Chapter 9
The Pyramid of Wrath
Monday, July 25th, 2016
It felt almost nostalgic being in a group discussing their next plan of action before tackling the Shadow nest (or Palace in this case) mixed in with the mundane complaints of the day to day. Even with some of them teasing him that he's too formal and should start being more casual with them. So to compensate, he would…sorta. He wasn't dropping the honorific unless he felt like it, no mature how much Ryuji-san and Ren-san teased him.
The group all met up at LeBlanc again, specifically in Ren-san's… room. He was quite surprised Sakura-san placed him in an attic. Though after what Sakura-san explained about Futaba-san's situation…it was understandable.
The two big differences were that he wasn't the youngest of the group this time, and… he was a total liar.
No… one difference. He wasn't honest about his intentions when he joined SEES either. Yes, he and Shinjiro-san were able to move past that. But it still stings thinking about the past.
Ken tried to ignore the guilt that kept clinging to him; the several lies he had to tell to keep him from seeming suspicious so he could spy on them all for Mitsuru-san.
Ryuji-san's voice cut through Ken's thoughts suddenly.
"God, why couldn't the school just send us a friggin' email or something," he groaned, before dropping down on a seat and slouching in it. "That assembly a complete waste of time."
"Don't complain," Makoto-san sighed, before sitting down herself. She then crossed her legs. "At least it's over now. And now we can focus on how to help Futaba."
Ren-san then turned to Morgana, frowning heavily. "Seriously, Morgana, where did you go last night? You had me worried."
Morgana sighed, his ears drooping. "Sorry, but I found it the perfect opportunity to do some snooping. I discovered something important."
Ken raised an eyebrow at that. Morgana's size definitely worked in his advantage. Though he was surprised that Sakura-san hadn't noticed him. Or that Futaba-san hadn't screamed when some strange cat showed up. Maybe there was more to Morgana's "recon" than what meant the eye.
Morgana then took a deep breath. "Futaba was listening in on us in LeBlanc."
"How so?" Yusuke-san paused in eating the lunch Ken had prepared for him.
"A bug?" Ken guessed.
If they had discussed him in the aftermath of Kaneshiro's defeat… that would explain how Futaba knew about him being in Tokyo.
"More or less," Morgana said with a nod. "She seems to be quite a technological genius."
"But… why listen in on the café?" Anne-san asked with a frown.
Makoto-san stroked her chin as she thought. "Ren has never met her before… perhaps Futaba had the bug even before Ren even moved out here. Maybe it was a way for her to keep an eye on Boss."
"Who knows?" Ryuji-san sighed, before shaking his head. "She's a tough nut to crack, like Boss said."
Makoto-san continued, "But either way, we will need her help, if we are to stand up to Medjed. Her hacking abilities seem to be unparalleled, if she can so easily hack into Ren and Ken's phones."
That's true and he thought Fuuka-san was good. Especially with how she managed to piece together the video Yukari-san's dad had made… which Ikutsuki had attempted to destroy. But this was completely different. He wasn't even sure Fuuka-san could do what Futaba-san did.
"How would she even bug this place though... she doesn't even go outside?" Ryuji-san asked.
Makoto-san crossed her arms and closed her eyes for a moment, after a few seconds she opened up her eyes again.
"Well most likely, she must have bugged something Boss would have had to brought in himself. For example, if she bought him something online, tinkered with it, then handed it to him to bring into the café," she theorized.
That would make the most sense, Ken had to agree with that.
Anne-san mused, "I wonder what Futaba-chan's Palace will be like…"
She absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger, before biting her lip.
"She must not be like the other Palace rulers we've seen. If she has a Palace, her mindset must be a bit… warped," she added, sadness tingeing her voice.
While all of them were naturally concerned for Futaba-san, Anne-san was especially concerned for some reason. Ken couldn't help but wonder why. Not that he'd pry of course, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious.
"Yes, combine that with all that loss she endured… that probably will contribute to her Palace I would imagine… I can't help but feel for her. Not knowing one parent ever, and the only one who is your world, taken from you, and she had to see it with her own eyes..." Makoto-san's lower lip trembled for a moment, but she took a deep breath and sat up straighter.
But even so… Ken noticed her hands fisting her skirt, belying her still turbulent emotions. Especially since her knuckles had gone white.
Makoto-san then sighed heavily before smoothing out her skirt. "Sorry… I know our situations aren't similar. I just… sympathize, she must have felt so lonely. And it was so worse for her."
Yusuke-san put a comforting hand on Makoto-san's shoulder.
"Your situations are not a contest, so don't treat what you endured as lesser pain to hers," the artist said before he stepped back. "I too can understand to a point how she probably feels, but my circumstances were also different, that doesn't make it lesser. All the more reason we should save her. So she doesn't have to be lonely anymore, we can have her back. Like you all did for me."
Ken's eyes widened slightly. He knew Yusuke was an artist, so he was eloquent with words at times, but he seemed a bit… socially unaware. However, he was so thoughtful with his words here for his friend.
He felt bad for Makoto-san but was hesitant for a moment on what to say to comfort her. Yusuke-san seemed to know exactly what to say, and Makoto-san gave him a small smile, while Anne-san placed a comforting hand on her friend's elbow. Makoto-san gave her a nod as well.
They were good people. He knew he needed to keep himself from getting biased, but… he found it hard to believe this group could go rogue. He sighed to himself. He needed to remember he was doing this for Mitsuru-san and the others.
Ken shook his head. "That doesn't necessarily mean she's bad. Everyone has a Shadow… insecurities that they don't want to admit. I assume that people with Palaces have lost control of their Shadow and have allowed it to rule their mindset."
Everyone else stared at him, questions burning in their eyes.
"Oops…" Ken thought sheepishly to himself.
He couldn't reveal too much to them. He had to be more careful.
"Um… how would you know that?" Makoto-san finally asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh… I studied a little bit of Jung during my spare time," Ken said, quickly averting his eyes. "Personas and Shadows are an important part of that subject… albeit I don't think Jung had quite the Metaverse in mind when talking about the concepts."
He remembered Fuuka-san talking a little about that. She had taken a few psychology classes for fun during university, and she had explained to Ken how Personas and Shadows were an actual concept in Jungian psychology.
"I been thinking about when looking into this stuff on my own before I met you all, how interesting Jungian fits with some of the stuff I found in that place. Sure, there are discrepancies… of the supernatural kind… but anyways, you'd be surprised how much it applies to Personas and Shadows," he added.
