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

91. Darts and Rank-Ups! Reality Check part 6

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! At this point, the next 2 to maybe 3 chapters are lined up to be relatively filler-heavy, so I understand if I don't get as many reviews during this stretch of things. That said, I'll try to keep the filler as enjoyable as I can. Considering I don't think I have a whole lot else to say, I'll probably just go ahead and do the disclaimer now while I'm thinking of it, so here's the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Somasi/Slim, Kyori, Mimille, Lumine, Akira, Minako, The Malefactor, Sinocard/Asuk, and any other OCs that might appear in the rest of this story, all of whom are made by, and thus belong to me, unless otherwise stated), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo (even it's mainly for the spinoffs, such as Strikers, the Arena games, the Dancing games, and the Q games), so all credit to them!

And with that disclaimer done, let's get on with chapter 91! I'll try to have more of a lengthy A/N at the end of the chapter, so keep reading after the chapter if you want to see it. Ok, and now on to chapter 91!

Chapter 91- Confidants, Blood Oaths, and More! Reality Check part 6

(In the lower level of Leblanc, in the evening with Ren and Morgana)

After looking his options over, Ren grimaced as he saw that other than Sojiro and Hifumi, both of whom he'd already maxed out his links with, his only available option to rank up was Ohya. Ren just shook his head and headed to Crossroads in Shinjuku to rank her up, knowing he had to hang out with her eventually. Once he got to Crossroads, he walked over to Ohya and spoke up.

"Evening, Ohya-san. Sorry it's been a bit since I made time for you, but I've been relatively busy of recent with other stuff. So how're you?" Ren asked Ohya, who turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Ah, good evening to you too, Amamiya-kun the elder. I hope my co-workers are careful. It's snowing outside, after all. And the press office goes crazy when it snows in the city. Even when it's just one or two centimeters." Ohya said as Ren spoke up with a nod.

"Understandable. But to be fair, snow is snow, no matter how little of it there is. And I think if I recall correctly, it doesn't snow that often in this area. So of course snow is a big deal for that reason." Ren said as Ohya groaned but nodded as she spoke up.

"Fair point. Ugh, oof. God, my head is splitting. Work's been tough, Amamiya-kun. I need a break from it. That said, got any good stories? I'm takin' a little break, so I'm all ears." Ohya said to Ren, who thought about it and nodded before speaking up in a hesitant tone.

"I dunno about stories, per se. I mean, I do have a bit I can share, but I dunno how much of it you'd believe if I told you, since some of it is admittedly a bit of a stretch, even though it's all true. But if you need someone to get your mind off of work, I've got some time if you want to hang out." Ren said as Ohya smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? You clearly underestimate what we journalists will believe. So why don't you lay it on me, and I'll wait until you're done explaining to decide if I believe you or not. Oh, but first things first." Ohya said before turning to face Lala as she kept speaking.

"Lala-chan, two drinks please. One for me, and one for Amamiya-kun. Obviously, his is gonna be non-alcoholic. I know better than to try and encourage him to drink." Ohya said before turning to face Ren as she kept speaking.

"Here, take a seat, Amamiya-kun." Ohya said as Ren did as told. Once he was sat down, Ohya sighed as she flopped her face down on the counter, seemingly putting her hands on top of her head as she kept speaking after hearing Ren's explanation of what he'd been through the past few days, her tone sounding clearly frustrated.

"Ugh, you weren't kidding when you said some of that would be a bit of a stretch. However, despite what you say, I can believe it. It might sound like something out of one of those not-as-good sci-fi movies, but it's believable. Not sure how I feel about the whole 'gentle madman attains divine power and tries to remake reality in his image' bit, but I can believe it. Also, I'm glad you found your little brother alive, even if he wasn't necessarily safe or sound.

That said, I'm so exhausted from work. Ugh, dammit! It's all thanks to my quota being increased so much, and thanks to my shithead of a chief. But despite that, I made some progress on my personal investigation. I also did some research on the Phantom Thieves. And to be honest? I'm starting to get the impression they might actually be the real deal." Ohya said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? I wonder how much of that has to do with those rumors going around that their leader's supposedly some sort of overpowered bad-ass who literally summoned a demon lord, who he then combined powers with to apparently blast a big-ass hole in the face of a god. Which to be honest, that seems like something that is all sorts of metal if you think about it." Ren said as Ohya chuckled and spoke up.

"Actually, I didn't see that, though I have heard the rumors. And you're not wrong that it does sound like something out of a metal song to a point. But no, I'm referring to the fact that for all the actions they've taken, there's been no signs of an internal power struggle, no dirty money changing hands, no real signs of corruption whatsoever to speak of. It almost seems like all this recent negative press was fabricated. There's no actual proof to support the claims.

And I mean, you're still a fan, right? Honestly, the more I get to know about the Phantom Thieves, the better I understand them, as well as finding myself relating to them slightly more with each new bit I hear about them." Ohya said as Ren gave her a surprised look, making her smirk as she kept speaking

"More importantly, I can relate to their sincerity. They remind me of how I used to be. I already know firsthand that fighting the evils of society is a never-ending, thankless job, and one that can be quite taxing. But I still do it nonetheless. I bet the Phantom Thieves share that same type of passion." Ohya said as Lala giggled and spoke up.

"Heh, I never thought I'd hear you talking about passion, Ichiko-chan. Maybe all this talk about the Phantom Thieves has influenced you. Or maybe it's just this kid." Lala said as Ohya blinked at Lala's remark before smiling slightly as she spoke up.

"Maybe you're right, Lala-chan. I mean, he IS a pretty big fan of theirs, so it's not unrealistic that his enthusiasm could've somewhat rubbed off onto me." Ohya said as Ren just shook his head at Ohya's word choice, not agreeing with her suggesting that anything about him could at all rub off on her. But before he could voice his thought, Ohya's phone rang and she answered it.

"Yes, this is Ohya. That's right, I'm still-What? You found Kayo after all this time!?" Ohya said, but kept speaking without registering the mixed confused/shocked looks on the faces of both Ren and Lala as she spoke.

"Where is she now? Wait, WHAT? What do you mean, you can't tell me!? Why the hell not!? Hey! What's going on!? Wait!" Ohya said before she was hung up on and sighed as she put her phone away and kept speaking.

"Kayo-chan, so you might still be alive after all." Ohya said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"What was that about, if you don't mind my being curious?" Ren asked. Ohya looked at Ren and spoke up.

"No, that's fine. I don't mind you asking. I've already mentioned part of it to you anyways, so I have no reason to keep it from you. Anyways, that was one of my journalist friends. He thinks he found Kayo. He followed up on pretty far-fetched string of rumors for me, but now he's saying he doesn't want to get involved. Gah, dammit! Why the hell won't he tell me what's going on!? I can't just give up now!" Ohya said in annoyance as Lala spoke up, a look of shock on her face as she spoke.

"A-At least that's progress! I mean, we didn't even know Kayo-chan was still alive before now, so-" Lala said before being cut off as the door opened up and another voice spoke up, one that no one in the room wanted to hear.

"Stop right there." Ohya's chief said as he strode into the bar, making Ohya groan as she got up to face him and spoke up.

"Huh? What're you doing here, Chief!?" Ohya asked as her chief spoke up with a frown on his face.

"I knew it. You've been looking into Kayo's case behind my back. Well, not anymore. I've cut off all your resources. I suggest you drop this investigation if you don't want to face the consequences!" Ohya's chief said, making Ohya frown at him as she spoke up.

"Wait, WHAT!? You're the one who pressured my contact to keep quiet? What the hell?" Ohya asked as her chief frowned and spoke up.

"I told you before, Ohya! This is where your wild goose chase ends." Ohya's chief said before he kept speaking, not paying any attention to Lala or Ren, both of whom were giving him their meanest glares, the latter also idly noting in amusement how much the condescension in the voice of Ohya's chief reminded him of the more arrogant version of Akechi.

"Oh, and just to be sure you can't pursue it further, I'll be doubling your quota again. No more of this personal investigation nonsense. Got it?" Ohya's chief said to Ohya, whose eyes widened slightly before she scowled and spoke up.

"WHAT!? For real? Are you seriously trying to kill me?" Ohya asked as Lala frowned and spoke up.

"Hey now, Mister Chief, I don't know how things are done at your place of business, but I'm pretty sure that what you're doing here is both very unprofessional and highly illegal, by pretty much any standard imaginable. So my question then would be this. Can you really do that?" Lala asked as Ohya's chief spoke up, not seeing Ren and Ohya both glare at him for what he said next as he spoke.

"Look, I don't think anyone asked for your opinion, bitch." Ohya's chief said to Lala before turning to glare at Ohya as he kept speaking, missing the twin death glares Ren and Lala shot him for calling the latter a bitch.

"Listen to me, Ohya. Give it up, unless you wanna end up like that stupid friend of yours!" Ohya's chief said, making Ohya's eyes go wide as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry, WHAT!? Rude! Don't talk about Kayo like that, dammit! Stop messing around! And do not drag my friends into this! Don't you dare threaten them!" Ohya said before getting up in her chief's face as she kept speaking in an angry tone that positively dripped vitriol as she spoke.

"If you even think of talking shit on Kayo again, I won't hesitate to beat the living crap out of you!" Ohya spat angrily at her chief, who winced and spoke up.

"Whoa, hold on, Ohya." Ohya's chief said before an irate Lala spoke up, glaring at Ohya's chief while she spoke, not seeing the wide-eyed look of shock on Ren's face at what she said next.

"Take back everything you just said, now. And apologize to both myself and to Ohya, or I'm gonna do even worse than what Ohya just threatened to do." Lala said as Ohya's chief spoke up.

"Don't threaten me, whatever you're supposed to be! Also, it's too late now! The higher-ups have decided to put that incident to rest, and that's just what we're doing! You understand!?" Ohya's chief said before storming out of the bar, leaving a trio of irate people behind. After he was gone, Lala growled and spoke up.

"Gah, dammit! That spineless little bastard only cares about himself!" Lala said as Ohya spoke up with a nod.

"You're not wrong, Lala-chan. Shit, why me? This had to happen just as I got a new lead on Kayo, too. Grr, what should I do? Should I go knock him out!?" Ohya asked as Ren spoke up.

"I'd tell you not to let that scumbag provoke you, but I think it's a bit too late for that at this point. So instead, my suggestion is to try and calm down a bit, and maybe between the three of us, we can try and think of another way to solve your current problem, Ohya-san." Ren said calmly, even though internally he was livid at what he'd just seen Ohya's chief do to both Ohya and Lala. Ohya frowned at Ren as she spoke up.

"That's easy for you to say, kid! Ugh, but you're not wrong. No, I need to stay calm right now. Calm. Yes, that's right. Calm! As much as I hate him, I can't give him any more reason to fire me. Just stay calm, and try to think of a way out of this mess. Arghhh! This sucks!" Ohya said before shaking her head in annoyance as she kept speaking.

"An even greater quota is gonna be a problem for me, but I can't give up now! I promise, I won't stop fighting! I'll prove it to you with another great article! 'Exclusive: The Phantom Thieves, Stealing Hearts and Changing Lives!' How's that title sound?" Ohya asked Ren, who winced slightly as he spoke up.

"Well, it's better than the last one you suggested, Still seems a bit like a tabloid title, but it's not bad otherwise." Ren said as Ohya spoke up with a sigh.

"Ugh, that's fair, Amamiya-kun. Sorry. I really will try to calm down now, if I can." Ohya said as Ren nodded understandingly, feeling as he did so that he could sense Ohya's passionate devotion to those she cares about and to her work.

At that point, the 'Devil' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' on the card becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Devil Confidant link with Ohya had reached rank 7. As a result of the rank-up, Ohya had awoken to the power of 'Outrageous Scoop', making it so that if used, it can allow Joker to begin with an even lower Security Level when infiltrating a Palace. Afterwards, Ohya kept speaking.

"Ugh, but to be honest? I'm still frustrated though. All that bullshit he said is really getting to me. I wish I was better at controlling my emotions. Like you are." Ohya said as Ren smirked and spoke up with a laugh.

"HA! I might have good control of my emotions for the most part, but ask any of my friends and they will tell you that the few times I lose my temper, it's as scary as when my younger brother loses it, if not slightly less scary or slightly more. But that said, real talk? You're already rather charming as you are." Ren said honestly. Ohya gave him a look of surprise as she spoke up.

"Wait, what!? Huh? Uh, thanks? Nobody's said anything that sweet to me before, kid. Thank you." Ohya said as Lala chuckled and spoke up.

"Aw, that's sweet. Methinks the kid is melting the heart of the sloshed reporter lady. But enough about that. More importantly, Ichiko-chan, I think the real question here is this. Exactly how are you gonna manage having your quota doubled?" Lala asked as Ohya pumped a fist and spoke up.

"Not sure really, but I figure I'll just work twice as hard! I should be fine as long as I keep getting good info from my favorite source here." Ohya said before turning to Ren as she spoke up with a closed-eye smile on her face that Ren blinked at.

"Oh, that reminds me! Gimme some news! It occurs to me that other than what you told me before, I haven't heard today's scoop yet." Ohya said as Ren nodded and carefully related the story of how the Phantom Thieves had discovered a plot that involved Masayoshi Shido and some of his cronies working together to stymie the research of some highly-regarded cognitive psientists, leaving out names out of respect for the victims' privacy.

As he did so, Ren noted he'd managed to do so in a way that had somehow genuinely piqued Ohya's interest in the Phantom Thieves, making him get a sense that his already-maxed Charm had increased further, netting him a generous, if unneeded, boost to his Charm. At that point, Ren got up to go home, making Ohya speak up.

"Oh, you heading home? I should be going as well. See you next time you have info for me." Ohya said to Ren, who nodded as he headed back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the door, stopping to answer it.

"Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said professionally before hearing Ohya's voice on the other end.

"'Sup, kid! Thanks for bringing in all that good info! Truth be told, you're really the only reason I'm still surviving through my crazy quota. And, to tell the truth? It honestly helped that you were there with me earlier. If you weren't there, I wouldn't just gone full blast on the chief, and that would've been it, for both myself and for Kayo probably. But I finally got a lead on Kayo. I'll do whatever it takes to find her, Amamiya-kun!" Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"Heh, that's the spirit, Ohya-san. Nice to see you're not letting that scumbag smother your resolve and determination. Keep that in your heart and you should find the strength to keep on keeping on even through all this crap your chief puts you through." Ren said honestly. Ohya laughed and spoke up.

"Heh, I know, right!? I'm not gonna let this crap get me down! I'm made of tough stuff! Watch me, Chief Shithead! You're gonna be crying at my feet! But still, I do have my limits. I gotta do something about this insane quota, preferably sooner rather than later. Well, I'll just come up with something. You just focus on getting me new info, okay?" Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"Sure thing. I'll do my best to have more info for you sooner rather than later, but given how busy my days are these days, I make no promises on when I'll find time to have the info. But I won't forget you, that much I promise you." Ren said as Ohya nodded and spoke up.

"Okay! Well, see you soon. Night, Amamiya-kun." Ohya said as Ren hung up the phone and headed in to get comfortable for the evening, not even feeling the not-cat climb up on him and sprawl out on his chest as the two went to sleep for the night...

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

As Ren and Ann listened to the lecture in class, their phones went off with a group chat from Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Furaba, Akechi, Sumire, and for the first time in a while, Kusa was in a group chat without being the recipient of it like he was in the previous chat he was in. Ryuji then sent the first response.

"Dude, something is WRONG with Ushimaru." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Oh? What do you mean, sweetie?" Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I dunno, something's up! I guess it's not wrong necessarily, but he's all different!" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Anyone know what he's saying?" Ann sent as Futaba and Kusa sent responses close together, Futaba's coming through first.

"Ushimaru who?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response, followed by a response from Ren.

"To answer your question, Taba? If I recall correctly, Ushimaru is that really grumpy teacher who teaches social studies to I believe second and third year students. Then again, maybe he also teaches it to the first years and I've just managed to not have one of his classes thus far somehow?" Kusa sent as Ren's response came through.

"Pretty much what Kusa said, though to put it more directly, he's also a very strict teacher as well. He has a reputation for punishing anyone he catches slacking off by chucking chalk at their head. If they're lucky, they'll sense it in time to dodge the chalk." Ren sent as Sumire and Kusa sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Heh, speaking from experience much there, Ren?" Kusa sent as Sumire's response came through.

"I wish I could say Ren-senpai's exaggerating, but he's really not. Ushimaru is a chalk-throwing marksman! Unfortunately, I can say that from personal experience. He even does that with first-year students he catches slacking off. As for why you haven't had one of his classes yet, Kusa? I think that's because he only started teaching first-years around the time you and Ren-senpai had to stop attending school for a while due to 'reasons', as Ren-senpai once put it." Sumire sent as Ren sent a response.

