I know you didn't mean anything by that, since what you asked was entirely inappropriate! Also, bear in mind that Futaba has lived something of a sheltered life the last few years, but I won't go into the details since that's for her to reveal if she feels comfortable telling you about it." Ren said bluntly to Mishima while he crossed his arms disapprovingly as Futaba spoke up.

"Oh, I see! Ah, I've got it! This overwhelmingly forgettable appearance, generic speech style, and total lack of sex appeal that you've got going. Nishima, be honest. Are you an NPC!?" Futaba asked, making Ren have to keep himself from bursting out laughing at the stunned look on Mishima's face at the roast Futaba had just given him. Eventually, Ren got himself under control enough to speak up.

"That's pretty top-tier, that roast you just gave this poor man. Down, Futaba! And to answer your question, he's basically the protagonist, to an extent." Ren said as Futaba looked at Mishima in shock as she spoke up.

"Oh! Really? Huh, I guess you can't judge a book by its cover, no matter how unassuming and basic that cover seems. Anyway, I'm glad you spawned here! I killed two promises with one Nishima today! 'Learn about my generation' and 'have a normal conversation with a stranger my age'! Aw yeah! I think I gained a ton of EXP on this adventure. And it's all 'cause you brought me here, Ren. Thanks!" Futaba said as Ren nodded agreeably, sensing Futaba's innocent joy at her accomplishment.

At that point, the 'Hermit' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IV' becoming a 'V' to signify that his Hermit Confidant link with Futaba had reached Rank 5, though no new skills were gained from the current rank-up. Afterwards, Mishima then spoke up nervously.

"S-Sooo, um, what was your name again? Oh right, Futaba-chan. It's okay if I call you that, right? I'm a little embarrassed, hahaha. I don't talk to pretty girls often. Anyways, uh, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing after this?" Mishima asked as Ren's eyes widened at Mishima's question, but Futaba spoke up before he could even begin to light into Mishima, smiling appreciatively at Ren while she spoke.

"Going home." Futaba said innocently, making Mishima seem to deflate at that as he spoke up.

"O-Oh, yes. That's right, you would probably be heading home. My mistake." Mishima said as Ren spoke up while crossing his arms and glaring at Mishima in annoyance.

"MISHIMA! What part of 'she's taken and has a boyfriend' didn't you comprehend before!? Of course she's not going to want to do anything date-like with you! She's quite attached to Kusa, after all! So kindly quit trying to ask her out! I don't care if you and her are friends, but you're not going to try and pick up on her in front of me like that, behind Kusa's back no less! Got it!?" Ren said, trying to give Mishima his best intimidating glare, which worked well, given the fact that Mishima could only nod meekly in understanding as Ren nodded and spoke up in a much friendlier tone.

"Good, as long as we understand that. As long as you behave yourself around her, I won't tell Kusa you tried to hit on her. And between us, I don't think any of us want to see him pummel you, which he probably would have done if he knew that you've been hitting on her and casting aspersions on her." Ren said as Futaba spoke up.

"C'mon, Ren! We're off! You can finish destroying this NPC later!" Futaba said as Ren nodded, escorting her to the station to get the train home before heading back to Leblanc himself, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone, only to hear Futaba's voice on the other end.

"Ahoy! I did awesome today, huh!? I mean, I cleared two goals in one day! And that's not all! On my way home, I found a lost thing in the street, so I dropped it off at the police station. I'm a completely different person now! No more getting scared of the police! C'mon, tell me I'm cool!" Futaba said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"You did great, Futaba! I'm proud of you! Also, do me a favor? Don't tell Kusa about what Mishima said to you today? I wasn't kidding when I told Mishima that Kusa would probably beat the shit out of him if he knew what Mishima had said to you today." Ren said as Futaba spoke up.

"Heh heh, nice! Man, I love it when people tell me I did good! To be honest though, I didn't return it so much as I basically left the thing on their doorstep. No way I'm actually talking to anyone in there. But I left a note and stuff, so still! Mission complete, basically! Compared to the police, Nishima was nothing! He's like the first gym leader. *2*

At my current level, I can easily befriend an NPC like Nishima, and more. Confused? Eh, never mind. Anyhow, thanks again for today. Time to make like a tree!" Futaba said as Ren hung up the phone and headed into Leblanc...

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

While pondering his options, Ren decided to buy some stuff on the Shady Commodities website, spending enough to raise his spent total to 51,500 yen, increasing his member rank to Dark and getting access to the Dark-tier products. After that, he sat on his bed to think about his next move, unaware of the conversation that Kusa was having with the rest of the group aside from Ann while all this was happening...

(Earlier that day, while Ren was ranking up Futaba, with Kusa)

While Ren was off hanging out with Futaba, Kusa was busy getting a group chat set up with Makoto, Yusuke, Haru, Ryuji, and surprisingly Akechi. Once that was done, he added in Ren and Futaba for posterity, though he fully expected the both of them to not see the chat for the most part.

"Hey, so this was the separate chat I mentioned needing all of you for previously. And yes, the fact that Ann is absent from here is intentional, as Ann is a large part of why I'm doing this. As most of you may or may not be aware, Ann's birthday is coming up in like 2 days or so.

As such, I figure we need to get started on planning out our surprise party for her, since we did the same thing for not only Ren and Ryuji on their shared birthday, but I recall the rest of you, excluding Futaba, Haru and Akechi-kun, one of whom was unconscious at the time, while the latter two both hadn't yet joined at the time, did the same for me on my own birthday, so it's only fair we do so for Ann on her birthday.

I'd say we do the same for the rest of you, but I'm pretty sure that if I recall correctly, Akechi-kun, Yusuke, and Makoto all already had their birthdays this year, and I think Haru's is next month from what I recall? So yeah, maybe we'll get the rest of yours as they come up, but the fact of the matter is that Ren and I are currently only lined up to live in Yongen for the one year for Ren's probation, so I dunno if we'll still be in town for some of your birthdays to be honest. But we'll see what happens. So what do you guys think?" Kusa sent as Haru sent a response at that point.

"I'm guessing Mako-chan told you most people's birthdays from what she had on file, though I don't think she knows Yusuke-kun's birthday, so I question how you know about his. And to answer your question, yes my birthday is next month. December 5th, to be precise. But back on topic, I agree that throwing Ann a party for her birthday could be a great idea. I'm guessing that's what this chat is for, then? Planning the party?" Haru sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"Correct. I gave Kusa-kun the birthdays that the school had on file, aside from Ren-kun's, which he knew because he and Ren-kun are obviously brothers. Though, I'm guessing he was just making educated guesses about Akechi-kun and Yusuke-kun's birthdays. I can't help but notice that Kusa-kun didn't mention anything about Morgana's birthday though." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That's because his also already passed for this year and will be well after Ren is ear-marked to return back to our hometown. But for reference, his birthday is 4/20, according to him. As far as Yusuke and Akechi's birthdays, Yusuke told me his himself when he stayed overnight with Ren the day that Ren and I brought him, Ann, and Ryuji to Leblanc for the first time at their insistence, which was a couple weeks before Makoto joined the group.

I'll be honest and admit I was legitimately guessing that we already passed by Akechi-kun's birthday since I don't actually know it, but I'm also not trying to be nosy enough to pry into his personal details without his consent. Plus, I get the sense he's busy so he likely won't have time to reply to this right away, if at all." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response next.

