At the end of this chapter the story will begin diverting from the original game plot. This means it will become more difficult to write and I would appreciate feedback to let me know if I need to alter, add, subtract something to better the story. If you feel it's heading in a good direction regardless you can tell me that as well, I appreciate the support I've been getting.

Chapter 18

Ryuji chuckled with chipmunk cheeks while he munched on his meal. "So good!"

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place!" Morgana peered out of the bag and over the whole table the group was sitting at.

Ann, grinning all knowingly, basked in her newfound praise. "Of course it's good. This is a famous hotel, after all."

Ren pushed in his glasses, staring down at his small portion of meat. Then he looked between the two sides of the table. Ann's was filled with an assortment of sweets. Either a pie, tart, or any various baked good, it was there on her plate. Ryuji's was basically a lion's dream world, piles of meat stacked together as if ready for a snake to come slither in and swallow it whole.

This was a celebration to commemorate their undeniable victory of Kamoshida. Boy, was it undeniable. The day after their fight Kamoshida locked himself in his house, refusing to come to school. Then during the assembly, one he was going to expel them at, he interrupted the principal to fall to his knees and cry his heart out. He confessed to everything, even going so far as to degrade himself as lower than scum. He even mentioned how he should kill himself. At that Ann berated him and ordered him not to run away. That's when the former teacher begged someone to call the police. Now the man was behind bars, fully charged with every heinous act he's committed. The best part, the expulsions were rescinded. Ren was oficially staying at Shujin, but that's not what he was dwelling on.

The whole time he was questioning this absurd victory. If it actually succeeded. It may be a horrible hope, but a part of him wanted it to fail. For Kamoshida to expel them. Instead, this whole party only proved one thing. The only useful thing Yu's knowledge has given Ren was the numb sensation on his tongue when he plopped some food in his mouth. Shivers went down his spine as the thought of his former friends, Yu's friends, popping up at random from within the depths of his mind. Yosuke, Chie, Rise, Kanji, Teddie, and, of course, Naoto. Did everything he thought he knew was just as tasteless as this celebratory meal? Were they strangers he vaguely knew?

The very concept made him wallow in despair. He didn't want to hear it, want to see it. He couldn't be able to stand it. Everything that's happened, his friends were the most valuable thing he still had. That couldn't be lies. Not the only thing keeping him standing.

Swallowing another mouthful, Ren took a deep breath. They were here at the Wilton Hotel, known for their luxurious buffet. Very expensive. The only reason they could afford it was all thanks to the crown. When they came out of the metaverse it turned into an Olympic Gold Medal. Don't ask him how. However, it was not the real one Kamoshida actually treasured. Turns out it was some complete copy of it. The core of Kamoshida's twisted desires. With it gone and in the real world, Kamoshida was now a normal man with a normal conscious. And, with it in the real world it became a source of income for the thieves who have pilfered it. Ren had doubted his ability to sell Metaverse material, but he still gave it a shot with that store owner who gave them their 'guns.' The guy was willing to give them a ton of cash. Most going to this feast everyone else was enjoying without a care.

In a flash of remembrance, Ann set down her plate. "Oh yeah, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school."

Ren jumped. The idea of being locked inside an interrogation room stilled his chest in a chill. The cold icing up his spine as the image of Dojima strolling in the front doors of Shujin with an intense glare that sapped all the warmth this hot meat could have given him.

"That's troublesome." Morgana laid his head on the table.

Ryuji sat back from his dinner, eyes looking off into the distance. "Our names are gonna come up for sure. People're spreadin' all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida."

Ren set aside his utensils and clasped his hands together. Leaning forward to listen but refusing to any of them in the eye.

The blond boy perked up. "But we got 'em pumped up! I keep hearin' stuff like, 'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!' I think most people don't believe it, but some of them actually seem grateful." He pulled out his phone, browsing through it before showcasing the screen. "Look at this."

