Chapter 12
Finish Line
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
"You got the time off?!" Fuuka's eyes began to sparkle with excitement, as she beamed at him. "Shinji, that's wonderful!"
Shinjiro rubbed the back of his neck, "Was nothin' really. Though I gotta admit, it was a pain in the ass to get it for my day job…"
"What days did you ask off?" Fuuka asked.
"From the 10th to the 17th. I'd come back on the 16th, though. Figured I could use one day in Tokyo so I don't jump right back to work," he said.
Fuuka nodded. "You could use it."
Then she suddenly frowned, before her brows furrowed together in thought.
"But why are you keeping the night job still? Isn't it tiring?"
"It's not that bad," he said, waving a hand at her. "I'm fine, Fuuka. I could always use some more cash."
"If you say so…" Fuuka didn't sound convinced though as she bit her lip. "But anyways, have you told Ken-kun about this yet?"
"Haven't gotten the chance to really talk to him 'bout it," Shinjiro admitted.
He couldn't help but frown. He knew that certain people liked to give him crap for how he 'hovered' over Ken, but it's not his fault that Ken sometimes neglected his health.
"He's been out a lot lately. I know that he went into the Palace last Saturday," Shinjiro mentioned.
Then Fuuka looked at him oddly, before doing that head tilt she did when she observed something. "What is it, Shinji?"
Shinjiro let out the breath he was holding. "They've only made it 'bout halfway through the Palace, according to Ken," he muttered. "And this is pretty important to Ken… with what he found out about Isshiki's daughter."
But he couldn't blame Ken. Her thoughts weren't exactly… pleasant.
Fuuka's expression then grew worried. "And there's only a week left…"
"So yeah. Can't exactly ask Ken to drop this—"
"I'm home," Ken announced, cutting Shinjiro off. "Hi, Shinjiro-san, Fuuka-san."
"Hi, Ken-kun," Fuuka greeted him with a warm smile. "How was your day?"
"Okay," he said with a shrug. "Went to the bookstore and ran into Makoto-san. We got lunch… and I ended up meeting her older sister."
"Moving fast, huh?" Shinjiro couldn't resist the joke.
"Wha…?" Then Ken flushed bright red, before glaring at him. "Shinjiro-san, we're just friends!"
"Come on, Ken-kun, you know that Shinji is just joking," Fuuka said.
"I hate his jokes," Ken grumbled, before he started to pout.
"You know, I could always tell Minako about her," Shinjiro deadpanned; he couldn't help but smirk at Ken stiffening.
"Shinji, that's enough," Fuuka scolded, frowning at him. "Stop picking on him."
"Thank you, Fuuka-san," Ken muttered, only for him to look up. "I just remembered something… Futaba-san's adoptive father is Sojiro Sakura… do you know if he knew about the Shadow Operatives?"
Fuuka tapped her chin, letting out a thoughtful hum. "Not that I know of. But I'll ask Minako-chan after I get off for tonight."
"Really?" Ken frowned. "Because Makoto-san's older sister… I think she was asking him about cognitive psience."
Shinjiro narrowed his eyes. That was kinda… suspicious.
"Asking him?" Shinjiro repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Er…" Ken began to fidget, staring at the ground for a moment before he admitted, "More interrogating him about it."
"Jeez, she sounds like a piece of work…" Shinjiro muttered.
"She's a prosecutor…" Ken pointed out.
"But anyways!" Fuuka said abruptly, clapping her hands together. "Um, Ken-kun, Shinji was telling me that he was able to get about a week off…"
Guilt immediately filled Ken's face, before he suddenly looked down to the floor.
"I'm sorry, Fuuka-san, but… we still have a lot of ground to cover with Futaba's Palace and—" He sighed, raising his head. "…I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. There will be other times when we can go back," Shinjiro stated.
Ken looked at him in surprise but he just waved it off.
Ken shook his head firmly. "You should still go, Shinjiro-san. It'll be your birthday, and you deserve to be with everyone. And… you should visit Mom too while you're at it. During Obon. I'll be okay for just a week. I won't blow up the kitchen or anything."
Shinjiro examined him closely. This would be the first time Ken would miss visiting his mom's grave during Obon. But there could be other times where Ken would be able to visit… and the situation with Isshiki's daughter was pretty serious… But he could use a break from Tokyo. He wasn't a huge fan of the place. He didn't know how the hell Fuuka lived here for four years while attending Tokyo U. And it was only a week...
"Fine," he said finally, before nodding. "But I'm calling you every day, since we've still got Shido to think about."
Ken gave a frustrated huff, the puff of air ruffling his bangs.
"Why am I not surprised," he deadpanned, which only made Fuuka giggle.
"You should have seen it coming, Ken-kun," Fuuka teased. "Think about what happened last time."
"How could I forget?" he grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.
Shinjiro muttered, "And I probably should get to freezing you some meals… can't have you eating like Aki…"
"You're never going to let that go, are you, Shinji?" Fuuka laughed.
"I let that idiot out of my sight for two years and he comes back half naked and looks like he's been downing protein drinks every single day since he left."
Of course that idiot didn't know why the fuck it was weird to waltz around wearing nothing but a cape. God, Aki could be so clueless sometimes. Not helping matters was Mitsuru was walking around in a fucking skin tight catsuit with a fur coat on. Did those two sign up for dressing up for someone's kink? To make it worse, neither of them thought it was weird.
"Should I be offended that you're comparing me to Akihiko-san in that manner?" Ken looked at Fuuka, looking unamused. "I think I should be."
"Well, you did idolize Akihiko-senpai when you were younger," Fuuka gently teased, her eyes twinkling. "Can you blame Shinji for being a little worried?"
Shinjiro looked at Ken sternly. "So yeah… making you meals ahead of time."
Ken just rolled his eyes in response. "Oh joy. I can't wait to see the fridge absolutely stuffed…"
Fuuka just giggled. "Most people wouldn't find that a problem, Ken-kun."
Thursday, August 4th, 2016
"So, what's the plan for today?" Morgana asked, sounding almost cheerful. He was in a good mood because Sojiro gave him some cream today. "Another test with Takemi?"
Ren shook his head. "Takemi's wrapped them up, remember?"
"Hmm, and Iwai only has you work at night…" Morgana mused. "Or maybe you want to spend time with someone today?"
"Maybe—" Ren stopped short.
Ken was staring intently at the ward map, his lips pursed together.
"What are you looking at, Ken?" Morgana piped up, only for Ken to jump and let out a surprised yelp.
Ren just grinned at him. "So, what are you looking for?"
"Don't do that," he grumbled, looking straight at Morgana.
Morgana just sniffed in response. "It's not my fault you weren't paying attention."
Ken sighed, before straightening up. "But to answer your question… I was looking to see if there was a nearby shrine…"
"A shrine?" Ren repeated. "Why do you want to go to a shrine?"
"Oh, well..." Ken ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "I haven't really prayed to my mother lately. And we don't exactly have a family altar so…"
Ren couldn't help but frown, he hoped he didn't come across as rude.
"Well… I can't say I'm really familiar with shrines, but there is Meiji Shrine. It's near Shinjuku, I think?" Ren scratched the back of his head. "Not really sure."
