Chapter 8

A Fool's Song and the Hermit, His Audience

The walk from Leblanc to Sojiro's isn't very long, another perk on Revland's ever-growing list for living in the café. Sojiro was walking slower just in case Revland still wasn't feeling well after his panic attack, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

Guess I shouldn't worry too much, I'll keep an eye on him… just in case.

The last time Revland was at the Sakura house was when the power was out, which made the house feel ominous, now felt warm and welcoming. Perhaps it was because he was being invited in this time instead of rushing in or maybe because the power was on… hard to say.

"Futaba, I'm home." Sojiro said as they entered. "And we have a guest."

With no response coming from anywhere in the house, He spoke again. "It's Revland."

Still no response.

"Strange, she'd normally be coming down now just to see who it was…" He muttered.

"You think it's because of me?" Revland asked.

"You happen to be the first person that's been able to get close to her without her having a breakdown or running in the opposite direction. So, I don't think so… if anything I'd think it'd give her more of a reason to come down."

"You want to check on her?"

"Her door's usually locked but it wouldn't hurt."

Asking him to wait downstairs, Revland watched as Sojiro went to check if Futaba was in her room. Revland didn't get a chance to look around the last time he was here and, much to his surprise, the small home felt comfortable. Walking down the hall, he saw an end table that made his toes curl in remembrance.

Oh yeah, I remember you… looks like you've been moved since yesterday.

Entering the living room, he saw a comfortable looking recliner and immediately imagined a tired Sojiro relaxing in front the T.V. after a long day of work. The image brought a smile to his face as he continued exploring. A dining table sat off to one side surrounded by four chairs with a center piece made of a daisy and sunflower motif on top.

Brining some color to a dark room… not bad.

He could see the kitchen over the half wall counter that was built into the wall as the smell of coffee and curry lingered in the air. After admiring the kitchen, he noticed that the makeshift bar only had one stool.

And that would be where Futaba would sit as she was waiting for the curry to get done. I wonder how patient she is when she sees her favorite meal is being prepared…

An image of an impatient Futaba barking out ingredients as Sojiro was trying in vain to keep up with the bombardment brought another smile to his face. Over in the corner, next to the window, sat a small table with two red candles sitting to either side of a picture. He walked over to get a closer look and noticed that the candles were used recently as he could see the wax wasn't quite dry. In front sat a cold cup of coffee, a small bowl of curry and a white lily in a clear vase. The picture was of a young woman in her early thirties, black shoulder length hair and black rimmed glasses. What stood out to Revland were the woman's eyes… they had a distinct shade of purple that reminded him of Futaba's.

It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ms. Wakaba Isshiki … shame it wasn't under better circumstances...

After paying his respects, Revland continued to explore. The rest of the house was what one would expect, hallways consisting of closets and washrooms and what looked to be the master bedroom. Revland was about to close that door when something caught his attention. It was a feint sound, but he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination playing with him.

Did you hear that?

"Hear what exactly?"

Just thought I heard something is all.

Revland closed his eyes and focus his hearing just like yesterday and, to his surprise, it was far easier than it usually was. Normally, it took up to a minute to quiet the world around him. This time however, it took almost no time at all. He could hear that Sojiro was still upstairs but was moving quickly around the room above him as if in a panic.

Could be Futaba's room… is she missing?

He could hear dripping water from a loose facet in the kitchen. As he focused, he could see a thin outline of the facet and what looked like ripples coming from where the water was hitting the bed of the sink.

This… is… different… I've never been able to do this before…

"I was going to ask where you learned this ability, seems like it would be useful."

Wait… I thought I heard… there!

It was soft, almost inaudible, but when focused he could hear quiet sobs and sniffling coming from the closet in the master bedroom. The outline was vague, but looked similar to Futaba. The longer he looked, he could see that the outline around the body had color as it shifted between three others.

"Ahhh, I didn't know you could see a person's aura…"

That makes two of us… what do those colors mean?

"They represent a person's soul. By understanding the layout of someone's aura, one should be able to discern truth from any falsehood."

I can tell if people are lying?

"That is one aspect yes, but the technique is mainly used to discern a person's state of being. In other words: You can tell how they are feeling by the subtle shifts and color changes."

So… it's something that's going to need practice…

"And a lot of it."

