Chapter 8
A New Member
Thursday, July 21st, 2016
In the seven years Ken has known Mitsuru-san, he could count the times he had seen her shocked on one hand. This… was one of these rare moments. He would definitely say this was the most uncomfortable video call he's ever had, so far.
Unsurprisingly, Shinjiro-san was the one to break the silence.
He stared down Ken. "You have got to be shitting me. They seriously asked you to join them?"
"You think I would joke about this?" Ken returned, looking at his guardian incredulously.
Mitsuru-san suddenly looked weary, as she pressed two fingers against her temple. She let out a deep breath and ran some fingers through her hair.
Shinjiro-san squeezed his left knee with his left hand, his jaw tightened. Ken couldn't help but feel suffocated by the tension in the room.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" her voice was even but short.
Shinjiro-san stared at him, his gaze scrutinizing. Ken tried not to squirm under it.
"Please tell me that you're not considering actually joining them," he said, his voice now dangerously quiet.
Ken hesitated for a moment, before he averted his eyes. He bit the inside of his lip and took a deep breath through his nose.
"Okay, I won't tell you," Ken mumbled out.
"Amada!" Mitsuru-san exclaimed, just as Shinjiro-san growled out, "That is not funny."
Ken held up both of his hands, saying hurriedly, "I have a good reason, I promise."
Shinjiro-san scoffed. "And here I was thinking that you decided to catch up and become a rebellious teenager."
"Shinjiro." Mitsuru-san frowned disapprovingly at him, before nodding at Ken. "Amada, if you will."
Ken tried not to gulp. She had that neutral tone to her voice, like when she really wanted to hide what she thought… Ken shook his head. He just had to explain his reasonings.
Ken explained slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. "Well, I was thinking about what you wanted me to do. And I thought it would be easier to keep track of their activity if I worked on the inside. And… I still don't know everything about them. Like, how do they clear those requests on the Phan-site, for instance. And furthermore, what is the root of the Shadow nest? The Palaces just seem to be offshoots."
And besides that, maybe if he witnessed everything they did… maybe he could convince Mitsuru-san that they had truly good intentions. From what he had seen, they truly wanted to help people suffering under those abusing their power.
"Hmm…"
Ken bit his lip as his heart began to pound hard against his chest. Mitsuru-san didn't sound like she was going to reject the idea but…
"Mitsuru, don't tell me that you actually approve!" Shinjiro-san suddenly snapped, glaring at her through the screen.
"Amada has some good points," Mitsuru-san said calmly. But then she pursed her lips, apparently thinking over something. She finally asked, "Though, Amada… what did you tell them? Regarding your answer?"
"They're giving me until Sunday for an answer. But… that's not everything," Ken answered.
"Hm?" Mitsuru-san raised an eyebrow, a silent prompt for him to continue.
Ken sighed. "Alibaba hasn't stopped messaging me. Their last message was asking me if I knew how to steal desires but… that's not what bothered me. The message before was asking me about cognitive psience. Is that something the Kirijo Group… researched?"
Ken trailed off, noticing how all the blood drained from Mitsuru-san's face.
"W-What's wrong, Mitsuru-san?" he asked.
"Cognitive psience?" Mitsuru-san repeated faintly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Amada… are you positive that's what it is?"
"Did Alibaba ask you about Isshiki?" Shinjiro-san had gone completely tense as well.
"Okay, what do I not know?" Ken grumbled, feeling annoyance flare inside of him.
As he pulled out of the Shadow Operatives, he was kept in the dark with a lot of things. Ken understood why, but it was a bit irritating that they didn't enlighten him about this, especially with him taking on the mission.
Mitsuru-san exhaled deeply. "Isshiki… Wakaba Isshiki, was a former Kirijo scientist, but not long after I founded the Shadow Operatives, she sought me out. She was able to enlighten me on some of the research that Ikutsuki destroyed. I got to know her quite well…"
Mitsuru-san continued to tell him the story of Isshiki-san, her continued interest in Shadows. How she was fascinated if it could alter a person's mindset. How she apparently committed suicide, claiming that she killed herself because she couldn't handle raising her young daughter, Futaba-san alone, but not before destroying her research. But Mitsuru-san had seen past that, and crossed paths with Masayoshi Shido due to the investigation. Unfortunately… there was no evidence to prove otherwise. Nothing but cold trails that lead to dead ends. All evidence seemed to point to the official story. But Mitsuru-san refused to accept that, she said it was completely out of character.
He couldn't help but be shaken up after how Mitsuru-san said that she had watched her mother die, right in front of her eyes. Nobody… should have to see that.
"W-What happened to her daughter though?" Ken asked.
"That… I don't know, Amada."
Mitsuru-san pursed her lips together, her eyes now downcast.
"I never was able to discover that, aside from the fact that she was put with family, apparently. But…"
She just gripped her left forearm with her other hand, biting her lower lip. He hoped it was just the monitor, but… she looked a little pale.
"I'll let you go for the night, Amada," she said quietly. "You have a lot to think about…"
Ken opened his mouth but froze for a moment. He then shut it his mouth, let out a heavy breath through his nose and looked down at his feet.
Ken nodded. "Understood… goodbye, Mitsuru-san."
The call then disconnected, and Ken sat in silence for several moments trying to digest the story Mitsuru-san had just told him. He couldn't help but feel worried for her daughter, Futaba-san. He could sympathize with that kind of pain…
But he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of a mug being set on the table. He hadn't even heard Shinjiro-san leave the room during the end of the call.
It had been more Fuuka-san's practice to make tea when someone was upset, but Shinjiro-san had picked up on the habit over the years as well. Somehow drinking tea helped him feel better, if only it was a little bit.
"Drink," Shinjiro-san ordered before his lips grew thin with disapproval. "Mitsuru shouldn't have dumped the entire story on you."
He rubbed the back of his neck before he let out a heavy breath.
"Not after the shit you've seen," he said wearily.
Ken lifted the mug to his lips and took a careful sip so not to scald his tongue.
"I'm glad she did," he said quietly, lowering the mug slightly. "It's something I needed to know, honestly, there was more to it she wanted to say, that I wished to hear. But I know it's not my place. Mitsuru-san will share it if I need to know."
Shinjiro-san looked at him carefully, his gray eyes narrowed on him.
He demanded, "Why didn't you say anything more about Alibaba, Ken? I thought the messages had stopped."
"Didn't want to worry you," Ken mumbled before taking another sip, this time bigger.
Sometimes… he wondered if it would have better for Shinjiro-san if he hadn't chosen to take on the burden of becoming his guardian. Shinjiro-san had already made up for accidentally killing Ken's mother ages ago, when he had protected Ken from being murdered by Takaya. But for some reason, that hadn't been enough. But Shinjiro-san had to worry about footing his bills. If he didn't, maybe he would have opened a restaurant by now. Or have enough money to propose to Fuuka-san.
He was grateful that Shinjiro-san took care of him… but he couldn't help but feel like a burden sometimes.
Shinjiro-san let out a breath through his nose, before rubbing his face.
"Didn't wanna worry me, huh? Bit too late for that."
Then he looked at Ken, his expression serious.
"Ken, be straight with me. Are you really thinking about joining them?"
"I… I think so." Ken took another careful sip. "You heard my reasons…"
"Right…" Shinjiro-san muttered, a dark look crossing his face.
Ken frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's nothing," he dismissed, shaking his head.
He then heaved out another sigh before looking to Ken, his gaze scrutinizing. Ken couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind before he let out a deeper sigh.
"Look, Ken, you're not a kid anymore. I can't really tell you what to do anymore. But…"
He then suddenly trailed off. An unreadable expression was in Shinjiro-san's eyes.
"But…?" Ken questioned.
"It's nothing," he said, his voice curt.
Shinjiro-san looked away—much to Ken's irritation. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't for some reason… just like Mitsuru-san earlier. He knew they had their reasons. But he wish they'd be more open with him sometimes.
"Look, just be careful if you do say yes, okay? This is different than just following them around."
"I know…" Ken looked down at his mug. "I'll be careful, I promise."
He looked up at his guardian.
"You don't have to keep repeating yourself, you know…" he said quietly.
"Uh-huh…" Shinjiro-san looked and sounded utterly unconvinced, raising an eyebrow at Ken. "So says the one who nearly got caught up in an explosion. And outed himself because of that."
"You know that wasn't my fault," he ground out, all while glowering at his guardian.
Ken then huffed. There were no other examples of a Shadow nest just falling apart like that. How was he supposed to know?!
"Seriously, who just expects the place to fall apart?" he demanded.
