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

93. Fox's Birthday! Reality Check part 8

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! Not really much to say here this time, other than mention that we're slowly inching closer to the end of Arc 9, after which will come the final arc of this story, Arc 10. However, let's not forget that we have the sequel to this story, which as of now doesn't have a set-in-stone title yet. That said, let's hit up the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Asuk/Sinocard, the Malefactor, Somasi/Slim, Kyori, Akira, Mimille, Lumine, Minako, and any other OCs that might show up in the 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 Sega, Atlus, and to an extent Koei Tecmo (at least insofar as Strikers, the Arena games, the Dancing games, and potentially P5X and P5 Tactica are concerned), so all credit for owning the Persona series belongs and is given to them! Also, I do not own any of the songs featured in this chapter, but I'll give proper credit to the owners in the end-of chapter A/N, once I have time to look up the proper info on the songs.

And with that disclaimer done, let's get on with the chapter! I'll try to have a slightly longer A/N after the chapter, so keep reading after the chapter, yeah? On with Chapter 93!

Chapter 93, More Blood Oaths, Confidant rank-ups, shenanigans, The Final Showtime, and Mementos? Reality Check part 8

(At Leblanc, in the evening with Ren)

While Ren waited to hear back from Sumire, he had a seat on his bed to ponder his options for how best to spend his evening. After sizing up his options, Ren decided to commission a game of darts for a lack of anything better to do, and out of needing to max out Ann and Ryuji's Baton Pass ranks, along with Akechi's. After paying the 800 yen to reserve the lounge for the evening, Ren called up Ann, as she was the lowest ranked in Baton Pass at only Rank 1, compared to the Rank 2 that Akechi and Ryuji both were. After making the call, Ren found himself in a group with Yusuke, Ryuji, and Ann. Yusuke then spoke up.

"I see. So we're doing night-time team games of darts as part of our prep? Impressive. Shall we commence the team games?" Yusuke asked as Ann spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Teams? Ooh, I call dibs on first team game with Ren! You up for teaming up with me, bro?" Ann said as Ren smirked and nodded while speaking up.

"Sure thing, sis. Let's do it." Ren said confidently as Ann giggled and spoke up.

"Perfect. As for the rules of our game? Hmm, eh, let's keep it simple and go with 301. I think I can handle that!" Ann said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I suppose that leaves Ryuji and Yusuke to team up for this round, then?" Ren said as the others nodded and Ann walked over to Ren to start her team game with him.

(Start of Ren and Ann's game. Rules: 301)

"Hey! Good luck, bro! I'm rooting for you!" Ann said as Ren nodded and stepped up to the board to start the game. Ren took aim, and after his first two throws both hit single 20s, his third throw struck true and hit the triple 20 he was aiming for, leaving his and Ann's remaining score at 201. Ann smiled a closed-eye smile and spoke up as Ren walked over and high-fived Ann in for her turn.

"Yay! Great effort, bro! Okay, I'm up next. Yikes, I'm getting nervous! OK, I'll give it a go!" Ann said as she stepped up and hit a single 10, a double 20, and a single 12 with her throws, making Ren wince a bit at the low scoring from Ann even as his and Ann's remaining score sat at 139. Ann then walked over to him and spoke up.

"It's round 3 now, Ren! Let's keep at it! Okay, I'm counting on you!" Ann said as she high-fived Ren in for his turn. Ren took aim, and ended up hitting three single 20s, leaving his and Ann's remaining score at 79 points before he walked over to tag Ann in for her turn. Ann then winced as she spoke up.

"Not bad, Ren. This is my last round, huh? Gotta make sure I don't screw it up! I'll give it a go! Oh, wait, for real!? We can finish it right here! But to be honest, I think I'm nervous." Ann said as Ren spoke up with a smirk.

"Don't be nervous, sis. Just play like normal. We're here to have fun, not play competitively. So just relax and play like normal." Ren said kindly to Ann, who gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Thanks, Ren! Oh, right! Good point, bro! Yeah, that's all you can really do, isn't it?" Ann said as she took her turn, hitting a single 19 and a triple 20 to close her and Ren out at exactly 0 points, winning them their game as she walked over happily before speaking up with a closed-eye smile.

(End of Ren and Ann's game)

"That was so much fun! We did it, bro! 0 points exactly! Do we make an awesome team or what? I could feel you were really counting on me back there, so I had to try really hard!" Ann said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"We do make a solid team, but let the record show that Sumire and I are the true best team, along with you and Shiho, Kusa and Futaba, Ryuji and Makoto, and so on. Basically, any couple makes a great darts pair. But we have good enough darts teamwork as a brother-sister duo as well." Ren said wisely. Ann nodded as her Baton Pass jumped from Rank 1 to Rank 3, which was the max rank. Ann spoke up at that point.

"Woo-hoo! I can feel that thrill!" Ann said as Ryuji walked up with a grin and spoke up after getting himself and Yusuke to 0 points on the nose with a bull.

"Hey, RenRen! Yo, yo! I wanna go next!" Ryuji said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Y'know what? Why not? Let's do it, bro. Yusuke, you good with teaming up with Ann this time?" Ren asked as Ann and Yusuke nodded their assent before pairing up. Ryuji smirked and spoke up after fist-bumping Ren.

"Hell yeah, RenRen! As for the rules this time? Eh, let's go with 501. A little hard, but we want a bit of a challenge, yeah?" Ryuji said as Ren nodded before stepping up to the dartboard to start the game as Ryuji kept speaking.

"Yeah, let's go! Alright, let's do this! We're gonna get 0 points, right on the dot!" Ryuji said as Ren nodded and stepped up to start his turn.

(Start Ren and Ryuji's game. Rules: 501)

Ren stepped up and took aim, but his first throw landed just above the bull he was aiming for, landing as a single 20 instead. Ren then hit back-to-back bulls with his other two throws, leaving his and Ryuji's remaining score at 381 as he walked back over to Ryuji, who grinned as he spoke up.

"Heh, yeah! Guess I'm up next, then! I'm goin' all out! All right! I've got this!" Ryuji said as Ren high fived him in to take a turn throwing darts. Ryuji took aim, hitting a single 20, a bull, and a single 11, leaving him and Ren with a remaining score of 300. Ryuji then walked over and smirked as he spoke up with a laugh.

"Haha! On to round 3. Hehe, you got this man! All yours!" Ryuji said to Ren, high fiving him in for his turn throwing darts. Ren went up to take his turn, and if not for the fact that his second throw went slightly too far up and right, he'd have thrown three bulls. Instead, he was left settling for a pair of bulls and a single 12, leaving him and Ryuji with 188 points left as he walked over and spoke up.

"Sorry about that 12, my aim was a bit off on that throw. Not bad otherwise though, huh?" Ren asked as Ryuji frowned and spoke up while nodding.

"Whoa, not bad, RenRen! Okay then, time to get serious. This is my last round. Better not screw this up, huh? All right, I've got this!" Ryuji said as he stepped up to take his turn, throwing two bulls and a single 3, leaving him and Ren with 85 points left. Ryuji grinned at Ren as he spoke up while walking over to high-five Ren in for his turn.

"All right! For better or worse, this is the last round! It's all you! All yours!" Ryuji said as Ren walked over to the dartboard. Ren took a deep breath, hit a single 20 and single 15, then took aim, threw his dart, and breathed a sigh of relief when it struck true and landed on the bull, getting him and Ryuji to 0 points on the dot and winning the game as he walked over with a triumphant smirk, getting fist-bumped and high-fived by Ryuji, who spoke up.

(End of Ren and Ryuji's game)

"Hell yeah! We did it, RenRen! 0 points, on the dot! Dude, aren't we just the greatest team!?" Ryuji asked as Ren smirked slyly at Ryuji while he spoke up.

"We are a great team. However, I cannot say we're the greatest in all good conscience, since that would not only be unfair to Makoto, who is YOUR girlfriend, but to Sumire as well, who is very much MY girlfriend. Also, I still maintain my previously stated opinion that Sumire and I are the greatest team. But yes, we do rule at darts." Ren said happily as Yusuke and Ann nodded sagely to Ren's wise remark while Ryuji fist pumped and spoke up as his Baton Pass rank finally hit rank 3.

"Ohh yeah! Finally maxed out! Nice one, RenRen!" Ryuji said happily as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"That said, are you exhausted from all those precision shots? Even then, I can tell you've grown somewhat from this experience." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, feeling his Proficiency get a minor, yet unneeded, boost from the games of darts, even despite his failure to get him and Ryuji to 0 points on the dot. Yusuke then kept speaking as sparkling notes went up over his, Ann's, and Ryuji's heads.

"That was time well spent. The sensation of throwing darts at a dartboard? To be honest, I don't dislike it." Yusuke said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Truth, man! We can sharpen our skills, and have a good time at the same time. I'm such a genius, finding this place." Ryuji said with a grin as Ann huffed and spoke up.

"Uh-huh, sure you are, Ryuji. And if you're a genius, Morgana is a brainless simp. Oh, wait. Ignore that I just said that." Ann said as both Ren and Ryuji laughed at the unintentional burn on Morgana as the group got ready to go their separate ways for the night. As Ren left the darts place, Yusuke spoke up.

"Guess we're headed home for the evening? See you again later, Ren. Until then, farewell." Yusuke said as the group went their separate ways for the night, Ren heading back to Leblanc, only to be surprised as he got inside by the smiling redhead that was sat at one of the booths, who leapt up on seeing Ren walk into Leblanc, before she happily giggled and then tackle-hugged him before pulling him into a kiss as she hustled him upstairs to push him down onto the bed as the two got comfortable in their nightwear together, eventually falling asleep for the night after snuggling into each other's arms following an intense make-out session...

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

As Kusa stood up on the train, Morgana riding shotgun in his bag since it was his day to carry the not-cat turned cat, Morgana spoke up as he saw Ren and Sumire sitting down, having lucked into a pair of seats next to one another.

"Hey! You and Sumire were able to grab seats together, Ren! Why don't you pull out a book and read for your girlfriend a bit? I'm sure she'd love hearing your voice as you read to her." Morgana said as Kusa chuckled and patted the ex-not-cat on the head while he spoke up.

"Morgana, I love you. You know that. But really? Did you have to take a cheap shot at Ren like that? Also, what if Sumire's not the type to enjoy being read to? Did you consider that?" Kusa said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind listening to Ren's voice, since it's usually so soothing, deep, and sexy. So if he wants to read to me, I won't stop him." Sumire said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Very well, if you say so. Well, while he does that, I'll be setting up a group chat with some people about a surprise for a certain someone who has a birthday the day after tomorrow." Kusa said as Ren and Sumire blinked on realizing he meant Yusuke, but nodded as Kusa pulled up his phone to send the aforementioned group text while Ren quietly read for Sumire from his copy of 'Drakes of Chaos', making Kusa blink as he saw the title of the book, recognizing the book as a book about his 'Malefor' Persona, but shrugging as he set up the group chat with Ren, Sumire, Ryuji, Ann, Haru, Futaba, Makoto, and Akechi, wasting little time in sending a response.

"Sorry for the out-of-nowhere group chat, but I realized that a certain art-loving someone we all know has a birthday the day after tomorrow, and we've not yet decided on what to do for him on his special day, and that simply will not do. So that's why I've organized this group chat, so we can brainstorm what to do for Yusuke on his special day. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has one." Kusa sent as Haru sent a response at that point.

"Ah, that's right. I forgot about Yusuke-kun's birthday being on the 28th. Hm, he's the artist of the group, so maybe something art-related could work?" Haru sent as Akechi sent a response at that point.

"That's not a bad idea, Okumura-san. But, what do ANY of us know about art? Isn't Kitagawa-kun the master artist in the group?" Akechi sent as a smirking Ren sent a response.

"Y'know, if all else fails, I recall him one time commenting that he was interested in karaoke, from an artistic standpoint of course. But the subject of karaoke brings me to mind of that time we went to karaoke for brainstorming, and then Kusa ended up sneaking off to blow the hired entertainment out of the water with his insane singing voice.

Seriously, I think that's one of the only times I've ever seen Yusuke's jaw hit the floor like that, not to mention how wide both Ann and Ryuji's eyes were by the time Kusa finished singing. And Kusa, correct me if I'm wrong on this, but didn't Yusuke himself say that he had gotten a vision of you, me, him, Ryuji, and Akechi doing a karaoke performance together?" Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Sh-Shut up, RenRen! Your jaw was dropped too, you know. Also, I recall I fist-bumped Kusa afterwards for his efforts." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Bro, don't lie like that! I was shocked, that's all. Also, tell it right if you're gonna tell that story. You left out the part where Ryuji had to do a Heimlich on Yusuke since he'd choked on his water after getting a mental image of the guys in the group, excluding Morgana, dressed as some boy band. I think he called them the Backstreet Boys? Either way, I also recall Kusa very pointedly shooting down said idea." Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Yes, well, in my defense, that was when I still had a deep-seated hatred for and slight resentment of Akechi-kun. Rather obviously, I've revised that opinion since then. Yes, he's done some fucked-up shit, but then again, none of us, except for MAYBE Taba, are perfect. Also, I seem to recall he's making great strides to right as many of his wrongs as he can. So I think he's come a long way from the salty, vindictive asshole he used to be. Sure, he's still kind of an asshole, but he's a much more likable asshole." Kusa sent as Akechi chuckled and sent a response.

"Ah, yes. I'd almost forgotten how much of an intense rivalry we had without knowing it back then. To be fair, we still have something of a rivalry. But I'd like to think it's gradually turning into more of a friendly rivalry, rather than an antagonistic one. But that's just my opinion. Also, there is no way in any sort of hell that I will EVER sing any sort of pop music song! If I do karaoke, it's rock n' roll or nothing! Or even metal, if the mood strikes me. I'm not picky if it's one of those genres. Also, I think we can leave the cheesy love song stuff to Ren and Sumire, as the main lovebirds of the group." Akechi sent as Sumire flushed and sent a response.

"H-Hey! RUDE! Don't call Ren-senpai and I out like that, Akechi-senpai! Also, if we decide to do that, that's for us and us alone to decide!" Sumire sent as Ren sent a response.

"What Sumi said! Granted, I bet she'd look sexy up on stage singing her heart out, but I'm not going to push her into it if she's not comfortable doing that. I intend to be fully supportive of her, especially now that we've rekindled our commitment to one another. But I do think karaoke could be fun, especially if we can get an artistic theme going for the decor of said karaoke party." Ren sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Hm. Artistic, you say? I wonder if Ann's wi-err, I mean girlfriend, might know anyone who can do good decor work on short notice?" Futaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"WHAT!? Futaba, did you just call Shiho what I think you did? How dare you! I didn't call YOU out when you almost called Kusa your boyfriend back in Haru's dad's Palace, now did I? You little brat!" Ann sent as Makoto blinked and sent a response.

"Oookay, let's stay on topic, shall we? So we're agreed we want to look into organizing a karaoke party with an art-themed decor? I think we can at least see about booking the karaoke place and asking if they can decorate it up all artsy for us. That's easy enough to do for Ryuji and I, right sweetie?" Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Wait, did Makoto just volunteer me to help without asking me? FOR REAL!? But yeah, that's do-able, babe. And I suppose, while you and I handle that end of things, probably with Ann, Haru, and Akechi in tow, that'll leave Ren, Futaba, Kusa, and Sumire to sort out the guest list, getting an invite to that shogi player Yusuke has a crush on, and possibly even keeping the birthday boy busy, likely with either Ren or Kusa carrying Morgana in their bag." Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"That seems accurate to me, Ryuji. But be careful about throwing Akechi-kun's name around like that. I recall he's not keen on being drafted into stuff without his consent. Also, I don't know if he could work with you that long without getting a migraine or throttling you, if not both. You can correct me at any time if I'm wrong, Akechi-kun." Kusa sent as Akechi smirked and sent a response.

"While it is true I don't agree to people speaking of me like I'm not here, I also agree that helping celebrate Kitagawa-kun's birthday could be fun. But yes, I think I could handle Sakamoto for at least long enough to secure a party venue without throttling him. And if anything, I'd sooner break him than throttle him. Get it right, Amamiya-kun the younger. Though I give you credit for at least knowing that I get migraines from Sakamoto's incompetence. How you put up with his buffoonery for so long both baffles and amazes me." Akechi sent as Haru sent a response.

"Now, now. Go easy on Ryuji-kun, Akechi-kun. He is an idiot at times, but he's got a good heart. And I know you're trying to make an effort to be nice, so thank you for that. I appreciate it. Maybe there's hope for you to redeem yourself yet? Hee hee!" Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Oooh, what's this now? Haru being nice to Akechi!? Mwehehe, mayhaps I was right before when I said those two like each other. If so, that means one thing. Haru and Akechi, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-" Futaba sent before being cut off by an irate reply from Akechi.

"If you don't want me to actually toss you out the damn window the next time I see you, you won't even think about finishing that song, Sakura-san! I don't care if you are dating Amamiya-kun the younger or not, no one, and I mean NO ONE, makes fun of me like that!" Akechi said as Kusa frowned and sent a response.

"OI! While I agree that what she did was uncalled for, no throwing her out of a window, Akechi! She's just teasing anyways, I think. Also, I'm sorry for her teasing. I'll have to punish her later for it." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Wait, what!? PUNISH ME!? When did this turn from me teasing the crap out of Akechi and Haru, who are adorable together for the record, to Kusa talking about punishing me? And wouldn't it be more accurate to say that if anyone's being punished, it'd be Ren for making Sumire wait too long last night? Mwehehe." Futaba sent as both Ren and Sumire sent the same response of 'FUTABA!/FUTABA-SENPAI!' while Kusa sent a response.