"Meiji Shrine…?" Ken repeated while crinkling his brow. "Isn't that more of a tourist attraction?"
Ren shrugged. "That's the only one I really know about, sorry, Ken. Shrines aren't exactly on my list of places to go."
He always associated shrines with old people if he was being honest. Like, yeah, some girls were superstitious and bought love charms, but they were probably in the minority. But… he supposed it fit Ken, since his mother's death affected him so badly.
Ken just pursed his lips together. "Well, I suppose a more populated area would be better."
"A more populated area?" Ren repeated.
"When I ran into Kaneshiro's minion," Ken clarified, before cracking a smile. "Shinjiro-san still harps on that…"
"Do you want me to go with you? I haven't really figured out what I wanted to do today," Ren offered.
Ken just raised an eyebrow. "You really do keep yourself busy, huh?"
His expression became wistful. No… more nostalgic? Ren couldn't help but feel confused.
"I… guess?" Ren tilted his head. "I mean, it's Tokyo, there's so much to do here. My old town… well it's not the same."
Ren winced the second he brought up Shimoda. It was annoying he couldn't even think about the happier times without feeling a tinge of bitterness laced in there. There was something nice about places like Shimoda. Not that there was nothing to do there. But it always felt like there was something new around the corner in Tokyo and it was just so big. So many sights and sounds and people. It was exciting.
But there was something nice about a humble smaller city too. But he didn't even feel like giving Shimoda glowing reviews, or a nice compare and contrast to Tokyo.
His expression scrunched up as he felt his vexation build thinking of his neighbors and friends only to hear Ken clear his throat next to him. He didn't mean to space out like that. Ken probably noticed how frustrated Ren was for a moment.
"I mean it is understandable. Big city and all… but anyways if you don't mind going to a shrine, I'd love the company," Ken said with a polite smile.
Ren just nodded, a quiet sigh of relief. He was glad Ken wasn't going to pry further. It seemed he understood perfectly it was still a sore subject. Ren explained the story to him before, but he didn't go into complete detail of everything that night, or everything after.
Ken was a pretty great guy. He was glad he asked him to join. Every day kept reinforcing his judgement he had about him.
"Let's go then!" Ren exclaimed.
The ride to Meiji Shrine was cramped, but it was nothing Ren wasn't used to. Ken seemed to be a different story, as he stumbled out.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to the feeling," the older boy muttered, all while stretching his muscles. "Back on Port Island, we never had this problem. But then again, I really only rode the train to go to school."
"At least you had a subway system. It was completely new to me," Ren replied with a slight laugh.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Ren nodded.
Ren sighed, it was still a sore subject, but maybe it wouldn't kill him to talk a little bit about his small city. It's not like he had to talk about the people there.
"My hometown is more of a quiet but old area. I lived out in the countryside, by the ocean. Every day feels like there is something new or interesting here, but I do admit it would be cool if we could put Tokyo by the beach," Ren said with a chuckle.
He hoped Ken wouldn't notice his smile was more forced.
Ken's brow furrowed at that. "Then why did a politician go there?"
Ren froze. He clenched his jaw and squeezed the strap of his bag. His whole posture gone stiff in that moment as he couldn't help but hear that scumbag's voice again in his mind.
Ken noticed and immediately regretted it, eyeing him with pity.
"Ren-san, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up… the question just slipped out."
"It's okay Ken, you don't have to apologize. As for that dick… who knows?" Ren said with a scowl. "To terrorize the female citizens? Like that one murderer from Inaba?"
"Yeah… you're right, who knows?" Ken got a funny look on his face for some reason.
Though, then again, that case had been... creepy. The way the victims had been hung on telephone poles had to be disturbing to see. Even though that had been years ago, he still remembered how that case made national news.
Then he shook his head, "But anyways, let's get going."
The walk to Meiji Shrine was short, though as Ken predicted, it had more tourists than actual people. Tourists, both Japanese and foreign, chattered away excitedly as they milled around the area. Some of them, mostly younger people, were examining the charms.
Though… he was a bit surprised that Morgana hadn't made a comment yet. But when he looked to his bag, he found a rather amusing sight.
Ren tried to not laugh too loud as Morgana had actually fallen asleep inside his bag. Not sure how though, with the loud and rowdy train and the brisk walk to the shrine. He made certain to walk carefully to not bump into anyone to let Morgana enjoy his rest.
Ken sighed. "This really is a busy place. It's beautiful, at least."
"What was the shrine like back at home, then?" Ren asked while rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh…" Ken looked back at him. "It was fairly small, but it felt more familiar, if that makes sense? I spent a lot of time there when I was younger."
Just how lonely was he during his childhood if a shrine was 'familiar' to him? Didn't he have any friends? It was honestly a sad thought.
Ren carefully set his bag down next to his feet as gently as possible to not disturb Morgana.
"Forget dogs, let sleeping cats lie," Ren thought with a quiet chuckle.
They went through the motions of cleansing their body for the shrine, before Ken approached the main area to pray. His lips moved faintly as he prayed, but Ren wasn't able to read his lips.
Ken said suddenly, "You know, I think I would have idolized the Phantom Thieves when I was younger."
Ren blinked. He hadn't even realized Ken had stopped praying.
"Huh?"
"I've… just been thinking about it lately. As I told you before… my mother's death was declared an accident but I knew the truth. It was covered up. I guess I've been thinking about it, with Isshiki-san…" Ken confessed.
Ren looked down at his feet and frowned.
"That would have been a prime target for us," Ren stated quietly.
"I've made my peace with my mother's death but…" Ken's expression was mournful.
Despite it being a warm day, he suddenly wrapped his arms around himself.
"I can't help but think that there are other kids who probably went through the same thing. The authorities cover up the crime… and only the victims really know what truly happened."
Ain't that the truth… Even now people refused to believe he was innocent. Kamoshida never really admitted breaking Ryuji's leg was nothing but an act of spite. Madarame's crimes had claimed too many people, and the world will sadly never know his most famous piece, the Sayuri, really looked like. And the men who terrorized Futaba… they were probably behind Wakaba's death. But who knows where they are now.
However, he couldn't help but be curious. Ren cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets.
"Hey, Ken… if you don't mind me asking…" He took a deep breath. "When did you lose your mom?"
Ken was quiet for a moment, and Ren was about to apologize and take back his question. He opened his mouth but Ken spoke up before he could say sorry.
"It'll be a decade next year."
Ren's eyes widened as his brain quickly processed the math. This year would be nine years so that meant…
"You were nine when you lost your mom?"
Ren felt sick to his stomach. He was nine…
He was that young when he wanted to die. Just how could he have overcome that? No wonder he was so upset when he saw that Futaba was suicidal.
"And nobody really cared enough…?" Ren asked numbly.
"Well, my mom only had distant relatives around. My dad… he and my mom divorced when I was pretty young, as you already know," Ken explained. "The neighbors… had their own take on the reason why, but Mom always hated hearing it. He died not too long after they separated. My mom's parents died in a car crash when I was five. My mom had a twin sister but… she became estranged from the family for some reason. My mom would never tell me why, so I guess I'll never know."