"So you've told me," Shinjiro-san droned, before he straightened up. "But come on, let's get dinner started."
"Coming…" Ken sighed as he followed after him.
He was vaguely aware of Shinjiro-san acknowledging that and heading inside for the kitchen.
Shinjiro-san started pulling ingredients out of the fridge.
"Ken, can you go get the rice, I'm feeling gyudon tonight, if that's good with you?" he asked.
Ken just nodded and opened up the cabinet, and pulled down the big container filled with all the rice grains. He then dumped a few cups of rice in the rice cooker and began to wash it. It took a few rounds until the water ran clear. After draining the last of the water, he added just enough water for the rice to cook and turned on the rice cooker.
"So… what did you think of them?" Ken asked as he moved next to get the onions ready.
Shinjiro-san stopped slicing the beef for a moment and looked up at Ken.
"The Phantom Thieves?" he raised a brow.
Ken just nodded as he brought the sliced onions in a bowl to Shinjiro-san, who then handed him the green onions for Ken to start chopping. Shinjiro-san sighed and went back to finishing slicing the beef.
"They're idiots," he said bluntly.
Ken winced at that harsh assessment… but could understand his first impression of them wasn't exactly some well-oiled team taking down criminals.
Shinjiro-san let out a sigh as he got out the big pan. He had almost a… torn look. He accepted the bowl of green onions from Ken and seemed in deep thought as he got the onions and beef started. He then handed two eggs for Ken to cook separately. Cooking sunny side up was the easy part.
"They seemed… normal. Almost like… regular high school kids," Shinjiro-san said as he moved the sizzling meat and onions around the pan with his spatula. "For a moment… I could almost like you be around them."
That caused Ken to stop his focus on the eggs for a second.
Shinjiro-san warned, "But we still barely know them, there could still be something they are hiding. Don't let your guard down around them."
Ken frowned but gave him a nod, as he finished cooking the eggs. He then moved to add some water to the electric kettle for them to drink tea later.
Ken decided to break some of the tension. "Pity… I think the cat liked you."
Shinjiro-san frowned. "Yeah, he was a cute little shit."
Ken couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Shinjiro-san glared at him immediately, that made Ken laugh more. Shinjiro-san snorted, but shook his head with a smile.
The rice finished, and Ken began to scoop it out for then Shinjiro-san to add the finishing touches to their meal.
Somehow, the invitation had just sunk in. The Phantom Thieves really wanted him to join. It was all unanimous. He just… never expected anything like to happen when he had come to Tokyo.
Saturday, July 23rd, 2016
The Phantom Thieves had kept their distance these past couple days. And he appreciated it but… Ken couldn't help but feel the pressure. Tomorrow he would have to give them an answer.
And while the Phantom Thieves were nice enough to give him a little space, he could not say the same about his former teammates. Junpei-san especially wanted to know. Though Ken wasn't surprised that everyone had managed to find out. Shinjiro-san probably told Akihiko-san, who couldn't hide anything from Minako-san even to save his life… and Minako-san wouldn't hesitate to tell everyone else.
Though he supposed it was nice that they weren't trying to sway him against this…
But what the Phantom Thieves were up against… Medjed, this was an entirely different level. And furthermore, there was the mystery of Alibaba. Just who were they? Given that they knew about Isshiki-san and the Shadow Operatives—not to mention SEES.
The fact that they were keen on requesting a change of heart… was serious. Just what was really Alibaba after?
Was Alibaba dangerous? Or were they in danger? Or was it both?
He shook his head. None of these questions were helping, he needed more intel. And he wasn't going to get it by spinning around in his own head. Ken needed to know what messages Amamiya-san was sent by Alibaba. Maybe that would shed more light on their true motives and even who they are.
And if that was the case, there was one way he could easily get that info without needed to duck around or ask for Fuuka-san to hack into anything. But Amamiya-san wouldn't give it to him so lightly... unless he joined.
Either way, it was dangerous for Mitsuru-san and the others, knowing some unknown person knew sensitive details that could potentially be bad for her if it got out. He needed to get to the bottom of this, for hers and everyone else's sakes in the Shadow Ops.
He made up his mind. He was leaning this way anyway, but this sealed the deal for him.
Ken reached for his phone. Amamiya-san had given him his chat ID last Thursday.
Message Sent To: Ren Amamiya
[Ken]: Hello? Amamiya-san?
Ken couldn't help but fidget during the wait. It took several minutes for him to reply.
[Ren Amamiya]: Hey, Senpai. What's up?
[Ken]: I know we agreed to talk tomorrow but… I've made my decision.
[Ken]: I want to join the Phantom Thieves.
[Ren Amamiya]: Welcome aboard, then.
[Ren Amamiya]: Hm… I guess we'll just stick to the old meeting place, then.
Ken pulled a face. It may suit the others fine to have that meeting place, but he really could not afford detection. Not with Shido breathing down Mitsuru-san's neck. Ken stared down at the phone, pondering over how to propose a more private meeting place.
[Ken]: Actually… I'd like to offer my place as a meeting spot. It'd be safer to hold meetings in private.
[Ren Amamiya]: I guess that'll make sense.
[Ren Amamiya]: I know we were there briefly, but still text me your address and I'll pass it onto everyone.
[Ren Amamiya]: I don't think any of us got the room number when we followed you guys there after the downpour. Plus, I'd be worried about certain others getting lost.
[Ken]: Of course.
Ken couldn't help but wonder which members he was concerned about that would get lost. Not that it mattered. He shrugged and sent the address. Amamiya-san wished him good night. He had officially joined the Phantom Thieves.
Though a ping alerted him being added to a group chat labelled The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
But when he checked the chat, the latest conversation was them debating whether or not he'd join.
[Ken]: …Was my joining really that important for you to discuss like this…?
[Ryuji]: cRAP
[Anne]: ummm
[Yusuke]: You cannot blame us for being curious
[Anne]: We plead the fifth?
[Makoto]: …Anne, that pertains to American law, not Japanese law
[Anne]: MAKOTO SHHH
[Anne]: HE DIDN'T HAVE TO KNOW THAT
[Ren]: Senpai, what color do you want to be?
[Ren]: Red, dark blue, light blue, pink, and yellow are taken
[Ryuji]: dude
[Ryuji]: how are you taking it this so calmly?
[Ren]: Eh
[Ryuji]: DON'T "EH" ME, ESPECIALLY YOU ADDING HIM TO THE CHAT
[Ryuji]: AND SO CASUALLY WITHOUT WARNING US
[Ren]: Too bad
[Ren]: I do what I want
[Ryuji]: Ugh, eff you
[Yusuke]: …Forgive us, Amada-san.
[Yusuke]: We are a rather colorful group.
[Makoto]: That's… an understatement.
[Ken]: It's okay, I'm used to arguing in group chats.
He couldn't help but think of some of the arguments Yukari-san and Junpei-san have had…
[Ken]: And Amamiya-san, I like orange.
[Anne]: …You know, I pegged you as someone who likes darker colors
[Ken]: …Why?
[Ryuji]: Uh, maybe because you stick to the dress code like
[Ryuji]: perfectly?
[Ryuji]: Aside from you having black pants
Ken just grumbled to himself. Amamiya-san also adhered to the dress code perfectly, even more than Ken did, but he got no such comments from Sakamoto-san.
[Makoto]: That's enough, all of you.
[Makoto]: Welcome to the team, Ken
[Anne]: Yeah!
[Anne]: …wait do we still stick to Senpai?
[Anne]: I don't wanna take liberties, y'know?
[Ken]: Ah… just do whatever makes you comfortable? I don't mind either way…
[Yusuke]: Though, since now you're part of the team… won't you consider being my model now?
[Ryuji]: wait what
[Ryuji]: WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOW?
[Anne]: DON'T SAY YES KEN
[Ken]: Er… do I want to know…?
[Ren]: No
[Ken]: Are you going to further elaborate?
[Anne]: NO
Well, this was going to be interesting, to say the least…
Sunday, July 24th, 2016
Shinjiro-san and Ken were side by side, washing and drying dishes. Normally this activity was surprisingly relaxing. But in the moment, it wasn't. Ken winced at the older man glaring down at him.
"You're kicking me out for the rest of the day?"
"I'm sorry, Shinjiro-san," Ken said, as he dried the plate Shinjiro-san had just handed to him. "But do you want them to continue to be out in the open?"
"I guess not," he relented.
He then reached for a towel, drying his hands.
"Especially with you joining them… though next time, run it by me first," Shinjiro-san instructed.
"Sorry, I will next time," Ken promised.