"I love you and all Taba, but behave! Right now is about planning for Yusuke's special day! We can tease Akechi and Haru later, if anything. Though I would advise against it since I do recall they both have sadistic streaks." Kusa sent as Futaba pouted but sent a response.

"Fine, I'll behave for now. Sorry, Haru and Akechi." Futaba sent as Ren sent a response.

"Anyways! Moving on, it sounds like we're agreed on a art-themed surprise party at the karaoke place in Kichijoji then?" Ren sent as Ann sent a response.

"Makes sense to me, bro. And FUTABA! Do not EVER call Shiho my wife again! She's my girlfriend, thank you very much! Do you see me calling Kusa your husband!?" Ann sent as Kusa flushed and sent a response.

"Wh-What did you just say, Ann!? I get you're probably teasing, but let's not rush into anything here. I don't think any of us have been dating nearly long enough to think about getting married. Though in fairness, Ann and Shiho have definitely been dating the longest of all the couples in our group, having been together since last September, where the rest of us have only been together since last October. Also, I don't think I need to be giving Boss a heart attack by proposing to his daughter too soon." Kusa sent wisely as Makoto sent a response.

"Very wise, Kusa-kun. Let's table it at that for now, though. Most of us are probably almost to the school, and I'm already there." Makoto sent as Kusa nodded, putting his phone away in time to hear Ren reading from 'Drakes of Chaos' to Sumire.

"Hm, so this says, 'Though his roar was intimidating to all who heard it, the chaos dragon Malefor was actually a benevolent and kind-hearted being who was fair to all he met.' Interesting if true." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"So nice. Your voice is so calming. Keep reading a bit more please, Ren." Sumire said, leaning into Ren's shoulder as she listened to him read, not seeing the shocked looks on Morgana and Kusa's faces as a result of her eyes being closed as she leaned into Ren, who nodded and kept reading.

"Very well. Where was I? Ah, yes, here we are. 'Despite being a chaos dragon, Malefor was in fact a representation of the harmony between light and darkness, or a chaotic force of balance.' Really? I didn't know chaos and balance went hand-in-hand like that?" Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's because it's rare to see chaos in balance, but when it happens, it's truly a glorious sight to see. After all the best form of chaos is one that is perfectly balanced, as all things should be." Kusa said as Morgana smirked and spoke up with a laugh.

"I thought that applied to Thanos, not chaos?" Morgana said teasingly as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"You hush, Morgana-sensei! And for the record, he caused a lot of chaos with his 'Thanos Snap', so I say they go hand in hand. Now shut it and let Ren serenade his lovely waifu with that voice of his. We can let them have that, I think." Kusa said as Ren frowned and spoke up, ignoring the now smirking cat in his bag as he focused his attention on Kusa.

"Kusa, did you seriously just call Sumire a waifu? I think you've been spending too much time around Futaba. And another thing, I seem to recall it being YOU who was the one to crack the first joke about wedding bells, back before either of us landed our girlfriends. So you can shut it too, with that subtle form of ball busting." Ren said to Kusa, who shrugged and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Ren. But also, I only made that joke about you and Sumire because you were always walking around with that really hilarious love-struck look on your face, like a smitten fool with their first serious crush. I don't deny that I was also making that joke to cover up how much I had fallen for Taba, even then." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up to change the subject.

"As entertaining as listening to you two banter is, I think we both know we were supposed to be going to school? Also, make sure Sumire doesn't fall asleep on you, Ren. She has to be able to get off for school, after all." Morgana said as Ren flushed and nodded as Morgana chuckled and kept speaking.

"Mwehehe! And now that I've gotten my dig in, I see you finished reading 'Drakes of Chaos', Ren. Good work. I bet that was an enlightening read for you, considering how well-rounded the stories paint Malefor as being." Morgana said as Ren nodded, feeling every single one of his stats (meaning Knowledge, Charm, Guts, Proficiency, and Kindness) get a modest, if unneeded, boost from reading 'Drakes of Chaos'. At that point, Morgana spoke up.

"Oh, wait. We're almost at the station. I'd say that between that group chat you all were in, and that bit of banter just now while Ren serenaded Sumire with the sounds of his voice, you both found productive ways to use your time." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former gently nudging a pouting Sumire awake to get off of the train, at which point Ryuji walked over and spoke up with a grin.

"Morniiin'. Holy crap, this snow is crazy. It's freezin', but excitin' at the same time. Say, you think there's been some kinda change in Mementos too?" Ryuji asked as Ren spoke up.

"Could be. However, I'm not quite ready to commission a Mementos run just yet. I have one more request to find and ID first. After that, we can head in and check things out, I promise." Ren said to Ryuji, who rotated his arm and spoke up.

"Fine. Well, let's check it out after you're ready! C'mon, sound good!? Promise me you'll think about it, alright man?" Ryuji asked as Ren nodded and Kusa spoke up.

"We'll consider it, Ryuji. But right now, we gotta consider not being late for school." Kusa said wisely as Ryuji nodded.

"Truth. Also, I didn't realize that the redhead leaning on Ren's shoulder was Sumire at first until I recognized her hanging off of Ren's arm like that." Ryuji said as Morgana and Kusa laughed, the latter fist-bumping Ryuji and speaking up.

"For real! These two are so adorable together, it's not funny. Kinda like how adorable you and Makoto are together, or myself and Futaba." Kusa said wisely as Ryuji nodded, and the now quartet finished the walk to school together...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

Ren checked his phone to see his options, and swore a blue streak a mile long under his breath as he saw that none of his remaining Confidants were available to rank up. Out of not having anything else to do, Ren worked a shift at the Triple Seven convenience store, and after collecting his pay of 3,500 yen and returning to Leblanc, his phone went off with a group chat from Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Akechi, Sumire, and Kusa, with Makoto being the one to send the first response.

"We have a week before the deadline." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Dammit. I can't relax." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"I know what you mean, Ryuji. Everything moved so fast when we went up against that big evil deity thing before, but now we have so much time to think it over, almost too much time, and it makes me uneasy." Ann sent as Haru sent a response.

"I can't help but feel nervous as well, Ann-san." Haru sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Right? It's like 'ugh, we've still got a whole week left' and all that crap. Like, what do we do with ourselves other than prepare?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Well, for starters, we've got you-know-what planned for you-know-who's big day the day after tomorrow, so we've got that to look forward to at least." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Agreed, Kusa. Also, while I know the feeling, we gotta be ready for anything." Ren sent wisely as Futaba sent a response.

"Whoa. You sound all tough and leadery." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Is it bad that I almost misread your last response as 'tough and leathery', Taba? Because I legit did for a second. But then I realized it was 'tough and leadery', so at least I caught myself." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"To be fair, it would be no exaggeration to say that this time, the fate of the world really is in our hands, everyone. Like Ren says, we should prepare as much as we can before the time comes." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Agreed. But I'm confident we'll be sufficiently prepared for that bastard Maruki when the time comes. After all, I very much doubt any one of us will let that man have an ounce of mercy after what he tried to do to us, especially after the trauma he put poor Sumire and Futaba through. That man's gonna be lucky if I don't break his friggin' nose when we see him on principle, to be honest. He has no business making either of those women cry. As I recall, we respect women in this group!" Kusa sent as Sumire giggled and sent a response.

"Hee hee, thank you. But we get that you hate what Maruki's done, Kusa-kun. That said, we can't change the facts. And the facts are that however we feel about it, it's only a single week. We just need to make sure we don't go in with anything left undone." Sumire sent as Ren sent a response.

"Well said, Sumi! Once again, you demonstrate why you're the smartest, sexiest, most amazing woman I know." Ren sent as Futaba sent a response.

"RUDE! Need I remind you that our chat has plenty of smart women between Sumire, myself, Ann, Makoto, and Haru? Also, Ryuji? You better not panic like it's the last day of summer break. Like, no being like, 'For real!? It's tomorrow? Aw, crap! What do I dooooo!?' Y'know, like that." Futaba sent as Kusa and Ryuji sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Taba? I really don't think that you, of all people, have room to bust his balls about that. After all, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it because we were helping you that Ryuji had to scramble so much on that occasion?" Kusa sent as Ann sent a response ahead of Ryuji's response.

"Kusa's right. But at the same time, yeah, I could see that happening like Futaba-chan said." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hm. Yes, it is fairly easy to imagine." Yusuke sent as Ryuji's response finally came through.

"Shut up, Futaba! Also, thank you, Kusa! You get it! And RUDE! I'm not THAT bad, guys!" Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"Either way, we should do all we can, so we can go into this with no regrets." Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Hm? All we can, you say? You sure you should be wording it like that with Futaba and Ren in this chat, Haru? We all know they're some of the most naughty-minded people in the group." Kusa sent as both Ren and Futaba sent the same response, which was, 'SHUT UP, KUSA!', as Makoto sent a response of her own.

"While Kusa-kun does have a point, I don't think that's what Haru had in mind. Also, thank you for getting us back on track, Haru." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away, at which point Morgana spoke up.

"Yup! They're right, you know. A week is gonna go by quickly. Make your last prep days count." Morgana said as Ren nodded and considered his options. After considering his options, Ren opted to put in a shift at the Ore no Bako out of not having much else to do. After getting his pay, Ren went home for the night, got comfortable, and went to sleep, his dreams filled with images of him and Sumire being happy together...

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

"Many plagues have swept through this world. Cholera, measles, pestilence, and so on. All diseases of incredible strength. They resist all our cures, and yes, some can even kill a person. But there's one disease we do not fear. We even welcome it. Any guesses? It is the disease we call happiness, of course. Eh heh, did you think I was only being dramatic? A scientific study suggested the emotion of happiness spreads in much the same way as a disease does, or so they say. Now then, Amamiya-kun the elder. How far did this study suggest personal happiness can spread?" Hiruta asked Ren, who sat up and gave Hiruta his attention, having recalled hearing this study mentioned once by Sojiro while helping out around Leblanc, so he mentally thanked Sojiro for the answer as he spoke up.

"This is it! The answer is 'to friends of friends of friends'!" Ren said confidently as Hiruta smiled and clapped before speaking up.

"Well done, Amamiya-kun the elder! Wonderful. That's correct. It would seem your own happiness can indirectly affect the mood of your friend's friend's friends. Their findings suggested that happiness is spread through connections and physical proximity. Under these principles, I would say that perhaps it's not impossible to create a world in which everyone can be happy." Hiruta said as the usual murmurs about Ren getting it right and questions of if he was actually a criminal broke out, complete with Morgana happily praising Ren for getting it right, netting Ren a minor, but unnecessary, boost to his Knowledge. Afterwards, Hiruta kept speaking.

"That might be true, but I can't bear that thought. A world of endless, uninterrupted peace and quiet? That's a terrifying idea! Where's the thrill in a world without strife, despair, agony!? Without unhappiness, there is no true happiness in my opinion. I don't want to live in a world that boring, truth be told." Hiruta said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"This guy never changes, does he Ren?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

After looking over his options, Ren sighed as he saw that only Takemi was available, making him shrug and decide to go ahead and max out his link with her since there was little else to do. After handing off Morgana to Kusa, Ren headed to the clinic to see Takemi, who looked up at Ren and spoke up.

"Ah, it's you, my little guinea pig. It doesn't matter if it becomes an epidemic. It really is freezing today, huh? Don't catch a cold out there. I've got enough patients as it is. You came because you saw my messages, right?" Takemi asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. I came because I saw your private chat asking for my presence today. And as I had little else going on, I figured this was a good chance to see what was up." Ren said truthfully. Takemi smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, don't bother asking about doing one, because there's no need for a clinical trial. You came at the perfect time. Come in." Takemi said as Ren spoke up.

"Very well, Doctor. I will do just that." Ren said as Takemi gave Ren a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Good answer. The girl that I've been treating is coming in soon. I want you to see how she is doing." Takemi said as Ren nodded his agreement, right as the girl from before came in and had a seat next to Takemi as she spoke up.

"Hey, doctor, does it matter who likes someone first?" The sick girl asked as Takemi chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, what are you talking about?" Takemi asked as the sick girl shuffled her feet nervously before speaking up.

"There's a boy I like, but my friend told me in no uncertain terms that I had to let her have him, because she liked him first, or so she said." The sick girl said as Takemi chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, that's not true." Takemi asked as the sick girl blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Really!? Then why did she say that?" The sick girl asked as Takemi chuckled and spoke up.

"Likely because she's jealous of you. Just be careful, because it might result in pandemonium." Takemi said as the sick girl frowned at the big word Takemi used and spoke up in confusion.

"Pandemonium? What does that mean?" The sick girl asked as Takemi explained it and sent the sick girl on her way. After the sick girl left, Takemi looked at Ren and spoke up.

"That girl's gotten a lot better. So much so, in fact, that now she's gossiping when she can. She even comes in on days she doesn't have to. it appears she's nearly fully recovered. Which reminds me, the new medicine will be completed soon. Your data has been extremely helpful, due to your generic body type and bland history. You've been a splendid guinea pig, err, I mean participant. So, thanks again. By the way, how have I been doing? Have I been helpful?" Takemi asked Ren, before his eyes widened at what she said next as she kept speaking with a playful wink.

"Y'know, for your escapades with the Phantom Thieves, I mean." Takemi asked Ren, who blinked at this and spoke up.

"Uh, what? Are you being serious right now?" Ren asked, hoping to convince Takemi he wasn't a Phantom Thief so he could say that not ALL of his non-Phantom Thief Confidants had figured him out so easily. Takemi smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, come on. You and I both know that you were lying about needing to prepare for the entrance exams. I visited Oyamada in jail. A swing of fortunes like that could only have come at the hands of the Phantom Thieves. And to have it happen when it did, some time after I confided in you, is rather suspect. Wouldn't the only logical conclusion to draw, therefore, be to think that it's you?" Takemi asked as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"I wonder what you'll do if it happens that you're right." Ren said seriously. Takemi giggled and spoke up.

"Hee hee, good question. Well, I don't care. The point is that without you, I wouldn't have been able to complete my mission. I would've never finished the new medicine in time while I was being deceived by Oyamada. And I never would've met any of the townspeople that I did, either. I bet the Phantom Thieves save people in need, just like doctors do, huh? So, I'll go out on a limb for you. I'll have even more powerful medicine ready for you to use when you need it. I trust that you'll use them appropriately." Takemi said as Ren nodded his agreement, a smile on his face as he felt the strong bond he'd forged with Takemi, as the expected voice spoke up in his head.

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

As a result of the maxed-out Death Confidant link, Ren was given the boon of 'Resuscitation' from Takemi, which increases the selection of revival items at the clinic. At that point, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared over the maxed-out 'Death' card, making the group's phones ping with the notification that Ren could now fuse 'Alice', or the strongest Persona of the Death arcana. At that point, Takemi kept speaking up.

"I'm not gonna give them to you for free, though. So you better make some money in the name of 'justice'." Takemi said as Ren sweatdropped but nodded as Takemi giggled and kept speaking.

"Hee hee, I'm not gonna keep teasing you anymore, my little guinea pig. Now, go. Take care." Takemi said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc to plan out his evening...

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

As soon as Ren got into Leblanc, his phone went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Akechi, Sumire, and Kusa, with Kusa sending the first response.

"Well, this is it, people. Tomorrow's Yusuke's birthday. So, let's get a status report. What's everyone's progress on their tasks?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Heh, Makoto and I secured the karaoke place for the part as we planned. Granted, we may or may not have ended up making a side stop along the way to book a rather, erm, unusual place for the catering." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Sweetie, I love you, but Crossroads really isn't that unusual. Just because the manager's supposedly a drag queen doesn't make the place unusual. After all, as I recall, we got to have that amazing party there for Ann's birthday. Apparently, Lala-san agreed to donate a dozen bottles of sparkling cider for the party, and even offered to let us use the bar afterwards again if we wanted to do another round of the King's Game." Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"While that is an interesting idea, that assumes we can get Togo-san onboard with helping celebrate the occasion for Yusuke. Plus, I don't think she's that much of a party-hardy girl, unlike a certain other pair of wild redheads we all know. But then again, I think Sumire and Taba know I still love them despite their wild streaks." Kusa sent as Sumire sent a response.

"Very funny, Kusa-kun. I'll have you know that Ren-senpai has yet to complain about that wild streak you spoke of. And I know for a fact you've not complained about your girlfriend's wild streak either. So I think we're doing our jobs just fine. Unless you'd rather that Futaba-senpai and I compare notes with one another?" Sumire sent as Ren sent a response.

"Umm, I didn't think you were that bold, Sumi? But I like it." Ren sent as Akechi sent a response.

"King's Game sounds fun and all, but if we're gonna have a wild and fun game, then screw the King's Game! Let's make it where we all play Strip Tycoon again! I seem to recall that the last round of that was quite hilarious, if woefully inconclusive. And I seem to recall hearing that a certain shut-in managed to go that entire game without losing one piece of clothing. And that just won't do. Not least because I'm sure Amamiya-kun the younger over there wants to at least see some of his girlfriend's clothes come off." Akechi sent as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, really? Why bother with Strip Tycoon, then? We could just bring in a pole and have the girls take turns pole-dancing, and tell Yusuke that it's an artistic exhibition if he asks, because technically speaking, pole dancing is art of a sort. Also, I'm sure that most of the guys in this chat won't argue with getting a free show from their girlfriends, or at least those who are comfortable with such things? Mwehehe." Futaba sent as three different responses of 'FUTABA!/TABA!/FUTABA-SENPAI!' came from Ren, Kusa, and Sumire respectively as the latter of the three sent a response.

