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

69. Ann's Birthday! Crow's Gambit part 8

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Wow, hard to believe we're already up to chapter 69, but here we are! I'm both excited for and slightly uneasy about writing this chapter, since part of this chapter will have content that was requested previously by a reader, so upfront let me give a shout-out to AKANOS for suggesting the idea I'm using for part of this chapter. That said, let's hit up the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form (aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis, and the minor OCs Akira, Kyori, Mimille, Slim, and Lumine, along with any other OCs that might appear, all of whom are made by and thus owned by sithlorde1988 unless otherwise noted), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 69! I'll try to have a longer A/N after the chapter if I remember, so keep an eye out for that! Now here's chapter 69!

Chapter 69- Birthday Blowouts, Games, and more prep shenanigans! Crow's Gambit part 8

(At Shujin, in class with Ren and Morgana after school)

After class let out, Ren pulled out his phone to check the group chat that Kusa had added Shiho and every member of the group aside from Ann to, seeing there were no new messages, so he sent one of his own.

"Good afternoon, fellow party planners. How is the planning for the surprise going?" Ren sent as Shiho sent a response.

"Pretty good so far. As far as I know, the birthday girl is out with Makoto, Haru and possibly Futaba-chan getting crepes, so the birthday girl is safely being kept busy." Shiho sent as Futaba sent a response at that point.

"Not quite. Ann went with Makoto and Haru, but I got left out for some reason. Total bummer, but I guess I get to help plan the party, so it's not all bad?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Um, actually, not quite. Sojiro told me to tell you he wants you to go out and get some fresh air, and that he'll help with the planning in your place. I'd imagine that Ren would be willing to go and hang out with you in the interim if he has no better plans." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"I can definitely do that, but since when do you call Boss by his first name, Kusa?" Ren sent as Kusa blinked in surprise as he realized Ren was correct in his question, before he shrugged and sent a response.

"Er, oops? That was a mis-type. I meant to put Boss, but I ended up typing Sojiro instead without thinking about it. My bad." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Mwehehe, you know he's been after you to call him Boss or Sojiro for a while now anyways, Kusa. So I doubt he'd mind too much if you refer to him by name every so often." Futaba sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Assuming Ren is keeping Futaba occupied for us, we might need you to get back to helping decorate, Kusa. Also, I just got a private chat from Makoto. Apparently the girls decided to fore-go the crepes and go have a soak at the bath-house until the party. I told her to make sure they were here around 5 or 6, or right around dark. So if you and Futaba are gonna hang out Ren, try to be back by then as well." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"OH CRAP! Did any of us get presents for Ann!?" Ryuji sent as Kusa smirked and sent a response.

"Not to worry, Ryuji. I had Boss take me and Yusuke out to pick something out for her from everyone, so I took care of that already. Speaking of taken care of, is Morgana with you, Ren? I just realized I've not seen him since we got to school." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Yep, he's napping in my bag as we text. So if I have this right, I'll be entertaining Futaba, as it were, while Makoto and Haru entertain Ann. Meanwhile, that leaves the task of decorating for the party to Boss, Shiho, Kusa, Yusuke, Ryuji, and if he's there, Akechi-kun? Do I have that right?" Ren sent as Kusa scoffed and sent a response.

"Not quite, Ren. Akechi-kun sent me a private chat earlier and said he was out picking out a last-minute gift for Ann, or so he said when I asked him over a private chat. I have a feeling he wasn't being totally honest with his answer, however. But we can worry about that later. Today is a day to celebrate our teammate's special day. After all, a girl only turns 17 once, right?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"As far as anyone is aware, that's true Kusa. So I guess I'll meet you in front of Leblanc, Ren?" Futaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"Sure thing, Futaba. I'll head there now." Ren sent as he put his phone away and traveled to Yongen-Jaya. After reaching the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya, Ren found Futaba hunched over outside of Leblanc, making Futaba smile at him and speak up as he approached her.

"Yo! Just gotta wait for our scheduled time now, Ren! Hey, are you free right now by chance?" Futaba asked Ren, who spoke up with a nod.

"Of course I am, Futaba. Would I have agreed to hang out with you if I wasn't?" Ren asked rhetorically. Futaba nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"That's what I like to hear! Only one thing left on the promise list, Ren. 'Being okay without you around.' But before that, there's something I wanna show you, Ren. Come to my room." Futaba said as Ren blinked at the request, but agreed, figuring it would be safe enough, since he didn't think Futaba had an ulterior motive behind her request. The two then headed to Futaba's room, where Futaba spoke up once more after sitting in a chair while Ren sat on her bed across from her.

"Um, this is one of the promise lists I made with my mom when she was still alive. See, everything on here is marked off as being done. But that's kinda, well, wrong. There was one promise I lied to my mom about finishing. One promise that I never actually finished. It was 'get along with Kana-chan.' Ah, this all started back when I was in elementary school. I used to get bullied pretty hard for how weird I was, you see.

The other kids always accused me of cheating because I'd get perfect scores on my tests. Then one time I turned in a test with nothing written down instead, just to prove I wasn't cheating, but the school ended up yelling at my mom." Futaba said as Ren gasped in surprise before he frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, what!? Why would they yell at your mom?" Ren asked Futaba, who shrugged and kept speaking.

"Dunno. My life at school was horrible. Sometimes during recess, I'd lock myself in the bathroom and cry because it was so horrible. I didn't have a single friend back then. I was always alone. But then a girl named Kana transferred to my school one day. She was absent a lot at first, then when she was there, the other kids bullied her relentlessly, like they did to me. But one day, she said something to me. 'Good morning.' She started saying it every day from then on." Futaba said as Ren nodded understandingly and spoke up.

"I see. That's understandable that you'd be surprised about that. That must have been a shock for you." Ren said kindly to Futaba, who smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Totally! I mean, literally nobody wanted to talk to me back then. To be honest, Ren? I completely ignored her the first few times. I thought the bullies had put her up to it. But without fail, she'd come over to me to say good morning every morning. Then eventually, I decided to say it back. It felt like my heart was gonna shatter into a million pieces, honestly." Futaba said before giggling as she kept speaking.

"But apparently, she'd been saying it to me that whole time because she thought we could be friends. She was the first person who didn't mind how weird I was, and it felt nice. I was so happy about making a friend that I told my mom. That's when she added something to my promise list. 'Get along with Kana-chan.' B-But, in the end, I couldn't do it. One particularly windy morning, Kana-chan dropped her diary and the pages flew everywhere. I didn't really mean to look, Ren, but I ended up seeing everything she had written down. And as you know, once I see something, I can't forget it at all.

It was all so horrible, Ren. She wrote about how her parents hit her, how they made her take pictures in weird clothes and in various poses. Kana-chan's diary was full of stories like that, and it made me mad. Then when I asked her about it later on, she got really defensive. I felt terrible, but she just kept yelling at me for reading it, and I ended up feeling really bad about it." Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"Let's be fair here, Futaba. You didn't know any better. Besides, she's the one who kept her diary with her like that. I thought girls usually kept their diaries locked up to avoid just this scenario from occurring?" Ren said with an understanding nod. Futaba looked down and nodded as she spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right, Ren. But I couldn't really tell her that, since I'm not always the best at speaking my mind. I just blanked out and froze up in fear. And then, to make matters worse, I ran. I ran, and I ran, and ran some more. I wanted her to stop yelling. I wanted to go back to how things were before that day. Unfortunately, Kana-chan ended up moving away pretty soon after that. I haven't talked to her since.

So, like the coward I was being at the time, I lied to my mom. Even after Kana-chan left, I would tell her we were best friends. Every month, she'd write that promise on my list as usual, and every month, I'd lie about it. I, to be honest, I wish I could apologize to Kana-chan somehow. I really wanna say I'm sorry for how that day turned out.

Sorry for not helping her, even though she was going through even worse stuff than I was going through. Sorry for reading her diary and violating her privacy. Sorry that I was a bad friend. And sorry for running away the way I did. I hate being such a coward, Ren. But I think I might be able to face my fears now that I'm a promise-settling phantom thief! 'Get along with Kana-chan.' It might be tough, but I'm gonna do it for real this time!" Futaba said as Ren nodded understandingly, making Futaba gasp and speak up in surprise.

"Ahh! I didn't mean to tell you all that, Ren. I haven't even told Kusa about this yet, partly because I only recently remembered it. Heck, N-Not even Sojiro knows about this! This is so embarrassing! Y-You have to help me now, got it!?" Futaba said assertively to Ren, who smiled and nodded his understanding of Futaba's request before he spoke up reassuringly.

"Understood. I was gonna help you regardless though, Futaba. After all, I consider you as good as a sister, and that's what family does. They help each other out with stuff. And as a suggestion, even if you don't tell Sojiro about this, maybe you should consider sharing this with Kusa, if only so he doesn't feel left out if he figures out you told me this before him." Ren said sagely. Futaba smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Done! I was gonna tell Kusa anyways. But this is another part of our deal, Ren!" Futaba said to Ren, who nodded before smiling as he got the feeling that Futaba was really starting to depend on him to some extent.

At that point, the 'Hermit' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Hermit Confidant link with Futaba had reached Rank 6. As a result of the rank up, Futaba had awakened to the power of 'Active Support', upgrading Moral Support so that it now has the chance to inflict 'Charge' on the party or recover the party's SP. Futaba then pumped her fists determinedly.

"Welp, I'm gonna get on that right now! Time to go look up Kana-chan's deets!" Futaba said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Maybe later, but unless I'm mistaken, isn't it getting close to time to get to Leblanc for Ann's party?" Ren said to Futaba, who blinked and spoke up.

"Crap, that's right! I'll do it tomorrow then. Oh, and Ren? Sorry I wasn't too hospitable today. That'll have to wait for next time! Now, make like a cheetah and dash outta my room!" Futaba said as she shooed Ren out of her room so she could get changed for the party, not seeing the confused look on Ren's face as he mouthed 'next time!?' under his breath before heading back towards Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep and he answered it.

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

"H-Hello? It's me, Futaba! Something's not right, Ren! When I try looking up Kana-chan's contact info, my fingers suddenly start trembling uncontrollably. I know I promised myself I'd do this earlier, but when I remember how angry Kana-chan got, I get so scared of how she'll react if I reach out to her." Futaba said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Futaba, are you running away again? I thought you were done with being a coward and running away? Or do I need to have Kusa come give you another pep talk? I know he'd do it if I asked." Ren said with a chuckle. Futaba blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, what!? You're right! What am I doing, Ren? Freaking out at the most important moment possible? If I can't do this, then what was my training for? And no, I don't need a pep-talk from Kusa, partly because I might be too tempted to get cuddly with him and make us both either late to the party or miss the party entirely. And I don't think we want that. That said, I don't want to run away anymore. I won't give up on Kana-chan. Heh, thanks, Ren.

Talking to you about this helped me calm down. I'm going to do a little more research on Kana-chan, then I'll head over for the party! Make sure it doesn't start without me! Oh, and please don't tell anyone else about what we discussed today! Not even Sojiro, okay!? I'll tell Kusa myself eventually, so you don't need to worry about him. See you at the party! Bye!" Futaba said as Ren shrugged and hung up the phone before heading inside, where Kusa, Yusuke, Ryuji, and Shiho were all sitting around at a booth seat relaxing, smiling as they saw Ren come in.

"Are you guys seriously lounging around right now? It's pretty close to time for the party, isn't it!?" Ren said as Kusa looked at the clock on his phone and swore as he spoke up.

"Crap! You're right, Ren! It is almost that time! Shiho, follow me upstairs so we can get you ready to surprise Ann. The rest of you, remain down here in case interference needs to be run for the purposes of stalling the birthday girl. I'll try to be as quick as possible about this." Kusa said as Shiho followed Kusa upstairs, where he carefully but expertly grabbed some wrapping paper, and waited for Shiho to walk into the tall box that had been laid out in the middle of the room, before carefully wrapping the box, putting tape over the wrap to keep it together and tying a fancy bow at the top, while making sure to leave a hole in the back so Shiho could breathe inside the box.

Kusa then had Ryuji help him carefully scoot it closer to the wall so the hole wasn't visible for Ann to peep through as Kusa spoke up.

"Now, I'll have Morgana come wait upstairs with you, and if you start to feel like you're having difficulty breathing, let him know and he'll come get me so I can have Ann open up her present early. After all, we're trying to surprise Ann, not cause you to suffocate. Are you gonna be okay in that box, Shiho?" Kusa asked Shiho, who spoke up.

"I'll be fine. Get back downstairs before Ann wonders about you two and you inadvertently spoil the surprise!" Shiho said as Ryuji and Kusa nodded, heading downstairs, where the latter had Morgana go wait upstairs with Shiho so he could keep an ear out to make sure she didn't suffocate, which Morgana agreed to with a nod. After the not-cat was in position, Kusa discreetly sent a private chat to Makoto that everything was set on his end, having already put Ann's gifts in the back.

Makoto then sent an affirmative response and added that they'd be there soon. After that, Kusa looked at the others, before blinking and looking at Ren as a thought occurred to him that had him speaking up to voice his thought.

"Wait, hold up. Ren, correct me if I'm wrong on this, but wasn't Taba with you earlier!?" Kusa asked as Ren spoke up.

"She was, but then she had to look something up first. However, she said she'd be over in time for the party." Ren said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"I hope she remembers. Maybe I should go make sure?" Kusa said as the door opened and Futaba walked in with a chuckle as she spoke up while smiling at Kusa.

"Mwehehe! No need for that. I am here, Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa breathed a silent sigh of relief as he spoke up.

"Good, you made it. Now, other than Akechi-kun's AWOL ass, everyone's accounted for. Did anyone send him a private chat to make sure he'd be here?" Kusa asked as Sojiro spoke up.

"I did one better. I called his phone and reminded him. He said he'd be here on time." Sojiro said as the door opened up once more and Akechi walked in as if summoned by Sojiro mentioning him. Akechi then smirked as he spoke up.

"Sorry I'm nearly late. Got delayed on the train a bit." Akechi said as Kusa breathed a sigh of relief and spoke up.

"At least you made it, and that's the important thing. Now, let's get in position and wait for Haru and Makoto to get here with Ann." Kusa said as the door opened up once more, and everyone made to hide, only to stay put when instead of Ann, Haru, and Makoto, Kasumi walked in, to everyone's confusion. Kusa spoke up, his eyes wide in surprise while he spoke.

"Kasumi!? I didn't know you were coming?" Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up with a smirk.

"I spoke to her and told her Ann's birthday was today and she said she wanted to be here to celebrate the occasion. She also said she had something to discuss with you and Futaba later, but she wasn't going to take away from Ann-chan's birthday." Sojiro said wisely as Kusa nodded and the group then hid after that as the door opened again, and this time Haru and Makoto walked in, the latter speaking up.

