Chapter 11: Have some Faith.
May 25th, 2016.
"Remind me again why we're meeting at Leblanc today?" Ryuji asks, following the others from the station. Ann gives an exasperated sigh next to her boyfriend before slightly elbowing him in the arm.
"It's about Akechi. We saw him in Shibuya when Madarame confessed." Queen reminds him with a shake of her own head. Really, they should have had this talk a few days ago, but with Yusuke being held up and the investigation around Madarame's shack, it was only now that they could meet together and talk about it.
It would have been quicker over text, but information could get lost or misinterpreted.
The team soon arrive at the Café, quickly entering inside. Just as usual, it was relatable quite as usual apart from the lone customer at the counter. A very familiar politician in a business suit.
"Excellent coffee as ever, Sojiro-san." Toranosuke Yoshida praises with an empty plate in front of him. "I cannot believe I had forgotten about this small heaven."
"The pleasure is all mine, Yoshida-san." Sojiro replies with a smile before turning his eyes to the team. "Ah, looks who's arrived." The old politician turns to the thieves, beaming a warm smile as he stands to his feet.
"Amamiya-kun! It is great to see you!" Yoshida opens his arms wide.
"Yoshida-san! You remember?" Ren asks as the team enters Leblanc. He catches Futaba sitting at one of the booths on her laptop, waving at them before turning her attention back to it.
"Indeed I do. Right when Madarame confessed, I may add." He folds his arms, looking over the group. "It warms my heart to see you all again. After that flash of light, I feared the worst, only to find myself back in May. Who knew that time travel existed?"
"You are taking this rather well, Yoshida-san." Makoto comments as they sit around, placing bags by their feet. Toranosuke chuckles good-heartedly as he sits back at the counter.
"Considering what you teens have managed to accomplish before, time travel hardly surprises me. That being said…" He glances at Shiho. "I see a new face has joined the Thieves. Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier, I am Yoshida Toranosuke."
"My name is Suzui Shiho." Shiho replies, bowing in greeting. Yoshida returns the gesture before turning back to Ren.
"Sojiro-san told me all when I came here. It pained my heart to learn what happened in that final battle, as well as the fate that originally befell you, Suzui-chan. It makes this old man happy that you are saved from that fate."
"We were all taken off guard by his attack. And we won't let that happen again." Ren replies. Yoshida nods warmly before standing to his feet.
"As much as I would love to catch up with you all, I must be off. I have a future election to plan for, and with the knowledge I have, I should be able to place myself as a nominee to replace Shido when he falls."
"And we wouldn't have anyone else. Good luck, Yoshida-san." Ren replies, with the team giving their own farewell as the politician leaves, giving them privacy for their discussions.
"Yoshida-san seems like a nice person." Shiho comments next to Mishima, with the admin of the Phan site nodding in agreement.
"While it was nice seeing Yoshida-san again, we need to discuss what I noticed about Akechi. Specifically, his Tarot Card." Ren brings the team to attention before Shiho quickly raises her hand with a question.
"What do you mean, 'Tarot' card?" She asks. The Thieves look at her for a second before all collectively facepalming at themselves. Even Sojiro gave the team a 'you didn't tell her' look.
"Right…we've forgotten to tell you about that…" Ann groans as Mona leaps onto the table.
"You know about Tarot cards that fortune tellers use, right?" At Shiho's nod, he continues. "Basically, a Wild Card's power comes from the bonds he makes with others. They take the form of Tarot Cards and, when they grow, empower not only the Wild Card but the person they are linked to. If they are a Persona user."
"For example, Ryuji is the Chariot while Morgana is the Magician. Which is also why they tended to bicker a lot in the past. Chariots and Magicians never get along at first." Ann adds in, with Morgana and Ryuji looking away shamefully. Shiho slowly nods her head in understanding, mentally telling herself to look up Tarot Cards for later before looking back to Ren.
"How many do you have, Ren?" Ren hums to himself for a few seconds.
"Well, other than already said…" He begins pointing around the room, naming each Tarot Card tied to everyone. "High Priestess, Lovers, Emperor, Empress, Hermit, Hierophant, Moon…" He finishes by pointing at Shiho. "And you are Charity." Shiho's eyes widened slightly, surprised that she had formed such a bond.
