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.

44. 43: Back To The Start

Chapter 43

Back To The Start

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Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016

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Fuuka was no stranger to nightmares. She sometimes still dreamed of the time she was locked into Tartarus, October fourth, and the final battle with Nyx.

So when she woke up to Shinji tossing and turning, his face contorted, Fuuka knew immediately that she had to wake him up.

"Ken… no…" he mumbled out.

Fuuka's breath hitched at that but she knew what she needed to do. She reached out, shaking his shoulder hard.

"Shinji… Shinji! Wake up!" she whispered anxiously.

Shinji's eyes suddenly snapped open. Then he winced, realizing that Fuuka had been the one to wake him up. Fuuka bit her lip before reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"Do you need to talk about it, Shinji?" she asked.

He then closed his eyes. For a moment, Fuuka thought he was going to clam up about it. Sometimes… it was like pulling teeth to get Shinji to open up. But thankfully he spoke up.

"I keep dreaming about us failing," Shinji mumbled out. "That Shido kept torturing Ken until the electroshocks killed him. Went straight to his heart."

"Oh Shinji…" Fuuka sighed before she reached to rub his shoulder.

But despite her attempts to soothe him, he still remained tense. Fuuka bit her lip at that.

"Have you talked to Ken-kun about this at all?" she asked tentatively.

If anyone could understand… it'd be Ken.

Shinji shook his head vigorously. "No way. You haven't seen the way he's been beating himself up about this. He'd feel even worse if I so much hinted to him that I've been dreaming about this."

She could understand Shinji's reasoning but Fuuka couldn't help but think that keeping the truth from Ken would not help either. She wouldn't be surprised if Ken was suffering through nightmares too, given how he still had dreams of October fourth. And he had experienced physical trauma. It honestly broke her heart to see it.

"I get it now."

Fuuka just blinked at her fiancé. "Huh? What do you mean, Shinji?"

Shinji just stared up at the ceiling. "I know... that I freaked out everyone when I protected Ken from Takaya shooting him. But being on the other side… it's not fun. I get why Aki wanted to punch me the first time he visited me in the hospital. Not to mention how he kept yelling about how worried he was."

Fuuka crawled closer to him before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"It's in the past, Shinji," she said gently.

Shinji nodded before rolling onto his side, looking at her. He then reached out, pulling her in his arms. Fuuka curled into his embrace; Shinji was always so warm. And for someone who wasn't too keen on physical affection, he gave the best hugs. He always made her feel safe.

She wished she could do something to help, though. It made her heart ache, thinking about the pain that both of them went through because of this entire debacle. And a part of her was honestly dreading hearing the entire story.

She knew that Shido was a despicable man, but he had made things more personal by taking Ken. And while Shinji was better adjusted with his guilt, she knew that he still wrestled with it.

"Talk to me, Fuuka," Shinji suddenly said.

Fuuka blinked. "You… huh?"

Shinji shrugged. "I feel that we haven't gotten to talk much lately. And we're awake now so… tell me about your current project."

Fuuka laughed. "And bore you with terminology you have no clue about?"

"I still like hearing 'bout it. Since it's coming from you."

"Well, if you're sure…"

So Fuuka started talking about the project like he requested. She was impressed he tried to listen and not fall asleep… but he started to lose that battle. Shinji looked close to nodding off when they suddenly heard Koromaru whimpering and scratching at the door. That immediately got his attention.

"Koro-chan…?" Fuuka mumbled out, blinking in confusion.

But Shinji just threw back the covers and went to open the door. Fuuka got up as well—she couldn't help but wonder why Koromaru was behaving like this. Normally Koromaru would never do this.

"Koro, what's wrong?" he hissed. "You're gonna wake up Ken."

Koromaru made an insistent yip before tugging at Shinji's pants. But then it dawned on Fuuka.

"Wait, is it Ken-kun?"

Koromaru barked once before running off. Shinji just about tripped over Koromaru in his haste to follow.

Though, Koromaru led them to the kitchen instead of Ken's room. The lights were dimmed instead of off. Ken was standing right by the sink, his fingers curled tightly around a glass of water. Fuuka fumbled with the light switch, flicking it on.

Ken cringed as the lights flashed on.

"Damn, that's bright." Shinji muttered out, blinking several times.

"W-What are you two doing up?" Ken stammered out.

Fuuka responded, "That's not important, Ken-kun. Is something the matter? You look… tense."

She then stepped forward, prying the glass from Ken's hand before he ended up dropping it. But when she reached out to touch his hand with her free hand, Ken abruptly pulled away from her. Fuuka's heart gave a twinge at that. It… stung a little to see Ken pull away.

He said curtly, "It's nothing, Fuuka-san. Just go back to bed. It's late."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Ken," Shinji said hotly, shooting him a stern glare as Fuuka quietly set down the glass.