He could see that Futaba's aura was constantly shifting between colors, never staying on one for more than a few seconds. He saw red, pale yellow and one that nearly appeared black that he wouldn't have seen if he wasn't looking for it. With Arséne guiding him, he learned that red was closer to terror, the pale yellow was akin to fear and black is, in his own words, "Something to keep an eye on". The more Revland watched, the more he was able to learn. There were two other pieces that he didn't notice before, a light pink and a deep blue. Arséne seemed to know what they represented but decided at that he would have to figure it out for himself.

"Something you'll understand in time…"

Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Sojiro telling him that he located Futaba and where he was. A few moments later, Sojiro walked into the room and flipped on the lights. Revland was sitting on the bed watching the closet door and hadn't said anything. He looked at Sojiro before giving the closet a glance, saying "she's in there". Playing off a hunch, Sojiro gave the closet a look and turned back to Revland, give him a "Go ahead" gesture.

Revland gave him a confused look, asking an unspoken question: "Are you sure". With a nod from Sojiro he stood up and walked toward the closet door. Opening the door, he found Futaba hiding behind a few suits and a couple of aprons. She was curled up, hugging her legs to her chest and her face buried in her knees.

Revland crouched down to sit on the floor in front of her as he began to speak, "Hey…" he said softly.

At first, she didn't seem to respond but Revland noticed that the quiet sobbing had stopped.

Now, I just have to not make it worse…

"Just be gentle and patient… just like last time."

From the hunting trips and being raised on a farm, he knew that anything that's been frightened should be approached with the upmost caution. He started to test her reactions to see if he would get any positive feedback. Revland thought about reaching out to her and decided against placing his whole hand on her. He gently tapped the top of her foot to see if she would shy away. Instead, she shifted a little in his direction.

Okay… good start…

Next, he tried for constant contact by gently placing the side of his finger on the top of her foot to no reaction that he noticed, but nothing negative either. He was thinking about what to try next and saw her hand come out from under her while trying to lace her fingers with his own. Revland relaxed his hand to show that he wasn't going anywhere as she finally managed to hold his hand. Futaba was trying to say something but couldn't hear. He focused and her voice became clear, "It's all my fault… I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…"

Revland choose not to say anything as he tightened the grip ever so slightly as he sat there and listened.

Kind of funny in a way… just an hour ago, her father was the one comforting me… now, I'm doing the same for his daughter.

"God has a funny way of doing things young one, however strange it may be."

After sitting for a minute or two, Revland decided to speak. "Futaba… I'm not going anywhere… we brought you dinner…"

Futaba finally managed to look up at him, her eyes red and puffy. Under different circumstances, he would have found it adorable. It was then he noticed that her glasses were missing. "Are you able to see without your glasses?"

She nodded in a jerky motion, which was the truth though not very well.

"Are you able to stand?"

After a moment, she shook her head in the negative.

Revland looked back at Sojiro, "Might be a good idea to have the food warmed up."

Sojiro saw that Futaba had reached out for him, which confirmed a few of his suspicions. "I'll call when dinner's ready." Revland nodded as he left the room.

"It's just us now… what do you think is your fault?"

Futaba's thoughts were scattered and for the life of her, she couldn't remember why she was so scared. She remembered her stomach growling and wondering where Sojiro was. She came downstairs to see if she missed him coming home and then someone knocked on the door. She went to see who it was by looking through the peep hole in the door, then all she could remember was the panic. She must have made her way into Sojiro's room and hid until someone found her.

Futaba looked him in the eyes for what felt like an eternity. He softened his features and smiled at her as to reassure her that he wasn't there to hurt her. The other hand came out from under her and lightly grabbed Revland's forearm and gave a small tug.

"You want me to come in?"

She nodded.

"You want me to sit next to you?"

No response, then a nod.

Revland scooted into the closet and sat down next to Futaba. After about a minute or so, she crawled into his lap and placed his arms around her so that he was hugging her back to his chest. With that accomplished, she laced her fingers with Revland's and started to relax.

It's just as I thought… when I'm with him… the bad feelings go away… when he holds me… I don't feel afraid anymore… Futaba thought to herself, feeling the tension fade.

"I'm not going anywhere you know… you could've just asked ..." Revland whispered.