"Do not forget the others you have, Ren. Fortune, Temperance, Tower, Judgment, Sun, Star, Devil, Death, Hanged Man, Strength, Fool…" Yusuke's face sours. "And Justice." Shiho tilts her head at Yusuke, noting the venom of the last two Tarot Cards. Haru notices and turns to her to explain.
"The Fool Tarot card is bonded to Yaldabaoth under the guise of Igor. And the Justice Tarot card is bonded to Akechi."
"About that. Yaldabaoth isn't the Fool card anymore." Ren interrupts with a grin. He locks eyes with everyone in the room, his grin turning into a warm smile. "Everyone here represents the Fool card. Yaldabaoth's Tarot Card is now the Jester."
Almost instantly, the café was filled with laughter as the Thieves, and even Sojiro, laughed at Yaldabaoth's Tarot Card change. A fitting card for such a fool. But seven so, that laughter was mixed with warmth at Ren's word that they now represented his Fool Tarot Card. Even if they had to remind themselves of what it means.
"Serves that metal assed jerk right!" Ryuji finally says after calming down. "So, what about Akechi?" Ren's face turns neutral as the team look at him expectingly.
"Akechi…He is still the Justice Arcana but, unlike everyone else who came from the future, his is blank."
"Blank? As in, no bond at all?" Futaba asks for clarification. Ren nods at her, drawing a low hum from her. "I guess he really is different from the Akechi of our time. But we still don't know if he's Black Mask or not."
"We will find out when we arrive at my father's Palace." Haru interjects, eyes narrow. "He killed my father once. I will not let that happen again."
"None of us will, Haru. You have my word." Yusuke says, placing a hand on hers. Haru smiles at the gesture, which Yusuke recuperates before he frowns. "Having said that, there is something I thought I should mention. It has to do with Hifumi."
"Togo Hifumi? The Star confidant?" Makoto asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. Lately, Hifumi has been seen looking rather depressed, with suspicious men following her from a distance. The reasons are unknown, and any attempt to talk to her has been fruitless." The team frown in concern as they absorb the news.
"She may have had an argument with her mother, but what would that result in people following her from a distance?" Ren wonders aloud.
"Do these men have anything that identifies them?" Makoto asks. Yusuke shakes his head.
"No. I happened to spy on them once, and they appeared as nothing but hooligans. That said, they reminded me of the thugs that belong to Kaneshiro's gang."
"Kaneshiro? What the hell would he want with Hifumi?" Ryuji asks. It was puzzling, to be sure. Why did the mob boss have his goons following after Hifumi. She was nowhere near Shibuya.
"Regardless, we should keep an eye out for her. Yusuke, if you learn anything else, don't hesitate to tell us."
"Of course, Makoto. I shall keep my ears open at all times."
May 27th, 2016
"Ren, please, you HAVE to tell me how you can dodge Ushimaru's chalk throws! Those things hurt like hell!" Mishima pleads, wiping his forehead, still covered in chalk. Ren gives him a sympathetic smile while Morgana chuckles inside his bag.
"Don't worry about it, Mishima. You'll be dodging them before you know it." Ryuji assures him before noticing someone on the park bench in the school garden. "Hey, is that Doc over there? Wonder what he's up to."
"Let's go ask him." Mishima offers. Agreeing, the trio approach the good doctor as he rests on the bench, greeting the trio with a wave as they join him. "What's up, Doc?"
"Well, Mishima-kun, I just found out how scary cats can be, despite their appearances…" That was not what the trio, plus Morgana, were expecting to hear.
"Where's this coming from?" Ren asks, confused at the Doc's words.
"Oh, it happened on the way to school this morning... I spotted a kitten that got itself stuck in a tree. I tried rescuing it since I felt bad for the small thing, but I ended up getting a clawing of a lifetime."
"Ouf… That smarts Doc…" Ryuji winces.