Everyone leaned in, peering over the screen. Ann tilted her head to the side. "'The Phantom Aficionado Website?'" She paused and read one of the comments below the title. "'Well done, Phantom Thieves.' 'Now I can keep going too.' 'Thank you for giving us hope.'" The list went on, but she sat back with an intrigued hum.

Ryuji gave the whole team a toothy grin. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah."

Ann closed her eyes, silently laughing beside herself. "I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels… strange."

Ren repositioned his glasses, sitting back himself. He could empathize with that. He was only thinking about taking down the man, not freeing the victims. It felt… nice. Not even Yu was fully recognized for his actions, the guy could only bask in the knowledge his actions saved… well billions, but that's beside the point right now. The most Yu got out of his achievements was an interrogation with his uncle and his uncle's partner down at their police station.

Ryuji looked over at Ren. "Hey… what do we do now?"

That was a question Ren himself was still deliberating on. He couldn't answer that, not even if there were a timer pressuring him. He pointed at the blond boy's plate instead. "You plan on eating?"

"Well of course I'm gonna eat, but-."

Ann shoved herself to her feet with a gasp. "This place has a time limit!"

Ryuji stood up too. "Oh crap, we only got an hour to eat!"

"Just fifty minutes left!"

Ren just spooned some of his food into his mouth. A nimble hand keeping his head up.

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!"

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu!"

Ann took off toward the buffet along with Ryuji. The blond called over his shoulder. "Look after our stuff! We'll snag something for you guys too, don't worry!"

Ren waved back at him, acknowledging his words. He looked back at his food. With a sigh he shook his head. At least he bought himself some more time to think. There was no doubt they were going to discuss the future of the Phantom Thieves. Either to continue or disband. What was best? The only fundamental goal was finding out about the Psychotic Breakdowns. Should he ask for their help? Will they accept? Though the answer seemed so obvious, he couldn't stop the nagging doubt.

Several minutes later the table was filled with even more food. Specifically the desert and meat kind. Ryuji shoved some brisket in his mouth. His eyes rolling back in ecstasy. "Aw man, it melts in my mouth!"

Ren looked him up and down. Meat didn't melt. Fat did. How much fat was on this stuff?

Morgana blanched at the bounds of beef before Ryuji. "Seriously? Only Meat?"

Ann hummed as she rubbed her hands together like some passionate aficionado. "Now, where should I start?"

"And she's all about the cake."

Ren didn't know what Morgana was so immersed by, he himself found it more impressive that Ann's stomach could handle all that sugar.

Ann forked some of the baked goodness in her mouth. "So happy."

Ryuji grinned over at her. "Hey. Calories."

"Shuddup! How much do you think one of these costs!? I'll never get the chance to do this again!"

Not to mention, it wasn't the calories that was the problem. It's the sugar, the human body struggles with processing it and as such stores it as fat instead. Thus, resulting in obesity. They weren't going to listen to Ren though. Damn, why couldn't he just focus on the pressing topic hissing in his ear. The mind just took any excuse to contemplate anything else. Ren bit off a piece of meat, silently musing.

Ignorant to their silent friend, Ann giggled as she forked some more. "The Wilton Hotel Cake Buffet… I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!"

With a heavy sigh Morgana looked between the two. "And… where's our share?"

Ryuji pushed a plate toward him. "I didn't really know what you'd want, so I just grabbed you some beans."

"B-beans?"

Ann beamed at the cat. "There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those. Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and… some kind of beans."

"M-more beans?"

"We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good."

Morgana and Ren turned to the plate. At a certain angle it looked like a pile of maggots on a trash pile. The cat stuck out his tongue. "This is just plain grotesque." He looked up at Ren.

The raven haired boy shrugged. "Split?"

The cat gagged. Shaking his head, Morgana turned away from the two hogs digging in their piles. "Let's go, Ren. These two just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!"

"We're competing now?"

"Come!" The cat jumped into his bag. "You guys watch our things while we're gone! Wait patiently for our return!"

"Ahhh, it's like a meaty explosion in my mouth!"

"Ohh, this part's cream cheese!"