"BEHAVE, FUTABA-SENPAI! And no, we are NOT bringing a pole to Yusuke-kun's birthday party! Wasn't it bad enough that he put poor Ann-senpai through that whole 'nude painting' phase, from what I heard her tell Makoto-senpai once? Granted, I doubt Kusa-kun and Ren-senpai would complain about us dancing for them, but it's not their birthday, it's Yusuke-senpai's! Then again, maybe we can coax Togo-san into giving the birthday boy a special dance? Hee hee!" Sumire sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"DUDE! Why is it always the redheads that are the wild ones? Granted, Makoto's plenty wild and sexy as is, but my point stands." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"You're lucky he's not reading this, Sumire! Don't give him any ideas! Also, I seem to recall Shiho and I got pretty wild while making both Sumire-chan and Futaba-chan hot under the collar, and maybe a bit jealous in Futaba-chan's case." Ann sent as Kusa laughed before sending a response.

"Jealous!? Ha, as if! More like you two made her feel entirely insecure with her figure. Luckily for you both, I convinced her she was plenty amazing just the way she is. Besides, the way you two rock them, I'd say that her being well-endowed is more trouble than it's worth. I think her figure is perfect as is, since it's just slender enough to easily snuggle close, but not so thick that it takes forever to lather sunscreen on her, or possibly massage oil if the mood strikes." Kusa sent as a red-faced Futaba sent a response.

"DAMMIT, KUSA! Not in front of the others! Also, should we really be flaunting our relationships like this around poor Haru and Akechi? After all, last I checked, they were both single pringles, so to speak?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"Umm, who even says 'single pringle' anymore, Futaba-chan? Also, don't worry about myself and Akechi-kun. We're fine being single, I think." Haru said as Akechi sent a response.

"Speak for yourself, Okumura-san. I find being single highly overrated, since I'm always being swarmed by fangirls wanting to get with me." Akechi sent as a grinning Ren sent a response.

"Sick of the fangirls, Akechi-kun? The way I see it, you have two options. Either get a girlfriend, or tell them you're not into women. Either way, it should get them off your back quickly enough." Ren sent as Sumire sent a response.

"Not helping, Ren-senpai! Also, might I remind you that Akechi-kun is in fact very much into women? Mayhaps into some women more than others? Even if said woman might not feel the same about him. But I think that if Ren and I can decide to make it work between us even after I spent most of our relationship lying about my name, then Akechi-kun and Haru-senpai can make it work between them?" Sumire sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Ooh, check out Sumire over here playing matchmaker. Look out, Kusa! I think you've got competition!" Futaba sent jokingly as Kusa sent a response.

"Competition? What're you on about, Taba? Also, you have no room to talk about Sumire playing matchmaker, when I seem to recall a certain someone spending a lot of time not-so-subtly nudging Ren and Sumire into bed after getting footage of them fooling around. So cut them a break, Taba. As for Haru and Akechi, that's on them if they decide to be more than friends or not. I support whatever decision they make wholeheartedly." Kusa sent as Akechi sent a response at that point.

"Hm, Amamiya-kun the elder might have a point. But at the same time, I recognize I have no right to even think of such things after what I put not only Okumura-san, but also Sakura-san through. After all, what right does a man who took their loved ones from them have to even dream that the former of the two would even look twice at them in anything more than a friendly way? That said, it sounds like we're on for karaoke for tomorrow night? But who's going to keep Kitagawa-kun busy?" Akechi sent as Kusa sent a response.

"No problem. I'll handle that myself while the rest of you go about procuring presents for him. Probably anything artistic would work, as well as a lot of non-perishable food items, since he rarely has money for food, so he often goes hungry because of it." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"True. Maybe we can have food brought to the party as well for Yusuke? He'd probably appreciate it, if nothing else." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That is an option. Well, let's table this for now and plan on meeting up at Kichijoji tomorrow for the party, yeah?" Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Truth, babe! I look forward to it!" Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away and Morgana spoke up.

"Heh, planning a party for Yusuke, huh? Might as well have one last fond memory to look back on in case things don't work out with Maruki's Shadow on the appointed day." Morgana said as Ren nodded and considered his options before deciding to invite Akechi for another game of darts in order to max out his Baton Pass Rank. Once at the Penguin Sniper with Akechi, Morgana, and Kusa, the latter tagging along on a whim, Morgana spoke up.

"Heh, okay then, let's begin our team game!" Morgana said as Akechi smirked and pulled on his glove while speaking up.

"Hmph. Now then, let's get started. As always, I'm ready on my end. Let's play 701. It'll be more fun that way." Akechi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Works for me, Akechi. I suppose that leaves Kusa and Morgana to team up, then?" Ren said as the aforementioned duo nodded before Akechi spoke up.

"You can go first. I'm just going to watch you for now." Akechi said as Ren nodded and walked over to take his turn.

(Start Ren and Akechi's game. Rules: 701)

"Ah, yes. Don't let me down, Amamiya-kun the elder." Akechi said as Ren stepped up and took his turn. Ren then calmly threw a trio of bulls, leaving him and Akechi with 551 points left, making Akechi smirk and speak up as Ren walked over to high-five him for his turn.

"I see. Not too bad, Amamiya-kun the elder. So that's how you play, is it? Hmph, not bad. But watch and learn how a master does it." Akechi said as he took his turn, easily hitting a trio of bulls, leaving him and Ren with 401 points left as he walked over to high-five Ren for his turn and spoke up.

"Tch! You're up now. You'd better focus." Akechi said as Ren nodded his understanding and took his turn. After aiming carefully, Ren hit a triple 17 and two bulls to leave him and Akechi with an even 250 points left as he walked over to high-five Akechi for his turn, prompting Akechi to speak up.

"Well, well. Not bad. You're getting better, Amamiya-kun the elder. Fine then. So I've reached my final round, have I? I'll pull this off without a hitch." Akechi said before he threw another trio of bulls, leaving him and Ren with 100 points remaining. Afterward, Akechi wasted little time in smirking at Ren as he spoke up to high-five him in for the final round.

"Hey. This is the last round, Amamiya-kun the elder. Take your time." Akechi said as Ren nodded and stepped up to the dartboard for his turn. Ren took a breath, focused, and easily threw the last two bulls needed to close him and Akechi out at exactly 0 points, winning the game for himself and Akechi, allowing Ren to grin as he walked over to Akechi and spoke up.

(End Akechi and Ren's game)

"How's that, Akechi-kun? Good enough?" Ren asked. Akechi smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, yeah, that was pretty good. That finishes it, if nothing else. 0 points on the dot, eh? Not a bad result." Akechi said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Don't lie, Akechi-kun. You know you liked seeing Ren throw with such accuracy. You don't have to pretend to be that uptight and pretentious other self of yours with us, you know." Kusa said as Akechi frowned and spoke up.

"If you say so, Amamiya-kun the younger. But I don't think you have room to talk about being uptight and pretentious. After all, I seem to recall hearing about a time where you laid Sakamoto out on his ass with one well-placed right hook and stormed off like a child. Pretty pretentious and self-righteous of you, no?" Akechi said before smirking as his Baton Pass rank hit rank 3, or MAX Rank. Ren smirked as he noted that now everyone's Baton Pass rank was maxed out at last. Morgana then spoke up.

"Mwehehe! Me next, then?" Morgana said as Kusa shook his head and spoke up.

"Sorry, but no. Ren and I already agreed I get the next game after Akechi. You can play a round with Akechi, though, if he's up for it. And good job getting us to 0 before." Kusa said before turning to Ren and speaking up.

"You're okay with this, yeah? Or did you actually want to play a game with Morgana?" Kusa asked Ren, who smirked and spoke up.

"Nah, it's fine, Kusa. I'm down to do a round with you, bro. Is 501 good with you as the ruleset we use?" Ren asked Kusa, who smirked and nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Sounds fine to me. Let's do it." Kusa said as he walked over to join Ren for their game while Akechi shrugged and agreed to play a round with Morgana.

(Start of Kusa and Ren's game. Rules: 501)

"Go get 'em, Ren." Kusa said to Ren as he high-fived Ren in, getting a nod from Ren as he stepped up to the dartboard for his turn. Ren then easily hit a trio of bulls, leaving himself and Kusa at 351 points remaining as Ren walked over to high-five Kusa in, getting a smirk from Kusa as he spoke up.

"Not bad, Ren. Now it's my turn. Let's see how I fare." Kusa said as he walked over to the dartboard. Kusa then took aim, and managed to hit two triple 20s alongside a bull, bringing him and Ren down to a remaining total of 191 points. Ren then smirked at Kusa as he high-fived in for his turn while Kusa spoke up.

"Heh heh, not too shabby for not having played in a bit. Granted, I was a lot shakier when playing with Morgana-sensei. But I'll take the 170 for that go, I think." Kusa said as Ren nodded and took his turn while Kusa kept speaking.

"Ah, your go again, eh? Good luck!" Kusa said as Ren threw two bulls and a double 11, leaving him and Kusa at a remaining score of 69 points as he walked over to high-five Kusa in for his final round. Kusa then spoke up.

"Oh-ho, what's this? My final round already? I see. Oh, wow. We have 69 points left!? Nice! Also, I can close us out from here. Hopefully I can get this for us. Well, here goes nothing." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"Just breathe, Kusa. We're here to have fun, after all. This isn't about winning or losing. Just relax and do your best, bro. I believe in you." Ren said as Kusa grinned and spoke up at that point while walking over to the dartboard.

"Ha! Check you out with the smooth wordplay, Ren! I like it. Thanks for the pep talk. Let's do this!" Kusa said as he walked over to the board and hit the single 19, before taking a deep breath, tossing his second dart, and grinning as it hit right dead center of the board for the bull needed to close him and Ren out at exactly 0 points, making Kusa walk back over and fist-bump Ren as he spoke up after winning the game for him and Ren.

(End Ren and Kusa's game)

"Let's actually go, bro! 0 points on the dot!? We killed it this time, methinks. Mwehehe!" Kusa said confidently as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"True. We could probably even beat Akechi when we work together." Ren said, giving Akechi a teasing wink as he saw the detective in question look up on hearing his name and give Ren an inquiring look before frowning at the not-so-subtle challenge.

"Is that a challenge, Amamiya-kun the elder!? Heh, tell you what. Next time we have a free night, let's do a 2 on 2 darts game, you and Amamiya-kun the younger there against me and Okumura-san, if I can get her to play. If not, then whoever I can get to partner with me. Interested? The winner gets bragging rights." Akechi said as Ren and Kusa exchanged determined looks, both nodding as Ren spoke up.

"You have yourself a challenge, good sir. And just because I like the symbolism of it, let me show it to you like this." Ren said as he pulled out a glove, tossing it at a blinking Akechi, who smirked and spoke up while he accepted the glove.

"Ah, well done. I see you remembered what I told you that day. So be it. Your duel of darts is accepted. Pray you don't regret your decision, Amamiya-kun the elder." Akechi said smugly as an impressed Morgana spoke up, even after Akechi lost their game for the two of them by 'accidentally' busting on the final round.

"Whoa, no way! Dang you two, that was some crazy skill!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, feeling himself get a modest, if unneeded, boost to his Proficiency. His Proficiency got another unneeded boost moments later as Morgana spoke up once more.

"Hm. Tired from all that precise throwing? I can tell you've grown somewhat, though." Morgana said as Ren nodded while Kusa spoke up.

"Damn right he's grown! Not only has he grown as a leader, he's grown considerably as a man. After all, he was able to best not only myself, but also Akechi-kun, in single combat. And that's not a feat that just anyone can do. Truly, Ren is coming along in his training. I consider it an honor to have him as the leader of our team." Kusa said sincerely before Akechi smirked and spoke up while sparkling music notes went up over the heads of Akechi, Kusa, and Morgana.

"Well, I'm finished. That served as a nice distraction, if nothing else." Akechi said as Morgana spoke up.

"True. And come to think of it, that was the last of us to reach Rank 3 was Akechi, wasn't it? Seems like the only reason we'd want to come here from now on is for fun. Otherwise, we won't have much more of a need to train here, if you ask me. Still, it was nice that we found this place." Morgana said as Kusa, Akechi, and Ren all nodded before leaving, at which point Akechi spoke up.

"Let's go. I'll be going then. Call me up next time you want a serious challenge, Amamiya-kun the elder. I'll be waiting. Also, I look forward to our duel." Akechi said smugly as the group parted ways for the night, Akechi heading back to wherever he lived while Ren, Kusa, and Morgana returned to Leblanc to get comfortable for the evening...

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

While Kusa was busy with a chat on his phone, Ren listened into some office workers speaking nearby from where he was standing, Kusa having lucked into a seat.

"I'm thinking of quitting my job." A gaudy office worker said to their friend, a timid office worker.

"What!? I know our company used to be pretty shady, but come on! It's gotten a lot better now! Did something happen?" The timid office worker asked as the gaudy office worker spoke up.

"Well, I guess you could say that, if nothing else. It's not that I hate this job or anything. But my side job's been going really well, and my stocks are looking good too, so I'm not sure I need this job much longer. I'm raking it in, and I barely have to work at all. When I look at it that way, it seems stupid to have a full-time job." The gaudy office worker said as Morgana frowned and soke up from inside Ren's bag.

"Hm, hm. Well, I'd say he can do whatever he wants as long as he's happy, but this is just kinda sad." Morgana said as Ren nodded, the rest of the train ride passing uneventfully...

(After school, in the classroom, with Ren and Morgana)

After looking over his options, Ren saw that aside from most of his maxed out Confidants, both Sumire and Shinya were available, so Ren immediately headed to the Gigolo after handing Morgana off to Kusa so he could hang out with Shinya. After winning a 'Black Frost Doll' on the crane game, Ren walked over to Shinya and spoke up.

"Afternoon, Oda-kun. How's it going?" Ren asked as Shinya spoke up.

"It's been going okay. Hey, there's something I wanna talk to you about. Can I bother you?" Shinya asked Ren, who nodded and spoke up.

"Sure thing, Oda-kun. I was hoping to get in some training with you today, anyways. So I have no problems hearing you out as well." Ren said agreeably. Shinya nodded and spoke up.

"Okay, over there then, after training. Yeah, then once we're done, let's go and talk someplace quiet. " Shinya said to Ren, who nodded. After training with Shinya, he followed Shinya outside to a nearby vending machine, where Shinya spoke up.

"Hey! That kid I took the money from came to my house with his mom yesterday. But my mom told them that it was the kid's own fault for having his money taken in the first place. She just told them to leave without hearing what they had to say. Something's wrong, Amamiya-san the elder. And I'm afraid that it's something with my mom. The other day she called my school to complain that the cost of lunch is much too high.

I begged her not to do it, but she said it's for my own good that she does what she does. However, I doubt it was really 'cause of me though. Once everyone finds out, I'm gonna get made fun of again, I know it. But at the same time, she also told me that once you stop fighting, you lose. And she also said that those who complain, win. My mom was never like this before that I can recall, Amamiya-san the elder. She never used to care about stuff like winning or losing before. Hey! Amamiya-san the elder, I-!" Shinya started to say, before another voice cut them off as a showy-looking woman with brown hair, long black boots, dark grey sweat pants that she matched with a dark blue sweater worn under a teal jacket dress and dark blue boots spoke up.

"Shinya, what are you doing?" The showy woman asked Shinya, whose eyes widened in recognition as he spoke up.

"Huh!? M-Mom!?" Shinya asked as the showy woman, now identified as Shinya's mother, spoke up again.

"I knew it! I knew there was something amiss." Shinya's mom said as the wide-eyed Shinya spoke up.

"Wh-What?" Shinya said as his mom huffed and spoke up while frowning.

"You've been acting strange lately. Just as I suspected, someone's filling your head with nonsense. Constantly talking back to me the way you have, I knew someone new must have come into the picture." Shinya's mom said before rounding on Ren as she kept speaking.

"So? Are you the one who's been such a bad influence on my Shinya?" Shinya's mom asked Ren, who frowned and spoke up.

"Calm down, ma'am. All I've done is try to encourage Shinya to be a good kid and do the right thing. I am in no way a bad influence on him." Ren said politely. Shinya's mom frowned and spoke up.

"How can I calm down when you've been leading my precious son astray? My blood's boiling thanks to your unacceptable behavior! What are you going to do about it!?" Shinya's mom demanded angrily as both Ren and Shinya sweatdropped nervously as the latter spoke up.

"S-Stop it, Mom! Amamiya-san the elder here has been a good role model. He's been encouraging me to not be a bad guy and to try to be nicer to other people." Shinya said, but his mom ignored his words to focus on Ren as she spoke up.

"Will you take responsibility if my Shinya turns into a juvenile delinquent? All that time and money I spent on him, wasted! What are you going to do about THAT, huh?" Shinya's mom said angrily as Shinya warily spoke up.

"No way. M-Mom! Amamiya-san the elder hasn't encouraged me to do one bad thing or be a juvenile delinquent." Shinya said as his mom glared at Ren and spoke up.