"Oh, that never occurred to me," Yusuke-san admitted. "That is fascinating though."
"Hey, we're veering off topic, we can discuss philosophy some other time," Ren-san interjected.
Ken sighed but gave Ren-san a nod. Ken mentally kicked himself for letting his mouth run a little back there but was grateful he actually managed to convince them of that one. He really needed to be more careful.
"Futaba-chan is just so young though…" Anne-san trailed off with a sigh, closing her eyes. "Just what happened to her for the distortions to occur…?"
Ken bit his lip, looking down at his lap.
"She watched her mother die. I think that would be enough to traumatize anyone," he said quietly.
Yusuke-san's expression became troubled, before pursing his lips. "I'm honestly concerned about the hallucinations Boss has mentioned…"
"Maybe… the shit she's been hearing and seeing… is connected to some memories that Futaba's been pushin' away? I mean, Boss said she saw some creepy shit… like her mom watching her," Ryuji-san suggested.
Anne-san opened her eyes, before she shuddered.
"D-Do you have to put it that way?" she asked with a wince.
Morgana said sadly, "Sorry, Lady Anne, but it's true. I think Ryuji is right… Futaba is most likely repressing some kind of memory. The memory may have become warped due to the trauma."
"So… we have to go after her Treasure," Ren-san concluded.
"Will that help her?" Makoto-san asked with uncertainty. "Would our powers work in this scenario? She's not like the others. We won't cause more problems for her… will we?"
Ren-san shook his head and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Who knows, but we have to try. The only way we can know how to help her, is to go to her Palace. We'll proceed with caution, of course."
Anne-san's expression turned determined before she looked at each and every one of them. "So, do we have an agreement? Futaba-chan's Palace is our next target."
The whole group nodded in unison. Ken felt himself exhale a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.
"Though… I'm a bit worried," Morgana said.
"Whadya mean?" Ryuji-san frowned.
Morgana sighed before he stared down at the table. "Well, it's just… the irregularity of the case. Someone asking for their heart to be stolen is not something that usually occurs. We have no idea what the Palace will be like…"
Ken raised an eyebrow at that. "You didn't know how the Palace set-up would be for Kaneshiro, right? Just assume that the Palace is just another obstacle you have to tackle… and be prepared for anything."
"It's not that…!" Morgana shook his head.
Ken was honestly surprised that there was a quiver of uncertainty in his voice. From what he had seen, Morgana was rather boastful and confident.
"I just… I don't know what we'll face. This is nothing like what we faced before… not even close. All Palaces before saw us as a threat. None of them wanted their desires stolen. Here we have one blatantly asking us. It's just… on paper it sounds like that would be easy. But my instincts tell me it will be the opposite. I just… feel really uneasy," he stated, still sounding troubled.
"We still have to, Morgana," Ren-san said quietly, before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Even without Medjed… Futaba has been suffering for quite some time. Especially since she's so young… we can't leave this be. Besides, it's not like we haven't ran into trouble before."
Morgana hesitantly nodded. "True, I just wanted that to be voiced, be prepared for the unexpected because this is so unusual. I doubt her Palace will roll out the red carpet for us."
Anne-san smiled lightly and petted Morgana on top of his head.
"As long as we stick together as a team, we'll come out on top like we always have," she encouraged.
Morgana sighed with a smile and nodded his head.
"But the last keyword…" Ken mused. "Just what could it be?"
Yusuke-san stated, "I think… we should ask Futaba herself. It should provide an important clue…"
"That sounds good to me." Ren-san nodded in approval. "We should get going, then."
Then Yusuke-san handed Ken the bento box with a grateful smile. Ken was glad he committed to start doing this. Shinjiro-san would have a heart attack if he heard about Yusuke-san's diet and insist on it himself.
"My thanks, though. The meal was quite delicious. Not on par to Shinjiro-san's cooking, but still, very delicious," Yusuke-san said sincerely.
"Yusuke!" Anne-san scolded. "And after he cooked for you—!"
Yusuke-san stared blankly at her, before tilting his head slightly. "I called his cooking delicious. I do not understand."
"No, it's okay," Ken dismissed with a wave of his hand, before Anne-san could berate Yusuke-san further. "Shinjiro-san is an excellent cook. I know I'm not quite at his level."
He wasn't offended. Ken knew he was a good cook, but it paled in comparison to Shinjiro-san's cooking.
Anne-san sighed softly, before cupping her cheek. She then gave him a sideway glance.
"Still… it's impressive that you know how to cook. A lot of girls find that attractive in a guy," she remarked teasingly.
Ken felt his face flush. "Um… T-Thank you?"
Why was she bringing this up?
"You know," Ren-san said casually, suddenly leaning towards her, "Sojiro promised to teach me how to cook curry… you should taste test for me, Anne."
Anne-san giggled. "Sure, I'd love to. There's nothing better than free food!"
Ren-san fake gasped, clasping a hand to his chest, "Using me for just free food, Anne? I see how it is."
This just made Anne-san laugh even more. "Hey you're the one to suggest it!"
As the two of them bantered, Ryuji-san grimaced behind their backs. Ken couldn't help but wonder if he felt like he was a third wheel. Minako-san often joked about third wheeling with Minato-san and Yukari-san back when they were living at the dorm, but she was always egging on their relationship. It was no surprise though, with Minato-san being her brother and Yukari-san was her best friend.
Makoto-san chided, "Enough chit-chat. We should get to Boss's house now."
They were going now? What to do about the bento box? It was a high probability that they would enter the Palace…
"Ken, you can just leave it here for now," Ren-san said as if he was reading Ken's mind. "Sojiro's house isn't too far away, so you can just come by and pick up after we're wrapped up for the day."
Ken nodded with a smile, leaving it on the table they had been gathered around just a few minutes ago. Then he noticed that Ren-san was still seated, even as everyone else was leaving.
"Um, aren't you coming…?" he asked.
"We'll catch up in a minute," Ren-san said, stroking the top of Morgana's head. "Go ahead."
Morgana looked awfully down about… something. The question was—what exactly?
But he doubted that he would get Ren-san to say it. It was clear as day that Morgana didn't want it broadcasted so… all he could was respect Ren-san's request and catch up with the others.
"A labyrinth, maybe?"
Candidate not found.
"Um…" Anne-san clasped her hands before her back, her lips pursed together. "Maybe oasis?"
"Another dud…" Ryuji-san sighed, shaking his head as the app rejected that keyword.