Ken's jaw clenched at that and that familiar stubborn look appeared on his face. Fuuka just sighed to herself. She needed to step in before Ken completely clammed up.

She reached out, placing her hand on Shinji's arm, halting him before he could offer a retort. Then she looked at Ken.

"Ken-kun, Shinji was just worried." Then she bit her lip before peeking at Ken. "I'm worried too…"

Ken huffed, folding his arms over his chest, "Okay, okay! How do you even do that…?"

"Do what?" Fuuka asked, doing her best to hide a smile.

"You know perfectly well what you're doing," Ken grumbled out, a pout forming on his face.

They then sat down together at the couch. Koromaru then climbed up to lie on their laps. Ken was quiet for several moments, as if he was collecting his thoughts. Fuuka couldn't help but fidget a little, watching Ken absentmindedly stroke Koromaru's fur.

"I've been… dreaming about what happened with Shido."

Fuuka tried not to wince. She had suspected that. But she was suddenly was snapped out of her thoughts as Koromaru started to growl.

"Do you need to talk about it, Ken-kun?" she asked carefully.

Ken just shrugged helplessly, "There's not much to talk about, Fuuka-san. Just that… Shido followed through on his threat to kill Shinjiro-san."

His voice cracked at the last part and he cut himself off. Tears filled his eyes before they silently trickled down his cheeks. Then he reached up, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"It's so stupid… everything's fine. Because of the plan, we've bought some time to defeat Shido."

Fuuka reached out, touching Ken's cheek and turning his head to force him to look at her.

"How long has it been since you started having this nightmare?"

Ken looked down at Koromaru, who just let out a small whimper. He then stood up, licking at Ken's face.

"It's been three nights."

It wasn't hard to do the math. Fuuka's heart gave a painful squeeze.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Shinji asked, frowning.

Ken looked down, ashamed. "I put you through so much grief already. I didn't want to add to it…"

"Oh, Ken-kun…" Fuuka thought sadly to herself, feeling tears prick at her eyes.

"You're not a burden!" Shinji exclaimed. "I told you that already, yeah?"

"But—" Ken sighed. "It's just… stupid."

"It's not. You wanna know why Koro got our attention so easily? I woke Fuuka up with a nightmare too," Shinji said.

Ken's eyes widened, "You… you did?"

Shinji nodded firmly. "Yeah… been having nightmares too. I keep dreaming that Shido killed you with that damn device… and I lost my shit. Lost control over Aeneas."

Fuuka's breath hitched at that last part. He hadn't told her that.

"S-Shinjiro-san…" Ken stammered out.

"I hated seeing that bastard put you through that torture," Shinji muttered. "I keep thinking of how I failed."

Ken cried out, "You didn't fail! I mean… it's not your job to protect me."

"Dumbass..." Shinji deadpanned before reaching out to flick Ken in the forehead, making him yelp in pain.

Ken scowled, rubbing his forehead.

"Shinji, no hitting," Fuuka chided with a sigh.

Koromaru then barked, as if he was seconding her.

"Tch..." Shinji looked to Ken again. "My point is—you don't have to suffer, Ken. You can always come to us 'bout this."

Ken said softly, "Okay, and… I'm sorry I didn't think about you having nightmares too, Shinjiro-san."

Shinjiro-san rolled his eyes. "I swear, you apologize way too much."

"Better that than too little." Ken huffed.

"Boys!" Fuuka couldn't help but laugh. "Can't you two behave?"

"I always behave, Fuuka-san…" Ken grumbled.

"That's bullshit."

"What did I just say?" Fuuka just shook her head.

"He started it…" Both Shinji and Ken complained at the same time.

"Uh-huh." Fuuka just sighed in response, shaking her head.

But despite herself, she felt a smile curl at her lips. She had really missed this.

---

"She's so small!"

Yukari chuckled before leaning to kiss Kaito's cheek. "You were this small once, Kaito."

She then cooed at Kiyomi, before smiling down at the infant as she slowly rocked Kiyomi in her arms.

"She's beautiful, Minako, Akihiko-senpai."

They had gathered in the penthouse of Kirijo Tower, while waiting for Shinji, Fuuka, and Ken to arrive. The suite was spacious, spacious enough for Mitsuru-senpai to live comfortably. But Kiyomi had captured everyone's attention—like new babies were prone to do.

Though Minako was honestly grateful that Kaito and Miyuki hadn't shown any jealousy towards their new cousin. In fact, they were absolutely fascinated with Kiyomi.

Suddenly, Kaito reached out to touch Kiyomi's cheek, but pulled back at the last moment. Minako giggled. Her nephew's hesitation was honestly adorable.