Morgana sagged. "They're not even listening."

Ren slung his bag over his shoulder, "I'm already low, wouldn't mind getting some gas."

"Stop your nonsense and get to hunting already."

Now they're hunting? What kind of food are they eating. Regardless, he marched obediently over to the buffet. If he was betting for a distraction he's hit the jackpot, there was no sense in complaining.

\|/

"I wonder if we're out of place here…" Ann stared down at the empty plates on the table.

Though this was origionally supposed to be a celebration it started becoming a downer party. At first it was just Ren listening to the ramblings of adults who couldn't care less about what the students went through with Kamoshida. They all were just talking about how it was a waste of news or how they could capitalize on the publicity. That in of itself was annoying to hear. Then the ramblings of stiffs eyeing them at this establishment as hooligans ruining the prestige. That didn't include when he and Ryuji went to the bathroom for some relief and they were shoved around by some suits and an overly narcissistic man that would make Narcissus cringe. Now they come back to find out that Ann has been bullied by some woman and been given disapproving glances from the very staff that was supposed to be serving them.

Everything, everything Ren has heard was not fair or reasonable. Entitlement, self-proclaimed superiority, and exploitation is oversaturating this whole buffet, this whole hotel. This only built up till he had to think about his own situation. About how some rotten adult decided to frame him for a crime just to protect his prestige and position from the law. Add Kamoshida and a concerning pattern rises up. Adults were corrupt here. There was no semblance of kindness, mostly, Yu found on every street of Inaba.

Corrupt adults weren't by any means a profound revelation or anything. Ren was already aware of this fact. It's just daunting to see how wide spread it was. It's hard to say if this was all just motivated perception for him. In simpler terms, he sees what he expects to see and he's only crafting this illusion around him based solely off his recent experiences. Or perhaps, the veil has come off and now he sees the world for what it truly is. Or maybe, he's been dropped off in a circle where this horrible reality is more frequent. Regardless, it's a slap to the face in a pillory.

If only to add to the sweat clamming his hands, what if… the gang in Inaba have adjusted to this way of life too? What if they've become corrupt as well? Unrecognizable even with Yu's eyes.

With a huff he shook his head. He couldn't just accept it, not just with Yu's memory, but as Ren as well. He looked up to Ann and said, "We're not out of place. We paid. That's what gives us the right to be here."

Ryuji nodded. "They're all just assholes… Hey, Morgana."

"What is it?"

"Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?"

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?"

"That would be the case."

Here we go. Ren pushed his glasses back up, bracing himself for the inevitable discussion. And of course, it's Ryuji who's bringing it up. He wouldn't have expected it from anyone else if he were to be honest.

Ann looked between the cat and the blond boy. "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

Ryuji bowed his head. "We had trouble earlier too. These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else. I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

"You mean… you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?"

"…I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work into changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus, those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people."

Ren sighed, looking down at his knees. His clasped hands nestling up to his nose, hiding his mouth. "There's… a lot of victims."

Ann peered over at him, then down at her empty plate. "I… I agree. If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before!"

Morgana looked on at the three in pity. "Well… that's true."

The silence hung in the air, over everyone's heads. It weighed down on them like anvils. Raising his head, Morgana looked over all of them. "You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as Phantom Thieves!"

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?" Ryuji sat up.

"But…" Ann shifted in her seat. "That means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it?"

The cat nodded. "Indeed. That can't be avoided."

"Eh." Ryuji shrugged, a small grin on his face. "I'm sure we'll manage. Right?" He looked to Ren.

Ren stared back, lowering his hands. "I-I don't know."

"Huh? Why, what's up?"

"It's just…" Should he say it? He liked his dry lips. "You know about those psychotic breakdowns?"

Ann looked over to Ryuji, but nodded anyways. "Yeah. What about them."

"I'm absolutely sure they're perpetrated by someone like us. Someone who can enter Palaces and then killing their shadow."

Ryuji spun to stare at Morgana. "Is this true?!"