"How about hell?" Yusuke-san suggested.
Ken winced. That was a rather morbid suggestion.
Ren-san just shook his head.
"I don't think this will work," Ken sighed. "We need to talk to Futaba-san directly or something..."
Yusuke-san just frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "But… how? Surely, the door will be locked after last night."
"Uh, the same way as last time?" Ren-san said. "We'd have to use another lockpick but…"
"I've got you covered this time," Morgana spoke up.
He was perched on the brick wall, but he jumped on the opposite side, landing right in front of the door.
"And besides, I know where Futaba's room is. We'll be able to speak with her for sure."
"But there's Boss…" Makoto-san said with a wince.
Her eyes flickered to meet Ken's, before her face flushed and she quickly looked away.
She then quickly stated, "He won't buy any excuse…"
"He's at work, though," Anne-san pointed out, one hand on her hip. "It should be fine."
Ken winced. "I don't think she's quite talking about that. There's nothing stopping Futaba-san from telling him that we came into the house."
"Well, an apology is in order anyways. And like Yusuke said… we have to talk to Futaba if we wanna crack the code," Ren-san pointed out.
"That is true," Ken conceded before he sighed. "Well, let's just hope this will turn out well…"
He just hoped this wouldn't blow up in their faces.
Ryuji-san suddenly slapped his back, causing him to stumble forward a bit.
"Come on, don't be such a downer! You've gotta think more positive, man!" he said cheerfully.
Ryuji-san really liked to look on the positive side, didn't he? Though admittedly Ryuji did remind him a bit of Junpei-san… so he supposed it shouldn't come off as that much of a surprise.
"And she did get into contact with Ren repeatedly," Makoto-san looked thoughtful as she stroked her chin. "Hopefully, this means she'll willingly talk to him."
Yusuke-san nodded in agreement. "I don't see why not. Besides, Ren is a person you can easily talk to."
Ren swept a low bow.
"I try," he drawled.
Ken couldn't help but roll his eyes. He noticed Ryuji did too and opened his mouth, but he stopped whatever he was going to say when they all heard a click.
"And done!" Morgana said proudly.
Ken still wanted to know how something that didn't have opposable thumbs could unlock things.
"Hey, good timing, Morgana!" Anne-san said pumping a fist and flashing a cheerful smile. "Let's go!"
The juniors went in first, but Ken felt a tug on his sleeve. Makoto-san was gripping his sleeve, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
"Um… can we talk really quickly?" she asked, looking rather anxious.
Ken frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I just…"
She bowed her head, looking flustered.
"I wanted to apologize for last night," she mumbled out.
She then sighed, before running her fingers through her hair.
"I behaved inappropriately… I scared Futaba-chan and I… um…"
She then looked away, probably to hide her blush.
"D-Don't make me say it," she said, sounding embarrassed.
"It's okay, Makoto-san," Ken said, offering her a smile to reassure her, "You were just… scared. I admit it was a bit… unexpected, but you didn't do anything offensive."
"But I—"
Ken put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll let you in on a secret. I'm not great in the dark either."
"Y-You aren't?" Makoto-san gasped, her eyes growing as wide as saucers. "But you seemed so… composed last night."
"It's not… as debilitating as with you," Ken admitted, before he rubbed his arm. "And I've had to deal with the dark a fair amount. I can handle it to a degree, but I can't sleep in complete darkness. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of the dark. It's a common fear."
"So… we're okay? Really?" Makoto-san's voice was hopeful.
Ken answered with a smile, "We're more than fine. But come on, we should really get g—"
"Oi, Makoto, are you getting cold feet or somethin'?!" Ryuji-san suddenly hollered at them, making them both jump.
Ryuji-san then yelped—judging from the sound, he just got smacked.
"Ryuji, inside voice!" Anne-san snapped at him.
"You both are being loud though…" Yusuke-san's voice faintly chided them.
"Should have known someone would have picked up on it," Makoto-san sighed, shaking her head. "But you're right, Ken. Come on."
It was so uncomfortable, and not just because they were all cramped inside the Mona-bus with the AC barely working.
The Palace was scorching hot. Nothing but a cloudless sky, a blazing sun, and sand as far as the eyes could see. The world of her heart was a lifeless desert for miles on end.
That was unnerving in of itself, but… that wasn't what Ken was focused on. The keyword for her Palace had been "tomb".
"This will be the place where I will die."
Futaba-san was suicidal. She was scared and alone and… felt helpless. Ken's fingers gripped the top of the seat where Ryuji-san and Ren-san sat. Just what would be in the depths in her Palace? He doubted it'd be pretty.
He… didn't like to think about the time he had entertained similar thoughts. He had been consumed by the thoughts of finally rejoining Mom once he had finally gotten revenge. Ken just shuddered at the thought. He was really grateful to Shinjiro-san for showing him the right path, not to mention Akihiko-san for giving him a push forward after he was consumed with guilt over what Takaya had done.
"FINALLY!" Ryuji-san suddenly shouted, snapping Ken out of his thoughts. "That's it, isn't it?"
Makoto-san's voice was filled with awe. "A pyramid. Yes, that must be it."
"And it fits the Golden Ratio… perfectly," Yusuke-san said dreamily. "How marvelous. I never thought a pyramid would be this stunning…"
"I'm… surprised you can tell," Ren said with a chuckle.
Yusuke-san contradicted, "Nonsense! Anyone with a good eye can tell."
They all piled out of the Morgana-bus, and a moment later, Morgana was back to his normal self. But Ken couldn't help but grimace. If anything, the heat was worse.
"Are you okay?" He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Makoto-san looking at him in concern.
"Just… wasn't handling the heat well," Ken quickly lied.
Though not completely a lie if he was honest with himself. He could tolerate the cold much better than the heat. He remembered Akihiko-san taking him aside to ask him about it, as he was concerned about Ken catching a cold with him continuing to wear shorts during the winter.
"Joker prepares coffee to keep our energy up. I'm sure it's iced because of that," Makoto-san said, before pressing her hand against her mouth as she studied him closely. "Oh, but if you're sweating so much, you probably are a bit dehydrated. It might not be a good idea to drink coffee then. Hmm…"
"Makoto-san, it's okay—" Ken began.
"Hey, hey, none of that!" Morgana cut in, leveling a surprisingly potent disapproving stare at Ken.
Ken couldn't help but feel taken aback. What had Morgana all bothered?
"She's Queen here. You have to stick to the code names!" he lectured, paws on his hips.