Ren couldn't help but grimace. He had no idea that Ken's family history was... kind of convoluted. But he was curious about Ken's aunt. Just what had she done to be estranged?
"But that doesn't matter anymore." Ken shook his head. "I have more than enough family now… My senpai, they all became my family."
Ren felt himself smiling softly despite Ken's story. Things do have a way of working themselves out. He hoped they could get Futaba to that point too.
"Maybe that's why you've taken to looking out for people so much," Ren joked lightly.
Ken looked startled at his statement. Ren couldn't help but feel a little baffled that he didn't notice what he's been doing for the others.
Ren waved a hand. "I mean, come on. You cook for Yusuke and ask after his financial status, not too mention you lend him some money occasionally. You let Makoto hang onto you back when we met Futaba because she was obviously scared that night. You worry about Futaba… not to mention the food you made for me the other day."
Ken's cheeks went pink before he rubbed the back of his neck. Ren couldn't help but snicker. Ken getting flustered was kinda funny to see.
"I guess… Shinjiro-san has rubbed off on me," he mumbled out.
Ren just grinned. "Come on, it's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"I find that hard to believe when you're grinning at me like that," Ken said flatly, before shaking his head. "But still... thank you for coming with me today, Ren-san. I know it's not exactly your first choice to visit."
"Eh, it's no biggie. Seeing Meiji Shrine was pretty cool. And I'm pretty sure that Yusuke would love to come here some time, so I'll show him the way." Ren said as he shoved his hands in his pockets again.
He was starting to understand more about what Ken had gone through. But Ren couldn't help but feel that Ken was holding back… about something.
Ren shook his head. He was probably imagining it. Ken was just a reserved person. And he doubted that Ken told many people the things he just told Ren today.
RANK UP! Adjustment Confidant has reached Rank 4.
Follow-Up Attack: Chance to perform a follow-up attack if Ren fails to down an enemy.
Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Anne sighed to herself as she impatiently tapped her fingers against her belly. Her lips pursed into a heavy frown.
"Ren, how could you not tell me…?"
Nope, too confrontational.
"So… you and Makoto have become pretty close lately, huh?"
Another nope. That would just be kinda… out of the blue.
"No Makoto, I don't hate you. I'm just avoiding you because you and Ren are obviously a thing and it would be too awkward to ask you about it."
That's a really big nope. Coming on way too strong.
Anne just groaned, falling back onto her bed. She had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to come up with a way to bring up what she saw… a few days ago to Ren or Makoto.
Anne had been returning from a photoshoot, which did not feature Mika (thank God), so she had done great. Then she suddenly found herself craving a Frui-Tea. Since it was a bit healthier than the other sweet drinks, she had decided that she should indulge herself a little bit.
But then… she saw Ren and Makoto at the diner.
She knew that they had been hanging out more, ever since they beat Kaneshiro. Ren had even relayed some of the more entertaining things that had happened to her, like how Makoto took to playing video games.
But the fact that they were with another couple… made it all too clear. Their hands were clasped together, and Ren only gripped her hand tighter when the guy stranger leaned towards Makoto. He was clearly being protective. Makoto seemed awfully nervous for some reason.
And seeing them together… had just twisted her insides. She couldn't help but feel hurt. Wasn't Ren one of her best friends? She thought that she and Makoto had become pretty good friends lately too. Why did they feel the need to keep this from her?
No, she was just lying to herself. Anne sat up, hugging her legs. She was hurt because… she liked Ren. There had always been something about him. His kindness to her, especially when he didn't know her, but he listened to her about her problems with Kamoshida. He inspired her to stop putting up with Kamoshida's crap, for Shiho and for herself. He helped her become mentally stronger. He helped her slowly realize that modeling wasn't just a side hobby for her anymore. It was something that she wanted to pursue seriously.
But Makoto clearly liked him, and she wouldn't get between that. They were together now. She was too late.
And it made all too much sense. Opposites attract, didn't they? And they were the leaders of the group, it was only natural that they would grow close. And Makoto had a lot going for her. She was composed, smart, and she kicked some serious butt. And she was super cute when she got all embarrassed and people pointed out how cute she was being. Not to mention her legs were seriously toned. Guys probably would dig that, no question. And she also had that "studious, well-mannered girl but hides a hardcore biker chick", thing going on.
It was only obvious that Ren would fall for her. She was… so cool. As much as it squeezed at her heart, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at Makoto.
She would be supportive… even if it hurt to think of them in that way. Though the biggest thought rattling in Anne's mind was… why hide it? If they were double dating with two strangers (though, Anne had to admit the black-haired girl looked vaguely familiar), why not tell everyone else? Ryuji was Ren's best friend, and Makoto was getting pretty close to Ken…
Her phone, which she had dropped onto the bed, suddenly went off. After unlocking her phone, she saw it was a message from Shiho.
[Shiho]: Hey, Anne…
[Shiho]: Can you come up to the school roof with me today?
[Shiho]: We'll be moving tomorrow so… this is my last chance.
Anne's heart gave a little squeeze. Shiho… she didn't understand why her best friend wanted to go back, but this was basically her last request before she moved. She couldn't say no.
[Anne]: Of course. I'll be there asap!
And yet, she didn't want to do this alone.
Before she knew it, her fingers were moving, typing up the one number she kept avoiding.
"Anne?" Ren sounded confused on the line. "What's up?"
"Hey, Ren." Anne took a deep breath. "Are you free today? Shiho wants to go to the school roof and I…"
Ren asked quietly, "Do you want me to come with you? I can go if you need me to."
Anne slowly nodded, even though Ren couldn't see.
"Please…" she murmured, her fingers clenching around her phone.
"I'll be there," Ren promised, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I'll meet you in front of the school gates."
Anne smiled. "Thanks, Ren. You're the best!"
"Oh, I know," he drawled.
Anne huffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes. Despite everything… Futaba's Palace, Shiho moving away, and her stupid heart, he still found ways to make her smile.
"Ego, Ren," she said teasingly.
"Bye," Ren laughed, and she could practically see his eyes dancing with mirth.
Anne left her apartment, heading over to Shiho's to come pick her up. Shiho was reassuring her mom that she'd be fine, and should be back soon. And Anne helped her get to Aoyama-Itchome, which was all but deserted. Anne made sure to let her know that Ren would be tagging along with them too.
"Hey, Shiho…" she began. "How are we even going to get inside? It's closed because of summer…"
"I… contacted Niijima-senpai," Shiho admitted, toying with her ponytail. "She said it was okay, when I explained my reasons…"
"What are they?" Anne asked.
Shiho shook her head. "I'll tell you on the roof, okay? I'm sure Amamiya-san is thinking the same thing… and I'd prefer to explain it just once to the both of you."
Anne agreed with a nod. Before long the train pulled into the station. They walked to the school gate, where both Ren and Makoto were standing, all while talking quietly about something. Makoto noticed them, so she nudged Ren in the side.
Anne tried not to let her heart twist again at the sight of those two together, chatting away, looking closer than ever. They were doing this for Shiho. Her selfish, hurt feelings had no place here right now.
"You know this is just a one-time thing, right?" Makoto asked, all while holding a ring of keys out to Shiho.
