Ace In The Hole

by eiranerys

Shido has barred the Shadow Operatives from action for two years. But when the Phantom Thieves appear, Mitsuru decides that they have to take action. Luckily, there's a certain former member Shido doesn't seem to be aware of: Ken Amada. But when Ken meets the Phantom Thieves in person, he can't help but agree with their goals. He can't help but befriend them. Phantom Thief!Ken AU.

19. 18: Last Days Of Summer

Chapter 18

Last Days Of Summer

---

Monday, August 29th, 2016

---

Ken woke up to Koromaru pouncing on him and licking his face.

"Haven't had this treatment in a while," Ken muttered as Koromaru happily lapped at his face.

He then gently pushed Koromaru off of him. As much as he loved Koromaru, he was heavy. Koromaru didn't seem to mind though. He just sat on his haunches before letting out a bark.

"Aw, don't blame Koro-chan, Ken-kun." Ken turned to see Fuuka-san standing at the door. "We'll have to go to the station in about an hour."

She then crossed across the room, leaning in close to give him a kiss on the cheek before smoothing out his bangs. Ken gave her an annoyed stare as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Quit it, Fuuka-san," he grumbled out.

"Aww, don't tell me that Shinji's rubbing off on you," she lightly teased him.

Ken huffed. "Nobody's grumpier than Shinjiro-san."

Fuuka-san just giggled. "Sure, Ken-kun. Let's go with that."

Ken wanted to just flop back in bed to catch a few more z's, but for all he knew, the others would be texting the group chat. Plus Fuuka-san and Koromaru would be leaving soon…

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Ken muttered out before throwing back the covers.

Fuuka-san laughed lightly. "I'm going to help Shinji prepare breakfast. I'll make you some coffee."

"Thanks, Fuuka-san," he said through yawns.

After shooing Koromaru out of his room, Ken got dressed. He also packed a change of clothes, sunblock, and the other things he would need for the beach. Though he wasn't sure if he should just go with his usual polo shirt… It was still pretty hot, but he hated the staring…

After he finished packing his duffel bag, he went back out. To nobody's surprise, Koromaru was happily eating dog food, mixed with steak. Shinjiro-san really did spoil him…

"Morning, Ken," Shinjiro-san greeted, setting down the last plate. Fuuka-san stood at the counter, pouring out coffee. Ken helped her carry the cups to the table and then they sat down to eat.

He was still pretty tired, so he tuned out the conversation. He focused on eating and sipping at his coffee. Fuuka-san always seemed to know the right amount of cream and sugar.

"…be there when you talk to them."

Ken jerked at that, looking at his guardian with wide eyes. "What?"

Shinjiro-san looked at him flatly. "I want to be there when you talk to the Phantom Thieves."

"You… You do?"

"I do," Shinjiro-san affirmed. "You're going to drop the bombshell that they've already met, what, half of the team already? Besides that, you don't know if things won't go south."

"But—" Ken began to protest.

Shinjiro-san's expression slightly softened. "Ken, I know that you trust them. But you have to think about their attitudes toward the police. They may trust you but they may not agree with Mitsuru and what she stands for. Things could get ugly. I'm not going to let you field them all by yourself."

…He had a point.

"Okay." Ken slowly nodded. "I'm planning on asking them to come tomorrow… Will that be okay for you, to skip work?"

"I'll call in sick." Shinjiro-san shrugged. "I'll just not get paid that day then."

"Good luck, you two," Fuuka-san suddenly spoke up, biting her lower lip. "I hope it goes well…"

"Thanks, Fuuka-san." Ken smiled weakly.

Fuuka-san finished her breakfast first so she got up to herd the puppies and Hoshi into the carrier. Ken couldn't help but watch her as she busied herself with that task.

Okay, he could understand why Shinjiro-san couldn't propose to her during the Port Island visit, but he had expected Shinjiro-san to propose during this visit.

With that in mind, Ken then leaned closer to his guardian. "You do realize that Minako-san is going to be mad when she sees no ring on Fuuka-san's hand, right?"

Shinjiro-san rolled his eyes at Ken. "I'll just point at the jeweler," he said lowly. "The ring's still being resized."

"Hm? You say something, Shinji?"

Shinjiro-san stiffened at Fuuka-san's innocent question. Luckily, Shinjiro-san was saved from having to answer because someone knocked on the door.

Fuuka-san then frowned. "I wonder who that is…"

Ken got up to answer the door, revealing Makoto-san and Anne-san.

"Morning!" Anne-san cheered, already brimming with energy. "Since we all live in Shibuya, we thought we'd all head for the train station together—"

She then broke off, her eyes brightening at the sight of Koromaru. Ken had to stifle a laugh at that. Morgana was probably a little annoyed at how Anne-san obviously adored Koromaru.

"Oh, good morning, Koro-chan!"

She then knelt down, opening her arms to Koromaru. Koromaru bounded forward and happily licked her face. She didn't seem to mind at all, though.

"Aw, you remember me!" she cooed, before scratching him behind the ear.

"You didn't mention he was an albino," Makoto-san commented.

She then hesitated for a moment before kneeling down to pet him. She suddenly jerked her hand away as Koromaru nosed it.

"It's okay," Ken said. "Koromaru is just trying to get to know you."

Makoto-san just smiled sheepishly before a slight blush dusted her cheeks. "Sorry… I don't have much experience with animals. The apartments we've lived in never allowed pets…"

"There's nothing to apologize for," Ken said with a smile.

"I'm so ready for the beach though!" Anne-san exclaimed, as both girls got to their feet. "Haven't been since summer started and Makoto and I bought new swimsuits when we were getting one for Futaba!"

Makoto-san began to fidget. "I still don't know about the swimsuit I got…"

"No, you'll look great!" Anne-san contradicted. "It's a modest one, as bikinis go too. Stop worrying!"

Ken then nodded in agreement. "I'm sure that you'll look nice, Makoto-san. You always do, anyways."

Makoto-san's blush deepened, before she smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, Ken."

Koromaru then looked up, looked between him and Makoto, before barking.

"Huh?" Makoto-san blinked down at Koromaru. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Shinjiro-san said dryly; for some reason, he looked… annoyed. "Koro just has a lot to say."

Fuuka-san suddenly nudged Shinjiro-san in the side, shooting him a look. Ken was honestly… a little lost. But then Fuuka-san turned to Koromaru, clapping her hands together once.

"Come on, Koro-chan. We'll have to put you in the carrier soon…" she said in a coaxing voice.

Koromaru let out a soft whine, but he padded over to the carrier at Fuuka-san's feet.

"Have fun at the beach, though!" Fuuka-san said.

"We will," Anne chirped. "Thanks, Fuuka-san!"

---

The sun burned hot, forcing them to take cover under an umbrella. The boys had all changed into their swimsuits, but the wait for the women's changing area was a lot longer so they were waiting for the girls to come back.

Ren-san pressed a soda against his neck with a sigh, before he grumbled out, "Didn't expect it to be this hot. I would've thought there'd be more of a breeze, with the ocean being right there."

"For real," Ryuji-san sighed, sucking on the topsicle he had bought earlier.

Ken unscrewed the cap off his drink and took a long swig. It was blistering hot today.

"Aren't you two hot?" Ryuji-san asked, looking at both Ken and Yusuke-san. "You're makin' me sweat just looking at you."

"It is not preferable, I'll admit," Yusuke-san said. "But you need the ladies to keep guessing."

…What.

Ken was glad that he was done drinking, for fear of choking from what Yusuke-san had just said.

He said that with a completely straight face too…

"Guessing what?" Morgana asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Ryuji-san yelped, waving his hands like crazy.

His movements were wild enough that it sent a couple droplets from the topsicle flying and splattering the table.

Yusuke-san blinked. "…I don't know what that means, though."

"Oh, thank God," Ren-san muttered, his shoulders slumping.

Ken rubbed his temples. He did not want a headache this early on in the day.

"Do you too wish for the ladies to keep guessing, Ken?" Yusuke-san asked, oblivious as always.

Ken felt his face grow hot, which had nothing to do with the summer heat.

"Actually I was going to take it off for swimming," he quickly lied. "But it's getting too hot, so I'll take it off now."

To prove his point, he quickly unbuttoned his polo enough so he could slip it off. He pointedly ignored Ren-san and Ryuji-san's snickers as he pulled the shirt over his head, stuffing it in his bag.

But the sound of crunching sand made them all look up. Anne-san gave a little wave, before sheepishly smiling.

"Sorry for the wait!" she said, clasping her hands behind her.

Ren-san dropped his soda can, it plopping in the sand, as he laid his eyes on his girlfriend. "I've never seen such a stunning sight."

Ken fought the urge to roll his eyes, especially as Anne-san giggled and blushed prettily at Ren-san's compliment.. At least they didn't get handsy in front of everyone. Though he did have to pretend that Anne-san wasn't checking Ren-san out too.

"Indeed, your swimsuit matched your bright and colorful personality," Yusuke-san declared, framing Anne-san with his hands. "You look wonderful."

Morgana purred. "You look stunning, Lady Anne! Absolutely meowvelous!"

Ken pulled a face at Morgana's last comment. He hated puns so much.

However, Ken had to admit that Anne-san's swimsuit did suit her, with the bright flowers splashed on the fabric. It showed off her figure pretty well too; Ken had a feeling that Ren-san would probably stick close to Anne-san for the most part.

And then Ken's eyes were caught by Makoto-san. As Anne mentioned before, Makoto-san was wearing a more modest swimsuit, a white bikini top and a matching skirt. Anne made a good choice. Simple and elegant, a perfect fit for Makoto. It showed off her slim and toned figure well. Very well.

…Wait, what was he thinking?

Though… Makoto-san was staring at him, shock in her eyes. Ken felt heat flush his cheeks as Makoto-san continued to stare at him unabashedly.