"The birthday girl should be close behind us, so let's get ready to surprise her." Makoto said as the others nodded, and Kusa quickly killed the lights before sitting next to Futaba after Haru and Makoto got into place, the former sitting next to a surprisingly pleased Akechi and the latter sitting with Ryuji. After a couple more minutes, they heard the doorknob turning, as it opened up and a confused Ann walked in.

"Um, wait. Why are the lights off? What the heck?" Ann said in confusion as the lights came on at that moment and around a dozen voices shouted in unison.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANN/ANN-SENPAI!" Sojiro, Ren, Kusa, Futaba, Kasumi, Akechi, Haru, Makoto, Ryuji, and Yusuke all shouted, making Ann put a hand to her chest in surprise as she gasped before smiling as she looked at the gathered group and speaking up.

"You guys did all this for me!? Thanks so much, everyone! I'm truly stunned!" Ann said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"You're welcome, Ann! Of course we remembered your special day. Actually, if you'd follow me, there's a special surprise for you upstairs, one that I think you should open now." Kusa said as a confused Ann blinked but nodded before following Kusa upstairs, where a smiling Morgana ran up and quite literally glomped Ann as he nuzzled his face on Ann's face and spoke up.

"Happy birthday, Lady Ann!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up after easily prying the over-affectionate not-cat off of Ann's face.

"I understand that you're happy to see her Morgana, but can you get off of Ann's face so the birthday girl can open up her big present?" Kusa said, setting a pouting Morgana on the sofa as he led Ann towards the big box in the center of the room, which prompted Ann to give Kusa a confused look, making him grin knowingly as he spoke up.

"Go on, open it! I picked this one out myself!" Kusa said happily as Ann shrugged and nodded, carefully pulling away the wrapping paper, to reveal a box, from which emerged the last person Ann expected to see standing there at that moment. Ann's eyes widened briefly in surprise on seeing the person who stood before her, only to un-widen a short time later as she smiled happily before she ran over to the person and hugged them excitedly before she happily spoke up.

"WHAT!? No way! SHIHO!? How'd you get here!? Was this why Ren asked me for Shiho's contact info? He told me it was so you two could get into contact with her." Ann said as Kusa smirked and spoke up, his smirk widening as he saw Ann and Shiho waste little time in exchanging a loving kiss while he spoke.

"And he wasn't lying about that, Ann. I actually spent a good two hours on the phone talking to Shiho the night I reached out to her about surprising you, and we caught up on things. But I also planned it so I could surprise you with the chance to spend time with your girlfriend. And I have to say, she was quite excited to be here. So much so, she's staying the weekend down here. So maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to take her home with you tonight, Ann." Kusa said teasingly as both Shiho and Ann swatted Kusa's arms with red faces before both spoke up at the same time.

"NOT FUNNY, KUSA!" Ann and Shiho simultaneously rebuked Kusa with identical mortified blushes as Kusa laughed at how in sync the two already were and smiled at the two as he spoke up.

"Sorry! But in all seriousness, I couldn't resist teasing you two. Truth be told, I think you two are adorable together. But I didn't bring Ann up here just so she could reunite with you, Shiho. I also did it so you could help Ann enjoy her party and the other surprise that awaits afterwards." Kusa said, making Ann and Shiho both blink at how ominous Kusa's last words sounded. The three humans and one not-cat headed down to join the others, in time for Sojiro to roll out Ann's cake, a dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting that had 17 candles on it. At that point, Sojiro nodded and everyone except Ann started singing.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Ann/Ann-senpai! Happy birthday to you!" The group sang as some of the others started singing other verses, though it was Akechi's verse in particular that had both Kusa and Morgana playfully booing as they heard it.

"Happy birthday to you! You live in a zoo! You look like a monkey! AAAAND! You smell like one too! OOF!" Akechi sang, the 'OOF!' being in response to Kusa playfully tossing a frowning Morgana at Akechi's face, which the annoyed not-cat then promptly clawed at as he tried to punch Akechi for all he was worth, making Ren huff and sigh in exasperated disappointment while Ryuji, Kusa, and Futaba all burst out laughing with Ann after the birthday girl in question got done frowning at Akechi insulting her with his song. After a bit, Ren effortlessly pried Morgana off of Akechi, frowning at the not-cat as he spoke up.

"Now, now. Behave yourself, Morgana! While what Akechi said was uncalled for, he was just teasing. Plus, it's just a song. You don't have to try to beat him up over it!" Ren lightly rebuked Morgana as Kusa spoke up in Morgana's defense, ignoring the disapproving look Ren was giving him while he spoke.

"Of course he did, Ren! He was defending his crush's honor! Even if she's with someone else, that doesn't mean Morgana doesn't still care about her! And a true man stands up for those he cares about! Plus Akechi was the one who chose to sing that song, so he brought that on himself. I am sorry that he said that to you though, Ann. Did you blow out your candles yet?" Kusa asked Ann, who nodded, having blown them out in one go while Morgana was attacking Akechi. Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Sorry, Akechi. I was just being protective. I didn't mean to attack you. That was just an animal instinct that I couldn't control!" Morgana said apologetically to Akechi, who smiled and patted the not-cat on the head magnanimously and spoke up, though Kusa noticed with interest that the smile on Akechi's face while he spoke was slightly forced at that point, probably because of all the visible claw/scratch marks now lining Akechi's face from Morgana attacking him.

"I forgive you. I did say some mean things about Ann, even if I was just teasing her a bit. Besides, if anyone here looks or smells like a monkey here, it's Ryuji!" Akechi joked as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"What was that!?" Ryuji said in annoyance as Kusa, Morgana, Futaba, and Sojiro all chuckled at the well-delivered roast as the former whispered into Ryuji's ear, speaking up so only Ryuji could hear in an attempt to keep him from ruining the party with an angry outburst.

"Calm down, Ryuji. It's not worth letting Akechi get under your skin. Besides, we can get him back later when we get you-know-where and play you-know-what." Kusa said so only Ryuji could hear, making the blonde grin and nod as he knew what Kusa was referring to. After that, Sojiro and Kusa brought out the gifts as the former spoke up.

"Is the birthday girl ready to open her gifts?" Sojiro asked as a grateful Ann nodded and opened her gifts.

From Shiho, Ann received some photos of Shiho that had Ann blushing as she saw them before quickly tucking them away inside a pocket of her hoodie, making Kusa, Futaba and Ryuji grin as they had a good guess what the photos were.

From Ren, Ann received a fancy new bracelet that she hugged Ren for before putting it on, liking how it looked on her.

From Yusuke, Ann received an object that was shaped suspiciously like a painting, which Ann opened and gasped as she saw a painting of a smiling Shiho posing cutely and winking at the camera in a silky light-blue dress with spaghetti straps. Ann smiled and hugged Yusuke while thanking him.

From Makoto, Ann received some cute new dresses, making Ann smile at Makoto and thank her.

From Haru, Ann received a box of chocolates, making her smile and thank Haru, while joking that her birthday wasn't on Valentine's Day the last time she checked, getting amused laughs from Haru, Kusa, and Ren.

From Ryuji, Ann received some training weights, making her nod gratefully to Ryuji.

From Futaba, Ann received a fancy necklace with a teardrop-shaped light blue topaz on the end, making her smile and hug Futaba while thanking her.

From Sojiro, Ann received a brand-new pair of stiletto heels that had her gasping as she looked at Sojiro, who explained that Futaba helped him pick them out, making her hug Futaba again before hugging Sojiro.

From Akechi, Ann got a box, which she opened to find a black plush panther with red eyes, making her smile and thank Akechi, who nodded in response.

From Kasumi, Ann received an assortment of cute blouses and skirts, plus a nice pair of sunglasses, making her smile happily as she thanked Kasumi, who shyly nodded as she hugged Ann.

Finally, from Kusa and Morgana, Ann received a fancy red leather purse which made her gasp before hugging them both and thanking them. Kusa nodded, before explaining that Morgana picked the purse out himself while Kusa paid for it, wisely omitting that the purse in question had cost him a pretty penny, which he viewed as worth it to make Ann happy. After she finished opening gifts, Ann spoke up.

"So, now what? I've opened up gifts, and we've served the cake." Ann said as Makoto and Kusa exchanged smiles and the latter spoke up.

"Now, we eat the cake. After that, Makoto has another surprise she put together for you that requires us to relocate elsewhere." Kusa said as Ann blinked but nodded. After the group enjoyed the cake, complete with Kusa complimenting Ann's taste in cake, subsequently leading to Ren, Ryuji and Morgana teasing him about being a chocolate addict, which Kusa replied to by simply flipping the three off gracefully, to the amused laughs of Yusuke and Akechi, alongside amused giggles from the girls, especially Futaba. After that, Makoto spoke up.

"Okay, now that we've eaten our fill of cake, our next stop is in Shinjuku. As it turns out, I managed to book us reservations at the Crossroads bar for the night. Turns out Ren having so many jobs actually worked to the group's benefit this time. Granted, the manager asked that he work tonight to help cater the party, but I think that's a fair trade-off." Makoto said as Ren shrugged and nodded, agreeing with Makoto. The group then got up and relocated to Crossroads...

(A bit later, at the Crossroads bar with Ren, Kasumi, Kusa, Futaba, Morgana, Ryuji, Makoto, Haru, Akechi, Ann, Shiho, and Yusuke)

"To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that Makoto, of all people, got us reservations at a bar. No offense, Makoto." Ann said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"None taken, Ann. I only realized after the fact that this place was a bar. But the manager said there'd be no alcoholic beverages served to us, so we don't have to fear drinking." Makoto said, not hearing Ren coughing what sounded vaguely like 'bullshit!' under his breath, having noticed what looked suspiciously like Ohya sneaking into the kitchen as everyone walked in. At that point, Lala Escargot walked over to greet the group with a smile.

"Oh, welcome everyone! Which one of you is the birthday girl?" Lala asked as Ren and Kusa both pointed to Ann, who just shyly waved as Lala laughed and spoke up.

"Oh, how adorable! I didn't know you were shy, honey! You don't have to be afraid of me. I don't bite." Lala said cheerfully as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"R-Right. Sorry about that. This is my first time in a bar, you see." Ann said as Lala laughed and spoke up.

"Quite understandable, darling. If I recall correctly, your friend over here was the same way his first time here, even if he was more or less lured here by a certain sloshed reporter." Lala said as Ren chuckled at the reference to Ohya before he spoke up while giving Lala a subtle wink.

"Speaking of whom, are you sure you kept her out of the kitchen, Lala-chan? I thought I saw her sneaking out of there when we got here." Ren said as Lala groaned and spoke up.

"She probably snuck in there despite me trying to keep her out. Who knows what she did back there? Anyways, go on back and Ren can show you to the room that was reserved for your group tonight. Meanwhile, I'm going to have to have some pointed words with a certain someone about sneaking around." Lala said as she turned on her heel and stormed off as Ren guided the group to a fairly spacious room in the back of the bar with plenty of seats for everyone, at which point he spoke up.

"Everyone, welcome to the VIP room! And it's all ours for the rest of the night!" Ren said as the others cheered, right as Lala came in with the group's drinks.

"Here you all go. I'd be careful when drinking them. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that a certain sloshed reporter that Ren and I both know might've spiked the drinks, so just to be on the safe side, if you decide to have a drink, you do so at your own risk. I don't have time to make new drinks, so you'll have to either not drink the drinks, which would be understandable, or be willing to risk being slightly tipsy if they're spiked. But if they are, we're in agreement that it's all Ohya's fault." Lala said before leaving as Futaba cheered and spoke up, an idea coming to her as she spoke.

"Drinks, and a totally epic back-room? I say we play the King's Game! Who's with me!?" Futaba asked as almost immediately most everyone's hand shot up, with the exceptions of Morgana, Makoto, and Akechi, all of whom frowned at the mention of the King's Game. Kusa laughed at the three and spoke up.

"HA! I can see Morgana not agreeing since his current form isn't exactly conducive to playing the King's Game very well, but I'm surprised to see Akechi-kun and Makoto not agreeing. What's the matter? Are the two of you too prudish to loosen up and have a bit of fun?" Kusa teased playfully as Ryuji and Futaba both laughed at Kusa's teasing comment. Akechi glared at Kusa before he huffed and spoke up.

"Very funny, Amamiya-kun the younger! If you must know, I'm not sure a drinking game with this group is the wisest idea. Who knows what might happen if people's inhibitions are lowered enough?" Akechi said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Right! That, and there's also the fact that a lot of us are dating one another to take into account. After all, who's to say that things couldn't escalate from a game rather quickly if we get drunk enough? Especially when it comes to Ren and Kusa, who we all know can't keep their hands off their girlfriends most of the time even while sober." Makoto said teasingly, as most of the group laughed while the two brothers in question aimed identical mulish glares at Makoto before the latter spoke up with a frown.

"OI! Not funny, Makoto! And for the record, we can SO keep our hands off our girlfriends. We just choose not to. Plus we respect our girlfriends' wishes, so if they'd truly asked us to not be so affectionate with them, we'd respect that. Besides, I don't hear any complaints from Kasumi or Futaba, so clearly Ren and I are doing good jobs as boyfriends thus far.

Meanwhile, I notice you don't call Ryuji out for not keeping his hands off his girlfriend, even though I would put good freaking money down that he's the same way with you. So don't throw stones if you live in a glass house, Makoto. Just putting that out there. Now then, with that said, even if Makoto, Akechi-kun, and Morgana-sensei all abstain from it, who else is ready to play some King's Game?" Kusa said as the others all cheered approvingly and even Akechi, Morgana, and Makoto reluctantly joined in. Ren then left the room to get the chopsticks needed for the game as Makoto spoke up.

"Okay, if we're gonna do this, then we're setting some ground rules right now. Number 1! No going straight for inappropriate commands out of the gate! Number 2! No making people do things they're uncomfortable doing! Number 3! If you end up unable to resist jumping your boyfriend/girlfriend, go get a room! There are rooms in this area people can go into for that! Number 4! No starting bar fights as a command, and I'm looking at the two of you, Kusa and Ryuji! We don't need Lala angry at us if we wreck this room! Number 5! No using Metaverse talents in the game to give yourself an edge!" Makoto said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"Shouldn't we have explained that one with Ren here, so he'd know not to try and cheat with his Third Eye? Because I know Ren quite well, and it's not exactly a secret that he'd probably exploit that if he could get away with doing so, just to ensure that he gets to command a certain someone to do things, both to him and for him." Kusa said teasingly with a playful wink to a now-blushing Kasumi, who pouted cutely and spoke up.

"Hmph! Shut up, Kusa! That's not for you to comment on! That's up to Ren-senpai if he gives me certain commands and up to me if I decide to obey them, and you know it." Kasumi said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I stand corrected, then. Continue, Makoto." Kusa said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Actually, that was pretty much it. The rest should be common sense. Now we're just waiting for Ren-kun to get back with the chopsticks." Makoto said as Ren walked back in on cue, with a dozen chopsticks in hand, 11 numbered chopsticks and 1 with the entire bottom painted red with a K on top. Ren then spoke up.