"I think I recall Ren once mentioning that Akechi's birthday is June 2nd, or right around there? I could be wrong though. Also, how exactly were we going to surprise her if she was part of the last couple surprise parties?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"This is purely a guess on my part, but I get the sense that Kusa's going to plan a similar surprise for Ann to what he did for Ren on his birthday, or the day you and he had that shared birthday party which was, in actuality, your birthday." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Correct, Yusuke. In the interest of full disclosure for those of us in this chat, I've already taken steps to invite Ann's girlfriend out to Yongen for Ann's birthday, and she mentioned wanting to come spend the weekend, or at least a couple nights, up here. So I need to speak with Boss first to get the okay for it, but I was figuring I'd let her crash on the sofa in the attic of Leblanc while I crash on the hide-a-bed at Boss and Futaba's house.

That way, we can keep her upstairs and bring her down during the party as a surprise for Ann. Of course, this assumes we can keep her sufficiently distracted so that she doesn't notice Suzui-san beforehand." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response.

"And when you say Suzui-san, I assume you mean Shiho Suzui, the girl who tried to commit suicide after what Kamoshida did to her? I wasn't aware you and her even knew each other, Amamiya-kun the younger. Much less that she was friends with your brother either. I guess you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Akechi sent as Futaba chose then to send a reply.

"Huh, go figure Kusa actually got the leg-work started for Operation: Surprise Ann! I'm both impressed and amused at how quickly he works. And before he asks, I'm hanging out with Ren, and apparently some NPC named Nishima? No clue why he has such a basic name, but yeah. Also, I see Akechi's as direct and to-the-point as usual. Methinks he doesn't get invited to a lot of parties, to be honest." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response at that point.

"Nishima? Do you mean Mishima-kun? If so, try not to pay him any mind if he hits on you, since he does that to girls sometimes. I trust Ren to keep Mishima in line, though. That said, I need to make sure I remember to speak to Boss about letting Suzui-san stay in the attic with Ren for a night or two this weekend so she can surprise Ann on her birthday." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Not that it's important to the topic, but no, Futaba, I haven't been invited to a lot of parties. Been too busy playing the part of the Detective Prince and helping you guys change Sae-san's heart to attend birthday parties. Also, I'm always direct and to-the-point, and don't you dare forget it." Akechi sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Hey, ease up a bit, Akechi. Futaba was just teasing you a bit, I think. And don't worry, we won't forget it. And nice, should've known Kusa would invite Suzui-san out to crash with Ren so she could surprise Ann for her birthday. I got 2000 yen that says that Suzui and Ann end up making out when they reunite, if not go all the way. Any takers?" Ryuji sent as Makoto frowned and sent a response after that.

"Really? Now we're betting on Ann's love life? Isn't that a bit childish and pedantic? Besides, given how fondly Ann speaks of Suzui-san, that's a sucker's bet, sweetie." Makoto sent as Kusa smirked and sent a response.

"Agreed, Makoto. Besides, if Ryuji was really making a bet like that, he should've had that bet set to allow the chance that those two somehow end up getting to base, as it were. But I agree that that's a sucker's bet. Of course Ann's gonna be all over her girlfriend." Kusa sent as Ren chose that moment to discreetly send a response.

"Good, you got the chat set up, Kusa. And Ryuji, Kusa, can you two buffoons refrain from making bets about Ann's love life like that in a group chat? Do that in private chat, where poor Morgana doesn't have to see it." Ren sent, making Kusa wince as he was reminded of the crush that the not-cat in mention had had on Ann. Kusa then sent a response.

"Oh crap, totally forgot about that! Sorry, Ren! And if he's reading this, sorry Morgana! But look at it as Ann being happy, not as you seemingly missing out. I seem to recall that you said that as long as Ann is happy, that's enough for you, anyways." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"You're welcome, Kusa. I spoke to Sojiro for you, and he said he was fine with you letting Suzui-san stay in the attic with Ren for a couple days if needed this weekend, and with you crashing on the hide-a-bed at our place. He only asks that Ren not try anything funny with Suzui-san while they're alone. Little does Sojiro know that Suzui-san doesn't even swing that way anymore. Mwehehe. Besides, we all know there's only one girl Ren would try funny stuff with, and that's Yoshizawa-san." Futaba sent as Ryuji smirked and sent a response.

"Heh, truth! Ren's so hot for her, it's not funny! Besides, I bet he could probably get to base with her if he wanted to. However, I think everyone in this chat realizes that he's too much of a gentleman for that." Ryuji sent as Ren sputtered and sent a response.

"Shut up, Ryuji! And yes, I probably could do that, but as you yourself just said, I respect her wishes, and the last time I checked, we respect women in this group! Granted, you were probably just teasing anyways, but still, it wasn't that funny." Ren sent as Akechi sent a response.

"As much as seeing Ryuji bust Ren's metaphoric balls over text chat is both incredibly amusing and very entertaining, I believe we were planning a surprise party, not comparing notes on who's gotten further with their girlfriend, am I right? Speaking of girlfriends though, I'm impressed that Amamiya-kun the younger is so okay with his brother hanging out with his girlfriend alone." Akechi sent as Kusa sent a response.

"First of all, I trust Ren to not try anything with Taba, so I'm not worried about them being alone together. Secondly, I'm actually trying to be more laid-back about that, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to make inappropriate implications about them, Akechi-kun. Besides, I'd be more worried about Mishima-kun trying something than I would be worried about Ren doing so, since Mishima-kun is single, unlike Ren. But I feel like Taba can handle herself just fine, so I won't try to get over-protective of her as much." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Exactly! Besides, if it were possible, Nishima has less charm and/or sex appeal than Ryuji, and I sensed zero charm from him! Though I will say that Ren's expression was pretty funny when Nishima asked me if I ran some sort of racy channel. But I ignored the question since that's none of Nishima's business. Oh wait, Ren's lighting into him right now rather intensely. Wait, why is he yelling at Nishima for implying I'm a cam girl?" Futaba sent as Kusa's eyes widened and he almost choked on his soda as he read Futaba's response, waiting until he swallowed his drink before sending his response.

"Mishima-kun implied what!? While you probably would be good at that if that was something you wanted to do, I feel like you're a bit too pure, sweet, and innocent for that. Please tell me Ren reamed that thirsty freaking idiot for that comment, so I don't have to bother getting super pissed. How dare he? He's lucky I'm not there, actually." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"Of course I did, Kusa! I also had some strongly-phrased words with him about why what he asked was very inappropriate and made it a point to emphasize that Futaba is dating you so that he'd get the hint and back off. To Futaba's credit though, she basically brushed off the question without answering him and basically shot him down epically when he asked what she was doing later. So I think she can handle herself." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Good! And back on topic, we need to figure out who to have be in charge of keeping Ann busy while the rest of us work together to set up a party for her. Taba, if you see this, ask Boss if we can use Leblanc for the party, so as to simplify our planning, would you?" Kusa sent as Akechi got an idea and sent a response.

"Here's a thought. Maybe we can have Makoto set it up so she, Haru, Ann, and possibly Futaba all could have a girl's day on Ann's birthday, maybe go to a spa or something before the party? I was going to suggest inviting Yoshizawa-san since she's a friend of Ann's, but then I recall that she's a bit angry at you and Futaba, so I doubt she'd want to be at a party with you two." Akechi said as Kusa sent a response.

"I don't think she has time to be at a birthday party anyways considering she's busy with her training camp and stuff, as I recall." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Akechi? I like your idea, but kindly don't bring up my girlfriend like that. And Kusa is right, Kasumi is busy with her training camp right now. She's also kinda in the middle of going through some seriously rough stuff that has her slightly on edge, that I won't go into details about, out of respect for her privacy." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"To your idea Akechi-kun, that's possible. We could probably reserve the bathhouse near Leblanc for a girls' day, assuming Haru and Futaba are on board with it." Makoto sent as Haru sent a response.