Shiho just smiled, while accepting the keys before bowing. "Of course, Senpai. Thank you for understanding."
"Any time, Suzui-san," she said sincerely. "I just… I wish—"
"Senpai, you've apologized several times already," Shiho cut her off, holding up a hand to halt Makoto and gave her a sincere smile, "And my answer is always the same."
"You really should forgive yourself already, Makoto," Ren said quietly. "We all forgive you."
"Ren…" Makoto smiled for a moment. "You're right. I'm sorry…"
"And there you go again," Anne sighed.
Makoto gave them a sheepish smile before she shook her head.
"Don't take too long up there, okay?" she said with a melancholic smile.
Ren and Anne helped Shiho up to the roof, though Anne noticed that Shiho was doing fairly well. They had to help support her once they got to the third floor, though.
"How are you feeling, Shiho?" Anne asked, after helping her best friend sit down.
"I'm… okay." Shiho let out a deep breath and said, "I just wish that I had made it all the way…"
Ren put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing pretty well."
Shiho smiled slightly. "Thank you. Especially since I know that Anne asked you to come here at the last minute."
Anne just smiled at Ren. "Isn't he super reliable?"
"And kind and helpful and supportive," Shiho added, quirking an eyebrow at Anne. "You've told me—several times."
"S-Shiho!" Anne felt her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment.
"Gossiping about me, huh?" Ren nudged her in the side, flashing her a grin. "I guess I'll let it slide, since you were saying such nice things about me."
Shiho suddenly became somber, wordlessly rising to her feet. She walked to the edge, staring out at the courtyard. She gripped the fencing.
"We're so high up…" she said faintly. "I… I forgot just how tall Shujin is."
The one thing that Anne was grateful that Kobayakawa had done was replace the fencing. Make it so high that it was near impossible to climb over…
The image of Shiho standing there made Anne's blood run cold, panic squeezing her heart tightly. She knew that they'd be able to stop Shiho, but…
Ren frowned. "Shiho… shouldn't you stay back…?"
"No…" Shiho shook her head. "I'm fine. I just…"
She looked down, before pressing a hand against her chest.
"I needed to reenact the moment. The feelings… the same place I stood…" Shiho bit her lip.
"And… how do you feel?" Anne asked slowly.
"I didn't want to die," Shiho said softly. "But… there was this voice screaming at me. I want this pain to go away. I need a way to escape… I want to forget what Kamoshida had done to me. I-It told me to come up here. It told me to jump. Just one moment of pain… and it'll be all gone."
Anne wrapped her arms around herself. Shiho… she was in so much pain. Why didn't she notice?
"Anne. Don't blame yourself." Anne looked up to see that Ren was staring at her with serious eyes. "Shiho's here. She's alive and well. Kamoshida's rotting in prison, like how he deserves. But you can't blame yourself."
He seemed to know exactly where her thoughts were going.
"Amamiya-san's right, Anne." Shiho turned to look at her. "It's nobody's fault but Kamoshida's. But…"
Her expression grew serious, and she wrapped her arms around herself.
"That person is part of me too. My weakness… I needed to see if she would come back."
"And she's gone?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shiho nodded, a soft smile on her face, "She doesn't exist anymore."
"Shiho… you're so strong," Anne breathed out. "I've watched your progress… and it's just amazing."
Shiho gave a little nod, "Maybe… but it's only because you've supported me this whole time. Visiting me… cheering me on… I don't think I would have had the motivation if I didn't have that support."
"Shiho… I…" Anne shook her head. "That was nothing."
"No, that's not true," Shiho responded firmly, before meeting Anne's eyes.
Anne blinked in surprise, but then Shiho kept talking.
"I've seen you trying to make yourself strong. Striving to be a model, dreaming of becoming an action star. Hearing about how you deal with Mika. Your dreams, they motivated you so much. The way your eyes would sparkle with passion… how fired you got when telling me about them. With you working so hard, I couldn't stay in my hospital bed moping. It made me realize, I wanted to chase my dreams too."
Anne found herself blushing. All of that praise, and she hadn't really done anything. Except come to realize that she wanted to be a legit model. She wanted to show the world just who she was.
"And what would that be?" Ren asked.
Shiho was quiet for a moment. She lifted her head to look at the sky for a second, before turning back to look at Ren.
"To become… a volleyball Olympic star," she clenched her fist. "I want to prove to Kamoshida. That I'm just as good as—no. I'm better than him. I'll destroy his record."
"That's an amazing goal, Shiho!" Anne enthused. "I know you can do it!"
Shiho then smiled. "But you… being able to change others. That's true strength."
She suddenly stepped forward, and hugged Anne. Anne instinctively hugged Shiho back.
"Thank you. Thank you for showing me the way. I love you, Anne. So much…" Shiho's voice cracked at the last part.
"Shiho…!" Anne's eyes began to fill with tears before choking out. "I'm not strong… I'm not strong at all. If Ren and Ryuji hadn't stood with me for Kamoshida… if I had lost you, I don't know what I'd do…"
She'd never forget what Shiho had done for her… by befriending her. People really underestimated the power of a helping hand.
"I'm sorry," Shiho murmured, her arms tightening around Anne. "For having to move away. I wish that the memory wasn't so strong…"
Anne pulled away slightly, to look at her best friend straight in the eye.
"Shiho… I'm going to be the top model, you hear me?! That way, you'll be able to see me still…"
The tears began to fall but Anne forced herself to keep talking.
"I'll… I'll be in so many magazines… and I'll say tons of good stuff in the interviews! S-So…" she pulled away completely to start wiping at her eyes. "Stay healthy… work hard, but not too much! And keep in touch… please…"
She didn't want her to leave. But she had to. It was the best for Shiho…
"Always, Anne," Shiho promised, before hugging her again. "And I'll come to visit… once I can smile from the bottom of my heart."
"Y-You better," Anne choked out.
Shiho gently wiped at the last of her tears, before going to embrace Ren as well.
"Thank you as well, Ren-kun," she said softly. "It was always nice when you visited with Anne."
Then she leaned in close, whispering something to Ren.
Ren just smiled at her, before nodding. "Always."
There was a soft knock, and Makoto peered inside. "Ah… Suzui-san's parents are here. They… got a bit worried."
"Of course they did…" Shiho sighed. "But I suppose they shouldn't be kept waiting."
They saw Shiho downstairs, before Anne hurried back up to the roof to watch the car leave. It just felt so… final. Shiho was really leaving…
But no… she can't cry. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry! Then she turned to face Ren.
"I… I'm going to be the number one model," she swore, pressing a hand to her chest. "Not just a good model, but the best!"
"Anne…" Ren put a hand on her shoulder, his voice gentle. "You'll do it. You can do anything you set your mind to…"
"I'll follow the diet Shinjiro-san made up for me… I'll come up with a regiment that'll tone up my body… I'll exercise every day," she swore.
Anne knew she was rambling, but she knew Ren didn't mind. He never did.
"I'll study different languages too so I can do international events! I'm going to help Shiho… in the only way I can. By showing her how hard I'm working."