"Okay, now that I have the chopsticks, do we want to draw to see who gets to be King first? Or should we let Ann start off, since she's the birthday girl?" Ren asked as Akechi spoke up while giving Ren a slight stink eye, ignoring Ryuji and Kusa laughing at his rather childish action while he spoke.

"That's not how the game goes, Ren. We draw the chopsticks, and whoever gets the non-numbered chopstick is our first King." Akechi said bluntly as Ren nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll put the chopsticks in this bag, and we can each draw one." Ren said as he put the chopsticks into a bag that he set on the table, which everyone took turns pulling from, until everyone had drawn a chopstick. Ren then spoke up.

"OK, everyone go ahead and look at your sticks!" Ren said as the group looked at their chopsticks as Futaba cheered and held up her chopstick.

"WOOT WOOT! Looks like I'm the first King, or rather Queen. Mwehehe." Futaba said as Kusa smirked while the others exchanged worried looks before Futaba spoke up.

"OK, as the Queen, I command number 9 to tickle me while sitting next to me!" Futaba said, deciding to start off with a fairly tame command. Everyone looked at their chopsticks until the chopstick in question was revealed to belong to a smugly grinning Kusa, who then spoke up.

"Sweet! Looks like I'm the lucky one!" Kusa said with a smile before he sat next to Futaba and pulled her in close gently before lightly pushing her down onto the seat they were sharing so he could tickle her as requested, sneakily kissing each of Futaba's cheeks as he did so for good measure, leaving Futaba to be stuck between blushing and giggling at how easily Kusa had found her ticklish spots as she spoke up.

"D-Dammit, Kusa! N-No fair kissing me while tickling me! You know I can't resist kissing you!" Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I know. Why do you think I snuck the cheek kisses? At least I refrained from kissing you on the lips, didn't I? Though maybe we could give that a try some other time if the opportunity presents itself? And honestly, I think you could've done a lot worse, like commanding number 7 to kiss number 10 on the cheek, or vice versa." Kusa said with a smirk as Futaba nodded after she managed to sit up once Kusa stopped tickling her, both laughing at the suddenly-horrified looks on Akechi and Ren's faces at Kusa's suggestion, the aforementioned duo having the chopsticks that Kusa had mentioned. After Futaba got comfortable next to Kusa, the game continued with everyone putting their chopsticks back to be re-drawn.

After everyone put their chopsticks back for round 2, they pulled them again, and when they checked this time, Akechi smirked, as he showed he was the new King, prompting Ryuji and Kusa to exchange looks of mixed horror and uncertainty. Akechi then spoke up.

"Right. Looks like I'm the new King! And with my first act as King, I command number 6 to give number 9 a lap-dance!" Akechi said as everyone checked their sticks, and to the horror of Ren and Futaba both, it was revealed that a shocked but embarrassed Kusa had chopstick 6 and an equally mortified Kasumi had chopstick 9, making Kasumi squeak cutely in mortification before she decided to go with it and just shrugged in resignation as she made room for Kusa, who sighed and gave both Futaba and Ren an apologetic look before reluctantly following the command, and Kasumi got herself through it by pretending Kusa was Ren instead, and trying not to enjoy the lapdance too much.

After it was over, a red-faced Kusa sat back down as the chopsticks were returned, Ren giving Akechi a surprisingly annoyed glare while Futaba grumbled under her breath about meddling douchebags, much to the amusement of Kusa, who was sitting next to her and had heard the comment, but said nothing as the group drew the chopsticks again. Once the group revealed their chopsticks, a grinning Morgana held up the King's chopstick, revealing that the pleased not-cat was now the new King. Morgana then smirked and spoke up.

"Right! As King, I command number 2 to hug number 5 and then number 5 has to kiss number 2 on the lips." Morgana said with a sly smirk. When the sticks were checked, a red-faced Haru held up the number 2 chopstick while a now-grinning Akechi held up the number 5 chopstick. Haru then walked over and hugged Akechi shyly before a smug-looking Akechi leaned in to lay a very chaste, but passionate kiss on a stunned Haru's lips.

And if Haru was stunned, that was nothing on the rest of the group, who were all gazing at the scene with wide-eyes, with the exception of a grinning not-cat, who had just proven his theory about Akechi and Haru. After a few moments, Akechi pulled away and spoke up while looking at Haru apologetically.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Haru. Just obeying the rules by following the King's commands, after all. But may I just say, you're actually a really good kisser if I'm being honest." Akechi said as Haru blushed and spoke up.

"Th-Thank you, Akechi-kun. But even so, I feel as though I should point out that I do still have a fiance, unfortunately. So as much as your words flatter me, I can't exactly commit to being more than your friend for now." Haru said as Akechi smirked and spoke up.

"That's perfectly understandable, Haru. Don't worry, I won't try to be a home-wrecker." Akechi said smoothly as Haru smiled appreciatively and the group returned their chopsticks to start the next round. After they re-drew the chopsticks, a grinning Kusa held up the chopstick with the King's mark on it, making Ren and Morgana grin at seeing Kusa take a turn as King. After thinking it over, Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, I know what I'll command here. With my power as King, I command number 1 to sit in number 7's lap and rest their head on number 7's shoulder." Kusa said, as the group checked their chopsticks, and Kusa's grin widened further when Ann showed the number 1 chopstick and a smiling Shiho held up the number 7 chopstick, as Ann eagerly followed the command, Shiho smiling as she playfully stole a kiss from Ann, who eagerly returned it. Morgana then spoke up, slurring his words slightly as he spoke, clearly annoyed by the blatant reminder of Ann and Shiho's relationship.

"Hey! It'sh not fair that Lahdee Ahn has to kiss her girlfriend on the lips like that in front of us! That'sh sho rude!" Morgana said, making Ren and Kusa both look at each other before both burst out laughing as they both realized that Morgana was actually acting drunk, the former speaking up.

"Morgana, you can't complain about that when you're slurring your words over there. I would've put money on Ryuji being the first to do that and not you. For shame, man!" Ren said smugly as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Rude, man! Don't compare me to Morgana like that! Besides, we all know his current form makes him a total lightweight when it comes to drinking, so of course he's gonna be the first of us to end up shit-faced. So don't be so surprised. Now, if Akechi, or even Makoto, had been first, that you could be surprised by." Ryuji said teasingly as Morgana gave Ryuji an unimpressed look before just shaking his head and not saying a word.

Around that same time, Ann and Shiho finished making out and the chopsticks wound up being re-drawn for the next round, with a smiling Kasumi holding up the King's chopstick this time, making her the Queen of the round. Kasumi giggled as she spoke up.

"Hmm, what to do, what to do. Ah, I've got it! I command number 9 to either spank number 6 or flash them." Kasumi said, making Ren, Futaba, Kusa, and Morgana all turn wide-eyed looks of surprise at the now-giggling red-head as she spoke up once more, slurring her words a slight bit while she spoke.

"What!? You heard me! I am the Queen, and my word ish law! Sho chahp chahp!" Kasumi said, giggling. Ren looked at Kasumi in surprise, not expecting her to be the next to start slurring. *1*

After the chopsticks were returned, re-drawn, and checked again, a horrified Morgana held up the number 9 chopstick, and a red-faced Futaba shyly held up the number 6 chopstick, making Kusa do a wonderful impression of a fish as the implications of Kasumi's command had sunk in for him. But before Kusa could even begin to speak up against it, Morgana shrugged and quickly used his paw to deftly yet swiftly spank Futaba, who blinked at how deceptively soft yet firm the not-cat's paws felt on her butt. Futaba then giggled and spoke up, slurring her words a bit as she spoke.

"Wow, Morgana's pawsh are so schoft and schmooth. I wonder if Kusa's hands would be that shoft doing that? Granted, they were pretty gentle when he tickled me earlier, so maybe they would? Who knows." Futaba asked, making Kusa's eyes widen at her question before he just shrugged and said nothing, slightly red-faced and a bit intrigued at what Futaba had said. After the chopsticks were returned again, the group re-drew them and a smugly-grinning Ren held up the King's chopstick, making Makoto frown and speak up.

"Hey! No fair, Ren! Did you use your Third Eye to get that!? I realize you weren't here when I said that, but schtill! You can't do schtuff like that!" Makoto said, slurring slightly at that point as the others blinked at this before a grinning Ren spoke up.

"I didn't do that Makoto, but that's a great idea! As for my command? With the power of the King, I hereby command number 5 to come on over and give me a shoulder rub while kissing me and getting a shoulder rub of their own." Ren said with a smug grin on his face. After the chopsticks were examined, Ren looked at the others and kept speaking.

"All right, that's long enough. Time to fessh up! Who's nuhmber five!?" Ren asked, a slight slur in his words as a blushing yet shyly smiling Kasumi eagerly held up the number 5 chopstick and spoke up.

"YES! I get to get a schoulder rhub frohm Sehnpahi! Let's go!" Kasumi said happily as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"If that's what milady wants, then a schoulder rhub it schall beh." Ren said before gently yet affectionately giving an eager Kasumi a kiss on the lips while lovingly rubbing her shoulders, making Haru, Makoto, Shiho, Ann, and Akechi's jaws drop in a mix of shock and surprise, with Futaba grinning as she used her phone to take photos of Ren and Kasumi for posterity as both Ryuji and Akechi reluctantly passed some yen to a grinning Kusa who just pocketed his winnings happily as the group watched Ren and Kasumi give each other shoulder rubs while also kissing periodically in the process.

After a bit, the chopsticks were returned and re-drawn, and when the sticks were shown, a smirking Yusuke held up the King's chopstick, making Ren and Akechi exchange worried looks as Yusuke spoke up.

"Excellent. As King, I command number 2 to take off their shirt and give number 8 a lap dance." Yusuke said as everyone checked their chopsticks before a grinning Ryuji held up the number 2 chopstick and a blushing Makoto shyly held up the number 8 chopstick as Ryuji smirked and spoke up.

"Schorry Mahkohto, but rulesh ahre rulesh!" Ryuji said, slightly slurring his words as he took his shirt off and gave a red-faced Makoto a lapdance, getting cat-calls from Futaba, Ann, and Shiho, as Ryuji finished the lapdance by laying a loving kiss on a blushing Makoto's lips, which she returned as the two broke apart. The chopsticks were returned and re-drawn, and when the chopsticks were checked, a smiling Ann held up the King's chopstick and spoke up.

"Aha. As the Queen, my commahnd is that number 1 has to remove number 6's shirt and vice versa." Ann commanded as a grinning Futaba held up the number 1 chopstick, while a wide-eyed Kusa held up the number 6 chopstick, making Futaba smirk as she spoke up.

"Mwehehe. Aweshum! Kuhsa ahnd I get to give each ohther fhull fhrohntal!" Futaba cheered as she wasted little time in tugging Kusa's shirt over his head before turning around so the embarrassed Kusa could do the same for her, Kusa's face going red as he removed Futaba's shirt, the gentlemanly part of him feeling very conflicted about this command, but the more hormonal part of him was inwardly cheering in approval of what he had to do. Afterward, Futaba slyly sat in Kusa's lap and stole a kiss from him, making Kusa grin as he returned the kiss, after which the two resumed their usual places and the sticks were returned and re-drawn.

Once the group looked at their chopsticks, a grinning Ryuji held up the King's chopstick, making him speak up at that point.

"Ka-BOOM! I am now teh King! Sho thish is mah cohmand! I command number 3 to take number 6 into a separate room and either eat them out or suck them off, depending on the genders of the involved." Ryuji said by way of a command, making most everyone else turn stunned and/or horrified looks on him as Morgana glared at Ryuji and spoke up.

"That'sh sho rude, Ryujhi! Yohu cahn't just give that kind of cohmmahnd! Beshidesh, I thaught that Mahkhoto shaid no inahpropriahte commands!" Morgana rebuked Ryuji around slurred words, making Makoto nod as she spoke up with a light giggle.

"That's true, I did say that. However, I think an exception can be made, given who I see with the chopsticks in question." Makoto said as a horrified Morgana turned to see a grinning Ann holding up the 3 chopstick while a smiling Shiho held up the 6 chopstick.

"WHOO-HOO! Shorry ehvehryohne, but I ghet teh go and geht ohrahl fhrom Ahn!" Shiho said with a lot of slurring as Ann giggled and took Shiho's hand as the two left the room to carry out Ryuji's command, making a suddenly quite annoyed Morgana frown at Ryuji as he spoke up.

"Thanksh a loht, Ryuji! I think those two are gonna be gone for a while while they go and carry out that disgusting command you just gave!" Morgana said irately as Kusa smirked and spoke up with a laugh.

"Relax, Morgana. At least those two are happy! And if I recall correctly, you have no room to complain about outrageous commands, since I can quite clearly recall you obeying a similar command by spanking Taba right in front of me. The fact that she might have enjoyed it is irrelevant. So I don't want to hear you complaining about that, unless you're also going to complain about having to spank Tahba." Kusa said, only slightly slurring his words but ruining the intimidation effect he was going for by hiccuping and laughing as the group laughed at the pouting not-cat good-naturedly for a bit until a red-faced Ann and Shiho came back in the room, both looking very embarrassed but happy.

After that, the chopsticks were returned and re-drawn, and when the sticks were checked, a surprised but smiling Haru held up the King's chopstick, making her the next King, or Queen in her case. Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Hmm. Ah, I've got it! I command number 5 to lay their face in my lap." Haru said with a mischievous giggle. The others exchanged surprised looks, before a surprised, but amused, Morgana held up the number 5 chopstick, curling up on Haru's leg so he could lay his face in her lap as commanded, letting himself go ham a bit by nuzzling his face in her lap playfully, making Haru's face go red while Kusa glared at Morgana and spoke up, eyes narrowed slightly while he did so, heavily slurring his words as he spoke.

"Morgahna, you lihtle hypahchrite! You just got done complaining about how unethical and unfair Ryuji's commands are, and you're over here basically trying to preen yourself on Haru's lap! At least, with Ryuji's command, he didn't set it up for someone to basically try to make a move on someone else's girl. Meanwhile you, by all accounts, have done that twice now! Granted, at least in Haru's case, her fiance is a freaking douchebag, but that doesn't change the fact that what you just did ish wrong." Kusa said rebukingly as a giggling Futaba spoke up to distract Kusa.