"That sounds lovely. I think we could all use a day to unwind and de-stress a bit, plus I don't think we've really had much chance for some girl time with the females of the group, really." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Seconded! I'm all for a day at the bathhouse. Sounds both very fun, and very steamy. Mwehehe." Futaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"We can continue this discussion a bit later. Futaba and I are on our way back to Yongen now, since it's getting kinda late." Ren said as the others agreed to table the discussion for the night and Kusa put his phone away and decided to go speak to Sojiro about using Leblanc for the party. While he did this, Ren decided to go to Shinjuku and rank up Chihaya. Once he got there, he had a seat in the booth across from Chihaya, who frowned at him as she spoke up.

"Umm, Amamiya-kun the elder. Don't take this the wrong way, but are you suuure you're going to be okay? I can sense it just by looking at your face. The 'death' aura is emitting a strange light even now. Please be careful. Well then, what would you like to do today, Amamiya-kun the elder?" Chihaya asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I figured we could do another verification test since I've not been keeping up on my end of our deal as much as I should be." Ren said honestly. Chihaya spoke up at that point.

"You're here for the verification test, correct? Well, to be honest, I'm closing up shop for today. However, could we discuss another matter?" Chihaya asked Ren, who thought about it and nodded as he spoke up.

"Sure, I've got time to listen to what you have to say, Mifune-san. So let's hang out." Ren said. Chihaya smiled and spoke up happily.

"Oh, good. Thank you very much for agreeing to hang out with me, Amamiya-kun the elder. Um, I'm closing up shop, so please hold on." Chihaya said as Ren nodded and patiently waited for Chihaya to finish closing up shop before the two went and had a seat on a nearby bench as Chihaya spoke up with a sigh.

"Amamiya-kun the elder? Can I say something? Honestly, I still believe in the existence of fate. I mean, the fortunes I see have an extremely high accuracy rate. But then again, I suppose my divine power isn't completely absolute, huh?" Chihaya said as Ren spoke up.

"No offense Mifune-san, but you're only realizing that now? I suppose it's better late than never, though." Ren said gently but honestly. Chihaya groaned as she spoke up.

"It's not that, Amamiya-kun the elder. I just need some time to accept that reality. You know, I've wondered in the past whether fate really can be changed or not. But I always concluded that it was something beyond our control. Almost like the laws of nature. Eternal, absolute, impossible to defy or change. And yet, there exist people like you who can ignore those laws and impose their own wills upon the world, as if it was an everyday thing. Umm, how can I become one of those people, Amamiya-kun the elder?" Chihaya said as Ren stroked his chin before he spoke up.

"Honestly, Mifune-san? Trust in yourself. I know that might sound hard to believe, but you'd be surprised what you can accomplish if you both trust in and have belief in yourself." Ren said. Chihaya blinked at Ren's response before she spoke up.

"WHAT!? Trust in myself, instead of my fortune telling? I've never thought of it that way before! This city keeps finding ways to subvert my expectations, and I never see them coming. There was nobody like you back in my hometown in the country, Amamiya-kun the elder. It was a small, traditional town deep in the mountains, populated almost entirely by older people and the elderly." Chihaya said as Ren spoke up.

"That sounds somewhat peaceful, and I confess myself intrigued. Please, tell me more, Mifune-san." Ren said as Chihaya smiled and obliged while she spoke up.

"During the winter, it's practically inaccessible due to all the snow. That alone should tell you volumes. The youth there are forced to be strictly obedient to their elders as well. Not explicitly, of course, but still. Oh, and there's a small shrine in the center of the village. There, I spent a lot of time." Chihaya said before shaking herself as she kept speaking.

"Oh, but it doesn't matter anymore. I left that place to come to this city. It means nothing to me now! After I arrived in Tokyo, I found comfort in this stone. It came from someone who dared to care about me, even though I'm just a monster with strange powers and few friends." Chihaya said before she pulled a smallish stone out of her pocket and held it up while she kept speaking.

"That's why I sell Holy Stones. I want to help those who suffer from inescapable fates similar to my own. But thinking about it more, now I wonder if they really do much of anything. After all, you managed to change the destines of my clients without one. Is it truly possible to alter fate with nothing more than mere words, attitude and passion?" Chihaya asked as she then tossed the stone into the nearest trash bin before she kept speaking, a resolute look on her face as she spoke while throwing the stone away.

"If that's the case, I won't be needing this. I'm going to confront fate head-on, with my own strength. Although to be honest, the chairman would be really mad if he found out." Chihaya said as Ren spoke up after a moment's pause.

"Uh, what? What do you mean, the chairman?" Ren asked. Chihaya blinked as she recalled who she was speaking to and spoke up in a flustered-sounding voice.

"O-Oh, don't worry about that! Just forget about it, Amamiya-kun the elder! Unless you want to suffer my curse, that is. Anyway, back on topic! If fate can be changed as easily as you've been changing it, maybe even mine can be corrected. That's how that works, right? It didn't work for me before, but perhaps this time it will?" Chihaya said as Ren spoke up.

"It can work, but how well it works depends on you and the effort you put into it. After all, fate can only do so much on its own." Ren said wisely. Chihiya blinked and nodded as she spoke up.

"R-Right! I look forward to our continued exchange! At least, until I can manage to change my fate the way you've changed the fate of others. Oh, and I'll be sure to put some extra effort into my fortune telling just for you!" Chihya said with a closed-eye smile, making Ren also smile slightly as he felt he could sense Chihaya's intense motivation.

At that point, the 'Fortune' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'III' becoming an 'IV' to signify that his Fortune Confidant link with Chihaya had reached rank 4. However, no new skills came from the rank up. Afterwards, Chihaya smiled and spoke up again.

"Well then! Thank you for today, Amamiya-kun the elder." Chihaya said as Ren nodded and stood up to leave, making Chihaya speak up once more as Ren started walking off.

"Until next time! Good night." Chihaya said as Ren headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the front doorstep, making him have to fish out his phone to answer it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone, not at all surprised to hear Chihaya's voice on the other end as she spoke up.

"Um, hello? I'm calling because honestly, I wanted to thank you once again for earlier. Thank you so much for today. To be honest, I'm still feeling a bit lost at the moment. But talking to you about everything is helping me feel a little better." Chihaya said as Ren spoke up in surprise.

"You're welcome. But to be honest? I didn't do much." Ren said modestly. Chihaya gasped before she spoke up.

"Oh, nonsense! That couldn't be further from the truth! Talking to you helped me realize what I should really be doing! I can only hope my fortune telling is enough to pay you back somehow, Amamiya-kun the elder. Amamiya-kun the elder? To be honest, I'll be putting in a lot of work from now on. Even though I can't imagine changing my own fate like you've changed the fates of others.

But I will figure out some way to make it happen. I hope I can count on you to help me through the process. Well, until next time!" Chihaya said as Ren nodded and hung up his phone and headed inside to get comfortable for the night, smirking as he saw Morgana curled up on Kusa as the two dozed off, dozing off himself shortly afterwards for the night...

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

"Well then, let's begin class. We'll start with a summary of the previous lesson." Inui said as the intercom came on at that point, and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Um, well, is this on? Testing, testing. OK, it's working. Ahem, anyways! Mister Inui, please come to the faculty office at once." The class heard over the intercom as Inui frowned and spoke up.