"He threw chalk at you too, Sumi? That sucks. As much as I want to be livid with him for it, I really can't, since it would be both hypocritical and immature of me to do so." Ren sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Truly? Ah, say no more." Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"Can you be more specific, Ryuji-kun? What exactly is different about him? Is it his personality?" Haru asked as Ann sent a response.

"What, are you gonna say he's super-nice now or something?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth! That's exactly it, Ann! He's so nice, it's creepy! And no matter who I ask, they tell me he's always been like this! We got people saying he's basically the school's own Buddha!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Seriously? I call hard bullshit on that! I might not have had the guy's class myself beforehand to use as a frame of reference, but even so, I don't think that either Ren or Sumire would lie about having chalk tossed at them. So I have my suspicions as to at least one possible cause for the difference in his behavior. But I'm not sure I wanna say that suspicion, given that Ren here apparently went ballistic on the guy recently from what I heard from Taba and Sumire." Kusa sent as Ren dryly sent a response.

"Let me guess, you think this is Maruki's doing? To be honest, Kusa? I'd agree. I could see that man thinking that Ushimaru needed to be a better teacher, and in so doing, actualized away the douche in Ushimaru." Ren sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"To be fair here, it does sound as if he's been somewhat enlightened, I suppose. But I concur with Kusa's theory. This does seem like a change Maruki would make." Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"So the theory in this chat is that Maruki's changed someone's personality, then?" Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"If he really wanted to change, then yes, it's possible that Maruki could've made that change." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"What!? Ushimaru, of all people!?" Ryuji sent as Sumire sent a response.

"It's like how I wished to be Kasumi for so long, in a sense." Sumire sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Nah, I don't think it's quite the same as that, Sumire. Pretty sure in your case, that was just you projecting your grief and letting Maruki capitalize on that to use you to test his research, thus making you an easy test subject for his powers. Not that anyone's blaming you for what you did, since it's an understandable response to pain. However, that doesn't change the fact that the way he chose to go about helping you is not at all professional or ethical, never mind legal. I agree with Ren when he says that what Maruki did to you is on the same level as mind rape. But I'm not going to open up that can of worms again." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Well put, Amamiya-kun the younger. I must agree with you. That said, if I were to guess, I'd say it's like your own situations, with the exceptions of myself and both of the Amamiya-kun brothers, most probably. Likelier than not, something in his past must have been overwritten. It's also possible, if unlikely, that his personality just changed, independent of any external events." Akechi sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"So you figure the real Ushimaru went through something bad?" Ryuji sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Maybe he was so nice to everyone, the students took advantage of him and went full delinquent?" Futaba sent as both Ann and Kusa sent responses, Kusa's coming through first.

"Is it bad I can't tell if you're being funny with that response or not, Taba? Also, I could see that happening." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"For real, Kusa! And ugh. That WOULD be traumatic." Ann sent as Akechi sent a response.

"Well, we can speculate all we like. He's the only one who could say for sure what's changed." Akechi sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Even then, it's still difficult to understand how far these changes Maruki's made reach. So if it would serve their happiness, even one's personality can change if Maruki deems it necessary?" Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response.

"Seems like it, Yusuke. If you ask me though, this seems suspiciously similar to a change of heart." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"I guess that's possible, though it's not like Ushimaru was full-on evil. I'm gettin' so mad, I'm gonna go to sleep." Ryuji sent as Futaba and Kusa sent responses, Futaba's coming through first.

"Um, is that even a thing people do when they're mad?" Futaba sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Not usually, no. However, I know that in some extreme cases of anger, it can lead to people keeling over of an anger-induced heart attack, but I'm not sure that's them falling asleep so much as dropping dead. Oh, umm, my apologies to everyone for that rather grisly choice of example." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"It's fine, Kusa-kun. I get what you were trying to say with that response. But honestly, Ryuji! You could just pay attention in class to take your mind off your anger, sweetie." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Are you two STILL only at the point of using 'babe' and 'sweetie' as pet names for each other? Not that that's bad, but I would think you'd have more elaborate pet names for one another by now, like how I call Futaba 'Taba' or how Ren calls Sumire 'Sumi' and Sumire calls Ren 'Senpai'. Though if what Taba told me once is true, I feel like Sumire finally got her Senpai to notice her in more ways than one." Kusa sent as Sumire and Ryuji sent responses close together, Ryuji's coming through first.

"Truth, man! If what Futaba once said in chat about Ren and Sumire discussing mixed oral and fingering is any indication, I think those two have already gotten rather frisky with one another." Ryuji sent as Sumire sent a response.

"RYUJI-SENPAI! Don't bring that back up! I'm still trying not to think about how much Futaba-senpai embarrassed myself and Ren-senpai in chat when she said that. And I stand by the counter-argument I threw back at her." Sumire sent as Ren sent a response.

"Let's stay on topic, yeah? So for now, we keep focused on our preparations for the final battles, yeah? And Kusa, don't ask about what Sumire and Ryuji brought up. You don't need to worry about it." Ren sent before putting his phone away without looking at Kusa's eventual response of "If you say so.' as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Mm. That Ushimaru, huh? It's hard to believe. Guess we'll just have to check it out when we're in his class next." Morgana said as Ren nodded while the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

After looking at his options, Ren saw that his literal only option available he could rank up was Makoto, since the only other option was Ryuji, who he'd already maxed out. Figuring this was a good day to max out Makoto's link, he headed to the Student Council Room, where Makoto was standing just outside of. Once there, he walked over to Makoto and spoke up.

"Heh, what's got you thinking so hard, big sis?" Ren asked Makoto teasingly as Makoto spoke up.

"Um, well, to be honest? I'm just focusing on my preparations. As you might recall, we already secured our route, so all we need to do is wait for the day of the heist. But more to the point, have you decided on today's plan?" Makoto asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I have. Since part of my prep includes strengthening my bonds with my teammates, and I realize we've not hung out since the day of that fiasco in Shinjuku, I figure today's a good day for us to hang out and ideally strengthen our bond some more. After all, they say strong bonds translate to stronger Personas. Interested?" Ren said to Makoto, who nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Good point, Ren-kun. It's always important to be ready, but we do need to take breaks now and then. Um, so, are you free right now? I actually want to talk to you about something." Makoto asked as Ren spoke up.

"I've always got time for you, Makoto. So if you need to talk to me, well, then I'm all ears, big sis." Ren said to Makoto, who sighed and spoke up.

"Oh, thank goodness. Is it okay if we study while we talk?" Makoto asked as Ren nodded, not seeing a problem with that. At that point, the two decided to study at the Big Bang Burger...

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

"Thank you for agreeing to make time for me, little bro. So, I finally made up with Eiko. I think she knew it already, somewhere deep within her heart, and seeing him like that finally helped her realize." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I see. I'm glad to hear that, big sis. That's incredible that you and Eiko made up." Ren said sincerely. Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. I'm relieved she didn't get caught in his web of lies and falsehoods. Oh, and she told me she quit her job. Right now, she doesn't know what she wants to do. But she's going to go to college and figure things out. So in the end, Eiko's going to start seriously focusing on her studies again. I plan on doing the same as well." Makoto said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense. Be honest with me though, big sis. Are you stressing over exams?" Ren asked Makoto, who smiled and spoke up.

"Heh, that's a silly question, little bro. No, that's not it. This time I'm not seeking anyone's praise, and I'm not trying to show off my intelligence. I simply want to fulfill my own personal goals and dreams. Before now, I didn't have a clear vision of what that meant. I was lost in life, and wasn't being true to myself. But thanks to you, I've finally come to realize it. My dream, the one I hold so dear, is to become a police commissioner. That is why I need to study." Makoto said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"I see. Well, that's an admirable dream to have, big sis. But to be honest? It sounds like a difficult dream to attain if you ask me." Ren said honestly. Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, you're absolutely right, little bro. I will need an extensive academic background. There are too many incidents in this country that are never brought to light. That host was one. Villains who prey on the hearts of the weak with cowardly, legally questionable methods. Such people sicken me. More importantly, my father risked his life trying to catch a group of those people. I will never forgive them.

But at the same time, I know I won't be able to eradicate them all on my own. I'm not too proud to admit that even I have limits. Instead, I want to head an organization that will destroy the lawless and help rescue victims." Makoto said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"That sounds just like you, Makoto. If it's not too rude or tactless of me to say so, I feel like your father would be very proud of your dream." Ren said sincerely. Makoto smiled and spoke up while giving Ren a closed-eye smile.

"I hope so, little bro. And that is the justice I aim for. I also believe it will be a continuation of my father's legacy. Honestly? It's a little strange that I found the true meaning of my studies outside of my studies. I think now I'll be able to see the world even more differently. As such, I'd like to take this chance to thank you for all your help. Heh, I bet it must have been difficult babysitting the uptight Miss President, right?" Makoto said as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Nah, not at all. Sure, it might have been a challenge at times, but I wouldn't trade one moment of what we've been through for anything. And to think, we went through so much together in the time we've known one another, even if it's only been a few short months. Rather crazy to think about, eh big sis?" Ren asked Makoto with a fond smile on his face. Makoto chuckled and spoke up with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, you're not wrong, little bro. Even so, I'm glad I asked you to help me out." Makoto said as Ren nodded, feeling in that moment as if he had a strong bond with Makoto, possibly the strongest it's ever been. At that point, he heard a familiar voice speak up for the first time in a while.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou has turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the yoke of thy heart. Thou has awakened to the ultimate secret of the Priestess, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard in his head as at that point, the 'Priestess' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' on the card becoming an 'X' to signify that his Priestess Confidant link with Makoto had reached Rank 10, also marked on the card as 'RANK MAX'.

From the maxed-out Priestess Confidant link, Makoto awoke to the power of 'Second Awakening', making it so that like Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, Futaba, and Morgana before her, Makoto's Persona was transformed into a mythological trickster. From there, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' flashed on-screen, telling Ren he could now fuse 'Cybele', or the strongest Persona of the Priestess Arcana.

At that point, the screen cut to a shot of inside Makoto's heart, where Johanna was consumed in a flash of blue light, and when the light receded, in place of Johanna stood a being who stood on two legs, but was mostly metallic and had horns on either side of its head, a red face, and a red marking on the chest plate, along with wing-like shoulder extensions on each of it's scrawny metallic arms that had fin-like protrusions off of either arm, and a massive metallic piece protruding off the right hip of the being who had longish metallic legs. At that point, Makoto's voice could be heard speaking up.

"I can sense it, little bro! The power within me has grown exponentially. No, it's been born anew!" Makoto said in surprise as at that point, the entire group's phones pinged with the notification that Makoto's 'Johanna' Persona had transformed into 'Anat'. After that, Makoto spoke up again, fixing Ren with a pointed look as she spoke.

"By the way, you can rely on me when you need it. I won't go easy on you if you hold back." Makoto said as Ren nodded and Makoto kept speaking.

"Now then, in order to fulfill my dream, I'll need to be accepted into my first choice college. Eheh, what a funny thought, eh little bro? Studying to become a head of police while working as a thief on the side." Makoto said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"It is a bit ironic, yes. Yet at the same time, I'm pretty sure you're not the first to pursue both law enforcement and work outside the law at the same time. I seem to recall something Kusa once mentioned about some outlaw also doing the same. I think Kusa told me the outlaw's name was Billy the Kid or something along those lines? So just be careful, okay big sis?" Ren said to Makoto, who smiled at Ren's concern and nodded as she spoke up. *1*

"Don't worry, little bro. I will. The objective is the same, after all, is it not? Exposing the evil lurking in the dark shadows and dragging it into the light of day. Oh, that's right. In thanks for helping me, I'll gladly assist you with your studies as well." Makoto said, giggling at the mixed horrified/shocked look on Ren's face as she kept speaking.

"Hee hee, your face is so priceless right now, little bro. That said, you had best be ready." Makoto said as Ren nodded with a sweatdrop as Makoto smiled and nodded.

"Good. Well, let's go home." Makoto said as Ren nodded, the two parting ways on that note, as Ren went back to Leblanc. While the two parted ways, the screen cut to a shot of the skills screen for 'Anat', showing that her evolution had allowed her access to the passive skill 'Evade Psy'...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren sat at a booth seat to size up his options, he swore profusely when he saw that for the second night in a row, only Ohya was available to rank up. And as he had no interest in hanging with her two nights in a row, Ren decided to go look around for stuff to do. As he looked around, he noticed Lavenza standing outside of the Velvet Room, reminding him that she'd asked for his assistance a couple nights previous, making this a good night to help her with whatever she needed help with. Once he found Lavenza, Ren spoke up.

"Sorry it took so long to get to helping you. I've had a lot of stuff to handle lately. Fortunately for us both, I happened to have a free night tonight, so I figured I could see if you still needed my help with whatever you wanted to see me about when you called the other night." Ren said to Lavenza, who smiled and spoke up.

"So you've come. Good day, Trickster. Thank you for coming. That said, if I may be abrupt, could I ask a favor of you?" Lavenza asked as Ren spoke up.

"A favor, you say? I'm listening." Ren said. Lavenza nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. The truth is, even though I've gotten my memories back, I still also have memories from when I was split in two as those twins. And those memories included spending time with you and visiting all sorts of places together. So, I have been wondering this for a little bit now. Inmate, if you've got time, would you show me your current home?" Lavenza asked Ren, who blinked at this and spoke up.

"Um, my current home? Didn't I already show you Leblanc before when you were still split in two though?" Ren asked as Lavenza spoke up.

"Technically, you only showed me the cafe. From what I recall you and your brother saying, you two lived in the attic above Leblanc. So no, Trickster. You did not show me your current home on that occasion. That said, I would like to see the room that has shaped you into the person you have become. Granted, I do understand that my timing is not the most appropriate, given the current state of the world, but I still find myself curious to see your living quarters, even if you share them with another." Lavenza said as Ren thought about it before speaking up.

"That is a bit of an unusual request, but not one that I see a problem with. The only real issue I can see is what I'd have to tell Kusa and/or Sumire if either of them happened to be over there when I bring you over to see mine and Kusa's room. But provided we can work around that, I have no reason to deny your request. So if you truly want to see my room, then sure. Let's go." Ren said kindly to Lavenza, who blinked and spoke up.

"Oh! Are you certain?" Lavenza asked Ren, who nodded with a smile, making Lavenza smile as well while she kept speaking.

"In that case, thank you so much. Let us be off immediately." Lavenza said as Ren nodded and led Lavenza to his room in the attic of Leblanc...

(In the attic of Leblanc, with Ren, Lavenza, and Kusa)

"Um, this is a storage room, yes? But where is your room?" Lavenza asked Ren after looking around the attic. Ren then chuckled as he spoke up.

"I can see how you'd make that assumption, Lady Lavenza. But I assure you, this room is no storage room. You're looking at the bedroom that myself and my younger brother Kusa share." Ren said as Lavenza blinked at that and spoke up.

"Oh! I would never have guessed." Lavenza said as Ren smirked at this, but before he could properly reply to Lavenza's comment, footsteps were heard coming up the stairs and another voice chuckled at Lavenza's comment and spoke up.

"Heh. You're not the first to make that mistake, little one. Nor will you probably be the last, if I had to guess." Ren heard as he and Lavenza turned to see Kusa coming up the stairs, before he blinked and looked at Ren while speaking up.

"Um, Ren? Who's this young-looking little blonde girl with you? I have no wish to be rude to someone I've not really met before." Kusa said to Ren, who laughed and spoke up.

"Technically, you've met her before, but not in this form. Remember those mouthy blonde twins you helped me serve coffee and curry to a couple months ago?" Ren asked Kusa, who frowned at the question before his eyes widened in recollection and he spoke up.

"No, not really. Wait, now I do. You mean those little blonde-haired twin girls who were constantly disrespecting not only our guardian, but his cooking and place of business? I only didn't snap on them that day because they're friends of yours, and because you and I were both raised to respect women, no matter their age. What does that have to do with this?" Kusa asked as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"I asked because, believe it or not, this little one here is actually the true form of those twins. It turns out that Yaldabaoth split her in two, and had her stuck in the guise of those twins for a long time. It was only fairly recently, specifically when myself and the others infiltrated the depths of Mementos that we learned about the twins' true origins, as well as those of a certain not-cat we're both close to.

Kusa? Meet Lavenza, the true attendant of the Velvet Room and keeper of the Persona Compendium. Lady Lavenza, this is my younger brother, Kusa Amamiya. You might recall in your memories from your time spent split in two that I referred to him as a 'warden' of sorts for me. This is because he was put into a court-appointed role as overseer despite being my younger brother. So in that way, he was as much an instrumental part of my development these past several months as you yourself were. As such, I owe you both a great thanks. So thank you both." Ren said as he introduced Kusa and Lavenza to one another as Kusa looked at Lavenza and spoke up.