"Um… is something the matter?" he asked, feeling more than a little awkward.

You would've thought that he had dumped a bucket of water on her head, judging how startled she looked.

She cleared her throat. "O-Oh, I'm just… surprised. With how many scars you have."

Ken winced. It's part of why he preferred to wear a shirt. Granted they were faded but…

Morgana tilted his head. "Hm… Makoto is right. I didn't realize you had so many…"

"Well, he's fought before." Ryuji-san's sudden poke made him jump. "Most of 'em are pretty faded."

"Can we please not talk about this…?" Ken muttered.

"This is perfect!"

Ken felt his shoulders slump in relief at Futaba-san's interruption. And then… he actually saw her.

Futaba-san's head was wrapped in a… towel. She was wearing a bathing suit, more on the cuter side than Makoto-san and Anne-san's, with frills, yellow with red polka dots. But due to her being essentially blinded, she just stumbled forward, her arms flailing wildly.

"I think she needs perfect redefined," Ryuji-san muttered.

"Come on now," Makoto-san sighed, before walking over to Futaba-san. She began to unravel the towel, slowly unmasking Futaba. "Don't be shy! You look great."

Futaba-san's bright hair cascaded down her back, as she anxiously looked around. She didn't seem to relax until Ren-san smiled to reassure her.

"Like Makoto said… you look great, Futaba," he said.

She then smiled shyly, pink dusting her cheeks. "T-Thanks."

They then headed towards the area they had set up, before Anne-san spoke. "There are a lot of people here today… Guess it makes sense since summer's almost over."

"Are you going to be okay, Futaba-san?" Ken asked, frowning. Maybe they should've done something else…

Futaba-san looked around, taking a step back as she took in all of the people. Then she squared her shoulders. "N-No… it's okay. You guys are here."

She smiled shyly again. It was hard to remember that she was actually shy and introverted, after seeing how lively she can be.

"Let's have some fun!" Ryuji-san cheered, pumping a fist. "But first… how 'bout we eat first?"

"Always thinking with your stomach," Anne-san teased, poking him in the side.

"Aw, quit that!" Ryuji-san swatted her hand away, his expression morphing into an annoyed scowl. "Unless you've got something else in mind, I just thought getting food would be the best way to go!"

"No, he's right." Yusuke-san shook his head. "The salty air is making me famished."

…Somehow Ken got the feeling it wasn't just the sea air.

Ryuji-san collected money from everyone (except for Yusuke), and repeated everyone's orders just to make sure he got it.

Then he paused, squatting in front of Morgana. "Morgana, what do you wanna eat?"

Morgana blinked up at him. "Uh… grilled fish if you can find it?"

"Heh. Figures." Ryuji-san patted him on the head, all while laughing. "I'm on it."

Ren-san went with him to carry the orders, all while Futaba-san reached for the familiar bowl of ramen.

"Ramen again?" Ken sighed.

"It's my staple food."

…Okay, Shinjiro-san may have a point. Though with them finding out about everything, Shinjiro-san may insist on feeding her proper food himself…

Ren-san and Ryuji-san returned soon after, and passed out the food. They settled onto the blanket and dug in.

"Mm, I love the beach." Anne-san let out a happy sigh. "There's just something about it, you know? Sand between your toes, the ocean, the breeze… It's all so awesome."

"Oh, can we rent a banana boat?" Futaba-san asked eagerly, a noodle hanging from the corner of her mouth.

Makoto-san sighed, reaching out to wipe at the corner of Futaba-san's mouth, as she was preoccupied with tugging at Anne-san's arm.

"Pleaseeee?" she begged.

"We'll check it out," Makoto-san promised.

"Hang on!" Ryuji-san held up a hand. "You're seriously gonna ditch us?"

"Come on, we'll do something as a group later. We're not exactly made of money—so we can't afford a bigger banana boat," Anne-san pointed out.

Ren-san looked between them, a thoughtful look entering his eyes.. "You know… we have seven people. Anyone up for beach volleyball later?"

"That sounds like fun." Makoto-san nodded with a smile. "Though how would we divide the teams?"

"I'm referee," Futaba-san announced. "I lack in stamina, so I would be the weak link."

Anne-san snapped her fingers, before letting out a gusty sigh. "Darn, I was hoping girls versus boys."

"How are you planning on dividing the teams, then?" Yusuke-san asked, with a quirked eyebrow.

Ren-san grinned. "How about… me, Ryuji, and Anne for one team, and Yusuke, Makoto, and Ken for the other team?"

Ryuji-san just nudged Ren-san in the side. "You just don't want Anne-san to give ya a pretty smile and you get all dopey."

Morgana made a grumbling sound at that, curling into himself. Ken eyed Morgana warily. He knew the feline was making an effort to be happy for the two of them, but he could sympathize. It wasn't easy getting over your first crush.

However, nobody seemed to notice.

"Who's dopey?!" Ren-san snapped at him.

"The nerd in glasses of course," Ryuji-san taunted.

"Uh, if anyone's a nerd, it's definitely Ken," Ren-san argued.

"Please don't drag me into your petty argument," Ken deadpanned with an eye-roll.

"Ooooh, he doesn't deny he's a nerd," Futaba-san said with a snicker.

"But anyways—" Makoto interjected. "How about this—Anne and I will be on the same team as Yusuke, and Ken, Ren, and Ryuji will be on the other team. Sound fair enough?"

"That sounds fair," Yusuke said with a nod. "I look forward to this competition."

Morgana just sighed, his ears drooping. "I wish I could do more…"

"Aw, Morgana…" Anne-san frowned, looking concerned for the feline. She reached out to stroke his fur. "Should we look for another activity?"

Morgana sighed. "No, it's… nothing."

Ken couldn't help but frown at that. That was an evasive answer, if he ever saw one. But… how would he even begin to address this? Morgana was… prideful, to put it lightly. He might get offended if Ken attempted to address it now.

"I guess… I'll keep quiet," Ken thought, as his frown deepened.

After they finished eating, the girls got up to go pick up the banana boat. And it wasn't long before Ryuji-san started to complain.

Ryuji-san scowled. "This sucks! I can't believe they ditched us!"

"You're acting like they up and left us for the rest of the day," Ken said dryly. "Relax. It shouldn't be that long."

"Yeah, but…" Ryuji-san groaned. "Come on! Look at us! We're practically celebrities now! We've made headlines!"

"Ryuji-san…" Ken hissed, shooting him a look.

"Okay, okay!" he huffed, before angrily kicking at the sand.

Morgana sputtered as the wind suddenly blew the sand into his face. Ren-san shot Ryuji-san a look, and he grumbled out an apology. But then he got fired up all over again.

"I just… We should be doing something fun too, dammit!" he huffed out.

"We could rent something to do in the water too?" Ken suggested.

"Nonono, you don't get me, Ken!" Ryuji-san waved his hands wildly, before he suddenly smirked. "I'm talking about something fun with girls."

"…He's joking, right?"

Ken knew that he was asking a rhetoric question but there was a slight chance it was true. He could hope.

"Please tell me he is," he pleaded.

"I believe he is not," Yusuke-san said blandly.

"Come on, we've got some practice already!" Ryuji-san argued. "We could totally steal girls' hearts! Anne, Makoto, and Futaba don't get it… they just see us as guys, not men!"

Ren-san craned an eyebrow at that declaration. "You do know I'm dating Anne now, right? I've stolen her heart."

Ryuji-san snorted, rolling his eyes. "Dude, nobody could miss that—"

"So I can't do that!" Ren-san exclaimed, all while staring at Ryuji-san.

"You could referee!" Ryuji-san countered.

He clearly was keen on this idea. Ken, on the other hand…

"That's a no from me too. I have no interest in picking up girls," Ken said flatly, pressing a hand against his forehead.

"Dude, are you serious?" Ryuji-san squinted at him, before his eyes lit up.

Ken didn't like that look in his eye. It reminded Ken too much of Junpei-san, when he got an (inaccurate) idea in his head.

"Oh man…" Ryuji-san shook his head, before he let out a hearty laugh. "It's so freakin' obvious."

…He was officially lost. What on earth was Ryuji-san talking about?

"Oh?" Yusuke-san raised an eyebrow. "Do you care to elucidate?"

"You have your eye on someone, don'tcha?" Ryuji-san grinned wildly at Ken.

What?! Where the heck did Ryuji-san get that idea?!

But Ryuji-san wasn't done.

"I mean, Ren's got Anne, but you… you're as free as a bird." He jabbed a finger in Ken's direction. "That's why you don't wanna go and pick up girls!"

He was grinning, like he had struck gold. Ken opened his mouth, only for a croaking sound to suddenly escape his mouth. Ken's face flushed at that, especially as Ren-san and Ryuji-san started snickering like crazy. It was starting to feel like he could fry an egg on his face.

Somehow Ken managed to find his voice.

"You're being ridiculous!" Ken hissed out. "I most certainly do not! I just don't want to flirt with random girls!"

"Who is it, huh?!" Ryuji-san started to badger him.

He then elbowed Ken, wiggling his eyebrows. Ken wanted to find some hole to crawl into and hide from everyone. He hated this kind of talk.

Ryuji-san rubbed his chin. "It's gotta be some girl back on Port Island? I mean, it's definitely not Anne, especially cause you pushed for RenRen to ask her out. And Makoto's pretty, but she's scary as hell sometimes!"

"There's nobody!" Ken hissed out, glaring daggers at Ryuji-san.

He wasn't against being in a relationship. He just had no interest in something that came from purely physical attraction. What was the point if you just cared about how pretty your partner was? It just felt… shallow. And pointless. Maybe this was due to how most of his teammates were fortunate enough to find love when they were his age but…

"That's a pretty intense denial, Ken," Ren-san teased, flashing Ken a lopsided smirk. "Though I'm kinda curious… what kind of girl is your type?"