"That it did, Ryuji-kun. I had no idea a cat's claws could be so sharp…"
"I know right…" Ren replies, casting a side glance at Morgana in the bag. Morgana had the decency to look guilty since it was a mistake when Ren was trying to clean him. It was just that he pulled on his fur a bit too hard.
"Oh? Are you saying Morgana did the same to you? I wouldn't guess that. He looks so calm…" Maruki comments, looking at Morgana. Feeling growing embarrassed, Morgana pulls his head into the bag and zips it up. "Looks like the little fell is embarrassed. How adorable."
"By the way Doc, how's your research going on?" Ren changes the conversation. Ryuji and Mishima tilt their heads while Maruki's eyes lit up.
"Oh, it has been going well. Do you want to talk about it now? Ryuji-kun and Mishima-kun can join us."
"Are you sure, Doc? I don't think either of us can contribute anything…" Ryuji replies, scratching the back of his neck.
"There's nothing to worry about, Ryuji-kun. It's just me bouncing ideas off you and hearing your thoughts. Nothing else." Maruki reassures before looking back to Ren. "Anyway, starting off where we left off, there are all sorts of ways to identify and diagnose physical injuries and illnesses… But when it comes to pain of the heart, we're working in unknown territory. There's so much we haven't learned yet."
The moment Maruki mentioned 'heart', Ryuji and Mishima were hooked into the conversation.
"Well, it is hard to treat trauma when it is invisible." Ren comments.
"That's true. If only there was some way to directly reduce emotional pain healthily—like putting antibiotics on a scratch."
"I don't really get it, but if there were some way to do that, I think it would be great." Ryuji says, arms folded.
"Right? Something like that would be wonderful…"
"But, if there was a way to do that, wouldn't there already be methods to do so?" Mishima asks. Maruki nods his head at Mishima.
"That's true. Unfortunately, there are no topical medicines that can properly heal heartache. Not only that—psychological issues are even more complex."
"Psychological? Do you mean in the mind?" Ren asks, pointing a hand to his head.
"That's right. Those would be the closest thing to pains in the heart. Let me give you an example." He stands up before dramatically placing his hand on his head. "Oh, woe is me! My heart is in such pain! It's like I'm being pierced through the chest!" The trio look at him awkwardly and silently as Maruki slowly lowers his hand. Red in embarrassment.
"Hey, erm, no offence, Doc, but your acting is worse than Ann's…" Ryuji carefully says.
"Yes. Needless to say, I was never the star in improv…" Maruki admits before sitting back down. "But basically, what I'm trying to get at is our own emotional pain is the only kind we can understand. It seems obvious, right? How can no one understand our pain but ourselves?"
"But that's what makes it hard to treat, right?" Mishima asks, clueing in. Maruki snaps his fingers with a smile.
"Exactly! It is completely vital to understand! A person's 'heart'—their pain—cannot be seen. Even if they express their whole lives expressing it to others… there is no way for them to truly grasp it. It's not like we can look directly into their hearts and remove the root cause of their pain…" Maruki looks at the ground, completely missing the uneasy smiles shared by the three boys.
If only he knew who he was talking to…
"But for me to do good in that area, I need to conduct further research into the heart…"
"You mean, you need to learn how the heart reacts to the world around it, right? Once you've done that, you'll have a stepping stone to achieve a breakthrough." Ren finishes for him.
"That's right! And once done, we would be able to perform proper and effective treatment for those with wounded hearts!" Maruki gleams as he speaks about his dream.
"You're a good man, Doc. You actually give a shit for people." Ryuji comments, earning a small chuckle from Maruki.
"I'm not a saint, Ryuji-kun—I just want to do my job well. If we can get rid of people's pain, that is for the best, right? I'm no fan of pain myself."
"Yeah, none of us are. Ryuji and I especially." Mishima comments, his mind wandering back to Kamoshida's abuse. "But despite that, we are going to keep moving forward. One step at a time."
"Hell right. I'm even thinking of going into rehab next year for my leg. Would do it now but, well, got too many things on my plate right now." Maruki smiles at the two, genuinely happy that they are moving forward.