Coming back to herself, Futaba realized what she did. She just pulled the boy she likes into a closet and made him hug her. Her face started to feel warm from embarrassment as she suddenly wanted to be anywhere but there. Revland lightly tightened his hold on her hand as he started to caress the knuckles on her hand to help her calm down.

"Not that I mind it…" He added.

But… this… doesn't feel so bad…

Revland thought for a second on any other ways to calm her down. Mom use to sing to me when I was little whenever I got scared… maybe it'll work here…

Revland started a low hum, his right foot started to keep a light beat and, beginning as a whisper, he started to sing. The song, "Stay" by Black Stone Cherry, is originally a rock tune but he adjusted the tempo and volume so it would be slower as well as quieter. As the song went on, he could feel Futaba begin to relax. Resting against Revland as she closed her eyes to simply listen to the song about what someone was willing to give just to have them stay beside them. Futaba could hear the emotion in his voice and the power he put into the lyrics as he gave voice to them.

I've never had anyone sing to me before… it's nice…

Revland concluded the song and fell silent. It didn't make her uncomfortable, but Futaba felt as if she should say something. Revland's free hand came to rest on top of her head as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. It had been the first time since Yumi left that he was able to sing and it felt good… when the heart isn't in it, the music suffers and there's nothing you can do to force it. He felt himself smile but Futaba felt something wet on her shoulder where he was resting his head.

"Are you alright…?" She managed to ask.

Surprised, Revland looked up and met her eyes. He saw that there was concern in her eyes, concern for him… even though she was the one who was found curled up in a ball. He felt a slight wetness on his cheek and wiped at it. He felt so relieved to finally be able to feel the music that it made feel like crying.

"A broken heart… begins to mend…"

Is this the part where you say "I told you so" or does that come later?

"In time maybe… but not this night."

Revland noticed that he still hasn't answered, "Yeah, I'm fine… it's been a while since I've been able to do that." He said, still smiling as he cleared his face.

"I didn't upset you?" Futaba asked quietly.

"Why would you have upset me?" he asked confused.

"I pulled you in here without asking and then I… sat in your lap…" She trailed off.

Revland chuckled, "No, I'm not upset. If anything, I should be thanking you. You just helped me with something I didn't think I would ever be able to do again."

"I did? How'd I do that…?"

"Maybe… I'll tell you… but only if you tell me something in return…"

"And that would be?"

"Why you were so afraid in the first place…"

Futaba looked forward in confusion, trying to remember why she was so scared. Then she remembered "him", the thought making her blood run cold as she began to shake. Revland noticed the sudden change and whispered in her ear, "It's alright. Whatever it is, it can't and won't get to you… not while I'm here… okay?"

Futaba's fear nearly evaporated, leaving only traces that made her shiver but not much else. "I'm not imagining it this time, am I?" She asked herself.

"Imagining what?" Revland asked.

Futaba squeaked, realizing that she said it out loud. "I… I…" She tried to explain but her mind went blank.

Revland smiled and adjusted his position, mainly to get a shoe out from under him, to rest his back against the wall. Still holding Futaba's hand, he began his side of their agreement. "About three months ago, I was on my way home from cram school. It was late and I was taking a short cut down a street to make up some time before the final bus left the city. I… heard something… it was a fight between a man and a woman and she was screaming for help." He began, speaking quietly.

"I knew that I shouldn't leave her… probably couldn't have… so I stepped forward, it became apparent that the man was drunk with his slurred speech and the smell of alcohol coming off him. He was telling her to get in the car, but it was clear she didn't want to go with him. I saw her clothes rip and that was when I told him to leave her alone. He told me that it wasn't a show and I should get lost if I knew what's good for me."

Revland wasn't looking at Futaba but was staring up at the ceiling, lost in memory. Futaba listened intently, hanging on to every word.

"I told him if he knew what was good for him, he'd leave the girl alone and try his luck elsewhere. I didn't know what I was thinking, there wasn't anything I could do that would threaten the guy. Sure, I knew how to defend myself, but that was only if he attacked me…" Revland paused for a moment remembering that night as if it was yesterday.

"He asked if I had any idea who the hell he was, I told him I didn't care and repeated what I had already told him… he gave me his full attention then and seemed to have sobered up a little. Now that his attention was on me, I had hoped that the girl would've ran for it but for whatever reason… she remained still..."

From the tone of his voice, Futaba could tell this is the part of the story where things were about to go wrong.