"Do we really have to do this?" Ken didn't particular care that he was whining right now.

"Just shoot me now," Ken grumbled to himself.

"How 'bout you start, then, RenRen?" Ryuji-san nudged him in the side.

Ren-san just blinked, before a smile slowly curled at his lips. "I don't have one."

"…Wha?" Ryuji stared at him. "What are you talking 'bout?"

"Dark hair, light hair, tall, short… they don't matter to me." Ren shrugged. "If I like someone… I like them."

Ryuji-san snorted. "Dude, that's gotta be the most cliché thing to say."

Yusuke-san tilted his head. "May I ask about Anne, then?"

"I guess I never told you but…"

Ryuji-san groaned before muttering under his breath, "Here we go…"

"Honestly, my arrival to Tokyo wasn't… pleasant. Everyone just kept reminding me of the whole incident. And the metaphorical cherry on top was how I ended up stuck in the rain."

Ken gave a wince in sympathy. He had imagined Ren-san had it rough, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad.

"But I took shelter under a store and Anne took cover there too. When she caught me staring… she just smiled. I had been in Tokyo for barely a day, but Anne was the first person to show me kindness since before the incident, if I'm being honest."

As he talked, Ren-san's smile turned adoring. Yeah, he was definitely besotted. He could give Kanji-san a run for his money.

…Hm. He wondered what Kanji-san would think of Ren-san. He knew that Kanji-san and Ryuji-san would get along, at least…

"Anne's both strong and kind. I just like her." Ren-san shrugged. "I can't really pin what exactly about her that got my attention first. I like… all of her. She's just amazing. She makes me incredibly happy, just to be around her."

"A well thought out response, Ren," Yusuke-san chuckled.

Then he let out a thoughtful hum, closing his eyes for a moment. Was Yusuke-san seriously thinking about this?

"Though I must concur with your line of thought. I do not have a personal preference for a romantic partner, a 'type' as Ryuji put it. There are different kinds of beauty… but if I were to be in a romantic relationship, I would want them to inspire me… to be my Mona Lisa."

"Mona… Lisa?" Morgana repeated.

"It's a famous painting in the Louvre," Yusuke-san explained. "Over the centuries, people have marveled over the mystery of her smile. I can only dream of creating such a work of art."

"Like the Sayuri!" Morgana said. "Though that really does suit you, huh, Yusuke?"

Yusuke-san could only nod.

"What about you, Ryuji?" Yusuke-san asked.

"Don't laugh… but…" Ryuji-san smiled sheepishly. "A kind, graceful girl who I can protect."

He then crossed his arms over his chest, his expression suddenly despondent.

"My dad… he was a piece of shit. He would take his anger out of Mom and she'd protect me from getting hit by that bastard."

He shook his head, before his hands clenched into fists. Ken's eyes widened at that. He had no idea that Ryuji-san's father was abusive. Though… that did explain a lot, now that he thought about it. Why Ryuji-san had such a deeply rooted distaste for adults who abused their power…

"It was such a relief when he left," he muttered, staring down at the ground. "I want to be the opposite of him. To always protect my girl… and always make her smile."

Morgana's ears suddenly drooped. "…I didn't know the extent of how bad your dad was."

"It ain't easy to talk about, so how could you know?" Ryuji-san rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish. "But yeah, it's lame, isn't it?"

Yusuke-san shook his head. "It's not. There's no need to degrade yourself, Ryuji."

Ryuji-san blinked at that. "Oh, thanks—"

"Though, that being said, I don't think you're going the right way about meeting a girl," Yusuke-san finished.

"Aw, shuddup!" Ryuji-san swatted his shoulder.

But then he turned to Ken, making him stiffen.

"But anyways, what 'bout you, Ken? It's your turn now!" he prodded.

Ken frowned as he thought. He… honestly didn't know. Minako-san… just what had he liked about her? He remembered that the first thing that had caught his attention was her hair. It had a summer day when he had met her, so the sun had shone on her hair, making the red in her hair gleam. And he had found himself admiring how cheerful she was, how she was able to lift everyone up with just a little remark, how brave she was, how powerful she was in battle… The list went on.

But… he didn't know if that was something he just liked in general. Or was it because those were the parts that made up Minako-san, and he had liked her?

"I don't know." Ken shrugged. "I just know that I don't really care about a specific hair or eye color."

"Laaaame." Ryuji-san groaned. "After we talked so much…"

"I'm telling you, I don't know."

"You know…" Morgana suddenly spoke up. "The girls have been gone for a while. Maybe we should check up on them."

"Yeah, let's go—" Ren-san then blinked in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Ken asked with a frown.

Ren-san scratched the back of his head. "Um… where did Yusuke go?"

He had just… walked off. Maybe he got hit with some inspiration? That would be just like Yusuke-san…

"Whatever, let's find the girls first," Ryuji-san said, waving his hand before he frowned. "I hope Futaba didn't get overwhelmed…"

Ren-san nodded, before looking to Morgana. "Come on, Morgana."

Morgana nodded, before jumping onto Ren's shoulder, curling his body around Ren's neck to balance himself. Ren grimaced.

"Not what I meant, but okay," he grumbled out.

They didn't have to search for long before they heard Anne-san's indignant voice. Ren-san's mouth immediately tightened.

"Figures," Ken sighed.

"Come on, let's hurry," Ryuji-san urged.

"I'm telling you, we're here with friends!" Anne-san hissed out, before she stomped her foot. "So buzz off!"

Standing rather close to Anne-san and Makoto-san were two older men, their skin both a deep bronze color. Just looking at them caused warning bells to ring in Ken's head.

Makoto-san put a restraining hand on Anne-san's shoulder, before Anne-san could lose really lose her temper and let the two men really have it. Her element wasn't fire for nothing, after all.

"Anne's right," she said, her voice like steel. "If you will please excuse us, we've been making them wait for a while…"

The taller of the men grabbed Makoto-san's wrist, making her flinch.

He then crooned, "C'mon, baby, we just want to invite you and your pretty friend onto our boat. We're having a party. Tons of celebs will be there, too. We'll have plenty of fun there."

Ken's blood started to boil for two reasons. One, he was touching Makoto-san without permission. Two, he was speaking to her in such a revolting manner.

"Are you even listening to us?!" Anne-san's hands clenched into fists.

She was probably ready to pop a punch at the rate these idiots were going.

Makoto-san's smile was strained, as she yanked her arm free. "We really have to go—"

"Come on, we just want to have fun with you girls—"

Ren-san narrowed his eyes, before marching up to them. He then pointedly cleared his throat.

"Sorry for the wait," he said, though Ken could tell that he was struggling to keep his voice casual.

Though Ken honestly couldn't blame him. Two older men were trying to hit on the girls and had… skeevy intentions. He could see what Ren-san was doing, though… Making a scene would probably embarrass the girls.

"Yeah, how was the banana boat ride?" Ryuji-san kept his voice nonchalant. "Hope it was worth the money."

"Where's Futaba-san?" Ken asked.

One of the men frowned. "Huh, so you were right about being with friends…"

"That's right," Ren-san said, his voice cool and clipped.

He then pointedly grabbed Anne-san's hand and glaring at the two men.

"You shouldn't just assume that they're lying."

Anne-san squeezed Ren-san's hand for a moment, before glaring at the two men. "That's what we were saying from the start!"

"Tch." He shook his head. "Are you bored spending all of your time with boys? Wouldn't you enjoy spending time with men?"

"Men?" Makoto-san echoed, before narrowing her eyes. "Where? I don't see any here, until our friends showed up."

"Excuse me?" The men took a menacing step towards Makoto-san, glaring, but Makoto just glared back.

"We have no interest in spending time with you," she said coldly, arms folding over her chest. "Do you understand now?"

"Or have your brains been fried by the tanning machines you obviously frequent?" Ken said dryly.

"How childish." The taller of the men shrugged. "Fine. We'll let the children play with children."

"So you admit you were creeps, huh?!" Ryuji-san yelled at them but they just hastened away.

"Good riddance!" Anne-san didn't bother waiting for them to walk out of earshot.

Though judging by how she smirked at how they twitched at the jab, maybe she wanted them to hear it.

"Thank goodness…" Makoto-san breathed in relief, pressing a hand to her chest. "I thought they would never go away."

Ken frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. He didn't even bruise my wrist… see?" Makoto-san showed him her wrist.

Ken could only see Makoto's fair skin, not a blemish in sight. A wave of relief hit him. He was glad that Makoto-san was unharmed at least.

"Those two seriously gave me Kamoshida vibes." Ryuji-san scowled, before awkwardly shuffling his feet. "Uh… do you wanna go home then? I know that must've been a hair-raising experience."

"Ryuji's right." Morgana nodded. "It must've been unpleasant."

"No." Anne-san slipped her hand out of Ren-san's, placing both of hers on her hips. "We're here to have fun. We aren't going to let two creeps ruin things."

"I'm glad you're okay." Ren-san flashed her a playful smile. "Though you seemed like you were ready to pounce on them if they didn't leave you two alone."

"Kitty has claws," Ryuji-san stage whispered.

Anne-san stuck her tongue out at him. "Sometimes you have to do what you have to do."

"Though, seriously… where is Futaba-san?" Ken asked.

Makoto-san frowned. "She got separated from us. Anne and I were trying to find her when we were… intercepted."

But then a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

"Inari, let me see!"

They all turned to see Yusuke-san and Futaba-san slipping out of the crowd. And surprise, surprise… they were arguing. And clutched tightly in Yusuke-san's hands were…

"…Are those lobsters?" Makoto asked slowly.

Morgana's eyes lit up, before he jumped off of Ren-san and bounded to Yusuke-san and Futaba-san.

"Are you planned on roasting them?! Make them into sashimi?! Or make them into lo mein?" he asked eagerly.