"That's great to hear. But on the other hand, people have laughed my idea off as silly. A pointless dream, they said. And I can't really blame them…" He turns back to Ren. "But still, you take the time to listen to what I have to say, and you actually try to understand…"
"What can I say, Maruki. What you're saying is really interesting." Ren replies. Maruki smiles as, in Ren's eye, a fourth star is added to the Tarot Card.
"And I am greatly thankful for that. I actually feel like I'm getting somewhere with my studies." He stands up. "Anyway, I need to finish a few things before heading home. You boys take care heading back, alright?" The boy nods as they go their separate ways, not before Ryuji taps Ren on the shoulder.
"Hey Ren. At lunch, Ann and I came up with a showtime attack. Want to hear it?" Ren motions for him to speak and listens to the idea, smiling along the way. "…and that's how it ends. So, what do you think?"
"Surprising for one, but at the same time, it somehow fits." Ren replies before a soft glow emanates from his pocket. Reaching inside, he sees that the Star has reacted to Ryuji's idea. "And it looks like the Star can make it possible."
"Sweet! Let's try next time."
May 30th, 2016
Today was an odd day for the Thieves. It was a Monday, so they should have been in school, but instead, they were heading for the central park in their gym clothes. Why? Because Kobayakawa believed it would help the school's image if they helped clean up the park.
"If you ask me, it would help a lot more if he helped clean up." Mishima groans as the team, minus Yusuke, Futaba and Morgana, moves through Shibuya.
"I actually said as much, that it would be more effective if the teachers helped. But he said that they were only there to keep us in line." Makoto replies, shaking her head. "Honestly, I expected as much from him." It was no surprise that Kobayakawa's opinion was already low, with this recent effort pushing him down even further. Ren was about to reply before he spies Yoshizawa, still in her school uniform, being harassed by a much older person.
"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry." She insists to the man, but he doesn't budge.
"You go to Shujin, right? I've heard things have been rough there lately, what with that former coach. You wanna go talk about it somewhere?"
In Ren's mind, he flashes back to when Shido, drunk on liquor, was forcing a woman into his car. Seeing this play out in front of him sparked that same determination to help. Even though it landed him in jail.
"That sleazeball. What does he think he's doing?" Ann hisses under her breath.
"We're obviously going to help. Right, Ren?" Ryuji states. Ren doesn't even reply as he begins walking over to Yoshizawa, his team right behind him. Especially as the man suddenly grabs her as Yoshizawa tries to leave.
"C'mon, there's no need to be shy…" The man says, his eyes hidden by the shades on his head before taking note of the group approaching him. "Who the hell are all of you?" His grip loosens for a second, enough for Yoshizawa to slip her thin arm through and sprint behind the team.
"Senpais!" She says, hiding behind them. The man, visibly annoyed at the turn of events, storms off towards a dark alley. Yoshizawa breathes a sigh of relief as the team turns to look at her.
"Are you okay, Yoshizawa-chan?" Haru asks gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, I am." She replies, slightly shaky. "Thank you for stepping in to help. I didn't know what to do. My mind just went blank…" She tightens the grip on her bag. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you step in to help me?"
"Isn't it obvious? Because it's the right thing to do." Ren replies casually. Yoshizawa stares at him in a brief moment of awe. "I see."
"If you want, you can travel with us to the clean-up. We can keep you safe." Mishima offers. Yoshizawa tilts her head for a moment before gasping in realisation.
"Oh no! I left my gym clothes at school!" She turns on her heels to sprint back to school, calling to them over her shoulder. "I'll see you at the clean-up! I'll thank you properly then!" The team blink as her form vanishes before they continue on to the clean-up.
"She certainly is quirky." Shiho comments.
If Ren could put how the clean-up went in as few words as possible, it would be crap. The teams they were given were completely random, leading to almost none of the Thieves being in the same group. The only one with Ren was Shiho, but the other three gave them the cold shoulder. The moment that they could break for lunch, they ditched him alone on a bench.
"I can't believe that they are still treating you like this, Ren. They should see how you are by now." Shiho says with disappointment in her voice.
"At this point, Shiho, I'm used to it. Nothing will change so long as I have this record. I'm just lucky that Boss will let me work in Leblanc, so I have some form of future." Ren replies, leaning back on the bench.