"Amamiya-san the elder, hm? I'm going to remember you. You're a high-schooler, right? Hm, I may just have to tell your school that you're out guiding impressionable children into mischief. Or more importantly, that one of their students is stalking my son." Shinya's mom said as Ren winced before Shinya spoke up.

"Stop it right now, Mom. Please." Shinya said as his mom huffed and spoke up imperiously.

"Come on, Shinya, we're going home!" Shinya's mom said as Ren spoke up.

"Far be it from me to tell you how to raise your son, but think about his feelings if you can. He's not doing anything wrong. If anything, he's trying to change his ways and become a better person." Ren said to Shinya's mom, who huffed and spoke up.

"Feelings!? Why should I worry about those!? He's just a child! If you keep meddling with him, I'm going to call the police!" Shinya's mom said as Ren spoke up.

"I haven't done anything wrong, ma'am. I don't know what your grudge is with me, but do not take it out on your own son." Ren said kindly. Shinya's mom huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph, fine. Just know this: I don't intend to lose. Now let's go, Shinya!" Shinya's mom said as a wide-eyed Shinya spoke up.

"But, Mom!" Shinya said in embarrassment. Shinya's mom huffed and spoke up.

"Shinya, what's happened to you? You ARE Shinya, aren't you!?" Shinya's mom asked Shinya, who winced and spoke up.

"Y-Yes, I am Shinya." Shinya said as he left with his mom. A little while later, Shinya ran back up to Ren and spoke up.

"Hey, I snuck away while my mom was shopping! I just wanted to say, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier!" Shinya said as his phone rang and he frowned before he kept speaking.

"Ugh, is that her already!? Crap, I gotta go. Sorry, Amamiya-san the elder. I don't like the person my mom's gone and turned into. She won't listen to anything I say anymore. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about today, Amamiya-san the elder. Um, do you think the Phantom Thieves can turn my mom back into her old self, somehow?" Shinya asked, horrifying Ren with the fact that he clearly appeared to be on the verge of tears from his mother's behavior. Shinya kept speaking before Ren could say anything, though.

"Please tell the Phantom Thieves this for me. To change my mom back from what she's become, to the way she used to be before." Shinya asked as Ren spoke up.

"I think I can do that, but can you give me your mom's full name? That's kinda a key detail I need if I'm gonna be able to help you, Oda-kun." Ren asked Shinya, who blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Her name? It's, err, it's Hanae Oda. Why do you ask? Never mind, I gotta go. Let's play again sometime, okay? Um, and please don't hate me for what my mom said." Shinya said as Ren nodded, getting the sense that he could feel Shinya's brotherly affection at that moment. At that point, the 'Tower' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VI' on the card becoming a 'VII' to signify that his Tower Confidant link with Shinya had reached Rank 7, though no new skills were gained for the rank up.

Ren knew at that moment that he needed to do something about the target for Shinya, as soon as possible. Ren resolved to discuss this with the others the first chance he had. With this in mind, Ren headed back to Leblanc, quickly pulling out his phone whle doing so to send a private chat to gather the others for an emergency meeting at the hideout...

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

"Huh, so you wanna help that King dude out, huh? And we're gonna do it by changin' his mom's heart? Shit, I bet that was a real tough decision to make." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"No shit it's a tough decision, Ryuji. Do you think Ren made it lightly!? After all, Ren has a very tight relationship with our mom and dad, so I'm sure it was painful for him to see Oda-kun's mother treating him like that." Kusa said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's right. I mean, this kid's only in elementary school, right? This is a lot for a little kid to be dealing with if you ask me." Ann said as Makoto spoke up.

"You're right, Ann. We should try to help him as soon as possible. As for the calling card, let's have him deliver it himself." Makoto said as Akechi spoke up.

"But will she take the calling card seriously if he does that? Granted, I realize that we can't send Amamiya-kun the elder to do it, but why not send Morgana to do it?" Akechi said as Morgana spoke up.

"I don't know where the target lives, for one thing. Also, I doubt Ren knows, so I have no way to find the target's house. Also, it might have more impact if the King delivers it himself. That said, so I guess this counts as a unanimous decision! Okay, then the meeting is adjourned!" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Good. I believe Yusuke had said he wanted to show me around an art exhibit or something to that effect?" Kusa said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed I did. I figured I can show you around the Ueno art museum since you seem to have a keen eye for detail and a reasonable appreciation of art, if that's fine?" Yusuke said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"By all means, lead the way." Kusa said to Yusuke before walking over to Ren and leaning in to whisper into Ren's ear.

"The rest is up to you and the others. Start gathering the gifts and heading to you-know-where." Kusa said as Ren nodded and started gathering the others for the party while Kusa let himself be led away by Yusuke to see some art. After he left, Sojiro looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Welcome back. I bet it was cold out there, wasn't it? Hard to imagine that it'll almost be a year since you started living here. Heh, yet look at us now. We've come such a long way from how we started. Granted, we don't look very much like a normal family, as usual." Sojiro said as Ren nodded. After a bit, Ren gathered the others at the karaoke place for Yusuke's party...

(A short time later, at the karaoke place in Kichijoji, with Ren, Sumire, Morgana, Ann, Makoto, Ryuji, Akechi, Haru, and Futaba)

"Well, that's everyone except for Kusa and the birthday boy present. Hopefully they know where to find the place." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Trust me, Makoto. Kusa and Yusuke know this place rather well. As I recall, they came here with myself, Ryuji, Morgana, and Ann while we were doing fact-finding on Kaneshiro at someone's request back when we first met you." Ren said wisely as Ryuji spoke up with a grin.

"For real! I trust Kusa to get Yusuke here. So relax, Makoto. Yusuke's in good hands, babe." Ryuji said as Makoto nodded, leaning into Ryuji as she spoke up.

"Good point, sweetie. Sorry, I just worry easily. At least the staff decorated the place up real nice." Makoto said, using a hand to gesture around to the karaoke place, which was decorated with all sorts of paintings and other artistic stuff. Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Makoto. The staff did a fantastic job." Sumire said as she smiled from the table she and Ren shared, which was covered in presents for Yusuke. At that point, Ren's phone went off with a private chat from Kusa, which he looked at and spoke up.

"Ah, that's Kusa. He's on his way now with the birthday boy, so let's get into position so that the staff can kill the lights on Sumire's signal. Morgana, get out of my bag so you can be part of this." Ren said as Morgana nodded and hopped out into Ren's lap carefully as the door opened, the lights shut off and Ren heard footsteps as Kusa walked in, managing to get a seat next to Futaba as he sat down, after which he silently shushed the group by putting a finger to his lips to signal that Yusuke wasn't far behind. Sure enough, a short time later, the door opened once more and footsteps were heard once more as a familiar voice spoke up.

"Why is this place so dark? Was Kusa pranking me when he said to come here, or-?" Yusuke asked, but got no further as the lights came on at that moment and ten other voices spoke up.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YUSUKE/YUSUKE-SENPAI!" Yusuke heard Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Futaba, Ann, Ryuji, Makoto, Sumire, Haru, and surprisingly even Akechi all say, making him smile as he spoke up.

"My word, how did you all put this together so quickly? You all have my thanks!" Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"Come now, Yusuke. Surely you didn't think we'd forget your special day, did you bro? Give us more credit than that! Come, have a seat. We saved you a seat in that booth over there." Kusa said, pointing to the booth behind Ren and Sumire's, which was empty other than for the presence of a certain dark-haired female who was only recognizable by the red and black ribbon in her hair. Yusuke had a seat before his eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Hold! Is this-?" Yusuke said as the female turned around and giggled before speaking up.

"Hi, Kitagawa-kun! Happy birthday!" Hifumi said as she surprised Yusuke with a hug, smirking as the red-faced Yusuke leaned into the hug and spoke up.

"Th-Thank you, Togo-san. Truly. I'm amazed you were able to come." Yusuke said as Hifumi spoke up.

"Come now, you can call me Hifumi if you want, Kitagawa-kun." Hifumi said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Only if you call me Yusuke, in return." Yusuke said, knowing when enough was enough. Hifumi nodded and spoke up.

"As you wish, Yusuke." Hifumi said before smiling at Yusuke as he sat down in time for a staff member to bring out a fancy-looking chocolate cake with marble-esque frosting. At that point the group all started singing happy birthday to Yusuke, who smiled as the song finished and he blew out his candles. Hifumi smiled at Yusuke and spoke up.

"Oh, wow. You blew them all out at once. That means your wish will come true. But don't tell us what it is, since they say that's bad luck." Hifumi said before blinking and flushing a bit in surprise as Yusuke merely snaked an arm around her waist in response before smiling at her as he spoke up.

"I don't need to say it, because as far as I'm concerned, it already came true. I'm sure a smart woman like yourself can figure it out, Hifumi." Yusuke said as he smiled while looking kindly into Hifumi's eyes, making her blush prettily as she realized what Yusuke was getting at and she spoke up.

"O-Oh, I see. Hee hee, I didn't think you felt that way about me?" Hifumi said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, you have no idea how I feel about you, Hifumi. But, since we're in a karaoke place, rather than tell you, why not let actions, or lyrics in this case, speak louder than words?" Yusuke said as he exchanged a significant nod with Kusa and Ren, who nodded as they got up and joined him on stage, where the hired band started playing a beat as Yusuke started singing, occasionally being joined in the song by Kusa and Ren.

(Verse 1)

Yusuke- (Spoken Word) Girl, I know that you've been hurting. Right now, you feel like you could never love again. But all I ask? Is for a chance, to prove that I love you

Ren- From the first day that I saw your smilin' face? Honey, I knew that we would be together forever.

Kusa- Ohh, but when I asked you out? You said no, but I found out.

Yusuke- Darlin', that you'd been hurt. Thought that you'd never love again.

Ren- I deserve a try, honey! Just once!

Kusa- Give me a chance to prove this all wrong!

Yusuke- You walked in, and were so quick to judge.

Ren- But honey? He's nothin' like me!

(Chorus)

(Ren, Kusa, and Yusuke) I'll never break your heart

I'll never make you cry

I'd rather die, than live without you

(Yusuke) I'll give you all of me (Ren and Kusa: All of me)

(Yusuke) Honey, that's no lie! (Ren and Kusa: No lie)

(Yusuke) I'll never break your heart (Ren and Kusa: Never break your heart)

(Yusuke) I'll never see you cry (Ren and Kusa: Never wanna see you cry!)

(Yusuke) I'd rather die than live without you (Ren and Kusa: No, no, live without you)

(Yusuke, Ren, and Kusa) I'll give you all of me, honey that's no lie

(Verse 2)

Yusuke- As time goes by

Ren- You will get to know me a little more better

Kusa- Girl, that's the way love goes, baby baby

Yusuke- And I (Ren and Kusa-I) know you're afraid (Ren and Kusa- You're afraid)

Ren- To let your feelings show (Yusuke and Kusa-feelings show)

Kusa- And I understand, but

Yusuke- Girl, it's time to let go (Ren and Kusa-time to let go!)

Ren- I deserve a try (Kusa-try!), honey, just once! (Yusuke-Once!)

Kusa-Give me a chance and I'll prove this all wrong (Yusuke- Wrong, you walked)

Yusuke- You walked in, you were so quick to judge (Ren and Kusa-quick to judge!)

Ren- But honey, he's nothin' like me

Kusa- Darlin, why can't you see!?

(Repeat Chorus x2)

(Verse 3)

Yusuke- I, I swear (Ren and Kusa-Oh I, Oh I, I swear!)

Ren- No way, no how (Yusuke- I'll never break your heart girl, I'll never make you cry)

Kusa, Yusuke, and Ren-That's no lie! (Yusuke- I say no how!)

(Repeat Chorus until it fades to the end of the song)

After the song ended, the others all applauded the unlikely, but incredible performance by Ren, Kusa, and Yusuke, the latter of which looked at Hifumi and spoke up.

"Does that answer your question about how I feel, Hifumi?" Yusuke said as Hifumi gave Yusuke an unreadable look before suddenly grabbing him gently by the collar and pulling him into an eager kiss, which a red-faced Yusuke returned after he registered what was going on. After a bit, the two broke apart for air as Yusuke spoke up.

"I suppose that answers my question, and a lot better than I thought it would." Yusuke said as Hifumi smiled before nodding and speaking up.

"Yes, it does. Um, sorry if I scared you with that. I just really felt the need to kiss you after that performance. Truth be told? I love you too, Yusuke. I was just waiting for the right time to say so." Hifumi said shyly as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"I see. I will be honest and say I don't have a lot to offer, aside from my unconditional loyalty and support, but even so, will you be my girlfriend, Hifumi?" Yusuke asked as a blushing but smiling Hifumi could only nod in response before kissing Yusuke again, causing the others, excluding Morgana and Akechi, to cheer as Kusa smirked and turned to Ryuji and Ren, hand outstretched as he spoke up.

"HA! Pay up, boys! I knew Yusuke was gonna get a girlfriend for his birthday. You're idiots for betting against me on that." Kusa said as Ren and Ryuji huffed but both passed Kusa some yen as Sumire shook her head and spoke up.

"Heh, oh well. Guess it's not a party unless someone wins a bet. Were there any more performances lined up, or are we good to get to the fun part?" Sumire asked as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, don't be so sure about that, Sumire. I think I overheard Ann and Taba mentioning some sort of performance they have lined up. So we'll see if they're gonna do that, I think." Kusa said as he smirked on seeing Ann and Futaba get up on stage before he kept speaking.

"Looks like we don't have long to wait. Let's see what the girls have got cooked up." Kusa said as a really catchy guitar riff started playing, accompanied by drums as the song started.

(Verse 1)

Ann- It's now, or it's never! And I've got to make my decision!

Futaba- This time it could be my moment!

Ann- Is this a mirage, or a chance to fulfill my mission?

(Verse 2)

Futaba and Ann- A river in a dry land

Ann-The last ace in a lost hand

Futaba- Heartbeat for a tin man

Ann- Oasis in a singed land

(Verse 3)

Futaba- I'm keepin' my balance, but I'm standin' on a razor's edge now.

Ann- Gotta move quick, or my life is over!

Futaba-Just one strike, and I fade out of his field of vision!

Ann-Don't ask why I'm ready, but I'm ready, gotta strike them down now.

Futaba- Chance for a new start, there's no time for indecision!

(Chorus)

Ann and Futaba- A river in a dry land

The last ace in a lost hand

When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet

Now we need it

A heartbeat for a tin man

Oasis in a singed land

Reminds us what we're here for

Creatin' new life

Creating rivers in the desert

(Verse 4)

Ann- My heart is a furnace

Futaba- It's hot as hell in my world of conflict

Ann and Futaba- One goal is what keeps me goin'!

Futaba-Take back what I lost to the bosses of greed and fear, yeah

Ann- Don't ask why I'm ready, but I'm ready to take them down now

Futaba- The chance for my new start is constantly drawing nearer!

(Chorus)

Ann and Futaba- A river in a dry land

The last ace in a lost hand

When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet

And we need it

A heartbeat for a tin man

An oasis in a singed land

Reminds us what we're here for

Creating new life

Creating rivers in the desert

(Verse 5)

Ann- A cool drop of water is all I need

Futaba- Gotta clear my head of anger and greed

Ann- A place to refresh heart and mind

Futaba- Can I find some time? In-

(Chorus)

Ann and Futaba- Rivers in a dry land!

The last ace in a lost hand!

When the hope of new beginnings

Burned our feet, and we need it

A heartbeat for a tin man

Oasis in a singed land

Reminds us what we're here for

Creating new life

Creating rivers in the desert!

(Lengthy instrumental solo leads to the end of the song)

After Ann and Futaba got off the stage and rejoined the others, Futaba found herself practically tackle-hugged by Kusa, who smiled at her as he spoke up.

"Damn Taba, I didn't know what to expect, but that was incredible! I had no idea you could sing like that!" Kusa said proudly as a flushing Futaba spoke up.

"Yes, well, you never asked, did you?" Futaba said as Ann giggled at Kusa and spoke up.

"Heh, she's got you there, Kusa-kun." Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"True. That she does. Well played, Taba." Kusa said as Futaba smirked and nodded before speaking up.

"Thank you, thank you." Futaba said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"And that's not all! Akechi said he even had a song he wanted to sing." Ryuji said, making both Ren and Kusa's jaws drop as they turned in unison to face the smirking Akechi, who nodded and spoke up.

"Sakamoto's not wrong. Now watch and learn how it's done." Akechi said as he headed towards the stage as the band started playing his chosen song while he started singing.

(Verse 1)

I am a question to the world
Not an answer to be heard
Or a moment that's held in your arms

And what do you think you'd ever say?
I won't listen anyway, you don't know me
And I'll never be what you want me to be

(Verse 2)

And what do you think you'd understand?
I'm a boy, no, I'm a man
You can't take me and throw me away

And how can you learn what's never shown?
Yeah, you stand here on your own
They don't know me 'cause I'm not here

(Chorus)

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stay the same
They don't know me 'cause I'm not here

(Verse 3)

And you see the things they never see
All you wanted I could be
Now you know me and I'm not afraid

And I wanna tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man?
They can't break me as long as I know who I am

(Chorus)

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stay the same
They can't see me but I'm still here

(Verse 4)

They can't tell me who to be
'Cause I'm not what they see

Yeah, the world is still sleepin'
While I keep on dreaming for me

And their words are just whispers
And lies that I'll never believe

(Chorus)

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can they say I never change?
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now 'cause I'm still here
I'm the one 'cause I'm still here
I'm still here, I'm still here, I'm still here

(End of Song)

After Akechi came down from the stage, both Kusa and Ren blinked at him as Ryuji fist-bumped Akechi and spoke up.