"Attendant of the Velvet Room, eh? Guess it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover, regardless of how young said cover seems to be. Do forgive my rudeness to you, Lavenza-san. It's nice to meet you in your true form." Kusa said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"Nice to see you again as well, Kusa. I don't know if you remember this or not, but I was there the day you were gifted your Chaos Drake powers." Lavenza said as Kusa's eyes widened in a mix of shock and realization before he spoke up.

"THAT's where I recognize you from! I only just recently regained my memories of that day, too. What are the chances that I'd actually see you again after that?" Kusa asked as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"I believe to answer that in a way my master Igor would, it was no doubt the work of fate that we happened to cross paths like this once more. But I will say that your presence was missed when I filled most of your friends/teammates in on the truth about myself, my master, and the one you call Morgana/Mona. Ren can fill you in on those details later if you like. But for now, let me focus on why I'm here." Lavenza said to Kusa, who nodded as Lavenza turned to Ren and spoke up.

"I see. So you and your little brother prefer cramped, dingy spaces? How fascinating, Trickster. Please, tell me more about yourself." Lavenza said as she strode forward, quickly becoming distracted as she looked over at Ren's work desk before she kept speaking.

"Oh, how interesting. I'm sensing some unusual energy around this desk." Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"That desk is where I assemble the infiltration tools that my friends and I use on our missions, usually under the watchful eye of Morgana, and occasionally Kusa as well." Ren said as Lavenza blinked at this and spoke up.

"Oh, I see. Your infiltration tools are made here? Could I possibly try my hand at it?" Lavenza asked as Ren spoke up.

"I wasn't aware you knew how to make tools, Lady Lavenza. I must warn you, it's not as easy as it sounds. It's pretty tough to figure out if you're inexperienced and don't have a skilled guide to show you the ropes. It took me the majority of my time here to get as good at it as I am now. And even then, I'm sure both Kusa and Morgana are still infinitely better than me at crafting tools." Ren said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"That's fine, Trickster. As they say, the higher the hurdle, the greater the satisfaction in surmounting it." Lavenza said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Well put, Lady Lavenza. But don't set your expectations too high, just in case it doesn't work out. Wouldn't want to see an attendant of the Velvet Room reduced to tears over a failure. Granted, it's said you can learn more from failures than successes at times, but I'm not sure if this would be considered one of those times." Kusa said as Lavenza nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. Now, what should I make?" Lavenza asked herself before smiling as she spoke up with an idea.

"Ah! I know what I'll make. In order to show my gratitude to Ren here for rescuing me, I shall craft for him a secret weapon. I think you'll be rather pleased with it." Lavenza said as she got to work, muttering to herself as she worked.

"Hmm, I see. This is trickier than I expected it would be. Oh? Uh-oh, that's not good. Well, I can fix that, most likely." Lavenza said, working hard on her creation, wincing in pain at one point when she accidentally stuck herself with the screwdriver she was using, making her wince and speak up.

"Ouch! Cursed screwdriver! How dare you defy your wielder!?" Obey me! Drive those screws! Don't you defy me! Ugh!" Lavenza said before she kept speaking, making both Ren and Kusa have to stifle laughs behind their hands at what she said next.

"Oh, screw it!" Lavenza said, though when she kept speaking, both Ren and Kusa's eyes widened exponentially at what happened next.

"I'll teach you a lesson! Megido-!" Lavenza started to say, only for Ren to subtly shake his head as if to say 'it's not worth it!', while Kusa spoke up.

"I'm sorry about your lack of success, Lady Lavenza. But is trying to blast my brother's work desk with an Almighty attack the answer? If you're gonna do that, at least take the desk outside so you don't accidentally destroy my bed, or this sofa next to the desk, when you destroy the desk." Kusa said as Lavenza sheepishly spoke up.

"Oh, um, right. Sorry. Forgot you sleep in here too, Kusa. And Trickster, I apologize to you as well for my previous display. It seems that my time out-of-body has led to my becoming somewhat undexterous. As a result, while it pains me to say it, I'm afraid your secret weapon will have to wait. More importantly, I should be using this time to learn more about you." Lavenza said as Ren nodded his understanding as Lavenza walked over to Ren's bed and spoke up.

"So, if the sofa is your brother's bed, does that mean this is your bed, Trickster?" Lavenza asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. It's not the greatest bed, but it's a bed nonetheless. I've learned to be grateful for what I have during my time in this attic with Kusa." Ren said, getting an approving nod from Kusa and a confused look from Lavenza as the latter spoke up.

"I see. It's not only unimpressive to look at, but it strikes me as being surprisingly similar to the one in your cell. Can you truly rest here?" Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"I won't lie to you, Lady Lavenza. It can be a little uncomfortable at times, but I've learned to live with that. After all, the man who currently serves as the guardian for Kusa and I was nice enough to let me use this bed and this attic to share with Kusa as a living space for the duration of my year-long probation. So it would be rather ungrateful of me to complain overmuch about it to Sakura-san." Ren said honestly as Kusa spoke up.

"That's a rather wise way to look at it, Ren. But I don't think Boss would get grumpy at you if you were to tell him that the bed was uncomfortable. Granted, it was the best he could do on short notice given the circumstances in play at the time we moved here. So I think we can cut him a bit of slack in light of that." Kusa said as Lavenza looked at Ren and spoke up.

"I see. Well, I suppose that's a natural reaction, after being confined in such a small space. At least its bedding appears softer than that of your prison cell." Lavenza said as Kusa spoke up with a nod.

"I've not seen Ren's prison cell, as you call it, so I can't say if you're right or not. But I'd at least hope this bed is better than a prison bunk." Kusa said bluntly as Lavenza smiled at that and spoke up.

"Fair point, Kusa." Lavenza said before looking at Ren as she spoke up.

"Trickster, may I sit on your bed?" Lavenza asked as Ren spoke up.

"I don't see why not. I mean, it's not like it's the first time I've had a girl sitting on that bed." Ren said as he nodded his approval while Lavenza had a seat on the bed, and sat next to her, both of them ignoring the smirk on Kusa's face as he had a seat on the sofa to observe the two as Lavenza spoke up.

"Hm. Optimum firmness, ideal warmth, a deceptive amount of comfort. Um, I'm not sure why I feel this way, but oddly enough, I feel so calm here for some reason." Lavenza said around a yawn before falling asleep sitting up, making Kusa's eyes widen as he spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Dude! What is it with you and girls falling asleep on that bed, Ren!? First it was your homeroom teacher, then it was Sumire, and now it's Lady Lavenza? What's next, Taba napping on that bed!?" Kusa said with an amused laugh. Ren sweatdropped and spoke up.

"No, Kusa. Your girlfriend hasn't fallen asleep on this bed yet, so calm down. Granted, I think you were joking, but I can't be entirely sure of that." Ren said before blinking as he saw Lavenza visibly dozing off, making him turn to Kusa as he kept speaking.

"Wow, she really is conked out, isn't she?" Ren asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"It seems that way. Oh? Is she talking in her sleep?" Kusa asked as he and Ren heard Lavenza muttering in her sleep.

"You fiend! You'll pay for splitting me in two! Let's see how your 'holy' grail stands up to this sledgehammer! Take that, you-Huh? It didn't work!?" Lavenza said as Kusa and Ren's eyes widened as the former spoke up.

"Um, Ren? Does she have dreams of fighting people? Or could that be a repressed memory of her being split in two? Either way, I really hope none of what she just said was an innuendo. I don't think it was, but you can never be too sure of anything nowadays." Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"No, I don't think she was using innuendos, Kusa. It seems more like she's fighting someone in whatever dream she's having." Ren said as Kusa nodded, but before he could reply, the two heard Lavenza continue muttering in her sleep.

"W-Wait! You can't do that! Ahhh! No, it can't be! I'm being split again! Ahhhhh!" Lavenza said as she shot to her feet and woke up with a start, before blinking and flushing in embarrassment as she saw both Ren and Kusa looking at her with identical looks of shock, confusion and surprise. Lavenza then spoke up sheepishly.

"Was I sleeping and talking just now?" Lavenza asked as Ren spoke up.

"More like you were muttering in your sleep and we just happened to hear it. Either way, whatever that was? That sounded intense." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"However, if you didn't want us to hear any of that, we can pretend we didn't hear any of what you said, Lady Lavenza." Kusa said politely. Lavenza blushed in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"I appreciate your concern, Kusa. And Ren? I have no idea what you're talking about. It was just so comfortable on that bed, despite its appearance. Perhaps I allowed myself to relax a little too much." Lavenza said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's more than fair, Lady Lavenza. It's not a crime to be comfortable after all. And you fell asleep sitting up. Luckily for him, my brother here has a very understanding girlfriend, so I doubt she'll be too jealous that you fell asleep on Ren's bed." Kusa said as Ren frowned at Kusa and spoke up.

"That's not helping, Kusa! Besides, we both know Lavenza's entirely too young for either of us, so don't be an instigator!" Ren said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"I was teasing you, Ren. I know you're good and committed to Sumire. Besides, I'm quite sure Lady Lavenza had no such intentions when she asked to see your room." Kusa said with a smirk as Lavenza ignored the two to walk to the center of the room and speak up.

"Hm? I sense some residual energy here as well, Trickster." Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"That would be because I occasionally use that beam to work out at night. It makes for a good pull-up bar if I'm careful." Ren said agreeably as Lavenza blinked and spoke up.

"Ah, you use it for training? May I ask for a demonstration?" Lavenza asked Ren, who nodded and had Kusa lead Lavenza downstairs for a bit so he could change into proper workout clothes, before allowing the two back upstairs as he started working out on the beam while Lavenza cheered Ren on.

"Come on! One, two, one, two! Put your back into it! You think you can save the world like that?" Lavenza encouraged Ren, who kept working as Lavenza kept speaking.

"One, two, one, two! One, two, one, two!" Lavenza said again as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Has anyone ever told you you could make for a passable personal trainer with that kind of pep talk, Lady Lavenza? Mind you, I'm sure you're far too busy being an attendant to have the time to take up a second job, so it's just an observation for now." Kusa said as Lavenza looked at him and spoke up.

"Nah, I'd probably be too rough on people to be a personal trainer. Besides, I only help him out like this as a professional courtesy as he's a guest of the Velvet Room." Lavenza said to Kusa before turning to Ren as she kept speaking.

"And as for you, Trickster! Don't expect me to go easy on you! I'm doing this for your sake." Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"I realize that, Lavenza. I'm working as hard as I can. Oof, I can feel the burn!" Ren said as he noted that he felt as if his arms were going to cramp up at the rate he's going. Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Don't feel that burn too much. After all, you need to not be out of energy in case you end up bring Sumire up here again at some point in the future." Kusa said teasingly as Lavenza turned to blink at Kusa and speak up.

"Sumire? What's a Sumire?" Lavenza asked as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"It's not 'what', Lady Lavenza. It's 'who'. And to answer your question, Sumire is Ren's girlfriend who is a competitive gymnast! So she does a pretty good job in her own right encouraging his training and to a point his rehabilitation, to use terms you would probably understand." Kusa explained to Lavenza, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for that explanation, Kusa. I recall you said you had a girlfriend as well? Quite impressive for you being the younger brother of the two of you. She must be a special young lady if you're already that interested in her." Lavenza said with a smile as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, you have no idea, Lady Lavenza. Futaba, or Taba as I call her for short, is a very spunky, very beautiful, spitfire of a red-headed woman. Not only can she game and work technology like no one's business, but she's got an insanely incredible mind to boot! She might not be the most well-endowed of ladies, but I'm not at all bothered by that. I like her for her personality and brains, rather than her looks.

Despite the fact that a lot of guys around both my own and Ren's age would judge girls strictly on their looks, neither myself or Ren judge on any such shallow criteria. No, he and I evaluate ladies on their own merits, rather than their appearance. And despite the slightly underdeveloped exterior on our girlfriends, both Futaba and Sumire are incredible women. Ren and I both lucked out in a big way to land them as our girlfriends. And we make sure that they always know how much we cherish being with them." Kusa said wisely as Ren nodded approvingly to Kusa's explanation before grunting softly as he let himself drop to the ground with a muffled 'thump!', making Lavenza turn to face Ren as she spoke up.

"Ah, that was impressive, Trickster. Well done. Such commendable will power! And Kusa, I appreciate that explanation. You and your brother both seem like truly exceptional young men. I feel that, fate willing, you two will be with your respective girlfriends for a long time to come." Lavenza said, wisely not mentioning that Igor had revealed to her that the two guys in front of her were destined to have life-long connections with their respective girlfriends. Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Not a problem, Lady Lavenza. I'm just blessed for every day I have Taba in my life, and of course the rest of my family. Yes, most of them are my friends. But dammit, you can't go through even half of what we've all been through together, and not start to see each other as some sort of a family." Kusa said firmly as Ren nodded while getting to his feet as Lavenza also nodded and spoke up while walking over to the TV.

"That's a good point, Kusa. Oh, my. I can sense some lingering energy around this television, Trickster. Or, is it actually coming from the box attached to it? What is this?" Lavenza asked Ren, who smirked as he spoke up.

"It's a video game, Lavenza. Sometimes, Kusa and I play it at night when we don't have much else to do. It's usually an effective way to pass time in a pinch." Ren said as Kusa smirked while speaking up.

"Or, in your case, it's also an effective way to get your girlfriend into a certain mood, if you catch my drift." Kusa said while waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Ren while Lavenza was distracted with the television, making Ren frown in confusion before flushing in embarrassment as he realized what Kusa was alluding to, making him glare at Kusa as he spoke up.

"Shut your mouth about what Sumire and I did together that night! That's not for you to comment on, and damn sure not for you to bring up around Lavenza!" Ren rebuked Kusa pointedly as Kusa spoke up with a chuckle.

"I doubt she's listening, Ren. But you do realize that nothing is secret from Taba's bugs, right? Heh. At least I was able to find out ahead of time before making the mistake of bringing Taba up here to fool around. Granted, I'm pretty sure she'd have warned me before we did that." Kusa said before turning to Lavenza and smiling kindly at her as he kept speaking.

"Ren is correct, though. This is called a video game system. It lets you load up games that you can play on your television using special controllers. But rather than have me explain it to you, would you like to try it out for yourself?" Kusa said to Lavenza, who nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, I see! I've heard quite a bit about these remarkable devices. They say that once a player begins, they're unable to tear themselves away. If it can truly entrance humans to such a degree, I find myself intrigued by it. Trickster, could you play it a bit for me?" Lavenza asked as Ren nodded and turned to Kusa as he spoke up.

"Sure thing, Lavenza. Hey, Kusa! Wanna team up for some two-player action?" Ren asked Kusa eagerly as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"You got it! Did you have a game in mind to show her?" Kusa asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. I was thinking I'd show her some 'Star Forneus', since that's the first thing you and I played on this system, so it seems like a rather symbolic introduction point for Lavenza." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Let's do it, Ren!" Kusa said as Ren nodded, setting up the system and handing Kusa a controller as Kusa sat on the sofa with his controller to play, allowing Lavenza the other seat to sit on. As the game started up and the Amamiya brothers started playing 'Star Forneus', Lavenza watched on in intrigue, eventually speaking up.

"I see, I see. How interesting. You're piloting the spaceship and your objective is to destroy the oncoming enemies, yes?" Lavenza asked as Ren nodded while he and Kusa blasted at the on-screen enemies, the latter looking at Lavenza and speaking up.

"Exactly, Lady Lavenza. It's not a hard game to learn, but it's better when you have someone to play it with. And unfortunately, I don't think you have such a luxury where you live, since I get the sense that the one you called Igor isn't much of a gamer, nor a social being for the most part. But I could be wrong about that." Kusa said as Lavenza smiled and spoke up.

"No, you're pretty much correct. Though, not about the part with my master not being a social being. He's actually quite social to those who are guests of the Velvet Room. But outside of that, he really only speaks to myself. So you're partially correct." Lavenza said as Kusa nodded his understanding before Lavenza's eyes widened at the sight of the on-screen enemies scattering in the wake of Ren and Kusa's assaults as she kept speaking.

"Oh! Look how they scatter! This is quite impressive, you two! You weave around each bullet with dizzying precision." Lavenza said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, it can be tough. But if you've practiced these as long as Ren and I have, you tend to pick up on what to do quickly enough." Kusa said wisely as Lavenza nodded, before her eyes widened as the music changed and she spoke up again.