"Aw, he doesn't mean anything by it, Kusa. Besides, last I checked, Ahkehchi-khun hash dibs on Haru anyways, so there's not much more Morgana can do anyways. No offense to Morgana, but in what world would Haru choose to leave her fiance for a talking cat when she could leave her fiance for the ehffingh Deh-techtehive Prinshe! Even if Akehchi-kuhn is an inshufferahbel chockboi, at least he respects women for the mohst part, unlike that ash-whole that khickhed phoor Mona into a wahl." Futaba said persuasively as Kusa frowned and spoke up, choosing not to rebuke Futaba for calling Morgana a cat since his form in the real world has similarities to a feline, instead smiling at Futaba while he spoke.

"That is a good point, Taba. Fine, I withdraw my complaint, but still, think before you act, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said before sitting down next to a giggling Futaba, who playfully sat in Kusa's lap and kissed his cheek as a smiling Haru decided to lightly pet the not-cat on the head before lightly lifting him off her lap to sit him where he was previously as the chopsticks were returned and re-drawn. When the sticks were drawn, a smiling Makoto revealed the King's chopstick in her hand, making Kusa grin as he spoke up.

"Finally! Queen gets a turn as the Queen! How poetic!" Kusa said in amusement as Ryuji nodded before Makoto spoke up.

"True. But as far as my command, I command number 2 to tell the group an embarrassing secret or story about themselves." Makoto said as everyone checked their sticks, and both Kusa and Ryuji burst out laughing as a red-faced Ren held up the number 2 chopstick before speaking up.

"Hmm, what do I tell you guys? Well, I guess since Kusa already pre-faced it a bit when some of us went through Futaba's Palace, I'll tell the story about the puzzle incident. This all started about 6 or so years ago, when Kusa and I were both still in elementary school.

Back when I was in fifth grade and Kusa was in fourth grade, we were at the birthday party of some dark-haired girl Kusa had a crush on, whose name I can't recall for the life of me, when I saw this really beautiful red-head talking to some other girls.

Of course, being a buffoon-ish 11 year old boy, my first instinct is to try and show off to get her attention, so I looked at Kusa, and then said to him, '300 yen says I can't solve this sliding puzzle on my own?', to which Kusa just laughed and said, and I quote, 'Are you seriously that stupid? I'm not taking that bet! I don't bet! Plus, considering that's a grown-up puzzle, that'd be a sucker's bet anyways.', so I just laughed and started trying.

The red-head in question, who I vaguely recall hearing her friends refer to her as 'Yoshizawa-san', walked over and looked at me as she spoke up. She asked me if I tried complex puzzles a lot, and I looked over, saw her and said to her that I do sometimes, but that I could handle this. She just giggled and wished me good luck before walking back over to her friends." Ren said as his story was briefly interrupted by a quiet gasp of recognition from a shocked Kasumi, who'd heard this same story once from her sister when she was alive, but as she said nothing to interrupt, Ren kept telling the story.

"In the end, I was not only unable to finish the puzzle, but I somehow managed to drop one of the puzzle pieces right into the cute red-head's effing lap! And what does Kusa do? He just calmly walks over to her and asks why she has a puzzle piece on her lap, and if she'd taken that from me.

Needless to say, my face was bright red from embarrassment and humiliation as half the room laughed at me, while the red-head shook her head and said it probably flew off the puzzle I was working on. Kusa then nodded and said I probably threw that piece in her lap on purpose so I could say that I 'got a piece of her'. Unfortunately for me, the cute red-head got super embarrassed by this and walked off with a red face while Kusa smirked and told me I was off to a fantastic start wooing her.

Not surprisingly, I then frowned at him and told him to shut up. Needless to say, Kusa ended up the life of the party after that, even though he seemed reluctant to do it. Meanwhile, I was stuck holding not only the metaphoric L, but one of the single biggest humiliations in my life! However, I eventually forgave him for it after he apologized to me. But it still was a good object lesson on why when he was younger, Kusa was quite a shitty wingman." Ren said as the others all laughed, even Kusa, who spoke up while giving Ren an apologetic look.

"I am sorry about that, Ren. But you're telling the story wrong. You left out the part where you walked over to that girl and apologized to her while all but admitting you had a crush on her, and trying to kiss her. To her credit, she was nice enough about telling you that she'd be your friend, but she wasn't sure about anything more than that. It wasn't a no, strictly speaking, but it was pretty akin to a rejection. Of course, given this was shortly before she got caught in that closet with some blonde girl, I think it makes that likely rejection a lot less painful, since at least you didn't get rejected by finding her kissing a girl.

And if you think about it, it worked out for you in the end. After all, had you actually gotten that girl to like you, would you be here right now with the funny and amazing young woman sitting next to you as your girlfriend? And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your girlfriend's last name also Yoshizawa? So you could argue that that's fate stepping in to make up for how hard you struck out that day, Ren.

So look at it as a win, not a loss. Also, that girl whose party we were at? I think if I recall right, her last name was Isshiki, oddly enough. And at the risk of upsetting Taba, I do believe that's the same last name her mom had. Also, I think I ended up falling out of contact with that girl not long after that party, since if I recall right, that was around a year to a year and a half before the point when we had to move away from where we first lived to where we were living before Ren and I got sent out her so he could serve a year's probation." Kusa said as Futaba blinked before gasping as she spoke up in realization.

"Wait a minute! Kusa, you know what? I think that girl whose party you went to back then might have been me! I do vaguely recall a cute boy with longish hair trying to play wingman for his older brother back then, even if it ended rather disastrously for both of them. Granted, this was back before I dyed my hair orange, so that could be why you wouldn't realize it was me then. But to be honest? I was rather impressed with that boy back then. So maybe we've been drawn to one another longer than we thought?" Futaba suggested with a shrug as a grinning Ryuji spoke up.

"Truth, Futaba! I could see Kusa being the ultimate wingman, even if he is a bit of an insufferable and long-winded prick sometimes. But that's just how he is." Ryuji said as the group laughed, except for Kusa who just shrugged, not really being able to refute the remark as it was true that he could give some long speeches on occasion. After that, the chopsticks were returned and re-drawn. At that point, a smiling Shiho held up the King's chopstick. Ann giggled and spoke up.

"All right! We saved the best for last!" Ann cheered as Shiho spoke up.

"That'sh right, Ann. I command number 4 to sit in their boyfriend/girlfriend's lap and kiss them on the lips and then either flash them or give them a lapdance." Shiho said with a giggle as the group checked their chopsticks. Surprisingly, when the chopsticks were checked, a giggling Kasumi held up the number 4 chopstick as she sat in Ren's lap and spoke up.

"You heard Shiho-shan, Shenphai. It'sh Showthime!" Kasumi said with a giggle as she kissed Ren on the lips before surprising the group by boldly flashing Ren, who got red-faced but smiled as he looked at the view Kasumi was giving him as he spoke up huskily while deciding to tease Kasumi a bit by pretending to lay his head on her bare chest as he boldly but teasingly nuzzled his face into his girlfriend's exposed breasts, making her flush bright red while he spoke up, while the rest of the group laughed at how playful Ren was being even while slurring his words as he spoke.

"Mhy mhy, looksh lihke shumeone is feeling bohld and schmexy. And thish pillow is so smooth. I like it, though." Ren said in an amused tone as he sat up and returned the kiss a blushing Kasumi gave him as a smirking Futaba snapped pictures of the two with her phone, ignoring the disapproving look on Kusa's face as she did so. After that, the chopsticks were returned back to the hat and Makoto spoke up.

"All right, now that everyone's had a turn as King/Queen, do we want to keep going, or move on to something else?" Makoto asked as Kusa grinned and spoke up, an idea coming to him for what could be done next.

"If we don't continue the King's Game, who here's heard of Tycoon?" Kusa asked as most of the group, excluding Makoto, Morgana, and Shiho, raised their hands as Kusa kept speaking.

"So most of us. That said, I suggest, if we're all agreeable to it, that any singles in the group can go play another game elsewhere, while the couples form two tables of 4 and we play shome strihp Tychoohn!" Kusa suggested as a giggling Kasumi and Futaba both cheered eagerly as Ren and Ryuji both approvingly fist-bumped Kusa for his bold suggestion.

After a quick vote among the group, it was decided that while the singles of the group, or Morgana, Akechi, Yusuke, and Haru, went elsewhere to do stuff, the couples of the group, meaning Ren/Kasumi, Kusa/Futaba, Ryuji/Makoto, and Ann/Shiho would form two tables of four and play some Strip Tycoon. Kusa then smirked as he explained the rules.

"Now, this game works just like regular Tycoon for the most part. However, the twist comes with the roles. Rich is safe and gets to watch, while the Tycoon gets to pick one piece of Poor's and two pieces of the Beggar's clothing to have removed. However, if a person is out of clothes, alternate rules can be put in at that point.

And to make it interesting, if the first two fully undressed are dating, meaning it's either myself and Futaba, Ren and Kasumi, Ryuji and Makoto, or Ann and Shiho, those two can adjourn to an adjacent room and fool around together if the mood strikes them.

Otherwise, the two in question can either decide to mess with their boyfriend/girlfriend if they wish, or just let it all hang out, so to speak. That's their choice. Also, as an extra twist, at the end of each round, of which there will most likely be 3, unless we have two people lose all their clothes in the first two matches or decide to stop early, the lowest-scoring player, or overall Beggar, of each table has to switch tables with one another for the next match.

And at the end of the three matches, or whenever we decide to stop playing, whoever has the most clothes on wins, and if it's a tie on that, cumulative scoring will be used to determine the winner. Everyone understands the rules, right?" Kusa asked as the others nodded and the two tables were formed, with one table being Ren, Kasumi, Makoto, and Ryuji, and the other being Kusa, Futaba, Ann, and Shiho.

At that point, the cards were dealt out to start the games.

(At Table 1, with Ren, Kasumi, Makoto, and Ryuji, game 1)

After the cards were dealt, a random draw decided that Kasumi got to go first, which she nodded to as she deftly played a pair of 3's, to which Ryuji played 4's, Makoto played 5's, and a smirking Ren played jacks. Kasumi then giggled as she laid down a pair of aces, making the others pass to end the hand. Kasumi then started the next hand by playing a trio of 6's, to which both Makoto and Ryuji immediately passed, but a smirking Ren laid down triple 7's, making a pouting Kasumi pass.

Ren then started out the next round by laying down a pair of tens, to which Ryuji passed, before Makoto played one of the jokers with a queen, making Ren pass before a grinning Kasumi played a pair of kings, forcing Makoto to pass. Kasumi then giggled as she spoke up.

"Goody! Looks like I'm the Tycoon this round!" Kasumi said as she laid down four nines, ending the round on a Revolution as the Tycoon. Both Makoto and Ryuji swore at this turn of events while Ren smirked and congratulated Kasumi on a well-played win before playing four twos to cause a Counter-Revolution, ending the hand. Ren then started the next hand by playing his pair of aces, prompting the others to pass.

Ren then started the next hand by playing his 7 and going out as Rich. After a fast-but-furious exchange of cards, Makoto edged out Ryuji for the Poor spot, leaving a pouting Ryuji to not only hold the L, but be the Beggar.

"You guys are monsters! Dammit!" Ryuji said, crossing his arms childishly as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"Makoto-senpai, you have to lose a shoe. Ryuji-kun, you have to lose both shoes." Kasumi decided as Ryuji took his shoes off and Makoto removed a shoe while a smirking Ren watched.

(Table 1 scoring after game 1: Kasumi - 30 points, Ren - 20 points, Makoto - 10 points, Ryuji - 0 points)

(Meanwhile, at Table 2, with Kusa, Futaba, Ann, and Shiho, game 1)

After the cards were dealt, a smirking Futaba got the first move. She then played a pair of twos, making the others pass. On the next hand, Futaba attempted to flush some low cards by playing a trio of 4's, only for a grinning Kusa to respond with triple 8's, forcing an '8-Stop' and ending the hand at that point. Kusa then started the next hand by playing a pair of 3's, to which Ann played 6's and Shiho played 9's. Futaba then smirked as she laid down a pair of queens, only for a smirking Kusa to lay down a pair of aces, making the others pass except for Shiho, who laid down the other pair of twos, making Kusa pass and ending the hand.

Shiho then started the next hand by playing the other two aces, making the others pass. Shiho then laid down a trio of 7's, thinking she had the win, only for Kusa to dash her hopes moments later by playing a trio of jacks, making the others pass. Kusa then opened the next hand by playing the 4 in his hand, causing Shiho to play a 6, Ann to play a 9, and Futaba to play a 10, prompting Kusa to play his remaining jack, making Shiho pass while Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee! Good thing I kept this in reserve!" Ann said as she laid down one of the jokers, making Kusa seemingly frown as Futaba passed, only to grin a moment later as he spoke up.

"Good one, Ann. Unfortunately, not good enough!" Kusa said as he then revealed the 3 of Spades, which he played to trigger a 3 of Spades Reversal on Ann's joker, making him win the hand. As the hand ended, Ann pouted and spoke up.

"OH, COME ON! YOU HAD TO PLAY THAT NOW!?" Ann asked as Kusa grinned and spoke up with a smirk.

"Yep, I totally did. After all, who's to say that whoever has the other Joker would play it on its' own like you did? I believe this situation would be best described as what we in the business of Tycoon playing call 'striking while the iron's hot'." Kusa said with a smug grin as Ann pouted but reluctantly nodded her head in understanding, conceding that Kusa had a point with his response as the next hand started.

Kusa then laid down his 8 to force an 8-stop, before going out by playing a 10. As a result, Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, looks like I'm the Tycoon! Mwehehe!" Kusa said as Ann and Shiho pouted and Futaba gave Kusa a nod of respect. Futaba then played a queen, making Shiho and Ann pass. On the next hand, Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"Mwehehe! How about a Revolution!?" Futaba said as she laid down four fives, not only causing a Revolution, but winning her the hand, after which she went out by playing her last card, which was the last 3, giving her Rich status.

"I'm Rich! RICH! Mwehehe." Futaba said. After a fast bit of back-and-forth between Ann and Shiho, Ann managed to wrestle Poor status from Shiho, who was left with Beggar status.

"Beggar!? For real? Crap." Shiho said in frustration, making the others laugh. Kusa then spoke up.

"Ann, you can ditch your jacket. Shiho, lose the shoes." Kusa said as the two did as told, ending the first game.

(Table 2 scoring after game 1: Kusa - 30 points, Futaba- 20 points, Ann- 10 points, Shiho- 0 points)

(Back at table 1, with Ren, Kasumi, Ryuji, and Makoto, game 2)

Before the game started, Ryuji had to give Kasumi, or the Tycoon, his best two cards in hand, while getting Kasumi's worst two, since the Beggar and Tycoon give each other two cards. Similarly, Ren and Makoto each swapped a card as Rich and Poor respectively. At that point, Ryuji got to go first as the previous round's Beggar. Ryuji then played the pair of threes Kasumi had given him, to which Ren responded with fives, Makoto played sevens, and a giggling Kasumi laid down a pair of 8's.