Shinjiro-san just sighed, dragging a hand through his hair.
"Just 'reconnaissance', huh?" he mused, before he snorted.
He then cracked a rueful smile.
"Should've known it wouldn't be that simple."
Ken had a heavy frown, but before he could say anything, Shinjiro-san spoke again.
"Don't apologize for it, Ken. You have good intentions for it. And I meant what I told you before…"
He just exhaled deeply.
"Just… don't drop your guard, now that you're working with a team now. If anything, you need to keep your guard up even more."
Ken nodded. "I will."
Shinjiro-san nodded. "Alright… I'll get out of your hair now then. Text me whenever you're done, so I know when I can come back. I guess I could go run some errands or something."
Ken promised he would, and then he bade Shinjiro-san farewell. But not ten minutes after Shinjiro-san left, he heard a knock on the door.
The whole gang was on the other side. They sure were prompt.
"Heya, Ken!" Takamaki-san chirped, waving cheerily at him.
"Still can't get over this place…" Sakamoto-san muttered under his breath.
"Good morning," Kitagawa-san greeted before making a bow. "Though I must say, your apartment has a lot to work on, aesthetic wise."
"Yusuke, be nice." Takamaki-san turned to chastise him, hands on her hips.
"Thanks again for offering your place," Amamiya-san said, plopping down on the larger couch.
Morgana hopped out of his bag, then jumped over to the coffee table, he then licked his paw and looked around the place with a curious look.
Sakamoto-san and Takamaki-san sat on either side of Amamiya-san. Morgana smiled, hopping off the coffee table, claiming Takamaki-san's lap.
"It's no problem," Ken said, with a wave of his hand. "A better hideout was necessary."
It was just reckless of them to go with that kind of hideout. He would have expected that someone would have pointed out the flaws in that, especially after Makoto-san managed to figure out their identities.
"Though, it may be a bit inconvenient…" Makoto-san pursed her lips together. "The target we're looking into… we think they live in Yongen-jaya."
Makoto-san and Kitagawa-san sat on the sofa across from the other three, just on the other side of the coffee table.
"Yongen-jaya?" Ken echoed.
Ken frowned, before stroking his chin. It… didn't ring a bell.
"I don't think I've heard of it," he stated.
"Well, that's 'cause it's more of a ward for people to live in, instead of businesses and things to do," Sakamoto-san interjected before gesturing to Amamiya-san. "RenRen lives there, actually."
"Oh, I see—"
Then Ken blinked as the nickname finally sunk in.
"RenRen?" he repeated incredulously.
Amamiya-san just shrugged. "A nickname he came up with the day we met."
Amamiya-san nudged Sakamoto-san in the side before he smiled mischievously.
"Which just so happens to work with your name too—"
"Rejected," Ken said flatly, which only caused Takamaki-san and Sakamoto-san to crack up in laughter.
"Aw, you get to keep your special name then, huh?" Takamaki-san teased.
"I happen to be incredible and here I thought that you were aware of that, don't need a nickname to be incredible," Amamiya-san said in a faux haughty voice.
Sakamoto-san had a… grin that reminded him too much of Junpei-san or Minako-san all of a sudden. Which meant some joke at his expense probably.
"We'll have to come up with something special for him then. How about… Kenpai?"
Everyone in the room cringed at that, except Kitagawa-san who wasn't paying attention and more looking at the furniture in the room with curiosity. Ken cringed most of all, the very thought just... no.
Amamiya-san elbowed Ryuji with a laugh but was still scowling despite that.
"Man—that pun was so bad, even I hated it."
Sakamoto-san just laughed more, "Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist a bad joke. Don't worry Senpai, I would cringe saying that in public."
Ken said sarcastically, "Thank you for your generosity."
He then shook his head, letting out a long-suffering sigh. They all certainly were an interesting bunch.
Takamaki-san giggled at the pun comment from Amamiya-san and bumped his shoulder with hers, her eyes sparkling with mirth. This made Ken raise an eyebrow. He had heard the gossip about their relationship, but it was really something else seeing how close they were with his own eyes. Far as he knew, they were only friends, but he couldn't help but wonder how long that would last.
"God, you can be such a dork!" she giggled out.
"Me? Ryuji said the terrible joke!" Amamiya-san said in fake hurt.
"Yeah, guess you rubbed off on him," Takamaki-san said then stuck her tongue out.
Ren then gasped before barely holding back a laugh. "You wound me to suggest I'd tell a joke like that!"
Ken walked towards Makoto-san and sat down next to her on the other side.
"Are they always like this?" he murmured to her.
"Take a look at Ryuji," Makoto-san said with a wry smile.
Her eyes then flickered to Sakamoto-san, who was shooting his friends annoyed looks.
Kitagawa-san seemed no longer interested in the room as he tapped Makoto-san on the shoulder.
He inquired, "Though shouldn't we discuss weaponry for Amada-san? If I recall right, you used a spear…"
"Yeah, that's right." Ken nodded, before his gaze moved to Amamiya-san. "I assume that you're in charge of weapons, right?"
"Ren is in charge with supplies in general," Makoto-san explained.
"That's what I thought." Ken nodded.
They just gave him bewildered looks as he suddenly stood.
"Give me a second."
Ken slipped into the hallway that included his and Shinjiro-san's bedrooms and the bathrooms. His bedroom was the first room to the left. He opened the door, kneeling down to reach under his bed. He drew out the box that held his spear. He then went to his desk, opening one of the drawers, rummaging through his equipment.
The glint of black caught his eye first. The ring of darkness… was incredibly useful. He didn't have to worry about his weakness being exploited.
But… that would only cast suspicion on him. He would have to leave it behind. At least he could give Amamiya the medicine—barring the soma—as well as the two traesto gems he had left. He dumped them in the drawstring bag he used to carry his supplies, slid the band over his wrist before picking up the box lying on the floor.
"Catch."
Ken dropped the box onto the floor, before tossing Amamiya-san the bag.
Amamiya-san opened the bag. "Medicine? And snuff souls… what are these gems?"
"It's what I used to escape the Palace," Ken answered, undoing the clasps of the box.
"How did you know how to get this stuff?" Sakamoto-san raised a brow at him.
The last thing he needed was for Sakamoto-san to start doubting him again. Ken winced, and tried to look like he didn't enjoy recounting bad memories.
"Let's just say… unfortunately a lot of trial and error in that place. Many lessons were learned, lessons I don't want to deal with again."
They didn't need to know he was mostly talking about Tartarus actually. This seemed to pacify Sakamoto-san and the others at least who were giving him weird looks at first. They now seemed to eye him with understanding and sympathy, they could probably relate dealing with Shadows themselves now.
Amamiya-san eyed him neutrally and Ken couldn't help but feel nervous. Was he still being scrutinized? Or was Ken slipping? He needed to make certain he is to be considered trustworthy; Mitsuru-san was counting on him. Ken tried to relax his posture a little.
Amamiya-san then flashed an easy-going smile. "Well thanks, I really needed some more items that'll restore our energy for spell casting."
Ken just nodded.
"Oh, and Senpai?" Amamiya-san had a more half-smile now, raising an eyebrow. "You can relax a little more. You're not in an interrogation. I wouldn't ask you to join if I thought you weren't to be trusted."
Ken felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Right... sorry about that. And thank you." Ken gave him a small smile.
"Sure, the medicine is great and all, but nothing beats you making us some more coffee," Takamaki-san said with a playful smile.
Ken just blinked and looked towards Makoto-san in confusion. Coffee? Was that a code for something? Or was she being literal? How was coffee better than medical supplies?
"Don't ask," Makoto-san said quickly. "You'll see… eventually."
"Is that a real spear?" Kitagawa-san interrupted and leaned over Makoto-san to try and get a better look, "The craftsmanship is beautiful."
Makoto-san grumbled in annoyance and gently pushed him back.
"What else would it be?" Ken said with a frown.
"You've seriously been running around the Palace with a real weapon?" Sakamoto-san questioned. "All of our weapons are imitations."
Well, that explained how they had guns. But imitations? Those can work on Shadows?
"How… do your weapons not break?" Ken couldn't help but ask.
"It's all about the cognition," Morgana began to explain. "The Shadows see our weapons and guns, and they may be fake, but they are quality fakes. They look real enough to the Shadows that don't know the difference. In the cognitive world, that make them more real to the enemies who see you as a threat. They perceive you and your weapons as a danger, that cognition is the edge we use to defeat them."
That was strange… but it did somewhat make sense.
"Plus, it's not like we can go around purchasing actual firearms." Amamiya-san shrugged.