"Make her proud. Make yourself proud…" His eyes then softened as he looked at her. "I'm already so proud of you."
"Yeah!" Anne nodded firmly. "Shiho will definitely…"
Her eyes began to tear up again. No! Dammit, why…
"She'll definitely…" Anne managed to get out.
The floodgates seem to burst, and the tears came pouring out.
She started to sob as a fresh wave of loneliness hit her. "Dammit… why… I know this is the best for her, but I… I feel so alone and I…!"
She gasped as she felt Ren's arms wrap tightly around her. He rubbed circles into her back with one hand, stroking her hair with the other, all while holding her tight.
"That's not true, Anne. You have me, Anne, I swear to you. Hell will have to freeze over before I leave you. And it's not just me… There's Ryuji, Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto, and Ken… they all care about you."
His thumb tenderly brushed a tear right by her eye, making her breath catch.
"I don't want to hear that from you ever again, Anne. You're never alone."
Despite herself, Anne burrowed against Ren. He felt so warm and wonderful… The scent of coffee tickled her nose.
"Ren, I…" It was on the tip of her tongue.
I love you. I've loved you longer than I've realized.
But she couldn't. She didn't want to destroy their friendship. Ren was happy dating Makoto. And Makoto was waiting for them so she could lock up. How could she be so selfish. Makoto was her friend.
"Anne…?"
"I just wanted to thank you," she said softly, forcing a smile. "For always being there for me."
Ren still looked confused, but then his arms tightened around her. "Always, Anne."
Monday, August 8th, 2016
"Everyone, let's move out!" Ren-san broke into a run… only to trip over his coattails and land right on his face.
"Damn, haven't seen that in a while," Ryuji-san commented with a snicker. "Smooth, Joker."
That… made Ken a bit nervous, with his cape.
Ren-san mumbled something, something that Ken strongly suspected was "Shut up, Skull". Makoto-san let out an exasperated sigh, before helping Ren-san up.
"Though you didn't tell us the party set-up for this time," Makoto-san stated.
"Oh, right." Ren-san tapped his chin. "Let's do… Queen, Fox, and Ace."
Ken was a bit confused when he noticed Anne-san let out a quiet sigh. She looked a bit dejected. But he shook his head, her friend recently moved away. It was only natural she wouldn't be in better spirits.
They went up to the area they had just cleared, and Ren opened the door just across from the safe room. A stone slab near the entrance read the Chamber of Guilt.
Ren-san placed his hand on the slab and then jumped back as a small glowing purple orb flew out. It then began to take shape. It was that hologram-looking cognition of Sakura-san again.
"Heed these words oh Phantom Thieves, to be of help you should believe. When red and blue align in view, proper guidance clears the path anew," he intoned.
After his riddle, he vanished once more.
"Hmm… his words are as cryptic as ever," Anne-san said as she crossed her arms.
"Maybe… there's some kind of light we've gotta shine?" Ryuji-san suggested.
"Perhaps." Yusuke-san absently ran his hand on the hilt of his blade. "We will probably have to go in further and see."
Ren-san led the way, fighting Shadows all the while. He unveiled a couple new Personas, such as Ame-no-Uzume and Pisaca, both being Personas he had never seen before.
They eventually came face to face with Shadow Futaba-san.
"You're late. What took you so long?" Despite her words, she sounded… almost nonplussed.
To add to that, she all but waltzed away, walking to the left.
"Joker, I don't think—" Ken began.
"What choice do we have, Ace?" Ren-san swept his hand, gesturing to the bottomless pit to the right. "It's a dead end."
Ken sighed.
"I guess you're right," he muttered, before following Ren-san down the path.
But then something began to rumble, shaking the entire area.
"What the…?!" Ken thought in panic, taking a step backwards.
"Um… that sound…" Makoto-san took a couple steps back as well, before a familiar boulder appeared.
"I never wanna see an Iowa Jones movie, even when I'm human again!" Morgana shouted.
"Not again!" Anne-san moaned.
They booked it out of there before they could get crushed.
"Do I have to say it?" Ken said flatly towards Ren.
"No," Ren-san grumbled, before his eyes turned bright red.
Ren's ability… the Third Eye, as he called it, unnerved Ken a bit. Ren mumbling "Focus…" to himselfdid take away some of the creepiness. He didn't know how Ren attained that ability. Was he born with it? He was pretty sure that it wasn't a Wild Card ability.
But then Ren-san ran forward, suddenly kneeling in front of the wall.
"Check it out." He gestured to the hole.
"It's… rather on the small side," Yusuke-san said with a frown. "This will be pleasant…"
But they all managed to squeeze through, finding themselves in a large room with… several sarcophagi. Morgana stepped forward, probably to scout the area, when the ground suddenly fell away.
"Mona!" Ryuji-san snatched him up before he could fall to his death; then he grumbled, "Jeez… this place really is a death trap,"
He gingerly set Morgana down. Morgana took a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself again.
"Y-Yeah…" Morgana said shakily, before looking up at Ryuji. "Thanks, Skull."
"No problem…" Ryuji sighed.
"We'll just have to be careful about where we step…" Ken said after sighing a breath of relief.
A flight of stairs led them to both a button and a stone slab. But when Ren tried pressing it, it didn't budge. Ren-san frowned, before trying to whack at it harder. Yusuke-san grabbed his wrist before he could try again.
"Joker, I don't think that will work," he said flatly.
"Maybe we need to activate it somehow?" Makoto-san suggested. "The stone slab isn't lit up like the others we've seen."
"Ugh, this area's a huge pain in the ass already," Ryuji-san grumbled.
"Oh, stop complaining," Anne-san chided, hands on her hips. "We'll just have to keep exploring!"
Ren-san turned to the right, ambushing the Shadow lurking by the door, before they continued forward. They eventually came across a plank blocking the area. But Ren-san just kicked it down, and opened the door at the end of the path. This eventually led them to another slab. When Ren-san touched it, it glowed purple.
Sakura-san's cognition appeared again. This time he didn't say a word. He just had stone carving tools in his hands, but they were holograms as well. He made a motion as if he was striking the slab. The whole room glowed a bright purple light. When the light dissipated, Sakura-san's cognition was gone. But there was writing glowing on the stone slab, but it was glowing with a blue light this time.
"Something showed up…" Anne-san commented. "It's kinda gibberish though… B01010…"
"Let's head back," Ken suggested. "They must be connected, like the stone slab with the mural we saw."
"But what does that thing mean?" Morgana frowned. "It sounds almost like a code for something…"
A code… now that Morgana mentioned it, he was right. It was like… binary, wasn't it? But it's not like there was a computer floating around where they could enter this code in…
But when they stepped outside, the ground started to shake. Futaba-san really liked making earthquakes, didn't she?
But on one side of the room, holographic orbs appeared, floating above what he had assumed were sarcophagi. And they were all… blue.
"Holy crap…" Ryuji-san breathed. "What is that?!"
"Maybe we have to apply that B01010 to it somehow…" Yusuke-san suggested. "Shall we take a closer look?"
Ren-san led them back to the main area. Though Ken noticed that one of the holograms was bluer than the rest.
