Chapter 16: That Old Feeling

A few nights later, Ren sat in his upstairs bedroom, flipping a pen in one hand as he read a book. His leg jiggled a little, making it difficult to keep his eyes on the words.

Downstairs, his parents had gathered with some neighbors to listen to a radio show they'd gotten into. It was a political show involving a lot of overheated rhetoric and dubious facts. Ren considered it about one step away from those "instructional" cassette tapes that cults made their members buy. His father made him listen until he started asking idle questions, like whether flying spittle could short out a microphone, or whether anyone had ever had a rage stroke and died on the air before.

His mother was increasingly of the belief that Ren had been brainwashed in Tokyo, which Ren found deeply ironic. Regardless, her concern was starting to feel overbearing. And when she worried, his father tended to step in and fix whatever was causing her worry. How he would "fix" Ren, Ren didn't know. Last time he'd been given one evening to pack before being shipped off to live with a stranger in Tokyo. He could only hope he'd get that much consideration again.

"Hey, I got something!" popped up in a little bubble on his computer. It was a private message from Mishima.

Mishima:
I got to a higher level in the Myojo app. You know what?

There was a dramatic pause. The little icon that indicated Mishima was typing stopped moving.

Ren:
What?

It made him feel somewhat like a fish biting on a hook, but Mishima lived for this stuff, so Ren indulged him.

Mishima:
IT CHANGED
I got access to a new area!

Ren:
Seriously? There are levels?

Mishima:
You get karma points for doing stuff. Creating topics, responding to topics, saying stuff people like. It's easy enough to post a meme or whatever and rack up the karma. Or you can buy it.

Ren:
Of course you can buy karma.

Mishima:
The enlightenment superhighway

Ren:
Can you find out who has the most karma?

Mishima:
Sure, just check the leaderboard.

Mishima sent a link. Of course there was a leaderboard.

Ren:
So what's the new area?

Mishima's typing icon blinked for a while.

Mishima:
It's a board only for members of a certain rank. Things are a little more intense in here.

Mishima:
I didn't do rankings or gate anything on the Phan-site…but I get the appeal. You lose the trolls. And the rabble.

Mishima:
The higher up you go, the more you have in common with people of the same rank. They're all invested, like you.

Ren thought it was more like "deeper in" than "higher up," but he didn't quibble. He tapped his pen thoughtfully on the desk. This wasn't that different from the MMORPG they played together – you couldn't go into high-level areas until you'd put in some real time.

It occurred to him that people at the lowest level and the highest level probably had totally different experiences on the Myojo app. Outsiders would just see a lot of memes, while those who had proven their loyalty with time or money would see…what, exactly?

Ren:
How far up this leaderboard do you think you can get?

A torrent of snorting emojis flooded the chat bubble. "ALL THE WAY, BABY!" typed Mishima.

Ren sent back a fist-bump emoji.

Then he texted Goro.

Ren:
Mishima got a lead on something interesting in the app. Checking it out now.

Goro:
You ever do anything yourself anymore, or is it all your minions?

Ren:
You need some minions. How'd it go in Mementos the other day?

In reply, Goro sent a link to a song called "That Old Feeling," the latest in a series of jazz classics.

Ren grinned as he clicked the link, propping his feet up on the desk and leaning back in his chair as the music filled the room. Often the songs Goro sent had been recorded numerous times, but the versions he sent to Ren were those with unique flourishes – complex, improvised passages that could never be played exactly the same way twice. Several songs ago, Ren had started adding them to a playlist that he put on when he wanted a reminder that someone was thinking of him.

While he was listening, Morgana slipped in through the open window and curled up on the bed.

"Am I crazy, or is this music starting to make sense?" asked Morgana with a yawn.

"Dig it, cool cat," said Ren.

"Crazy. Got it. Thanks."

In response, Ren opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of string with a feather tied to one end.

"Oh no," Morgana protested. "That's playing dirty, you know I can't resist…."

He trailed off, his pupils growing large as Ren dragged the feather around his chair and behind the desk. Morgana liked to complain about this game, seeing it as unbefitting his stature, but he still chased the feather around like it was made of pure gold. He wiggled his tail and leaped off the bed, scrambling to catch up with the feather as Ren pulled it away again.

Ren laughed as they played together, finally letting Morgana catch the feather and drag it away under the bed, where Ren would collect it later.

When he returned to the phone, he found a message from Goro: "I made a contract with Takamaki."

"He made a contract with Lady Ann?" asked Morgana. "Ask him what arcana she represents for him."