"So how did you get your hands on that spear?" Sakamoto-san asked.
"Yeah, that's a real one. How did you get your hands on that? Aren't those like…banned?" Takamaki-san added.
"It's not like I take it outside. That's when you get in trouble… I only ever took it outside when I had to get to the Palace, but even then, I concealed it." Ken explained sheepishly.
To prove a point, he stood up and showed how the spear worked for retracting it when he concealed it, before taking it back out of his sleeve and returning to normal when he fights. Takamaki-san and Kitagawa-san then lightly clapped after this display and Ken felt his face burn.
Ken grumbled as he sat back down, "This isn't a circus performance."
"That's impressive craftsmanship though. And it appears in excellent condition," Kitagawa-san said.
"Yeah. I practiced soujutsu growing up. I know my way around using one already. I've been taking care of it because…" Ken nodded before trying to swallow subtly.
He had to come up with an explanation and fast…
"Well… it belonged to my dad," he said finally. "I didn't know him very well."
Ken closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Hoping he would come across this wasn't easy to explain so they wouldn't poke and prod at his lie.
Ken then continued, "He and my mom divorced so long ago; I can barely remember him. He… died not long after he and my mom got a divorce. It was the only thing I had to use when defending myself against those Shadows at the time… I know, I shouldn't be using something so important. But it was all I had."
Everyone started to eye him with pity and he couldn't meet their eyes at that lie. He looked at his feet. Hoping it would read as shame for using a family heirloom or something. He felt so… dirty, making a bold-faced lie like that, to elicit sympathy so they wouldn't find him suspicious. He knew he was doing this for Mitsuru-san… but he hated lying to them.
"If you want Amada-senpai, I can look into getting you a new weapon, one that is an imitation like ours, so you don't have to keep using something so important." Amamiya-san offered.
That would be the correct thing to suggest in this scenario had Ken been telling the truth. He was already stuck in this lie, and the guilt that followed. But he hated Amamiya-san was concerned for him after this stupid lie.
Ken chose his words carefully. "I… appreciate the offer Amamiya-san. And I might take you up on it someday. For now, if it's alright with you, I'll stick with my father's spear."
He hated that caused Amamiya-san and the others to look at him with pity again.
"Of course, Senpai."
Morgana was still curled up in Takamaki-san's lap. Even he was eyeing Ken with pity. But a smile then formed on his face and he cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.
"But anyways, we should get Ken up to speed!" Morgana hopped onto the table. "We've found some interesting information since we've last spoken."
He wished he could thank Morgana for changing the subject. But he was just doing it because he was being nice, not because he was saving Ken from the fact, he was so dishonest.
He wished he could ebb away this giant knot in his stomach.
"And what would that be?" Ken asked instead.
"Alibaba is… Futaba Sakura, the requested target," Morgana said.
Wait… Futaba, he heard that name earlier…
Right, Mitsuru-san said Isshiki-san had a daughter named Futaba. Could this be a coincidence? But then again, her name would be Futaba Isshiki. Still, the déjà vu he felt didn't sit well with him all of a sudden.
"Who's Futaba?" he asked, only for Morgana's Alibaba comment to fully sink in. He then held up a hand. "Wait back up, you know who Alibaba is? And what do you mean they are the target?"
"Oh, sorry…" Takamaki-san said. "We think she's connected to Sojiro Sakura somehow. He's Ren's guardian."
That just raised more questions.
"Not helping with the lost context I'm afraid." Ken frowned.
Makoto-san sighed next to him, then spoke up.
"Apologies, to start from the beginning, yes we managed to figure out who Alibaba is. As Anne said, she's a girl named Futaba Sakura, who we believe might be connected to Ren's guardian, Sojiro Sakura. Alibaba specifically requested we change the heart of Futaba Sakura."
That raised even more questions. Ken just blinked and stared at everyone.
"That's… what?"
"Makoto, I'm afraid that confused him even more." Morgana grumbled.
Amamiya-san placed his right hand on his forehead and shook his head as he let out a groan. He then cleared his throat and began to explain the whole story from the top for Ken to get up to speed on.
This Alibaba was blackmailing them, contacting Amamiya-san about what they knew about the group, threatening to go to the police unless they change the heart of someone for them. That someone by the name of Futaba Sakura. After poking and prodding at the situation, eventually they discovered Alibaba was in fact Futaba Sakura themselves. And this Futaba-san has some kind of connection to Sakura-san. They still are trying to figure out what the connection is, though they suspect that she could be his daughter. And more importantly how unusual it is for a target to request their own heart to be changed. They are trying to figure out why that is the case as well.
"Sojiro reacted pretty badly when we asked… some are suspecting that he's abusing her or something," Amamiya-san explained.
Amamiya-san looked torn however after saying that. And a bit confused. Ken couldn't help but feel that Amamiya-san didn't fully believe it. But he couldn't blame him. Abuse… that was a serious accusation.
Sakamoto-san nodded. "Yeah, that's why we're gonna confront him today!"
"Hmm…" Ken stroked his chin, "Well, if you want my opinion—I think you need to corner Sakura-san with this information you gathered. And I think I have something to add to that."
"You do?" Makoto frowned as she sat down beside him.
"Yes—because you see, Alibaba contacted me about a woman named Wakaba Isshiki… a friend of my senpai. I asked her about it, and she told me more about Isshiki-san. She committed suicide about two years ago, and she had a young daughter named Futaba also."
"S-Suicide?" Takamaki-san repeated numbly, her face going pale.
"Anne…" Amamiya-san sighed out.
He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes filled with concern.
Ken frowned. He couldn't help but wonder why Takamaki-san had that kind of reaction.
"That's simply awful," Kitagawa-san said with a frown. "And that is rather suspicious. What are the odds this Alibaba is asking about this Isshiki-san who had a daughter named Futaba. And Alibaba also happened to be named Futaba? We should confront Boss over this as well."
Ken couldn't help but nod. Now that he had more puzzle pieces from learning about the messages Amamiya-san… this couldn't be a coincidence. Mitsuru-san said she didn't know what happened to Futaba-san.
Could she have been adopted by Ren's guardian?
Morgana exclaimed, "So, it's settled! We'll confront Boss at his house this time, not LeBlanc."
The group all nodded in unison except Ken. He just smiled awkwardly and excused himself briefly to go put his spear back away. He returned quickly as he could and saw everyone was already standing up and gathering their things.
"Now that Amada-senpai has returned, we feast!" Sakamoto-san cheered, pumping his fist.
"We what?" Ken asked, feeling baffled.
"Oh yeah, you don't know!" Takamaki-san said.
Amamiya-san began to explain. "Treasures manifest differently in the real world compared to the Metaverse, basically the treasures are their distortion and what they are in the real world is the source of what caused it in physical form. Kamoshida had an Olympic medal, Madarame's was the real Sayuri… Kaneshiro's was play money. But it was in a pretty fancy briefcase so we sold it. We decided on sushi to celebrate our victory against Kaneshiro since… the fireworks festival was a huge bust."
"Don't remind me," Morgana grumbled out.
"Don't complain, we're getting sushi after all." Amamiya-san laughed.
Morgana immediately perked up and quietly purred to himself about fatty tuna.
"But hey, we got to eat Shinjiro-san's cooking due to that!" Takamaki-san chimed in, clasping her hands together. "Mmm, that man should definitely open a restaurant. I'd definitely go!"
"Anne, you're drooling," Sakamoto-san snickered out.
She blinked before wiping at the corner of her mouth. Only to realize there was no drool there. Sakamoto-san burst out laughing as she reddened with anger.
"Shut up, Ryuji!" she yelled, even as Sakamoto-san continued to laugh. "Ugh, you're the worst!"
"No, you're just gullible!" he said smugly.
"Why you—!"
She lunged for him, only for Sakamoto-san to run behind Amamiya-san who shook his head at the two. Makoto-san sighed next to him.
"Loud as always," Kitagawa-san sighed, pressing two fingers against his temple.
Makoto-san just shook her head. "I've never met any two people who are as loud as them."
Amamiya-san just laughed, but still played mediator with them.
"I know two people who bicker as much as they seem to do," Ken said dryly.
But even then, he knew that Yukari-san and Junpei-san cared for each other so much. Not to mention there was Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san…
Sakamoto-san and Takamaki-san settled down thankfully.
"I cannot fathom that," Kitagawa-san said with wide eyes.
"Maybe you should introduce us some time," Amamiya-san jested.
"Mm, perhaps," Ken said, trying to sound uncommitting.