"It's still wrong, though…no one should have their future stolen." Shiho replies before noticing an old lady walking past. She was struggling with her shopping as one bag fell out of her hand onto the ground. Moving fast on her feet, Shiho grabs the bag before anything could fall out and hands it back to the lady. "Here you go."
"Thank you, deary." The lady replies. "These hands of mine are not what they used to be. Always dropping something…" Shiho looks at her sympathetically before wrapping the bag's handles around the lady's wrists.
"That should help you. Even if your fingers slip, the bag won't fall off straight away." The old lady thanks Shiho again before moving on.
"You really can't help yourself, huh? Whether it was Ann with her painting, the kitten in the alley or me in the original timeline, you never stop trying to help others." Ren comments. Shiho chuckles at the comments, returning to the bench before looking back to Ren.
"You said I helped you in the original timeline. What do you mean?"
"It was the day before Kamoshida…forced you to jump. Ryuji and I were busy trying to find something to take him down without going into the Palace since we didn't want to risk a mental shutdown. It was during then that you spoke to me. I still remember what you said back then."
"What did I say?" Ren turns to look at her, arms folded.
"You said: 'Don't let the rumours get to you, okay.' Even when Kamoshida had you in his grip, you still looked out for other people. Even me, the 'delinquent transfer student'. You took a moment to make me feel better, even when you were hurting." He looks at her in the eye. "That's why, when you jumped the following day, I was just as determined as Ann and Ryuji to see you were avenged."
Shiho was silent as she absorbed the information. Before a small smile formed on her face. "Good. And I would say the same thing again. After all, you were in a similar situation as Ann. I wouldn't be able to just walk away from that." She chuckles to herself, putting a lock of hair behind her ear. "Thank you for telling me that. I am more than convinced that this is where I belong. I mean, I already believed that, but now I believe it even more."
Ren smiles as he sees the fourth star added to Shiho's Charity rank. He couldn't help but wonder what persona he could fuse at the end or what her persona would evolve into. But there was no rush for that.
Eventually, the other thieves began to gather around them, Shiho letting Makoto sit next to Ren after standing and using the microphone all day.
"Jeez…that sucked…" Ryuji moans, lying on a tree. "The folks I was with didn't even put things away correctly…"
"Don't get me started. My team didn't know how to take apart umbrellas, even after I showed them." Ann agrees, herself unhappy.
"What is the point of this anyway? Even if we clean up the park by tomorrow, it will be just as messy again." Shiho points out.
"I think we are all thinking the same thing, Shiho." Makoto groans from the bench. "At least Kawakami-sensei helped out. I think she inspired those around her to clean up faster." Ren nods his head before slowly closing his eyes to nap. It was a nice day, after all, perfect for taking a quick nap.
"Oh! I finally found you all!" Yoshizawa's voice stirred him awake as she approached the group. "I was trying to find you so I could properly thank you for this morning."
"No thanks are needed. We did it because we felt it was right." Ren replies.
"Even so, it feels rude not to. Still, you are lucky to end up in the same groups."
"About that. We actually ended up in different groups. We just only now joined after leaving ours." Haru informs. Yoshizawa looks at them with wide eyes before gasping her hands behind her back.
"I see… The same thing happened to me. If you don't mind, can I hang out with you?"
"Of course not." Makoto replies. Yoshizawa beams as she joins the group as they dig into their pork miso soup, made by Maruki. Watching other people pass by along with the odd bird.
"Man, the Doc sure does know how to make a good soup!" Ryuji praises. "Of course, it doesn't beat your or the Boss's curry Ren." Ren bashfully nods at the comment.
"Oh, you cook Amamiya-senpai?" Yoshizawa asks in surprise.
"That he does. And he is quite the natural chef." Makoto praises, despite the growing blush on Ren's face.
"By the way, how are you feeling after the morning Yoshizawa. That couldn't have been nice." Shiho asks gently. Yoshizawa's face falls as she gloomy looks at her soup.