"Oh? What's all this? Well, I guess I'm going to the faculty office, so make sure you take this time to study." Inui said before he left the room, at which point Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Oh? Well then, it seems Kawakami's been kind enough to give us this free time, so we'd better put it to good use. So, what's the plan?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"I think we'll take this chance and craft some infiltration tools, as I know of a couple I can make now that I've been waiting to make." Ren said decisively. Morgana gave a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"Ooh, what a great idea! Just make sure nobody notices you! That said, you only have so much time for crafting tools. You won't be as efficient as you normally are, but nothing you can do about that." Morgana said as Ren nodded, managing to make the most of his time by making 3 Lockpicks, 1 Goho-M, 1 Smokescreen, and 1 Perma-Pick, the latter of which Ren had been wanting to make for some time but kept forgetting about making. As Ren finished the Perma-Pick, Morgana spoke up.

"HEY! You should stop soon. It'll be a hassle if people find out." Morgana said as Ren nodded his understanding while his Proficiency got a slight, but unneeded, boost. At that point, Inui walked back in with a perplexed look on his face and spoke up.

"That's odd. Who could've made that announcement? At any rate, let's return to our lesson for now." Inui said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

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

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Hey! We're supposed to send the card on the 18th, which means we have literally one week of prep time remaining." Morgana said as Ren spoke up.

"True, but that also means, we have one day remaining until Ann's birthday. Hopefully Kusa's making good progress on his end with the preparations." Ren said. After considering his options, which were very few given that literally just Haru and Yusuke were available to rank up, Ren opted to head up to the rooftop to rank up Haru, while also harvesting the 'Moonlight Carrot' crop he and Haru had planted. After that, the two planted a crop of 'Sun Tomato' seeds. After that, Haru looked at Ren and spoke up.

"We just need to wait until the day of the announcement. I'll be taking care of the plants until then. Did you need something in the meantime, Ren-kun?" Haru asked as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Correct. Outside of what we already did, I also figured we could hang out a bit if you were up for it Haru, given that you're one of the members of the team I've spent the least time with. And that's not okay, so I need to rectify that oversight of mine where I can, like now for instance." Ren said. Haru giggled at Ren's response and spoke up with a smile.

"Oh, is that so? Hee hee! Why, thank you. Ah, my apologies. I'm quite busy taking care of the planters. It takes time for someone as clumsy as myself, especially when I'm working on it alone." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"No need to apologize, Haru. If you like, I can help you out to get it done faster and then we can hang out afterwards." Ren offered. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, so you'll help me, Ren-kun? Well, if you insist. Thank you!" Haru said as Ren sat down and helped Haru tend the plants. As they worked, Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Mmm! Wow, Ren-kun! You're quite skilled! The soil here would be so healthy if you were here more often. Honestly though, I'm surprised that my gardening can be of use to our work as the Phantom Thieves. This started as just a hobby, so it's amazing to see it transform into a more practical skill. Um, to be honest? Beyond this, I've actually begun raising plants of my own at home. And not just any plants, but coffee beans." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Why coffee beans, specifically? Planning to open up some sort of organic cafe or something, Haru?" Ren asked. Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Maybe. Would you come if I was? I mean, doesn't the idea of a boutique cafe sound lovely? Anyway, I recently discovered the joy in the taste and aroma of coffee. I used to think it was purely bitter, but now I understand the depth of its flavor profiles. To tell you the truth Ren-kun? Much like Ryuji-kun, I wasn't even able to drink it before, if you can believe that." Haru said before seeing the confused look on Ren's face and smiling as she spoke up.

"Ah, pardon me. I was just thinking back on the past for a bit. Um, but to be honest, can I share something with you again?" Haru asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Of course you can, Haru. You can tell me anything, within reason. You know I have your back." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Right. As I mentioned before, Ren-kun, I cannot bring myself to trust any of the employees at Okumura Foods. For as long as I can remember, the company has been run by my father. Being liked by him was always very important. Some employees would even come to ingratiate themselves to me. At least they used to. But since his passing, things have gotten unruly. Most evidently, people have started trying to use my influence as a majority shareholder to oust other employees.

They say they come to me out of respect when the come to me, but I know they really just want to use me. I've heard so many rumors since Father passed away, to be honest. The worst ones are about Takakura-san, the new president. They say he was thrilled to hear my father passed. There may be truth to that though. He's been with the company for years, but has only started being nice to me recently. He even offered to assist me with asset management. I fear he has an ulterior motive though, to tell you the truth." Haru said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"This Takahara-san sounds a bit like a dirtbag if he's thrilled over someone else's suffering, especially when it's the daughter of the deceased former president, may he rest in peace. That said, he also sounds suspicious, to be honest with you." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I can't help but wonder about him, Ren-kun. He even went as far as to recommend I sell my shares the other day. He said I could make a fortune off of them. But I realized that if I did so, he would be able to strike the Okumura name completely. Takakura-san must be scheming to take the company for himself, Ren-kun. Well, if nothing else, I know that at least, it's possible." Haru said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Mm, you raise a complex point, Haru. I'll confess I have little to no knowledge of business or how to run a company myself, but just at a guess, I feel as if apart from this being a complex issue, maybe you could be wrong about Takakura-san? I know I just said he sounds like a dirtbag, but listening to what you just said, I also can't help but wonder if maybe he's speaking out of a place of genuine concern for you.

After all, if he's been working at the company for years, surely he's come to see you as a surrogate daughter of some sort after that long? So maybe he's trying to help you cope with your loss in his own weird way? Just a guess." Ren said. Haru nodded and spoke up.

"I suppose that is possible too, Ren-kun. I want to believe you, but I can't tell at this time if you're right or not. None of the advice I've gotten so far has been helpful either. Everyone only speaks out of their own self-interest, it seems. But anyways Ren-kun, thank you for today though. I feel a little better after talking about this with you. Oh, and don't worry. I'll make sure I keep myself motivated, even through these difficult times." Haru said as Ren nodded, feeling that he can sense Haru's intense trust in him.

At that point, the 'Empress' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming an 'II' to signify that his Empress confidant link with Haru had reached rank 2, though no new skills were gained from the rank-up. Afterwards, Haru spoke up once more while crossing her hands behind her back.

"I'm going to stay here a little while longer to check the drainage. I need to make sure these vegetables turn out as good as possible for the Phantom Thieves." Haru said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Well, I'll leave you to it and head back to Leblanc then." Ren said as Haru nodded and spoke up while Ren turned to leave.

"Right. Well, see you later. Good-bye!" Haru said as Ren went back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep. Ren then answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone, hearing Haru's voice on the other end.

"Oh, sorry. I wanted to ask you something. It's not terribly important, but what vegetables do you tend to like most, Ren-kun? I might as well grow things that everyone likes eating." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly? Even though I didn't think a melon was a vegetable, I thought I noticed something called a 'Jewel Melon' among your seedlings, so that could be interesting to try out. Granted, I've never tried it, but it might be worth at least giving it a try." Ren said. Haru spoke up.

"Mm, I'm not sure I have seedlings for that. It sounds a little too big for a planter too. But it might be worth growing! A melon just looks so gorgeous. Maybe I'll try growing some in my garden. Thanks for sharing your preferences. I'll try my best to grow them. I hope you'll be able to keep helping me. Good night for now." Haru said as Ren hung up the phone and went into Leblanc...

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

After Ren came into Leblanc, he was surprised to see Kusa sitting in a booth seat on the lower level, but that surprise quickly lessened a bit when he saw who was sitting across from Kusa. Ren then sat down next to Kusa and spoke up.

"Ah, right. Forgot you were showing up today to spend the weekend in town, Suzui-san. Nice to see you again." Ren said politely as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Likewise, Amamiya-kun the elder. But just so you know, I just got done telling Kusa-kun here that I don't mind if you two call me by my first name. You seem like nice guys, and Ann seems to have a high opinion of you both, so I feel like you're worth getting to know better. And thank you for letting me crash with you for at least tonight, Ren-kun. Uh, you don't mind if I call you Ren-kun, right?" Shiho said as Ren thought about it and nodded as he spoke up.