The non-cat flinched. "I-I don't know. I haven't heard anything about these 'Psychotic Breakdowns.' I only recently started living out here, I don't remember anything before."

Ren pushed in his glasses. "People have been going limp. Though their hearts still beat they lose all emotion. They don't respond, they don't hear, it's as if they went brain dead from out of the blue."

Morgana stood, a face of intrigue. "That does sound like what would happen if they lost their desires… but I'm not so sure. You're saying someone we don't know is going around doing this. What are the chances they randomly got the app and a persona?"

"The same chances as me." Ren raised his phone. "I randomly got the app. It just appeared on my phone when I arrived in Tokyo. And I got my persona the first time I entered the Metaverse."

Ryuji scratched his head. "Man. There's someone out there doin' this crap? What a psycho."

Ann groaned. "Don't tell me you're just going to believe this."

"But it makes sense. There's just no way they're just random. They only started happenin' recently and no one knows why. If anything, it's the only thing that makes sense."

"But…" Ann fell back into her chair. "I guess. It would explain a lot… does that mean… if we continue as Phantom Thieves we're going to have to fight some murderer?"

"Hell yeah, it does!"

"Huh?" Ren blinked.

Morgana nodded. "He's right. If someone is doing this, we're going to cross roads someday. The public may even start blaming us for it- or the culprit will try to frame us."

Okay, he thought they'd consider his theory as a term for his membership, but now their stating it as fact and discussing a battle strategy for it? What just happened?

Morgana looked between them all. "Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now."

"Fledglings?" Ann laughed. "That's actually pretty fitting for us."

"All right, it's settled!" Ryuji tossed his hand in the air. "We're gonna catch the bastard killin' everybody, and make ourselves known to the world!"

"Are you okay being our leader?" Ann looked to Ren

"Huh?" Ren jumped. "Me?" Again?! Wait, he's not Yu. Him, for the first time?!

"No objections here! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff."

"Where's my say in this?... But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it."

"Well," Ryuji scooted closer to Ren before pressing on, "should we decide on a name for our group? I just went with Phantom thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?"

Wait, they weren't going to discus the leadership thing? He was just going to be voluntold? Wait! He didn't even agree to being a part of this!

"Ooh, I've got it!" Ann cheered. "I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding. Let me see… How about 'The Diamonds?'"

"I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it."

"Well then," Morgana plopped his paws on the table, "here's my suggestion. How about 'Tilefish Poele?'"

"Tile… what?" Ryuji dropped.

"That's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?"

"Hell no, you idiot! Ugh, you decide for us."

Everyone turned to Ren again. The raven-haired boy sighed, sitting back and looking up to the ceiling. Might as well go along with this. It was the only way to solve what was happening in the other world. "If we're going by a name, then we need to set a ground rule." He stared at them. "To the public we are the Phantom Thieves. Never change that. When we talk to each other, when we discuss our targets, our group, or even our powers, we refer to ourselves as a different name. Even if we think we're in a safe environment where no one can hear us. I know a detective, so I know if we seal our corners we'll be harder to expose. Is that fair?"

"Yup!"

"Sure."

"I'm all for that!"

"Then…" Ren adjusted his glasses. "I'd say… why not call ourselves the Arsenes?"

"The Arsenes?" Ryuji crossed his arms. "Naming us after your Persona?"

"No. Naming us after the legendary thief. I can have whatever persona I want, I'm not limited to Arsene so it doesn't hold that much sway with me. However, by calling us Arsenes we'll be calling each other legendary master thieves. I'm an Arsene. You're an Arsene. Every member of our team is an Arsene. A master thief. A group of Arsenes."

Morgana hopped in the air. "It's basically telling the world who we are without exposing ourselves!"

Ryuji's eyes widened. "So we'll be complementin' ourselves out in the open? That sounds cool."

Ann shrunk back. "I'm not so sure I want to be called a guy's name."