"Dude! You might be an ass at times, but you've got a hell of a singing voice! Props, man!" Ryuji praised Akechi as Kusa spoke up.

"Ryuji's not wrong. You've got some real pipes on you, Akechi-kun." Kusa said as Ren nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"They're right. Well done, Akechi." Ren said as the group then settled in for the cake as Kusa and Ren handed Yusuke his presents to open.

From Ren, Yusuke got a brand new sketchbook and a ton of art supplies, making him give Ren a grateful nod.

From Sumire, Yusuke got a gift basket with assorted foods and healthy meals, making him smile appreciatively at Sumire.

From Makoto, Yusuke got a homework planner and a gift card for an art store of his choice, making him thank Makoto.

From Haru, Yusuke got some new canvases, making him hug Haru as he thanked her repeatedly.

From Akechi, Yusuke got a really nice painting, which appeared to depict him posing epically with Goemon, making him blink at Akechi and speak up.

"How did you get this done?" Yusuke asked Akechi, who spoke up.

"I know some people who are good at art. All I said was it was a birthday present for a co-worker, and they put it together with no questions asked." Akechi said as Yusuke nodded and thanked Akechi.

From Morgana, Yusuke got a card with a pawprint on it, and under it, someone had written 'Happy Birthday, Yusuke! Sorry I can't do more! -Morgana', making Yusuke smile at Morgana and Kusa, guessing that the latter wrote the card, and thank them while patting Morgana on the head as a further way of thanking the cat.

From Ann, Yusuke got a nice set of winter clothes, making him thank Ann sincerely.

From Ryuji, Yusuke got a really fancy watch and some vouchers to the local ramen restaurants, making Yusuke smile and thank Ryuji.

Yusuke then turned his attention to Kusa and Futaba's gift, which Yusuke blinked at seeing the gift code on a slip of paper, making Futaba smirk as she spoke up.

"You have to put the code into your phone, which Kusa can help you with if you want. And I hope you like it, since it took us long enough to get it right, Inari." Futaba said kindly as Yusuke had Kusa help him load the code onto his phone, and when he did, his eyes widened as his wallpaper was suddenly changed to an exact duplicate of the 'Sayuri', just how his mother had painted it, making him gasp at the two and speak up.

"H-How did you pull that off!?" Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you. It took me and Taba a lot of work, but we knew you'd appreciate being able to have the 'Sayuri' on your phone so you can look at it any time you want to feel inspired, since I know how much that painting means to you, man. Sorry we couldn't do more for you, but we hope you like it." Kusa said as Yusuke smiled and hugged both Kusa and Futaba as he spoke up, surprising the others with the sight of unshed tears in his eyes as he spoke.

"I love it, you two! Thank you so much." Yusuke said as he turned to the final present, which turned out to be from a grinning Hifumi. After opening it, Yusuke found his own shogi board, complete with pieces. Hifumi giggled and spoke up.

"You don't have to use this, but I figured you could use your own set in case you ever decide you want to learn how to play, so that we can occasionally play matches together, even if it's just to practice against one another. I'm sorry it wasn't a more thought-out gift, but I only found out last night about your birthday, so I had to scramble a bit to find this for you. I hope you like it?" Hifumi said before blinking as Yusuke once more kissed her, eventually pulling away to speak up.

"I love it, Hifumi. I especially love that it came from you. Thank you." Yusuke said as Hifumi blushed prettily and smiled as she spoke up.

"You're welcome, Yusuke." Hifumi said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"And now that the gifts are done, barring any other last-second surprises, I think that's pretty much it for the party. Sorry for the last-minute notice, but I only literally recalled that we needed to plan something for Yusuke like three or four days ago. So I think we did quite good to put this much together so swiftly." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded his agreement, an arm lazily draped around a blushing Hifumi's waist as he spoke up.

"You're quite right, Kusa. And given that the only ones we've not seen up on stage to this point are Sumire, Hifumi, Makoto, Haru, Morgana, and Ryuji, I doubt we have any further performances left." Yusuke said as Sumire spoke up.

"Yes, well, to be fair? I don't really believe I have much of any singing talent to speak of. Unfortunately, musical talent kinda didn't exist in my family." Sumire said sheepishly as a chuckling Ren smiled and kissed her on the cheek reassuringly before speaking up.

"That's okay, Sumi. No one's perfect. Besides, you're plenty amazing as you are." Ren said as Sumire gave Ren a very brilliant smile and spoke up while leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Aww, thanks Ren. That's sweet of you to say." Sumire said as the group all took turns wishing Yusuke a happy birthday before dispersing for the evening, eventually leaving Ren and Sumire alone, Kusa having taken Morgana with him and Futaba. Ren then smiled at Sumire and spoke up.

"Well, guess it's just us now. Tonight was nice, but I'm guessing you have plans?" Ren asked Sumire, who smiled and spoke up with a shake of her head.

"No, not really, Ren. Why do you ask?" Sumire asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Oh? I was thinking we could hang out a bit, just the two of us." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"I'd be delighted, Ren." Sumire said as Ren nodded, guiding her back to Leblanc with him. After checking the fridge and finding there were no ingredients, Ren then noticed the coffee brewer and got an idea, quickly turning to Sojiro as he spoke up.

"Hey, Boss? You care if I brew some coffee for myself and Sumire? I can brew you a cup too, if you like." Ren said to Sojiro, who smirked and spoke up.

"Nah, that's fine. You two go ahead. I'll head on home and make sure Kusa and Futaba aren't letting the cat get into mischief over at the house. The shop's all yours. Make sure you close up. Though, don't be surprised if I show back up to appraise your finished work, as I usually do when you brew." Sojiro said before he left, leaving Ren and Sumire alone as Ren smiled at his girlfriend and spoke up.

"Well, feel free to have a seat and I'll get some coffee started for us." Ren said to Sumire, who smiled and nodded as she sat at the counter, smiling as she caught the scent of the coffee brewing and spoke up.

"Mmm, wow. That smells amazing, Ren. Truth be told, I enjoy the smell of well-brewed coffee. It's just so irresistible." Sumire said as Ren nodded, pouring himself and Sumire a cup of the finished product before he had a seat at the table to sip his own handiwork, pumping a fist as he spoke up.

"Yes! Another well-brewed cup! I'm getting so good at this." Ren said happily as Sumire smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"Hee hee, you're so adorable when you take pride in your work, Ren. Still, I must say, the way you're drinking it makes it look simply delicious. I think I might try some." Sumire said before slowly taking a sip from her own cup and letting out a very cute, but very involuntary moan as she spoke up.

"Mmm, yep. That's amazing, Ren. You've got a gift for this, for sure." Sumire said honestly as Ren smiled, even while he flushed a bit from the praise his girlfriend gave him. He also pocketed 2 'Master Coffee' items as well for his efforts. Sumire then giggled as she spoke up.

"Hee hee, is this how you're so charming, Ren-senpai? I swear, I think Boss' influence makes you more and more charming." Sumire said as Ren smirked and nodded while his Charm got a slight, if unneeded, boost. He then looked at Sumire and spoke up.

"If I am charming, it's only for you, beautiful." Ren said as he quickly stole a kiss from a blushing Sumire. At that point, the door opened and a chuckling Sojiro walked in and spoke up.

"Looks like you're at it again, eh Ren? And you've even got your lovely wi-err, I mean girlfriend, to test your coffee this time. Smooth. That said, how's it going? Here, I'll have a sip." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, offering his cup to Sojiro so he could take a sip. Sojiro then spoke up after savoring the taste a bit.

"Mmm, this fruity aroma I can detect, there's no mistaking it. This is Salvadoran Pacamara. Heh, let me explain! Today, over 50% of all exports from El Salvador are coffee. Pacamara is a hybrid coffee unique to El Salvador. Pacamara comes from a hybrid plant that produces high amounts of large-sized coffee beans. It has a dense body with chocolate notes.

Well, yeah, gotta be honest, Ren. This brew is delicious, simply put. I'm actually quite impressed. Mind you, you'll never catch up to me. But regardless, I like your coffee. I'm overjoyed to have a competent apprentice. Allow me to act as your lead for a little longer, if you can." Sojiro said to Ren as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Wow, I had no idea you knew so much about coffee, Boss. That's impressive." Sumire said as Sojiro smirked at her and spoke up.

"You think that's impressive? Wait until you try a cup of my coffee! Not to upstage your boyfriend here, but I taught him everything he knows, so surely I brew a better cup of coffee than he does." Sojiro said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Hey, easy does it, Boss. I already have dibs on Sumire. If you're gonna hit on my friends, I believe Haru's single. Or failing that, I could introduce you to some of my older female friends, like my homeroom teacher or possibly Makoto's older sister. I hear they're both single too." Ren said as Sojiro laughed and spoke up.

"Relax, Ren. I'm not hitting on your girlfriend. Also, I can get a girl just fine on my own. After all, when I was young, hoo boy." Sojiro said as Ren and Sumire chuckled before Sojiro left again, at which point Sumire smiled at Ren before speaking up.

"Well, I should be honest with you, Ren. I got permission ahead of time from my parents to be here with you overnight, so if you want, we can go get comfortable in the attic." Sumire said as Ren grinned and spoke up.

"Hm? You're asking me to spend time cuddled up to the sexiest and most beautiful woman I know? Don't mind if I freaking do." Ren said smugly as he smiled, finished doing the dishes after putting the rest of the coffee away for later, and then scooped up a blushing Sumire and carried her bridal-style upstairs to lay her on the bed while getting comfortable in his boxers, as a prettily flushing Sumire stripped down to her bra and panties as the two cuddled together on Ren's bed, Ren pulling the blankets over them as they got comfortable and Sumire shyly spoke up.

"Um, Ren? Is it bad that I already enjoy this a lot? Truth be told, I kinda want this to last forever." Sumire said before blushing profusely at her honest admission while Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Not at all. I feel the same way. That just means we're meant for one another, beautiful. But I suppose we shouldn't be up too late, in case your parents want you home tomorrow." Ren said as Sumire nodded, kissing Ren lovingly for a bit before the two fell asleep in one another's arms...

(The next morning, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ren)

Ren sat up and stretched, speaking up without thinking.

"Mmm, that was a nice night's sleep. Don't you agree, Sumire?" Ren said, only to blink as he saw that Sumire wasn't there. After shrugging, Ren spoke up to himself.

"Huh, maybe she had to go home early?" Ren mused as he got dressed. Once he got dressed, he saw he had an unread private chat from Sumire as he checked his lotto ticket, finding that he won 2,000 yen from a 3,000 yen ticket. Shrugging, Ren spent it on another ticket out of habit. After being told it would be ready on 2/5, he nodded and walked off to a secluded spot to read Sumire's private chat.

"Good afternoon, Ren. Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. Coach woke me up by calling me to remind me that I have practice today, so I had to get up early and go to that. However, she did say I could invite you to watch the tail end if you get up in time. So if you're not busy and it's not too much trouble, then perhaps we could meet up today?" Sumire sent as Ren thought about it for half a second before smiling as he sent a response.

"I've always got time for you, Sumi. I'll be right there. As it happens, I'm out and about checking things." Ren said as Sumire smiled and sent a response.

"You will? Wonderful. Thank you so much. I'll be waiting at the usual spot for you." Sumire sent as Ren nodded, put his phone away and headed to Kichijoji to meet up with Sumire...

(A short time later, in Kichijoji, with Ren and Sumire)

Ren found Sumire at the usual spot and walked over to her and spoke up.

"Well, well. We really need to stop running into each other like this, beautiful." Ren said smoothly as Sumire smiled and turned to face Ren before speaking up with a pretty closed-eye smile.

"Ah, there you are, Ren. Good timing! I'm actually going to go and perform my routine for my coach right now. And to be honest? I was hoping you'd come and watch me while I perform, Ren-senpai. I'm confident that I can show her my answer through my routine. Nothing matters more to me than getting this right! So, if you've got the time to spare on me, then please! Please watch me, Ren!" Sumire asked as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"If I've got the time to spare on you!? Sumire, you know damn well I've always got time for you. So of course I'll come watch you. I'd do anything for you, within reason, after all." Ren said kindly while smiling at Sumire, who blushed slightly but gave Ren another closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Th-Thank you very much, Ren. Then let's get ready and head over to the gymnasium!" Sumire said as Ren nodded and followed Sumire to the gymnasium...

(A short time later, in the gymnasium with Ren and Sumire)

While Ren waited for Sumire to get ready, he let himself idly think back to how far he and Sumire have come together since meeting one another, smiling fondly at all the good memories he had with her, even if there were a few bittersweet memories strewn throughout his recollections of Sumire too. While Ren was lost in thought, he initially didn't hear Sumire walk in until she cleared her throat and spoke up to get Ren's attention.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ren." Sumire said, giving Ren a closed eye smile before giggling at the slight drop of his jaw as he saw not only the tie-off that Sumire had subbed in for her usual ribbon, but also the outfit Sumire had picked out to wear for her routine, smiling at how amazing it looked on Sumire, but also wincing slightly at how similar it looked to the outfit he'd seen on what Ren now knew to be Kasumi, when he and Sumire saw her the day that Sumire awoke to Cendrillion for the first time.

Ren's face settled into a soft smile, even as he blushed slightly while looking his girlfriend over, feeling his heart speed up a bit and skip a couple beats while looking at her. Ren then made it a point to keep his eyes on Sumire's face, and not on the rather ample amount of leg skin that was on display from the fact her leotard ended at her hips, only barely covering her upper legs, and giving a just-barely visible peek of the dark blue panties she had on underneath the leotard, though Ren did spare a glance at the very simple yet elegant white heels Sumire had paired with her leotard. Sumire, for her part, giggled at the clear reactions her outfit had generated in the usually-playful Ren and spoke up with a genuine smile on her face..

"Hee hee, I didn't think you'd like my outfit that much, Ren? But anyways, in all seriousness, it looks like even though you're here, my coach is yet to arrive. Truth be told, I'm usually so nervous when Coach Hiraguchi watches my performance. Partially because she's worked with me for so long, though I think that's why I don't want to let her down if I can help it. But today is different, Ren. Today, I'm excited about this." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"And rightly so. I apologize for gawking at you a bit just now, but in my defense, you look positively radiant today in that outfit, Sumire." Ren said as Sumire gave Ren a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Oh? Thank you. You know, when you compliment me like that, I feel like everything's going to turn out well in the end!" Sumire said before blinking as she heard footsteps approach, eventually seeing her coach walk up. Sumire blinked as she turned to face her coach and spoke up, unintentionally giving Ren a good view of her side profile and part of her ass while she spoke up.

"Ah, Coach! You're here." Sumire said in surprise, her eyes widening slightly as she noticed her coach's arrival. Sumire then bowed politely to Hiraguchi as she spoke up.

"Thank you for making time to observe me today! I really wanted to get an unbiased evaluation from you." Sumire said honestly as her coach smirked and spoke up.

"You got a good look on your face today, Sumire." Hiraguchi said kindly as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm confident in the routine I'm about to perform." Sumire said as Hiraguchi nodded and spoke up.

"Well, at first glance, I'd say you look like you've got it all figured out. But I'm here to gauge your performance, not just let you brag about it. Now, begin!" Hiraguchi said as Sumire nodded, giving Hiraguchi a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Ma'am! Yes, ma'am!" Sumire said as she made to start her routine, at which point Hiraguchi walked over to stand with Ren and spoke up.

"Well, would you look at that? It's as if Sumire's come alive! Even her starting form's changed from what it was. I wonder. Could this be your doing, Amamiya-kun the elder?" Hiraguchi asked Ren, who smiled and shook his head before speaking up.

"As much as I could claim credit for it, I cannot. This was all Sumire's doing. She's been serious about bettering herself since that critique you gave her the other day. So watch and see how much she's improved." Ren said wisely. Hiraguchi chuckled and spoke up.

"I figured you'd say that. Heh, you two are cute together." Hiraguchi said as Sumire spoke up at that point, drawing Ren and Hiraguchi's attention as she spoke.

"All right, let's start!" Sumire said as she proceeded to show off a rather elegant, graceful set of moves with the ribbon in her left hand, a few of her leg sweeps unintentionally letting Ren get a glimpse of her panties, which he realized were actually blue, and not white as he'd first assumed. After a bit, Sumire finished her routine and walked over to Ren and Hiraguchi, panting slightly as she spoke up.

"Ahh, there we are. Thank you for watching!" Sumire said as she bowed cutely. Hiraguchi frowned slightly as she spoke up.

"Hmm." Hiraguchi said as Sumire looked at Hiraguchi expectantly, waiting patiently for her feedback. After a bit, Hiraguchi smiled at Sumire and spoke up.

"Well done. You've grown so much, Sumire." Hiraguchi said as Sumire gave her a surprised look before she kept speaking in a slightly harsher tone.

"I'm sure this is no surprise to you, but the path to international success will be harsh and relentless. Are you ready?" Hiraguchi asked Sumire, who gave her coach a pretty closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Absolutely! I WILL be number one in the world of gymnastics! I will make our dream a reality!" Sumire said confidently as both Ren and Hiraguchi smiled proudly at her, the latter of the two speaking up with a closed-eye smile.