"I'm fine with that, Shiho. I have no problem calling you by your first name if that's what you want. And as long as you accept that both Kusa and I have girlfriends now, I have no issue with letting you use the sofa for however long you stay here." Ren said as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Good, glad to hear it, Ren-kun. Ah, but I'm realizing that I haven't had a chance to freshen up since yesterday or so, given I spent all the way from late last night until sometime this afternoon riding a train here. Any chance there's a bathhouse around the area somewhere I can use to freshen up?" Shiho asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"As it happens, there is. There's a bathhouse just down the road a ways from here. I can show you the way there if you like, Shiho. Ren and I have gotten to know this area quite well in the time we've lived here." Kusa said kindly as Shiho nodded and spoke up.

"Mm, please do. I could use the pick-me-up. Plus that'll give Ren some time to get the sofa ready if needed. That, or have his girlfriend over for some alone time." Shiho said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Ha, that's a good one, Shiho! But nah, Ren probably won't invite Yoshizawa-san over on a school night. Besides that, she's usually busy with her training for her gymnastics. However, he does have some people he hangs out with at night, so this could give him the chance to hang with one of those people, if he wants." Kusa said, giving Ren a subtle wink as he spoke that Ren understood as he spoke up.

"Quite right, Kusa. I think I will hang out with one of them. If you get done with your bathhouse quickly, maybe Kusa can show you around Yongen for a bit if you want, Shiho." Ren said as Kusa nodded agreeably before speaking up.

"I could absolutely do that for Shiho if she's interested in it. Either way, I also have a chat to send about a surprise for a certain someone all of us know for her birthday tomorrow. Hopefully Shiho had an idea for something to get her, unless she plans on having her present to Ann be herself?" Kusa said, giving Shiho a teasing wink as he said the last part of his remark, making Shiho giggle as she spoke up.

"Heh, I could do that. But nah, I was planning on picking out a gift for her other than myself. Maybe I can help you plan out this surprise as well, so Ren has more time to hang with his friends?" Shiho suggested to Kusa, who smiled and nodded.

"That would be a great idea, Shiho. You do know Ann a bit better than either myself or Ren, so you could have some insights on things she likes that we might not." Kusa said as Shiho spoke up.

"Definitely! Let me get what I need for the bathhouse, and you can guide me towards it, Kusa-kun. After that, we can figure out a spot to plan out Ann's birthday surprise." Shiho said as Kusa nodded, before he got an idea and spoke up.

"I could do that. Out of curiosity, did I ever ask you for your chat ID, Shiho? If so, I think there's a chat I need to add you to." Kusa said as Shiho thought about it and spoke up.

"I think you didn't, but I can give you that if you need it, Kusa-kun. But I'm guessing this chat is related to planning for Ann's birthday surprise?" Shiho said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. It's pretty much myself, Ren, Makoto, Yusuke, Ryuji, Haru, Futaba, and believe it or not, Akechi-kun in the chat in question. I think most of them would be pleased to see you in that chat." Kusa said as Shiho nodded and gave Kusa her chat ID so he could add her to his contacts. After that, Kusa and Shiho headed to the bathhouse and left Ren alone with Morgana. Once that was the case, Ren looked at Morgana.

"Morgana, do me a favor and go either follow Kusa and Shiho, or go hang out with Futaba for a bit while I invite Kawakami over here to rank her up, yeah?" Ren said as Morgana nodded and padded off to go hang with Futaba for a bit. After that, Ren went to the pay phone and dialed Kawakami's number. After a couple rings, Kawakami picked up.

"Hiii, this is Becky! Ah, wait, it's you. Have you gotten used to city life yet? Oh, but wait, you've been here more than six months, huh? Time sure passes more quickly each year, doesn't it? Today, I have a special item on the menu juuust for Masterrrr. Would you like that for 5,000 yen?" Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"I think I would quite like that, Miss Kawakami. I have the money for it too." Ren said as he was charged 5,000 yen to invite Kawakami over. Kawakami did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Thanks so much for always requesting meee. Well then, please wait for me till I get thereee!" Kawakami said as Ren hung up the phone after hearing her cough. After a bit, Kawakami showed up and spoke up.

"Listen! Hey Amamiya-kun the elder, you know how you listened to my story the other day? You listened to me as I told you my secret. I've been feeling more at ease since then. I've never been able to tell anyone about it, so thanks. I figured I should do some actual housekeeping today, to say thanks for listening to me the other day." Kawakami said before yawning as she kept speaking.

"Sorry Master, but I need to take a break." Kawakami said as Ren nodded understandingly before he spoke up.

"That's fine, Miss Kawakami. Want to rest for a bit before you get started? I do have company staying over, but they should be gone for a little while with Kusa, so there's definitely time for you to take a short rest if needed." Ren said kindly. Kawakami did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Aww, I'm so touched to hear that you care for my well-being, Master. It really gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling in my gut and heart. Ughhh, but for real, I'm at my limit. Sooo exhausted from all these shifts, and the multiple jobs I work." Kawakami said before coughing again. She then kept speaking.

"I'm beat, Master. And I can't stop coughing either." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh no, that's not good. Are you all right, Miss Kawakami?" Ren said in concern. Kawakami smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking though, Master." Kawakami said as she coughed again. She then did a closed eye smile and kept speaking.

"Haha, just kidding! I just wanted to slack off a bit. I mean, there's nothing left for me to hide from you, so the truth comes out, you know? Now that I think about it Master, I'm glad you're the one who found out about me being a maid. But never mind me, are YOU going to be all right in this dusty room? And have you been eating well? You need to eat fresh vegetables, and none of that instant stuff. Vitamins are super important! You're going to turn out like me if you don't take care of yourself! But I suppose I should get more sleep. I feel all achy, to be honest." Kawakami said as Ren gave her a confused look, making her keep speaking.

"Ah, right. You see, Takase-kun's guardians said they need more money, so as a result, I had my boss give me more shifts. I had to beg him for them, but that's besides the point." Kawakami said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Wow. I'm sorry you're not feeling good, Miss Kawakami. But to be honest, I feel like you're trying to do too much at once. Not as your master, but as your friend, I have to suggest that you not overdo it so much. I can respect wanting to do right by Takase-kun's folks, but is it worth running yourself ragged for? Are you prepared to work until you collapse if it means satisfying Takase-kun's parents?" Ren said to Kawakami, who did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Oh, it's fine! Nothing you should worry about, Master. Besides, I'm, ah, I feel more at ease, now that I have someone who knows about what I'm going through. And to be clear with you, Master? I'm talking about you." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, feeling Kawakami's trust in him strengthening.

At that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached Rank 6. As a result of the rank up, Kawakami granted Ren access to 'Super Housekeeping', which made it so that Ren can also request Kawakami to make either curry or infiltration tools for him. Afterwards, Kawakami frowned as she spoke up.

"Uh-oh, time's up, Master." Kawakami said while coughing. She then kept speaking.

"I have to get to my next job, so I'm going to head out." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"All right then. Be careful, Miss Kawakami. And don't push yourself too hard." Ren said as Kawakami nodded and spoke up.

"I won't. Thank you for using our service tonight, Master." Kawakami said as she left, not realizing that she would end up walking past both Kusa and Shiho as she left, making the latter give the former a wide-eyed look of surprise as the former spoke up.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Shiho. Should've mentioned that bit before. Apparently Ren invites Miss Kawakami to Leblanc to help him out with stuff from time to time. I didn't think he'd choose tonight to do that, though. Oh well, it is what it is." Kusa said to Shiho, who nodded understandingly and spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Fair enough." Shiho said as Kusa and Shiho walked into Leblanc to surprise Ren, who was unaware of the two returning right then, as he'd walked out with her to escort her to the station. Once he got back, his phone rang as he got to the doorstep of Leblanc. Ren then answered it.