…Morgana was drooling, wasn't he?

"I think drawing them would be more likely," Anne-san commented, folding her arms over her chest.

"Inari won't let me see!" Futaba-san complained, before she tried to grab the lobster right out of Yusuke's hand.

"Enough of your vile postulations!" Yusuke exclaimed, all while using his height advantage to hold the lobsters out of Futaba's reach. "How dare you imply that I wish to eat them?! These are purely for the sake of visual appreciation!"

His gaze turned adoring as he stared at the lobsters, and if he had a free hand, he'd probably be stroking them.

"I had to have them… I haven't been struck with such inspiration since I had laid eyes on Anne for the first time!" he gushed out.

"You're comparing me to a lobster?!" Anne-san exclaimed, her eye twitching ever so slightly.

"No, it's two lobsters," Ren-san teased, earning a glare from his girlfriend for the crack.

"Lady Anne is far more lovely than a lobster!" Morgana seconded.

"I mean, you both do have red on ya," Ryuji-san teased, quickly dodging Anne-san's smack.

Futaba-san let out a frustrated huff. "Inari, I just wanna hold one!"

Futaba-san then turned to Ken, a pout on her face.

"Ken, make him share!" she whined at him.

"Ken, make her stop!" Yusuke-san snapped. "I bought them with my own money! They're mine and mine alone! I won't hand them over!"

…They were joking, right?

"Did he seriously just say that?" Morgana winced.

Yusuke definitely gave Chidori-san a run for her money, when it came to be eccentric…

Ken just facepalmed in response. "Since when am I the one in charge…? Shouldn't you be turning to Ren-san?"

Ren-san just shrugged. "It's not my fault you act more like a dad than me."

"So I'm the dad now, am I?" Ken crossed his arms over his chest, giving both Yusuke-san and Futaba-san an irate look. "Then you're both grounded."

"WHAT?!" they chorused together, before Futaba-san pointed at him. "He started it!"

"No, you did!" Yusuke-san retorted.

"You are definitely grounded," Ken announced, making Ren, Ryuji, and Anne burst into laughter.

Makoto was more subtle about her amusement, holding a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles, but her red eyes were dancing in amusement.

Good god. Sometimes he didn't know how Yukari-san did it…

---

The setting sun painted orange hues in the sky, the golden rays making the ocean glow. They had really spent the whole day, playing in the water, sunbathing, and generally just enjoying themselves. It was nice after worrying about Medjed for so long. Ken couldn't remember the last time he had felt this relaxed.

"You know, I really haven't had fun like this on the beach in the longest time," Anne-san mused, gazing out at the sea. "I've been to a lot of beaches, when my parents took me with them on their travels… But there's something about going to the beach, with your friends."

"It's been a while for me, too," Ren-san mused. "I live right by the coast, but… it's not like I've had an opportunity to hang out with friends. Not after… the crap that happened."

Had Ren's parents even bothered to contact him since the transfer…?

"But enough about that…" Ren-san shook his head before heaving out a sigh. "Sorry. Don't wanna kill the mood."

Ryuji-san slung an arm around Ren-san's shoulder. "Man, don't be. Your parents don't know what they're missing."

Ken glanced over at Futaba-san. The younger girl was sitting on the sand now, her knees drawn to her chest as she stared out at the horizon.

"Is something wrong, Futaba-san?" he asked with a concerned frown.

"You've done quite well today," Yusuke-san chimed in. "You don't seem bothered by the crowds at all."

Futaba-san just cracked a grin, before flashing a victory sign. "Hehe! It seems that I've gone up ten levels! I'm ready to take on the rest!"

"So, basically the trip was a success," Morgana said with a nod.

But then Futaba's expression suddenly darkened.

"But still, finding out the truth about my mom's death…" she trailed off for a moment, biting her lower lip.

Her eyes lost some of their spark.

"You don't have to talk about your mother right now, you know," Makoto-san spoke up, before crouching to touch the younger girl's shoulder.

"It's still raw," Ken added. "Don't push yourself, Futaba-san."

Futaba-san looked up, before a small smile flitted across her face. "I know, but I want to. You've all been pretty patient with me, even when I could hardly look at you. I never really said it but… thanks for all you've done for me."

"We would never leave you hanging, after what you've been through!" Anne-san exclaimed.

Futaba-san nodded. She was quiet for a moment, as if she was trying to put her thoughts to words.

"It's so overwhelming. For the past two years, I thought it was completely my fault…" Her voice suddenly wobbled at that, and Makoto-san's hand moved to stroke Futaba-san's hair for a moment. "Everyone looked at me, thinking I was a murderer. I… I ended up hating this world. That's why I shut myself in and covered my ears."

"Futaba…" Anne-san's voice grew soft with sympathy, tears glimmering in her blue eyes.

"It'd felt like I wasn't really awake. I'd wake up, hate myself for what happened to Mom and go to sleep. Then the cycle would start all over again."

Ken swallowed hard, to try and force down the lump forming in his throat. He really understood how Futaba-san felt. Not to her extreme but… he had felt there was no point in living.

"But you're not like that, anymore," Ren-san said quietly.

"No. I…" Futaba-san's expression steeled, before she stood up to face them all. "You guys woke me up. You pulled me out of my nightmare. And I… I can't forgive whoever killed her!"

Her eyes burned with righteous anger, before she placed a hand over her heart.

"I really looked up to her. It was my aspiration to be like her… There was so much I wish I could've told Mom back when she was still alive."

"What she studied…" Makoto-san folded her arms over her chest. "It was called cognitive psience. That's what you told us."

Futaba-san closed her eyes, before she seemed to recite something. "The cognitive world can be distorted with desires. If it becomes distorted… a person begins to exhibit problematic behavior in reality."

She then reopened her eyes, pacing the sand.

"The cognitive world disappears when you remove its core… and further problematic actions stop."

"That sounds like Palaces…" Anne-san said, her eyes wide. "So your mom was researching Palaces…?"

"No surprise there," Ken spoke up. "She quickly grasped the concept of Palaces due to her knowing about her mother's research. She... must have been murdered because of it. I assume that she wanted to utilize it in some sort of therapy but… someone didn't want that knowledge to get out."

That was what Mitsuru-san certainly thought. He wished he could say more, but he held his tongue. He had to figure out how to bring this up, before they split.

Ken slowly inhaled. He had to calm down. He had time.

Yusuke-san's lips formed a thin line, "Or someone wanted to abuse that knowledge."

"But how could she know about the Metaverse?!" Morgana demanded. "Normal people can't enter the Metaverse."

"It's a bit strange that you yourself recognized that your desires were distorted…" Yusuke-san commented, arms folded over his chest. "Not many people come to that realization."

"Still pretty crazy how you asked us to steal your heart…" Ryuji-san shook his head.

Futaba-san adjusted her glasses for a moment. "You know, I didn't believe you originally. I thought it was crazy…"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ren-san quipped.

"To be fair, there weren't many people who believed in us originally," Morgana pointed out.

Futaba-san rolled her eyes. "But anyways, then I overheard you talking about things in LeBlanc…"

Ken narrowed his eyes at Futaba-san, which made her huff. She then marched up to Ken before stomping her foot.

"I know, I know! I did what I promised, okay? I deactivated the bug! Stop looking at me like that!"

This earned them a couple of weird looks, but they moved on. It turned out that Makoto-san's sister Sae had been threatening Sakura-san. Her drive was worrisome. Without a doubt, she would continue to look into this.

And the true reason why Futaba-san was so desperate for her heart to be stolen was because she wanted to help Sakura-san. To stop Niijima-san from going to the authorities and claiming that Sakura-san was an abusive guardian. Ken honestly didn't blame her for being desperate, especially since Sakura-san turned out to be such a kind guardian to her.

"In all honesty, I was surprised by your concern." Futaba-san looked between all of them. "I didn't think you would worry so much."

"We've been in your situation, y'know," Ryuji-san said. "Feeling helpless. Watching from the sidelines. We couldn't let you go through the same thing."

Futaba-san nodded. "Thank you. Um…"

She bit her lip again, chewing on it for a few seconds.

"Was it?" Anne-san asked with a frown.

Futaba-san let out a little sigh. "I'll be honest. I don't want to go after changing people's hearts. I want to learn about what happened to my mom, who wanted to steal her research so badly…"

"What do you mean?" Yusuke-san asked, raising an eyebrow.

Futaba-san's expression was dead serious before she stood up. "I saw it in her notes… If you kill the self in the cognitive world, the self in the real world will lose consciousness."

Morgana gasped. "Then mental shutdowns…"

It was just like Apathy Syndrome. He knew that mental shutdowns was an awfully lot like Apathy Syndrome already, but this confirmed things.

"That was what Sis mentioned before…" Makoto-san said slowly. "And Kaneshiro had mentioned a person in a black mask…"

"The criminal who was abusing the Metaverse," Yusuke-san finished, before he stroked at his chin. "Hmm… it appears that the puzzle pieces are assembling themselves."

Futaba-san nodded, before her eyes suddenly looked faraway. "Before my mom died… she didn't seem right. She had gone all quiet… and wouldn't respond, even when I pulled on her arm. And she didn't throw herself into the street, so the car would run her over. It was more that she fell…"

He remembered that flashback of sorts in the Palace. All of this was disturbing. Strega had taken advantage of the Dark Hour to murder people but this was on a new level. The mental shutdowns were disguising something.

"What happened to your mom's research though?" Anne-san asked. "It was destroyed, according to Boss."

Futaba-san shook her head. "No. It's worse than that. All evidence of Mom's research was wiped away. Like she never conducted it in the first place." Her hands balled into fists, before she narrowed her eyes. "It was them, I know it. The men in black… who read out the fake suicide note to me."