"He asked what I said and I repeated myself slower in case it was hard for him to understand… in hindsight… that probably pissed him off even more if anything. He took a few more steps forward and tripped over his own two feet, falling right into the guard rail. He looked up at me and said he was going to sue me for assault… two officers showed up, most likely because someone finally decided to call the police. He told them that I had attacked them and told the woman to side with him or else… so she spoke against me… after that, I was arrested and detained for 48 hours. After that, there was a trial and the sentencing. I thought that if I had something that could ground me then I could just pass it off as really a bad dream… but, as the old saying goes, when it rains… it pours…"

"Do you know who the guy was?" Futaba finally asked.

"Not a clue, never seen him before in my life." He replied in a monotone voice.

"So, a guy you just met… sued you because you told him to go away?"

"My best guess…? I got in his way… and he was able to follow through on his threat. No matter how much I protested… it… didn't seem to matter… even my own parents didn't seem to believe me. I felt alone… unwanted... just an inconvenience."

"…What happened next?"

"About what you'd expect from a high school student who just received a criminal record. My school expelled me, friends essentially disowned me then… she… left me." He continued, he thought it would hurt more saying out loud but, to his surprise, it… good.

Wait… She? Was he was with someone else?

As if he could read her mind, Revland continued. "I had been dating a girl named Yumi Takasi for almost two years… matter of fact, it would have been our anniversary in about a month. It took forever to finally have her see me in the way I wanted her to… but in the span of a few weeks… it was all gone. All that work, the blood, the sweat, the tears… gone."

While he was talking, Futaba noticed that he never stopped caressing her hand, it didn't hurt but she thought that he was doing it out of reflex instead of a conscious action. She readjusted her position so that she was sitting across his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. Somehow, she still managed to find her hand intertwined with his and, after a moment, she could hear his heartbeat.

Futaba's scent distracted him for a moment as she readjusted, he thought that she smelled nice and tried to put it out of his mind. When they were both comfortable again, he continued.

"I got a phone call from the judge telling me that I was accepted at another school as, for lack of a better term, a favor to him. I was to leave under the status of 'Probation' and be sent to Tokyo for one whole year. At first, I thought it was all part of the sentencing as a way to get me out of the area for a while… now, I understand just how much trouble that may have caused him. I had asked Yumi to see me off so that I could leave with the hope of returning to some semblance of my old life. She however… had different plans… she dumped me… right as the train was pulling in… not a tear shed… no explanation… not even an apology… I tried to ask why but she wouldn't say anything. I wanted to stay but if I missed the train… I would've been in violation of my probation. I tried one last time to have her reconsider… but she wouldn't even look me in the eyes…"

Futaba looked up at him, he had a somber look on his face, but he wasn't tearing up like she thought he should be.

Maybe he's already shed his tears… no… I can still hear the sadness in his voice… that bitch did a number on him.

"I got on the train and was going to wave… but she was already walking off the platform as the doors were closing… Never did get to say goodbye and I haven't heard from her since. Haven't even gotten a text asking how my first day went from my parents… not that they'd believe me if I told them."

"That you got yourself hurt and probably started a turf war with an unknown kingpin?"

Revland looked down at her with a question on his lips but her facial expression went from calm to embarrassed fear as realized what she just said. She hid her face in his shoulder and then Revland realized that she had taken extreme care not to bump his chest as if she knew where he was injured. He looked at Futaba with suspicion though he didn't seem upset about her knowing, he was more curious about how she found out.

"Little close for a guess… don't you think?"

No response.

"Okay… how about I change our deal a little…"

"Change?"

"Yes, I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter it further." He said in a deep raspy voice.

At that, Futaba stared at him, it was the first time he genuinely caught her off guard.

Oh my god… I have a crush on a total nerd… and I didn't even know it.

At the realization, her face turned bright red as she again realized that she was sitting in the guy's lap.

"Okay… Star Wars quote aside… what are you asking…?" she whispered.

"How do you know so much about the incident, Sojiro just found out a few hours ago and I've been with him since. He wouldn't have had a chance to tell you."

That was easier to answer but she still hesitated.

Damn you… wooing me with you damn Star Wars and Prince's Bride quotes… ass hole… cheater… you're lucky you're cute.