"Magician," Ren reported.

"Who was your Magician?"

"You."

"Whoa. The same as Lady Ann," said Morgana reverently, his eyes looking bigger than usual.

Goro looked at his texts. Ren had sent a picture of Morgana.

Ren:
Do his eyes look bigger, or is it just me?

Goro:
They are bigger. He's goggling. I would describe him as 'agog'.

Ren:
I knew it!

Goro shook his head, amused. Ren really had a soft spot for that creature. He hesitated for a moment, then dialed Ren's number.

"Well hello," said Ren, in an approximation of smoothness that struck Goro as equally funny and cute.

"Hello yourself. Listen, I was wondering…about Mementos…did you have any difficulties down there?"

"Like what?"

"Like…being essentially a demigod and having to drag around people with no experience at all?"

"I rotated everybody in and out so they all had opportunities to train. Plus then nobody complained about being left out."

"But how? How can you get them all working together without getting hurt? We fought some low-level trash today, but that's not adequate preparation for what we're likely to face."

"Take them farther in, then. Push them out of their comfort zones."

"They'll get massacred, Amamiya, or have you forgotten how powerful Shadows can get?"

"Don't you have any Personas that can heal?"

"Sure, I do now, but…."

"But?"

Goro paused, not sure how to articulate his problem, even to himself. The thought of leading those girls into certain death was so unpleasant he'd been deflecting it all day long without consciously realizing it.

Amamiya waited. Finally, he said, "You're really worried about them. You've changed, you know that?"

"I – don't be stupid," Goro snapped. "It's just counterproductive to let your team die. How are they supposed to learn if they're unconscious?"

Amamiya's laugh was warm and pleasant. "I'm not criticizing. I don't like to see my friends get knocked around either. Listen…I'm going to give you a name. Someone who helped me with strategy. She might be able to help you, too."

"Great," said Goro, too surprised to be snarky. He wrote the name – Hifumi Togo – on a sticky note and placed it in the center of his wheel of tarot cards. While he was at it, he cut a photo of Takamaki from a magazine and added it next to the Magician card. Now he had seven of the major arcana accounted for, eight counting his own, Justice.

His mind kept lingering on that word…friends…was that what he was assembling? It felt strange. This was a team, working together toward a goal. They were more like…coworkers.

"If you're really in a pinch, you know you can count on the Phantoms too, right?" said Ren.

"If I'm that pinched, the world is probably ending and it won't matter," said Goro. "But yes, yes, if you insist."

"I do," said Ren firmly. "And, hey, if you do see Hifumi…"

"Yes?"

"Say hi to her for me, okay?"

Ren sounded so sad and wistful that Goro couldn't bring himself to tease him. "Why don't you come back? Maybe you could finish out your school year back at Shujin."

"I…maybe. Maybe I can convince my parents. I'll try." He paused. "Actually, maybe you should talk to them. They love the Detective Prince. They'd probably listen to you."

That seemed highly unlikely to Goro. After the whole Phantom Thieves debacle, even his fans weren't taking his advice anymore. "Do you really think so?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, it could work," said Ren, warming to the idea. "Could you come out the first week of summer vacation?"

"Just as a concerned friend, I take it."

"Yeah," said Ren, sounding defeated again. "They're not going to be okay with…."

"I understand. Under the circumstances, perhaps Sae should come as well?"

"That's not a bad idea. Having an adult in charge might help."

They discussed logistics for a while before saying goodnight, and when they drifted off to sleep, they were smiling.

Earbuds in, listening to her sister set the scene of her recent date, Makoto sat daintily down on the edge of the couch in the apartment she shared with Haru. They had moved in together after graduation and got along well as roommates. Still, no matter how many times Haru encouraged her to make herself at home, Makoto wasn't used to Haru's version of "downscale." Haru ate snacks on the couch all the time, but Makoto couldn't help being painfully aware that this one piece of furniture was worth as much as Sae's car.

Haru was brewing tea and making cucumber sandwiches for them both. A stack of textbooks and a full package of cookies waited at the kitchen table. Makoto planned to join Haru for an intense study session, but first, she needed to interrogate her sister.

"I ended up wearing that black dress with the lacy bodice. It looked sensational, if I do say so myself," said Sae, sounding pleased with herself.

"What did he wear? It wasn't a white suit, was it?"

"How did you know?" asked Sae, surprised. Makoto grinned, but before she could say anything, Sae answered her own question. "Oh, he must've worn white in his Palace. That's it, isn't it?"