"Just leave me out of it," Morgana huffed. "Ryuji seriously doesn't know how to treat a lady. I'd rather not see more of it."
Makoto-san shook her head, "Alright, let's not dilly dally any more than we have to. We should be heading out…"
Ken then smiled. "Yeah. You should enjoy yourself—"
Amamiya-san frowned. "You're joining us, right, Senpai?"
"H-Huh? Me too?" Ken asked, feeling bewildered at the casual invitation.
"You helped us prevail against Kaneshiro after all," Kitagawa-san pointed out. "I don't see why you shouldn't join us."
"Also duh, this is for the Phantom Thieves to celebrate. You're one of us now." Sakamoto-san grinned as he put an arm around Ken.
"It's just—uhh…" Ken felt his face heat up. "I didn't do much…"
They were kind people, weren't they? That knot that started forming in his stomach from his earlier lie just only grew.
"Modesty may be a virtue but there is such a thing of too much of a good thing," Amamiya-san said teasingly, his lips quirking up in a mischievous smile.
Makoto-san just smiled. "Ryuji is right, you are one of us now—so you should celebrate with us."
Even though her words were kind, Ken felt the knots in his stomach grow cold. They were welcoming him with open arms. Was it really okay to hide the truth from them?
He took a deep breath. He had to focus on the mission. Mitsuru-san and everyone were relying on him.
Ken hadn't had high quality sushi in so long. The last time was… when he graduated from middle school, he believed? Mitsuru-san had ordered it for the party and had insisted that he deserved it since he graduated top of the class.
However, he could do without Sakamoto-san almost blowing their cover.
They were heading to the train station when a voice suddenly called out to Makoto-san.
"Niijima-san?"
Makoto-san's voice was cordial, but cool, as she greeted him. "Akechi-kun, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?"
"I was just passing through," Akechi-san stated. "Though I have to say… you have collected quite a group of friends…"
Ken couldn't help but frown. Something nagged at him, watching Akechi-san's eyes sweep over the group. He didn't like it. Something felt off about that brief scanning over everyone, despite his TV friendly smile.
"Yusuke Kitagawa, correct?" Akechi-san asked, his eyes flickering to Kitagawa-san.
"Yes, a pleasure to meet you, and you are?" Kitagawa-san answered, before inclining his head at Akechi-san.
Akechi-san looked momentarily surprised at that, but just smiled again. "Goro Akechi."
Ken couldn't help but be confused, Kitagawa-san brought up Akechi-san before in a conversation with Sakamoto-san earlier, when they were leaving the restaurant. About how they would prove him wrong about their justice.
Yusuke nodded. "Ah, right. The one from TV. Forgive me I don't really watch it much."
Oh... wait, this was Kitagawa-san subtly insulting Akechi-san. He never expected that out of him.
Akechi hummed, before adjusting his tie. "Oh, that's alright. But… if I am not mistaken—you are the former pupil of Madarame… is that right?"
"Yes, that's correct," Kitagawa-san murmured, even as his posture grew tense. "Though I'm surprised you were aware of this."
Akechi-san tilted his head, smiling politely.
"Well, I'd be a rather poor detective if I didn't know that at least," he then chuckled. "Fortunately, that isn't the case."
Ken frowned. He was such a braggart.
"Though you could work on your modesty," Ken muttered under his breath.
Akechi-san turned to look at him, eyebrow quirked. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, Amada-kun."
"Nothing. You must have imagined things." Ken smiled politely.
He needed to deflect Akechi's attention somehow…
Ken cleared his throat. "Though, I hear you've been officially added to the team investigating the Phantom Thieves. I'm surprised you have time to waste talking to us."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sakamoto-san gape at him before he whispered something to Amamiya-san. Amamiya-san quickly nudged him back. Well, it was true. He couldn't explain it but… something about Akechi-san rubbed him in the wrong way.
Takamaki-san's eyes went wide. "Oh, I didn't hear about that. About you investigating the Phantom Thieves."
"Yes, they argued quite a bit over it due to my age. Much like how they often did not respect my predecessor a few years ago when she was simply a high school student," Akechi-san said.
Ken tried not to pull a face at that. Had he even spoken to Naoto-san? What did he know what Naoto-san went through?
Akechi's eyes suddenly lit up. "Though, speaking of which… you're all fans of the Phantom Thieves, wouldn't you say? Have you seen the latest message Medjed posted on their website?"
"This can't be good," Makoto-san sighed, pulling out her phone.
"English again…" Sakamoto-san grumbled out.
Takamaki-san suddenly gasped. Had she really read through it that quickly? But then again, Takamaki-san looked like she had some Caucasian blood in her, though he wasn't sure to what degree. It would make sense that she would know English better than most.
"Wait what?!" she sputtered out.
"What does it say?" Sakamoto-san demanded.
"You are quite the fan, it seems," Akechi-san noted. "Though I do doubt the wisdom being a fan of such a group."
Sakamoto-san scowled, hands clenching into fists. "How about you mind your own business?!"
"Ryuji, that's enough," Makoto-san said, reaching out to touch his arm.
"Seriously, Anne, what does it say?" Amamiya-san asked.
She gave one small nod, before reading from her phone.
"'We are disappointed in the people of Japan and their belief in the Phantom Thieves' false justice. Hence, we shall proceed with our plan to cleanse Japan. This process will commence on August 21st. As a result, the Japanese economy shall suffer devastating damages.'"
Ken sharply inhaled at that. Did Medjed consider the Phantom Thieves to be that big of a threat?
"Keep going, Anne," Makoto-san urged her to finish the translation.
"'However, we are magnanimous. We will give the Phantom Thieves one final opportunity to repent. As proof of this repentance, we demand that they reveal their identities to the public. We will attack if these demands remain unmet. The future of Japan rests with the Phantom Thieves. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.'" Takamaki-san then looked up, licking her lips. "That's everything."
"W-What?!" Sakamoto-san burst out, loud enough to get the attention of some passing people. "Are you for real?!"
"Ryuji!" Takamaki-san hissed, glaring at him. "Indoor voice!"
"We're outside," he retorted.
"I believe Anne is saying that we should not garner attention with your shouting, Ryuji," Kitagawa-san said blandly.
"Oh?" Akechi-san tilted his head, scrutinizing Sakamoto-san. "You're quite invested in this, no?"
His gaze was really unsettling. It was almost calculating. Akechi-san was… testing them, weren't they?
Did he at least suspect their identities? Was he searching for solid proof then? This was bad… especially since he was officially investigating the Phantom Thieves now. He had to divert Akechi-san's attention somehow…
Ken opened his mouth but Amamiya-san beat him to the punch.
"You seem rather calm about the threat, wouldn't you say?" Amamiya-san asked in an even tone, then placed his hands in his pocket. "Wouldn't this be breaking news?"
Akechi-san just chuckled. "Well, Amamiya-kun… it could be just a meaningless threat. Though I have to say—your reactions are rather interesting. And most of you attend Shujin, don't you? The same place where Kamoshida was employed…"
"Yeah, what of it?" Sakamoto-san challenged.
"Is it not odd that your group seems to gain a new member every time the Phantom Thieves take down a new criminal?" Akechi inquired.
"What are you stalking us or something? Don't you have real criminals to catch? Or are you that bored because the Phantom Thieves are doing your jobs for you?" Amamiya-san said with a wry smile, coupled with a raise of his eyebrow.
Akechi-san's brow twitched but he ignored Amamiya-san's barb. He just crossed his arms, plastering another one of his TV smiles.
"So, we're not allowed to make friends?" Makoto-san said icily. "Is that why we're under suspicion, Akechi-kun?"
He smiled thinly. "Defensive as always, Niijima-san."
Makoto-san scowled at him, but Sakamoto-san beat her to the punch.
He demanded, "What do you want, Akechi? I know you didn't come over here for no reason."
Akechi-san just shrugged. "I was just curious… especially since Niijima-san has always had trouble befriending people."
Ken frowned. That was just uncalled for, to insult Makoto-san like that. Besides that, Akechi-san didn't seem like he was exactly swimming in friends. Real friends, not people who just fawned over him.
"And now you welcome her into your group? It's a bit suspicious, wouldn't you say?" he questioned curiously.
"Is there a reason you're singling her out in particular?" Ken moved in front of Makoto-san.
"Senpai, he's probably just mad she's not squealing over him like the rest of his empty-headed fans." Sakamoto-san moved next to Ken.
Takamaki-san then moved to stand with them in front of Makoto-san, "Add me to that list then. Seriously, you'd think a guy who appears that often on interviews would know how to properly talk to a lady."