"Wait hang on, do you remember the Boss's cognition? His riddle mentioned something about blue and red," Makoto-san pointed out.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Ryuji-san exclaimed. "Then this might be related to his clue!"
"Hmm…" Morgana tilted his head. "Maybe… 0 means we have to shut down the image."
"Let's try that." Ren-san nodded.
He approached the second sarcophagus and pressed the control panel. He ignored the third and fifth images, but shut down the rest.
"What do we do now then?" Ryuji-san asked.
"Let's try checking the button Joker couldn't get to work," Ken suggested. "I saw the stone slab all lit up when we went past it earlier, after we came back in here after meeting Sakura-san's cognition again."
And this time it worked, unlocking the glowing blue door that they couldn't get to open earlier. (And Ren-san had tried. Several times. Morgana had to nudge him into exploring a different area.)
They entered inside. This area was more of a maze, but they managed to find another stone slab. When Ren-san touched it, it glowed purple again. Sakura-san's cognition appeared once more with his tools and repeated the same process as previously. Vanishing in a flash of purple light. This time the glowing clue was the color red, not blue.
"R01100 and B10011 this time," Anne-san noted, toying with one of her pigtails. "We'll have to change the holograms again?"
"Looks like it," Makoto-san said with a nod. "This is definitely related to the riddle Boss's cognition gave us. First blue, now red? Come on, let's go back and check."
When they came back out, the other side activated its holograms. Ren-san deactivated the holograms needed, before going back to the button. But when he pressed the button, the area shook violently, hard enough for Morgana to lose his balance.
"Oof…" Morgana groaned. "That was definitely the strongest reaction so far…"
But then Ken looked up, sharply inhaling at the alarming sight.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" he asked.
Boulders were… rolling down the path.
Anne-san audibly gulped; her eyes wide as she took a step backwards. "That's not good."
"Yeah, that's kinda an understatement!" Ryuji-san yelped. "They ain't stopping… What are we gonna do!?"
"Joker, you must do something!" Yusuke-san's eyes were wide with panic.
"Okay, okay! You don't have to yell at me!" he exclaimed, holding up his hands.
He then turned, punching the button again. And again.
"Joker, you're making it worse!" Anne-san shouted, as the boulders seemed to pick up their speed.
"I know, I know!" Ren-san yelled, furiously pounding his fist against the button. "I'm trying to fix it, okay?!"
"Yes, try to fix the problem. By repeatedly pressing the button causing the problem," Ken mentally snarked.
This wasn't good. But what could they do?
But then Ren-san's leg suddenly lashed out and he kicked the button. (He really liked kicking things, didn't he…?) But the boulders slowed, before finally stopping.
"Who knew you had to break the button to fix this," Ken deadpanned.
Ren-san sighed in relief. "Whatever works, right?"
Ren-san led them to climb up the boulders (this was seriously what the stone slab meant?), and eventually led them to a room that held another mural puzzle. Ren-san placed his hand on the slab again, and another purple light appeared, Sakura-san's hologram-cognition appeared again. This time he spoke a riddle like he did once before.
"In the Pharaoh's gaze, a tragedy unfolds. A mother's end, and everything grows cold. Secrets of the past, in darkness they're entwined. Untangle truth from lies, heal our Pharoah's heart and mind."
Ren-san frowned heavily at these words as Sakura-san's cognition vanished once again. Ken couldn't help but feel dread forming in the pit of his stomach as Ren-san put the puzzle on the mural together, forming a clear image… and what a horrible image.
This time, it was an image of Futaba-san on the ground, weeping, as a dark-haired woman threw herself in front of an oncoming car. Ken's eyes widened at that. This was a bit more shocking than the previous mural.
"Mom, no!" The sound of sobbing echoed through the chamber. "Mom, wake up! Please! You were just tired, from your work… that's why you fell into the street, right…?"
Makoto-san's eyes widened. "This is… horrible… poor Futaba-chan."
Anne-san squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her arms around herself.
"She was in the state of denial," Yusuke stated, closing his eyes, "No wonder, with how she suddenly lost her mother…"
"I'm sorry, Miss, but we have to take your mother—"
"NO! Mom, WAKE UP!" Futaba's voice had turned hysterical, before breaking off into sobs. "She's not… she can't be…"
He remembered what happened when his mother died. Shinjiro-san's Persona had destroyed the wall of his house, and his mom had gotten him up. They had meant to escape the house together, but then Castor had destroyed the wall. The shrapnel would have pierced him, if his mother hadn't run forward and embraced him.
Despite how cold the air was, that room felt hot for some reason. Every time he took a breath, it felt like the air was freezing up in his lungs. His heart filled with dread, like someone was squeezing it tight in their hands.
He remembered her blood soaking his clothes. Castor continued going berserk, and pierced her from behind. But she just held onto him tighter, as the blood drained out of her. He remembered how Mom had collapsed to the ground. He remembered shaking her and begging her to wake up already. He remembered her slick blood staining his hands. He remembered the police and the paramedics coming, how he had to be dragged away from her so the paramedics could examine her.
His stomach twisted into knots, and it felt as if someone dropped a large rock into his throat and it was trapped in there. His tongue felt so dry. His palms felt clammy and itchy underneath his gloves. He could almost hear his heartbeat for some reason in his head, feel it throbbing up there instead of his chest.
"Ace? Ace!" Makoto-san was shaking him hard, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly.
Ken hazily realized that he was shaking. Ken tried to take a deep breath but he just couldn't stop the tremors wrecking his body.
"Ace, just breathe!" Makoto-san's begging voice somehow pulled him out of his haze.
Ken suddenly inhaled sharply, before he stared wide-eyed at Makoto-san. He then took in a shaky breath.
"I…"
"It's okay…" she shushed him before her hands slipped over his shoulders.
She then turned to look at Ren-san.
"Joker, just go find the safe room up ahead… we'll catch up."
Ren-san looked at him carefully, before nodding. He led the rest of them forward. They all eyed him with concern but followed Ren-san out.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Makoto-san asked gently, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"No," Ken said hoarsely, his throat constricting painfully. "I can't… I just…"
He couldn't begin to think about making a version about how his mother died, to fit the story he gave the Phantom Thieves. He didn't want to think about it. His head was still pounding, even as he was trying to steady his breathing.
"It's alright, you don't have to," Makoto-san said softly.
They stood there silently for a moment. Makoto just kept her hand on his shoulder, giving him a moment to truly steady his breathing again. Once he finally started to relax, she slowly moved closer and embraced him.
"I'm sorry this reminded you of your mom." Her voice shook but her hold around him was firm. "Futaba-chan didn't deserve this… and neither did you."
He stilled in her hold. The room didn't feel so hot anymore. It felt quite cool again. But her embrace was still warm and it was… comforting.
But still… He wished he didn't have to burden her like this. And normally he'd be mortified someone he wasn't as close to seeing him fall apart at the seams like this, forced to comfort him like a child.
But he didn't agonize over that in the moment, all he wanted to do was calm down and keep breathing, relaxing in the warm embrace.
His stomach finally settled down and his throat didn't feel so dry anymore. He was starting to feel like himself again. His eyes shot open and he pulled away. But… didn't Makoto's father die because of a traffic "accident"? And she was taking the time to comfort him?