"Wha-! There's so many of them now, you two! Oh, you're surrounded! Look out! On your right! I mean, left! No, they're in front now! Use the boost!" Lavenza said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Good observation, Lady Lavenza. However, it's for precisely these situations that man invented what is often referred to as the 'divide and conquer' approach. For example, while Ren strafes the enemies in the front, I can slip around behind Ren and pick off the enemies trying to sneak around behind us. In that sense, we can effectively cover each other's flanks while continuing to thin the enemy numbers." Kusa said as Lavenza nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense. Oh, look! It's the boss! Fire the beam cannons! Annihilate it!" Lavenza said as Ren and Kusa nodded, firing for all that they were worth, the latter speaking up as he did so.

"Heh, look at you getting into the game, Lady Lavenza. That's so adorable. But no need to worry. Ren and I are basically pros at this game by now! We won't let some lousy enemies get the best of us!" Kusa said confidently as he and Ren kept firing. After a bit, the boss started exploding on-screen, eventually disintegrating before the amused eyes of Ren, Lavenza, and Kusa. Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, would you look at that? Kusa and I beat the entire game in one sitting. We're getting pretty solid as a team, aren't we Kusa?" Ren asked as Kusa nodded with a smirk and spoke up.

"Dang straight, Ren! I've said it before, and I'll say it again! No way some intergalactic scumbags are gonna beat us! And now Lady Lavenza is witness to our feat of gaming excellence!" Kusa said smugly as Lavenza giggled and spoke up.

"Indeed! Oh, you both did it! The world is saved! Oh, um, ahem. That was a most dexterous display. I can certainly see why humans get so passionate about these games, if they're all as good as that one. Hm. Perhaps I'll ask my master if we can install one in our room." Lavenza said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"If he actually does install one in there, you should make use of it and practice as often as you can when your schedule allows it. Maybe then, you'll become a formidable opponent for us. After all, it wouldn't be fair to anyone involved if we were to take you on while you're still just a fledgling gamer, Lady Lavenza." Kusa said as Lavenza nodded while giving Kusa a shy smile, eventually sitting on the sofa with Ren, as Kusa sat on the bed, smirking at how close Lavenza was sitting to Ren while the former of the two spoke up.

"Well, I've enjoyed this firsthand glimpse into your daily life. It was quite illuminating. Hm. Before I became whole, I visited many places with you and gained a wealth of new experiences. Thanks to that, I feel like I've come to understand humans better than I did before. And perhaps more importantly, as a result of all that time spent together, I feel like I understand you better." Lavenza said before smiling up at Ren as she spoke up.

"So, thank you. Though you have cast off your shackles, I will still await you in that room. That said, this is a token of my gratitude for today. Please take it." Lavenza said as she handed Ren an 'Enduring Soul' skill card, before shaking her head as she spoke up, not seeing Kusa smirk at the slight hint of a flush on her cheeks as she kept speaking.

"It would be a shame if I were to leave so soon, Trickster. May I stay a little longer?" Lavenza asked as Ren cluelessly nodded, getting a grateful closed-eye smile from Lavenza, who leaned her head contentedly against Ren's shoulder and spoke up.

"Mmm, so comfortable. Your girlfriend is certainly a very lucky woman, Trickster. But rest assured, I have no intention of taking you from her. If anything, I think I could see us viewing one another as siblings of a sort, if this is acceptable to you." Lavenza said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Ren's too much of a gentleman to say so, so I'll say it for him. But man, you've got some gumption on you, Lady Lavenza. Kinda glad Sumire isn't here, since she might be a tad jelly to see you resting on Ren's shoulder like that. Luckily, I can see that it's not a romantic sort of lean. So it's not that big of a deal. Besides, it's hardly the first time Ren's let a girl lean on his shoulder like that. But by all means, if you wish to consider yourself a sister of sorts to us, that's more than fine by me, Lady Lavenza." Kusa said kindly as Ren spoke up at that point.

"Kusa is correct, Lavenza. We'd be flattered if you were to consider yourself our sister. Granted, as we don't know your age, we can't accurately say younger or older since we were raised never to ask a lady her age." Ren said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"However, in your case, we can more or less use your appearance and build to guess you're probably younger than us, so I hope you're not offended if we start calling you 'Little Sis', Lady Lavenza." Kusa said as Lavenza giggled and spoke up.

"No, that's quite all right, Kusa. Or, I guess I should call you and Ren 'Big Brother'?" Lavenza said as Ren spoke up.

"Only if you're with one of us individually, Lavenza. Otherwise, if it's both of us, you can call us Ren and Kusa respectively." Ren said as Kusa nodded his agreement as Lavenza smiled while hugging Ren as she spoke up.

"I see. Fair enough, Trickster. I shall abide by your wishes. And Kusa? It was nice meeting you again." Lavenza said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Likewise, Lady Lavenza. It was nice to see you again as well, little sis. But, I suppose I should be nice and warn you about something. Remember earlier, when I mentioned Taba had bugs put in here?" Kusa asked as Lavenza nodded and Kusa kept speaking.

"Well, that means she has listening devices planted in here, so she likely heard most if not all of this conversation we've had. So I fully expect her to tease probably both myself and Ren about this. So don't be too surprised if Taba starts teasing you about cuddling up to Ren like that if you see her again, little sis." Kusa warned Lavenza, who nodded and spoke up.

"Very well, Kusa. That's fine." Lavenza said as she relaxed on Ren for a time, before eventually dozing off on him once more, at which point Ren looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"Would I be correct in assuming that Futaba's watching Morgana?" Ren asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed you would. Speaking of which, once you get her back to the Velvet Room, I should probably head back and tell Futaba to send Morgana your way so we can get into bed soonish since we have school tomorrow." Kusa said wisely as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Go ahead and do that, Kusa. I'm going to carry our little sis here back to the Velvet Room and then probably come back here and crash out for the night. I'll keep the door open for Morgana to pad in when you send him back this way." Ren said as Kusa nodded and the two got up to head their separate ways at that point, the former cradling the dozing Lavenza in his arms and carrying her in an almost bridal-style carry back to the Velvet Room.

Meanwhile, the latter headed back to the Sakura household to have Futaba send Morgana back to Leblanc, at which point Ren came home, changed into his pajamas, and got comfortable on his bed with Morgana sprawled out on his chest as the two nodded off for the night...

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

"Well then, shall we begin? Have you all heard? The economy is apparently doing pretty well this year. Because of this, I tried getting into the stock market on a whim. And well, let's just say it's not a thing you want to jump into with no experience. I lost five months worth of my allowance in one fell swoop, just like that. Granted, it wasn't a huge loss, so it's not that bad, but it's still quite a thing to stare your failure in the face. My portfolio looked awful.

Oh, yes, that's right! Hey, speaking of things being awful! I used that world because my portfolio looked absolutely terrible, but in truth? 'Awful' originally meant something else. Ah, I know. Let's see if you were all paying attention! So, Amamiya-kun the elder, a question." Inui said as Ren looked up and gave Inui his attention as Inui kept speaking.

"What is the answer? What did the word 'awful' originally mean?" Inui asked Ren, who briefly blinked before smiling as he recalled Makoto mentioning this during one of their tutoring sessions together, when she was recalling her lessons as a second-year, making Ren grin as he mentally thanked Makoto for the answer before speaking up with confidence.

"This is it! The answer is impressive." Ren said confidently. Iwai nodded and clapped as he spoke up.

"Correct! That is correct, Amamiya-kun the elder. Ahem! Yes, it was only comparatively recently that 'awful' took on a negative implication. It once stood for awe of any kind. This is why older English documents use phrases like 'awful majesty' and 'awful power'. It could still be used to imply a certain kind of dread, though. After all, that was just one of several possible uses back then.

But times changed, and language evolved as centuries went by, little by little. Eventually, we ended up with more specific words. One was 'awful' for the bad. Meanwhile, the other word was 'awesome' for the good." Inui said as the other students started murmuring amongst themselves about how impressive it was that Ren knew the answer to the question, several of whom considered asking to borrow Ren's notes. Even Morgana spoke up to praise Ren for getting the question right, netting Ren a slight, but unneeded, boost to his Knowledge. At that point, Inui spoke up once more.

"Hm? Oh, it's time already? Let me say one last thing. After this winter, you'll all be studying for exams. You can either use your time wisely, or you can just slack off. Either way, I guess your test scores are going to be awful!" Inui said, ignoring the various groans at his attempt at a pun. Morgana then spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Nice work, Ren. Oh, yeah! You're clearly getting better every day. Well, one thing's for sure. You're definitely an impressive guy. 'Awe-inspiring' might be a bit much, but, I don't think you're going to be too fussed if I call you that. In any case, I know I can count on you." Morgana said as Ren nodded while the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

Ren looked over his options to see who he could rank up. He noticed that Takemi, Haru, and Sumire were all available to rank up. After a careful pause to consider his options, Ren chose to rank up Sumire after making a few detours to maintain the vegetables with Haru, do his daily Persona management in the Velvet Room, and check for any other Mementos requests he could find. After all that was done, Ren found Sumire in the promenade looking at stuff and walked over to her before speaking up.

"Hello there, beautiful. Fancy running into you here." Ren said teasingly to break the ice, making Sumire blink before turning to face Ren as she spoke up.

"Ah, hello, Ren-senpai. Nice seeing you. I'm trying to do everything I can do right now. To that end, I'm thinking of taking a special lesson from the coach at my club. It's a special program that centers around boxercising. It relieves stress, and it's open to the public as well. To be honest, I was thinking you could come along if you wanted." Sumire said hopefully, making Ren squirm a bit at how pretty her closed-eye smile looked at that moment. Ren then spoke up.

"I did say I would be here for you however I could. So if going to this lesson helps with that, then consider me signed up for it." Ren said kindly to Sumire, who gave Ren a closed-eye smile even as she spoke up in a surprised voice.

"Really? Wow, thank you so much, Ren-senpai! Oh, right, forgot you haven't met her yet. Tell you what, Ren-senpai. I'll introduce you to coach Hiraguchi-san once the lesson ends. I think I told you this before, but Coach Hiraguchi is an amazing person. She's been guiding Kasumi and me since we were both little. Now, we should get going. Come on Ren-senpai, let's head over." Sumire said as Ren nodded and followed Sumire to the lesson...

(At an unspecified location, before the boxercising lesson with Ren and Sumire)

While Ren and Sumire waited together for the lesson, they briefly ducked into separate rooms to change into workout clothes. Once that was done, they reconvened, Ren feeling like his breath briefly caught in his throat as he saw Sumire in her workout clothes. Where Ren's workout clothes were made up of a matching black and white track jacket/track pants combo, a grey undershirt, and grey high-tops plus his glasses, Sumire's had her wearing her hair in the ponytail she'd so often worn while pretending to be Kasumi, complete with a light blue tie-off to keep it in place.

As for the workout outfit itself, it was made up of a black and red tank top that hugged her figure nicely, dark blue workout shorts with red lining, dark teal tights, black knee-high workout socks and black workout shoes. Even though it was a simple yet functional outfit, Ren found himself impressed and wowed by how amazing it looked on Sumire. While Ren's jaw was slightly dropped, Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee! If I'd have known you'd react like that, I'd have brought you to one of these sooner, Ren-senpai. That said, I have a lot of memories of this lesson. When she was alive, Kasumi helped me through this special regimen several times. It might not seem like it, but it gets tough after a while. Your limbs start feeling heavier the longer you keep them up.

Whenever we did this before, all I could focus on was how Kasumi was doing. And on how much I wanted to stop. Kasumi was probably so disappointed in me, now that I think about it. After all, I got tired out so quick back then, but that might be because I was inexperienced and not as good at working out as I am now." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"It's possible. But alas, the only one who could answer that for sure is no longer able to do so. But my question becomes this. Were you frustrated by your struggles back then, Sumi?" Ren asked Sumire kindly. Sumire frowned as she spoke up.

"It's not that I was frustrated, per se. I just felt so miserable that I couldn't match up to Kasumi. She never doubted herself for a second. And then there's me, her little sister, the girl who tried to copy her in most everything she did. I'd imagine she was rather annoyed with me by the end, truth be told." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"It's possible, though I doubt she was ever truly frustrated with you. Disappointed occasionally, but not frustrated. From what you told me of her final moments, I got the sense she was a selfless person who cared deeply for you, so much so she was willing to lay down her own life with virtually no hesitation to save yours. And if you ask me, I think she did so because she could see that you're an incredible and amazing person, Sumire." Ren said as Sumire looked at Ren in shock and spoke up.

"Ren-senpai, are you being serious right now?" Sumire asked, her face subtly pinking slightly at Ren's kind words to her, before her eyes widened in realization as she kept speaking.

"Oh crap, that's right! I think it's almost time for my coach to show up. I'm kind of nervous." Sumire said as Ren spoke up with a smirk.

"Oh? Is she strict, then? From the way you describe her, I get the sense she's not a scary person so much as she could be strict." Ren asked Sumire, who smiled while nodding as she spoke up.

"Well, you could say that. She's tough on us, yes, but she's a great mentor. She's been helping Kasumi and me for a long time. And if I recall correctly, when he got to meet her, Kusa-kun seemed to have a reasonably good impression of her, even if I did see him stifling a slightly intimidated look at least once while he watched my competition for you the day of that story about your 'death' broke. But let's not talk about that time, yeah? Back to the subject of Coach. She's such an amazing person.

Even through all my delusions as Kasumi, she never stopped helping me out. Truth be told, I don't know what I'd do without her." Sumire said honestly as right at that point, an athletically built woman with short black hair, piercing black eyes, a short black top with mixed aquamarine and pink tones, workout sweats that were a mix of dark grey and black, and blue workout shoes walked over. Sumire blinked at the new arrival before bowing to her as she spoke up.

"Hello, Coach Hiraguchi!" Sumire said to the now-named Hiraguchi, who blinked at Sumire and spoke up.

"Sumire, you're here? Also, maybe it's just my imagination, but I get the sense that you seem like your old self again." Hiraguchi said to Sumire, who sweatdropped nervously before speaking up apologetically.

"Y-Yes, that's right, Coach. I've decided to quit running from my problems and live as myself, if that makes sense. I'm sorry I worried you. Um, I've not exactly been the best pupil of late, I'm sure. The truth is, I've been running away from what happened to my sister." Sumire said honestly as Hiraguchi smiled before chuckling as she spoke up.

"Aha, I see. So you realized. Well, are you okay now?" Hiraguchi asked Sumire, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yup, I'm fine now, Coach. Please, listen to me! I'm not totally back to my old self 100% yet, but I'm working towards a new goal. I want to be the best in the world at gymnastics! So now, I'm going to do what I can as Sumire." Sumire said resolutely as Hiraguchi gave her a closed-eye smile that Ren had to reluctantly admit was cute while speaking up.

"I see. That's interesting. Oh, by the way, Sumire. Who's this?" Hiraguchi asked, jerking a thumb at Ren as she spoke to indicate who she meant. Sumire flushed at the question slightly before she spoke up.

"Ah, right. Forgot you hadn't met him in person yet. Coach, this is my boyfriend, Ren Amamiya. He's also my senpai from school. We both came here for a lesson." Sumire said as Ren smiled at Hiraguchi and spoke up while dipping into a brief bow as he spoke.

"Hello. Nice to finally meet you, Hiraguchi-san. Thank you so much for all you've done for Sumire. I understand I have you to thank for guiding her for most of her life? So thank you for helping mold her into the wonderful person she is today. Sure, she's not perfect, but perfection is overrated if you ask me." Ren said, chuckling a bit at his own joke as Hiraguchi smiled and spoke up.

"Agreed, Amamiya-kun the elder. Nice to finally meet Sumire's boyfriend in person. I've heard a good bit about you from her, and even a little bit from your younger brother the one time he came to observe Sumire's practice on your behalf while you were, let's go with 'pre-occupied' for now, I think. Oh, so you're the 'Ren-senpai' that Sumire goes on about so much. I can see why she's so smitten with you." Hiraguchi said with a smirk as she turned to Sumire and kept speaking.

"Fine. Let's have you go first, Sumire. You can start with your combination." Hiraguchi said as a slightly red-faced Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Sumire said as she started showing off her kick-boxing routine and form, ignoring the smirking Ren who found himself entranced by how graceful and breathtaking his girlfriend's moving form was. However, just because he was immersed in enjoying her combination didn't mean Ren didn't hear the people nearby speak up, his eyes narrowing as he heard their conversation.

"She's got some amazing moves, doesn't she?" A tall man asked a fit man next to him, who nodded as he spoke up.

"No kidding! That was so freakin' fast, dude! She's really got those aggressive moves down. I pity whatever poor sucker pisses her off. She seems like she could take them down in no time if she was angry enough. She really is just like her sister. Hoo boy, her sister was insane to watch as well." The fit man said as Ren glared at the two men, but before he could really even think about rebuking them for their back-handed insult of Sumire, he noticed Hiraguchi giving Sumire an appraising glance, choosing to focus on hearing what Hiraguchi may have had to say about Sumire's performance as Hiraguchi spoke up.