"Guys…" Makoto-san smiled, but then shook her head. "Let's all take it down a notch. We're in public after all. Let's not argue. But I do appreciate you all."
Ken caught it for a split moment, but Akechi-san was rolling his eyes. But he must've caught Ken looking at him, because he masked it quickly with another affable smile.
"But you know, I'll throw you a bone Mr. Detective. Haven't you heard the juicy secret? Ryuji's a Phantom Thief," Amamiya-san announced blithely, out of the blue.
Ken blinked. What on Earth was Amamiya-san doing?
"Say what?!" Sakamoto-san gaped at him. "What the hell, dude?!"
Makoto-san and Takamaki-san turned to their leader, eyeing him with confusion.
"Ren, what…?" Kitagawa-san said, turning to make certain Akechi-san didn't see how shocked his expression was.
"Yep." Amamiya-san nodded, with a cheeky grin. "I mean it's just so obvious, the police should be embarrassed he's the real mastermind. And he and his minions don't just steal hearts, they also trap wind in nets!"
Oh, so that was Amamiya-san's ploy. Ken started to chuckle. As did Makoto-san and Takamaki-san. Sakamoto-san still looked at his friend annoyed. Kitagawa-san just smiled and shook his head.
Akechi-san actually laughed too. But it was a more polite laugh, not out of genuine amusement. But… Ken couldn't help but notice that he looked… aggravated too, with how his jaw clenched. He quickly masked it with that TV smile of his, though.
"Sorry, I can be such a kidder sometimes. But if you want my opinion, there is something suspicious going on here. And I'm staring right at the source." Amamiya-san said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Following around a bunch of students just to pick mostly on one girl because she has friends now? To heckle the student who is a victim of his teacher? Kinda weird creepy behavior. Whatever your angle is, we're not interested."
Everyone grew a bit tense at that. Akechi-san actually seemed taken aback for a moment. They all remained quiet for a few short seconds. Akechi-san regained his composure however.
"You always manage to surprise me, Amamiya-kun." He quirked an eyebrow, "I suppose you'll continue to do so."
"I try," Amamiya-san said with a casual shrug, a cockier smirk tugged at his lips this time.
Akechi-san then sighed. "Though, I must get going. I am needed at the station."
It was silent for several moments, even after Akechi-san had disappeared from their sights.
All of them in unison took a deep breath of relief. That was far more stressful than he'd care to admit.
"You know, I'm surprised that you have taken a disliking to Akechi, Amada-san," Kitagawa-san said after a moment.
"Why wouldn't I?" Ken scoffed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "He's…he just rubs me the wrong way. And I prefer the original Detective Prince."
"Wait, there's an original?" Sakamoto-san asked.
"He is called the second coming of the Detective Prince," Takamaki-san said. "And I've heard the original was seriously a prodigy."
Makoto-san nodded. "Yes, Naoto Shirogane. She's the fifth Shirogane to become a detective. And Anne's right, Shirogane-san became a detective when she was thirteen or fourteen. I believe their family have been detectives for over a century. She helped solve the Hanged Man case that took place in Inaba."
"Wait, the original was a girl?" Sakamoto-san asked, his eyes wide with shock. "Why is she a 'Prince' then?"
"I heard it was because she didn't want to be treated differently. She pretended to be a boy for a time, I heard she admitted the truth in high school. She made a pretty convincing boy from what I read. I remember the press freaking out when she came out as a girl," Amamiya-san remarked.
"The criminal justice community is not… kind to women," Makoto-san said with a grimace. "So she had a good reason to masquerade as a male. My sister… has had a hard time being taken seriously as a female prosecutor. I admit, Shirogane-san is an inspiration to many women who decide to work in law enforcement jobs."
"Though I must ask you something, Ren," Kitagawa-san stated.
Amamiya-san nodded. "Shoot."
He let out a frustrated sigh, folding his arms over his chest. "Was what you said to Akechi really necessary?"
"Hey, it worked," he shrugged, spreading out his hands. "I needed to do something to get Akechi to stop his little interrogation."
Ken chided, "And this is why you need to be more careful. I personally think he's suspicious of all of you."
Though he had to wonder, why did Akechi-san even alert them to Medjed's announcement? Just what was his motive?
"Us…" Morgana said as his head finally popped out of Amamiya-san's bag.
"Hm?" Ken looked down towards him.
"We should be careful because he's suspicious of all of us. That would include you too. You're one of us now," Morgana corrected.
Ken deflated a bit, feeling his cheeks grow warm at such an obvious stumble. "Ah… right."
After that, they headed back to the penthouse to discuss everything they had learned. They agreed that they had to confront Sakura-san. They were there for about fifteen or so minutes. Ken alerted Shinjiro-san ahead of time they would be heading back briefly to store some leftovers for him. But they'd be heading back out soon.
Amamiya-san then took them to Yongen-jaya.
Morgana was in a rather… melancholic mood. As the sushi Amamiya-san saved for him was decided to be used as a peace offering for Sakura-san, an excuse to confront him by offering him some leftovers.
Morgana complained that the leftovers Ken bought for Shinjiro-san should have been the sacrificial lamb instead. Takamaki-san told him to stop complaining, and Shinjiro-san deserved a thanks from all of them for the delicious meal the other day. Makoto-san then chimed in that they didn't think about this idea for a peace offering until after they left Ken's place.
He was… sort of half listening in the conversation. Too distracted by the anticipation and anxiousness of what they might find out when confronting Sakura-san.
Yongen-jaya was a tiny ward, mainly for residential homes from the looks of it. Though Ken had noticed there were a few small businesses. Amamiya-san had led them down an alley, stopping at the last house.
But Amamiya-san was now fiddling with the door lock with this lockpick he was carrying in his bag for some reason. Morgana was sitting on the door step, sulking at the loss of his sushi. Ken couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, honestly.
"Jeez, it looks it's gonna rain again," Sakamoto-san grumbled, glancing up at the darkening sky.
Takamaki-san nodded while grimacing, "Yeah, it looks like we may get a thunderstorm tonight."
"A-Are you serious?" Makoto-san said, her voice cracking ever so slightly.
"Do you have astraphobia, Makoto?" Kitagawa-san inquired.
Makoto-san glowered at him; she had one nasty glare but Kitagawa-san hardly blinked.
"No. I just don't want to get soaked again," she stated, still glaring at him.
Someone was being defensive, that was a bit odd for her.
"I think we all just lucked out, not getting sick from the fireworks festival," Takamaki-san sighed, shaking her head.
"Annnd here we go!" Amamiya-san pronounced, grinning proudly as he tossed away his lockpick, which disappeared into the bushes.
"What are you doing?" Ken frowned.
"Eh, I'll just make another." Amamiya-san waved him off. "I'm due to a tool crafting session soon anyways."
Tool crafting?
Morgana chuckled and looked at Amamiya-san with…. pride?
Ken just sighed and shook his head, pushing the question out of his mind. It'll come up later if it's relevant information, he's sure.
They then entered the house, which was cloaked in darkness. Ken couldn't help but shudder. He wasn't fond of the dark, even before he had awakened to his Persona. He couldn't sleep in absolute darkness. It was nothing crippling but… he'd rather avoid it if possible.
"Can someone find the lights?" Makoto asked, her voice unusually unsteady.
"Hang on a sec…" Sakamoto-san's voice sounded far away. "Think I've found it."
He then groaned, cursing under his breath.
"What's wrong?" Morgana asked urgently.
Sakamoto-san grumbled out, "I think… the lights are busted."
"Of course they are," Ken said dryly, only to pause when he saw Makoto-san in the dim lighting.
Ken had to squint a bit to make out her features, but he could see that she had become deathly pale. Was something the matter?
He stepped closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong, Makoto-san?"
"Wrong?" she repeated. "Of course not! I'm fine!"
Her voice was uncharacteristically high-pitched, which didn't exactly help to sell her performance.
"I'm perfect, in fact!" she insisted.
Ken stared at her blankly.
Makoto-san's shoulders slumped in resignation.
"I may… not do so well in the dark," she admitted in a small voice.
He could sympathize with that. Though Makoto-san looked far more affected than he was. But what could he do to help her?
"Er… if you want, you could hold onto my arm?" he offered.
When Makoto-san's expression turned startled, the implications began to set in. He didn't want her to think that he was hitting on her or anything weird.
"O-Only if you want to, though!" he added hastily.
Makoto-san blinked at him, before she gave him a hesitant smile. She then reached out to take his arm.
"Um… thank you, Ken," she murmured, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
"An—" Ken stopped short, before correcting himself. "N-No problem."