"It's okay, Kaito-kun. Just be gentle, okay? She's a very new baby so we can't be rough with her."

Kaito nodded before slowly stroking Kiyomi's cheek. Kiyomi stirred slightly at the touch but still remained fast asleep.

"Wow! Her cheek is like a cloud! It's so soft!" Kaito exclaimed, his eyes widening with wonder.

"She's smaller than my doll," Miyuki commented, her eyes wide with awe.

"You'll be good cousins to little Kiyomi-chan, won't you?" Yukari chuckled.

"Of course, Mommy!" Miyuki said, nodding eagerly.

Yukari then handed Kiyomi to Chidori, who had been patiently waiting her turn. The twins immediately followed Chidori.

Minako elbowed Yukari, giving her a playful smile. "It's like they have a new toy."

Yukari laughed. "Well, better that than them being jealous of the attention on Kiyomi-chan."

Minako just chuckled. Yukari noticed that as well, huh?

But then Yukari's expression becoming concerned before her eyes looked Minako up and down.

"How are you holding up, Minako?"

Minako just shrugged in response. "Sore and tired, but that's pretty normal, isn't it?"

Yukari reached out, squeezing Minako's shoulder. "I'm glad the birth went well."

Minako's eyes traveled over to Chidori, staring at the baby swaddled in blankets.

"Me too…" She said softly before she shook her head; she then looked up at her friend. "God, Yukari-chan, I really have to give you credit. For doing it with twins."

She shook her head.

"Not to mention Mom had to do this with me and Minato…" She thought ruefully.

Personally, she hoped that she never would have twin children. Giving birth to just one kid was hard enough work. Even with the epidural.

Yukari's eyes softened, her lips curving into an affectionate smile. Her eyes settled on the twins, who were still completely enamored with their baby cousin.

"It wasn't easy," she admitted. "But it was completely worth it."

"Would you like to hold her, Labrys?" Chidori asked, looking up to the android.

Labrys seem to find Kiyomi fascinating as well. Though it was completely understandable. This had to be the first time that Labrys got to see a newborn up close, after all.

Labrys looked flustered at the question, her cheeks even becoming tinged with pink.

"I... I dunno how though…"

Chidori just laughed, before smiling reassuringly at Labrys, "It's not hard, I promise. Junpei—can you take Kiyomi-chan for a moment?"

Junpei nodded and gingerly took Kiyomi from Chidori. She then stood up, patiently arranging Labrys's arms in the right position.

"Be sure to support her neck, she needs the extra help when she's so little," Chidori explained, before motioning for Junpei to come forward and ease Kiyomi into Labrys's arms.

Minako couldn't help but giggle. It was an awfully lot like how Aigis handled being asked about holding one of the twins—though she couldn't quite remember which it was. But then again, Aigis and Labrys were sisters after all.

"Aww… she's so cute!" Labrys giggled, even as her arms trembled.

"Why don't you sit down, Sister?" Aigis suggested. "You're shaking."

"O-Oh right…" Labrys gave Aigis a sheepish smile before sitting down.

Minako kept a watchful eye though; she trusted Labrys, but she didn't want Kiyomi to be dropped. Fortunately, Kiyomi so far was a fairly easy baby to take care of. She still remembered the twins were sometimes fussy, settling for nobody but Yukari to soothe them.

"She's really sleeping through this all, though." Mitsuru-senpai remarked, eyebrow raised.

"Reminds me of a certain someone," Junpei snickered.

Minako pulled a face at Junpei, before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Hey, I'm not bad!" she retorted.

Junpei just cracked a grin. "Didn't say it was you, Mina-tan!"

Minako opened her mouth to retort, when someone suddenly knocked on the door. A hush seemed to fall, before Labrys abruptly coughed.

"U-Um, shouldn't someone get the door?"

"Allow me," Kikuno-san said before answering the door, revealing that it was Shinji, Fuuka, Ken, and Koromaru.

For a moment, it seemed like nobody knew what to say. They all walked in together in silence. Even Koromaru was quiet. It was very uncomfortable. But then Junpei stood up, a big grin on his face.

"Shinjiro-senpai! Ken! Welcome back to Port Island! And what's up, Koromaru and Fuuka?"

This shattered the tension and Ken rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey, everyone," he said cautiously.

"Dibs on first hug!" Minako cried before wobbly standing on her feet.

"H-Hey, that's unfair, Mina-tan!" Junpei protested.

Minako stuck her tongue at her male best friend. "Suck it, Junpei!"

"Take it easy, Mina," Aki chided, stepping close to her.

Minako just flapped a hand at her husband before hurrying over Ken as quickly as she could. She then threw her arms around Ken. They stumbled a couple steps backwards but Minako didn't really care. It took Ken a moment to react but he slowly hugged her back, before mumbling out an apology.