"Hmm, I see. Okay, you can take a break. We'll do some more later." Hiraguchi said to Sumire before turning and walking off as Sumire bowed and spoke up to her coach's retreating back.

"Phew, that was intense. Hah, I'm almost out of breath! Ah, th-thank you very much, Coach!" Sumire called after her retreating coach. After a bit, Sumire warmed up a bit in front of Ren, who smirked as he watched his girlfriend work her form out. Around that point, Sumire bowed to Hiraguchi and spoke up.

"Ah, Coach! Thank you for being here! Um, Coach Hiraguchi, to be honest? I'd like to thank you for all your help today. So thank you. Be honest with me, Coach. So, in your opinion, how did I do? I tried to put some real force into that combination." Sumire asked Hiraguchi, who frowned and gave Sumire another appraising glance as she spoke up.

"Honestly? The performance itself was good. The problem I had with it was you yourself. You said you were going to perform as Sumire this time. However, I didn't see that at all. All I saw out there was Kasumi Yoshizawa, or a shadow of her, at least." Hiraguchi said, making Sumire shudder at the brutal honesty from her coach, even as Ren winced sympathetically, understanding what Sumire was trying to say earlier. Hiraguchi is a nice woman, but she pulls no punches in her evaluations. Ren found himself impressed by the blunt honesty of Hiraguchi. Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"Wh-What? You say you only saw Kasumi, or a shadow of her, out there?" Sumire said, looking a tiny bit upset. Hiraguchi noticed this and spoke up.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Sumire. But you asked for me to be honest with you, so I am. Your performance felt like you were still trying to channel your sister's essence instead of making your routine truly your own. Kasumi defined her performance by her boldness, yes. But that's not something you can just appropriate for yourself. It came from the energy within her. That's what made her Kasumi.

I told you to think about 'who you really are'. Seems to me like you still don't understand what I meant." Hiraguchi said as Sumire frowned at this but said virtually nothing in response, as she knew Hiraguchi was right, even if it hurt to hear the truth. Hiraguchi then kept speaking after a moment, a small smile on her face as she spoke up.

"You need to stop hiding behind Kasumi. Think about this, Sumire. If you keep denying yourself like this, how can Kasumi still call you her rival?" Hiraguchi asked Sumire, whose eyes widened in surprise from Hiraguchi's words as she spoke up.

"Huh!? What's that supposed to mean, Coach?" Sumire asked as Hiraguchi gave Sumire a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Exactly what it sounds like. I never wanted to draw attention to it, but Kasumi had a very competitive streak. She hated to lose. She would always tell me how she was so jealous of her little sister, and her delicate, graceful style. 'I can't lose to her,' she said to me once. She wanted you to see that." Hiraguchi said as Sumire spoke up, her eyes still wide, not seeing the contemplative look on Ren's face nearby as he noted how similar this aspect of Kasumi struck him as being to Akechi's tendency to hate losing.

"She felt that way? I mean, she actually said that? Th-That's, well, impossible. Kasumi could do anything, and I could never catch up to her. I was nothing compared to her, I used to tell myself." Sumire said honestly, drawing a grim smile onto Hiraguchi's face as she spoke up.

"So you say. I've said all I wanted to say, for now. But I suggest you think a little harder about it." Hiraguchi said harshly as Sumire winced and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's fair Coach. I'll definitely give your advice some thought." Sumire said as Hiraguchi nodded before turning to Ren as she spoke up.

"Okay, it's your turn now, Amamiya-kun the elder! Get ready! After all, I doubt you want to totally humiliate yourself in front of your girlfriend." Hiraguchi said to Ren, who sweatdropped but nodded as he was put through his paces. After a while, Hiraguchi nodded in satisfaction before declaring that Ren had good technique and form for a first-timer, saying that he had potential to go far if he ever decided to take gymnastics seriously. After she left, Sumire leaned on a wall and sighed while looking at Ren.

"Ugh..." Sumire said, giving off a slightly drawn-out sigh, making Ren frown as he spoke up.

"This is probably a dumb question to ask, but are you okay, Sumi?" Ren asked Sumire, who smiled at Ren's concern as she spoke up.

"Thank you for your concern Ren-senpai, but I'm fine. I noticed she was quite impressed with your physical abilities. Compared to you, though? I would daresay I was pitiful by comparison. Me, graceful and delicate? Well, now that I think about it, I guess that's the one thing my coach used to compliment me on. But even with that, I couldn't match Kasumi's performance at all. Ugh. And now she says Kasumi saw me as a rival the entire time? I don't believe it.

I mean, all I was doing was imitating her. Ever since the beginning, I was just following Kasumi in whatever she did, because that's how much I admired her. And that was fine in the beginning. I loved being with Kasumi, and it was fun. But ever since I started noticing the difference in our gymnastic skills, one thing became clear to me. I'll always be someone less than Kasumi. I'm just worthless after all, Ren-senpai." Kasumi said as Ren frowned at this and spoke up.

"Worthless!? Did you seriously just insult yourself like that, Sumi!? You listen to me, and you listen well! That isn't true at all! You're just still coping with your loss. If you were worthless, as you claim you are, would you have been the one who kept me going more often than not when I'd stumble and have to pick myself back up? I don't think so. You are an incredible, kind, selfless, truly amazing woman, Sumire. And I'm not too proud to admit that you are in fact the reason I've been able to pick myself up on more than one occasion.

Additionally, I was able to get through those two long weeks of having to lay low during Shido's deadline was because I kept picturing your beautiful face and knowing I couldn't give up, since I had to stay strong so I could be someone you could believe in and be able to draw strength and comfort from. I kept telling myself that I needed to stay strong for your sake.

Sure, there were also aspects where I thought of the others as well, but you were the main reason I was able to keep going through that whole long ordeal I went through because of Shido and Akechi, as well as that bastard Yaldabaoth. So never doubt that you are incredible, Sumire." Ren said kindly to Sumire, who smiled prettily at Ren as she spoke up while flushing slightly at his genuine praise of her.

"Aw, you're just saying that, Ren. Still, thank you very much for saying that. You're very kind, Senpai. Still, something occurred to me when Coach told me what Kasumi said. I realized something in that moment. Just like Kasumi wanted to show me what she could do, I still want you to see my own abilities. Do you remember? Like back when I tried to show off at the batting cages?" Sumire asked as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, I remember that all right. As I recall, that was the day I finally plucked up the nerve to kiss you on the lips. Granted, it only lasted for a few seconds, and you didn't really seem to return it that much at the time, but it was still satisfying to be able to physically express how much you meant to me, no, how much you still mean to me." Ren said honestly as Sumire's eyes widened at this and she spoke up.

"Oh, really? I'm surprised you didn't just think it was Kasumi you felt that way for, Ren? Ah, but maybe that's what I need to chase. Maybe that feeling can help me get some confidence! It sounds like even Kasumi liked my more subtle and delicate moves, so maybe, just maybe, if I mix it with her aggressive style, I could finally reach a happy medium, where I start being true to myself while also feeling like I keep Kasumi's dream alive for her sake." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I see. While it is true you'll become stronger from that, I get the impression that you intend to meld your style with that of your sisters, not unlike how a duet is created. Assuming that you understood what I was getting with that at all, anyways." Ren said honestly. Sumire giggled as she gave Ren a brilliant and beautiful closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"I get what you were trying to say, Ren-senpai. And right? Maybe I'll be able to step up my routine! Hee Hee! Oh, I get it now. If the key here is showing you what I can do, then I just need you to watch me again, Ren-senpai! So Ren? Will you go out with me again?" Sumire asked as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Again, you say? I wasn't aware we stopped, Sumi. That said, I'd be delighted. Truth be told, I could quite happily watch you forever, if I was able to." Ren said sincerely, making Sumire's eyes widen slightly as a subtle hint of red dusted her cheeks as she spoke up.

"U-Um, Ren-senpai? You're going to make me blush if you say things like that. But thank you, just the same. I'll be relying on you." Sumire said as she gave Ren a pretty closed-eye smile while sparkling blue music notes went up over her head. At that point, Ren smiled widely, feeling as if he could sense a deep bond of trust, and possibly even a hint of love, from Sumire in that moment.

At that point, the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' on the card becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Sumire had reached Rank 7. As a result of the rank-up, Sumire had awoken to the power of 'Harisen Recovery', making her able to potentially cure status ailments inflicted upon party members, much like every other Phantom Thief with the apparent exceptions of Joker and Oracle could do. Afterwards, Sumire kept speaking.

"I'll think about what else I can do. When I figure it out, I'll let you know. Oh shoot, is it time already? Let's get going." Sumire said as Ren nodded before Sumire led him through a quick but effective training routine. As a result, Ren felt as if his stamina had improved, netting him another boost to his Max HP. Afterwards, Ren and Sumire walked out of the gym, the latter smiling prettily at the former as she spoke up.

"Good effort today, Ren-senpai! And thank you so much for today. I'll see you next time." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Count on it, beautiful. You couldn't keep me away now if you tried." Ren said with a confident smirk as he walked off to return to Leblanc, not seeing the very pretty but subtle blush that went over Sumire's face at his parting words. As Ren got back to Leblanc, his phone rang as he got to the doorstep, making him smile as he answered it.

"Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said before smiling as he recognized Sumire's voice on the other end when she spoke up.

"Oh, Senpai. Hello again. It's me, Sumire. Thank you for coming with me today. That said, Coach Hiraguchi's so strict, isn't she? She wasn't going easy on you at all when she put you through your paces. But that's just how she is. She used to make me and Kasumi work so hard. She was so harsh, she even made me cry a couple times. But Kasumi said she was probably tough on us because she saw our potential. Thanks to Kasumi supporting me with her strength, I kept working hard. It didn't seem like you were struggling at all, though. You might be just as tough as Kasumi was, Ren-senpai! Amazing." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, what can I say? I love a good challenge. And if me being like Kasumi means I can keep inspiring you to do your best and not give up while continuing to be there for you every step of the way through your dream, then I'll take you comparing me to her as a compliment." Ren said honestly as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, silly Senpai! Ren, you're such a dork sometimes, you know that? Oh, I see what you're saying, though. So you let the struggle fuel you. I wish I could do that, to be honest. That said, I can't stop thinking about what she mentioned, though, Ren-senpai. My own energy, huh. What did she mean by that? Eh, I guess I'm the only one who can find that answer. But I'll try with everything I have. For now, though, I think I should let you go, Ren. I'll talk to you later." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"Sounds like a plan to me, beautiful. But never forget that I'm just a phone call away if you need me. But I have confidence you can figure this out. Bye for now." Ren said as he hung up his phone and walked into Leblanc. When he walked in, Sojiro spoke up.

"Oh, welcome back, Ren. Have a good day?" Sojiro asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, it was pretty eventful. But also a lot of work." Ren said honestly as Sojiro nodded and Ren went to ponder his options. To his surprise, his only option this time was Kawakami, who had sent him a private chat, which he opened.

"Hey! Something unbelievable just happened! It's so surprising! I don't even know where to begin, Master! There's something I want to ask you about as well. You'll request me today, won't you?" Kawakami said as Morgana spoke up, having read the chat over Ren's shoulder.

"I see. Sounds like Kawakami needs to see you, Ren. If you want to hang out with her, we can have Kusa come grab me up for the night so you don't have me underfoot while you see what Kawakami wants. But that's up to you." Morgana said as Ren spoke up once the two were upstairs in the attic.

"I think I might do that, Morgana. She's one of my Confidants that I'm the most uncertain on being able to max out successfully. But if I can rank her up here, I think I should be able to successfully max her out. So I think I will take advantage of this opportunity to spend time with her. Thank you for being so understanding." Ren said as he closed the private chat with Kawakami briefly to pull up a private chat with Kusa where he sent a response.

"Hey, Kusa. Sorry if this is cutting in on something important, but if you see this, can you come pick up Morgana and keep him with you overnight? I have a Confidant I need to rank up that requires me to invite them over to Leblanc. But if you can't do it, I understand." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Heh, it's fine Ren. I'm just working on make-up schoolwork, that's all. I've actually gotten quite far along in it. I'm impressed I missed so little despite being out of school for the best part of two months. Already I've sat a make-up exam for the one I missed, though the school told me they'd have to mark down my score to compensate for the fact I'm taking it so late. So I fully expect to only have probably a high C to low B average at best on it. But at least I got to make it up.

To answer your question, Ren? I'd be delighted to keep Morgana-sensei overnight if he's agreeable to that. I kinda miss being able to curl up with the little guy. Plus, Taba's kinda not in a sociable mood right now. All she said when I asked about it was that she was figuring some things out. But I'll trust Taba to be able to handle herself. So if you want me to snatch up Morgana, I can do that." Kusa sent as Ren winced and sent a response.

"Try to be patient with Futaba, Kusa. She's probably still trying to process how close she and the others came to losing their memories of you when they were actualized by Maruki. But Futaba in particular seems to feel extra guilty about it, almost as if she betrayed you by embracing the reality Maruki dangled in her face. So don't be offended if she's trying to sift through her feelings about that. Just be patient with her. But yes, please come get Morgana." Ren sent as he closed his private chat with Kusa and opened up the private chat with Kawakami again to send a response.

"As it happens, my night is quite free tonight, Miss Kawakami. So if you need me to request you, I'd be delighted to do so. But give me about 30 to 45 minutes before you show up, so that way I can make sure the cafe is closed up and there're no customers around to see you come in, since I know how self-conscious you get about your job. But I look forward to spending time with you and hearing you out. But yes, please come here." Ren sent as Kawakami sent a response.

"Thanks! Just stay put in your room, Master!" Kawakami sent as Ren closed his chat in time for Kusa to walk over, carefully scoop up Morgana, curl the cat gently in one arm, and walk back to the Sakura house with him. After that, Ren headed upstairs to await Kawakami's arrival once Sojiro closed up the cafe and shooed the customers out...

(A short time later, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren and Kawakami)

Kawakami gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up excitedly.

"Hey there! I'm so glad you requested me, Master! I have big news! Takase-kun's guardians came to my house today and apologized to me! They told me I won't have to send any more money! And that they'll pay back everything I paid them. It's like they're completely different people all of a sudden. Kind of like what happened with Mister Kamoshida all those months ago. Oh? Hey! You wouldn't be, umm, responsible for this, would you?" Kawakami asked as Ren sweatdropped before Kawakami kept speaking.

"Eh, I guess it doesn't matter that much. Anyway, it's such a relief. They apologized about Takase-kun, and how they treated both him and myself. And they even admitted what they did was terrible. They even told me that I am a good teacher. And so, as a result, I decided to really quit my part-time maid job today. I've been talking to my boss about it ever since I was hospitalized.

It took a while to work out who would cover my shifts. I didn't want to inconvenience anyone. Well, now I can finally make a fresh start as a teacher. I can take care of my students and earn their trust. That's the ideal teacher I aspire to become. Heh, I bet I'll be an old woman by the time I achieve my dreams." Kawakami said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"You, an old woman? Nonsense. I doubt it'll take you that long, and even if it did, you'll probably still be rocking the same looks you are now. I might be just your student, but I say this as your friend. You look damn good for your age, Miss Kawakami. And please don't take that as me flirting with you, because I'm not. I just felt like paying you a compliment." Ren said honestly. Kawakami giggled and spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right, Master. I'm still within the demographic age range of what's considered 'young', after all. Hee hee! Heh, hard to believe that I was always able to rely on you like this, Master. In the end, you helped me come to a lot of realizations, because you were such a good listener. So thanks again. Hm? Oh crap!" Kawakami said as Ren blinked at Kawakami swearing, giving her a confused look as she spoke up while dipping into a curtsy.

"Thank you for using our service! Today marks the day I graduate from being your maid." Kawakami said, not seeing Ren shudder slightly at how exaggeratedly anime/chibi Kawakami's face looked at that moment. Ren smiled kindly at Kawakami as he spoke up.

"I see. Well, if that's the case, allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the excellent service you've provided me during your time as my maid. Even if I didn't seem like it at times, I was truly grateful for all you did for me, Miss Kawakami." Ren said honestly as Kawakami giggled and sparkling blue music notes went up over her head as she spoke up.

"Hee hee, no. Thank YOU for your hard work as a master!" Kawakami said honestly as Ren smiled, feeling as if he could pick up on a deepened connection between himself and Kawakami. At that point, the 'Temperance' card appeared in his mind's eye for the first time in some time, the 'VIII' on the card becoming an 'IX' to signify that his Temperance Confidant link with Kawakami had reached Rank 9, though no new skill was given for the rank up. Afterwards, Kawakami kept speaking.