Why was he so… awkward? Was it because this was a classic "subtle" move guys pulled on girls all the time? Whatever, he had to focus. They needed to locate Sakura-san.
Kitagawa-san inquired, "Ren, are you positive you have the right place? Boss doesn't appear to be here…"
Ken couldn't help but frown. He might have a point there.
"The plaque read Sakura though," Takamaki-san pointed out. "I don't think there are many Sakura families here, let alone in Yongen-jaya."
Amamiya-san just nodded in agreement.
"This was the address given to me by my…" For some reason, Amamiya-san hesitated before he continued, "Well I got this address from my parents… before I started school that is. I ended up here first before finding LeBlanc. There was this delivery guy who redirected me to LeBlanc. This has to be the place."
He sounded a little tense at the start there. That was unusual for Amamiya-san; he usually was rather easy-going. But his parents was obviously a sore point… Ken couldn't help but frown, wondering what Amamiya-san's relationship with his parents was like.
"Debating about this isn't going to help us," Morgana grumbled.
Sakamoto-san suddenly called out, "Hey, Futaba, you here?! We just wanna talk!"
"Sakamoto-san—" Ken began.
"Dude, when are you gonna drop the formal stuff, we're a team now."
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, he corrected himself. "Fine. Ryuji-san, I don't think that's a good idea."
Takamaki-san suggested, "Yeah, we probably should investigate the rooms separately. Like half of us could take the rooms down here, while the other half take upstairs—"
They all froze as the familiar sound of wood creaking began to echo throughout the house. Someone was definitely here.
"W-What was that?" Makoto-san squeaked out, gripping his arm tightly.
Ken couldn't help but wince as her fingernails dug into his arm. He wouldn't be surprised if she left a mark on him. She really had an iron grip on him.
"U-Um, actually…" Takamaki-san said shakily, "I-I'll check the back porch!"
"Wuss," Sakamoto-san scoffed. "I didn't know you were a scaredy-cat."
"Gr…" Takamaki-san growled before Ken heard her stamp her foot. "Shut up, Ryuji!"
"Ryuji, don't pick on Anne," Amamiya-san sighed.
"Yeah, Ryuji!" Takamaki-san said childishly.
Ken then saw Amamiya-san turn to Takamaki-san.
"And Anne, calm down, okay? This isn't a horror movie—you could always do what Makoto is doing." It was hard to not hear the smirk in his voice.
"Don't kid around like that, Ren!" she huffed.
"Dude, seriously?" Sakamoto-san groaned.
Was Amamiya-san trying to get her to notice him and she just wasn't getting it? He was definitely trying to flirt with her. Maybe Takamaki-san was just on the oblivious side.
"Horror has such a horrible aesthetic anyways," Kitagawa-san said absently. "So much gore and they usually have horrible special effects."
"Not remotely true! There are several that have some of the most top-tier special effects! You've only seen the trashy ones!" Sakamoto-san complained.
"I fail to see how this conversation is helping," Morgana said flatly, sounding a little peeved at all the banter.
The girls were rather freaked out, though. Takamaki-san looked ready to bolt, and there was how Makoto-san clung to his arm like it was like a lifeline. He didn't mind letting Makoto-san cling onto him, but he hadn't really expected it from her of all people. And… she definitely was squeezing too tight. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with a mark of some kind. Though he supposed the thunder rumbling in the background didn't exactly help.
Ken knew better than to comment on it, though. The girls would just get mad at him and knowing that Makoto-san had a secretly volatile temper, it would be best to just keep his mouth shut on that subject. Especially since he would be in the perfect position to get smacked.
Ken's gaze fell onto the wooden flight of stairs. He could see a small figure, cloaked in darkness, slowly descending the stairs.
So that was the source of the sound.
"Hm?" Kitagawa-san turned his head. "Do you see something?"
"On the stairs," Ken said.
"D-Don't point it out!" Makoto-san all but whined out. "C-Can we just go?"
She was all but hyperventilating and her grasp on Ken's arm tightened.
"Boss isn't here and we're trespassing and… and… Let's just go, okay?! We can come back another time!" Makoto-san exclaimed.
Morgana insisted, "We can't! We're already here—we might as well see it through!"
But Ken suddenly felt a pair of eyes boring into him. He was very familiar with the sensation, sadly. Makoto-san must have felt it too because he felt her stiffen. She slowly turned.
And in that moment, lightning flashed, illuminating the figure standing behind them. Ken could only make out long orange hair and a large pair of glasses. It was a tad startling, but Ken was more curious than anything.
Makoto-san however, didn't exactly take it so calmly.
She shrieked loudly; the loudest sound Ken had heard her make. This only caused the shorter girl to scream back, blasting all of their eardrums. She fled back up the stairs, but Makoto-san didn't seem to notice. Makoto-san's arms suddenly latched completely around him, before yanking him closer to her. She then buried her face against his shoulder.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" she blurted out in a rush, all while still clinging onto him.
For a moment, Ken was frozen. His face felt as hot as a furnace. Then he snapped back to reality. He had to comfort her.
"M-Makoto-san, you need to calm down…" Ken said shakily, while gingerly trying to untangle himself from her strong grip.
But this only made Makoto-san panic.
"Nonono, don't leave me! Sis, help me!" she begged.
"I'm not leaving you—" Ken began, only to be cut off.
"Getting cozy?" Amamiya-san asked teasingly.
Ken said through gritted teeth, feeling a strong urge to hit the younger boy, "Amamiya-san, you are not helping."
They all suddenly realized however the girl that was there, was gone now.
"Wait!" Sakamoto-san groaned. "Dammit! We were so close…"
"That must have been her!" Kitagawa-san exclaimed, "Futaba Sakura, right?"
Takamaki-san's voice began to quiver. "Do you think Futaba-chan will be okay? I hope we didn't scare her too badly…"
Sakamoto-san made an annoyed huff. "Uh, what's this we? I think she would've been fine if Makoto hadn't screamed at her!"
"Will you knock it off?" Ken hissed, his eyes flickering to Makoto-san.
She had calmed down enough to stop latching onto him. But she still looked on edge. Ken sighed to himself. He just wished he could do something to ease her mind.
"This is quite enough," Kitagawa-san sighed. "We'll just have to try again another d—"
"Futaba?!" Loud footsteps thumped against the floor, and a moment later, the door slammed open. "Futaba, are you okay?!"
"B-Boss!" Takamaki-san squeaked.
"Annnd we're dead," Amamiya-san muttered under his breath.
"I promise we can explain!" Kitagawa-san said hurriedly.
"Don't move!" the newcomer ordered.
He then groped around for a flashlight before shining the light right in their eyes. Ken grimaced as spots of light started to dance in front of his eyes. He really hoped that they wouldn't get arrested for this.
Then the middle-aged man suddenly gasped. "Wait… Ren?!"
"H-Hey, Sojiro?" Amamiya-san said weakly.
"What… wait what are all of you doing here?!"
This wasn't awkward. At all.
He certainly wasn't making the best first impression to Amamiya-san's guardian. Ken let out a deep sigh.
Ken's head was spinning. Some of the information Sakura-san had offered him was just… overwhelming.
The fact that she had been suffering the whole time since her mother died made Ken feel simply horrified. Her becoming a shut-in, suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations… Poor Futaba-san.
"We were totally off the mark." Sakamoto-san shook his head. "You heard Boss… he only cares 'bout Futaba's wellbeing. There's no way that he's abusing her."
"We did find out earlier today at the sushi restaurant that Boss also has no Palace," Kitagawa-san reminded them.
"I-I mean, that's a relief, isn't it?" Takamaki-san asked, obviously looking to look on the bright side. "Especially since Ren is under his care…"
She then bit her lip, before wrapping her arms around herself.
Her voice was soft with sympathy. "But poor Futaba-chan… isn't there something we can do?"
He didn't blame her for being worried. For Futaba-san to have auditory and visual hallucinations… something horrible must have happened for her to be that traumatized. Mitsuru-san did say that Futaba-san witnessed her mother's death.
A part of Ken couldn't help but wonder… just how much damage has that poor girl been subject to? And he was concerned about what exactly she saw and heard…
But the question was, what had happened? And just why did Futaba-san think that she was responsible for her mother's death?
"Is it… possible for her to still have a Palace?" Ken said slowly. "What even are the requirements to have a Palace?"
"Well, it just requires having your desires to be heavily distorted, according to Morgana," Amamiya-san said.
They all stopped, realizing they were absent a furry companion.
"Where is he, anyways?" Makoto-san inquired with a frown.