Ren smiled over to her. "Think of it more of a title. A moniker specific for a thief beyond the level of master. We steal what everyone has always thought as untouchable. Not even the real Arsene could do what we can after all."

"In… that case." Shrugging Ann relented. "It's not so bad, I guess. I'll go with it. It's better than... some of the names we got."

She was thinking of the fish thing, wasn't she.

Looking around, Ann continued, "With the name set. Who's are next target?"

"Wait." Ren looked amongst them. "What about the one causing the psychotic breakdowns."

Morgana sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "We have no leads. All the evidence will be in the Metaverse and we don't know where to start. Might as well start somewhere."

Damn, it is like Inaba all over again.

Ryuji just cast a quick look around the hotel. "Why not just stick to targeting big names?"

Just accepting his fate, Ren opened his mouth. "Like a celebrity?" The first person who came to mind was Rise, or Risette would be her popular idol name. He hasn't checked, but in Yu's memory she wanted to make a comeback as the best idol in the world. God, he hopped they wouldn't need to target her.

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, it's gotta get on the news, right? Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?"

"That's not a bad idea…" Morgana mused. "For you Ryuji."

"True." Ann spoke up before Ryuji could retort. "If we become better known… we might be able to give courage to a lot more people. I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though."

Pulling his glare away from Morgana, Ryuji grinned at Ann. "Let's narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then."

"Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously." Morgana tilted his head.

"I like that unanimous decision part! It's like we're making some kind of pact!" Ann twisting into her seat excitedly.

"Now then, this is the official formation of the organization the world will henceforth know as the Phantom Thieves, and by us the Arsenes!" Morgana was practically dancing along with his words.

"Oh no!" Everyone jumped at Ann's shout. "Our time for the buffet ran out."

Ryuji shrugged it off. "I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow."

Ren nodded. At least, he has this team to rely on. Something familiar in this unfamiliar road. He doesn't have to be alone.

\|/

Ren walked through the doors of Leblanc, suppressing a yawn. All that food was making him sleepy. He's not sure what they'll discuss tomorrow, but there was no doubt that there will be many things they need to consider. Some of which they might not think of till much latter, too. Using his knowledge of a detective mindset he could even help the team stand on a solid foundation before being guerillaed by evidence.

"There he is." Sojiro's voice broke through Ren's thoughts. The teen looked toward the café manager who nodded toward a man sitting in front of the counter. "You've got yourself a visitor."

Ren took a closer look, then a chill sucked down his throat. "U-uncle?"

Not Yu's uncle. Ren's. Amat Amamiya.

The man turned to him, smiling happily. "Wow, you look great. I was worried there might be some bags under those eyes. Maybe some patches on your clothes too. Sometimes a transfer has some unforeseen circumstances. Glad to see there haven't been any inconvenient complications."

"There… were, but I handled it."

Sojiro's gaze hardened, but didn't say anything. Uncle Amat, on the other hand, laughed, setting down his cup of coffee. "Of course. Life has a way of just throwing nuisances at us. Doesn't it?" He patted the stool next to him. "Come on! Have a seat with this old man! I want to hear about everything?"

Sojiro began wiping down a cup. "Probably not everything. There's a scandal going around the school. A damn teacher was molesting the students."

Ren's Uncle shot Ren a look of bewilderment. "Is this true?"

Shuffling on his feet, Ren nodded. "Yeah. One girl in particular. She tried killing herself."

Amat grimaced, looking up at the wall of coffee beans. "Now I wish I hadn't asked." Still, he turned to Ren and patted the stool again. "Come and sit anyways. Tell me what you're willing. There at least must be some good things happening around here. Life may have downs, but there's always an up to come down from." The man chuckled in spite of himself. "Ah, that's not funny, is it." That didn't even sound like a question.

Ren slid into the seat, doing his best to avoid looking at the father figure beside him. It felt like… he wasn't Ren at all. Just a stranger in Ren's body. Like he is Yu, but isn't. This whole spiral was throwing him for a loop.

Amat sipped his cup. "Hmm. Seems there weren't many ups then. Or are you just uncomfortable with this old geezer?"