That was just cruel of Shido. It wasn't enough to orchestrate Isshiki-san's death. He had to torture Futaba-san too…

"If I can stay with you guys… I'm sure I'll be able to find out what happened." She then looked at them nervously. "Is that okay? If I have a personal reason for this…?"

Ren-san suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump a little. "We all had personal reasons to fight back. You're the same as us, Futaba."

"And you helped us out a lot already in the one fight you've been in," Ken said. "You've earned your place, Futaba."

"Yeah, you seriously saved our asses when Morgana couldn't do a single thing!" Ryuji-san exclaimed.

"Hey!" Morgana hissed out. "I was trying my best! You know that was a freak accident! The odds were stacked against us!"

"Yeah, but Futaba is so much better at it than you!" Ryuji-san said.

"Ryuji-san, that's enough!" Ken snapped, before Morgana could retaliate. "While it's true that Futaba-san did save us when Morgana was struggling with it, but you know it wasn't Morgana's fault!"

Morgana huffed. "Just… forget it. It's not important."

Ren-san coughed. "Uh… shouldn't we come up with a code name for Futaba?"

Futaba-san tilted her head. "A code name?"

"It was Morgana's idea," Anne-san explained. "It's not cool to use our real names."

"How about… PC?" Ren-san offered, but the shit eating grin he was wearing made it obvious that he was messing around.

Futaba scrunched up her nose. "It's not funny to offer such a dumb name," she huffed.

She let out a thoughtful hum, before her eyes lit up. She then flashed a victory sign.

"Call me… Oracle. With my vision, I'll guide you to victory!"

"Of course!" Anne-san giggled. "Not even Ren has a Persona that can do what you did."

"Hey!" Ren-san protested.

Ryuji-san just nudged Ren-san in the side, grinning. "Anne's got a point there, RenRen!"

"Stop ganging up on me," Ren-san grumbled, sulking even when Anne-san gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"There's also something I want to say…" Ken said hesitantly.

They were all here… He would have to bite the bullet some time. Ken took a deep breath, to try and calm down his racing heart.

"What's bugging ya?" Ryuji-san asked.

"The truth is… I want to tell you everything about what happened to me, how I awakened to my Persona…" Ken said.

"Here?" Yusuke-san looked bewildered.

Ken bit his lip before shaking his head. "Are you guys free tomorrow? This will be a lengthy conversation…"

"I'm game," Ren-san said, only to be seconded by everyone else.

This was it… Tomorrow he would lay out the truth.

---

Tuesday, August 30th, 2016

---

"What do you think that Ken wants to talk to us about?" Morgana asked. "He looked… nervous."

"Who knows?" Ren shrugged. "Though if you ask me… I don't think Ken's had a very happy childhood."

From what Ken had told him, and what he had inferred with some of the things Ken has said… It didn't paint a super happy picture.

"But can you really say that about any of us?" Morgana pointed out.

"Touché," he acknowledged with a light laugh, before he glanced over at Futaba.

Futaba gave a little gasp as they stepped into the building's lobby. "Dang, this is a pretty fancy place! Ken must be loaded."

"He mentioned to me this is on loan from a friend of his guardian, actually," Ren mentioned.

Futaba's expression suddenly became thoughtful. "Huh…"

"Morning, guys!" Anne greeted, darting over to them where she stood with the others before the elevator.

Ren pointedly ignored the gagging sounds Ryuji were making before he kissed his girlfriend's cheek.

"Should we head up now?" Yusuke asked.

Ren nodded. "Yeah, let's do it."

They rode up the elevator, before Makoto knocked on the door. But it wasn't Ken who answered the door.

It was Shinjiro-san.

"Aragaki-san?" Yusuke frowned, looking a bit taken aback. "What are you—"

"Ken will explain. Come in," he said coolly, his tone brooking no argument.

They filed in, before Ken stood up from the loveseat. "Good morning, everyone."

"Ken, what's this about?" Ren asked, the questions burning in his mind. "Why is Shinjiro-san…?"

Ken swallowed hard, suddenly fidgeting. "Sit down. I have a lot to explain."

Ken waited for them to get comfortable. He stared down at his lap, long enough for Shinjiro-san to prod him. He looked up, giving them an awkward smile, before clearing his throat.

"But to start with… you were wondering how Futaba's mother knew about the Metaverse yesterday. But I think that's not exactly the case. She knew about Shadows and Personas, before researching cognitive psience."

"And how would you know that?" Makoto frowned.

Ken fidgeted for a moment. "I know… because she worked for the Kirijo Group originally, researching Shadows."

"WHAT?!"

They all suddenly tried to talk over themselves.

"How the hell do you know about that?!"

"The Kirijo Group?!"

"All of you, pipe down!" Shinjiro-san suddenly snarled out, giving them a silencing glare. When they all settled down, he added in a quieter voice, "Let Ken talk."

"I apologize… I just don't understand. The Kirijo Group researched Shadows?" Yusuke questioned, his eyes wide with shock.

"Is that why my mom would go see Mitsuru Kirijo then?" Futaba asked. "She worked for the Kirijo Group?"

Shinjiro-san growled. "What the fuck did I just say?"

"It's okay, Shinjiro-san," Ken spoke up. "But um, to answer Futaba's question… Futaba's mother used to work for the Kirijo Group, back before Futaba was even born."

"Why did she leave?" Makoto's eyebrows knitted together. "Working for the Kirijo Group is a high honor."

For some reason, Ken and Shinjiro-san exchanged a look. Ren didn't like that look. Was there more to the Kirijo Group than what met the eye? He remembered Mishima mentioning to him that someone had nominated the Kirijo Group CEO as a target, but he had laughed it off.

But was there a truth in that?

Shinjiro-san shrugged. "We have no clue why Isshiki left. Might have been she wanted to go in a different direction with her research, she didn't work well with the head… Only she would know the answer."

"How would you know that, though…?" Makoto frowned. "Futaba's fifteen and you're twenty-five or so…"

"Yeah, you're not that old," Ryuji said, making Ken snort quietly.

"Isshiki came back, a couple years after Mitsuru took charge of the Kirijo Group," Shinjiro-san said, before he grabbed one of the throw pillows and casually smacking Ken with it.

Ren then frowned. "But… what's this got to do with how you got your Persona?"

"I was getting to that…" Ken replied, before he dragged his fingers through his hair in agitation. "It started on December second, 1999…"

Ken talked for a long time. He explained how the Kirijo Group didn't just research Shadows, but they experimented on them… How the experiments led to an explosion, creating the phenomena they called the Dark Hour and a place crawling with Shadows, a placed called Tartarus.

"The Kirijo Group seriously created this whole mess?!" Ryuji demanded. "Maybe the person who asked for a hit on Mitsuru Kirijo was right…"

"Mitsuru isn't her grandfather, Sakamoto," Shinjiro-san snapped, the sharpness in his voice make everyone look at him in shock.

Well, except for Ken. He didn't bat an eye at the older man's outburst.

"She gave up her childhood, to try and reverse the mistakes her family had made. She's spent years trying to clean up the shit that crusty old bastard made."

"So she's got a Persona too…" Futaba said slowly. "Just how many of them are there?"

Shinjiro-san sighed. "Countless, kid. And probably more that we don't even know of."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Futaba protested.

"That's what you focus on…?" Morgana sighed. "Perhaps you really are a child…"

Futaba glared at him. "Zip it, kitty!"

Shinjiro-san just smirked in her direction. "Look, you're fifteen. Younger than me when I got my Persona. You're a kid."

"Meanie," Futaba grumbled.

Shinjiro-san rolled his eyes. "Not helping your case there."

"So let me get this straight," Makoto interjected, turning her gaze onto Ken. "The Kirijo Group created an actual Shadow nest on the island, then why didn't people evacuate…?"

"The human mind's a powerful thing." Ken bit his lip. "Mitsuru-san's father didn't die from an illness."

He… didn't? Ren tried to wrack his mind on the former Kirijo Group CEO's death. He was pulling a blank, however.

Shinjiro-san's wry expression suddenly turned serious. "They built Gekkoukan on top of where the experiments took place to try and mask it."

Ryuji gaped at Ken. "Hang on, you seriously went a school that would sprout Shadows?!"

Ken shook his head. "I didn't… but my senpai did."

…Wait a minute.

"That's what you were saying?" Ren stared at him. "That you met your senpai because of the Shadows running around on Port Island?"

He then turned to stare at Shinjiro-san.

"What the hell?! How old was he when he got his power?" he demanded.

"Eleven," Ken said reluctantly.

"Eleven?" Anne whispered, her eyes wide. "But you were just…"

"…A kid," Ken finished for her before looking down at his lap. "I know."

"That's not all, Amamiya," Shinjiro-san said flatly. "There's more. A lot more."

The experiment… apparently Death had been separated into thirteen different entities. But the thirteenth, the one called Death was forcibly sealed away. Into a little boy.

But years passed by. Mitsuru Kirijo had awakened to her Persona first, and reached out to Akihiko Sanada, Shinjiro-san's best friend since childhood, when they were both in middle school. He had accepted it, but Shinjiro-san thought it was too dangerous, so he went after them. It turned out he had the ability too, the Potential as they called it. They had formed the group SEES, dedicated to investigating Tartarus.

"So… you can determine the 'potential' in people? Just how?" Makoto seemed intrigued by the idea.

"Well…" Ken swallowed hard, his eyes darting back and forth. "Our means of summoning is um… different. Very different."

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.

Ken gestured to the coffee table, where a silver briefcase sat on. "You should open it."

Ren frowned, wondering what Ken meant. He reached out and picked up the briefcase, setting it in his lap. He undid the latches, revealing a red armband marked S.E.E.S. The only other thing inside was a… silver gun.

No… way… Ren just stared in horror, a pit forming in his stomach as he lifted the gun for everyone to see.