"Heh, glad to hear you're so sure. With your natural grace and dedication to reach the gauntlet, no matter how far it is from your grasp, I believe that your dream is no longer impossible. And you're the one who decided that, not me." Hiraguchi said as Sumire blinked and spoke up.

"Huh?" Sumire said in confusion as Hiraguchi chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, you didn't even realize it, did you? Today's the first time you've told me you will win on an international level. Until today, you'd only tell me, 'I hope I win.' So right there, that's a testament to how far you've come." Hiraguchi said as Sumire's eyes widened in surprise as she spoke up.

"Oh, you're right!" Sumire said as Hiraguchi smirked and gave Sumire a closed eye smile and spoke up.

"Perhaps you even have someone special in your life. And by that, I mean the person who makes you want to dance just for them." Hiraguchi said as Sumire flushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"Well, that's correct. Um, I, uh, did find someone special recently. So you could say I'm doing this for their sake as much as for her sake." Sumire said after finding her voice, making Ren laugh at how cute Sumire was when she stumbled over herself. Hiraguchi smirked and spoke up.

"My, my. It seems you haven't quite made a total transformation." Hiraguchi said as Ren spoke up with a smile.

"Don't rush it, Sumire. These things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all. Or so they say. Either way, as long as you take it one step at a time, you can do anything you set your mind to. And you know that I'm always here for you." Ren said to Sumire, who blinked in surprise at Ren's words as Hiraguchi turned to give Ren a closed-eye smile while she spoke up.

"Well, it's good to hear you have someone who really understands you in your corner." Hiraguchi said to Ren before turning to face Sumire as she kept speaking.

"Sumire, your performance today truly was impressive. I'm looking forward to your next lesson already." Hiraguchi said to Sumire, whose eyes widened slightly in a mix of awe, surprise, and respect as she spoke up.

"Coach, thank you! And to be honest? Me too! I'm also looking forward to my next lesson." Sumire said with a closed-eye smile as Hiraguchi turned and left, leaving Sumire alone with Ren, who she turned to as she kept speaking.

"Wow, Ren. Coach Hiraguchi actually liked my routine." Sumire said, looking shocked. Ren smiled at his girlfriend as he spoke up.

"It's only natural, Sumire. As I've said more than once already, you're an incredible gymnast, and a gifted, kind, amazing, sexy woman. So what's not to like?" Ren said honestly. Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"You're probably right, Ren. Heh, I'm kidding, of course. But thank you. Thanks to you, I feel like I've finally found the answer I've been searching for all this time. And I did it while living as myself, as well as discovering what's most important to me while performing." Sumire said with a beautiful closed-eye smile as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? And that something is what, exactly?" Ren asked coyly. Sumire smiled prettily at Ren as she giggled and spoke up.

"Do I really have to spell it out? Hee hee. Truth be told, I've learned all sorts of things from my time with you, Ren. Now, I can show everyone how I really feel. And the two of us can take the crown of the gymnastics world!" Sumire said while giving Ren a beautiful closed-eye smile as Ren returned the smile, feeling as he did so like he had an incredibly strong bond with his girlfriend, and he doubted very much that any other bond would come close to the one he has with Sumire. At that point, the camera zoomed in on Sumire's smiling face as the expected voice spoke up in Ren's head.

"I am thou, thou art I...Thou has turned a vow into a blood oath. Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Faith, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard in his head as the 'Faith' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' on the card turning into an 'X' to signify that his Faith Confidant link with Sumire had reached Rank 10, noted on the card as 'RANK MAX' or 'MAX Rank'.

From the maxed-out Faith Confidant link, Sumire had awoken to the power of 'Second Awakening', making it so that like every other Phantom Thief other than Crow and Joker, Sumire's Persona was transformed into a mythological trickster. Ren smirked as he realized in that moment that all of his teammates' Personas had finally reached their Tier 2 forms, even if most of them weren't gonna reach Tier 3. At that point, the words 'FUSION UNLOCKED' appeared over the maxed-out 'Faith' card, as the group's phones pinged to signify that Ren could now fuse 'Maria', or the strongest Persona of the Faith arcana.

At that point, the camera panned to a view of inside Sumire's heart, as Cendrillion was consumed in a flash of blue light, and when the light died down, in place of Cendrillion stood a new being, one with a very elegant red and gold dress, with a flowing black and red skirt billowing out to the sides, and where Cendrillion had blonde hair that was tied up in a ribbon, this being had black hair that flowed down her shoulders, stopping at around her mid-back.

In place of the blue ribbons Cendrillion had, this being had a red ribbon that took the shape of a mask on her face, just barely allowing a view of her white eyes that matched the white tips coming out of the ends of the mask on her face. At that point, Sumire spoke up.

"This is the new me, Ren! I've finally found it!" Sumire said as the group's phones pinged once again, this time to signify that Sumire's 'Cendrillion' Persona had transformed into 'Vanadis'. Afterwards, Sumire kept speaking.

"I know it's a bit late for it, but truth be told? I can feel my body start to shake. I think it's finally hitting me that I really just did this. I managed to really give it my best today." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"You were incredible out there, Sumire. I couldn't take my eyes off you. And just think, there's likely a lot more still to come." Ren said kindly. Sumire gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"You're right, Ren. This is just my own starting line. Senpai, no, Ren. I have a favor to ask of you. Um, if it's not too much to ask, will you hold me tight, like before?" Sumire asked as Ren spoke up.

"Sure thing, Sumire. I can do that." Ren said before walking over and eagerly wrapping his arms around Sumire as he hugged her per her request. Sumire, for her part, blushed slightly at the close proximity to Ren as she spoke up.

"Ah, this is so nice. But, oh no. I thought this would stop my shaking, but now it feels like my heart's about to burst in my chest." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"I feel the same way, beautiful. I always enjoy this. Hell, I often find that I don't want to let you go." Ren said honestly. Sumire's breath caught in her throat slightly at Ren's honest response before she looked into Ren's eyes and gave him a brilliant closed-eye smile and spoke up, despite the fact she was still blushing slightly.

"Oh. Good to know, Ren. If I can just hang on to this warm place in my mind, I feel like I can push myself further than I've ever gone before. I love you, Ren Amamiya. Now and forever. I want you to know that." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Of course I know that, Sumire. I love you too." Ren said before leaning in to kiss Sumire, who smiled as she returned the kiss, the two remaining like this for a while as the screen cut to a shot of Vanadis' skill screen, showing that her transformation had granted her the passive skill 'Evade Curse' to help with her weakness to Curse skills. After a while, Ren and Sumire broke apart as Sumire spoke up.

"It's getting late, isn't it? I suppose we'd better head home, Ren. I wish I could go back with you, but it's a school night so that's not likely to happen. Well, take care on your way home. See you later." Sumire said as she and Ren headed home for the evening, Ren heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang as he got to the doorstep and he answered it.

"Hello, Ren Amamiya's phone. Ren-senpai speaking." Ren said teasingly as he answered the phone, smirking at the flustered tone Sumire had as she spoke on the other end.

"Don't tease me like that, Ren. That said, hello Senpai. I wanted to thank you for everything. I feel like I've finally managed to take the first steps on the road to move past the trauma. I'm ready to be an international champion. And Kasumi, even though she's not with us anymore? Well, she'll be right there with me in spirit. That's why I want to turn this world back to how it used to be. I want to keep my promise with her." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I believe in you, Sumire. We can do it, together. After all, we're our world's champions, along with our friends." Ren said kindly to Sumire, who blinked as she spoke up.

"Huh? The whole world's champions, you say? Hee hee, you know what? You're right! Why stop at gymnastics? We'll be the true champions of our world! With me, you, and Kasumi combined, along with the support of our friends, I have faith in our power. I'm thinking of tying my hair up again like I used to. I know it sounds a little pretentious, but it's proof of my resolve. Sort of like a reminder. So I'll always remember Kasumi's true feelings." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"That makes sense, but what if my heart bursts from cuteness overload after seeing you with your hair tied up, Sumire? What then?" Ren dramatically teased Sumire, who huffed and spoke up.

"Are you teasing me again, Ren? Not funny! Oh, I'm sorry for talking for so long. I hope we can accomplish even more together. Okay, good night Ren. I love you." Sumire said as Ren spoke up

"I love you too, Sumire. Good night." Ren said as he hung up the phone and headed into Leblanc. After making a pit stop in the Velvet Room for his daily Persona management shenanigans, Ren headed to Kichijoji, recalling he'd not checked out the Jazz Jin yet. On getting to Kichijoji, Ren saw a sign out in front of the Jazz Jin that advertised the drink on offer as the 'Spell Master Punch'.

Knowing that Spell Master is a useful skill, Ren opted to invite both Kusa and Yusuke to join him at the Jazz Jin. After he sent the group chat, which was accepted by Kusa and Yusuke, he waited a short time for them to arrive before pulling out 9,000 yen to cover the entrance for the three of them, and once Kusa and Yusuke arrived, the trio headed inside. Once the trio got inside, Ren was stopped by the manager of the Jazz Jin, who spoke up.

"Oh? Hey. Hm, do I know you? Oh, it's you. You came in here with Akechi-kun before. My name's Muhen, and I'm the manager of this jazz club. I'll welcome any friend of Akechi-kun's here. But just as the sign said outside, I can't serve alcohol to high schoolers. Sorry, but you'll have to make do with non-alcoholic drinks. But hey, the non-alcoholic drinks taste just as good. Thanks for coming in, gentlemen. Since there's 3 of you, the cover charge is 9,000 yen. Okay, you have the money. I'll take that." The now-named Muhen said as he accepted the 9,000 yen from Ren and kept speaking.

"You can sit anywhere that's open. That said, try not to be disruptive, all right?" Muhen said as Ren, Kusa, and Yusuke nodded before finding a table where the three of them sat, Kusa setting Ren's bag in the chair between his and Yusuke's as Yusuke spoke up.

"Oh? This place is interesting. I thought we were entering a catacomb at first, but truth be told? This is not bad at all. I feel it! I feel the inspiration flowing within me! Hahahaha! I'm not going to be sleeping tonight!" Yusuke said eagerly as Kusa sweatdropped and spoke up.

"Don't do that, Yusuke. You need sleep, bro. Also, are you sure that it's the ambiance of this place you feel, and not the euphoria of getting a girlfriend? It could easily be either one, you know." Kusa said wisely as Ren nodded his agreement and Yusuke spoke up.

"That's fair. It probably is that. Hifumi is a rather amazing person, after all." Yusuke said agreeably. After Kusa, Ren, and Yusuke spent a bit waxing poetic about their respective girlfriends, their drinks showed up, making Yusuke sip his drink and smirk as he spoke up.

"Oh? This drink is delicious, Ren! The portions are mixed perfectly in this drink!" Yusuke said as Kusa nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, man. These drinks are great. And the music's pretty solid too. Maybe I should bring Taba around here every so often?" Kusa mused as Ren nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"If you do, make sure you tell the owner you're my brother, and I'm a friend of Akechi's, so he'll welcome you." Ren said wisely as Kusa nodded. After the guys sipped their drinks a bit, Yusuke spoke up once more.

"I should've known. Truth be told, in my search for models, even when I ask a woman who catches my eye if she'll model for my paintings, I find that their souls do not hold the same beauty." Yusuke said as Kusa slyly smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? Perhaps you could ask your girlfriend to model for your paintings? I'm sure she'd at least consider it if it's a tasteful sort of modelling, unlike what you tried to put poor Ann through." Kusa said, quietly chuckling at the wide-eyed look on Yusuke's face as Yusuke spoke up.

"That's an idea, Kusa. Also, many of the women I asked mistakenly thought that I was hitting on them. It is quite a struggle to clear up the misunderstanding after that." Yusuke said as Ren laughed and spoke up.

"Maybe it's because of how you phrase things? You do often tend to phrase certain things badly without meaning to, Yusuke." Ren said wisely as Kusa nodded his agreement before frowning at what Yusuke said next as he spoke up.

"That's true. But the most complicated situations arise when they ask to be friends. I have no time to spare on anything besides art." Yusuke said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"I call bullshit on that, good sir! If that were true, then what do you call the time you make for Ren and I, and the rest of our group? I highly doubt that classifies as art." Kusa said bluntly as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa has a point, you know. And I know for a fact you have time to be friends, since you were good friends with Hifumi before you finally asked her out yesterday. So I think you'd be surprised what you have time for." Ren said wisely as the guys chatted amicably amongst themselves for a while. After a bit, the drinks were finished and Yusuke gave Ren and Kusa a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"I enjoyed that. We ended up talking for quite some time. Perhaps it is due to the atmosphere in this place. Conversing with friends and reflecting upon myself over drinks? I don't dislike this feeling." Yusuke said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Yusuke. We should do this more often when we can. Maybe even use the place as a date spot for those of us who have girlfriends." Kusa mused wisely as Ren nodded, noting that the time spent in the Jazz Jin appeared to have had impacts on the hearts of both Kusa and Yusuke, as both 'Malefor' and 'Kamu Susano-o' acquired the passive skill 'Spell Master'. Afterwards, sparkling music notes appeared over both Kusa and Yusuke's heads as the latter of the two spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren. Apologies for taking up a lot of time, but I appreciate you bringing me here." Yusuke said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"He's not wrong. This was rather fun, truth be told. If the chance presents itself, maybe you can bring Sumire here for a date sometime, Ren." Kusa said with a sly smirk. Ren rolled his eyes but chuckled as he spoke up.

"Very funny. You're not wrong, though. And I agree that you could try bringing Futaba here, though I dunno how she'd do. It's worth a try, if nothing else." Ren said as Yusuke spoke up.

"True. Alas, as much fun as this is, it looks like it's time to head home. Hmhm. That was an evening well spent." Yusuke said as Ren nodded along with Kusa, as the three got up and left, Yusuke speaking up as the three parted ways for the night.

"See you around, you guys." Yusuke said as Kusa spoke up.

"Sure thing. Catch you two later. I gotta get back to Taba. Get home safe, Ren." Kusa said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc after his friends left, where he got comfortable for the night, his dreams filled with him and Sumire being happy together...

(The next morning, between trains to school, with Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

As Ren and Kusa got off the train to change lines, they saw Ryuji walk over and speak up.

"Hey, you guys. Mornin'. By the way, the big day's almost here. Well, we've done all we can, so now we just gotta wait and hope for the best. You got any plans today, RenRen? If you're gonna train up in Mementos, I'll join ya." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Not today, but possibly tomorrow, since I'm waiting on one final Mementos request to commission the run. So I'll think about it." Ren said. Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"If you say so. But we should really go, man. You don't wanna panic later because we're unprepared. Y'know what they say. No use cryin' over spilled soda, or was it spilled beer? I'm pretty sure it was one of those two, or somethin' like that." Ryuji said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Ryuji, how do you not know that saying, man? It's very clearly 'no use cryin' over spilled milk'. Even Boss knows that one. But I'll give you a pass here since you were close, and because I'm trying to not be as much of a dick to you as I used to be." Kusa said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Truth! I do appreciate the effort you're making to be more sociable, Kusa. Anyways, lemme know if we're gatherin' at the hideout, RenRen! I'll be waitin'!" Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren nodded, the duo finishing the trip to school with Ryuji...

(After school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

After looking his options over, Ren breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw that Shinya was available to hang out with. Ren then also saw he had a private chat from Shinya, which he opened up to read.

"Sorry about the other day. You must've been surprised by my mom. I don't know what to do, Amamiya-san the elder. Sorry to burden you with my troubles like this. Anyway, I'll be at the arcade. Stop by if you want to train." Shinya sent as Morgana spoke up, having once again read the chat over Ren's shoulder.

"Ah, is that The King? If we're gonna target Shinya's mother, we should let him know. So, do you want to go see Shinya?" Morgana asked Ren, who nodded and sent a response.

"Ah, good timing. Just the person I wanted to see. I have time today, so if you'd like to try, then by all means, let's train. I'll be right there." Ren sent as Shinya sent a response.

"Sounds good to me. OK, I'll be waiting." Shinya said as Ren put his phone away and headed to the Gigolo in Akihibara to hang out with Shinya...

(In the arcade in Akihibara, with Ren, Morgana, and Shinya)

After stopping off to check out the crane game, which had a new prize in the form of the 'Buchimaru-kun Doll', which Ren won after taking four attempts to get it, Ren walked over to Shinya and spoke up, frowning as he saw the look on Shinya's face.

"Oda-kun? What's wrong?" Ren asked Shinya, who looked up and spoke up.

"Amamiya-san the elder? Oh, you're here! Hey, what should I do about my mom? Y'know what, nah. Never mind that for now. Let's train!" Shinya said as Morgana spoke up.

"So what are you gonna do, Ren? Will you give the calling card to Shinya?" Morgana asked as Ren nodded, before turning to face Shinya as he spoke up.

"Oda-kun, I spoke with the Phantom Thieves, and they gave me something to give to your mother, if you don't mind doing that for them." Ren said as Shinya blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shinya asked as Ren led Shinya outside and handed him the calling card, which Shinya's eyes widened on seeing as he spoke up.

"Wait, what!? Another calling card, Amamiya-san the elder? This one's addressed to 'Hanae Oda', I see. Wait, this is for my mom!?" Shinya asked as Ren nodded and Shinya kept speaking.