"It's just… I don't know."

It wasn't normal, him being here. Ren's Uncle was a busy man. He would go out and work, he hardly had time with his brother, Ren's father before Ren was even born. Amat did his best to be home, but it was sometimes difficult. Why was he here now?

Ren's Uncle began tapping on the counter, sighing to the ceiling. "I know it's been hard adjusting to this new life, and there's so little I can do to help." Ren looked over at the man. Amat looked downtrodden, but a smile still pressed up his cheeks. "I came here hoping I can find something to help with."

"It's not your fault."

The man scoffed, bringing his cup to his lips. "Really?" Taking a sip he set the cup down again. "Words of a man have so much sway against a boy. Honestly, what is the world coming to if defending someone helpless can ruin your life?"

Ren jumped. "Y-you believe me?"

Amat raised a brow. "You thought I wouldn't? Not much point lying if you were caught red handed. If it was just an accident the guy pretty much threw it out of proportion. Not to mention, he didn't seek a settlement. At least we could have tried settling this amicably for both sides, instead he threw the book at you. Rather harsh to kids isn't he?" He took another sip.

"What.. about mother?"

Amat flinched, his eyes quivering slightly. "…Sick. You know. It's gotten worse too. Struggles to get out of bed lately."

"Has a doctor checked on her?"

"Er… no. She refuses. You know how she is. Stubborn as an ox, and stronger than one too." Amat laughed, looking away from Ren.

Ren's eyes narrowed, as he tried looking the man in the eyes.

Amat turned and met his gaze, unflinching. "What's up?"

"It feels like… you're keeping something from me."

The man flinched, he picked up the cup and sipped. "You've got sharp eyes. Must be from your mother." With a click, the cup returned to the small plate. "I went to see your friends."

Ren froze. Everyone in Inaba came proping into his mind. "What… about them?"

Amat opened and closed his mouth, head waving side to side. "They… didn't really seem like friends. I tried asking if there was anything they wanted to say to you. Maybe give you something to help out. They just shrugged me off. They didn't want… to be involved with a… 'criminal' as they put it." Amat rubbed his neck, looking over at Ren. "Some even pretended not to know who you were. It's like you never really… mattered to them. Never existed. They just dropped the subject and refused to pursue it. Like they just dropped you off from their lives and now live on."

Ren turned away. Everyone, just ignoring him? Pretending he didn't exist in the first place. That couldn't be right. Everyone in Inaba, they adored Yu. He wasn't Yu though. Was he talking about the friends Ren made? He shivered in his seat.

Amat noticed, taking off his hat and scratching his head. "Of course, I ended up making matters worse. Great." He put the hat on and looked over to Ren. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, but I thought that… you disserved to know. It's better to know than live on not knowing. Think of them as an example of what friends shouldn't be. Try and find better ones."

Better? There suppose to be better than what he had? Better than Yosuke? Chie? Teddie? Everyone? People who fought along side him, risked their lives with him? There's suppose to be better? Ren took a deep breath. Amat wasn't talking about Inaba, he was talking about Ren's past. But why was it hurting so much? Why did only everyone in Inaba matter to him?

Amat stood up, tipping his hat to Sojiro. "Thanks for the cup… seems I've made a mess of things. I probably shouldn't stick around to plant some more mines. Think I'll just end up stepping on one myself… then on a rocket aimed at my mouth for good measure." He stepped around his stool then stopped behind Ren, placing a hand on the trembling teen's shoulders. "If anything, I can at least offer advice. You can't replace what you never had. Try not to surround yourself with reminders. You'll only end up hurting yourself." With that he strolled out of Leblanc and off into the streets quickly.

Sojiro grumbled, putting the glass he was cleaning away. "Talk about shoving a boot in your mouth." He looked over at Ren. "You alright?"

Ren stood up, and walked over to the stairs. "I'll just turn in."

"Alright." Sojiro watched the teen ascend. Then cast a glance toward the door, shaking his head. "I guess… being family is hard all the time."