"You got it, Sis. How did things go?" Makoto thought back to the school assembly where Dr. Maruki had introduced himself. The very first thing he did was conk his head on the microphone in an attempt to bow. It was hard to imagine his white suit remaining white through a dinner date.

"To be honest, the jacket didn't last long," said Sae, confirming Makoto's suspicions. "He put it down over a puddle so I could step on it."

"Really? I thought people only did that in cartoons."

"Well, he did have to carry it around all night soaking wet. But it was the thought, Makoto…. Do you know how many men I've dated who would do something that extravagantly thoughtful? None. I felt like I didn't have a care in the world the whole night. He'd already taken care of everything."

"That does sound nice," Makoto admitted. "It's good for you to relax sometimes. Are you going to see him again, then?"

"Definitely. I'm thinking we could see Goldboy 2. Have you seen the trailer?"

Makoto raised her eyebrows. "The revenge film? I don't know if that's the best idea. He's not really into violence…."

"What, and I am?"

"I mean, I would see Goldboy with you. In fact, why don't we go together?" suggested Makoto. "Make your date night movie something…lighter."

"I suppose that's a better idea. My goodness, I really am out of practice, aren't I?"

"You're doing fine, Sis," said Makoto, smiling. "Let's go on Friday, if you're not busy."

"That sounds good. See you later, Makoto."

Haru laid out the tea and sandwiches on the table and started sorting through her textbooks. Makoto took out her ear buds and joined her at the table.

"Fun plans with your sister?" Haru asked.

"I convinced her to see Goldboy 2 with me instead of Dr. Maruki. Can you imagine him wanting to see a two-hour bloodbath?"

Haru wrinkled her nose. "Not at all. How is he doing, by the way?"

"Well, I told you that an anonymous donor created a new lab for him. I guess he's spending most of his time there."

Haru nodded uneasily. "Right. The new mental shutdowns. I've been keeping an eye on the news, and I haven't seen a thing about it. Not on television, radio, or even the newspapers."

"I know. There are dozens of people in the Mental Shutdown Ward now, but the only place you can find people talking about it is on social media. And most of that is just people wondering how to cause a mental shutdown in their own enemies." Makoto scowled. "People are terrible sometimes."

Haru set down her sandwich and pushed it away, suddenly looking queasy. "I wish there was something I could do."

Stupid Makoto, why did you say that? Makoto chided herself. As Haru's roommate, as well as someone who had also lost her father to murder, Makoto knew better than most that Haru was still grieving. It cropped up in unexpected ways, triggered by a song on the radio, a familiar scent, or sometimes even an ad on TV. Or an insensitive comment by one's roommate.

Makoto bit her lip and looked over at her friend, who was determinedly staring out the window at the cloudy sky, trying to keep herself under control. They hadn't talked about it directly much, but Makoto gathered that Haru had a whole stew of complicated feelings about her father's death, Akechi's complicity, and her own role in the whole mess.

If Haru knew about the team Akechi was building in the Metaverse, she would probably want to join him out of a desire to help, no matter how much it hurt her. Nor did Haru have time for running around in the Metaverse, not with a full-time schedule of college classes and a second full-time schedule of learning the ropes at Okumura Foods. Haru was uncommonly strong and determined, but a person could only take so much.

So Makoto hadn't mentioned anything about the new Metaverse team. She wasn't hiding anything, only…waiting until the time was right.

"You know, maybe there is something," said Makoto. She took a textbook off her stack and opened it to a page she'd bookmarked. "Dr. Maruki asked me to look into this theory…would you mind reading a bit and talking things over with me?"

Haru blinked, shook off her daze, and turned to Makoto with a small smile. "Yes…of course. I'm happy to do anything I can."

Goro and Shiho walked through the quad together. The air was still and humid, clouds gathering overhead and threatening rain. Goro hated this kind of weather. He preferred it just to rain and get it over with. But it wasn't the weather that was irritating him today.

"Who's blowing up your phone?" asked Suzui with amusement as Goro's phone buzzed yet again.

"There's only one person this annoying who has my number. Did you ever meet Takamaki's friend Ren Amamiya?"

Suzui tapped her chin. "That wouldn't be the same Ren you were ranting about a few weeks ago, was it? The one you said had an ego that could qualify as a small planet?"

Goro had a brief coughing fit. "...Um, no. Different guy."