Makoto sharply inhaled. "You… You can't be serious," she choked out, pressing a hand against her mouth for a moment. "You can't tell me that you…?" Makoto trailed off, before she bit her lip.

She didn't want to say it. He didn't really blame her.

Ren tried to imagine a younger version of Ken picking up the gun. Shooting himself with this thing.

His stomach churned at the mere thought. This was—it was so messed up! What the hell?!

Ken closed his eyes, remaining silent for a moment. The silent yes hung in the air; you could probably cut the tension with a butter knife.

"In order to summon in our circumstances, you… have to accept death," Ken said, opening his eyes again.

"You were a child," Morgana breathed out. "How could you…?"

It was because of his mother's death. It had to be. No child… should have to go through that. Except… Ken's childhood was stolen from him.

"So you, Kirijo-san, and Akihiko-san fought Shadows for a while?" Anne said hesitantly, looking at Shinjiro-san, which only made them stiffen.

"It was Mitsuru and Aki for a while," Shinjiro-san said finally. "I left… after Ken's mother died…"

"Ohhh right…" Ryuji said. "You mentioned that he was there when your mom died, right, Ken?"

"Yes," Ken said, after a moment of hesitation. "But anyways… as Shinjiro-san said, it was Mitsuru-san and Akihiko-san for a while. But then Yukari-san—"

"She's one, too?!" Futaba blurted out.

"Does this mean that Fuuka-san is one, too, then?" Yusuke asked.

"Yes, to both," Ken answered. "Yukari-san's abilities are a lot like Morgana, wind and healing, and Fuuka-san was our navigator."

Ken then explained how Akihiko-san's now wife, Minako, and her twin brother, Minato, returned to Port Island after ten years of moving around. How they awakened to their Personas, after the dorm was attacked by a large Shadow… and their Wild Card ability.

"There's seriously more like Ren?" Morgana demanded.

There were… more Wild Cards? Ren couldn't help but feel shocked.

"Translation?" Shinjiro-san said dryly, looking down at Ken.

"You know that Morgana can talk?" Anne blinked at him.

Shinjiro-san shrugged. "Ken told me. It's not the weirdest thing I've seen."

Ryuji squinted at Ken. "…And that would be?"

"Not important to the story right now," Ken dismissed, with a wave of his hand. "It would just… deviate from what we're getting at. Another time. And well…"

Ken eyed him, before he smiled wryly.

"I can honestly say that there's nobody like Ren." Then he turned to Shinjiro-san. "He was just asking if there really are more people like Ren."

"I'm unique," Ren said simply. "There's only one of me."

Shinjiro-san rolled his eyes. "This one has an ego on him, huh?"

"Shinjiro-san!" Ken exclaimed.

Joking aside, he didn't think that there would be more like him… What were they like? Were they the leaders of their groups too? The idea of other Persona-user groups was just… too much… to wrap his head around.

And a group of Persona-users… hiding it in the shadows. Where were they when all of this started…?

Ken then moved on to explain that these large Shadows would appear at every full moon. How SEES had made it their mission to eliminate these Shadows, to hopefully eliminate the Dark Hour.

It made too much sense. Some of the things Ken had said, the way he had acted, the vibe Ren had gotten that he had seen far more than a kid their age should've.

"This is the case of Apathy Syndrome, isn't it?" Makoto asked quietly. "What Sis asked you before…"

Ken bit his lip before his gaze lowered to the ground.

He said softly, "It's… complicated. Your sister does not know of Shadows and Personas. People had forgotten all about Apathy Syndrome, what had went down during that year… We had nearly forgotten."

Whoa… that was pretty freaky.

"What is Apathy Syndrome?" Anne asked hesitantly. "This is the first time I've heard of the phrase…"

"No surprise, there," Shinjiro-san said dryly.

Ken pursed his lips for a moment, before speaking. "Apathy Syndrome was noted by the media for only affecting residents on Port Island. We called the people who suffered from it the Lost. When you're first inflicted, you would collapse and lapse into a vegetative state."

"It was like a half-life," Shinjiro-san picked up from Ken. "You were alive and breathin', but you couldn't move, eat, or take care of yourselves."

Futaba curled into herself, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. A soft whimper escaped her lips. "Like Mom…"

"Futaba…" Anne scooted closer to Futaba, and wrapped an arm around her.

Futaba leaned in closer to the touch, offering Anne a smile in thanks.

"Like the mental shutdowns," Yusuke added. "The mere idea of this happening before is just…"

"Insane?" Ren offered.

"I was thinking ludicrous, but that does suffice," Yusuke chuckled, only for it to quickly fade away.

"But… how?" Morgana asked. "From what you've described, there's no Shadow selves there."

Ken nodded. "That's right. Normally, people are protected from Tartarus and the Dark Hour by changing into coffins… but sometimes people are called to Tartarus by Shadows. Their psyches would be eaten by Shadows, and that's what left them as a shell."

Ren fought the urge to grimace. That was… pleasant.

"That's still so freaky," Ryuji muttered. "Seriously, if you didn't have a Persona, you turned into a coffin?!"

God, no wonder Ken didn't even flinch with the thing at Sojiro's house. It seemed like Ken had seen worse. Much worse. Ren couldn't help but shudder. He was glad that he hadn't become a Persona-user until this year now. The Dark Hour just seemed like… the stuff of nightmares.

Ken suddenly bit his lip, chewing on it. "Though, there was the matter of why I joined SEES. My Persona wasn't always Kala-Nemi."

"Stop chewing on your lip," Shinjiro-san suddenly reprimanded, giving Ken a stern stare. "You're gonna make it bleed at the rate you're going. You're just as bad as Fuuka is about this."

"Can we get back to your Persona?" Futaba asked.

"Yeah, your Persona wasn't always—" Morgana cut himself off, his eyes wide. "Just what do you mean by that?"

Ken winced. "Sorry about that. But a Persona is a facet of yourself. So you have to go through a significant change for your Persona to shift into another. When I first joined SEES, my Persona was Nemesis."

"Nemesis?" Anne tilted her head. "Doesn't that mean 'enemy'?"

"No… that's not what he means." Makoto shook her head, her eyes darkening. "What Ken is referring to is Nemesis, the Greek goddess of vengeance."

Ken's words to them back—when they had confronted him after catching him in the Palace with them—suddenly floated to Ren's mind.

Two years after my mother's death… the one responsible was shot. But… it didn't make me feel better. But because of that… I forced myself to move on. My mother would've wanted me to live, not hung over her death.

God. Ken wasn't kidding when he said he was in a bad place when he was younger.

"Someone in SEES murdered your mom… didn't they?" Ren choked on the word 'murder', but he forced it out.

Ken winced, a silent confirmation of Ren's words.

Ryuji suddenly leaned forward, his expression serious. "Hang on, didn't you say that your mom's death was a total cover-up by the police. That some powerful group bought 'em off?"

Shinjiro-san stiffened at that, and Ken gave his guardian a worried look.

Yusuke gasped. "Wait… you're not saying the Kirijo Group is that group?!"

Both Anne and Makoto clasped their hands over their mouths, their expression horrified.

Ken said hastily, "It was an accident. I didn't understand the full story at the time…"

"An accident…" Makoto repeated before lowering her hands. "You can't tell me that you forgave them…? I know that you shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but…"

Shinjiro-san's expression was… unreadable, though he had gone completely tense. "Who said he's dead?" He then looked at Ken. "…Did you tell them that he's dead?"

"No, I just… said that they were shot…" Ken looked uneasily up at him.

Shinjiro-san then sighed before rubbing at his eyes.

"Fuck it," he muttered. "Ken, I know that you're just worried 'bout what they'll think of me, but you can't keep beating around the bush."

Wait… what was he talking about.

"My Persona wasn't the most stable thing when I was sixteen. I lost control of it during an outing with Aki and Mitsuru, and we were in a residential area."

A Persona could be… unstable? That didn't make any sense to him. Though he supposed it could get shaky, if they ever lost their resolve to rebel…

"Shinjiro-san's the one who killed your mom?!" Makoto exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "How could you forgive that?! And he's your guardian now?!"

"Ken, that's just screwed up…" Ryuji shook his head. "How could you…?"

"Ryuji's correct. This is just unforgivable!" Yusuke's expression hardened.

He was probably thinking about Madarame just watched his mother died, so he could snatch the Sayuri away.

It kinda was. Madarame and Kaneshiro had both killed a parent. How could Ken trust him?

"Stop!" Anne shouted, jumping to her feet. She shot them all fierce glares. "Jeez, stop jumping down his throat! How's he going to explain things if you just scream at him?"

All they could do was smile sheepishly. Ken just smiled at Anne in thanks before continuing.

"I… I know it sounds strange. At first, I thought that Shinjiro-san was scum," Ken admitted. "I hated him… for killing my mom while he got to walk free because the Kirijo Group had protected him, written off Mom's death with a car crash. But…"

He suddenly began to shake like a leaf. His hands curled around the armrests of the loveseat.

"He spent two years hating himself for it. He took experimental drugs to suppress his Persona, he hated it that much because his Persona going out of control was why my mom died. And then, he rejoined SEES when he heard from Akihiko-san that I was joining the team. I saw how much he actually cared. He would throw himself in harm's way if he thought that a Shadow would knock me out…"

Ren blinked at that. So… Shinjiro-san was trying to atone for his actions this whole time?

He said softly, "Things aren't always so black and white. Shinjiro-san spent two years trying to atone for accidentally killing my mom. He almost died to protect me."

Shinjiro-san's cheeks tinged with pink. "Jeez… you don't have to put it like that…" he muttered.

Ren couldn't help but snicker. He didn't know why but it was too funny to see him getting embarrassed. Then Shinjiro-san glowered at him.

"Your mom dying… is that what you took my situation so seriously?" Futaba asked.