Taking a deep breath, she started to explain that she had the café bugged with hidden microphones so she could listen in on Sojiro whenever she had the urge. She told him that it was to 'make sure that he was actually working' and not slacking off. It was also how she heard he was coming and was surprised to see him at the front gate yesterday morning.

"Oh, so you liked that little trick?" Revland asked.

"You mean the one where you look away and back at where you think someone's hiding to see if they moved? I read about in a book series so it's unoriginal." she replied with some snark.

If she's able to be sarcastic then I think she'll be okay for now.

"Unoriginal huh… guess I'll have to venture into the uncharted tombs for better material then wont I?"

"Really… a Tomb Raider and Uncharted reference…? You know that you just pissed off two different fandoms, right?" She was giving him a stone-cold look trying to make him feel guilty for crossing two different franchises, but she was squealing with glee on the inside.

Jesus Christ, I've hit the jack pot!

[Condition met: Tomb]

"Sorry." He laughed, "Couldn't resist."

A growl cut through the silence as Revland looked down to see that Futaba's face had gone a dark shade of red.

Out of all the time's you've been embarrassed so far, your stomach growling is the one that makes you want to hide in a hole?

"I take it you're hungry?"

"I honestly forgot, come to think of it… it was the reason I came downstairs to see if Sojiro was home."

"Well, we did bring you some dinner, I'm sure It's ready by now… that is… if you even want to move…" He finished in a half flirty tone.

Futaba giggled and poked him in the forehead, "You wish, my hunger outweighs my emotions especially when it comes to Sojiro's curry."

"I think I might be the only guy who's been shot down because of curry." He sighed but the smile was still full on his face.

Futaba climbed out and stretched as Revland pulled himself up and cracked his back. Giving each other another smile, they made their way to the kitchen where Sojiro had already prepared dinner. Sojiro had just finished pouring the coffee as the two came around the corner.

"Sojirooooo, what took you so long?" Futaba said in a halfhearted whine.

Looking to Revland, who was still smiling, Sojiro relaxed knowing that his hunch was correct. She did like him and he was able to bring her back from a complete meltdown.

"Just making sure everything is just right. I know how much you like it, so I didn't want to ruin it."

"Don't think there's a way you can ruin it." Revland responded.

"Oh, you'd be surprised…" Sojiro quipped. "The last person that tried to make 'MY' curry, ended up burning the pot and added too much spice."

Revland's gaze fell on Futaba who just so happened to be looking the other direction and was trying to whistle.

"Bet there's a story behind that one, isn't there?" Revland asked with a smile.

"Oh, there is, but I think the culprit has suffered enough embarrassment for one night. So, I'll relent just this once." He said with a knowing look at Futaba. "Anyway, food's ready so please enjoy."

Futaba dug into the curry that he and Revland prepared earlier and enjoyed a cup of coffee. They made some small talk on the events of the day, leaving out the first part of Revland's, and relished in the moment of tranquility. When dinner was done and Futaba was satisfied, Sojiro took the time to ask Revland about his life before he transferred. He explained that he used to play guitar but somehow managed to leave it behind and had been unable to contact anyone back home about getting it shipped. Probably for the better judging by the horror stories that he's heard about concerning instruments and how well they're handled during travel. He also confirmed, more for Futaba's benefit, that he used to play some video games and watch movies when he had time to spare.

"You had quite the social life back home, must feel weird with how quiet thing have been." Sojiro said.

"Quiet wouldn't really be the word I'd use; it seems half the school already knows about me and I think one of the teachers might have it out for me." Revland countered.

Sojiro looked at him with a warning in his eyes.

"She already knows, she figured it out somehow." Revland responded waving his hand.

Shocked, he looked to Futaba who was enjoying her coffee and nodded to him.

"You left a file on the table and I got nosey." She explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sojiro sighed at his own negligence and rubbed his forehead. "Note to self… keep important documents in a more secure location…"

"Might I suggest a safe?" Revland quipped.

Futaba started to choke on her coffee after Revland's immediate nonchalance and it took a moment for her to catch her breath. Both Revland and Sojiro looked at her with concern but when they realized that she was trying to laugh through the coughing, they relax leaving them with a smile of their own.

"You said you played music, were you in a band?" Sojiro inquired.

"Nothing like that, we formed a club just in case the school ever hired us, but it never happened."

"Did you play an instrument or did you prefer to sing instead?"