Suzui stifled a laugh. "Right, must be. Amamiya-kun was pretty shy around Shujin. But he helped me...well, it's a long story, but he helped me with something I had to do."

"Pfft. Of course he did. That's his thing."

"He's nice," said Suzui, nudging Goro with her elbow. "Like you."

"Are you calling me a busybody, Suzui?"

"Just take the compliment and shut your trap, Akechi."

She pretended to look away as if she didn't care, but he saw her peeking back at him to see his reaction. She giggled when she saw that she'd been caught, but she held his gaze and didn't take back what she'd said. Nice…like me. He rolled that around in his brain.

"So what does he want?" she pressed.

"He wants me to meet a friend of his. Have you ever heard of Hifumi Togo?"

"Sure, the 'Venus of Shogi'. I saw a lot of her on TV when I was in the hospital. Wasn't she caught cheating?"

"Did you say 'Venus'…?"

"Like the goddess, I guess. She's pretty, no doubt about that."

"Yes, but Venus is also called the morning star…myojo."

Suzui's eyes widened. "Do you think there's a connection?"

"Perhaps. It does make me wonder why Myojo chose that particular name. There could be some kind of symbolism there."

"Seems like there must be. You don't think Myojo's a girl, do you?"

Something about leading a cult struck Goro as a peculiarly male pursuit, but perhaps that was nothing more than bias. "I assumed it was a man, but I suppose we don't really know for sure. For all we know, there might even be more than one person behind the name."

"Whoa. That would be bad news. Imagine if we stopped one Myojo, but there was another one waiting to take over." Suzui fell silent for a moment, chewing on her lip. "Are you going to bring Togo-san onto the team?"

"That's the plan, if she agrees."

Suzui brightened. "Then we should all meet her! Do you have a place where we can all get together?"

"We don't really need to meet outside the Metaverse, do we?" asked Goro, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Suzui's thumbs started flying over her phone screen. "Of course we do. Never mind, I'll ask Ann. She'll know a place. You're going to see Togo-san tonight?"

"Suzui —"

"Ann has a place!"

"Yeah?" he asked cautiously.

"It's a coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya," Suzui reported.

"Come on, Takamaki. We can't go to Leblanc!" said Goro, not that Takamaki could hear him.

Looking up from her phone, Suzui peered at him and asked, "Is it the place or the meeting that's the big problem?"

"Both. Look, I'm used to working alone. I don't…get…teams."

"Oh, but I do," said Suzui thoughtfully. "Tell you what, how about if I'm in charge of team-building?"

"Shouldn't that be my job, as the leader?"

"Not if you're bad at it."

Goro frowned at her, but after thinking over the idea for a while, he had to admit it had merit. If Togo's shogi experience could be useful, then why not Suzui's volleyball team-building? He hadn't seriously considered what unique skills the other girls brought to the team. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to meet and hash things out after all.

After school, Goro spent the train ride home reading about the cheating scandal that Suzui mentioned. Hifumi Togo's mother/manager had been fixing her matches, making her appear far more skilled than she really was. When she found out about the match fixing, she came clean on television and continued pursuing her shogi career, devoting herself to playing fairly. That took some fortitude.

The whole story came as a bit of a surprise; he'd met Togo several times at TV stations, but she hadn't made an impression on him. She'd done some modeling and some magazine puff pieces, like any other pretty girl trying to parlay her fame into something bigger. Aside from her unusual interest in shogi, she didn't seem to have much of a personality. She usually dressed in her school uniform, with little embellishment: a total blank slate.

Perhaps she simply dressed conservatively for the TV audience, preferring to keep her real personality close to the vest, as it were. The more he thought about it, the more he kicked himself for not realizing it sooner. It was the same tactic he'd used during his own TV appearances.

As he rifled through his wardrobe, he passed over his safer argyles and instead chose a white button-down with a bit of flair: the inside of the collar and cuffs had a crisp black-and-white checkerboard pattern with the occasional red square. He thought the shogi enthusiast might like that, but it wasn't so different from the way he'd dressed before that he came off like a totally different person. To match this more casual look, he left his briefcase and took a messenger bag instead. He checked himself out in the mirror. Looking good…as if there were any doubt.

In the living room, Sae was sitting on the couch watching some kind of news commentary. Moving closer, he saw that she had fallen asleep. It was a nostalgic scene for him; when he was younger, he often found his mother like this before he left the house for school, because she worked nights and was tired in the morning. She used to say she liked the "company" of the TV when she woke up.

He tucked a pillow under Sae's head and went out, leaving the TV on.