"Yes. That man was more frightening than he might have appeared to you. Especially when compared to Kamoshida. But to me, I really felt powerless when he confronted me. And when he grabbed my wrist, my mind froze." He looks at the team with a beaming smile. "So I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Yoshizawa-chan." Haru replies for the team. Yoshizawa smiled at her before turning her head back to the group.
"You know, there are a lot of people talking about you behind your backs. Rumours and gossip about crazy theories. But I don't like or believe anything like that. I can tell you are all good people."
"Thanks for saying that. Though, to be honest, we've gotten used to all of that. Not much you can do anyway but prove them wrong." Ryuji comments. Yoshizawa smiles at the response before suddenly coming to a realisation.
"Oh! I just realised I never introduced myself properly! Of course, you already know my last name, and I learned yours from talking to Dr. Maruki. But my first name is—" Just before she could speak, a young girl in front of them accidentally lets go of his balloon as it floats into the sky. But just before it could fly away, Yoshizawa leaps into the air and grabs it before doing a perfect landing. The team look at her in surprise as she hands the ballon back to the girl before turning back to the team. "Sorry about that. Anyway, my name is Kasumi Yoshizawa. A pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is ours, Kasumi." Ren replies for the team.
"By the way, Kasumi. What was that just now?" Shiho asks.
"Oh, that? It's nothing special, but I compete in gymnastics. It's not that difficult once you get the hang of it—just a hop, skip, and a jump."
Gymnastics huh? It might open up more paths for us in the Metaverse…other than being extra in fighting. Ren glances around him, noting the eyes of the others displaying similar thoughts to his own. "If you don't mind, Kasumi, but do you think you could teach us a few things?"
"Huh? Does that mean you are interested in gymnastics?"
"In a way, yes. All of us are." Ren replies neutrally, with nods from the others. Don't want to let her know it's to help with Phantom Thief skills. Ren's replies make Kasumi beam like she was the sun.
"That makes me so happy! I'd be honoured if you'd allow me!"
"If you don't mind, we have another member of our group who might be interested. Do you mind if we bring him along as well?" Haru asks politely.
"Of course! The more the merrier! The only problem is… I have a favour to ask for myself in return. If you don't mind, that is."
"Of course not, Kasumi. Whenever we have the time, we would be glad to help." Makoto assures her.
"Thank you, Nijima-senpai. Recently, I haven't been getting the results I want from my performance. And I'm worried that I'm overthinking things… So it would be nice if you could give me advice whenever you have the time."
"I'm not sure if we can give you the right advice, but we can definitely help talk through your problems. Sometimes, you just need a person to bounce ideas off." Shiho replies, widening Kasumi's expression.
"That would still be a tremendous help! I promise to help you learn the basics of gymnastics in return for helping me get past this slump. Sound fair?"
"You have a deal, Kasumi." Kasumi bounces on the spot as the team agrees to her deal, while Ren spies a Tarot Card forming over her head. While he wasn't surprised by it showing up, it was the state of the card that left him concerned.
Unlike the other cards, this one had a black border with two large rips at the top and bottom. The characters on the card were skeletons wearing clothes, contrasting with the name of the card as it rings in Ren's ears, along with only five spaces for stars instead of ten.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chain of captivity.
With the birth of the Faith Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
Shall lead to freedom and new power…
'Faith' huh? Why only five stars? Seems like there is more behind Kasumi than what we can see… Ren mentally adds to tell the others when he can. This just seemed too off.
"Well, the cleanup is complete. I need to go and alert everyone." Makoto says, standing up with her empty cup.
"If you don't mind, Nijima-senpai. But since we're already in our gym clothes, how about we do some training now before going our separate ways?" The team take a moment to ponder Kasumi's request before unanimously agreeing.
After all, it made sense.
May 31st, 2016.
Another day passes as May comes to an end. While the students talked, the Thieves were busy planning the Kaneshiro heist. For there was a huge problem that needed to be solved before they could even begin to infiltrate.
"How do we get Kaneshiro's palace to even land in the first place?" Ryuji asks while he, Ann, Shiho and Ren lounge around in the garden. "There's no way we are letting Makoto get into debt with that guy again."
"We could ask Futaba to see if she could hack into it and bring it down that way. But something tells me that would be too much for her." Ann offers but immediately retracts. While Futaba was a hacking prodigy, even she had her limits.