"Oh my, is that an 8-stop? Guess I get to go again. Sorry about that!" Kasumi said as the hand ended there. She then started the next hand by playing a trio of 6's, to which Ryuji answered with 9's, Ren passed, and Makoto tried playing jacks, only for a smiling Kasumi to lay down three aces. Ryuji and Makoto quickly passed after that.

Kasumi then started the next hand with a pair of queens, which Ryuji passed, but Ren played a pair of kings in response, only for a smirking Makoto to play a pair of twos, making Ren and Kasumi pass. Makoto then started the next hand with her 10, to which Kasumi responded with one of the other 2 queens, only for Ryuji to play a King, Makoto played an ace, Ren played a 2, and then Ryuji and Makoto passed only for a giggling Kasumi to lay down her joker, only for Ren to grin and speak up.

"Good one Sumi, but not good enough. Gotta shut ya down!" Ren said as he laid down the 3 of Spades, triggering a 3 of Spades Reversal on a dumbfounded Kasumi, who spoke up while cutely pouting.

"Wh-What!? No fair, Senpai! Playing that card is so mean!" Kasumi said as the hand ended. Ren then started the next hand by laying down the other three 2's and the remaining Joker, speaking up as he did so.

"And now for my counter-strike!" Ren said as he triggered a Revolution, making Makoto, Ryuji and Kasumi pass, while Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Dammit! Did you have to do that now!?" Ryuji said in frustration as the hand ended. A grinning Ren then spoke up.

"Yep. Sure did! It sets me up to snipe my way into being Tycoon!" Ren said as he went out with a pair of fours, making Ryuji, Makoto and Kasumi gasp in shock as Ren became the new Tycoon. As for Kasumi, since she didn't get 1st as the current Tycoon, she fell victim to the 'Bankrupt' rule, making her the new Beggar by default, causing her to pout and speak up.

"What!? Bankrupt!? Not nice, Senpai!" Kasumi said while pouting cutely as Ryuji grinned and fist-bumped Ren while speaking up.

"Heh, nice comeback, RenRen! Respect, man." Ryuji said as he and Makoto engaged in a shootout, which ended with a grinning Ryuji taking the Rich spot from Makoto, who was left being Poor. Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"Poor!? What a letdown." Makoto said in disdain as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Right. As Tycoon, Kasumi has to lose her shirt and one shoe. And Makoto has to lose her other shoe." Ren decided as a pouting Kasumi removed her shirt and one of her shoes, blushing as she put an arm across her now completely bare chest, making Ren smirk as he spoke up.

"Oh, what's this now? Did you seriously come to this party commando, Sumi? That's both hilarious and inexplicably hot, but then at the same time I approve, since all of you is very beautiful." Ren said coyly as Ryuji grinned and fist-bumped Ren.

"Truth, man! But as long as the record shows that Makoto's better looking, I don't care that you basically got to base before me." Ryuji said as Ren frowned at Ryuji's remark and spoke up.

"Ignoring that rather vulgar and frankly inaccurate remark you just made about me and Sumi, since I dunno that this counts as getting to base, I feel obligated to correct you by saying that while Makoto is nice, and cute, Sumi is the sexier of the two girls here, without question. Also, you don't get to ogle Sumi, Ryuji. That's my job as her boyfriend." Ren said as he smiled at a now-blushing Kasumi, who spoke up.

"N-No fair, Ren. You can't go from being a meanie to making such sweet compliments about me. Especially not after admiring my figure so openly. At least, not unless you want me to deal with you for it later." Kasumi said in a surprisingly sultry-sounding tone, making Ryuji and Makoto gape at Kasumi calling Ren by name, while Ren just nodded in stunned surprise, not trusting himself to speak right then as Makoto kissed Ryuji on the cheek for defending her honor as she removed her other shoe, ending the second game.

(Table 1 scoring after Game 2: Ren- 50 points, Kasumi- 30 points, Makoto and Ryuji - 20 points/tied)

(Back at table 2 with Kusa, Futaba, Ann, and Shiho, Game 2)

As per her requirements as the previous round's Beggar, Shiho traded her two best cards with Kusa, who gave her his two worst cards as Tycoon, while Ann and Futaba exchanged one card each. Shiho then started the round off by playing the two fours that Kusa had given her, to which Futaba replied by playing a pair of sevens, and Kusa followed up with a pair of 8's.

"8-Stop! Let's cut that short!" Kusa said as he ended the hand, before starting the next hand by playing a trio of 9's, to which Ann and Shiho passed, but Futaba replied with a trio of aces, making a pouting Kusa pass. Futaba then started the next hand with a pair of queens, making Ann pass, but Shiho played a pair of kings, only for Kusa to respond with a pair of twos. Futaba and Shiho then passed.

Kusa started the following hand by playing the remaining ace in an attempt to flush the jokers and 3 of Spades, which partially worked insofar as Ann playing a joker, forcing Kusa to pass. Ann then started the next hand by playing a queen, to which Shiho followed up with an ace, and Futaba played the remaining joker, making Kusa pass, but Ann giggled as she spoke up.

"Nope! Don't think so!" Ann said as she played the 3 of Spades, making Futaba groan as she spoke up.

"Argh! An ambush!" Futaba said as the hand ended. Ann then started the next hand by playing a king, only for Kusa to counter with a 2, making the others pass. Kusa started the next round by playing his four 10's, causing a Revolution as he spoke up.

"Here we go! Start the Revolution!" Kusa said as Futaba and Shiho passed, but Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Nice try Kusa, but it's not gonna happen! Counter Revolution!" Ann said as she played her own quartet, this one of fives, causing a Counter Revolution.

"Dammit! Didn't see that coming!" Kusa said as the hand ended. Ann then played a pair of 8's to cause an 8-Stop.

"I'm flushing this!" Ann said as the hand ended, after which she played a trio of sixes, making the others pass. Ann then played a pair of kings, making the others pass. On the very next hand, Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Looks like I'm the winner!" Ann said as she went out with the other pair of sevens, making a horrified Kusa gasp as he fell victim to the 'Bankrupt' rule.

"Bankrupt!? OOF! Mayday, mayday! Man down!" Kusa said as he became the Beggar by default thanks to the 'Bankrupt' rule as Ann became the new Tycoon. After a back-and-forth shootout between Futaba and Shiho, Futaba stole Rich status from Shiho, leaving Shiho to be 'Poor' and making Futaba cheer as she spoke up.

"YES! I'm Rich! RICH!" Futaba said as the game ended. Ann giggled as she spoke up.

"Kusa, you can lose your shirt and one shoe. Shiho, ditch that shirt." Ann said sassily as Kusa grumbled good-naturedly but did as told, removing his shirt and one shoe while Shiho took her shirt off, letting the others see her bra-clad chest which revealed a modest figure that made Futaba grumble as she spoke up.

"No fair. How come Shiho is so endowed, while I'm the only small-chested girl at this table?" Futaba said petulantly as Kusa smiled and spoke up while hugging Futaba so that she was flush against his bare chest, ignoring the blush on Futaba's face at her close proximity to him while he spoke.

"Chill, Taba. Let me tell you something I heard once in a movie. 'The flower that blooms in adversity, is often the most rare and beautiful of all.' Or simply put, sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for. And even if you don't end up like Ann or Shiho, you're still plenty beautiful to me, just the way you are.

And for what it's worth? I didn't fall in love with you for your looks. I fell for you because of that sassy and winning personality of yours, not to mention that bright mind you have." Kusa said reassuringly as he kissed Futaba on the cheek, ignoring the giggles from Ann and Shiho, who both said 'Aww' in unison. Futaba then smiled happily as she let herself draw comfort from her boyfriend's words while she shamelessly ogled Kusa's chest until the game ended.

(Table 2 scoring after Game 2: Ann and Futaba - 40 points/tied, Kusa - 30 points, Shiho- 10 points)

(Back at Table 1, with Ren, Kasumi, Ryuji, and Makoto, Game 3)

After the cards were dealt, Kasumi gave Ren her two best cards as Beggar, and Ren gave Kasumi his two worst as Tycoon. Likewise, Ryuji and Makoto swapped a card each as the Rich and Poor respectively. Kasumi started the game off as the previous game's Beggar. Kasumi scrunched her nose cutely in thought before she laid down a trio of 3's, which prompted Ryuji to pass, while Ren played a trio of 5's, making Makoto pass as well as Kasumi, ending the hand.

Ren started the next hand with a pair of 6's, to which Makoto replied with a pair of 9's, Ryuji passed, and a smiling Kasumi played a pair of kings. Ren then smirked as he laid down a pair of aces, forcing both Makoto and Kasumi to pass, ending the hand. Ren then started the next hand with a jack, which Makoto responded to with a queen, Kasumi played a 2, Ren passed, and a grinning Ryuji laid down a joker.

"Ka-BOOM!" Ryuji said as he played the joker, making Makoto pass before Kasumi smiled and spoke up in a deceptively sweet tone.

"Aw, too bad, Ryuji-senpai. Looks like you fell into my trap. Behold, my 3 of Spades Reversal ploy!" Kasumi said as she laid down the 3 of Spades, making Ryuji's jaw drop as he spoke up.

"You can do that!?" Ryuji said in shock as a grinning Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, you sure can, Ryuji. Sumi just played you like a fiddle, man. Sorry about that." Ren said proudly as the hand ended. Kasumi then started the next hand with a giggle.

"And now for a power play! Behold! REVOLUTION!" Kasumi said as she laid down all four sevens, making everyone else pass and ending the hand. Kasumi giggled as she started the next hand by playing her last cards, or the four tens, not only causing a Counter Revolution, but also making Kasumi the Tycoon once again and bankrupting Ren, who just shook his head in disappointment before he spoke up.

"Gah! I'm bankrupt!?" Ren said in shock as Kasumi giggled and impishly kissed Ren on the cheek before she spoke up.

"Yep, them's the breaks, Senpai! I'm the Tycoon once again!" Kasumi said with a smile as a red-faced Ren just nodded and accepted his loss. After the ensuing shootout, Makoto wrestled Rich status away from Ryuji, leaving Ryuji to be poor. Kasumi giggled as she spoke up.

"As the Tycoon, I declare that Ryuji-kun has to lose his jacket, while Ren has to lose both his shirts." Kasumi said happily as Ren and Ryuji shrugged and took off the requested articles of clothing, leaving the former of the two bare-chested while the latter still had a shirt on. Despite herself, Kasumi instinctively licked her lower lip excitedly as she took in the sight of Ren's six-pack abs while the game ended.

((Final scoring for Table 1 after Match 1: Kasumi- 60 points (Tycoon), Ren - 50 points (Rich), Makoto - 40 points (Poor), Ryuji - 30 points (Beggar) Match 1 winner for Table 1: Kasumi))

(Back at Table 2, with Kusa, Futaba, Ann, and Shiho, game 3)

As the previous game's Beggar thanks to the Bankrupt rule, Kusa and Ann, who was the previous game's Tycoon, swapped cards, Ann getting Kusa's best two cards, and Kusa getting Ann's worst two. At the same time, Futaba got Shiho's best card and Shiho got Futaba's worst. Kusa then started off the hand with a carefully-weighed ploy using a pair of sixes. Ann played a pair of sevens, Shiho passed, and Futaba smirked as she spoke up.

"Don't think so! Double 8-Stop!" Futaba said as she ended the hand with a pair of eights. Futaba then started the next hand with a trio of nines, Shiho and Kusa passed, and Ann played a trio of queens, making Futaba pass and ending the hand. Ann then started the next hand with a pair of kings, to which Futaba answered with a pair of twos, making the others pass and ending the hand. Futaba then started the next hand by playing a two to try and flush the other joker and the 3 of Spades. Ann passed, but Shiho smiled and played her joker, making Kusa grin as he spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Gotcha, Shiho! Get denied!" Kusa said as he played the 3 of Spades to trigger a '3 of Spades Reversal' on Shiho's joker, making her swear as she spoke up.

"Aw, crap! I forgot about that damned 3 of Spades Reversal rule!" Shiho said with a cute pout as the hand ended. Kusa then played an ace to try and flush the other joker, to which Futaba answered with a two, and the others passed. Futaba then giggled as she spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Read it and weep, fools! REVOLUTIONARY OUT!" Futaba said as she played her three 3's and her joker to empty her hand and cause a Revolution, making her go out as the Tycoon and making Ann fall to the 'Bankrupt' rule, making her automatically the Beggar for the game. Ann pouted at this as she spoke up.

"Aw, come on! I'm 'Bankrupt'!? This rule really sucks!" Ann said as she crossed her arms petulantly, making a giggling Shiho smile at Ann as she spoke up.

"Aww, don't cry, Ann! Whant me to khish it better?" Shiho whispered suggestively into Ann's ear, making her flush prettily but shake her head in the negative, not wanting to do that in front of Futaba. After the ensuing shoot-out, a smiling Shiho beat Kusa to the Rich spot, making a shrugging Kusa speak up.

"Poor? Meh, at least I wasn't the Beggar again, I guess. Well played, Taba." Kusa said as Taba giggled and spoke up.

"Ann has to lose her shirt and one of her shoes. Kusa, you get to lose the last of your shoes." Futaba said as Kusa and Ann did as told, Shiho giggling excitedly as she saw Ann's bra-clad chest, smiling appreciatively at how much Ann's figure seemed to strain against her bra, making Futaba giggle at the flushed look on Shiho's face while Kusa spoke up.

"At least I ended the round with my pants on, so that's something." Kusa said with a shrug as the game ended.

((Final scoring for Table 2 after Match 1: Futaba - 70 points (Tycoon), Kusa and Ann - 40 points (tied Rich), Shiho - 30 points (Beggar) Match 1 winner for table 2: Futaba))

"Looks like according to these scores, Ryuji and Shiho have to swap tables. Bummer, you two." Ren said as he looked at the displayed scores on a nearby monitor. Ryuji and Shiho shrugged as they swapped tables. Makoto frowned as she spoke up.

"Do we really have to play until two of us lose all our clothes? I get it if we do, since that's the rules we set, but can't we just call it here after one match? We could always say that the two least dressed are the ones who fall victim to the punishment we previously decided upon." Makoto said as the others thought about it and agreed. After looking around, surprisingly enough Futaba was the winner, as the only one still fully clothed. Meanwhile, it turned out that Kusa and Kasumi were the two with the fewest remaining articles of clothing at two apiece.

(Remaining articles of clothing: Futaba - 7, Makoto - 5, Ann - 4, Ren - 4, Ryuji - 3, Shiho - 3, Kusa - 2, Kasumi - 2)

"Last I checked, Kasumi and Kusa were dating different people and thus not a couple, so they didn't fall victim to the punishment of fooling around with each other. However, they do instead have to decide between losing one additional article of clothing apiece, or giving their respective boyfriend/girlfriend a full-body massage in one of the private rooms off to the side of this backroom." Makoto said as Ren and Kasumi shared a look before both smiled and a smirking Ren gently led Kasumi to a side room, while a grinning Futaba leaned in to whisper something into Kusa's ear.