Right… he forgot that was a thing. They really took the whole Phantom Thief thing seriously. Though honestly, he shuddered to think of what kind of codenames that Minako-san and Junpei-san would cook up.
Anne-san's eyes lit up. "Oooh, we've gotta give him a code name! Any ideas?"
"We should probably wait to see his outfit completely," Ren-san mused. "It's a bit weird that we haven't transformed yet, though…"
"What triggers it then?" Ken asked.
"The owner of the Palace has to view you as a threat," Morgana explained, before frowning.
Then why did Kaneshiro consider him a threat then? He had never met Ken. Ken then shook his head. It wasn't important. Kaneshiro's Palace was gone, after all. There was still so much of this he needed to learn for Mitsuru-san, it will probably be explained to him along the way.
Morgana stared down at the ground. "But hmm… it may be troublesome if we have to fight Shadows…"
"We'll just deal with it when the time comes, then. We have our weapons, at least," Ren-san said, sounding a bit carefree. "Come on, let's go."
Ren-san was the impulsive type, wasn't he?
They then entered the Palace, which was surprisingly cool. Ken had no idea why exactly, but he wasn't complaining.
"It feels like… air conditioning," Yusuke-san observed, tilting his head. "Why is that?"
Morgana cocked his head, before letting out a thoughtful hum. "Well, this is Futaba's Palace. And she always stays in her room, barely venturing outside of it, right? So, her cognition is influencing the Palace. That is why it's so harsh outside, she never goes out there. It's so much safer in her room, comfortable."
Cognition seriously influenced this Shadow nest. That was… interesting. It really showed that Shadow nests varied from place to place. And he thought the TV world was different… he supposed this was somewhat similar to that, but it seems even more extreme.
"A bit odd… but I can't say I have any complaints," Yusuke-san remarked.
"Amen to that," Ren-san chimed in.
Ren-san led them up the stairs, and saw a chasm waiting for them, only with small pillars keeping them from falling to their deaths, to leap across.
"This is starting to feel like some kind of movie or something," Anne-san griped. "I hope this isn't the part where a giant boulder crushes us after we pick up some golden artifact."
Ryuji-san snorted. "This isn't the set of Iowa Jones."
"Well if it was, Panther's got a whip, let's get her a hat to go with it." Ren-san snickered.
"Stop joking around," Morgana said with a glare.
Makoto-san sighed, "Just be careful and watch your step."
They all filtered through one by one, carefully leaping across each pillar. Ken couldn't help but find it surreal watching the group all do this in their civilian attire, due to Futaba-san not seeing them as a threat, as they put it.
But the group safely made it to the other side. Then they ascended many, many stairs. Everyone was panting by the time they reached the top.
"Hey, there's someone there…" Yusuke-san said slowly.
There was a girl with bright orange hair, clad in an Egyptian style dress, an ornate gold headdress on the top of her head, stared at them with her brilliant gold eyes.
"Hey, is this—?" Ryuji-san cut himself off as he looked towards Morgana.
Morgana just shook his head.
"That's Futaba's Shadow. It isn't the real her."
It was unnerving how much she resembled the Investigation Team's Shadows… and his Shadow. That had been a fake but that Shadow had hit a nerve in him, hard. It had been eerie how it seemed to know his insecurities at the time. But at the same time, that encounter was what caused him to wake up. It had helped him realize that he was trying to live in the past.
Futaba-san's Shadow just stared at them blankly.
"Oh yeah, you've seen her face," Ryuji-san said to Morgana. "Hers is dressed kinda like a queen, I guess."
She had an empty stare but she seemed to tense just slightly.
Makoto-san lightly stepped forward and said in a gentle tone, "You're Futaba Sakura, I'm sorry to intrude, but we came here at your request."
Yusuke-san hesitantly stepped forward. "May it be alright if we go further?"
She continued to remain silent and stare at them all. Ryuji-san sighed and tapped his foot out of impatience.
"Hey, where's the Treasure?" Ryuji-san stepped close to her.
Futaba-san slightly stiffened at Ryuji-san's approach. Unfortunately, Ryuji-san didn't seem to notice it.
"You want us to steal it, don't ya? You know where we need to go, right?" Ryuji-san asked.
"Skull, I don't think that's a good idea…" Morgana warned.
He was right. Ken wasn't a fan of people stepping into his personal bubble, so he didn't blame Futaba-san for becoming a little cagey.
"But she wants us to take her treasure!" he protested at Morgana with a glare. "Shouldn't she lead us to it?"
He had a point but… Ryuji-san wasn't noticing the Shadow's body language. She stood rigidly. Her eyes were impassive. Nothing about her implied that she was happy to see them.
"Hey, don't just stare at us!" Ryuji-san huffed, an impatient edge entering his voice. "Come on, say something."
"Skull…" Ren-san began but was cut off by Anne-san.
"Don't be like that!" she hissed, shooting him a glare as she marched forward.
Whatever Ryuji-san wanted to say, died in his throat as he sighed to himself and stepped back. Anne-san then quickly inhaled to calm herself down.
"I-I'm sorry, Futaba-chan… It's okay, there's no need to be scared." Her voice was gentle and apologetic.
It was probably so not to overwhelm her. It was a good move but despite her gentleness with Futaba-san's Shadow, she was unmoved. She just blinked owlishly at Anne.
"Can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?" Anne-san tried to coax Futaba-san, obviously not willing to give up.
More uncomfortable silence. Ken sighed to himself and rubbed the back of his neck.
Ren-san stepped forward and reached out to touch her shoulder. "Panther, I don't think she wants to talk."
"Indeed… This is going nowhere, unfortunately. It appears she does not wish to tell us." Yusuke-san then paused, pursing his lips. "Or even deign to speak to us at all."
Ryuji-san sighed, shaking his head. "Let's just go. This was a total bust."
But then Futaba-san suddenly spoke.
"Those who plunder my tomb… why have you come here?" Her voice came out as a hiss, its pitch lower than Ken had expected.
Her voice was… distorted, much like the Shadow selves he had encountered in Inaba. Ken barely repressed a shudder, recalling facing his own Shadow self. It was a fake, concocted by the mastermind of the incident, but it was… unnerving how his Shadow knew exactly where to poke at. And to think that the Investigation Team gained their Personas by facing their deepest insecurities…
Anne-san gasped, her eyes filled with shock.
"She talked…!" Then she suddenly faltered. "Wait but…"
"What're you sayin'?" Ryuji-san turned around and crossed his arms in confusion.