While the team chatted, a group of students watched from nearby. The leader of them glared directly at Shiho. Soon, they start marching towards her, the group of students following her. Their approach goes unnoticed by Ren and the others, who watch with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. Which quickly faded away when they saw the stormy looks in the lead girl's eyes.
"Suzui Shiho. We want a few words with you." The lead girl says, putting a hand on her hip.
"Yes? What's wrong?" Shiho replies kindly. But her response seemed to only make the lead girl more angry.
"Cut the kind-hearted bullcrap." She says spitefully. Her response startles the Thieves as they blink owlishly. "We know that is all an act. Why don't you just admit it to it already."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ann asks, annoyed at the girl's manners.
"You should already know that this girl's kindness' is all an act. A ruse just to make herself more sympathetic." The girl accuses. "It's not enough that she was a victim of Kamoshida. Now she's going around with the 'kind girl act' to make herself more sympathetic? Helloooo! We were ALL victims of Kamoshida! No one needs you goody-two-shoes crap!"
The girl's words stoked anger in the team while Shiho looked away. Her face was unreadable.
"Next time we see you, you better have dropped that fake act." She then turns away with her group, leaving the Thieves alone in anger.
"That bitch! Who the hell does she think she is!" Ryuji snarls, slamming his hands together. Ren silently nods, pushing his fake glasses up to hide his eyes with the glare of the lenses.
"If I wasn't stuck as a cat, I would have gladly stood up for Lady Shiho!" Morgana agrees from Ren's bag, shoving his head out for air.
"Shiho, are you okay?" Ann asks carefully, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine, Ann. This isn't new to me." Shiho responds, albeit somewhat distant. "It's not the first time someone came up to me saying that I'm putting on an act. It's just that it's been so long that I haven't had anything like that happen." She rubs her arms slowly. "Though, that was the first time someone said it was to get more sympathy…"
"And what do they know, Shiho?" Ren asks, drawing her attention. "What do they know about you to make those claims? They don't. Only falsely assumed assertions that they have deluded themselves into taking as fact. Getting yourself tied up in them stops you from moving. I know that better than anyone." Ann and Ryuji look at him sympathetically while Morgana taps his nose on his neck. Shiho looks at him for a moment before a small smile adorns her face.
"You're right. I won't let them keep me down. Besides, there's nothing fake about it anyway. It's who I am."
"Damn right." Ann agrees, wrapping an arm around her. "Nothing can change that. Other than a change of heart anyway…" The group evolve into controlled chuckles as Ren notes the addition of a fifth star to her Tarot Card. But at the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder about their current problem.
Getting onto a flying bank.
Confidant Ranks:
Yaldabaoth: Jester (Rank 4)
Phantom Thieves of Heart: The Fool (Rank 10/Max)
Makoto Nijima: High Priestesses (Rank 10/Max)
Ryuji Sakamoto: Chariot (Rank 10/Max)
Ann Takamaki: Lovers (Rank 10/Max)
Yusuke Kitagawa: Emperor (Rank 10/Max)
Haru Okumura: Empress (Rank 10/Max)
Futaba Sakura: Hermit (Rank 10/Max)
Morgana: Magician (Rank 10/Max)
Mishima Yuuki: Moon (Rank 9/Locked)
Suzui Shiho: Charity (Rank 5)
Kasumi Yoshizawa: Faith (Rank 1)
Hifumi Togo: Star (Sealed)
Sojiro Sakura: Hierophant (Rank 10/Max)
Goro Akechi: Justice (Sealed)
Chihaya Mifune: Fortune (Sealed)
Munehisa Iwai: Hanged Man (Rank 10/Max)
Tae Takemi: Death (Rank 10/Max)
Sadayo Kawakami: Temperance (Rank 10/Max)
Ichiko Ohya: Devil (Sealed)
Shinya Oda: Tower (Sealed)
Toranosuke Yoshida: Sun (Rank 10/Max)
Takuto Maruki: Councillor (Rank 4)
Lavenza (Justine & Caroline): Strength (sealed)