Ken looked down at his lap. "I was in a similar spot, Futaba. I know what it's like. I pushed people away. I couldn't watch you suffer through this alone."

A little gasp escaped Futaba and her eyes went round. "I… I…"

She seemed genuinely speechless.

Yusuke coughed, looking a little awkward. "I believe we're getting off track." Then he cleared his throat. "You mentioned that your mother's murderer got shot before… he did that to protect you, didn't he?"

"Yes."

Ken and Shinjiro-san explained about Strega, how the Kirijo Group had rounded up orphans to experiment on to see if they could combat Shadows. How the Kirijo Group had developed the drugs in the first place, since Strega's Personas were forced unnaturally, and would attempt to kill them if they didn't keep taking the drugs. Ten years of having to take those drugs and it was slowly killing them.

And how the ringleader, Takaya, wasn't too enthusiastic about SEES wanting to get rid of the Dark Hour. And he wanted to stop them.

"I… had called Shinjiro-san out on October fourth, the night of the full moon," Ken said. "It was the second anniversary of Mom's death. I wanted to confront him… about Mom. But I felt so conflicted. I had seen what Shinjiro-san was like. I felt like I had no choice… I had only pushed myself to live because I had convinced myself that the only point of me living was to avenge Mom."

Ken then fell silent, his expression growing dark.

Ren stared at him. This was just… unexpected. He had known that Ken had been in a bad place, as a kid. He had. But to this extent?

Were there other kids like him? Who felt that they were pushed to the brink and felt like that they only could do one thing?

"Takaya showed up during all of this," Shinjiro-san said. "He wanted to kill us both, but not before finding out just who was determining the locations of the Shadows."

A strangled gasp escaped Anne. "Hang on! You said that was Fuuka-san, right?!"

Fuuka-san was a petite woman. And she was so nice. She couldn't hurt a fly. And yet… this Takaya guy wanted to kill her…?

"So Ken trying to be all noble, tried to claim that he was the navigator." Shinjiro-san stared at Ken. "…And Takaya tried to shoot him."

"But you got in the way," Makoto guessed.

"Shot right in the chest." Shinjiro-san smiled sardonically, lightly touching his chest. "If Minako hadn't found my old pocket watch, I probably would've died that night."

Ren now understood what Ken was talking about. Why Ken was willing to forgive the one responsible for his mother's death… He was willing to atone with his life.

But… the Kirijo Group still made him feel uncomfortable. The way they had manipulated the scenes… it reminded him all too much of his accuser.

Ken then took over, since Shinjiro-san fell into a coma after that, explaining how they were tricked about the full moon Shadows, how that would instigate a doomsday where everyone would become like the Lost.

It was just… unbelievable. That Ken had made the resolution to fight, even if he had died trying. And their leader, Minato Arisato, had died to defeat Death.

"But… your leader died?" Anne said feebly. "He died… to protect the world?"

Ren reached out, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly. Anne looked up, giving him a little smile. He… He honestly didn't know if he would have the strength to pretend that everything was okay, knowing that he would have to leave his loved ones soon…

But… the Kirijo Group was why he had Death sealed in him in the first place. How could any of them forgive that…?

"…He did," Ken said quietly.

"He was so young…" Makoto muttered, before her hands twisted the hem of her shirt. "You said his last name was Arisato. And that means—he's the twins' father."

Ken just answered with a little nod.

That explained… a lot. Why Ken had been on the defensive when Yusuke had unintentionally forced Yukari-san to admit that she was an unmarried mother.

"He was our age." Ryuji's voice cracked, before he shook his head. He stared down at his lap. "That… That's effed up, man."

"He was so brave…" Yusuke murmured. "I can't imagine, standing up to face Death itself like that."

"But what are the Shadow Operatives?" Futaba asked.

What he wanted to know was how Futaba knew… Oh, wait. How she always did. By hacking.

"I beg your pardon?" Yusuke frowned. "The Shadow what?"

"The Shadow Operatives were founded by Mitsuru-san in 2011. Its purpose was to deal with Shadows on a larger scale. It took Mitsuru-san a year to finally get the government to agree to setting it up. We have different sectors all over Japan."

"Well, it's most of Japan now…" Shinjiro-san hissed out.

"They're government?" Anne asked in disbelief.

"A secret organization tied to the government but… yeah," Ken answered.

In all honesty, Ren did not trust the government. The system they enforced was broken as hell. He was just one example of that. Why would they choose to ally with the government?

"What do you mean by 'mostly' now?" Yusuke inquired.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, that means some of the divisions were closed down, right?"

"Just one," Shinjiro-san answered, folding his arms over his chest. "Tokyo's sector was shut down completely."

"But… why?" Yusuke frowned. "Tokyo is no doubt the largest but what motive would the government have?"

"Would they even get what Shadows are?" Ryuji shook his head. "I know that I would've called you crazy if I hadn't seen this shit with my own eyes."

"Good thing you aren't most people," Morgana ribbed, making Ryuji glare at him.

"It's not the government who orchestrated the shutdown," Shinjiro-san said flatly.

His eyes then flicked to Futaba, before he nodded in her direction. Futaba straightened up at that, leaning forward slightly.

"It was the guy who ordered the hit on her mom. Mitsuru had also wanted Ken to see what his next move was," he finished.

"Mom…?" Futaba stared at Shinjiro-san. Her voice was almost fevered when she spoke again. "You know who killed my mom?!"

"His name is… Masayoshi Shido."

"Who?" Ryuji asked.

"He's a Diet member," Ken answered.

Shinjiro-san scoffed. "He's always going on and on about reshaping Japan to a better country, but it's a load of shit. He doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself."

"A politician, huh…" Ren scowled.

Just like him.

"So the Shadow Operatives were blocked from action…" Yusuke narrowed his eyes. "…So they sent you."

"Even though this Shido guy seemed pretty dangerous…?" Anne questioned.

Ren frowned. "And there's the guy behind the mental shutdowns. Weren't they worried about you getting mixed up in some trouble?"

"Of course we were," Shinjiro-san snapped, before Ken could even open his mouth. "Look, Mitsuru didn't force Ken into it. He wanted to do it. I sure as hell wasn't encouraging him to take it."

Shinjiro-san didn't want Ken to do this…? He wondered why.

"It felt wrong… to look away," Ken said quietly. "Mitsuru-san assumed that I would just be doing… reconnaissance. Just sneaking around and keeping an eye on you."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "What the heck is recon—oh! It's gathering info, right?"

Yusuke huffed out a laugh. "Yes, Ryuji. I'm glad you managed to figure it out."

"Shuddup! I've only heard people use recon in movies and games! It's not my fault Ken has a fancy vocab!"

"We're getting off topic again," Futaba grumbled out.

Makoto cleared her throat. "Is that why you were trying to ask me about them, the day we met?" she asked.

Ren felt a pit form in his stomach. That was right. If he was sent here to look into the Phantom Thieves… He looked between his friends. They… didn't know what to think of it. He could see it in his eyes.

"Was it all a lie, Ken?" Ren demanded. "You wanting to join the Phantom Thieves… was it just to…?"

Ren's voice broke off, as his free hand tightened over his knee.

He couldn't say it. He didn't want to think about it. He was backstabbed by the law. His parents turned their backs on him. His so-called friends wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn't bear another betrayal.

"No!" The strength in Ken's voice made Ren look up.

Ken's eyes were wide with panic. Ren opened his mouth to respond, but Ken wasn't done.

"No… I'd never…" Ken's voice suddenly cracked. "I… I wasn't entirely truthful about why I was in the Metaverse. I glossed over a lot of things, but I did not lie about empathizing with you and your goals. I did not lie about wanting to join you, I swear it!"

Ren stared at him. Sincerity shone in his eyes, even as his body went all rigid. And his nervousness when they first came in…

He could've kept quiet if he had ill intentions. He should have, if he just cared about relaying their plans. But… he didn't. He wanted all of them to know the truth.

"I believe you, Ken," Ren said softly.

Ken sagged against the chair in relief. "…Thank you."

"Seriously, man… this is just…" Ryuji shook his head. "I wouldn't have expected this. In a million years. But…"

Then he flashed Ken his trademark lopsided grin.

"I believe ya. You wouldn't have bothered to actually hang out with us, if you just cared 'bout spying on us."

Futaba then spoke. "I'm the rookie, but… You wouldn't have said those things to me, if you just were here to spy. You wouldn't have run to me when my fake memories were coming at me. And… you told me who's responsible for my mom dying…"

Futaba's hands clenched into fists, but when she looked up, her smile was bright.

"I believe you, too," she said with a sincere smile.

"You wouldn't go out of your way to bring me meals if you did not care." Yusuke smiled, before shaking his head. "Truth be told, I would be more shocked if we hadn't just come out with an encounter with a hacker."

"Yeah… seriously." Anne smiled at Ken. "I'm guessing you were the one pushing Ren to go for it with me. You wouldn't bother talking to us, besides the Phantom Thief work, if you just were relaying everything to Kirijo-san. You wouldn't have worried so much about Futaba, so determined to help her if you didn't care."

"Ken…" Makoto met his gaze. "You know, you were the first one to be genuinely nice to me, for the longest time. It was just a simple act but it's stuck in my mind since then… And… everyone else basically said it." She let out a chuckle. "And besides that, you coming out with the truth is telling. You didn't want any secrets between us…" For some reason, Makoto smiled sadly.

"You really know how to lay on the sap, don't you?" Shinjiro-san said dryly. But then his expression softened ever so slightly. "But I'm glad. I know that you have Ken's back."

Ken just… stared at all of them for a long time. Disbelief was written all over his face. "I… thank you." His voice cracked again, as he shook his head. "I… I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"Jeez, it's not like it's a big deal…" Ryuji said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ren nodded in agreement. "Yeah, seriously, all we're doing is talk about how you've been our friend."