"You wanted us to steal your treasure though," Ren-san said with a frown. "Isn't that right?"
She just blinked at him, her eyes suddenly clouding over. "If you believe you can steal it… you can go ahead and try."
"That's… rather defiant sounding," Morgana said in a guarded tone.
"Perhaps this is that 'tsundere' thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood." Yusuke-san tilted his head.
Ken just shook his head with a sigh. "Not sure that's what's going on here."
"I suppose, but still her actions are rather… baffling," Yusuke-san stated with a frown before he turned back to Futaba-san's Shadow. "You wish for us to steal your Treasure… but now you're saying… not to?"
The Shadow tensed more as she said, "Considering the state that my Palace is in… there is no way that you can steal it."
That wasn't it. Ken looked into her eyes. Even though she was rather bold with her words, Ken could see her trembling slightly. She was scared. Sakura-san had mentioned how she constantly pushed people away. Was this affecting her Shadow?
Then… disembodied voices began to echo through the chamber.
Creepy child…
You killed her!
You're a plague!
"Hey, the hell is this?" Ryuji-san asked anxiously.
What were these awful voices? Why are they saying these things? Sakura-san mentioned she blamed herself for her mother's death… was this her subconscious lashing out at herself?
"What are these voices?" Yusuke-san muttered out, a little tense.
The whole group looked around in bewilderment but all equally getting uncomfortable. And the voices continued to echo throughout the chamber.
Don't come near me!
Murderer!
Say something!
Shadow Futaba-san then crumpled to her knees, her dress billowing around her as she clutched her head with both of her hands. Anne-san took a step forward, only to hesitate and draw back. She looked so unsure but scared for Futaba-san's Shadow. Her hands clenched around the handle of her whip.
"Murderer?" Makoto-san repeated, her voice numb. "What in the world…?"
You're the one who killed her!
This is all your fault!
Wait… what if these weren't thoughts from her own mind. What if… people actually said this to her?!
"Don't tell me… there were people in her life who'd say such horrible things to her…" Makoto-san closed her eyes and hugged herself, she looked extremely uncomfortable.
It seemed Makoto-san had similar speculation he did. Ken just swallowed a lump in his throat.
He tried not to get wrapped up in his own thoughts, but he couldn't help but be drawn back to the past. The fact that he had felt that nobody had cared for him had driven him to feel suicidal. But this? How long… had she suffered through this? Alone?
"This is horrible…" Anne-san sounded like she was holding back tears, her voice shaky.
"Seriously… what the hell?" Ryuji-san choked out. "This is… This is effed up."
That was an… understatement. Ken just felt… sick to his stomach.
The voices just would not stop.
Monster!
Disgusting brat!
Always your fault!
It should have been you!
But then Ken noticed that Shadow Futaba-san rose to her feet. Her face was completely emotionless. He felt a shiver crawl up his back.
"That's right…" she said hollowly. "I did it. I am the one who killed my mother."
"What…?" Ryuji-san turned to her Shadow in disbelief.
Suddenly there was a screeching sound, and the whole Palace seemed to shake. Dust fell through the cracks. Anne-san let out a yelp, hastily stepping back. She stumbled into Ren-san but he steadied her, almost instinctively.
"What was that?!" Anne-san demanded.
Shadow Futaba spread her hands in front of her. "My mother exists here. It's a reminder of what I have done."
"What…?" Ren-san frowned. "But… she's dead. How is that possible?"
"I will remain here. I will do so… until I die."
"You can't think like that!" Ken blurted out, stepping forward.
"Wait!" Makoto-san tried to intervene, but Ken shook off her hand.
He looked back to the Shadow. He knew that it was merely a Shadow, not the real Futaba-san. But he didn't care. He had to say it.
"That can't be what she wants for you!" Ken shook his head. "I don't believe that… she would have wanted you to live."
Shinjiro-san's words to him, seven years ago, echoed in his mind.
"You have your whole life ahead of you, Ken… don't waste it."
Futaba had to realize the same thing. He hadn't met Isshiki-san himself but… Mitsuru-san was convinced that she loved Futaba dearly. Sakura-san did too. There had to be a disparity. Something had to be mistaken.
"He's right!" Anne-san cried out. "Your mother would have wanted you to be happy! She wouldn't want you to be miserable!"
Anne-san's voice broke then, biting her lip. Makoto-san put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Those voices… even if they are voices from those you love, you have to remember the good times, don't let scornful words define you," she said, also on the verge of tears.
Anne-san nodded next to her.
"And even still, you aren't alone, we've come to help you." Anne-san tried to stand taller as she spoke.
"And it's not just that. The Boss…I mean Sojiro Sakura, the man who took you in. He cares about you so much Futaba-chan. He just wants to see you happy," Makoto-san said with conviction.
There was silence for a brief moment as Futaba-san's Shadow looked down at her feet.
"There's no fighting it…" Shadow Futaba-san's voice was numb.
Then blue flames flared up around all of them, transforming their civilian clothing into their Phantom Thief attire.
"Crap!" Ryuji-san yelped.
"She sees us as a threat now…" Yusuke-san said. "What now?!"
Then a boulder dropped down, as Shadow Futaba-san disappeared.
"We run!" Ren-san shouted.
"Bad day, bad day, bad day!" Morgana shouted as they bolted down the stairs.
They were forced to run down all of the stairs. They finally managed to find some cover as the boulder continued to roll down the stairs and down into the chasm.
"God, that was too close," Ryuji-san moaned, leaning down and clutching his knees, "Goddammit, real booby traps too? This is actually starting to be like Iowa effin' Jones! There better not be snakes in here!"
Ken just panted for air. He didn't know if he'd ever get used to this…
"I thought the rock was gonna flatten us into pancakes…" Morgana said after letting out a loud breath of relief.
"Don't joke about that, Mona," Anne-san groaned, clutching her chest. "I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest."
She then all but collapsed onto the floor with a soft moan.
The pathway ahead had been completely closed off. The largest sliding door appeared and closed off the stairs.
They took several moments to catch their breath, but then they turned their attention to the door that had shut them out.
"But… now what?" Yusuke-san asked. "It appears that Futaba does not want us to go further in."
Ken approached the door, sliding his hand over it. That symbol… it was probably the key to opening the door.
He stated, "I think we'll just have to do it the hard way. This symbol must be connected to how we'll unlock the door…"
"She… literally slammed the door in our faces," Yusuke-san sighed.