Whatever she said, it made Kusa's face go red before he nodded and carried her bridal-style to another of the side rooms, leaving the others to giggle as the remaining four decided to have a seat at the booth and have some drinks, forgetting about the possibility that the drinks were spiked as they did so. After a bit, Ren, Kasumi, Kusa, and Futaba came back out of the side-rooms, all red-faced but smiling ear to ear as they sat down and had drinks. After a bit, the singles, or Akechi, Haru, Morgana, and Yusuke, rejoined the couples, Akechi smirking as he saw the overall dis-sheveled look most of the couples had. He then spoke up.

"Oh, what's this? Did we miss the part where things got wild?" Akechi said teasingly as Ryuji spoke up.

"Hah! You whish, Akhechi! You missed an insane game of Strip Tycoon, is what you missed. Also, the only ones who got wild were Kusa, Futaba, Ren, and Kashumi. Pretty sure they all just hit home rhuns! Or if they didn't, they shure as ehff ghot to base." Ryuji said with a grin, slurring his words noticeably as Kusa spoke up while playfully flipping off Ryuji.

"Shut it, Ryuji! And for the record? I hardly think a full-body massage counts as getting to base, Ryuji. Besides, I'm sure Akhechi could have just as mhuch fuhn with Haru, given how much I've seen her sneaking looks at him when she thinks we're not lookhing. But, that'sh her business if she has it bhad for you, Ahkechi-khun." Kusa said, slightly slurring his words as Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"I won't aphologhize for Rhen having such a schwole physhique. I enjhoyed giving him that fhull massage. He's sho smexy." Kasumi said happily as Ren blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"Kashumi! That'sh too much informatshun! They dohn't need to know about your wild shide. Only I ghet to see that. Alsho, your breashts are so perfecht." Ren said, slightly slurring his words as Kasumi blushed prettily and spoke up.

"Senpai, stahp it. You're embarrashing me." Kasumi said, deciding to shut Ren up with a kiss, ignoring the cat-calls the other couples gave, and the shocked looks on the faces of Yusuke and Morgana, the latter speaking up.

"Wait, what? Shince when is Kashumi that bold with her affectshuns for Rhen? And I didn't realize that Kusa got so vulgar when he was drunk." Morgana said while giving Kusa a disappointed look as Kusa huffed while glaring at the slurring not-cat as he spoke up.

"It'sh none of your business, Morgana. And I'm not that drunk, not compared to the others at least. I'm just lightly buzzed, if anything." Kusa said as Futaba nodded, sitting in Kusa's lap happily as she spoke up.

"Yep! Kusa's got a happy little buzz going! Not to mention he's rocking that smexy six-pack he's ghot going!" Futaba said, playfully resting her head on Kusa's shoulder as she spoke up, making Kusa flush slightly but smile at Futaba being comfortable resting on him. Ryuji then grinned and spoke up.

"Hey! I know what we should do next! I saw a karaoke stage back behind the Tycoon tables! We should get on-stage and see who's the best shinger!" Ryuji said as Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Akechi all declined, citing they were awful singers, as Ryuji spoke up.

"I didn't even know cats could shing, Morghana!" Ryuji said in surprise as Kusa and Morgana both frowned at Ryuji, the latter speaking up angrily.

"Ah'm NOT a cat, Ryuji! Quit calling meh a cat! Could a cat do thish?" Morgana said as he brazenly marched over and laid a kiss on a stunned Ann's lips, making Shiho giggle at Ann being kissed by a not-cat. Ann then recovered enough to speak up while lightly shoving Morgana away.

"Morgana! I get you were making a point, but still, you know kissing me ish wrong! I have a girlfriend!" Ann said as she then pulled Shiho into a loving kiss to prove her point, which a giggling Shiho eagerly returned as Morgana frowned and sat down before he spoke up in a sad tone.

"Thish sucks! Not only ish Ryuji picking on me, but Lady Ann doesn't even like me!" Morgana said sullenly as he reached for a glass and pounded the contents, ignoring the wide-eyed looks of shock on Kusa, Ren, and Akechi's faces at the not-cat's brazen consuming of a drink. Eventually, the karaoke plan was reluctantly vetoed. After a bit, the couples decided to retreat to the side rooms, while the singles played a game of Tycoon among themselves for fun. The rest of the night passed in a blur of fun, drinks, and passion...

(Not long after the games ended, in a side room with Kusa and Futaba)

As Kusa and Futaba got into a side room, Futaba giggled as she pushed Kusa up against a wall while passionately kissing him, making him blush but smile as he returned the kiss with eager passion. After a few minutes of intense kissing, Kusa gave Futaba an unreadable look before scooping her up bridal-style and carrying her over to the closest bed, setting her down as he straddled her waist dominately before leaning in to kiss her once again, his hands moving to Futaba's sides to tickle her playfully, making Futaba blush as she giggled from Kusa tickling her while she returned the kiss.

"S-Stop! N-No fair, tickling me while we make out! You know I enjoy being tickled." Futaba said with a cute pout as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I know. Why do you think I did it? Besides, with the position we're in now, it gives me better room to give you a shoulder rub if you should so desire one, or even to let my hands wander around on you." Kusa said slyly as Futaba blushed and spoke up.

"R-Really? You'd give me a shoulder rub?" Futaba asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I would indeed, if that's what you want. Alternatively, I can give you that full-body massage that was suggested by Makoto as a punishment for Kasumi and I getting last overall in the 'most clothed' contest. Which, to be fair, I don't know how you escaped that without losing even one piece of clothing. Almost a bit unfair, to be frank. I took everything except my pants and boxers off out there. Yet, you somehow finished that round fully dressed. I think I'm the only one out there whose girlfriend wasn't at least down to her bra, other than maybe Ryuji." Kusa said, making Futaba giggle as she saw him pout a bit, slyly looking into Kusa's eyes as she spoke up.

**SLIGHT M-RATED CONTENT STARTS HERE. IF YOU'RE NOT A FAN OF LIGHT SMUT, OR OF SEMI-LEMONS, SKIP TO THE SECTION MARKED *END OF M-RATED CONTENT* TO CONTINUE READING, OTHERWISE CONTINUE READING ON FROM HERE IF YOU DON'T MIND SUCH THINGS. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SCROLL DOWN AND SKIP THE LEMON. OTHERWISE, YOU READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! M-RATED CONTENT STARTS NOW!**

"Kusa, calm down. You're my boyfriend, you know. I don't mind if you take some of my clothes off if it'll make you feel better." Futaba said slyly as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, really? Is that a fact?" Kusa asked as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, really. In fact, hold on for just a moment." Futaba said as she got to her feet, smirking at Kusa as she quickly tugged her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the ground, revealing her silky black form-fitting bra before straddling Kusa's waist as she kissed him. After returning the kiss, Kusa smirked and spoke up as he looked into Futaba's eyes.

"Wow, who knew you were hiding such a sexy figure under those clothes, Taba? I'm impressed." Kusa said as he started lightly trailing kisses along Futaba's neckline, making her blush as Kusa trailed the kisses downwards towards her collarbone, making her flush profusely as she spoke up.

"K-Kusa, I didn't realize you were so wild. But I kinda like it." Futaba said as she slyly smirked before reaching behind her back to un-clasp, but not remove, her bra, making Kusa smile as he spoke up.

"Oh, so it's like that, eh Taba? I didn't think you were in that sort of mood, but I can get behind that." Kusa said as he un-did his belt suggestively, making Futaba blush prettily as she spoke up.

"Ooh, is it finally time to get your pants off, Kusa? If so, let me get a bit more comfortable." Futaba said huskily as she slipped out of her bra, tossing it to the floor, letting her breasts flop free for Kusa to see, making him smile as he leaned in to eagerly press a kiss to the closest breast before sucking on it lovingly, making Futaba blush but moan appreciatively for Kusa's actions as she subconsciously dug her nails into Kusa's back on instinct to keep him in place. After a bit, Kusa smirked and stood up so he could slip off his pants and boxers, letting his erect manhood fall free for Futaba to see, making her blush profusely at how big it was. After seeing it, Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"Oh, so this is what you've been packing in those boxers, eh Kusa? Mmm, I like. Let me get an up-close and personal look at it, though." Futaba said as she lowered her head to wrap her mouth around Kusa's shaft, running her tongue up and down his length eagerly, making Kusa blush as he let himself massage Futaba's breasts, making sure to tease each of her nipples carefully with both his hands and his tongue, making Futaba moan appreciatively as she started using her hands and mouth to go to work on Kusa's manhood, sucking on it eagerly as Kusa smiled and patted Futaba's head happily.

After a bit, Kusa watched Futaba's butt eagerly wiggle around as she went to work on his manhood, making Kusa grin as he sneakily unbuttoned and removed Futaba's shorts to reveal the rather revealing panties she had on, making Kusa smirk as he spoke up.

"Heh, I had a feeling you were packing a thong, Taba. Yet, I find that inexplicably sexy. Better be careful doing that if you don't want my hands disappearing inside that thong of yours." Kusa said with a sly smirk as Futaba spoke up, her tongue stroking Kusa's shaft as she spoke up.

"I don't care if you finger me, Kusa. Go for it." Futaba said as Kusa smirked, taking the open invitation as he slid his free hand into Futaba's panties to start rubbing his fingers on the nub he felt between her thighs, making her shudder in a mix of excitement and arousal as she took Kusa's length further into her mouth as she sucked on it, feeling it start to slide around near the back of her mouth, almost as if thrusting into her mouth.

This turn of events had the result of making Futaba giggle as she gently massaged Kusa's balls with her hands while wrapping her tongue around his shaft, making Kusa moan as he stifled the moan in question by wrapping his mouth around the closest breast and lightly sucking down on the nipple, using the hand not currently inside Futaba's panties to massage her other breast. After a while, Futaba smiled as she felt Kusa's fingers start to move up and down between her thighs as if stimulating her entrance, making her moan eagerly.

Eventually, Kusa smirked at Futaba before using his free hand to slide Futaba's panties off so he could use both hands to part her folds before sliding two of his fingers into her entrance, eagerly sliding them up and down inside of Futaba's walls, making her arc back appreciatively as she ground her hips against Kusa's hand as she kept going to work on his cock. After a while, Futaba moaned as she felt her walls clench a bit, speaking up with a smile.

"Ooh, keep going Kusa! That feels great! I think I'm gonna cum!" Futaba said as she kept sucking on Kusa's cock, making him grunt as he spoke up.

"I hope so. You keep doing what you're doing though, and I might not be far behind you, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and kept going, massaging his balls seductively as she kept licking along the length of his shaft. After a bit, Futaba felt her walls clench on Kusa's hand as she spoke up.

"OOH, FUCK YES! I THINK I'M COMIN', KUSA!" Futaba said as she felt herself release onto Kusa's hand, slicking his fingers with her juices, which Kusa slowly slid out of Futaba after groaning as he felt himself constrict inside of Futaba's mouth as he spoke up.

"OOF, I HOPE YOU'VE GOT ME WHERE YOU WANT ME, BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO BLOW!" Kusa said as he grunted while he felt his load explode into the back of Futaba's throat, multiple loads releasing in succession in her mouth. After she felt him go limp in her mouth, Futaba's mouth slowly slid off of Kusa's cock to grab the hand that Kusa had fingered her with, eagerly licking the juice-slicked fingers clean before kissing Kusa to share the taste. After that, she and Kusa wordlessly collapsed on each other, smiling contentedly as they curled up together and dozed off without a word, both spent from what they'd just experienced together...

**M-RATED CONTENT ENDS HERE. CONTINUE READING FROM HERE IF YOU SKIPPED OVER THE PRECEDING M-RATED SCENE.**

(The next morning, in one of the side rooms, with Ren and Kasumi)

Ren groggily sat up and stretched, frowning as he put a hand up to block the sun out of his eyes, feeling an inexplicable headache at that moment. He then looked down and blushed as he noticed Kasumi cutely sprawled out on his chest, snuggling up to him happily, though Ren frowned as he noted that Kasumi's shoulders were bare.

After he looked around, he gasped as he saw the clothes scattered on the ground, before lightly lifting up the blanket to show that he and Kasumi at least still had some clothes on, even if it was only boxers for Ren and panties for Kasumi. Ren then smiled as he gently kissed Kasumi on the lips, feeling very happy that he got to wake up with her in his arms. Kasumi's eyes sleepily fluttered open as she felt Ren kiss her, making her look up into his eyes as she spoke up.

"Oh, morning Senpai." Kasumi said sleepily, before her brain switched on and she registered what she'd said and her eyes widened.

"Wait, Senpai? Why are we in bed together?" Kasumi said as she saw the clothes on the ground and spoke up.

"Oh my! Did we fool around last night!?" Kasumi asked as Ren spoke up while smiling gently at Kasumi.

"Given we still have panties and boxers on, I'm going to say no. If I had to guess, we probably came in here, started making out, and probably started getting frisky with each other after we made out for a bit. But don't be embarrassed, Sumi. You look absolutely stunning right now." Ren said kindly as Kasumi blushed and spoke up.

"S-Senpai, that's so sweet. Thank you. I'm not saying I'd have minded it if we had gone all the way last night, but I'd prefer to think I was able to remember my first time, especially if it's with the man I love, meaning you. However, you're pretty chiseled yourself. I love you, Ren." Kasumi said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh! You called me by my name. I'm shocked. Also, I love you too, Kasumi." Ren said as he pulled Kasumi into a kiss, which she returned as she laid her head on Ren's shoulder.

"As nice as this is, we should probably get dressed and get going. After all, you never went home last night, so who's to say Boss isn't livid with you and Kusa both right now?" Kasumi said as Ren's eyes went wide and he spoke up.

"Oh shit, that's right! Never mind me, he's probably ready to either skin Kusa or eviscerate him, if not both! Kusa was supposed to have Futaba home by curfew last night!" Ren said as Kasumi nodded and the two got dressed before heading out to the room from last night, where a smirking Akechi was waiting for them.

"Morning, you two. Wasn't expecting you two to be the first ones up. I half-expected it to be Ryuji and Makoto, But given how loud they were, I'm guessing they kept themselves up pretty late messing around with one another. Then again, I got the impression your brother and Futaba were also up rather late, Ren." Akechi said as another of the side rooms opened up, and Kusa walked out with Futaba, as if they'd been summoned by Akechi talking about them. Kusa then walked over and scowled at Akechi, flipping him off as he spoke up, hoping he wasn't also still blushing from what he and Futaba had done last night.