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

"Oh, is this Master? Thank you for using our service today! So I guess it's a good thing I splurged at the doctor's. I finally got some cough medicine that works. Hey, you gotta do some cleaning and ventilating on your own ven when I'm gone, okay? If you neglect stuff like that, it makes you more likely to get sick." Kawakami said as Ren spoke up.

"I'd do that, but as I said before, I share a room with Kusa and our cat Morgana. And for this weekend, I'm sharing it with Suzui-san, who happens to have come back to Yongen for the weekend to surprise Ann for her birthday tomorrow. So I usually trust Kusa to handle cleaning and ventilating, where he can. But never mind that. How are you feeling, though, Miss Kawakami?" Ren asked Kawakami who spoke up in a surprised tone.

"Who, me? I mean, I'm tired, but that's nothing new for me. Wait a minute, we're supposed to be talking about you! Don't change the subject. Oh, but if you do get sick, I'll look after you aaanytime! So please don't forget to request me! Urgh. I finally get rid of the cough, and now I get these headaches and shivers, which sucks. Times like this are why we invented energy drinks, after all. I just gotta chug one and push through! Okay, see you later, Amamiya-kun the elder." Kawakami said as Ren hung up his phone and headed back inside, idly curious about what Kusa and Shiho had gotten up to while he was ranking up Kawakami...

(Earlier that evening, with Kusa and Shiho, around the same time as Ren's rank-up with Kawakami)

"OK, so if we keep going down this way a bit, we'll come to the bathhouse, which is just past the laundromat. At night, it's usually empty there, so I'll probably add you to the chat in question while you're using the bathhouse, so take your time a bit if you like, and don't feel you have to reply right away. Just relax and enjoy the bath, Shiho." Kusa said kindly as Shiho smiled and nodded before disappearing into the bathhouse once she paid the 500 yen fee to go in. After that, Kusa walked to the laundromat and pulled out his phone to open up the chat he'd started before and send a response.

"Okay, sorry this response is so late, but I have someone to add to our chat since she requested to be added to help us plan Ann's surprise for tomorrow." Kusa sent while adding Shiho to the group chat, prompting Ryuji to send a response.

"Wait, for real!? How the heck did you get Suzui-san's contact info, Kusa? That's impressive!" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"He got it from me after I got it from Ann, naturally. And she's here right now. Kusa took her to show her around town for a bit first so I could do stuff at Leblanc and speak to Boss about using the place for the party. And for the record, he said that was fine, so I pretty much did your job for you, Kusa. You're welcome." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Very funny, Ren. But thank you. That saves me some work. Speaking of tomorrow, did you get that spa day or whatever you girls are doing figured out, Makoto?" Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't reserve a spa for us girls. However, I was able to get us reservations at some place called Crossroads for tomorrow night? Apparently Ren's good friends with one of the barkeepers there, and when I dropped his name, she agreed to let us hang out there tomorrow night, provided Ren helps work that night as a trade-off. She said he can cater the party, though." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Gah! FOR REAL!? Crossroads, as in that drag bar in Shinjuku!? I mean, I guess it's fine, but you'll forgive me if I'm a bit leery about going back there after what happened the last time I was in Shinjuku." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response at that point.

"Ah yes, that's right. If I recall correctly, wasn't that the night those two men tried to recruit you for the drag scene, Ryuji? I recall both Morgana and Kusa got a pretty good laugh out of it at the time, at the very least." Yusuke sent as Kusa winced and sent a response.

"While you're not wrong Yusuke, I don't think you needed to bring that up, especially since I was a pretty huge douche to him that night. Sorry about that, by the way, Ryuji. I should've tried harder to help you out, instead of just laughing as you got chased off with a dress." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Don't worry about it, Kusa. I forgave you for that a while ago. Besides, I think we're even for that by now. But you are right that Yusuke bringing that up like he did is kind of a dick move on his part." Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Oh? I didn't know Ryuji dabbled in the drag scene? Did he look fabulous? Mwehehe." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That's besides the point, Taba. But no, he really didn't. He just looked miserable. But I think those guys got the hint when he, Ren, and Yusuke ran away from them like bats out of hell at the beach the day we took you there." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response at this point.

"I don't think I even want to know what you guys are referring to. But if we're going to be having a surprise party for Ann tomorrow, I'll do my best to show up. After all, I am one of the group, for all intents and purposes. Though I will say that I don't blame you in the slightest for laughing, Amamiya-kun the younger, since I'd imagine Ryuji probably looked pretty hilarious in drag. Maybe those guys got him a cat-boy costume he could wear? He could say he's cosplaying as Morgana if anyone asks why he's wearing it." Akechi sent as Ren, Makoto, Futaba, and Yusuke all booed him in their responses as Kusa sent a response.

"First of all, Akechi-kun? Ryuji does not rock a dress well at all, with all apologies to him. Secondly, don't you dare disrespect Morgana like that by suggesting that Ryuji dressing as a cat-boy is in any way cosplaying as him, because it's not. Despite his current form, Morgana is NOT a cat! He just is cursed to look like one for now until he regains his memories and true form. That said, I'm impressed Makoto had the courage to book a bar for us to hang out at. Let the record show that if Boss gets angry at us, we can say it was Makoto's idea to go to a bar. Everyone agreed?" Kusa sent as everyone except Makoto sent 'Agreed!' as a response. Makoto sent her own response.

"Not funny, Kusa-kun! And we're not going to get drunk! We're just there to hang out. I was told we're not allowed to have alcoholic beverages anyways, so your point is moot. However, I will take responsibility for it if Boss gets upset, since that is fair." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"Ooh! We're going to a bar!? We should totally play the King's Game while we're there!" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"Um, Futaba-chan? Do I even want to know how you know about that game, much less what it is?" Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Probably not, Haru. Suffice it to say she probably read about it on the internet, as she so often does. Taba's a bit of an internet surfer like that." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Don't lie, Kusa! You know you love that about me." Futaba sent teasingly as Shiho chose that moment to send a response.

"Um, hello? What sort of chaotic chat did you add me to, Kusa-kun? Also, hi everyone!" Shiho sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"No way! I didn't know you were in this chat, Suzui-san! What's bonkin'? Long time no chat." Ryuji sent as Shiho giggled and sent a response.

"How cute, Ryuji. I didn't know you'd coined new phrases to say. And you're right, it has been a long time since we talked. And if I recall what Kusa-kun said, apparently everyone here is a friend of his and Ren's?" Shiho sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That's correct, Suzui-san. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't notice what you were going through sooner. I didn't do a good job by you at all as a student council president. Please accept my most humble apologies for failing you." Makoto sent as Shiho sent a response.

"It's not your fault, Niijima-san. You couldn't have known. Also, for the most part, I don't think I know some of you, so for those people I don't know, hi! I'm Shiho Suzui." Shiho sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Ah, so would you be the same Shiho Suzui that was the subject of an investigation a few months ago? Sorry you went through that, by the way. But rest assured, that man has been brought to justice and will never see the light of day again. Also, since you introduced yourself, I'm Goro Akechi." Akechi sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Nice to meet you, Suzui-san. I am Yusuke Kitagawa, a second-year student of the arts division at Kosei High." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I'm Futaba Sakura, daughter of Sojiro Sakura. I'm also Kusa's girlfriend." Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"Hello, Suzui-san. I'm glad to hear you're doing well. You have both my respect, and my admiration, for what you went through before. I can't imagine going through something so awful and traumatizing." Haru sent as Shiho sent a response at that point.