"So, we'll have to explore the Palace to do so," Makoto-san said, arms folded over her chest. "And unlock the mystery of that symbol…"
Morgana sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "But I think we should retreat for now. This will be even rougher than Kaneshiro's Palace, without a doubt. We need time to prepare."
"Futaba-chan…" Anne-san bit her lip. "Will she really be okay if we stop for the day…?"
"I'm sure she will," Ren-san said, giving her a reassuring smile.
Anne-san sighed. "I just can't help but worry…"
"We'll save her, Panther," Makoto-san reassured her, putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder again. "Don't worry. We'll end her suffering."
She smiled half-heartedly. "You're right, Queen."
"But anyways…" Ren-san interjected, "We have one more thing to do."
He gestured to Ken.
Yusuke-san just nodded. "Ah, that's correct. His code name."
Ryuji-san suddenly approached him, staring hard at him. Ken was a bit… unnerved by the staring.
"Tuxedo Visor! Y'know, from Sailor Eclipse!" Ryuji-san said as he snapped his fingers. "That's what you've been reminding me of!"
"What? No, that was because the outfit resembled the Gekkoukan uniform…!" Ken thought, even as heat rushed into his cheeks; hopefully the mask covered it up.
"Oh my god, you're right!" Anne-san gasped, her eyes growing wide. "He even has a domino mask!"
"Um… I think you're stretching it a bit," Makoto-san said slowly. "Isn't his mask a completely different shape anyways?"
"What's Tuxedo Visor?" Morgana asked, looking around and giving them all baffled looks.
"Nothing important!" Ken snapped.
At least someone didn't know.
"No way, Queen!" Anne-san contradicted, shaking her head hard enough that her pigtails bounced a little. "Come on, he totally looks like a gentleman thief! Kinda princely with the tuxedo get-up if you ask me."
"Well… I can't deny that," Makoto-san admitted.
He really did not want to have this conversation. Though he supposed he should be grateful that Junpei-san was nowhere near close enough to hear this. He'd never hear the end of it.
Ryuji-san suddenly crowed, "I've got it! Let's do… Tux Boy!"
"Uh, no," Ken deadpanned. "Not in a billion years and not even if you paid me ten million yen."
"How about Visor then?" Morgana tilted his head.
Ken fought the urge to glare, Morgana had asked innocently, after all. He wasn't picking on him and didn't know about Sailor Eclipse. So he just shook his head politely.
Ken sighed. "I'm not that character, so I'd like to avoid being stuck with a name referencing that."
"How about Kamen?" Yusuke-san suggested. "Your costume does inspire it."
Kamen, that was like Kamen Driver. Wait, what was he thinking?! Yusuke-san was thinking about Tuxedo Visor, they were all still stuck on that reference and… that was just embarrassing to think about.
"No," Ken said firmly.
"Jeez, you're a picky one," Ryuji-san laughed.
"I'm not going to be called something ridiculous," Ken said flatly.
"The sad thing is that it's not even the most ridiculous names," Makoto-san sighed. "Skull wanted to name me Shoulder Pads…"
"Hey, your name was hard, okay?!" Ryuji-san cried. "It's what stood out to me."
"You could've suggested Rider, with how her whole shtick is a motorcycle rider," Yusuke-san said.
"Shuddup!" Ryuji-san groaned out, before proceeding to sulk.
"Can we stop talking about this…" Makoto-san was blushing slightly, and was now fidgeting awkwardly. "W-We still need to figure out a codename."
"How about Domino? The mask is a domino mask, and it's even black and white," Yusuke-san suggested this time.
It was a decent suggestion but Ken still wasn't really feeling like it fit him.
"Better than the previous ones, but I'll have to decline. I just… I don't know," Ken mumbled; he could feel his cheeks were probably still pink.
"You don't vibe with it, that's fine." Ren-san shrugged.
"Hmm…" Anne-san mused, tilting her head. "Well, we did name Queen based off of… how she held herself. Maybe we should do something similar. Not just looking at the outfit for inspiration, you know?"
"Hmm…" Ren-san looked at him up and down, a considering light in his eyes.
"Joker, do you have an idea?" Yusuke-san asked, tilting his head slightly. "You do come up with good code names. You came up with mine and Queen's."
"You weren't here when we were brainstorming for mine," Anne-san said flatly.
"I still think Sexy Cat was a good name," Ren said, flashing her a smirk.
"Never mind… this is not instilling confidence," Ken thought to himself, feeling dread pool in his stomach.
"But I was thinking… Ace," Ren-san said simply. "You're a very fast learner at being a Persona-user, after all. Plus, you have combat experience. You were like a hidden ace up our sleeve we didn't even realize we had for the Kaneshiro fight."
Ken felt his face grow warm again. No pressure there on expectations.
He… didn't hate it. It was… kinda cool.
"I, er… well… if you think so…" he mumbled out, suddenly feeling bashful for different reasons.
"Damn, and I thought you were one of those cool and collected senpai types," Ryuji-san snickered.
"Skull!" Anne-san smacked his arm. "He's still our senpai—don't be rude!"
"Is Ace good for you?" Morgana turned to face him, and Ken nodded. "Okay, it's settled then."
He gave a little hop before flashing Ken a smile.
"Your code name will be Ace!" Morgana exclaimed.
It was kinda cute how passionate Morgana was about these codenames. He'd imagine Kanji-san would be ecstatic to meet Morgana, probably would want to pet him and hold him.
"Shall we head back then?" Yusuke-san asked.
"I'm… perfectly okay with that," Makoto-san said with a wince.
"Yeah." Ren-san nodded. "Good work, everyone."
"On what, not getting smushed?" Anne-san grumbled. "I'd like to avoid being on the set of Iowa Jones from now on…"
But despite her joking, Ken couldn't help but notice the look in her eyes. But he left it be. He didn't know them as well yet.
"We got the key words, and we are getting more of an understanding of the state of her heart, and we know for certain now she will see us as a threat. Progress is progress. No matter how big or small." Ren-san shrugged.
Ken couldn't help but be surprised in moments like this. Despite their short time knowing each other, Ren-san had surprised him more than once. He seemed just so carefree. But there are glimpses of wisdom there. Perhaps… he is exactly what is needed for a Wild Card user, like the others.
No… he must remember to not be clouded by biases. He was doing this for Mitsuru-san and the others.
"Let's head out." Morgana said, cutting through his thoughts.
Ren-san nodded, they made their way out of the cold pyramid, and into the hot desert again. Ren-san pushing the app, and eventually the temperature returned to a much more bearable (in comparison) summer heat in Yongen-Jaya.