"Both." Revland and Futaba answered in unison. They looked at each other for a moment before smiling.

Sojiro knew about the Guitar, but he didn't know about the singing part. It would seem that Futaba's housewarming present would fit perfectly.

"What kind of Guitar did you play, electric or acoustic?"

"Bit of both really, I like the sound of an electric, but I prefer the feel of an acoustic."

"And you said you left yours behind?"

"Unfortunately, yeah… I was going to ask at some point if I could get a replacement and practice in the café, but I would need a guitar before I could start down that road."

"And let's say you did have one, would you be able to play it for us… to show that you're not all talk." Futaba added.

Not liking where this train of thought was going, Revland became hesitant. "Yeeesss…?"

Futaba smiled at him and Sojiro brought around a case and set it down next to Him. Revland stared down at the case and looked back up at Sojiro. "You didn't have to do this…"

"I know, but we wanted to." He said with a similar smile to the one Futaba was wearing.

Revland picked up the case and sat it on the table to open it. The hard-shell case contained a reflective black body and a light blue-Sapphire rosette pattern around the sound hole. 24 Fret, 25-inch neck and a similar body to that of the Ovation that he had at home. The odd frets had a shark like design that looked like pearl inveigh and the tuning pegs shined in the light. He knocked on the body to confirm his suspicions, "It's a carbon-fiber body… it's a Rainsong… I can't accept this; I know how much one of these are worth." He looked down in the sound hole to see the marks of authenticity and bowed his head. He felt as if he was about to cry again.

"This is our way of saying thank you… for yesterday." Sojiro started.

"Might as well add in today too." Futaba finished.

Revland reached into the case and lifted the instrument from its resting place. After playing with the strings for a bit, he managed to get a feel for how it was supposed to feel.

Even if no one else can see, I know you have a soul… let us show them… Arséne…

"It would be my pleasure; it might not have the effect you're looking for though."

Target, intent and emotion, right? Well, I've got the emotion part covered, I'm just looking for a little more umph.

"Music is its own kind of magic; it just takes a special type of caster to let it be heard."

Revland started to play as everyone fell silent. His song of choice was "Not Mad Enough" by Smith and Myers. He couldn't sing both parts of the harmony, so he asked Arséne to cover with a little magic. He felt he fingers dance across the Rainsong as it started to ring in his hands. Showing the world its first song. Revland felt a smile creep on to his face as when he ended one song, he went in to the next one called "Bad at Love" by that was also by Smith and Myers. This one Revland didn't have Arséne enhance anything just to hear himself release his pent-up stress. He felt his own spell take shape in his mind as it gained the desired effect on everyone in the room. It was unintentional but the spell help relieve any lingering stress that they may have had. When the final cord rang, Revland looked up and saw that Sojiro was resting his elbows on the counter and Futaba appeared to be spell bound.

"You want one more…?" He asked.

Futaba knew it was getting late, but she still looked over to Sojiro. "One more shouldn't hurt." He said smiling.

Revland started to play "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. and Futaba pulled out her phone and started to record him. Revland was so lost in the music that he didn't even notice. He continued to use his memory of the day he left home to fuel the song that came from him as a way to say that he might be ready to move past everything. Yumi, his friends, his parents and the events of the day started to lose its grip on him as he was able to break free.

After this… I think I can face that place again… I can't… no, I won't leave Morgana in there alone… No One Gets Left Behind.

"I think you're almost ready… your resolve is stronger to be sure… but it needs something more… something to fight for."

Something to fight for huh…?

"It's beautiful, thank you…" Revland said placing the guitar back in its case.

"No thank you, I don't know what I would have done if something happened to Futaba. You prevented her from getting hurt so again." Sojiro bowed and so did Futaba, "Thank you… so much…"

Revland didn't know what to say, he looked down at the Rainsong and back to Sojiro. "You're Welcome…" feeling weird having people thanking him.

"Well, it's getting late, you still have school tomorrow." Sojiro added.

"Right, there's still that. I also should see how that 'little talk' went with Ryuji…" Revland said mainly to himself.

"Ryuji?"

"Oh, the guy I was with this morning. I guess were kind of friends now."

"Oh, guess you'd be right. No bond better forged than in the heat of battle, so they say."

"Yeah, I think someone was confessing to him as we were just about to leave, so I left him to it. I'm a little curious to see how it went."