"Nice to meet you, Akechi-kun and Kitagawa-kun. You as well, Sakura-san. I don't mind if you all call me by my first name, provided I can do the same for you all, since you seem like nice people worth knowing, or continuing to know in the cases of Ryuji, Kusa, and Ren." Shiho sent politely as everyone but Kusa, Ren, and Ryuji sent affirmative responses to Shiho's request to call them by their first name, aside from Akechi, who everyone just called Akechi anyways. Kusa then sent a response.

"Anyways! Now that we've all introduced ourselves to one another, I believe we were discussing how to surprise Ann for her birthday tomorrow, yeah?" Kusa sent as Haru sent a response.

"Indeed. If I recall what Mako-chan once told me right, Ann has quite a liking for crepes. Maybe Mako and I, along with possibly Akechi-kun and Futaba-chan can have some crepes with her to keep her busy tomorrow while the rest of us work to get Leblanc ready for her party?" Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Great idea, Haru. However, Taba's gonna be busy helping with prep for the party, but I think Akechi and Makoto should be able to join you for that if they're up for it." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Haru is correct. Ann does love crepes, but she also loves sweets, especially chocolate. So I think that's a wonderful idea. Hopefully Haru can foot the bill, since I'm probably only going to have enough extra spending money to get Ann a present." Makoto sent as Akechi sent a response.

"I'm not really one for sweets, but I might be able to at least show up and wish Ann a happy birthday tomorrow. And I don't mind hanging out with you three." Akechi sent as Haru sent a response.

"Wonderful! So let's say we meet up at that crepe place Ann took Mako-chan to, and Mako-chan can invite Ann if she wishes later on." Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I can certainly do that. Meanwhile, while the three of us keep Ann busy, Kusa, Ren, Yusuke, Futaba, and if she wants to, Shiho, can all work together to get Leblanc ready for the party." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Shiho might not be able to help with that, since if she agrees, I might do the same thing to her that I did to Yoshizawa-san when we did that shared birthday party for Ryuji and Ren on Ryuji's birthday. But only if she's agreeable to it. I think it could be rather amusing for Ann to 'unwrap' her girlfriend, after all." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Wait, hold up! That was YOU that wrapped Kasumi up that day!? I thought it seemed like a rather professionally done wrapping job, but you're lucky you didn't suffocate her when you did that, Kusa. At least make sure you have proper ventilation this time if you're gonna wrap Shiho up." Ren rebuked Kusa through chat as Shiho giggled while reading Kusa's response and sent a response of her own.

"So, Kusa-kun wants to literally gift-wrap me for Ann? Sounds both thoughtful and slightly kinky." Shiho sent as Futaba smirked and sent a response.

"Ah, so you also think wrapping someone up like that is kinky, Shiho? Mwehehe, you're a girl after my own heart. But Kusa will probably put you in a partial box before he puts wrapping paper over the box, with enough holes in it that you can breathe while you wait. I recall he did that with Yoshizawa-san before as well." Futaba sent as Kusa huffed and sent a response.

"I don't think wrapping someone up as a present should be considered as being kinky, Shiho. Especially given the fact that you'd be fully clothed while being wrapped. After all, we're trying to surprise Ann, not give her a heart attack or make her jump you." Kusa sent as Shiho sent a response.

"Fair point, Kusa. But seriously, I don't mind that at all." Shiho sent as Ren sent a response.

"Well, as productive as this meeting has been, I think it's time to table it for the night since the person I invited over should be leaving now, and I have to walk them to the station, but I'll be back afterwards, so Kusa can start walking you back to Leblanc, Shiho. After that, he can head on over to get comfy at Boss and Futaba's place." Ren sent as Kusa put his phone away, blinking as he heard his name called and looking up to see Shiho walking over, wearing a silky-looking pink spaghetti-strap top with black pajama bottoms with hearts on them, making Kusa smile as he spoke up.

"Ah, are those your pajamas, Shiho? Very cute. Shall we head back to Leblanc now?" Kusa asked as Shiho nodded and the two started walking back to Leblanc, just in time to see a black-haired woman exiting the cafe, making Shiho gasp as she recognized the woman. After the woman was out of sight, Shiho looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"Um, was that Miss Kawakami that just left Leblanc?" Shiho asked Kusa, who spoke up.

"Yeah, I think so. According to what Futaba dug up once, apparently she came to see Ren a few times after he hired her as his maid or something like that? I don't know the particulars, but apparently it's some sort of deal they have, where he has her do maid work for him and in exchange, she lets him be her friend or something. But that's just a guess on my part.

Anyways, let's get you set up on the sofa, yeah? Fair warning, I usually sleep on it, and because he likes to do it, our cat Morgana tends to curl up on me to sleep at night, so it might have a bit of our musk on it as a result. But, just a tip? Don't call him a cat where he can hear. He's not a cat, but he apparently was in an accident that took his memories and his true form, according to him. So I try not to call him a cat around him, out of respect for him." Kusa said as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"Aw, I didn't know you two had a pet. Is he there now, I wonder?" Shiho asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Probably. He usually doesn't stay out too late at night." Kusa said as the two headed into Leblanc, where sure enough, a certain not-cat was sitting on a stool waiting for them, smiling as he saw Kusa, before noticing Shiho and giving her an unreadable look before turning away, making Kusa wince as he spoke up.

"Oops, right. I almost forgot. Morgana also might have something of an itty bitty infatuation with Ann, so he's still coming to terms with her being in a relationship with you. So don't take it personally if he's a bit cold to you. He means no harm." Kusa said to Shiho, who nodded her understanding as she lightly petted Morgana on the head and spoke up.

"That's fine, Kusa. I don't mind. I can't be mad at him for having excellent taste in girls. After all, Ann is a really amazing person, so I can understand him having a crush on her. If you can hear me Morgana, I'm sorry I took her from you, but I promise you I will make her as happy as I possibly can. And I have no issue with it if you want to be close to her. I just want us to get along, if we can. Nice to meet you, Morgana. I'm Shiho, Ann's girlfriend." Shiho said gently and kindly to Morgana, who found himself purring in spite of himself at Shiho's touch, making Kusa smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh, I knew it. He might be sulky now, but he's a real ladies' man. Give it time, and hopefully he'll warm to you. Just be careful not to set off his more simp-ish tendencies, since he tends to simp for the ladies a lot." Kusa said with a teasing wink to Morgana, who lightly hissed and glared at Kusa in a mock-annoyed way before letting Shiho continue to pet him. Kusa then spoke up.

"But for real, he's a good guy once you get to know him. He and I might be at odds on occasion, but when all's said and done, I'd trust him with my life. Not only has he been there for me and Ren through most of the last several months, he's also helped us both change a great deal. So I feel it's not inappropriate to say that he truly feels like a family member in some ways, kind of like a little brother that you can't help but love and want to protect. At the same time, he's also like a mentor to us at times, if that makes sense." Kusa said to Shiho, who nodded as Kusa kept speaking.

"In any case, there should be pillows and a blanket folded up above the sofa if you need them, and Ren knows where most things are if you need anything. If you want, I'll take this furry little one with me tonight so he's not in your way, unless you don't mind him hanging out here." Kusa said to Shiho, who smiled and spoke up.

"Unless he wants to go with you, I have no issue with him hanging around. He's quite handsome, honestly. Besides, he looks so adorably cuddly that I kinda just want to hold him close and not let him go." Shiho said as Morgana blinked before surprising both Kusa and Shiho by lightly nuzzling Shiho's leg with his head in an adorable way. Kusa chuckled at this and spoke up.