"Queen, your dad…" Ken muttered.
"Dad… he knew that his job was an occupational hazard. And…" Makoto-san looked down. "Sis refused to let me see the body for a day. At the time, I was angry but… it probably was for the best. You don't have to worry about me. I'm alright, but thank you for thinking of me."
She then reached out, squeezing his hand. Ken stared at their joined hands for a moment. Makoto-san's hand was warm, even through their gloves.
"But are you feeling better now?" she asked softly.
"A little. And… thank you for being there for me."
Even if… he didn't deserve this kindness from her.
"Of course, Ace," Makoto-san said, giving him a reassuring smile. "That's what friends are for."
"They are," Ken agreed with a nod. He quickly looked away, to try and stave the guilt welling up inside of him again. "But um… maybe we should try to catch up with the others now."
Makoto-san just nodded, giving him that pretty smile of hers. "Yes, let's go."
"Show me your true form!"
After Ken's… episode, Ren had swapped him out with Morgana. But that was fine. He had been keeping Ken in the main party for the last stretch and most of their last run… he could use a break.
The canine Shadow wasn't that strange black dog that carried a scale. It was… weird, if he was being honest.
It had the head of a crocodile, but with a lion's mane. Its body was more like a hippo, but ridges ran down its spine, before forming a crocodile's tail. And it had paws more like a lion. Then again, he's seen some pretty weird Shadows. Like how Angel had this weird bondage look going on.
"Nice!" Morgana cheered. "You've got the first move, Joker!"
"Any idea on this one's weakness, Ace?" Ren asked.
"Sorry…" Ken shook his head. "I've never seen this one before."
Damn… well he might as well experiment then.
"Ame-no-Uzume!"
One of his new Personas appeared with a flash. She had been kinda a pain to fuse, since Caroline and Justine had demanded a special one as one of their requests. She made a sweeping motion with her arm, before bright pink energy surrounded the Shadow, throwing it backwards against the wall.
But it recovered rather quickly… Damn, it probably wasn't weak to psy magic then.
"Zorro, show your might!" Morgana exclaimed, before his Persona appeared and slashed with his rapier, whipping up a Garula spell.
Ame-no-Uzume had electricity and ice spells, so he could try those too.
Makoto then made her move, summoning a Freila spell. But it seemed to resist her spell.
Ryuji then ran forward, swinging with his club, but it also seemed to resist that. Dammit, this was gonna be an annoying one, wasn't it?
"My turn!" the Shadow growled, its voice surprisingly feminine.
It swiped forward, before blasting a Maeiga spell. It was really a good thing that none of them were weak to curse.
"Joker, try Bless since it's using Curse attacks!" Morgana exclaimed.
It was running a risk but… this Shadow was a tough one. He rifled through his Personas, before finally calling forth Principality. She raised her staff, a bright light flaring from it. The Shadow toppled over, earning a cheer from Ryuji.
"Wait!" the Shadow growled. "You're just going to shoot me?"
"You could always join me," Ren suggested, praying that Yoshida's newest technique worked.
"Join you…" the Shadow repeated. "Oh! That's right… I'm not a Shadow. I live in the sea of souls. My name is Ammit… and starting now, I am you… and you are me…"
Ammit then transformed into blue flames, flying towards Ren's mask. He felt Ammit's presence inside of him now.
"Oooh, nice, Joker!" Morgana cheered. "That's a new one, isn't it?"
"It's almost as annoying as that black dog one," Ryuji grumbled.
"Yeah, pretty much," Ren sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But anyways… let's get going!"
"Yet another puzzle…" Yusuke sighed, arms folding over his chest. "I wonder what this one will show us…"
Before Ren could do anything, the Sojiro hologram appeared once more. He eyed them all passively before settling his gaze on Ren. The cognition spoke up once again.
"Day by day, into the research her mother delves. The Pharaoh reaches out, but the mother repels? These memories and the letter's words weigh heavy, questioning her love. Is she a burden, or does her mother's care rise above? A harsh lie or tragic truth? Pierce through it all, find the proof."
The hologram vanished once more, and Ren was silent for a small moment. The more they unraveled, the more painful yet confusing it all was. He barely parted his lips and took a quick deep breath, letting out an exhale through his nose. He then leaned forward, and began to work on the next puzzle. It took slightly longer than the previous ones, but thankfully it didn't look so grim compared to the last one.
"This one isn't so bad, it looks kinda, innocent…" Anne said with a sigh of relief.
"I was kinda worried considering how complicated it looked for a moment there." Morgan nodded, "Not too mention the last one."
It showed an image of Futaba, tugging onto her mom's clothes. Wakaba was holding a stack of papers, while a computer desk sat to the right.
"Mom… I'm so bored…" Futaba's voice, high-pitched and whining, echoed throughout the room. "Can't we take a vacation?"
"Futaba, I told you," a stern voice sighed. "My work has reached a critical stage. It's far too important for me to stop now."
"I can't help but feel bad for her, y'know? When I was a kid, I'd beg my mom to take me out to do stuff all the time. Sometimes I felt like it was so unfair and she prolly saw me as a pain… she sacrificed a lot for me. And all I gave her was trouble," Ryuji said sadly before rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess… in a way I can see why Futaba would blame herself."
"It's not easy raising a child on one income…" Makoto's expression grew melancholic at that. "I felt so many days my dad cared more for his job than me. And I barely see my sister anymore. I can only imagine how frustrating that is for a young girl as well as a single parent."
"Yeah, I can't help but feel a little bad for Futaba," Anne added. "I always hated it when my parents had to delay returning home because of something coming up with work…"
"Yeah, my mother did her best to support me. She seemed exhausted so many days, I didn't appreciate it always at the time. I wish I didn't take it for granted back then, but at least now I understand how much she did for me," Ken said with a bittersweet smile.
"Not even for the weekend?! Your work is stupid!" Futaba huffed out. "I hate your work!"
"Futaba!" Wakaba sounded aggravated now. "Don't you dare say that! My work will be revolutionary! Honestly, Futaba… I'm doing this for the both of us. Just be a little patient for a little longer, okay?"
"Do you think… Futaba knows what her mother was researching?" Yusuke asked with a frown. "Just what made it 'revolutionary'?"
"That's the real question, isn't it?" Morgana sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "I have a feeling that Boss knows something, with how that woman has been interrogating him…"
"Not that we can really make him talk. It was like pulling teeth to get him to talk about Futaba in the first place," Ren grumbled, frowning at the memory.
"That's not important," Ken said quietly. "Isshiki-san's research… has been lost. Even if Futaba knew what exactly her mother was researching… she was thirteen. I don't think she would've disclosed everything to Futaba."
"I would really like to know what it was exactly," Makoto mused. "But I think Ace is right."
"But come on, the way is open… Let's push forward!" Anne urged.
They all moved to leave but Ren stopped when he noticed Yusuke still lingered at the mural, his head tilting at it slightly. Morgana noticed this as well and moved to stand next to Yusuke. Looking up at the mural, then back at Yusuke, and back to the mural. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.