"Don't worry about him. He's pretty smart," Sakamoto-san spoke up. "And Yongen-jaya ain't that big. I'm sure that he'll find his way back here, no problem. Maybe he's just hungry… we did kinda screw him out of a special dinner."
Ken winced at that again. Morgana was really looking forward to that.
"But shall we test it?" Kitagawa-san inquired, already pulling out his phone.
Kitagawa-san's brow furrowed and he frowned heavily as he stared down at the device.
"What would the keywords even be, I wonder?" Makoto-san asked.
Ken's eyebrow rose. They were going to try to crack the code now? This should be interesting.
"Let's see…" Sakamoto-san said, pulling out his phone. His voice was uncertain as he spoke again. "How 'bout… the Futaba Sakura who lives in Sojiro Sakura's house?"
"Candidate found."
Makoto-san straightened up, before rubbing her chin. "It's a hit. For the location, I think the only place would be Boss's house."
Sakamoto-san gave a distracted nod.
"Okay… let's see. Sojiro Sakura's house?" he said uncertainly.
The app reacted positively to that input again as well. This whole method was just so weird but also fascinating at the same time.
"Now we just need the distortion…" Makoto-san mused.
"Distortion?" Ken asked, feeling rather confused with the term.
"It's how the host views their palace as," Takamaki-san explained, brushing her pigtail behind her back. "For Kamoshida, he viewed himself as a king and our school as his castle."
Oh, so that made sense, Kaneshiro felt like he owned the city of Shibuya. That was why it looked like that.
But what would Futaba-san's even look like? The app said she was a candidate.
"How about prison?" Amamiya-san suggested.
"Candidate not found."
"Damn, of course," Sakamoto-san sighed, scrunching up his face. "I've got no other ideas…"
Ken glanced at the others. "We probably should speak to Futaba tomorrow. It might give us a better image of everything if we can talk to her."
"We should prepare to enter the Palace then," Kitagawa-san stated.
"Oh, that reminds me." Amamiya-san suddenly snapped his fingers, before turning to Ken. "What kind of gun do you think you want to use?"
In hindsight, he should have seen this coming. But still… the thought of using an actual gun was odd. Not to mention, he was a little afraid of hitting one of his new teammates if he misfired. But then again, the way Takamaki-san used her gun wasn't exactly the safest way—maybe he'd be okay?
"A kind of what?" Ken repeated.
Sakamoto-san's voice grew impatient, before he waved his hands. "A gun! We use them to hold up Shadows—you've gotta have one!"
"They're only model guns," Makoto-san said hurriedly, shooting the two younger boys an exasperated look. "Don't worry. Ren just goes to an airsoft shop and buys everything there."
While he did have his Evoker… force of habit would probably have him try to shoot himself. And that would not turn out well.
"I guess… a handgun?" Ken shrugged. "I don't exactly have much knowledge on guns."
Takamaki-san shook her head. "Ren has pistols. You have to pick something else."
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Ken grumbled, even though he knew perfectly well that Amamiya-san used a pistol during the fights.
"I mean… you were skulking around us that last time," Sakamoto-san said with a shrug.
Ken cut in defensively, "I wasn't paying attention to what type of gun he was using!"
Which was a total lie.
"Eh, it's fine." Amamiya-san waved a hand. "There are so many types of guns. What do you want him to use? A grenade launcher?"
Ken made a face at that suggestion. Amamiya-san just chuckled and leaned back against the wall.
"I'll think of something for you more fitting, don't worry," he said while putting his hands in his pocket.
"So, we're settled then?" Makoto-san said. "We'll meet in front of Boss's house tomorrow morning… to talk to Futaba-chan."
"Eleven good for everyone?" Amamiya-san asked.
Makoto-san suddenly froze, before she pressed a hand against her temple.
"Ah, sorry, I just remembered. We have the school assembly tomorrow," she stated.
Right, he couldn't even remember what the assembly was going to be about…
"Ugh, what a pain," Sakamoto-san complained.
"We'll text you, Yusuke, when we're done," Amamiya-san said with a sigh.
Kitagawa-san nodded in agreement. "That's fine by me. But perhaps if our meeting is around lunchtime, I probably should bring bean sprouts to munch on the train then…"
Bean sprouts? Yeah, Shinjiro-san would really not be happy with Kitagawa-san's eating habits. Ken made a mental note to make a lunch for Kitagawa-san. Someone had to feed him.
After that, everyone dispersed, heading for their respective homes. Well, except for Amamiya-san.
"Aren't you going to where you're staying at?" Ken asked with a frown.
Amamiya-san just offered him a wry smile. "Already at it."
"You live here?" Ken asked, unable to stop himself from staring; he then pressed a hand to his temple. "I'm sorry if I unintentionally rubbed where I'm staying at in your face."
He waved Ken off with an easygoing smile, which made Ken relax a little.
Amamiya-san shrugged. "Nah, it's cool. I mean you were nice enough to offer shelter from the rain."
"If you say so…" Ken then paused at the door, looking at Amamiya-san. "And um, thank you for welcoming me onto the team."
Amamiya-san just grinned at him. "I'm sure you'll make a great addition."
Then he paused, his expression thoughtful.
Ken frowned quizzically at him. "What is it?"
"You've had experience in that soujutsu, right? I was wondering… can you teach me anything, like combat training of any sort?" Amamiya-san asked.
Teach him? Just what could he teach Amamiya-san?
Ken pursed his lips together.
"Well, I suppose I could teach you how to… fight in tandem?" he said tentatively.
There was the situation with Sho Minazuki. Maybe Amamiya-san would find that useful.
"I used to fight with a partner, so I have some experience in that. And I suppose I can help you out with determining Shadows' weaknesses as well. Though in return… I would like to hear more about your exploits in the past. This stuff is… weird and freaky. But I wanna learn more about it. The more I learn, the better help I can be."
Amamiya-san nodded, before flashing him a grin. "You've got yourself a deal."
Then he looked straight at Ken, the corner of his mouth twitching. It took Ken a minute to realize that the younger boy was stifling a smile.
"But you know… Ryuji is right. It wouldn't kill you to be less formal with us. We're teammates now, right? Loosen up!"
Ken sighed softly. Minako-san often told him a similar thing.
"I suppose you're right… Ama—Ren-san."
Ken felt his face warm up in embarrassment as the younger boy burst into laughter.
"So close!" he laughed. "We'll work on getting you to stop being so polite."
Ken glowered at him. "W-What's wrong with being polite?"
The younger boy gave him a cheeky grin, "It is when you act like twice your age."
"I'm going home."
"I don't hear a denial," he said in a sing-song voice.
"Good night, Ren-san."
Thou art I… and I am thou.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breakth thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Adjustment Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
ADJUSTMENT CONFIDANT
Rank 1 (Shadow Elimination): Ken may suggest two elements when Ren targets a Shadow for analysis, if the weakness is unknown. One of these elements will be the Shadow's weakness.
Rank 2 (Baton Pass)
Rank 3 (Fusion Raid): Two party members may perform a special co-op attack when all Shadows are all knocked down (essentially the P4G special co-op attacks/P5R's showtime attacks)
Rank 4 (Follow Up Attack)
Rank 5 (Veteran Talk)
Rank 6 (Harisen Recovery)
Rank 7 (Unison Attack): Two or more party members may step in with a special attack, after Ren knocks down a Shadow.
Rank 8 (Endure)
Rank 9 (Protect)
Rank 10 (Co-op Attack): Chance for Ren and a party member to have a special co-op attack to knock down all Shadows, after Ren knocks down one Shadow
Personas: Ammit (level 31), Astraea (level 40), Jeanne d'Arc (level 48), Janus (level 54), Forseti (level 63), Shamash (level 68), Adraestia (level 75)
Ultimate Persona: Ma'at (level 83)
So, Ken has officially joined the Phantom Thieves! And Ren has initiated his confidant with Ken.
Though for anyone who is confused about Ken's confidant arcana, the Adjustment arcana is an alternate reading of the Justice arcana from the Thoth deck.
Adjustment seeks balance and growth around core principles, but never forgets that understanding the past brings insight to the future. Finding harmony with the higher self brings stability to both the internal and external landscapes.
Credit to Death_Prince_3 for inspiring the confidant bonuses.
Edit Notes (5/23/24): Expansions on most of the scenes, including the Akechi appearance featuring more interactions with Akechi and Ren. I would like to note that "trapping wind in nets" is a Japanese saying, similar to the Western saying "hell would freeze over" or "pigs would fly". Thank you again to my beta angelrin89 for her hard work!