"Shut up, Akechi. And quit lying about Taba and I, please. For the record, we just cuddled together and fell asleep. Granted, that wasn't without a bit of protest from Taba. She seemed surprisingly intent on jumping me last night, but I wasn't drunk enough that I was going to take advantage of her like that. She was completely shit-faced by the time we got into our room. But she does make for an adorable little cuddlebug, if nothing else. And she can rock the hell out of her sleepwear." Kusa said in a tone that was a mix of annoyed, slightly hungover, and slightly amused. Futaba then spoke up while giggling as she leaned into Kusa happily.

"Mwehehe! I got to use Kusa's pecs for a pillow! They're so comfy!" Futaba said as Ren covered his ears reflexively as he spoke up.

"Gah! I didn't need to hear that, Futaba! That's my brother you're talking about, after all!" Ren said as Kusa snorted and spoke up.

"HA! This coming from the guy who was practically waxing poetic about how sexy he finds Kasumi. And for the record, I could tell you that I didn't need to hear you talking like that about the girl who's basically a sister to me, but I won't, since you did make Akechi uncomfortable." Kusa said as Ryuji stumbled out and blearily fist-bumped Kusa before he spoke up while sitting down, not even listening to what was being said but figuring that Kusa had roasted Akechi yet again as he spoke.

"Truth, Kusa! Way to put that douchebag in his place!" Ryuji said with a grin as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"Why are most of you acting hung over? None of you had any actual alcohol last night." Haru pointed out as Morgana padded into the room and spoke up.

"Is that so? Explain why most of the couples basically ended up acting like horny rabbits by the end of the night last night then? I seem to recall that Kusa and Futaba ducked into a side room at least twice for a quickie, Ren and Kasumi ducked into a side room at least once, and Lady Ann dragged Shiho into that side room at least five times. And I'm pretty sure those two hit a home run at least once. Why would they act like that if they were sober?" Morgana said with his arms crossed, ignoring the unimpressed glares that Ren, Ryuji, and Kusa were all shooting him after his remarks. Yusuke spoke up.

"I could be wrong, but I think that was a result of the placebo effect, as Togo-san once described it to me. As I recall, that bartender told us all that 'a certain sloshed reporter' may have spiked the drinks, and we saw Ren take some drinks, and he was most definitely wasted by the end of the night, given how much he was whispering sweet nothings into his girlfriend's ear most of the night.

And ignoring how blatantly he's lying right now, I know for a fact Morgana was wasted, given the fact he pretty brazenly spanked Futaba right in front of Kusa. So it could be our cognition was altered to make us think we were inebriated when we were in fact very much sober the entire time." Yusuke suggested as Ren, Kasumi, Kusa, Futaba, Ryuji, Makoto, Morgana, and even Akechi all gave each other horrified looks.

A bunch of apologies then were exchanged among the mentioned people, and Akechi even turned to apologize to Haru as he remembered kissing her the night before, but Haru just smiled and told Akechi she forgave him, to his relief. After that, everyone got dressed hastily and returned to their respective homes, aside from Shiho, who went back to Ann's house with Ann. Ren and Kusa then headed back to Leblanc with Futaba, Morgana taking a cat-nap in Ren's bag as they went...

(A short time later, at Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa, Futaba, Morgana, and Sojiro)

Sojiro frowned as the door to Leblanc opened up, and a very dis-sheveled looking Kusa, Futaba, and Ren walked in, making Sojiro frown as he spoke up while fixing a contrite-looking Kusa with a disapproving look.

"And where exactly have you three been?" Sojiro asked as Kusa spoke up apologetically.

"Would you believe we were at Crossroads, having another party for Ann's birthday? I meant to bring Futaba home last night, but then some drunken reporter spiked our drinks and the bartender made us stay the night at the bar to sleep it off before sending us home this morning. I apologize for not calling you to let you know, but I was kinda just a bit out of it for most of last night. But I made sure to be a perfect gentleman with Futaba. But I'll accept whatever punishment you see fit to give for having her home so late." Kusa said honestly to Sojiro, who just smiled and spoke up.

"Forgiven. As long as you were safe and had fun, I'm just glad you brought Futaba home safe. But next time, let me know if stuff comes up so I don't have to sit up worrying. I eventually fell asleep, but I had to keep the shop closed this morning while I waited for you three. So that's a morning's worth of business I missed out on because of you. So provided you help out here a bit more often, I think we can let it slide this time. Now go get changed and then you and Futaba can go to the house and freshen up a bit, while Ren goes to the bathhouse." Sojiro said, crossing his arms authoritatively. Kusa, Ren, and Futaba nodded before doing as they were told.

(Later that morning, in the attic of Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren and Morgana sat in the attic of Leblanc, Ren's phone went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Akechi, with Haru sending the first response.

"Only one week remaining." Haru said as Ryuji sent a response.

"Yeah, that's how much time we got to nab the Treasure." Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"There's that, but it's also how much longer we'll get to stay as the Phantom Thieves." Haru sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yeah." Ann sent as Kusa and Yusuke sent responses close together, Yusuke's coming through first.

"Now that you mention that, it is quite an odd feeling." Yusuke said as Kusa sent a response next.

"You mean like the odd feeling most of us had last night, when we thought we were all wasted? Granted, that was fun as hell, but still mortifying given what we got up to. I apologize now to Futaba for any humiliation I caused her with my actions last night." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Mwehehe, don't worry about it! I had a blast! Plus, I quite enjoyed seeing you loosen up a bit, Kusa. Granted, I was a bit worried when you got up in Morgana's face at one point. But then things calmed themselves quickly after that." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I don't think we need to bring that up. We can all agree that none of us were in our right minds, sober or not, last night. That said, to what Yusuke brought up, I've been trying to avoid thinking about that until the time actually comes." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Did you remember, Ren?" Futaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"Unfortunately, I did. But I say we deal with that when the time comes. Until then, let's just do our best." Ren sent. Futaba sent a response.

"That's not really an answer to my question, but it's good motivation!" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Whether it's an answer or not, I'm pretty sure that's Ren's way of saying he doesn't want to talk about it. And I don't blame him. No one wants to think about the idea of this group breaking up. I can't believe how ballsy Akechi-kun was making that demand, even if it was a reasonable request." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth, man! Akechi can't tell us what to do! But back on topic. Well, I guess all we can do now is do this shit like we always do." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yeah. For Makoto's sister." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Speaking of Makoto's sister, Taba and I finished writing the calling card for Makoto, since she asked us to handle it, and I think we did a good job with it. I'll make sure to get it to you before the 18th." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Much appreciated, you two. I'll keep my schedule open for the next few days, so you should be able to find me by the Student Council Room when you deliver the card, Kusa-kun. And thank you, everyone." Makoto sent as Ren then put his phone away as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! How many days are left till we send the calling card? 5? Well, make sure you're ready for it." Morgana said as Ren nodded understandingly. After looking over his options, he saw that only Futaba, Yusuke, and Makoto were available to rank up, along with Takemi, though the latter was greyed out as it happened. Once he thought it over, Ren decided to bite the bullet, so to speak, and go rank up Makoto.

On the way to Shujin, Ren remembered he had a lottery ticket to check. When he checked it, he was disappointed to find he'd only won 300 yen off of a 3,000 yen ticket. He then promptly bought another ticket for 3,000 yen. Once that was done, Ren headed to the gate of Shujin, where Makoto happened to be standing around. Ren then approached Makoto, who looked at Ren and spoke up as she noticed him.

"Ah, hello there, Ren-kun. Last night was pretty crazy, yes? But that aside, all we can do now is wait until the designated day of the heist. Sis, hang in there. We'll save you. No, I shouldn't let myself worry about it for now. We'll just have to wait and see for the time being, since there's little else we can do. Oh, so I spoke to Eiko and she said her boyfriend was okay with the double date idea. She asked me to show you her picture though, for some reason.

Um, apparently, when she saw your picture, she wasn't impressed. And she thinks you're a little lame for whatever reason, which I disagree with. She told me that my boyfriend isn't in the same league as her Tsukasa, as if you're trying to compete with that guy. But I think she'll change her mind once she sees you in person. Do you have time to spend with me? Don't worry, I'll back you up." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up.

"Bear in mind Ren, you do have a girlfriend in actuality, so don't get too into it if you do pretend to be Makoto's boyfriend here. And I think it goes without saying, pray that Kasumi doesn't see you two together, lest she get the wrong idea. And between us? I think Kusa is still having a hard time looking at Kasumi after she flashed you last night, so I wouldn't be surprised if she turned some of the other guys' heads too when she did that.

I myself wasn't that impressed by that, but that's more because I'm not trying to take your girlfriend from you, Ren. You two are amazing together. But back on topic, do you want to hang out with Makoto?" Morgana said as Ren nodded, ignoring Morgana's little spiel about the ramifications of Kasumi's bold decision during the King's Game last night to look towards Makoto and speak up.

"Makoto, I don't mind helping you out with this, but don't forget, we're both in actual relationships with other people, so let's not make a habit of this." Ren said warily to Makoto, who sighed in relief and nodded as she spoke up.

"Understood. And thank goodness. I'll contact Eiko. Shall we go? Let's meet at the diner, as I mentioned before." Makoto said as she ignored the horrified looks Morgana and Ren exchanged as Ren and Makoto headed to the dinner to meet up with Eiko and Tsukasa...

(At the diner, with Ren, Makoto, Eiko, and Tsukasa)

As Ren and Makoto sat together in a booth across from Eiko and her boyfriend, a very disco-looking sort of guy who had on a white button-up jacket, white slacks, brown dance shoes, a red button-up undershirt, a very fancy choker necklace with a charm on it that Ren couldn't identify, and a silver dog-tag on a chain. Ren also took notice of the blue flower brooch casually affixed to the right chest pocket of the white jacket, before Eiko's boyfriend spoke up. However, while Eiko's boyfriend spoke, Ren found himself having a hard time seeing his eyes, or his face for the most part, through the long rust-brown hair flowing down his face.

"Yo. My name's Tsukasa. I heard all about you two from Eiko. So I heard you're the student-council prez, Makoto-chan? I totally wish I could be one of your council members." The now-named Tsukasa said to a flustered Makoto, who spoke up.

"Oh! Um, Y-Yes, I am in fact the student council president at Shujin Academy. Totally in charge." Makoto said as Ren frowned at Tsukasa and spoke up.

"No offense to you Tsukasa-san, but I don't think you'd fit in on the student council, if only because one of my other friends and my younger brother are both also on said student council with Makoto, and my younger brother in particular has little patience for shameless flirts who hit on other people's women. Like myself, Kusa was raised to have only the utmost respect for women.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like you're being awfully complimentary to Makoto for someone who's here with a girlfriend of his own, or am I wrong about you and Eiko-san?" Ren said bluntly, giving Tsukasa an appraising look as Makoto gave Ren a shocked but grateful look for speaking up. Tsukasa scoffed at Ren before turning to Makoto as he spoke up.

"Four-Eyes here is your boyfriend, yeah?" Tsukasa said to Makoto, who nodded and spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, that's right. Ren here is my boyfriend." Makoto said, confirming what she'd told Eiko and Tsukasa, not seeing Ren struggling to keep quiet and resisting his first impulse, which was gently correcting Makoto and pointing out he already had a girlfriend that he cared for a great deal.

Unbeknownst to Ren or Makoto, Kasumi chose that same diner to go have lunch at, so while they were putting on an act for Eiko and Tsukasa, Kasumi happened to be sitting in the booth behind Makoto when Makoto made her claim to Tsukasa, making Kasumi quietly gasp in shock as she heard Makoto call Ren her boyfriend, making Kasumi frown at this.

However, while she was fighting the urge to call Makoto out on her blatant lie, she happened to hear Ren grumbling what sounded like 'why did I agree to this?' under his breath, and smiled slightly, figuring Ren was probably just putting on a performance for Makoto's sake, and deciding to wait until later to confront the two about it, instead choosing to enjoy her lunch. Tsukasa then scoffed and spoke up.

"Huh. Looks like you guys don't get along too good though. It's like your love level's rock bottom. Are you seriously datin'?" Tsukasa asked as Ren spoke up.

"Love comes in many forms, Tsukasa-san. And I don't think you have room to judge Makoto and I on how we get along when I notice that Eiko's not said much since we got here." Ren said sagely. Makoto nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"R-Right! He doesn't really like it when I get all clingy with him. He's more of a moral support type of guy, plus he's always good about complimenting me when he thinks I need it, and keeping me happy." Makoto said. Tsukasa scoffed and spoke up.

"Ohhh, I get it. You just don't got any affection compared to us." Tsukasa said as Eiko nodded and spoke up.

"Mmmmmm-hm!" Eiko said as Tsukasa did a finger guns towards Eiko before he spoke up.

"Hey babe, did you do something special today? I don't remember you lookin' this sexy." Tsukasa said to Eiko, who squealed happily before speaking up, not seeing Ren wincing at the shrill outburst. Unbeknownst to Ren, Kasumi also winced at the squeal, but said nothing as Eiko spoke.

"Oh, Tsukasaaa!" Eiko said happily as she gave Tsukasa a loving look. Makoto sighed as she spoke up. *2*

"Well, you're certainly enthusiastic about your relationship, Eiko." Makoto said in a tone that was a mix of deadpan and flustered. Eiko nodded and spoke up.

"Mm-hm. Sorry, I hafta use the bathroom." Eiko said as she got up and walked off to do just that. Tsukasa smiled and nodded as he spoke up while Eiko got up.

"Later, lovebird." Tsukasa said as Makoto spoke up to get Tsukasa's attention.

"Excuse me. Um, there's something I'd like to ask you, Tsukasa-san. Are you serious about pursuing a relationship with Eiko?" Makoto asked as Tsukasa smirked and gave Makoto finger guns while he spoke up.

"Aha! I was wonderin' when our honor student was gonna show her true colors! That reminds me, Eiko said you were real pumped about gettin' to know me. Why's that, huh?" Tsukasa asked Makoto, who winced as she spoke up, not seeing Ren frown at Tsukasa's attitude towards Makoto, nor Kasumi blinking in confusion at Tsukasa's question.

"No reason, really. I just wanted to make sure you're good for her." Makoto said as Tsukasa gave Makoto an impressed smile and spoke up.

"Daaaaaamn girl, you really care about your friends! Good stuff. I always say, friends're like, super important n' shit. Speakin' of which, a friend of my GF is totally a friend of mine. How 'bout you tell me your digits?" Tsukasa said to Makoto, who gasped in shock as she spoke up.

"Huh?" Makoto said in shock as Tsukasa spoke up again.

"What's wrong? C'mon, give me your number." Tsukasa said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"I-I, um, I dunno if I should be giving my number to another girl's boyfriend." Makoto said warily, though both she and Kasumi were surprised at what Ren said next, as he glared at Tsukasa while speaking up.

"Hey, back off. She said no. And besides, why're you being so insistent on getting her number when you already have Eiko who you're dating? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to make a move on Makoto. And even if she doesn't seem to notice, I do, and I don't approve of guys who try to hit on other girls while they have a girlfriend already.