"Looks like he wants to stay here. If so, that's fine. Either way, I gotta get going since I was supposed to be over at Boss and Taba's place 20 minutes ago. But see you tomorrow, Shiho." Kusa said as Shiho nodded and hugged Kusa as he headed off to get comfortable at Futaba's house, at which point Ren came back upstairs and laid down for the night after getting comfortable in his pajamas, which he'd changed into downstairs after remembering that Shiho was there. The two then dozed off for the night, Morgana curling up cutely on Shiho's stomach for the night as the trio dozed off...

(The following day, between trains to school with Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

"Well, this is it! Ann's special day!" Kusa said to Ren, who nodded, before his eyes widened as he saw Ann walking over. He then wordlessly gestured to Kusa to keep quiet as Ann walked over.

"Oh, hiya Ren and Kusa! Heeey. We're sending the calling card on the 18th, so we have less than a week left now. Ugh, I'm getting nervous." Ann said as Ren spoke up.

"I know how you feel. This is supposed to be a simple process, but it's still a risky one, so any number of things could go wrong. So I'm a bit leery of how we proceed going forward. After all, no sense in leaving any of our bases uncovered." Ren said as Ann gave Ren a surprised look.

"Really? You too, Ren? That's surprising to hear, honestly. Still, this is different than usual, having a set date to send the calling card and all. This mission will determine our fate. We have to succeed no matter what." Ann said as Ren nodded before Kusa spoke up.

"That's true. But, before that, I recall that today is a special day for a certain someone. Happy Birthday, Ann!" Kusa said happily, echoed shortly after by Ren as Ann blinked and smiled before speaking up in surprise.

"Oh, right! Today's my birthday! To be honest, I kinda forgot about that with the whole calling card thing. But thanks for remembering, Kusa! You too, Ren! I wonder if the others will remember?" Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Maybe they did. Did you check your phone today?" Kusa asked Ann, who blinked and spoke up.

"No, I didn't. Let me do that real quick." Ann said as she checked her phone, smiling as she saw the messages from the others. She then gasped and spoke up.

"No way! Makoto's inviting me to have crepes with her, Haru, and possibly Akechi-kun!? How nice of her!" Ann said as Kusa spoke up with a sly grin.

"Yeah, Makoto told us she wanted to do something nice for your birthday, and then when we asked her what you like, she recalled the time you invited her to get crepes and decided that would be a good thing to do. Why don't you take her up on it after school, then after that, say around 5 or 5:30, you all head on over to Leblanc? Might be a surprise there waiting for you for your birthday. You never know." Kusa said mysteriously as Ann smiled and nodded.

"Okay, I'll do that! See you two later!" Ann said, walking off happily as Ren and Kusa finished the trip to school in silence...

(Later that morning, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

"Oh, yes. Do you like hearing your own voice? Have you ever heard a recording of your own voice? Were you surprised? That's because when you hear your voice normally, you hear it through your bones. The voice you hear in a recording that makes you feel uncomfortable is unmistakably your own voice. Now then, Amamiya-kun the elder." Hiruta said as Ren sat up on hearing his name called and gave Hiruta his full attention as he kept speaking.

"Has hearing someone's voice over the phone ever felt strange to you? Do you know the answer? I wonder. Do you know why voices sound so different over the phone?" Hiruta asked Ren, who frowned at the question before smiling as he recalled Akechi mentioning it to him once and speaking up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is that voices sound so different because the voice is synthetic." Ren said confidently as he spoke up to give the answer. Hiruta smiled and clapped approvingly as he spoke up.

"Well done! That's correct. I'm surprised you knew the answer. The sound is synthetic, as you just said. It's practically not even their voice anymore. To transmit data, cell phones use a certain way of encoding your voice into digital information. And when your phone has to use that data to reassemble a voice, it can only do so much." Hiruta said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence ensued, complete with a smiling Morgana praising Ren for getting the answer right. Ren's Knowledge then got a needless boost. Afterwards, Hiruta kept speaking.

"Oh? You think you'd be able to tell if you were hearing a computer talking? As long as the tone and intonation match, the listener's brain fills in any other differences. Most of our communication is based on assumptions." Hiruta said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Yeah, my voice just sounds like meows to people who don't know me, like Shiho. To be honest, she's pretty nice, actually. But back on topic. Geez, Ren. Assumptions are dangerous." Morgana said as Ren nodded as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, we have 6 days left until we send the calling card, Ren. But for now, let's head back to Leblanc, and make sure Lady Ann's birthday is as special as we can make it!" Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement and the two headed to Leblanc to help get things set up...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom! Another chapter done and dusted! And yep, next chapter is Ann's birthday party! And yes, I know I'm having the party on chapter 69! I did that on purpose, because as anyone who is aware knows, 69 is a funny number. Also, obligatory NICE! for the fact that the next chapter is chapter 69.

But back on topic, the next chapter will not only have some stuff in it that's not in canon Royal, but also some stuff that was requested by one of my readers. So yeah, be prepared for that! Also, odds are probably chapter after next will be the sixth calling card and sixth Palace Ruler fight. And after that is one of the more well-known bits of Royal for anyone who's played it at least once (or even anyone who's played through 'vanilla' or 'original' Persona 5), which more than likely will lead to the end of Arc 6, and set up the start of Arc 7.

So I'm both excited for it a bit, and nervous, since this next bit is also the first of several spots that if you mess up your dialogue options when playing it, you can accidentally give yourself a bad ending and be given game-clear data that you can potentially use for NG+ purposes. But for real, you DO NOT want to get the bad ending. As such, I will do my best to not get it! So yeah, look forward to that!

Also, thanks to everyone who's viewed this story and/or either followed the story, added it to their Favorite Stories list, or even just left a review, as your support and feedback are very highly appreciated. I always enjoy hearing from readers, so don't be shy about leaving a review with either your thoughts, opinions, feedback, or even constructive criticism (meaning ways I can make the story better, not just roasting me). I welcome all these from readers, or even feel free to PM me. I welcome hearing from readers either way. And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - For real, whenever I see this line by Futaba (which I admittedly fleshed out a bit in this story), I always flash to the intro bit for Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the narrator is like 'Space. The Final Frontier! These are the adventures of the voyagers on the Starship Enterprise. Their continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!", which is both very epic and so totally sci-fi that it hurts. Not that that's a bad thing.

I myself have seen some of that series, and what I did see was good. Admittedly I kinda stopped watching it after a bit, because my attention was drawn elsewhere. But in my defense, I was like 10 or so at the time, and even back then, I was something of an avid gamer to a point, plus that was back when Digimon and Pokemon were on the air. But still, my aunt and uncle loved that show back in the day, even if the former doesn't really watch it anymore. And the latter's sadly no longer around to watch it, may he rest in peace. But back on the topic of this story, I couldn't help but feel like she was referencing that series to a point with that comment, and had to mention it here.

*2*- Ironically, if you think about it, Futaba's remark here isn't entirely inaccurate if she was referring specifically to Gen 1 of Pokemon, where the first gym leader, Brock, is one of the most unapologetic womanizers in Pokemon, to the point that him getting dragged away bodily by the ear (and later the leg) becomes something of a running gag for the seasons Brock is a main character on the show.

Granted, after the DP seasons he leaves the show other than to return a few times in both the Sun/Moon and Journeys seasons (though the latter is based off of what was shown on Wikipedia). Either way, I could see people comparing Mishima to Brock quite easily, even if I feel like Brock is better than Mishima. Just my opinion though.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 68

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 5

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 2

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 6

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

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank MAX (10)

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank MAX (10)

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow) - Rank 8

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 5

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 4

STRENGTH (Justine and Caroline/Twin Wardens) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 4

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

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 6

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 6

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 6

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

JUDGEMENT (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