"Something to look forward to then." Sojiro added as he walked Revland to the door with Futaba close behind seemingly lost in thought.

Revland suddenly remembered that he wanted to ask about where her glasses ended up.

"Oh right, hey Futaba…"

No response.

"Futaba?"

Still nothing.

"Hellooo, earth to Futaba Sakura…"

[Condition met: Futaba Sakura]

"You alright?"

Sojiro also looked concerned as Revland placed a hand on her shoulder. His touch knocked her out of her train of thought and looked up at him to see concern written all over his face.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Revland and Sojiro sighed as Revland bowed his head, "Try not to do that okay… you had me worried there for a second."

She didn't understand what he meant by that; she was just standing there waiting for him to leave. She was trying to decide what she was going to do after he went home but that didn't take up much thought. Most likely just going to fall asleep watching anime again, but that wasn't what she was thinking about a moment ago. Which begged the question, what was she thinking about?

"You spaced out for a moment is all." Sojiro explained.

"Oh… I… don't even remember…"

"It's alright, Revland was going to ask you something is all."

She turned to Revland and waited, "I was going to ask earlier but was a little preoccupied. But what happened to your glasses?"

"My glasses…?" she asked as she reached up to her face and found that they were indeed missing. Come to think of it, Revland had asked if she was able to see without them and that was only half true. She could see about five to ten feet in front of her and she does have a hard time reading without them as well. However, she was able to navigate her own home without running into the wall… for which she only had happen once.

"Yeah, when we found you, you weren't wearing them." Revland explained.

"Did you come down without them?" Sojiro asked.

She tried to remember but nothing was coming to mind. She came down to see if Sojiro was home, someone knocked and she checked to see who it was… after that… Her skin went pale at the memory. Revland noticed and put the case down to place both his hands on her shoulder, he recognized her fear response. "Easy, it's alright… there just glasses, they can be replaced. Hell, I lost mine this morning in all the chaos."

"It's not that…" she whispered.

Revland looked to Sojiro as he shrugged, "Then… what is it?" Revland asked.

"… Uncle… Uncle Youji was here…" was her only response.


Author's note:

Finally working on the love interest and trying to introduce the "Third Eye" ability. I do feel like I might be rushing with these two, but I have seen relationships work like this in the past and have their draw backs which I have planned for so… win-win I guess?

I wanted to clarify some things before moving on, One: why does the protag have an issue with keeping his thief attire. Two: The Metaverse app listing in during the first act.

During the first dungeon, the protag is unable to retain his thief attire and the in-game explanation was that his power was unstable. Later in the games, Haru has a similar dilemma where she can't summon her persona because it was too weak. Each of the characters seem to go through this in one form or another either via fatigue, like with most of the cast after they've awoken to their person, or just having an issue control its power, I does seem like the side effects vary from person to person. But during the third semester, Kasumi's attire falters when her resolve drops. (Side note: another explanation could be she doesn't know who she is anymore, Cendrillon made a contract with Kasumi and not (REDACTED)… right, no spoilers… got it.) I just thought it odd that this wasn't explored or explained in any other media, though I did learn that the manga adaptation added that the protag wasn't so sure of himself and didn't take on the leader role until much later.

So, on the subject of the Metaverse app… it… kind of does its own thing… doesn't it? The first time we see the thing in action is during the opening of act one and in a cut scene no less. It opens by itself and was listening in on the conversation between the protag and Ryuji… but after that… it's never really brought up ever again, other than "I got this weird app and I don't know where it came from". The one time, in game, that the protag tries to explain it and it's brushed off to the side. Soooooo… what if I keep having it cause a bit of trouble and get Revland get caught in the crossfire while I'm at it. Honestly, I see it as a good storytelling element that isn't ever explained or expanded upon. Does this mean that I'm going to be throwing Revland into Futaba's palace early… Eventually, still need to set it up. Will I continue to use it as a storytelling device, I don't really know… I can see one other time that it might play in my favor, other than that I'll just have to see where the story takes me.

My work schedule has changed so the amount of time I can spend on each chapter will fluctuate as will my publishing times. As of now, they will be posted sometime in the early morning or mid-afternoon instead of the middle of the night.

Thank you to all who are following and favorite the story, eventually I will leave a list of those who have stuck around the longest.

See you all soon.