"Well, I'll catch you all later…" Makoto already darted off without much of a word.
That was… odd. Ren frowned. But she was already around the corner, so he left it alone for now.
The others seemed tense after Makoto left like that. Not that he could blame them… after all, Futaba's Palace was quite concerning.
"It never boggles my mind to see how time passes so quickly while we're in the Metaverse," he said casually to lighten the mood.
The sun was setting, the sky streaked with hues of pinks and purples. Ren could feel the exhaustion setting in already.
"I know," Anne sighed before she stretched. "I think… I think I'll head home now."
Ren put a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look up in surprise.
Ren asked, "Actually, do you think… you could spare some time to talk? Ken, too."
"Me?" The older boy frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Can you?" Ren pressed.
He didn't want to say it in front of everyone. Both of them deserved a little privacy. But… it was his job as the leader to make sure everyone was holding up okay. And… Anne and Ken's reactions worried him the most. Makoto's did as well, especially with how she darted off, but he'll have to check in on her later. He didn't want Ken and Anne to do the same.
He knew why Anne was affected so badly, because of what happened with Shiho… but Ken? He had no idea. In all honesty, the older boy was a bit of a mystery to Ren still. He seemed guarded for some reason. He wasn't… cold exactly, but he seemed to hold all of his cards close to his chest. Polite, but a little… distant.
But his outburst? Something was obviously up. He wasn't exactly sure, But still, he needed to check if he'd be okay, going further into Futaba's Palace. He wouldn't pry if Ken didn't want to talk, but Ren didn't want to push him into continuing if this reminded him of something painful.
"I… alright," he conceded with a sigh.
"Anne?" Ren asked, giving her a pleading look.
He wanted to make sure she'd be okay. Anne has always been so empathetic. She saw past the rumors about him. She was so pained when she watched Shiho struggle through her therapy. And Futaba was obviously going through a lot of pain.
It didn't take a genius to realize that she was thinking about how Shiho had felt after Kamoshida pulled his shit. It was… one of the things he loved about her, but he still was worried about her. She had looked so pained when Futaba's Shadow drew away.
"Okay, okay, you don't have to give me that look," she sighed, shaking her head. "Jeez, and I thought boys couldn't pull off the puppy dog look that well…"
Ren just gave her a half smile.
"We should get out of here, though," Ryuji stated. "Before Boss comes home and realizes we're hanging 'round here."
Yusuke nodded, "Especially me. I will have to walk home. I'm afraid that I do not have enough for the train fare."
"You what?!" Ryuji gaped at him.
Ren just sighed. Typical Yusuke. Though he couldn't blame Ryuji for worrying.
"Yusuke, why didn't you speak up?" Anne demanded. "We could have given you money—"
"I thought it was not important…"
Ken sighed in response, shaking his head.
"Of course, you did," he muttered, before digging out his wallet and drawing out several one-thousand yen bills.
Yusuke frowned. "You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do," Ken cut in, leveling an unimpressed stare at Yusuke, "Look, just take the money. It's going to be dark soon. I don't want you to get mugged or anything because you're walking in the dark."
Yusuke sighed, before finally accepting the money. "My thanks."
"Come on, let's get going then." Ryuji tugged on Yusuke's sleeve.
"We'll see you later," Anne said, giving him a smile.
Ryuji then nodded. "Hit us up when you're ready to go back!"
They left the alley together, while Ryuji and Yusuke left for the train station, while Ren led Anne and Ken to LeBlanc. Sojiro was wiping down the counter when Ren opened the door, but he looked up when they entered.
"Oh hey," he said, straightening up. "About time you got back."
Ren just flashed a grin at him. "What's wrong? Ready to go home?"
"Haha, very funny," he said dryly; before he picked up the rag he was using to clean the counter and smacking Ren on the head with it. "A bit late to be hanging out with friends, though, isn't it?"
"Well, we just—" Anne began, only for her to pause.
"I promised them some coffee as a pick-me-up," Ren cut in smoothly. "It's been a long day."
Sojiro frowned, before adjusting his glasses. "Well… okay. Don't use too many of my good beans, though."
"Will do." Ren saluted him, offering him a grin.
Sojiro just snorted in response.
"Freeloader," he muttered, but Ren noticed a smile tugging at his lips. "But good night."
"Good night," Anne and Ken chorused.
"At least some kids have manners still," he muttered before opening the door. "Don't forget to—"
"Flip the sign," Ren finished, barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes. "You've told me a hundred times already."
Sojiro rolled his eyes. "Good night, Ren."
He then stepped out and let the door slam behind him.
Anne just quirked an eyebrow at him, before perching herself onto one of the bar seats.
"You know… you should be more polite to him. Boss is actually really nice," she stated.
Ken noted, "He reminds me a little of Shinjiro-san. The gruffness to him. But I'm sure he's a lot nicer than he lets on."
Ren huffed, "He was an ass to me when I first moved here. Telling me not to stick my nose into trouble and everything. Calling me a pain and basically treated me like a delinquent."
Sure, he improved a lot. But you better get as good as you give as they say.
"How's that working out for you?" Ken said dryly before sitting down next to Anne.
"Hey, trouble comes looking for me," Ren quipped, sliding into the free seat next to Anne.
He swung his bag into his lap, but Morgana just jumped out of his bag, onto the counter, settling right in front of Anne.
"I didn't go and ask for it." Ren added.
Anne scratched Morgana right under his chin, before glancing towards Ren.
She inquired, "Ren… why did you ask us to come with you?"
Ren took the moment to take Anne's hand and squeeze it lightly. She looked at him in surprise, pink lightly dusting her cheeks. Ren just smiled. She always looked so pretty, but Ren thought she was the cutest when she blushed like that. But Ren pushed that aside. Anne was upset and besides that, Anne was probably nowhere ready for a relationship. No matter how much he wanted it.
The flirting was light-hearted fun. It was his way of masking how he really felt by making light of it. And it seemed to work, with how Anne would always joke around with him.
Ren asked, "Anne… are you okay? I know Futaba reminded you of Shiho…"
Anne's eyes softened with understanding.
"Oh…" But then she offered him one of her genuine smiles, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Ren… but I'm okay. I just… want to help Futaba-chan. I don't want her to feel that kind of pain."
Then she slipped her hand out of Ren's grasp, resting it on her lap.
"And… I just think… would we have known if it wasn't for Medjed…?"