"Are you saying that the Phantom Thieves are targeting my mom?" Shinya asked Ren, who nodded as Shinya winced and kept speaking.

"I see. So she IS bad after all, huh?" Shinya asked as Ren spoke up.

"Oda-kun, is that what you think?" Ren asked Shinya, who nodded and spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, it is. I mean, my mom used to be nice at one point. But right now, I think she's lost herself. And with how she's acting, she's basically one of the bad guys. To be honest, I've thought that for a while now. Mom, when did you change so much? Amamiya-san the elder, do you think they'll actually be able to change her heart?" Shinya asked Ren, who nodded and gave Shinya a reassuring smile as he spoke up.

"I know they can. Just believe in them, and they'll save your mother from herself, Oda-kun. I guarantee it." Ren said as Shinya smiled and nodded while speaking up.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. They ARE the Phantom Thieves, after all! So, what now? I mean, someone has to give this to my mom, right?" Shinya said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That's right. The Phantom Thieves asked me to ask if you'd be brave enough to give that card to your mother personally. If you can do that, that'll make it even easier to change her heart. Can you do that?" Ren said to Shinya, who nodded and spoke up.

"Me? You want me to give it to her? Hm. Okay, I'll do it." Shinya said as Ren spoke up.

"Heh, way to step up, Oda-kun. I'm proud of you." Ren said to Shinya, who smiled and spoke up.

"I might not like it, but this is something I have to do. After all, it IS kind of my fault to a point, that my mom got this way, now that I think about it. I mean, she had to deal with a lot, raising me on her own without any backup. She had to get stronger to protect us, 'cause I was so weak and pitiful. But that's not an excuse to hurt the people around her, either! She fights with everyone, about everything, and ends up getting hurt more often than not.

At this rate, my mom's gonna break down. I want my mom to realize she doesn't have to be so strong for me anymore, Amamiya-san the elder. But she won't listen to me when I tell her that, which is frustrating. That's why I wanna help the Phantom Thieves. I wanna stop my mom." Shinya said as Ren spoke up.

"So give her that calling card, Oda-kun. And together, let's save her." Ren said kindly. Shinya looked at Ren in shock as he spoke up.

"Amamiya-san the elder, wow. Yeah, okay. I'll give her the calling card. She's my mom, after all. I really wanna help her!" Shinya said, tucking the calling card into his pocket and speaking up.

"And Amamiya-san the elder? Next time you see the Phantom Thieves, tell them I said thank you. And thanks for talking to them about this, Amamiya-san the elder. I'm going to teach you my best, strongest move in exchange." Shinya said to Ren, who nodded as he got the feeling that his bond with Shinya was growing still deeper.

At that point, the 'Tower' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'VII' on the card becoming a 'VIII' to signify that his Tower Confidant link with Shinya had reached Rank 8. From the rank-up, Shinya conferred the boon of 'Electric Slug' onto Ren, making the damage that 'Bullet Hail' inflicts increase. Afterwards, Shinya frowned and kept speaking.

"Oh, I guess it's late, isn't it? Hey, do me a favor, Amamiya-san the elder? Don't tell anyone you saw me crying earlier, okay?" Shinya said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"No problem, Oda-kun. Your secret's safe with me." Ren said kindly, smiling as he felt as if his heart had grown from interacting with Shinya, netting him a generous, if unnecessary, boost to his Kindness. As he went to leave, Shinya spoke up.

"Oh, and say hi to the Phantom Thieves for me. Later." Shinya said as Ren nodded and headed back to Leblanc at that point...

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

As Ren got back into Leblanc, his phone rang with a private chat from Shinya that Ren checked.

"I gave the calling card to my mom. It was a little scary to see her reaction, but I did it. Could you let the Phantom Thieves know?" Shinya sent as the group's phones pinged to signify the receipt of the Mementos request 'A Mother's Aggression'. Ren then knew that he had to call a Mementos run first thing tomorrow afternoon, now that he finally had all seven of the remaining Mementos requests piled up. After thinking it over, Ren decided to check the fridge on a whim, being surprised to find there were some leftover curry ingredients inside. Making a decision, Ren looked over to Sojiro and spoke up.

"Hey, Boss? Is it all right if I use some of these leftover ingredients to cook up curry for dinner? I don't mind making enough for you and Futaba, especially givne the fact that I'm probably making a larger batch since I intend to see if Kusa, Futaba, and Sumire want to come and have dinner." Ren said decisively as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"That's fine with me, Ren. Just make sure Sumire has her parents' permission first before you invite her." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, before pulling out his phone to start a group chat with Sumire, Futaba, and Kusa, sending a response.

"Hey, sorry for the sudden message, but I was checking the fridge at Leblanc, and I saw there were leftover curry ingredients. I figured I might cook up some curry for dinner. So my question is this. Do any of you want to come have a plate of curry with me?" Ren sent as unsurprisingly, Sumire responded almost instantly.

"Ooh, I want some! Let me clear it with my parents first, just to be on the safe side. But I think they'll be okay with it." Sumire said as Futaba sent a response.

"Why wouldn't they be? Last I checked, your parents had a really high opinion of Ren, since he's always so good to you? Also, I'm not against you making me food, Ren." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Ah, you're making curry, Ren? Nice. It's been a hot minute since I got to sample your handiwork for myself. And it sounds like Taba and Sumire are down for it too, so it sounds like we've got a full party. Especially if you invited Boss, which if I know you, you did." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Of course I did, Kusa. He's as good as family to us both, you know. And if you and Futaba keep on the way you have been, he might well end up your father-in-law someday." Ren sent as Kusa blinked at this and sputtered out a response.

"Sh-Shut up! I know that! But isn't it still WAY too soon to even joke about marriage, Ren? Granted, you and Sumire are probably serious enough to consider it eventually. But I feel like that's after Sumire can manage to successfully be in the same room as you and not blush every time you so much as fake like you're changing in front of her." Kusa sent as Sumire pouted and sent a response.

"First of all, RUDE! Secondly, I can so stay in the same room with Ren while he changes! I've done it more than once recently. Also, I seem to recall a time he and I were not only nude together, but we got quite cozy together. So you can shut it with the teasing, Kusa." Sumire sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Calm down, Sumire. Kusa was just teasing. Also, need I remind you I have Ren's phone bugged so I can see what he sees through it? So I'd think about that before teasing Kusa. By the way, loved that leotard you wore for Ren earlier. Very sexy and beautiful." Futaba sent as Ren and Kusa both sputtered, the former sending a response.

"FUTABA! No spying on us through my phone! And only I get to compliment her on that outfit! Besides, Sumire's probably embarrassed enough about that as it is. But I will agree that it looked amazing on her. The fact it gave a great view of her legs is both irrelevant and inconsequential to my point." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Also, that's Ren's job to embarrass Sumire! Much like it's my job to embarrass you, Futaba. Mayhaps I should make you wear that same outfit and see how embarrassed you are in it?" Kusa sent as Sumire sent a response.

"We both know Futaba's not gonna fit in a leotard until she's filled out a bit more. I barely fit in mine, and I'm not that much bigger than Futaba. So unless she wants it falling off her a lot, I doubt she's gonna want to go anywhere near a leotard for a while. But back on topic, my parents gave their okay for me to come have dinner, and even stay with Ren overnight if I want, provided I take the train to school with him in the morning." Sumire sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Fair enough, I retract my previous comment about making Futaba rock a leotard. And I guess that means we're all gonna meet up at Leblanc for dinner then? If so, sounds like a plan to me." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Seconded! Free food rules! And the fact that it's food made by Sojiro's apprentice is just icing on the cake." Futaba sent as Sumire sent a response.

"Okay, I'm getting ready to head there now. I'll see you shortly, Ren! Love you!" Sumire sent as Ren put his phone away while Morgana spoke up.

"Oh? What're you gonna do?" Morgana asked Ren, who spoke up.

"I'm gonna make some curry for dinner, that's what I'm gonna do. If you want, I can make you a plate too." Ren said to Morgana, who smiled and nodded as Sojiro spoke up.

"Ah, you're cookin' dinner, huh? I'm about to head home to gather Kusa and Futaba, but before I go, be careful with the stove, all right?" Sojiro asked Ren, who nodded his agreement as Sojiro left, leaving Ren alone with Morgana, as he started cooking the curry. After a bit, Morgana stood on his back paws at a counter seat, using his front paws to peer over the counter at Ren's cooking, which seems to be going well thus far. At that point, the door to Leblanc opened up as Sumire walked in and smiled as she smelled the curry and spoke up while sitting next to Morgana.

"Hi there, Morgana-senpai. Looks like Ren's hard at work again, yeah?" Sumire said as Morgana nodded his agreement while gently nuzzling his head against Sumire's palm, purring at how gently Sumire was petting him. After a bit, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, Ren. You're doing great so far. By the way, what was that brown powder you added?" Morgana asked as the door opened up once more, and Sojiro walked back in, Kusa and Futaba in tow. While Kusa and Futaba got seats at the counter, Sojiro walked over to the cat and spoke up after looking at Ren, who nodded to the unspoken question asked by Sojiro.

"Since Ren used what I think he did, let me explain! That brown powder, as you called it? It is, in fact, instant coffee. Instant coffee is an ingredient that, when used in curry, brings a mature complexity to the dish, subtly enhancing the flavor. Coffee has anti-aging and slimming properties, but too much of it will turn the curry bitter. Mix in a little bit at a time." Sojiro explained as Morgana's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Whoa, instant coffee? I would have never thought of that. That's brilliant." Morgana said as Futaba smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, yep. Ren's a genius. But then he was taught by the master of coffee and curry himself, Sojiro!" Futaba said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Considering you see him as being as good as one to you, I'm both surprised and amused you don't call him Coffee Daddy, Taba. Then again, maybe it's better we stick to Boss or Sojiro." Kusa said with a smirk as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Don't lie, Kusa-kun! You see him as a father figure too, and you know it." Sumire said as Futaba stuck her tongue out childishly at Sumire on Kusa's behalf, making Kusa and Ren laugh at Futaba's chilidish outburst while Sumire smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, is that so? You do realize this means war?" Sumire said slyly to Futaba before playfully tackling her off of her stool and mercilessly tickling her on the ground, while Futaba was helpless to do much besides pout and flush in embarrassment before smirking as she used a trick she saw Kusa do once to sweep Sumire's leg out from under her, leaving her to land on top of Futaba, who slyly smirked and spoke up.

"Well, well. Never thought you'd fall for me, but if it works, it works." Futaba said as Kusa and Ren both rolled their eyes, the latter speaking up.

"Futaba, behave! And that was a terrible attempt at word-play. Besides, I don't think Sumire's comfortable having a girl hit on her like that." Ren said as Kusa grinned and spoke up.

"Who says that's true, Ren? I know she's your girlfriend, but I swear I recall her staring right at Futaba while she flashed you the night of the King's Game." Kusa said as Sumire flushed in embarrassment before speaking up as she lightly slugged Kusa on the arm.

"KUSA! Don't instigate! And I was glaring at her since it was her command that put me in that position! Tell the story right if you're gonna tell it!" Sumire said huffily as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, did I hurt your feelings that night. I'm sorry. Want me to kiss it better?" Futaba teased as Ren and Kusa both spoke up.

"FUTABA!/TABA! BEHAVE!" Kusa and Ren both rebuked Futaba, who huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, fiiiine. I didn't think you two were that opposed to girl on girl stuff, but it is what it is. Probably just as well, since I happen to enjoy being with Kusa." Futaba said as Kusa smiled, snaking an arm around his girlfriend's waist while kissing her on the cheek as he spoke up.

"Good answer. I enjoy being with you too. Besides, I doubt Sumire could keep up with you when you get in a wild mood. I daresay she barely keeps up with Ren." Kusa joked as Ren playfully flipped off Kusa, amidst giggles from Futaba and Sumire, and an amused chuckle from Sojiro as Morgana spoke up.

"Heh, all right! It's been a while since it was this lively here at night." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Too true, Morgana. Too true. But then again, we probably need the mood booster before the appointed day arrives. After all, that's going to be the day that either makes or breaks our true reality." Kusa said grimly as the others nodded, being suitably sobered by the wise words from Kusa. Morgana then spoke up.

"Anyways, you know something? Ren always throws his curry together with such gusto. I wonder. Could it be that the secret ingredient is, of all things, confidence?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged, feeling his Guts get a minor, unneeded boost from the curry making. Futaba smirked at Morgana as she spoke up.

"I dunno. I heard a rumor that Ren and Sojiro secretly go around slaying demons and then turn them into the curry and coffee served at Leblanc." Futaba said teasingly, only to be surprised when instead of Ren, Sumire leaned over and lightly bopped her on the head and spoke up.

"Futaba-senpai? Behave. And don't lie. I know for a fact that's not true. For one thing, Boss doesn't have superpowers to speak of, even if he is gifted in the kitchen." Sumire said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Taba? By chance, did you get that from what I told you about the time Ren and I yanked those loli twins' chains about Sojiro being a godslayer when we waited on them at Leblanc? Because that was funny how much they fell for that. There were almost as many hints that I was punking them as there were hints that Ren and I were trolling Akechi that day we saw him in the underground walkway, even though Ryuji completely missed a chance to help troll him. Ahh, good times." Kusa said with a rare genuine smile on his face as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"I wonder. Did I get that from you, Kusa? Hee hee! Also, don't be mean to little kids! Or else I'm going to make you work for it the next time we fool around." Futaba said with a straight face, making both Sumire and Sojiro's eyes widen at her comment while Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Oh, really? I didn't know you two were doing that yet? I thought Kusa was dragging his heels about it? Granted, he has a good reason, but still, you two are made for each other. And Sumire and I have already seen all of each other at least once, so you two are behind us on that count, at least." Ren said teasingly as Kusa frowned and spoke up dryly.

"Har de har, Ren. And Taba, don't lie like that! I've barely gotten to see you in your bra and panties. I haven't even gotten so much as an accidental glimpse of your chest, other than that time we were commanded to take off each other's shirts, and even then you crossed your arms over your chest. So I wouldn't say we've fooled around yet. Besides, I'm pretty sure you yourself also agreed we weren't ready for that step quite yet." Kusa pointed out as Futaba giggled and spoke up.

"That's rich, coming from the guy who was all but mounting me the night of that King's Game party." Futaba said while cutely sticking her tongue out at Kusa, who flushed and pouted while crossing his arms.

"Shut it. And you're lucky I'm not mad at you for that time you playfully burrowed your face into Sumire's cleavage, Taba. It was probably hot as heck, but even so, you're lucky I'm open to seeing some girl on girl action." Kusa said smugly as Ren spoke up.

"I am too. I just prefer to obey my girlfriend's wishes where it concerns what sort of action we get." Ren said wisely. Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"True. As a wise person once said, 'A happy girlfriend/wife equals a happy life', so Ren's a smart man." Sojiro said as Morgana spoke up.

"Right? Also, nice! The curry's smelling good in there. This'll definitely be a hit!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, finishing the meal as he separated it onto plates, setting a plate a piece down for himself, Sojiro, Sumire, Kusa, Futaba, and Morgana, after which Sumire, Kusa, Ren, and Futaba all smiled as they spoke up in unison.

"MMM! THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD!" Ren, Kusa, Sumire, and Futaba all said as the group eagerly dug into their curry. After a bit, Morgana smirked at Ren and spoke up.

"Heh, you look awfully proud of yourself, Ren." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Of course he's proud of himself, Morgana. Ren's got a great life, is doing well in school, and like myself, he landed himself one of the sexiest girls around for his girlfriend. Err, I mean that in the most platonic way possible when it comes to Sumire, of course. That's for Ren to like her as anything more than a friend. I'm just fine with Futaba as my girlfriend, thank you." Kusa said smugly as Ren nodded wisely while pocketing 2 'Master Curry' items for his efforts. After a while of light-hearted conversation among the group, and some teasing, Morgana spoke up.

"Well then, as great as this is, it's getting late. We should rest for now. Most of us have a big day tomorrow, since we're drawing nearer to the appointed day." Morgana said wisely as Sojiro nodded, helping Futaba and Kusa load their portions into to-go containers as the trio headed back to the house with Morgana in tow, leaving Sumire and Ren alone as Ren smiled at his girlfriend and spoke up.

"Well, well. Looks like it's just you and me. Whatever shall we do?" Ren said coyly as Sumire smirked and spoke up while guiding Ren up the steps to the attic.

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe lay down on the bed and cuddle? I'd have said make out and maybe do stuff, but it's a school night, so we don't have the luxury of being able to stay up late for that." Sumire said slyly as Ren nodded, getting comfortable in his boxers as Sumire slipped out of everything but her bra and panties as the two cuddled together on the bed, eventually dozing off together after Ren put away the dishes and cleaned up the aftermath of the dinner party, both wearing content smiles on their faces...

(The next day, after school, in class with Ren and Morgana)

"Well, this is it, buddy. Time to commission another Mementos run. Too bad it's for what I believe to be the last seven requests that exist." Ren said as Morgana nodded somberly as Ren sent a group chat to gather everyone at the hideout, which was answered with a chorus of affirmative responses while he and Morgana headed back to Leblanc to reserve the lower level and await the others...

(A short time later, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Ren and Morgana)

As Ren sat in the lower level of Leblanc with Morgana sipping coffee, he heard the door open up, and smiled at the sight of his girlfriend walking in, a smile on her face as she walked over to him and spoke up.