"So, um, can I ask something? I know you're probably not happy to see me stop being your maid, but it has to happen. At any rate, what are you going to do once I stop coming here? Can you handle cleaning the place on your own? I'm pretty worried about the state this place is in. I feel like you don't put much thought into your diet either, to be honest. Besides, won't you be lonely? Hm?" Kawakami asked Ren, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Not really. I mean, Kusa shares this room with me, along with our cat Morgana. And I have a lot of friends who come over and hang out, so I doubt I'll be that lonely. Once I have to go back home in the spring, however, that's another story. But we won't get into that now. As for my diet, I'm working on it. If nothing else, my girlfriend is pretty serious about eating healthy, so I feel like she won't let me slack too much on my diet. Not to mention Kusa and Morgana both like to look after me where they can, so I'm pretty set on people to look after me." Ren said honestly. Kawakami giggled as she spoke up while giving Ren a closed eye smile.

"Ahaha, is that so? I think you're bluffing. But I guess I'm not surprised. It must be so bizarre, having your homeroom teacher in your bedroom. But you won't mind me visiting the cafe area downstairs, right? We can chat over curry." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine, Miss Kawakami. To be honest with you, it was bizarre at first, but I eventually got used to it. And you're not just my homeroom teacher. You're also a dear friend of mine, as well. If anything, I'd be more apt to worry about Sumire coming around and seeing you in the cafe, drawing the wrong conclusion, and getting jealous of you. Because between us? Sumire is the only one I'm romantically interested in, even if I'm letting her have space right now to figure herself out. That's what a real man does, after all. He puts his own wants to the side in order to be able to better abide by the wishes of those closest to him." Ren said as Kawakami nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, Master. Err, I mean, Amamiya-kun the elder. That's just like you. Despite how I am, you never gave up on me. So, as your homeroom teacher and as your friend, I'll always protect you. Oh, and of course I'll keep my initial promise too. The one about slacking off in class." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and escorted her to the door, where she spoke up.

"Thank you for showing me to the door. You're such a gentleman. Yoshizawa-san is such a lucky woman to have you in her life. Anyways, see you later! I'll see you at school!" Kawakami said as Ren nodded and Kawakami walked off. After he walked up the stairs to get comfortable, his phone rang and he answered it.

"Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he heard Kawakami speak up on the other end.

"Hi. Thanks for today. On my way home, I remembered everything. All the old memories from when I decided to become a teacher. Like when I was going through the courses for it, or my first year as a teacher, things like that. Back then, I would've done anything for my students. I felt like I was capable of anything. But somewhere along the way, I forgot about all that and got lost in my problems with the Takases and trying to pay them back. But I also learned something from all this. Reigniting your original resolve is easier said than done." Kawakami said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Miss Kawakami. But I know you can do it. I believe in you." Ren said kindly to Kawakami, who laughed and spoke up.

"Thanks. Somehow, when I hear it from you, it makes me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. Weird, huh? From now on, I'll support you as your teacher, so you can rely on me as much as you want, okay? Th-That's all I wanted to say! Okay, I'll see you at school, Amamiya-kun the elder! Good night." Kawakami said as Ren nodded, hanging up the phone and changing into his pajamas before laying down for the night...

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

"Hey! Ah, we were all able to grab seats! Why don't you read something until we get there?" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as he pulled out his bag to see what books he had on hand while Kusa pulled out his phone to look at his private chats. Before he looked his books over, Ren idly noted Kusa had decided to put on his winter outfit, which comprised of a dark green leather aviator jacket with dark grey wool sleeves, a grey scarf, black leather gloves, dark grey sweatpants, and dark green winter boots. Additionally, Ren noticed that Kusa had jammed a black and green striped beanie over his head, rolled up enough in the back so his usual ponytail could fall free down his back.

After finishing his covert inspection of Kusa's winter outfit and looking his books over, Ren eventually pulled out his copy of 'The Alluring Dancer', which he recalled checking out from the library, and decided to read it so he could turn it in after school. Ren then spoke up so only Morgana could hear.

"Let's see here. This says, 'When she danced, men fell upon her feet in an attempt to curry her favor and/or attention.' Is this a book about dancing, or seducing men?" Ren said jokingly as Morgana did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Maybe both? But in all seriousness, it wasn't just her looks, but her way of life was also very beautiful, to be sure. Oh, whoa. You've still got time to read. Let's go a little further, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Where was I? Ah, yes, here we are. 'Even when facing death, her soul was free like a bird. No matter what she faced, Carmen was always graceful and charming in all she did.' I see." Ren said as he finished reading 'The Alluring Dancer' to himself. When he was done, Morgana spoke up as he inspected the cover of the book.

"Oh! So, you've finished reading 'The Alluring Dancer', eh Ren? They say the great beauty Carmen lived for love and passion. I suppose life without freedom is pointless. Well, I don't know if I could live exactly like she did, but you learned a lot, didn't you?" Morgana said as Ren nodded and pumped a fist as his Charm got a modest, yet unneeded, boost from reading 'The Alluring Dancer'. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"Oh, we're almost at the station, you two! I'd say that was an efficient use of your time, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement, along with Kusa as the rest of the ride passed uneventfully...

(A bit later, between trains to school, with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, and Sumire)

After Ren and Kusa got off the train, the two stretched, the latter smirking as he happened to turn his head in time to catch a glimpse of a familiar bespectacled redhead his brother was quite taken with, making him subtly nudge Ren's side to get his attention, speaking up when Ren was looking at him.

"Hey Ren, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that Sumire walking this way with that rather content look on her face?" Kusa said with a grin as Ren looked and smiled as he noticed that it was in fact Sumire, making him give her his attention as she walked over and spoke up.

"Ah, good morning, Ren-senpai. I see Kusa-kun is with you as well, and wearing his winter outfit. Very spiffy, Kusa. I take it he's finally recovered enough to start going to school again? If so, that's good. Having my own desk is nice, but there was a certain appeal in having Kusa around, even if he can be a handful at times." Sumire said as Kusa huffed and spoke up with a mock-offended look on his face as he crossed his arms for effect while he spoke.

"OI! That's kinda rude, sister! I'll grant that I can be something of an unapologetic instigator at times, but I would think that you appreciate me even despite that, Sumire? Or have I actually been gone for a long enough time that our previous brother-sister like dynamic has lost its appeal for you?" Kusa asked, a slightly confused look on his face. Sumire giggled at Kusa as she spoke up.

"Oh, don't be so offended, Kusa-kun. I was just teasing you. You know I missed having you around. And of course I'm flattered you see me as a sister." Sumire said as she walked forward to hug a slightly surprised Kusa, who eventually just settled for returning the hug somewhat awkwardly, all while ignoring the amused smirks on Ren and Morgana's faces at the bonding moment between the two. Sumire then pulled away to look at Ren as she spoke up.

"That said, We've secured a route to the Treasure, haven't we? Now we just have to wait for the Day of Fates to arrive. I get the plan and all, but I still can't really settle down, to be honest. Um, if we have the time, can we go to Mementos? I'd like you to give me more pointers on how to fight in the Metaverse, if possible." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"I'll think about it, Sumi. To be honest? I usually only commission Mementos runs if I have a sufficient amount of requests. And at this point, I only have two requests built up. I typically wait until around 5 requests are piled up, but I get the sense I have around 7 more requests in total to find, so I might try to gather all of those before calling for a Mementos run, but rest assured that there will probably be another Mementos run before the Day of Fates happens. If nothing else, it'll be a good chance for Kusa here to get back into form, since I'm sure his form's suffered at least somewhat after being chained to that wall for the last few weeks." Ren said to Sumire, not seeing the brief look of anxiety flash across Kusa's face at the mention of his time chained to a wall before he rearranged his face into a polite mask of intrigue.

Sumire smiled and nodded as she subconsciously ran a hand through her hair to try and brush some stray strands out of her face, a gesture that Kusa noticed with a smirk as Sumire spoke up.

"Sure! Whenever you have time would be fine. I'm in top form right now, so I can go anytime. Well, I'll be waiting for your call then." Sumire said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the three continuing the trip to school together in peace...

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

"Do you know the answer to this question? Therefore, in this context, the nuance of the idiom is the complete opposite. I saw a lot of errors on the previous test, so please be more careful in the future. HEY! Excuse me! No sleeping in class. Today's examples will be on your entrance exam, so make sure you know them." Kawakami said as a black-haired female student spoke up.

"What's up with Kawakami?" The black-haired female student said to the nearby flashy student, who shrugged and spoke up.

"No clue. She usually looks so tired, too." The flashy student said as a short-haired male student spoke up from nearby.

"I talked to her this morning about my future and my aspirations, and she was super polite. Friendly, even." The short-haired male student said as a frivolous male student spoke up.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. She even gave me advice about my girlfriend." The frivolous male student said as Ren smirked, noting idly that now that she's gotten back onto her feet, so to speak, Kawakami seems to be working hard as a teacher and living up to her dream. With that thought in mind, Ren smirked and relaxed as he listened to the lecture as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren stretched after school, his phone went off, making him check it, only to find it was a private chat from Ryuji.

"This request kinda caught my eye on the Phan-Site. 'An indie idol tricked my dad, and now my family's falling apart. It's that idol's fault that my mom and dad fight all the time. Mom got really mad today. She was shouting about them heading to divorce, whatever that means. I just want mom and dad to be happy again.' And it goes on like that for a while. So, I think you get the picture. I think this poster's just a kid. Makes all this shit hit a little harder, you know?" Ryuji sent as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"For real. Poor kid." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Yeah, no kidding. Sucks to come home to an arguin' family. I can say that from experience. Anyhow, I did some digging on this indie idol lady. Her stage name's Star Lilina. Honestly, though, she seems pretty on the level. No shady business, no cheatin' the fans, nothin'. No hits on the Nav, neither. Therefore, if I had to guess, I'd say it's the dad who's the problem on this one. Sounds like he goes to Akihibara every day? Wanna go check it out?" Ryuji sent as Ren closed the private chat and Morgana spoke up, having discreetly read the chat over Ren's shoulder.

"Hmm. So this dad's obsessed with an indie idol, huh? Well, we'll need his name before we can do anything else. Okay, let's go! I guess we should go to Akihibara and try gathering some information." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the group's phones pinged to signify the receipt of the Mementos request 'An Idol and a Unicorn'. Morgana then spoke up.

"Hey, hey! Has the fatigue been building up for you? Maybe it'd be a good idea to relax and play some darts." Morgana said as Ren nodded and headed to Akihibara. Once there, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, we have a target we still haven't identified, right? Let's gather info on that idol-obsessed dad." Morgana said as Ren nodded and ducked into the Velvet Room for his daily Persona management shenanigans before doing just what Morgana suggested. After a bit of walking, Ren spotted a woman in a white coat talking to a man and hung back a bit to eavesdrop as the woman spoke up.

"Oh! You're back? I'm so happy that you came to see Lily-nyan again!" The apparently-named Lily said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Lily-nyan, eh? Do you think this is that idol, Lilina? That name came up in the post about the dad that's obsessed with indie idols! Let's get a closer look, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded and kept eavesdropping as Lily, or Star Lilina as her stage name seemed to be, spoke up.

"Heh, thank you for always buying so much, Fuwa-nyan! But are you sure it's okay with your family?" Star Lilina asked as the man called Fuwa spoke up.

"Yes, yes, it's completely fine! Nothing's a problem if it means I get to talk to you, Lily-nyan!" The man called Fuwa said as Star Lilina frowned and spoke up.

"If you say so. Just don't overdo it, okay, Fuwa-nyan? You understand? I want you to stay my fan for a long time." Star Lilina said as the man called Fuwa spoke up.

"Oh! My heart! You're an angel! Now, could I please get today's autograph from you?" The man called Fuwa asked Star Lilina, who nodded and spoke up.

"Okayyy! To my fan, A-N-J-I, what was the last name again? Oh, right! F-U-W-A-nyan! That's what it was! And done! Okay, I've got to get to work now. See you later, Fuwa-nyan!" Star Lilina said as the now-named Anji Fuwa spoke up.

"See you later!" Anji Fuwa said as Star Lilina walked off, leaving Anji Fuwa alone with Ren and Morgana, as the latter of the two spoke up.

"Well, we've got his name now, but we still don't know if he's the parent of our client or not. Let's go ask him." Morgana said as Ren nodded and walked over to Anji Fuwa and spoke up.

"Excuse me, was that an idol who just walked off?" Ren asked as Anji Fuwa nodded and spoke up.

"Ahh, you recognize her too, do you? Lily-nyan is such an angel." Anji Fuwa said as Morgana spoke up.

"Let's find out if this is the dad who's overly obsessed with an indie idol." Morgana said as Anji Fuwa spoke up.

"Hm? Did you need something? I've just finished talking with an angel, so I feel like I could say anything right now, hahaha." Anji Fuwa ssaid as Ren spoke up.

"I see. Would I be correct in guessing you're a fan of Lily-nyan's then?" Ren asked Anji Fuwa, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Of course! What else would I be? In fact, I just bought a big stack of her CDs as proof of my love for her. Well, to be fair, my wife does make a bit of a fuss about it. I have no place at home or in my family, so I think I deserve to at least splurge a little here." Anji Fuwa said as Ren spoke up.

"No place in your family, you say?" Ren asked as Anji Fuwa nodded and spoke up.

"Well, this is a fairly common thing in families. A father's role is paying the bills. He's not really involved in the child's life. No matter how much he might want to be part of said child's life." Anji Fuwa said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Did you talk to your kid and see how they feel about this?" Ren asked as Anji Fuwa frowned and spoke up.

"Of course I did! Don't act like you understand what's going on better than I do! If I wanted to hear a lecture, I'd talk to my wife! The only one I need is Lily-nyan!" Anji Fuwa said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"I see. 'He's got no place at home' and 'He wants to get involved in his kid's life, but he can't', hm? He's got an unstable family situation, but he's still fixated on that idol despite that. Looks like we've got the right guy. Let's discuss this at the hideout with everyone else. Ren headed into the Gigolo, noticing that Shinya was there. As he went in, he noticed that the prize for the crane game had changed out, to something called a 'Stray Sheep Man'.

Shrugging, and figuring he had no reason not to, Ren dumped 300 yen into the machine to try and win the 'Stray Sheep Doll'. To Ren's surprise, he didn't get the prize, though. Shrugging off the loss, Ren walked over to speak to Shinya as he had a Tower Persona on him. Shinya blinked as he saw Ren approach and spoke up.

"Hey there. Been a while, Amamiya-san the elder. Is it just me, or is everyone acting really weird? People seem so happy, even when they lose. It's kinda freaking me out. That said, I think I wanna keep today's training short. Is that okay?" Shinya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Fine by me, Oda-kun. I can respect if you have plans after this. But since I'm here, might as well train up some. So instruct me, Oda-senpai." Ren said with a smirk. Shinya rolled his eyes at the remark and spoke up.

"Really? That's just corny, Amamiya-san the elder. Hey! After our training, I want to talk about the rumors surrounding Takekuma." Shinya said as Ren nodded and did a quick training session with Shinya. Afterwards, Shinya spoke up as the two sat on a bench.

"Hey! I can't stop thinking about my battle with Takekuma. You know, the one where I got destroyed ten times in a row by him? I mean, I couldn't do anything to him, no matter how hard I tried. There's just no way." Shinya said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. That whole situation was pretty weird, if you ask me." Ren said honestly. Shinya smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Right!? I knew you'd understand! I've been practicing a lot, after all. But I've heard rumors about Takekuma as well! People say he uses cheat armor! You know what that is, right? He totally broke the rules by equipping it, if the rumors are true. I bet that's why my usual shots didn't work against him! That has to be the reason! But the next time we play, I'm definitely going to do better! And I'm definitely gonna demolish him! All right!" Shinya said, a determined look on his face as Ren spoke up.

"I'm sure you can do it, Oda-kun. Don't give up. You're 'The King', after all. You can do anything you set your mind to." Ren said encouragingly to Shinya, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yep. Even the Phantom Thieves had a comeback victory against Medjed. I'm gonna win next time! Just watch! Hey, but the thing is, the other day I told my mom about what happened with Takekuma over dinner, but instead of being mad on my behalf or concerned, she didn't seem to really care. All she said was, 'Okay.' It's probably because I lost, to be honest. She doesn't like kids who lose, you see." Shinya said as Ren sweatdropped at this while Shinya kept speaking.

"My mom once told me that even if it gets rough, we need to be strong, because it's just the two of us. She said no one helps the weak. They just get preyed on, and that it's the way of the world, whatever that means. And that's why I wanna get stronger. Strong enough that we won't get preyed on anymore. Strong enough that WE'D be the predators instead of the prey. That's exactly who the Phantom Thieves are, after all.

They're the strongest group around, who could prey on anyone they wanted. Once I become the strongest, my mom will be able to count on me no matter what. The only way I can win is through games, Amamiya-san the elder. That's why I can't lose. Ugh. But what should I do about Takekuma's armor, then? The strategy I used last time didn't work at all." Shinya said as Ren spoke up.