"It's not good to dwell on what ifs," Ken said quietly. "Futaba-san reached out to you, and that's good enough."
"What about you, though?" Morgana asked, turning to look at Ken. "What you said…"
Ken pursed his lips together, before he looked down at his lap. His shoulders tensed and he gripped at his kneecaps. For several moments, he was silent. Then… he finally spoke up.
"A long time ago I had felt the way Futaba-san feels now," he said softly, all but a whisper.
Wait… Ken was suicidal in the past? Ren was honestly shocked. He didn't seem like it at all. He seemed so put together.
Anne's eyes went wide. "Ken…"
"But… I feel the same way as you, Anne-san." Ken turned, looking at them. "Futaba-san doesn't deserve to live like this. It's more of a half-life, locking herself away from everyone."
He closed his eyes, his lips slightly curving up. "It just makes me want to help her… like how I was helped."
Ren couldn't help but wonder what the story behind that was, and who was there for him. Maybe Shinjiro-san perhaps? But he wouldn't pry too much, not unless Ken was ready to talk about it. Ren wanted him to trust them. He just seemed so guarded.
Ken then opened his eyes and looked past Anne, meeting Ren's eyes.
"I'll be okay, really. It definitely won't be easy, but I want to do this," he said, now smiling even more.
"If you think so. I just… don't want to push you into something if it brings back painful memories. Both of you," Ren said.
Anne smiled warmly at him. It made his heart skip a beat. He crushed the emotion down, now wasn't the time to be selfish and focusing on his feelings for her.
"Thank you, Ren," she said sincerely. "But it'll be okay."
Then her expression became determined, and her hand resting in her lap curled into a fist.
"I'm going to help Futaba-chan… it won't be like Shiho. Never again," she vowed.
Ren couldn't help but smile at her. He loved seeing Panther in Anne. He loved how fierce she could be, and yet she was loving and caring. Even to a practical stranger, like Futaba.
Ken then gave him a funny look. He couldn't place the expression? Was Ken annoyed? What did he do? Oh well, if it's important then he'll speak up about it.
"I think you'll be the best one to reach out to Futaba, Lady Anne!" Morgana exclaimed. "After all… who wouldn't want to talk to you? You're beautiful and kind…"
Ren just sighed to himself. Sometimes he wondered how Anne didn't notice Morgana laying it on so thick.
Anne just giggled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Morgana. But she'll need all of us, not just me."
She then glanced at the clock, her eyes widening before she gasped.
"God, it's getting late…" Anne slipped out of her seat. "I probably should get going. My caretaker is here today, and I don't want her to worry…"
She waved at them, flashing them her trademark cheery smile.
"Bye, guys! I'll see you around!"
They said bye to her, and with one last wave, she exited LeBlanc. The room became quiet for a moment again.
Ken then went back up to the attic to retrieve the bento box. Ren then turned to Morgana.
"Hey Morgana, I need to talk to Ken about something else… stay here, okay?"
Morgana looked puzzled, but he nodded.
"Say Ken—" Ren began, only to be cut off.
"Really?" Ken groaned.
Ren frowned. "Um… what? What did I do?"
This was… not a side he expected to see from his senpai.
Ken let out an aggravated sigh. "Do I have to take a picture? The way you look at Anne-san…"
He shook his head before giving a little huff.
"Absolutely besotted," he said flatly. "And I thought Kanji-san had it bad."
Kanji-san? Must be another senpai. But still, Ken was asking about him and Anne? It wasn't that obvious that he liked her, right?
"L-Look—"
"Anne-san likes you back too. You're obviously really close." Ken then shook his head. "How are you two not dating?"
He did not expect the older boy to start complaining about this.
"I have… a couple of reasons," Ren said, and then Ken gave him a look which encouraged him to continue. "Well, for one… Morgana. He really likes Anne."
"If Morgana really likes Anne-san, he'd accept it if Anne-san has genuine feelings for someone else," Ken said flatly, sounding rather unimpressed. "Also… no offense, but I don't think it would work out."
"Hey he said that body is temporary due to the distortions, once we get rid of them, he's supposed to go back to normal… he thinks." Ren shrugged. "Besides—"
"What other excuse do you have?" Ken cut him off.
"Well… a second reason is that, I want to leave it in Anne's hands." Ren let out a heavy exhale. "Anne was hurt… by Kamoshida in a different way than Ryuji and me…"
Ren shook his head, clenching his hands into fists.
"You know what Kamoshida's reputation is like," Ren said with narrowed eyes.
It still pissed him off, thinking about how Kamoshida treated Anne. The way she had cried to him about feeling so trapped… that never left Ren.
Ken's expression softened. "Look, Ren-san, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but you're not like Kamoshida. You would treat Anne-san like gold."
He then sighed.
"I just… don't want you to wait on her, when you could be with her now," he said quietly.
Ren blinked.
"I learned a long time ago that you should take what happiness you can," Ken continued. "You never know when it'll be cut off suddenly."
"Ken—"
Ren was speechless. The way he was talking… it seemed like Ken had his own regrets.
"Ken… I appreciate that, but it's not that simple. Yes I have my feelings, but she has scars that… look I don't want to push her into something that could make her uncomfortable if she isn't ready."
Ken rubbed the back of his neck and gave Ren a nod.
"I understand, just don't assume any signals she might give on how she feels. A lot of girls tend to hint at how they feel, wanting the person they care about to make the first move, I'm not saying you should just run out there and put the moves on her just…" Ken trailed off and shook his head. "Just know the balance of giving her space but not too much. Try to read her cues."
That sounded wise but also confusing… but he supposed that was normal for romance. Why couldn't these things ever be so cut and dry?
Ken then heaved out a sigh. "I should get going too. Shinjiro-san will be worried. Good night, Ren-san."
"Good night…"
Ren watched him leave, but Ren couldn't find in himself to move. Just what exactly had Ken gone through? That kind of advice… sounded like it belonged to someone much older…
Just who was Ken Amada?
I hope this quicker update makes up for how I took nearly two weeks for last chapter. A good chunk of this chapter was actually written when I updated last time, because I had originally intended for the first intro to Futaba's Palace to be in Chapter 8.
As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Edits (6/13/24): Added in some tweaks to meeting Futaba's Shadow—expanding on some of the PTs' reactions, as well as adding in honorifics for when Ken refers to Futaba. Further tweaks were also added to the final scene where Ren speaks to Ken and Anne. And some fun with Bland Product names haha. Thank you again to angelrin89 for her beta work!