I'm a firm believer that once you find a girlfriend, you stay loyal to her and her alone, and don't even think of so much as thinking of another woman. But I can see that you don't share that belief, so that's your choice." Ren said wisely, not seeing Makoto shoot Ren a shocked but grateful look and Kasumi smiling proudly at how Ren stood up for Makoto, her earlier anger at Makoto forgotten. Tsukasa glared at Ren as he spoke up.

"Shut up! No one asked you, Four-Eyes." Tsukasa said rudely to Ren, before turning back to Makoto as he kept speaking.

"Anyways, Eiko already gave me yours, Mako-chan. We good." Tsukasa said as Ren frowned at Tsukasa, but chose not to rise to the very juvenile attempt at baiting him, even though he was sorely tempted to haul off and sock Tsukasa in the face. Makoto sighed and spoke up.

"I see. I do have one more question to ask, Tsukasa-san. You're not going to bring Eiko to your club, are you?" Makoto asked Tsukasa, who put a faux-offended look on as he spoke up.

"What, you suspectin' me? I wouldn't dream of it. It's a damn shame people think us hosts're just flirts. But my love for Eiko is pure as snow. Don't twist the story." Tsukasa said as Eiko chose that moment to walk back over and speak up.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Eiko asked Tsukasa, who did another finger gun as he spoke up.

"Oh, I was just gettin' to know your little friend here, honey. Welp, I should get goin'. I've gotta be back at work soon." Tsukasa said as Eiko nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, me too! Byeee!" Eiko said as she and Tsukasa left, leaving Ren and Makoto sitting alone, as Ren moved to sit across from Makoto, who sighed and spoke up.

"I hope he's not tricking her, Ren-kun. But no matter what I might think, I still don't have any proof that Tsukasa has less than pure motives. And above all, Eiko seems really happy. Am I just overthinking things, and getting in the way of their happiness?" Makoto asked as Ren spoke up.

"No, you're being considerate, Makoto. I'll be honest, I'd have done the same thing you're doing if Ryuji, Yusuke, or Kusa had gotten into a relationship with a sketchy person, though ideally without the whole having to pretend to be dating someone angle being needed, unless Kasumi happens to be there, in which case we can actually pull off the idea that we're dating, because we totally are.

That being said, I understand why you needed me to act like that, but I have to be honest, I wasn't entirely comfortable with it. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure I heard someone gasping behind us when you called me your boyfriend. What are the odds that Kasumi happened to come here for lunch and heard you say that?" Ren said, not hearing Kasumi gasp in shock at Ren having heard her gasp before. Makoto nodded and spoke up at that point.

"I suppose so, Ren-kun. I mean, I really am worried about Eiko here, to be honest." Makoto said as Kasumi made a snap decision and grabbed her meal and stood up to sit next to Ren at the same booth as Ren and Makoto, making the two gasp as they saw Kasumi sit down. Ren blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, hey there beautiful. I thought I heard you earlier. Sorry you had to listen to all that. I promise you, I didn't enjoy a moment of it. If it weren't a favor to Makoto, I would've out-right refused to even partake in a farce like this, but I did promise her I'd help out with this, and that was before you and I got together. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings by doing this, though. Are you upset with me?" Ren asked Kasumi, who shook her head as she spoke up.

"No, I'm not upset with you, Ren-senpai. I'll admit, I was a bit pissed at Niijima-senpai at first, though. However, after I thought about it a bit more, I realized that you were just helping her out as a friend, Senpai. I won't deny that it hurt though when she called you her boyfriend, even if it was just an act. But I forgive you two, this time." Kasumi said before turning to give Makoto a pointed glare.

"Don't do this again, Niijima-senpai! I don't mind it this time, but I prefer it if I don't have to constantly have my boyfriend pretending to date other girls. Not only is it a bad look for the two of you, but it's also a bit painful to listen to. Imagine if Sakamoto-senpai had seen this instead of me? I can imagine he'd have been quite a bit less accepting of it than I am. Granted, I can see why you didn't ask him to pretend to date you, but I feel like he'd have done a fine job." Kasumi said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Understood, Yoshizawa-san. I'll be more respectful of you and Ren-kun's relationship from now on. I suppose I should fill you in on why this was necessary, since you heard as much as you did." Makoto said as she quickly filled Kasumi in on what she'd told Ren, making Kasumi gasp as she spoke up.

"What!? No wonder you needed Ren-senpai to help you. That guy sounds like a dirtbag of the worst sort! I hope for her sake, he's being honest about his love for Takao-san." Kasumi said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Yoshizawa-san. And in the end, I know this is just a hunch of mine, but my father always stressed how important it is to trust hunches." Makoto said as her phone chose that moment to go off with a text message, which she opened up her phone to read. Makoto frowned as she spoke up.

"How suspicious. It seems that that host sent me something already. Ugh, what is this supposed to be saying? It's full of emojis. 'It's meee, Tsukasa. *heart emoji* I no we just met but I cudn't wait 2 *phone emoji* u.' There's more. 'Im so haP to B friends with U, Mako-chan *clapping emoji* *clapping emoji* *hot springs emoji*' Ugh." Makoto said as she sweatdropped while she kept speaking. *3*

"That was barely a coherent sentence, but I'll need to get used to that if I'm going to help Eiko find out what this guy's true nature is. Thank you very much, Ren-kun. By the way, I'm glad you were here with me. I would have really panicked had I been alone with Eiko and Tsukasa. I honestly despise how immature I can be sometimes, to be honest. But I'm working through that with your help, so yeah. Thank you." Makoto said to Ren, before turning to Kasumi with an apologetic look on her face.

"And I'm sorry I didn't ask you first before basically talking Ren into pretending to be my boyfriend, Yoshizawa-san. That wasn't okay for me to do that, even if you two weren't together at the time. You two were still clearly very much in love with each other, and I should've just chosen someone else and respected your feelings for Ren-kun. Can you forgive me?" Makoto said to Kasumi, who frowned, before nodding as she spoke up.

"Yeah, I forgive you, Niijima-senpai. And I can agree that Senpai can be quite calming and supportive when he needs to be. So I respect why you chose him. Besides, I know he only has eyes for me, especially after that really sweet remark he made to that creep who was trying to come onto you. I didn't think he was raised to be that committed to his relationships, but I'm both flattered and happy that he is. Thank you for that, Senpai. I love you so much." Kasumi said as she smiled at Ren while kissing him on the cheek. Ren spoke up.

"I love you too, Sumi. Never doubt that." Ren said reassuringly as he kissed Kasumi gently before she smiled and walked back to her original booth to finish her meal. After she left, Ren turned to Makoto and nodded respectfully, noting as he did so that he could sense Makoto's increased trust in him.

At that point, the 'Priestess' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'V' becoming a 'VI' to signify that his Priestess Confidant link with Makoto had reached Rank 6. As a result of the rank-up, Makoto had awakened to the power of 'Harisen Recovery', making it so that like pretty much every other Phantom Thief aside from probably Futaba and maybe Kusa, Makoto had the chance to cure status ailments inflicted upon party members. Afterwards, Makoto spoke up.

"Right, well, shall we go, Ren-kun? We should get going too. I'll let you know if anything else comes up." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"To be honest Makoto, I think I'm going to remain here and sit with Kasumi while she finishes her meal, if she's still here. I feel like I owe her at least that much after what she had to listen to earlier. Not to mention, she is my girlfriend who I want to feel loved and cherished." Ren said as Makoto nodded and stood up, speaking up as she got up.

"All right then, that's fair, Ren-kun. Goodbye. Have fun with your girlfriend." Makoto said as she left on her own, while Ren went to sit with Kasumi and spend some time with her as she finished her meal. After Kasumi finished her meal, she and Ren exchanged one more loving kiss before they went their separate ways, Ren heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, and he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said, not entirely surprised to hear Makoto's voice on the other end as she spoke up.

"Hey, Ren-kun? Thanks so much for everything today. I feel strangely exhausted. It reminds me of when we went to the red-light district together. Even after we split ways, that host kept sending me messages. He keeps using these weird symbols, and I have no idea what he's saying. I want to ignore him, but I shouldn't for Eiko's sake. After all, if I don't ignore him, I can get proof that he's up to something and isn't being true or faithful to Eiko." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. Tell him you're on a date. After all, I'm sure Ryuji would be more than willing to go on dates with you so you're not lying when you tell him that. Besides, Ryuji is your boyfriend, and you should be able to trust him to let him in on these things, Makoto." Ren said wisely. Makoto blinked in surprise as she spoke up.

"Oh, yeah. That'd be a good excuse to ignore him. You have some great ideas. Thanks, Ren-kun. I'll try responding with that. And yeah, I probably should explain all this to Ryuji, so he can help out. You're right that he'd probably be willing to do whatever he has to to help pull this off. After all, he's the one who confessed to me first. So I should show him the same sort of respect and care by being honest with him. That said, I just can't shake these doubts about Eiko's boyfriend. I can't tell if he's a bad guy, but he doesn't seem to be on the level either, if that makes sense. I'll need a little more information. Thanks for all your advice. I'll talk to you later." Makoto said as Ren nodded and headed into Leblanc after hanging up the phone...

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

Sojiro gave Ren a nod of greeting as Ren walked into Leblanc before he spoke up.

"Yo! Welcome home. By the way, another box came for you." Sojiro said to Ren, who opened up the box as Morgana spoke up.

"Hm? Hey! What did you get?" Morgana asked as Ren spoke up.

"Pretty sure this is my order from Shady Commodities." Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"Oh right, you bought stuff from there, right?" Morgana said as Ren nodded. He then sat at a booth seat to ponder his options...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, chapter 69 is in the books! Granted, it's not as long as I was hoping for it to be, but that's fine! A few slightly shorter chapters are good since they help make for more parts for the arc, making it likelier that Arc 6 will actually hit double digit parts, which is the goal for it. That said, I apologize to all my readers for the sheer amount of mis-spells and seeming typoes in the King's Game part of the chapter, but those were all intentional, since I'm not good at typing slurred words, so I was trying my best to spell the words like they might be spelled when slurred.

And to clear up any confusion, the King's Game part of the chapter was in and of itself a reference to both Persona 4 as well as Persona 4 Golden, wherein the main characters of that game, or the Investigation Team, get to go to a club during their school trip to the area that the player character of Persona 3/Persona 3 FES/Persona 3 Portable frequents, which I think was called Idaten Port Island? Someone can correct me in the reviews if I'm wrong on that, though, and not only will the input be appreciated, but I'll be sure to acknowledge it in a future A/N.

But back on the topic of the King's Game, that scene was both rather funny, and a bit cringe at points. Namely, the part where one of the characters literally dive-tackles another character while trying to kiss them. I won't name names, for the sake of not spoiling anyone that's reading this who hasn't yet played Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden, which if you haven't, go play them, as they're great games.

And YES, before I get reviews pointing it out, I realize that Persona 4 Golden is essentially an enhanced version of Persona 4, but I treat them as separate games since Golden adds quite a lot of stuff that vanilla Persona 4 didn't have. So that's why I say games in the plural, as well as say you should give 'them' a play.

Anyways, back on topic, that part was cringy on many levels. But the part with some of the characters acting low-key inebriated was hilarious in a way. Just to be clear though, this writer does not condone underage drinking or partying at all, as despite being referenced so hilariously in game, that's a bad habit to be in. Just gonna say that now for posterity.

Now that I'm done prattling on about that, I also managed to fit Ann's birthday party into the chapter, along with some over-due Confidant rank-ups (Futaba and Makoto), and even got a good bit of character development. Hopefully I didn't piss off too many people with how I handled the King's Game section of the chapter, as well as the 'strip Tycoon' bit I threw in with it for the LOL's of it, and because I feel like it would follow that strip games are commonly tied in with parties. That, and I felt like being a bit creative with it. Hope people enjoyed it.

That said, thanks to everyone who's viewed this story so far, and either followed it and/or me as an author, put this story and/or myself as an author on their Favorite Stories/Favorite Authors lists, and of course anyone who's reviewed the story thus far. I've gotten quite a lot of useful feedback from the reviews that's helped tremendously with continuing to improve this story.

Extra-special shout outs to AKANOS, AzraelYT, CallerNotAvailable, Will713Man, and Thekahlibear, as well as to Ryustin, for the reviews they left on the story. I had a couple other people leave reviews, but one was literally just called 'guest', and the other just left a very short review saying 'lmao this is really bad.', while using the guest name 'assault'. So I acknowledge their reviews as well.

However, I ask that if you're going to leave a review, I prefer it when I can actually reply to your review, as I do enjoy replying to my reviewers where I can, as more often than not that leads to rather fruitful and beneficial opportunities to further refine and improve the plot of the story. To that end, I also accept PMs from my readers since sometimes I can get useful feedback that way, and even constructive criticism to help me get even better as a fanfiction writer. I won't deny that I'm far from perfect, but I like to think I continue to strive to better myself as a writer, so the feedback I get from my readers is greatly welcomed and appreciated for that reason. But I think that's enough prattling for now! Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - I realize that this part might be a slight bit OOC for Kasumi, but at the same time, Kasumi and Rise (from Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden) remind me of each other in some ways. Firstly, both call other characters 'Senpai' a lot, to the point where it almost starts to seem more like a nickname than an honorific. But also, both are almost too adorable for their own good, even if Rise does admittedly have the advantage of not having a complicated family drama going on in her life, which Kasumi does have to some extent, but we'll leave it at that for now to prevent spoilers.

Ironically, both Rise and Kasumi are heavily implied in-game to be rather close to the leaders of their respective groups, so much so that the former of the two practically goes around staking claim on Yu, the leader of her group, while the latter keeps tripping over her own words while trying to be friendly to Ren/Akira/Joker (or whatever name you give the player character), the leader of her group.

But back to the point of this note, the line Kasumi said here is ironically enough a reference to the King's Game scene from Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden, where either Rise or Yukiko (though I'm fairly certain it was Rise, but again correct me in reviews if I'm remembering it wrong) says that exact same line after making a similarly random command as Queen. And they were even slurring a bit when they gave the command, so yeah that's why I made that reference.

*2* - Apparently the trend of characters speaking with emojis doesn't just apply to Kawakami. Eiko also does it, as in the line she says here, there's a literal heart emoji at the end of the line that I didn't include since I'm pretty sure you can't type emojis into a fanfiction story on here. Fortunately, it only seems to apply to non-party member characters as far as I can tell.

*3* - I legitimately forgot until typing this chapter that most of the side characters in Makoto's Confidant link seem to dabble in emojis, considering the majority of Tsukasa's text to Makoto was full of emojis and text jargon. So to people who criticize Futaba for saying she overkills textspeak, I point directly at Tsukasa as proof that there are characters who do it far worse than Futaba does. But also, Tsukasa is legit annoying. Just putting that out there.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 68

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 6

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 6

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