"Well, if your previous strategy was ineffective, there are two ways you can proceed from here. Either you can accept that you've got a long way to go before you can beat Takekuma, OR you can try and devise a new strategy somehow." Ren said wisely to Shinya, who smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Of course! That's it! I just need a new strategy! Once I come up with one, I'm definitely gonna win next time! Heh, thanks. Despite what I said before, you're kinda like a big brother to me. I can talk to you about anything, for the most part. I heard that that's what it's like to have a sibling. Being an only child myself, I wouldn't know how that feels." Shinya said honestly as Ren nodded, smiling as he could feel Shinya's brotherly affection for him.

At that point, the 'Tower' card appeared in his mind's eye for the first time in quite a while, the 'IV' on the card becoming a 'V' to signify that his Tower Confidant link with Shinya had reached Rank 5. As a result of the rank-up, Shinya had conferred the power of 'Laced Bullets' onto Ren, making it so that bullets that can inflict status ailments have an even higher rate of successfully doing so. Afterwards, Shinya kept speaking.

"Takekuma better watch out from now on." Shinya said confidently before he saw the time and swore as he got to his feet.

"Oh, crap! Look at the time! I gotta go!" Shinya said as Ren nodded, feeling as if interacting with Shinya had made his heart grow, and making Ren feel like his Kindness had increased, leading to a modest, if unneeded, boost to Ren's Kindness. Ren then got up to leave as well, at which point Shinya spoke up.

"Ah, you gotta get going too, then? Well, see you later!" Shinya said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the door, prompting him to answer it.

"Hello, Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren speaking." Ren said as he answered the phone, recognizing Shinya's voice on the other end as he spoke up.

"Oh, Amamiya-san the elder? Hello. It's me, Shinya. I, uh, appreciate your input on that issue today. Heh heh, be honest with me. I sound like a grownup, huh? Yeah, my mom says that a lot on her conference calls. That Takekuma is scum, though! Urgh, even thinking about him pisses me off! I'll beat him next time for sure. But since he might be cheating, normal training isn't gonna cut it. I gotta think of a new strategy by the next time I challenge him!" Shinya said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. Be honest with me, Oda-kun. Do you think you can take him in a rematch?" Ren asked Shinya, who spoke up.

"To be honest? I don't know yet, Amamiya-san the elder. I just need some time to think. But I feel like I'm right on the edge of a good idea. Once I figure everything out, you should come train with me! I gotta be the best. Or else my mom won't be able to count on me. Ahem, sorry about that. Well, I'll definitely win next time. See ya." Shinya said as Ren nodded and hung up his phone before heading inside for the evening.

Once inside, Ren considered his options, seeing that he could hang out with either Chihaya or Ohya, prompting Ren to opt for the former, as he'd already hung out with Ohya recently, and Chihaya was the only non-maxed night-time Confidant he'd not yet hung out with in the past week. So decided, Ren headed to Shinjuku to see Chihaya, who spoke up as Ren had a seat at her booth.

"Ah, Amamiya-kun! Things have been so strange lately. No matter whose fortune I'm reading, there's nothing but joy and good times ahead. It's almost uncanny how ominous that feels. It's nice that everyone's happy, but still, why does it make me feel so anxious? Well then, what would you like to do today, Amamiya-kun the elder?" Chihaya asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I was thinking we could do another verification test, if you needed one. Or if not, we could just hang out." Ren said honestly. Chihaya nodded and spoke up.

"That's good timing, then. There's something I'd like to talk about. The ADP case is more complicated than I thought it was, Amamiya-kun the elder. Ugh, what am I going to do now?" Chihaya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Calm down, Mifune-san. I've got some time tonight, so if you like, I can help you try to figure that out." Ren said kindly as Chihaya nodded and spoke up.

"Mm, please do. Thank you for your assistance, Amamiya-kun the elder." Chihaya said as Ren sat down and listened as Chihaya spoke up.

"So, the chairman's pushing me as hard as ever to sell those fake stones for him. I've been trying to use this as an opportunity to investigate into the ADP's seminars so I can expose him for the fraud he seems to be. But the deeper I dig, the scarier everything becomes." Chihaya said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? What exactly have you found that has you so scared, Mifune-san?" Ren asked. Chihaya spoke up with a wince.

"Um, the truth is, the ADP apparently doesn't profit very much from sales of the Holy Stones. It's nothing more than a front. Most of their revenue actually comes from the seminars. There, they give their patrons some sort of mind-altering drug to make them more pliable, after which they're encouraged to donate their life savings to the 'benefit of the ADP'. People have even gone missing after seminars, from what I've seen. Families have been torn apart by this madness, Amamiya-kun the elder! And I, as much as it shames me to admit to this, I was a part of it all.

By selling these fraudulent stones, I was in direct support of their horrible actions. I know this doesn't make up for what I've done, or come even close to it, but I want to help the others come to their senses. Barely anyone within the ADP will talk to me though, and those who do won't actually hear me out. What should I do, Amamiya-kun the elder? These people are all heading down a path toward great ruin if they continue as they are." Chihaya said before moaning remorsefully as she spoke up.

"Urgh, there has to be some way I can deal with the chairman and his fraudulent actions. Right. I'll just have to admit to everything that's been going on, even if I get dragged down too as a result. That's probably the only way I can at least try to do the right thing by all the people who were victims of the ADP." Chihaya said, making Ren frown as he saw that Chihaya was unsure of how to approach the issue. Ren worried that Chihaya might do something rash at this rate if he doesn't help. Ren figured he should see what he could do about handling the chairman before Chihaya did anything too drastic. Chihaya saw Ren's pensive expression and spoke up.

"Mm, I'm the only one who can stop him, am I right?" Chihaya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Can you tell me what Chairman Fukurai's first name is, Mifune-san?" Ren asked Chihaya, who blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, the chairman's first name? His full name is Yuichi Fukurai. Um, why do you ask, Amamiya-kun the elder?" Chihaya asked as Ren smiled at her and spoke up.

"Don't you worry about that, Mifune-san. Just know that I know people who can help out with this, but you have to trust me to make the correct inquiries to get their help with your situation. Can you trust me to handle the chairman for you?" Ren asked Chihaya, who sighed as she spoke up.

"O-Oh, I see. I'm not thrilled with it, but I'll trust you with this. Oh? Hm, how strange this is. It seems the cards have changed somehow as a result of my trusting you. My future is in line with that of the Trickster? Who the heck is that? What does that mean, anyways?" Chihaya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Don't worry about it. Just know that you're in good hands, Mifune-san." Ren said kindly as Chihaya sighed and spoke up.

"If you say so. Even so, my fate remains unchanged. I am destined to stay a monster the rest of my days. Hm, but is that really accurate?" Chihaya asked as Ren shrugged, knowing he needed to take care of the chairman for Chihaya as quickly as possible. At that point, the group's phones pinged to signify the receipt of the Mementos request 'Debunking the Psychic!'. At that point, Chihaya looked at Ren and spoke up.

"I'll have to think on this for a while. Let's finish for today on this note, okay?" Chihaya asked as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. Don't you worry. The chairman will be dealt with. This I promise you." Ren said as Chihaya smiled and spoke up.

"I trust you, Amamiya-kun the elder. Well, I guess we should get on home. Well then, goodbye for now." Chihaya said as she and Ren parted ways for the night, the latter returning to Leblanc to get comfortable for the evening...

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

"Hey, guess what! They finally granted my wish!" Ren and Kusa heard an excited college student say to his friend, a composed college student, near where they were standing. The composed college student then spoke up.

"Not so loud, geez. We're still on the train, you know. What's this about a wish?" The composed college student asked as the excited college student spoke up.

"They added a new course to the Yongen-Jaya batting cages! It's amazing! I never would've thought that it could happen! H-Hey, dude! What're you looking at me like that for? Let's check it out together on the way home." The excited college student said to his friend as Morgana frowned and spoke up so only Ren and Kusa could hear.

"Mm. A new course at the batting cages, huh? He sure seemed fired up about it, at least." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded while the rest of the train ride passed uneventfully...

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

As Ren and Ann sat in class, they listened to Hiruta speak.

"Well then, let's get class started. I hope you remember what we've gone over until now." Hiruta said as the intercom flared up and a familiar voice spoke up.

"Ummm, well, can Mister Hiruta please come to the faculty office at once. Repeat, Mister Hiruta to the faculty office. That is all." Kawakami said over the intercom as Hiruta blinked and spoke up.

"What's this? Ugh, fine. Everyone, make sure you study on your own until I return." Hiruta said as he left the room and Morgana spoke up.

"That was the signal! Well, since Kawakami's been kind enough to give us this free time, the least we can do is make sure we put it to good use. So, what's the plan?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"Well, since I don't really have any worthwhile books to read, let's just make a dozen Lockpicks for the sake of stocking up on them, plus there's not much else to do with the time." Ren said wisely as Morgana nodded and watched Ren craft the dozen Lockpicks that he pocketed. After a bit, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey! You should stop soon. It'll be a hassle if people find out." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded and stopped as he felt his Proficiency get a slight, but unneeded, boost from his tool crafting. After he put his tools away, Hiruta walked in and frowned as he spoke up.

"Apologies for the interruption. It seems it was nothing in particular. Sorry for the wait. Let's collect ourselves and return to our lesson." Hiruta said as Morgana spoke up.

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

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren got up to leave after school, his phone went off to signify a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Akechi, Sumire, and Kusa, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Hey, have you heard of this 'A.I. Mask' guy? Well, 'AiMaask OUZI', I guess. Some extreme video streamer with a robot mask and a big audience. We got a request on the Phan-Site from someone who knows him in real life." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Oh? One of his friends, perhaps? Either way, good job spotting that request, sweetie." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Heh, thanks babe. Anyways, apparently they want him to stop streaming hiself going around doing borderline illegal stuff. When anyone tries to talk him out of it, he flips out and gets violent. They say he's out of control." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response.

"We'd better stop him, even if we don't necessarily have a name for him right now." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I agree. So if we have word from one of his personal contacts, does that mean we know his name?" Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Yeah, about that, babe. He says he's not gonna post the guy's info online. I guess this AiMaask OUZI guy has pissed off a lot of people. If he got doxxed, things could get ugly." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"So we only have his title, then? That or his screenname, or whatever. How can we get more hints?" Ann sent as Makoto and Kusa sent responses, Kusa's coming through first.

"I could be wrong, and if so someone please correct me, but I think that screenname could very well be an anagram of some sort, especially since that seems too intricately generated to just be a randomly picked name. But past that, I'm not sure how we could proceed." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"No, that makes a lot of sense, Kusa-kun. Granted, we lack proof of that, so we'll have to take that with a grain of salt for now. That said, I'm looking at his archives now. A lot of these streams seem to be from Kichijoji. If we check around in Kichijoji, maybe talk to some students, we might learn something." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Students, huh? So our best shot is probably weekday afternoons." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"True, but Kichijoji isn't the only place he visits. It couldn't hurt to check out other locations too." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Okay, then let's all look around! We'll leave Kichijoji to you, Ren." Ann sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Hm. So he's doing borderline illegal stuff in some goofy mask? Cramping our style, AND making life hard for people at the same time? We gotta shut this guy down, for all their sakes too!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, at the same time that the group's phones pinged for the third time in two days, this time to signify the receipt of the Mementos request 'Fake-Man Show'. Ren then reluctantly headed to Kichijoji after seeing that he literally had no available Confidants to hang out with. Once he got to Kichijoji, Morgana spoke up.

"Ren, you remember that 'AI Maask' guy? Let's see if we can dig up anything on his real name." Morgana said as Ren nodded, deciding to go gather info on the target. As it happened, he found a couple of students who might be Kichijoji natives, one male and one female, talking near the entrance to the promenade. Ren stopped to listen in from a distance as the Kichijoji-native male spoke up.

"Have you heard of a streamer called AiMaask OUZI?" The Kichijoji-native male said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Hey! They're talking about AiMaask OUZI. Let's listen in a bit if we can." Morgana said and Ren nodded while quietly shushing the not-cat so the two could listen in as the Kichijoji-native female spoke up.

"Oh yeah. He body-slammed into the line at the croquette shop and had a tantrum, saying, and I quote, 'You're blocking traffic!' But I gotta be honest, I recoiled when I saw that." The Kichijoji-native female said as the Kichijoji-native male spoke up.

"Yeah, that one. Amasaki, my classmate from school, is apparently that guy's little brother, if the rumors are true." The Kichijoji-native male said as the Kichijoji-native female gasped and spoke up.

"Whoa, seriously!? Well, I feel sorry for him. Won't he be roped into trouble just for being family with a guy like that?" The Kichijoji-native female said as the Kichijoji male nodded and spoke up.

"That's what I heard. And he's got a lot of haters, too. Like that group hanging around in the alley." The Kichijoji-native male said as the Kichijoji-native female spoke up.

"Heh, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that." The Kichijoji-native female said as Morgana spoke up.

"Hm. So AIMaask OUZI has a little brother whose last name is Amasaki, goes around causing problems, and he's got haters? That's concerning. And didn't those two say...YES! They're apparently hanging out in Harmony Alley! Let's go take a look." Morgana said as Ren nodded and kept walking. After looking around, Ren found more students in an alley and listened in as a listless-looking student spoke up.

"Hey, did you get any info on AIMassk OUZI?" The listless-looking student asked as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"Oh! Maybe these guys are AIMaask haters, Ren. Let's listen in on them just in case." Morgana said as Ren once more nodded and quietly shushed the not-cat so the two could listen in as the bright-looking student turned to the listless looking student and spoke up.

"Yeah, I got something good. His name and phone number. And it was easy, too. You'd think for an 'AI', he'd have better cybersecurity. And I noticed something else. 'AIMaask OUZI' is just an anagram of his real name." The bright-looking student said as the listless-looking student laughed and spoke up.

"HA! I bet he thought he was being clever! Won't be long now until we figure out where he lives." The listless-looking student said as the bright-looking student spoke up.

"Agreed. We'll figure out his address soon enough. Then when we do, we'll gather everyone who hates him into one angry mob, and he'll finally get what he deserves. He's pulled the same kind of shit himself. He should know what's coming." The bright-looking student said as the two students left, at which point Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Mmm. If you ask me, those guys are bad news. I'd never be able to relax if they were after me. And 'AIMaask OUZI' is an anagram of his real name? That's some interesting info." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his phone went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Akechi, Sumire, and Kusa, with Ryuji sending the first response once again.

"So how'd it go, people? This guy does stuff like vandalize illegally-parked cars, or drop-kick smokers in no-smoking zones, stuff like that. Still, I can kinda see why they say this AI Maask guy is outta control." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I quite agree, sweetie. Plenty of people aren't happy with his antics, but he does seem to have quite a following. It seems he has a strange sort of charisma, despite everything." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"I asked around too, but I didn't learn much of use, unfortunately. Sorry. Did you figure anything out, Ren?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"I did, indeed. Morgana and I listened in to some students in Kichijoji, and as it turns out? Kusa was correct before when he said 'AIMaask OUZI' might be an anagram. We found evidence to suggest that that screenname is in fact an anagram of his real name. Also, his last name is apparently Amasaki." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I freaking knew it! I know an anagram when I see one!" Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yes, yes. You're very clever, Kusa. Huh, okay then, Ren. Anything else?" Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"As I just said, he has a little brother, and their family surname appears to be Amasaki." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Then all that remains is to unscramble the whole thing. So if he's A.I. Maask Ouzi, or at least if that's his screen name, and his last name's Amasaki according to Ren, then that means what?" Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"That means all that remains is 'Ouzi'." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Oh! Yes, you're right! Well done, Ren." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Wait, what? Oh yeah, that's right. So the AI Maask part is just Amasaki!" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Very perceptive, sweetie. Clearly, he's separated his first and last names into discrete parts. AI Maask comes out neatly to Amasaki. That also explains the extra 'A' in the second word. And Ouzi on its own can be read backwards to find the name 'Izuo'. Which therefore means that our target's name is most likely Izuo Amasaki." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response, followed closely by a response from Ann.

"That was what I came up with too when I worked it out, Makoto. So it's nice to see my anagram-solving skills are still as good as ever." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yep, that tracks. I just checked the Nav for that name. And we got a hit!" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Damn! That's our tactical experts! Freaking awesome!" Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"YES! That settles it! Now we know his full name! All that's left is to meet at the hideout and talk it over with everyone." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After seeing that there was still no one to hang out with, he shrugged and decided to organize a game of darts out of there not being much else to do, and figuring it was needed on the grounds of having several of the group still be at Baton Pass rank 1.