The rest of the group seemed to notice, they all stopped in their tracks. Ryuji opened his mouth to say something but Ren placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
They all stayed silent. Waiting for Yusuke or Morgana to speak up first. It stayed silent for only a minute longer.
"Yen for your thoughts?" Morgana asked their tallest member.
Yusuke seemed to break out of his trance, looking down at Morgana.
"Apologies. I can't remember my mother. And I didn't know my father. No memories, no mementos…" Yusuke then closed his eyes.
They all knew what happened with Yusuke and his mother. But Madarame had brought up his dad as well. Yusuke never said anything though so… Ren had assumed it never bothered him. Apparently that assumption was wrong.
Yusuke gave a short exhale before opening his eyes. "I just wonder, what they would have thought of me. What would my childhood have been like had one of them lived? Would they be proud? Find me exhausting? I suppose it's pointless to get dragged into what ifs…"
Ken stepped forward to stand next to Yusuke on his other side.
"I don't remember my dad much. Some days I did think back after my mom died, I wished he'd never died just to get me away from the place I was staying," Ken said with a sigh. "Other days, I wondered if he hated me and mom and didn't care for him at all. I wasn't in the best headspace back then. But now I'm sorta… uncertain. I don't know what he'd think of me or if he'd like me."
Yusuke frowned and crossed his arms as he listened intently to Ken.
"But I suppose it's okay if you indulge in what ifs sometimes. I used to do it. I sometimes wondered if he lived if he would have taken me in and probably give me a decent life. Or maybe not." Ken closed his eyes, an almost… nostalgic smile on his face. "But then I remembered had the things that happened put me on the path I'm on now. I never would have made the friends I made, and become the person I am. I suppose, I'm okay with it now."
Makoto then moved to stand by Morgana.
"It was… hard for my dad. Being without my mom, I only faintly remember it. But I won't deny I got caught up in what ifs myself. Like had Mom lived, maybe things would be different for me, and especially for Sis. Maybe… Dad would be able to come home for a while. It's a bit childish but…" Makoto hugged herself and looked up at Futaba on the mural, a mournful frown on her face. "I often indulged in so many what ifs had my father not died. But Ace is right, I wouldn't be where I am now, had those things not happened. And for what it's worth, I think your fathers would be proud of both of you, your mothers too."
Ann stepped forward and placed Makoto into a one-armed hug, she returned the favor. Ryuji stepped forward after Ren nodded to him. Ryuji then placed one arm around Ken and the other arm around Yusuke, Ken stiffened a bit but said nothing.
Ren moved forward and knelt down behind Morgana.
"Yen for your thoughts, Mona?"
Morgana looked up at the others, and back at the mural. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I… guess I can't help but wonder if I had any parents, I can't remember what my life was like before when I was human. Did I… ever indulge in what ifs like you guys? Would they be…" Morgana trailed off and shook his head, his ears drooping. "No… now isn't the time for this. Futaba needs us to steal that treasure. We Phantom Thieves have a job to do."
Ren frowned; he hoped Morgana would start becoming more comfortable sharing his vulnerabilities, but he still wasn't there yet. He sighed but gave Morgana a small smile.
"Lead the way."
Morgana grinned and darted ahead, everyone untangling and following after. Yusuke still lingered and gave Ren a puzzled look.
"Is he alright? I didn't hear what he mumbled to you."
"He'll be alright Fox. But he's right, we should get going, how are you feeling?" Ren asked.
Yusuke nodded and gave a faint smile. "Quite fine. It's… funny how things like this bring people closer together, despite how stressful and perilous this is. I can only hope we can bring Futaba closure as well."
Ren just gave him a small nod in agreement. They caught up with the others quickly. They found themselves in the main hall. The door blocking the way slid down, allowing them to climb the rest of the stairs. But… another large door was blocking the way. Morgana's eyes grew affixed on the door before he gave a little hop of excitement.
"The treasure is definitely behind this door! I can feel it!" Morgana exclaimed.
"Hey, doesn't this look familiar?" Anne cocked her head. "I feel that I've seen this before."
"That's… Futaba's bedroom door!" Morgana exclaimed. "This is it… I think we've finished the Palace completely!"
"But… we need to open the door," Makoto said, rubbing her chin.
"So, Futaba's cognition needs to change," Yusuke stated. "I assume that we must have her open the way for us, I doubt Panther wearing many layers of clothing and stalling while stripping them off will be of use while Mona unlocks the real door."
"Open the way…?" Ken asked, blinking. Then it seemed to click as he looked between Yusuke and Anne. "I'm sorry… what? Panther does what?"
"Never mind that! It's in the past! Stop bringing that up Fox!" Anne stomped her foot while her cheeks matched the color of her mask.
Ryuji bit his lip, holding back the urge to laugh. Anne shot him a look that made it clear she better not hear a peep out of him. Morgana cleared his throat to catch the group's attention.
"Since Palaces are ruled by their hosts' cognitions… if we can change their mindsets, we can get rid of obstacles such as these," Morgana explained, looking to Ken—who was nodding as Morgana continued to elaborate. "We've had to do it with Madarame and Kaneshiro. But this means, we'll have to be prepared when we ask Futaba to open the door. We will have to present the calling card to her."
"Okay." Ren nodded. "Just give me a few days to gather supplies, and I'll figure out the best time to strike."
"Sounds good to me!" Ryuji cheered, pumping his fist.
"Futaba-chan… we'll save you," Anne vowed, pressing a hand against her chest. "No matter what!"
"You won't be in pain any longer soon, Futaba-chan," Makoto murmured, her voice quiet but firm.
"You want to live…" Ken added softly. "Just hang in there a little longer…"
"We shall remove the distortions that plague your heart, just wait for us," Yusuke said with resolve as he crossed his arms.
"So, we're clear, right?" Morgana said firmly. "We'll prepare the calling card and Joker will decide when we strike."
Ren looked back at the last door blocking their way. He couldn't help but feel confused. The murals had painted a different picture of Wakaba than Sojiro's story about Wakaba.
Just what… was the truth?
AMMIT
History: The Egyptian goddess of divine retribution. She sat by the scales of Ma'at, ready for when Anubis tested souls against the feather of truth. If they were judged to be impure, Ammit would devour the soul.
Level: 31
Affinity: Curse
Blocks: Curse
Resists: Physical, Nuclear
Weakness: Bless
Spells: Maeiga, Vicious Strike, Ominous Words
Like how Ryuji unlocks the area Ogikubo in his rank 4 event, Ken's rank 4 would unlock Meiji Shrine, instead of Ren having to unlock it by either accepting Anne's invite on August 6th (if you've cleared the Palace beforehand) or reading about it in a book.
In the artbook, Ken's parents are stated to have divorced shortly after he was born. The stuff about Ken's mother's family is something I came up with, just for this story, though.
Also people give Anne's romance route crap, but the original choices were "You have me" and "You have us". I like the scene where you romance Anne, but I have a fun scene planned for how they get together next chapter hehe.
Ken states that his mother died protecting him when he confronts Shinji about his mother's death.
Edit Notes (7/1/24): Expansion on Ken's panic attack + more of Cognitive Sojiro. Thank you again to my wonderful beta angelrin89.