Morgana leapt out of the abandoned school bag and bounded up the stairs after his friend. He reached the top and spotted Ren dropping onto the mattress. The non-cat listened to it all. The way those words were spoken, the feeling he got as Ren responded. Whatever that 'uncle' was describing, that wasn't the boy Morgana got to know.

Tentatively, he prowled over to the shaking teen. "You okay?... I know it isn't any of my business, but I can tell that guy's… advice wasn't helpful at all."

Ren cradled his head, whipping his glasses off to toss them into the sheets. What was he doing with this life? What was motivating him? Ryuji and Chie. He's made that connection so many times. Then Ann and Rise. Of course, Morgana and Teddy. Sojiro and his Uncle. An actual uncle and Dojima. Left and right, left and right. He WAS surrounding himself with old friends. Every single one of them. God, even the Phantom Thieves, it was someone naming himself the Phantom Thief who stole Naoto's stuff and demanded she try and solve his puzzles to get it all back. Nothing, there was nothing new about his 'new' life.

"Ren?... Y-you're starting to worry me."

That's all he was doing. He was just replacing everyone that was important to him.

"REN!" Something came pouncing on Ren's head. He yelped. Morgana jumped off his head and landed on the bed.

"What's going on up there!?" Sojiro called up.

"Leaping cats! My head's not a landing pad, Morgana!"

"Oh, for crying out loud." The Café Manager exasperated. Probably getting back to reading some newspaper or something.

Ren glared down at the… blurry black blob that was probably a cat. "What's wrong with you?"

"Me?! What's wrong with you! Are you seriously letting what some old dude says get to you?"

"He's… not wrong! Every single one of you guys reminds me of my old friends! Every. Single. One."

"Is that because we're replacements, or because you just miss them? Cause I'm no one's replacement!"

"Well… what about the fact your obvious infatuation with Ann is just like Kanji's crush on Naoto! It's the exact same!"

"Th-that's ridiculous. First of all, my name isn't Kanji. Second, I'm not infatuated with Lady Ann. I'm just… an admirer. Thirdly-."

"You better not say, 'Ann's name isn't Naoto.'"

"I-I wasn't… I was… going to ask… if I WERE infatuated with Lady Ann, in what way is it exactly like this Kanji in every way?"

"… True."

"See?"

"Kanji actually tried hanging out with Naoto."

"HEY!"

"And succeeded, as a matter of fact."

"You want claws in those eyes, genius?"

Honestly, that was unexpectedly helpful. The storm clouds overhead seemed to have passed by. Though the concern wasn't completely abated, it was nicely pointed out how ridiculous he was being.

He fell back into the bed, the building breath of stress releasing on impact. "Thanks. My head was… it wasn't attached, let's go with that."

"Yeah, when you're in the zone there's nothing that'll stop you, but out here you seem a lot more fragile." Morgana sat down next to him. "I remember you saying that you were in some dark place a while ago. I was guessing all that downstairs was related."

"It was." A spark went off in Ren's mind. He reached over and took up his glasses, sliding them back onto his face. He then glanced at the cat. "Have you been keeping an eye on me ever since I mentioned that?"

"…No. Th-that would be an invasion of privacy, and I do so have an honorable record I must uphold." Morgana turned away from him, making sure to eye the dusty corner in the opposite direction.

Ren looked to the floor, a small smile forming. "Thanks… I appreciate it."

"Really?" The cat's shocked face whirled to look this human up and down.

"Yeah… I've gradually been losing my cool. I can't tell when it will stop, but… I've always been the one to solve others problems, no ones ever tried helping me with mine. That's one thing I can say about you. So… know that you really aren't a replacement to me. And I don't mind having someone look out for me some of the time."

"I-I see… Then, I'm glad to be of assistance."

Ren lifted his hand, "Partner."

Morgana beamed, pawing the offered fist. "Partner, indeed."

Post note: Next chapter will be after Madarame's palace.