"Hello, Ren-senpai." Sumire said as Morgana spoke up with a smirk.

"Wow, you got here fast, eh Sumire?" Morgana said as Ren frowned at the not-cat and spoke up.

"Behave, Morgana. Is it her fault she's so excited to see me?" Ren said coyly. Sumire smiled at Ren and nodded before pouting cutely as Ren's words registered, making her frown at Ren as she spoke up.

"Be nice, Senpai. It's true you're irresistible to me, but that's not the only reason I got here so fast. You see, while I was travelling here, I suddenly had this epiphany come to me. So I had to hurry over and explain it to you." Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"An epiphany, you say? Do tell, beautiful. This I have to hear." Ren said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, right. To be honest, I've been wondering for a while if there's any way I can bring some personal flair to my fights in Mementos." Sumire said as Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"Oh. Your own flair, eh? And you came up with something?" Morgana asked as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, I did! But, I do have a small favor to ask, Ren-senpai, since what I came up with will require your help. What we'll do is this." Sumire said before proceeding to lay down the description of her idea for a move, making Morgana give Sumire a closed-eye smile as he spoke up afterwards.

"I see, so that's your idea. How interesting!" Morgana said as Ren groaned, realizing that this meant Morgana had in fact been correct in the joking remark he made to Kusa and Ren back in Kaneshiro's Palace. Before he could say anything though, Sumire kept speaking.

"I feel like, if done right, this move would allow me to honor Kasumi properly. So, um, how about it, Ren-senpai?" Sumire said as Ren smirked and spoke up.

"Sounds good to me, beautiful. Let's dance." Ren said agreeably, ignoring the now-smirking Morgana to focus on his smiling girlfriend as she spoke up with a beautiful closed-eye smile.

"Thank you! This should make for one killer routine, Ren!" Sumire said as at that moment, a glow emanated from Ren's pocket, making Sumire blink as she spoke up with wide eyes.

"Oh, my! I forgot about the Star!" Sumire said as Ren pulled out the Star, which was now shining. At the same time, the group's phones pinged with the notification that 'Ren and Sumire's Showtime' had been unlocked. At that point, Morgana smirked and spoke up.

"HA! I totally called you and Kusa having Showtimes with your respective girlfriends back in Kaneshiro's Palace! Also, I've definitely never seen anything like what she's planning, Ren! Mwehehe, I can't wait for this!" Morgana said as Sumire smiled at Ren and spoke up.

"I won't let you down, Ren-senpai!" Sumire said as she took a seat at the counter to await the arrival of the others...

(Some time later, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Futaba, Kusa, Akechi, Ann, Haru, Makoto, Sumire, Ryuji, Yusuke, Ren, and Morgana)

"Now that everyone is here, I realize that we're nearing the 'Day of Fates' as we've taken to referring to Maruki's Shadow's deadline. In light of this, and because I finally have enough requests, I figured we'd make one final run into Mementos before the appointed day arrives. Morgana? If you'd be so kind to run us through the requests?" Ren said as Morgana nodded while the group gathered around to listen to Morgana as he spoke up.

"Certainly, Ren. Today seems like a perfect day to go into Mementos, anyways. Let me check our intel real quick, now that Ren has the last of the requests gathered for us. Yes, we'll start with this one first, I think. Listen up! This intel is on a man who is making a fortune teller suffer. He called himself the chairman of an organization, but he is nothing but a money-scamming fraud." Morgana said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Indeed. This must be regarding Chihaya Mifune, or the fortune teller you had mentioned to us before, Ren. I seem to recall Kusa got annoyed at you over blowing a rather large sum of money in a foolish way last summer?" Yusuke said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"That's a nice way to put it, Yusuke. This idiot here went and blew 100,000 yen out of his ass on a so-called 'Holy Stone' that ended being little more than freaking rock salt! To say it was a salty situation is a very gross understatement. But it seems like it might be this chairman's fault. So I might finally have someone's ass to kick for that. So in that spirit, I agree wholeheartedly with this request." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. To think she had been dragged into such a dishonest occult like that. We cannot overlook this! What a despicable money monger this chairman is! We shall bring his true nature to light in Mementos." Yusuke said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! It seems tough, but I think we can accomplish this if you say we can!" Ann said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Nice! Okay, it looks like we're all ready to do this! I already left the calling card at our target's house. However, there are still several more, since this time we have a batch of seven requests, instead of the usual five. However, these are the final seven Mementos requests out there. Listen up! Remember that journalist Ohya who got us info on Kaneshiro? This next intel is about her boss. He's been harassing her, and keeping her from investigating the case in which her partner went missing. He has to know something that he doesn't want other people knowing." Morgana said as Yusuke's eyes narrowed while he spoke up.

"What did you say!? Truth is the highest art for a journalist. To think someone would be so imprudent as to impede it in such a brazen manner. Let us lend Ohya our assistance so she can gather the news she needs." Yusuke said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"I agree! We need to take down the evil that can't be judged by law!" Makoto said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"I agree as well. Careful though, Makoto. Otherwise, you might end up as bitter and jaded as Akechi-kun, and we all know what a bad boy he can be." Kusa said with a coy smirk as he got dry glares from Makoto and Akechi, the latter of which huffed and spoke up.

"Charming, Amamiya-kun the younger. But you're not wrong. Makoto is almost as true to her convictions as I am. Also, I agree with this request." Akechi said as Morgana spoke up.

"Nice! Okay, it looks like we're all set on this target! As before, I've already left the calling card at our target's home. Let's move on, since there's a lot more to go over. So listen up! This next intel is on a guy who's so obsessed with idols that it's destroying his family. We were able to speak with him personally, but when we did, we got the impression that he seems really depressed when it comes to his family." Morgana said as Futaba spoke up.

"Y'know, I thought that he was just obsessed with idols for some reason. But it sounds like there's more to it than that." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Oh, you noticed? Yeah, I agree. Feels like he's escapin' to the idol world because things aren't goin' well with his family." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.

"Right? I bet his kid's just worried about him and believes idols are bad because of that, unfortunate as that is. Still, I'd hate to see a family broken apart because of some stupid misunderstanding. I'm totally for changing his heart!" Ann said as Futaba spoke up.

"Same. All right, let's do it! I know fans like to spend all their money on their favorite idol members, but I don't think this guy's like that." Futaba said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"All right, I agree! We gotta stop him before he ends up playing homewrecker for his own family!" Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. That said, Futaba and I already left him a calling card. Okay, let's go! Let's hurry and change his heart! But that's not all. We still have a few more, so listen up! This intel is on the video streamer known as 'AIMaask OUZI', who does some borderline illegal stuff. While he has a lot of fans, he also seems to have plenty of critics and haters who are trying to find out his home address." Morgana said as Ann spoke up with wide eyes.

"Seriously!? That's the thing this requester was most scared of!" Ann said as Haru spoke up.

"Hm. Well, we can't just leave this be. I agree that we should change his heart." Haru said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. It's already bad enough that someone like him is lurking in our city. I figured you'd all agree, so I already sent out the calling card. We're good to go." Futaba said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Nice, Futaba! Alriiight, let's take down this annoying big bro!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Big bro? I think you're thinking of the wrong request, Ryuji. But I do agree with changing his heart, so you made a good call by pre-emptively sending the calling card, Taba." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"Yes, well, moving on, we still have a couple left, so listen up. This next intel is a request from a boy who's wishing for his own death. He and his younger sister have been living together since losing their parents. But lately, he can't help but feel hatred towards her. One day, though it was an unfortunate accident, he apparently inflicted a severe wound on her without meaning to. He's asking to be killed before he hurts his precious little sister further, but I think Ren summed it up best when he told Mishima, and I quote, 'We don't do hits'." Morgana said as Makoto gasped and spoke up.

"No, is this for real?" Makoto asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"To lose both parents while they were young like that sounds awful. Things must've been tough for them." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up with a frown.

"Yes, I agree. But he must be telling the truth about her being precious to him, right? Or he wouldn't make such a request as asking to be killed." Makoto said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"I think I have a theory on why he made that request, but I really hope I'm not right, since if I am, there's a lot more wrong with this guy than just wishing for his own death." Kusa said with a wince. Futaba spoke up.

"Unfortunately, you're probably right, Kusa. Your theories are more often than not spot on, so I doubt this will be any different. And he's asking us to kill him, not his sister. And even then, I think he feels so cornered that he's going insane. I want to change his heart." Futaba said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. I agree with you, Futaba. He's not in a state of mind where he can make reasonable decisions." Yusuke said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"Yes, I'd like for us to help him." Haru said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"I'm in favor. I feel the same. We can't leave him like this. I don't think any of us disagree with that opinion, either." Makoto said firmly as Akechi spoke up.

"Tch. Hm, well, are you certain that's what he truly wants?" Akechi asked as Ryuji spoke up with a frown.

"Yup, I think so. When it comes to leaving his situation as-is? I don't think so! Besides, if he really wanted to die, he wouldn't make a post like this on the Phan-Site." Ryuji said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's true. I think he made that post because he wants help." Ann said as Akechi spoke up.

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it, if nothing else. Very well, I'll play along for now. Do as you please." Akechi said as Ryuji spoke up.

"We sure will! I'm down to change that guy's heart!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm in favor of changing this guy's heart as well. After all, if my theory's right, it'd be not just for the target's benefit that he has his heart changed, but the benefit of the younger sister as well, even if it's neither of their faults that things are the way they are." Kusa said. Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Definitely, me too!" Ann said as Ren and Sumire nodded their agreement as Morgana spoke up.

"And that settles it! Alright, then we're all in agreement. Let's save this guy and return his compassion for his sister!" Morgana said as Akechi looked at Kusa and spoke up, a realization occurring to him at that moment.

"Be honest, Amamiya-kun the younger. You think the target might not just love his sister, but possibly subconsciously harbor slight feelings for her as well, don't you?" Akechi said, getting wide-eyed looks of surprise from Ren, Sumire, and Futaba as Kusa slowly nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. However, until we get proof of this, this is nothing more than conjecture on my part. But if it's true, it explains why he'd lash out and injure his own sister. I think it could be that the target was scared of how deep his feelings for her might run, so he started lashing out on her since in his current mindset, he might blame her for his current predicament, even though in reality it's his own fault for choosing to feel that way about her. But again, I lack proof to say this is a fact, so this is only a theory for now." Kusa said as Morgana blinked and spoke up.

"Okay then, moving on, we have a couple more requests, so listen up! Our target this time is a mother who abandoned her child. The child described the situation in a Phan-Site post." Morgana said as Yusuke's eyes narrowed dangerously again while he spoke up.

"Leaving her child behind like that is despicable! It sounds to me like a case of child neglect." Yusuke said as Futaba nodded and frowned while speaking up.

"Right? And since the posts are still ongoing, I'm guessing the mom still isn't giving the kid any attention. And to make matters worse, it sounds like they haven't even been getting proper meals lately." Futaba said, her expression turning slightly sad, making Kusa frown as Ann spoke up with wide eyes.

"W-Wait! WHAT!? Not even meals for this kid? That's awful, you guys! We've got to help them already!" Ann said as Kusa spoke up with narrowed eyes.

"I agree. Scum like this has no business calling themselves a mother, much less a parent. I don't care what your story is, there are three things in this world that you should NEVER neglect or abuse! One is, of course, animals. The second is women. But the third? The third, rather obviously so, is children! The fact that there's a child suffering right now sickens me." Kusa said dryly. Futaba winced and spoke up.

"Seconded, Kusa. Ugh, why do people neglect their children anyways?" Futaba asked with a frown as Ann saw the look Kusa was giving her and nodded as she leaned over to give Futaba a one-armed hug of comfort for Kusa. Futaba smiled at Ann and spoke up.

"Thank you. The fact of the matter is this. Even if they're young, kids are still aware that they're being treated badly, after all." Futaba said as Makoto smiled kindly at Futaba and spoke up.

"Keep your chin up, Futaba. Let's change the mother's heart so that she can wake up already!" Makoto said firmly. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed! Mm-hm! Fortunately, I already had Morgana send out the calling card. Let's get moving and change her heart!" Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"I think there's still one more request Morgana hasn't mentioned. But if I'm right, is it that one we discussed before about the King? If so, I stand by what I said before. Anyone who would mistreat a child for any reason is straight-up scum." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"That's the one. So I think we're already in unanimous agreement on that one. Let's get to it, you guys! This might be our final Mementos run for a while, so let's make it count!" Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"Agreed, Ren-senpai! Let's do our best when we're in there!" Sumire said as the others nodded agreement before steeling themselves for the run that was ahead of them, knowing this could very well be the last time they go into Mementos, so they all agreed they wanted to make sure they made the most of it...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And what an eventful chapter it was! Between the fact that we got several more Confidants ranked up (Takemi, Sumire, Shinya x2), another couple of Mementos requests (Ohya's and Shinya's, if I'm right about both being in this chapter) and got two more maxed out links/blood oaths (Takemi and Sumire), not to mention setting up for the final Mementos run, I'd say I got a lot of stuff to fit into this chapter!

Also, I know I said it'd be this chapter, but the next chapter will likely be the whole of the final Mementos run for this story, and probably for the rest of the series, since I seem to recall that Mementos doesn't return at all in Strikers. So yeah, this might be the final time that the group makes a run into Mementos. So that's crazy to think about.

But yeah, the next chapter should be the final Mementos run of this story, which will have the last seven requests being finished, possibly a fight with a certain fearsome Shadow that Mona warned the group about early on in the story, and likely an otherwise-optional fight that you can unlock late in canon Royal. There are technically another two hidden secret bosses that can be fought, but I believe they are both locked behind having to be fought in an NG+ playthrough of Royal, and one of them you have to wait until the third semester to fight.

So for all intents and purposes, all that remains of Mementos is the final seven requests, and the two other bosses that can be naturally encountered in a fresh file. Well, that and the rest of the stamps, but how much of an interesting read is that to include a stamp hunt? So yeah, we leave it at what I listed above.

That said, before I forget, I do not own any of the songs featured in this chapter.

The first song, 'I'll Never Break Your Heart', was recorded by the Backstreet Boys, and written by Ronald E. Broomfield and Albert J. Manoo.

The second song, 'Rivers in the Desert', as far as I can find when researching it, was both written and recorded by Lyn Inaizumi.

The third song, 'I'm Still Here', was recorded and written by John T Rzeznik, though the lyrics belong to the Walt Disney Music Company, which tracks since the song was first introduced in the Disney film 'Treasure Planet'. So all ownership credit and creative credit belongs to the individuals and/or companies I listed for each song.

But in all seriousness, I mostly did that karaoke segment in the chapter because it seemed like fun, plus 'Rivers In The Desert' is a freaking amazing song, and I figured it made sense to have it in this story since it actually was first introduced in vanilla Persona 5, along with Persona 5 Royal, so yeah there we go. Originally, I was going to replace 'I'll Never Break Your Heart' with 'As Long As You Love Me', but changed my mind at the last moment when I decided to include Hifumi in the birthday party for Yusuke.

And speaking of Yusuke and Hifumi, I know I originally said they'd take off in Strikers as a couple, but I couldn't resist hooking them up at a birthday party for Yusuke. But for real, that's the last shipping started in this story, I promise. So yeah, hopefully people aren't too miffed by that choice.

Before I forget, I also wanted to mention that I have a poll up that will help to decide what story I start working on in place of Phantom Files, since as of this chapter going up, there are only 3 chapters left to upload before the story is finished, not counting having to go back and revise the previous 92 chapters to spruce the story up some, since I've had a few different people suggest it to me.

That said, the poll will likely be up until probably November 1st so I can let it run through Halloween, just to give a lot of time for people to vote on it. Note that you can vote for up to two of the options on the poll, so feel free to vote on it and make your opinion heard! However, I do plan to eventually type every story on that poll. This poll will merely dictate which I do first, once Phantom Files is over and I take a sufficient gap break to edit chapters and potentially put out new chapters when applicable for my existing stories. So don't forget to vote on the poll! Anyways, back to talking about Phantom Files!

Back on topic, thanks to all who've supported this story so far, whether that support be in the form of following/favoriting the story, following/favoriting me as an author, or even just leaving a review with their thoughts/feedback/opinions/constructive criticism on the story, or even PMing me with said info if it's stuff they don't feel comfortable saying in a review. I welcome the input either way.

And I enjoy hearing from you, the readers. So feel free to keep on leaving reviews or PMing with your thoughts/opinions/feedback/constructive criticism on the story. I enjoy hearing from my readers either way, so don't be shy! And until the next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 93

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

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

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

EMPRESS (Haru/Noir) - Rank MAX (10)

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/Taba/Oracle) - Rank MAX (10)

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 7.5

STRENGTH (Lavenza) - Rank MAX (10)

HANGED (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) Rank MAX (10)

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank MAX (10)

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank MAX (10)

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 7.5

TOWER (Shinya/The King/Skilled Gamer) - Rank 8.5

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 MAX (10)

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

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank MAX (11)

MAXED OUT CONFIDANT LINKS: FOOL, MAGICIAN, PRIESTESS, EMPRESS, EMPEROR, HIEROPHANT, LOVERS, CHARIOT, JUSTICE, HERMIT, STRENGTH, HANGED-MAN, DEATH, TEMPERANCE, STAR, MOON, SUN, JUDGEMENT, FAITH, COUNCILLOR, WORLD

LINKS NOT MAXED OUT: FORTUNE, DEVIL, TOWER