After paying the 800 yen, Ren decided to invite Sumire to play darts, since he recalled he'd not invited her to one of these gatherings as yet. After a bit, Ren had a group of himself, Morgana, Haru, Ryuji, and of course Sumire gathered at the darts lounge, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Okay then, let's begin our team game!" Morgana said as Ren chuckled and spoke up.

"Why're you saying that like you're playing, Morgana? You know full well you're refereeing the matches." Ren said with a smirk as Ryuji fist-bumped Ren while Morgana pouted a bit at this, before purring as he felt Sumire's palm gently pat him on the head comfortingly as she looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Ren-senpai, can we play a match together? I'll think I'll throw straighter if I'm teamed with you, according to my instincts! As for the rules, well, I'm not that good at darts, so shall we try 301? I think I should be able to handle that." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Sure thing, Sumi. We can do that. Let's do this." Ren said kindly as Sumire smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-senpai! You can do it! I'm cheering for you!" Sumire said as Ren grinned and nodded as he stepped up to take his turn.

(Start Ren and Sumire's team game. Rules: 301)

"You got this!" Sumire said as Ren stepped up to throw his round. After aiming, Ren hit a triple 20 to start, but then his next two throws went a bit off-course netting him a single 20 and single 5, respectively, leaving Ren and Sumire with 216 points remaining. Sumire blinked at the result and spoke up.

"I see. Well, it's a good effort?" Sumire said uncertainly as Ren's first round ended. Ren then walked over and spoke up.

"Sorry about the slightly sloppy performance on the last two throws. My aim got a bit wonky. But I know you can pick up the slack for us, Sumi." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"Round 2, huh? Good effort! So it's my turn. I'll need to watch my form when I throw!" Sumire said as Ren nodded and high-fived Sumire, making her speak up as she stepped up.

"My turn!" Sumire said as she faced the dartboard, throwing two single 20s and a single 5, leaving her and Ren with 171 points remaining. After that, Sumire walked over and smile at Ren as she spoke up.

"Senpai! We're just getting started! Be careful not to lose focus!" Sumire said as she high-fived Ren for his turn. Ren nodded as he walked up to throw. Ren thought about it, before taking aim and hitting a single 8 off a mis-aimed throw, followed by back-to-back bulls, leaving Ren and Sumire with 63 points remaining and making Sumire smile as she spoke up.

"I see. Nice bounce-back, Senpai!" Sumire said as Ren walked over to her and spoke up.

"Yep, figured I'd try to make the score manageable for us after I botched my first round." Ren said as Sumire gasped and spoke up.

"Oh, wait! That means this is my last round! I have to make it count if I want us to win!" Sumire said as Ren high-fived her in for her turn. As she got up to throw, Sumire frowned and looked back at Ren as she spoke up.

"What should I do? I can finish it right here! But what would be the best way to close out here?" Sumire asked Ren, who smiled at her and spoke up gently.

"Honestly? My best advice is to trust your instincts, Sumi. You're a capable young woman. I trust you to know what to do here." Ren said confidently yet kindly. Sumire gave Ren a very pretty closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Ah, that's it! Yes, you're right, Ren-senpai! I just have to believe in myself!" Sumire said confidently as she stepped up to take her turn, where she easily hit a bull and a single 13 to close her and Ren out at exactly 0 points, winning the game for the two of them.

(End of Sumire and Ren's game)

"Thank goodness! Senpai! We got 0 points! Does that mean we make an excellent team?" Sumire asked Ren, who gave her a sly smirk as he spoke up.

"That's one way to look at it. If you ask me, it speaks highly to how strong the chemistry and connection is between the two of us. Either way, excellent job out there, Sumi. You killed that finisher! That's my girl!" Ren said proudly, smirking at how red Sumire's face got at his praise, grinning as Ryuji fist-bumped him. Sumire then spoke up.

"R-Ren! Don't embarrass me like that! I do appreciate the flattery, but what happened to us dialing back the romantic stuff for now? That said, is it because we were perfectly synced that we won? Regardless, I feel so motivated right now, like I could go out and hit several home runs!" Sumire said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Oh, really? Man, RenRen! You're so in there, my dude." Ryuji said as Ren punched Ryuji lightly on the arm and spoke up.

"Shut up, bro. And she meant that as in hitting home runs at the batting cages, not whatever home run you were thinking of. Get your mind out of the gutter. Unlike your girlfriend, Sumire's not so blunt about her desires or feelings. Also, she's too pure, shy, and adorable to make such an innuendo in public, unlike your girlfriend." Ren playfully teased Ryuji, who rolled his eyes and shoved Ren half-heartedly while speaking up.

"Oh, shuddup, RenRen!" Ryuji said as the forgotten Haru and Morgana laughed at the banter between the two guys. While Ren and Ryuji teased each other, Sumire cheered as her Baton Pass rank jumped straight to Rank 3, or MAX Rank, speaking up as she did so.

"We did it! I'm stronger now!" Sumire said happily. At that point, Haru spoke up.

"What do you think, Ren-kun? Okay, if there's no objections, it's my turn next. Let's both do our best." Haru said to Ren, who smirked and spoke up.

"You got it, big sis. Let's do it." Ren said agreeably as Ryuji huffed but nodded, agreeing that Haru needed the Baton Pass rank worse than he did. Haru then spoke up.

"As for the rules for our game? Let's go with 301, like you and Sumire chose. I can handle this level of challenge, I think." Haru said as Ren nodded and stepped up to the dartboard with Haru as Sumire stood with Morgana to watch while Ryuji stood next to Ren and Haru while the latter of the two spoke up.

"All right! Good luck, Ren-kun! The important thing is to have fun!" Haru said as Ren nodded and walked up to the dartboard to start the game.

(Start Ren and Haru's team game. Rules: 301)

"I know you can do it, Ren-kun!" Haru said as Ren nodded and stepped up to throw. Ren then tossed a triple 20 to start, followed by a single 20, then he hit another triple 20 to close out Round 1, dropping the remaining target score to 161, amidst approving cheers from Haru and Sumire.

"Wow!" Haru said as Ren walked over to her. Haru then spoke up.

"All right then! Here I go! I'll do my best, Ren-kun." Haru said as Ren high-fived Haru in for her turn. Haru then spoke up.

"My turn now!" Haru said as she took aim and threw, hitting a triple 15, triple 2, and triple 7 respectively with her three darts, leaving her and Ren's remaining score at 89 points, after which Haru walked over to Ren and spoke up with a giggle.

"Hee hee! It's the third round! I've got a good feeling about this! Give it your all!" Haru said as she high-fived Ren in for his turn. Ren then took aim and hit a single 5, triple 5, and double 5 respectively with his three darts to leave him and Haru at a remaining score of 59 points going into round 4, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Ah, so that's what you were aiming for. Nice strategy, Ren." Morgana said as Ren walked over to Haru, who spoke up with a gasp.

"Oh! Um, so this is my last turn, right? I can do this!" Haru said as she was high-fived in for her turn, at which point she turned to face Ren and spoke up.

"This is incredible! Look at our score, Ren-kun! We can close out on this round! How should I do it?" Haru asked Ren, who smiled and spoke up.

"I don't think there's a right way to close this out, per se. Just have fun with it, big sis." Ren said kindly to Haru, who smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Ah, thank you! Yes, that's right! I feel kind of excited now!" Haru said as she took her turn, hitting a bull and a single 9 to close her and Ren out at exactly 0 points, winning the game for them. Haru smiled as she walked back over after closing out the game.

(End of Ren and Haru's game)

"Superb! Oh, look! 0 points! Wow, Ren-kun! I feel so accomplished! We're the greatest pair to ever play darts, um, maybe?" Haru said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Nah, big sis. We make a good team, but I'm sorry to say Sumire and I are the greatest pair, followed closely by Kusa and Futaba and then Morgana and Ann, even though the latter pair hasn't played together yet." Ren said as Sumire and Morgana smirked at Ren's words while Haru's Baton Pass jumped straight to Rank 3, or 'MAX Rank'. Ryuji then smirked as he spoke up.

"You do realize that Kusa's kinda bad at darts, right RenRen?" Ryuji said as Morgana glared at Ryuji and spoke up.

"Shut up, you blonde monkey! He's getting better at it! And I seem to recall he got himself and Ren to 0 when they played their game together, so wait until you actually beat him before talking smack about him behind his back. But I do agree with Ren that he, Kusa, and I are the kings of darts! Mwehehe!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up with a smirk.

"I only agree with that if that makes Sumire here my queen." Ren said, turning to give the now-flushing Sumire a playful wink as he spoke up to convey he was only teasing her as she squeaked cutely and spoke up, frowning at Ren as she cutely pouted while she spoke.

"REN! Don't tease me like that! My heart can't take so much excitement!" Sumire said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Yeah? I doubt that's what you were sayin' when you got Ren into bed with you the other night." Ryuji said teasingly as Sumire's face flushed bright crimson at that point and she pouted before cutely crossing her arms as she spoke up.

"I refuse to dignify that remark with a response, Ryuji-senpai. And you have no room to talk about sexual stuff when your girlfriend is the one who openly admitted it was her job to do the screwing in your relationship. So don't throw stones if you live in a glass house." Sumire said huffily as Ren and Morgana's jaws both dropped before they both burst out laughing at the stunned look on Ryuji's face, the former of the two patting Sumire lightly on the shoulder as he spoke up.

"Damn, Sumi! I think you broke Ryuji! That's my girl." Ren said lovingly as he hugged Sumire comfortingly, making her shyly smile as she hid her face in Ren's chest to not let the others see how flushed it was. Ren smiled as he gently ran his fingers through Sumire's hair and spoke up.

"Heh, I knew you still liked cuddling me." Ren said smugly as he felt Sumire's palm lightly smack him in the chest as she spoke up.

"Ren-senpai? Shut up before I change my mind about leaning into you for comfort." Sumire said as Ren just nodded as Morgana laughed harder, almost falling off the table as a result, only being saved by Haru quickly scooping him up mid-fall and setting him back on the table with a gentle pat on the head as she spoke up.

"Careful, Mona-chan. That would've been a nasty fall. I know those two are funny, but not enough to hurt yourself while laughing at them, surely?" Haru said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"You're right of course, Haru! I just find Ren and Sumire so adorable together. They're almost as perfect of a couple as myself and Ann, or possibly even Kusa and Futaba." Morgana said as Ryuji smirked and lightly patted Morgana on the head while speaking up.

"Truth, Morgana! All of the couples on our team are great! And I'm sure you'll find an amazing woman to be with someday. Granted, it might be a female cat given your current form, but you can find love as well eventually." Ryuji said wisely as Morgana purred and spoke up.

"Heh, you're pretty wise sometimes, Ryuji. Thank you." Morgana said as he looked at Ren and kept speaking.

"Hm. Tired from all that precise throwing, Ren? I can tell you've grown somewhat from it, though. And I can tell all of our bonds have improved from it too." Morgana said as Ren smirked, feeling his Proficiency get a slight, if unneeded, boost from the darts games. Haru giggled as she spoke up.

"Mona-chan is right! I had so much fun! Hehe! And it was so fun to play with everyone! I didn't even realize how into it I was!" Haru said as Morgana smiled a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Heh, that should do it for now. We can train up, and have some fun at the same time. This is a pretty handy place, if I do say so myself." Morgana said as the group started dispersing, Ren reluctantly looking down at Sumire as he spoke up.

"It's time for everyone to go home, Sumi. And I don't think you can get away with following me home this time, I'm afraid. But I'm glad to see you're still comfortable leaning into me." Ren said to Sumire, who pouted but nodded as she spoke up.

"I've always been comfortable with you, Ren-senpai. I'm just trying to find myself right now, as well as decide if I'm still worthy of your love and of being your girlfriend, given the fact that most of our initial relationship was built on the basis of a lie, that lie being the fact that I was pretending to be Kasumi for most of the time we've known each other." Sumire said as Ren smiled at Sumire and spoke up.

"I know you'll find an answer soon enough. But if I can give my opinion, I think you're great just as you are. As I told you before, I could care less what your name is, Sumi. All that I care about is that you love me and still want to be with me. But I won't rush you into deciding that one way or the other." Ren said kindly to Sumire, who smiled and hugged Ren gratefully while speaking up.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Ren. I'll try to find that answer soonish." Sumire said as the group started parting ways as Haru spoke up.

"Well, goodbye for now! Be safe going home!" Haru said as the group parted ways on that note, Ren and Morgana heading back to Leblanc...

(That evening, at Leblanc with Ren and Morgana)

Ren and Morgana had a seat at a booth move to ponder their next move, knowing that the Day of Fates was steadily drawing closer. Ren knew he had to make sure he got as far along in maxing out his remaining Confidants and doing Mementos requests as possible in that time. So decided, Ren and Morgana pondered their next move carefully...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom! Another chapter done and dusted! I know I didn't get as much Confidant shenanigans into the chapter as I probably could have, but I think I still did a pretty good job with it, all things considered. Even so, I got a good amount of rank-ups into this chapter (Sumire, Ohya, Chihaya, Kawakami, Haru, Makoto, Shinya) and even got Makoto's link maxed out. I also threw in the final assignment with Lavenza for good measure, complete with a few added touches featuring a certain recently-rescued OC who shares the attic of Leblanc with Ren.

Overall, a pretty productive chapter, especially considering the unplanned game of darts I had to throw in at the end since the game decided that 1/20 was a fine time to have a no-Confidants daytime happen, making me have to sub in a game of darts in lieu of wasting the daytime slot. Oh well, I guess it do be that way sometimes, as a YouTuber I watch often says in her LPs. Shout-out at this point to MasaeAnela, or the YouTuber I heard that line I just used from. If anyone reading this watches YouTube videos, go give her videos a look! She usually has pretty good content, so check her channel out.

That being said, if I can fit all the Mementos requests into one final Mementos run, that'll probably be a 1-2 chapter bit by itself, which will not only help to pad the chapter length, but up the chances of this story reaching 100 chapters. So that's a good thing. But in any case, we're constantly inching closer to the final boss battle of Royal, which is both amazing and incredibly bitter-sweet, since it means once that's covered, all that remains is the end of Maruki's Palace, the final few cut-scenes, and the eventual bittersweet parting of the ways for the group. However, part of that is happening in Arc 10, or the final arc of this story. But we're still in Arc 9 for now, so let's not rush into anything yet, yeah?

As always, thank you to all who support this story, whether it be in the form of reviews, following the story, favoriting it, or even just PMing with your feedback/comments/constructive criticism/opinions on the story thus far. All the support is greatly appreciated! And feel free to keep on supporting this story, as it means a lot that so many of you seem to be enjoying it!

So feel free to leave a review with your thoughts/feedback/opinions/constructive criticism on the story, or even PM me with said info, as I enjoy hearing from my readers regardless. And until the next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - For anyone confused by this reference, I'm going off what was said of Billy the Kid in the movie Young Guns, where he was depicted as a deputy who became a wanted man when he shot several corrupt officials and killed some. I recall a part where he was told, and I quote. 'You're now wanted by the legitimate law, as well as those outside of it!'. So I think that makes him a valid example of Ren's point. If someone has a better example, feel free to leave it in the reviews and if I see a good enough example, I'll edit this part and credit the person who gave the example in a future A/N.

*2* - Even though it isn't considered a full rank-up since he hasn't gotten his 'bonus event' (as the confidants rank-ups guide I found on GameFAQs calls the third-semester exclusive scenes for unlocking the tier 3 evolutions of the Thieves' Personas) yet, Kusa did get his Tier 3 Persona and true Awakening during his return in Maruki's Palace, so I count that as a half rank-up, hence his rank being labeled as 'Rank MAX (10.5)' in the Confidant Ranks list. I'll probably change it to 11 once Kusa's 'bonus event' happens in a future chapter.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 91

FOOL (Prison Master/Yaldabaoth) - Rank MAX (10)

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank MAX (11)

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank MAX (10)

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank 9

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank MAX (10)

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

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

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

JUSTICE (Akechi/Crow/Black Mask) - Rank MAX (10)

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank MAX (10)

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 7.5

STRENGTH (Lavenza) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 8

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 9

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 7

TOWER (Shinya/The King/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 5

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank MAX (10)

MOON (Mishima) - Rank MAX (10)

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

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank MAX (10)

FAITH (Sumire/Sumi/Violet) - Rank 7

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank MAX (10)

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis/Chaos Drake) - Rank MAX (10.5) *2*

MAXED-OUT LINKS: FOOL, MAGICIAN, PRIESTESS, EMPEROR, HIEROPHANT, LOVERS, CHARIOT, JUSTICE, HERMIT, STRENGTH, STAR, MOON, SUN, JUGEMENT, COUNCILLOR, WORLD

LINKS YET TO MAX OUT: EMPRESS, FORTUNE, HANGED-MAN, DEATH, TEMPERANCE, DEVIL, TOWER, FAITH