"I've been just so worried about you hating me for hiding the truth…"

"Well…" Ren grinned. "I'm afraid you're stuck with us."

Ken blinked at that, before a slow smile spread across his face. "I suppose I am. Thank you… Ren."

It took a moment for it to sink in.

"Did he just—" Ren thought in disbelief.

"Holy shit! No honorific!" Ryuji gasped.

"No kidding! I was starting to think we were gonna be permanently stuck with the honorific," Anne said with a giggle.

Ken blushed at that. "Sorry for wanting to be polite."

"We told you that it's okay to be informal for ages!" Ryuji cried out.

"Come on, guys, leave him alone," Makoto chided. "It's not a bad thing."

"Practically everyone else is younger though," Futaba said, with a raised eyebrow. "It's overkill."

"Haha, very funny," Ken grumbled.

Shinjiro-san just smirked at him. "Be careful, Ken, before Minako starts begging you to drop the honorific with her."

"That's not happening," Ken grumbled. "You guys are so much older than me."

"Tell that to her."

Ken rolled his eyes, before turning back to them. "Um, there's one last thing though."

"Oh, really?" Ren couldn't help but joke a little after all of these bombshells. "What, have you had a run in with the black masked guy Kaneshiro mentioned?"

"…Actually, yes."

"WHAT?!"

Morgana jumped right into Ken's lap, pressing his paws against it. "Who?! And why did you keep all of these secrets?"

"Morgana's right, you know." Ren looked at him. "Why…?"

"Would you have believed me if I had straight out told you?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head, frowning. He stared down at his lap for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I should have mentioned all of this earlier." Ken pursed his lips again. "Though to be honest, I can't tell you much. Except that he's strong. He triggered me being able to use Kala-Nemi in the Metaverse but… I was no match for him. He was strong and fast… I had to use the environment to get the advantage and escape."

That was… bad. Ken had the edge on them when they had first explored Futaba's Palace, though they had eventually caught up in abilities. But if Ken was no match for him… there was no way that they were.

"What do you…" Ryuji asked, only to be cut off.

"Hang on, don't you remember how we found a part of Kaneshiro's Palace torn up? Were you the one who created that damage."

"That was him, not me," Ken said. "I just egged him on to do it."

Anne gasped. "You literally dropped a pile of bricks on him?!"

"Um… guys?" Makoto interjected. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What do you mean?"

"It means that this Persona-user… knows of us too," Yusuke said grimly. "Am I correct in that is your line of thought?"

Makoto nodded before she frowned. "This is concerning… It means that he could be watching our every move."

Futaba shivered. "D-Don't put it like that. That means… he was crawling in my mind too…"

Makoto winced. "I'm sorry, Futaba…"

"So… what's our next move then?" Ryuji asked. "We go after this Shido guy?"

"We have to!" Futaba leapt to her feet, hands clenched. "I want him to pay for what he did to Mom!"

"Hold on a minute!" Makoto's eyes were wide with panic. "Futaba, I understand how you're feeling. I do… But we can't act rashly. Acting rashly just creates… a whole mess."

"And what do you mean by that?" Shinjiro-san narrowed his eyes at Makoto. "You talk like you're experienced with that."

Makoto just winced. "I rather not talk about it…"

"Makoto's right, though," Ren interjected. "If this guy's powerful enough to shut down something connected to the Kirijo Group…"

He then sighed, before silently apologizing to Ken.

"And in all honesty, after hearing all about the crap the Kirijo Group pulled, I'm not sure if I can't take Kirijo's word for it."

Ken and Futaba both looked ready to protest, but Ren held up a hand.

"I'm not saying no, okay?" Ren said. "I just want to look more into it, before we decide whether or not we'll target this Shido guy. We can't swing in all gung-ho."

Makoto suddenly wrapped her arms around herself. "And… that's not all we have to worry about. Sis's been working on the case investigating us. We'll have to figure out what to do with that…"

"Your sister's investigating into this?" Shinjiro-san frowned. "Hasn't she been suspicious about you?"

Makoto shook her head. "She… practically lives at the precinct…"

"Kinda got that vibe when I met her at the station," Shinjiro-san muttered.

Makoto frowned at that. "I hope she didn't bother you or anything."

Shinjiro-san glanced in Ken's direction and then Makoto's, a little snort escaping him. Ren couldn't help but feel confused. What was that about?

"It was nothing. Nothing important, at least," he dismissed with the wave of his hand.

"Oh. I'm glad about that at least…" Makoto looked puzzled, but she seemed to shrug about that. She then stood up, smoothing down her clothes. "But um… thank you for having us… But we shouldn't intrude any longer…"

But Shinjiro-san waved her off. "You're here. Might as well feed you for giving us, what, two, three hours of your time?"

As if Shinjiro-san's words had just reminded his stomach it was lacking food, Ren's stomach let out a growl.

"More like Shinjiro-san wants to feed you 'proper' food," Ken muttered.

Shinjiro-san grabbed a throw pillow again and smacked Ken on the head.

---

"Ren… did you really mean what you said?"

Her boyfriend just raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to be more specific about that, Anne."

"It's just crazy. Ken being a secret agent, all of Ken's senpai being Persona-users…" She sighed. "I was asking about… Ken."

"I trust Ken," Ren said simply. "What about you?"

"I do," Anne said honestly. "If he had joined us to just spy on us, he wouldn't be concerned with Futaba. He wouldn't go out of his way to feed Yusuke. He wouldn't spend time with us the way he has."

"I don't trust the Shadow Operatives as a whole, though," Ren said flatly, folding his arms over his chest. "Them choosing to be a government subunit… all the crap they pulled, the experiments… It's like a huge conspiracy."

"I don't know if we can trust Ken," Morgana said. "He's been keeping all of this to himself…"

"He wouldn't have come out and told us if he was looking to backstab us, Morgana," Ren pointed out.

"…Yeah." Anne wrapped her arms around herself. "I just can't believe…"

She choked on a sob, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Lady Anne!" Morgana's voice was filled with panic. "D-Don't cry!"

She had known that Yukari-san had loved and lost. Not too many girls would have kept a baby while in high school still. But to that kind of extent… She didn't know how Yukari-san had the strength to move on.

"Anne?" Ren gently touched her shoulder. "I'm here. I'm still here."

"I… I know." Anne bit her lip, before she wiped at her eyes. "I just… poor Yukari-san… She had lost her dad, and just around the time she came to terms to his death, she lost her boyfriend…"

It wasn't just her. SEES seemed to have all kinds of sad stories.

"I can't believe that Ken had carried all of this for so many years…" she muttered. She smiled weakly. "…Guess you didn't expect this when you came to Tokyo, huh…?"

Ren brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Nope. But I don't regret it. I wouldn't have met any of you guys." He huffed out a laugh. "Maybe if I ever find the guy who got me in this whole mess… I'll thank him."

Anne managed a weak giggle. "Maybe I will, too. I wouldn't have met you if it wasn't for all of this, after all."

Ren then twirled a strand of his hair in between his fingers as he thought.

"Though I think Makoto has a point… with Niijima. We'll have to look into things with Shido but… Niijima is on our tail. We'll have to figure out what she's looking into exactly…"

Anne hummed. "Makoto will be in charge of that, then."

"Yeah, Futaba says she's gonna work on… something."

"…Right," Morgana muttered. "She's really looking to prove herself immediately…"

Anne frowned in his direction. Morgana had been doubting himself lately… She would have to talk to Ren in private… somehow… about this sometime soon. Morgana seemed even more down because of Ken revealing everything.

Anne giggled. "Guess you can't take the hacker out of Futaba, huh?"

Ren could only nod. Since they were standing right in front of her apartment door, Ren just leaned forward and kissed her sweetly.

"I'm not going to leave you, Anne," he said quietly, cupping her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. "I promise."

Anne smiled weakly. "Thank you, Ren. I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course." Ren cracked a grin as he pulled away. "I mean, school's starting in two days."

Anne groaned, before she hung her head. "Ugh… don't remind me!" she whined.

Ren just chuckled, shaking his head. "I missed sitting behind you, you know."

Anne lightly swatted his arm before giggling. "You're so silly sometimes!"

"I'm called Joker for a reason, you know." Ren grinned. "See ya, Anne."

He then strolled away, as Morgana scolded him for mentioning his codename out in public. Anne just watched him go with a goofy smile. Sometimes she couldn't believe that he liked her back…

Anne shook her head, before digging out her keys and unlocking the door. It was her caretaker's night off, so Anne just flopped onto the couch. What a day. It hadn't even completely sunk in…

Finding out about Ken, the truth behind how he gained his Persona… and finding out just who killed Futaba's mother. But even then, Ren had a point. Could the Shadow Operatives be trusted? They seemed kinda shady…

Ken trusted them but… there was a lot they didn't know. They would have to judge this Shido with their own eyes.

Somehow… she got the feeling that things were going to get a lot crazier…

---

Okay, this is my longest chapter yet, but I felt that I couldn't split it up. So combined beach episode and Ken's little story. I skimmed over a lot of SEES's story, but I wanted to focus more on the reactions over repeating what most people know.

I also decided that the Phantom Thieves' Personas will change to their ultimates in story scenes, much like Persona 3's. I felt that P3's did it better because the character growth does not feel optional, which I felt it did in P4/P5, with the ultimates being locked behind maxing out the Social Link/Confidant.

But yeah. The Phantom Thieves trust Ken, but they're not all too sure about the Shadow Operatives, since they've been burned by authorities and there's Ren's little encounter with Shido. A lot of people expected it to be a huge explosion, but I don't want this to overshadow Haru's arc. Haru's arc was just overpowered with Morgana's little self-identity crisis, but I intend for it not to happen here. The conflict will be a sideplot, because I want to address the Phantom Thieves' lack of trust in adults.