Minako could feel tears stinging at her eyes.

She had known for days that Ken was okay. But it seemed to finally sink in. Aki and Shinji had really rescued him. He was okay. She hadn't gotten him killed because of her foolish idea.

"Minako-san, please don't cry." Ken's soft plea suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.

Minako sniffled before using one arm to wipe at her eyes.

"I-I can't help it!" She sniffled. "I'm just glad that you're okay!"

Then she hugged him tighter. Yukari got to hug him next. Junpei then threw his arm around Ken's shoulders before dragging him into a tight hug.

"Oi, Iori, don't break Ken," Shinji suddenly interjected, giving Junpei an annoyed look. "He's pretty banged up."

"Banged up, how?" Mitsuru-senpai asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"It's not as bad as Shinjiro-san is trying to say—" Ken began.

"Not as bad?" Shinji repeated. "You—"

Fuuka quickly nudged him in the side before pointedly looking to the twins.

"I could've gotten my ribs broken," Ken said.

Minako didn't like the tone of his voice. It was too… calm. Even as he tried for a reassuring smile, it didn't meet his eyes.

"U-Um, what happened to you, Uncle Ken?" Miyuki piped up, her gray-blue eyes filled with curiosity.

Ken winced, before reaching up to brush his bangs out of his face.

"I uhh… I fell down a flight of stairs?" he offered feebly.

Shinji just shot him an incredulous look for the sucky lie, but Kaito just cocked his head.

"But… you're not clumsy like Uncle Junpei," he pointed out.

"At least he didn't hit his head?" Miyuki said.

"H-Hey, I resent that!" Junpei cried out. "I am not that clumsy!"

The identical skeptical looks her niece and nephew shot Junpei was enough to make him sputter, making Minako giggle.

"Yuka-tan!" He whined, whirling to face the actress. "This is all your fault!"

Yukari's eyes narrowed before she pointed at him. "Um, how is this my fault? You are a klutz!"

"See, Mommy agrees!" Miyuki chimed in with a sunny smile.

"Aha!" Junpei pointed at Miyuki. "Exhibit A!"

Yukari huffed, unimpressed. "What kind of convoluted logic is that, Ace Defective?!"

"You're corrupting sweet Miyu-tan!"

"Since when is she sweet?" Shinji scoffed.

Miyuki just pouted at that, drawing several laughs.

"You're mean, Uncle Shinji!" she complained.

Yukari just laughed before patting her on the head.

"Aw, honey, Uncle Shinji is always mean," she said.

Yukari shot Shinji a mischievous smile, even as he glared at her.

Kaito frowned before trotting over to Ken. He looked up at him with curious eyes.

"But Uncle Ken—if you have a boo-boo, do you need it kissed better?" he pointed out.

Shinji just scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, I bet he only wants Makoto to do t—"

"Shut up, Shinjiro-san!" Ken's face reddened at that.

So teasing Ken about Makoto was a good way to embarrass him, huh? She'd have to remember that.

"It's not nice to say 'shut up', Uncle Ken!" Miyuki scolded, hands on her hips.

Minako just giggled to herself. Oh, she missed this… so much. Despite the circumstances, it was pretty nice to have everyone together.

"Yeah, Ken," Shinji said smugly, earning an annoyed glare from Ken.

Fuuka rested her hand on his arm, a disapproving frown on her face. "Shinji, stop picking on Ken-kun!"

"You always take his side," Shinji grumbled.

"Because I'm right!" Ken said childishly.

"Boys!" This time Fuuka-san swatted at both Ken and Shinji, her expression exasperated.

But that sudden movement caught Minako's eyes. Was there something… sparkling on Fuuka's finger? She glanced at Yukari, who pointedly glanced at Fuuka. Minako just grinned.

"So… Yukari-chan noticed too?" She chuckled to herself.

"Sooo… Shinjiro-senpai?" Yukari's voice turned saccharine sweet, her lips curving into an innocent smile. "Do you have any news to tell us?"

"Oh, hel—uh… help!" Shinji belatedly corrected himself from cursing in front of the twins. He then shot Yukari an annoyed look. "Takeba, you don't have to be so coy. It's annoying."

"What are you talking about?" Chidori asked, blinking in confusion.

Fuuka blushed, looking both embarrassed and pleased at the same time.

"U-Um, Shinji proposed last night," she said shyly.

To punctuate her point, she held up her hand. Ken just gave them a slight smile before they all bombarded the new couple with congratulations.

"It's about time!" Aki said.

"I must second this," Aigis chimed in with a nod.

"Congratulations, Fuuka-san, Shinjiro-san!" Labrys exclaimed.

"Oh, go to—" Shinji then cut himself off again; he glanced at the twins before glaring back at everyone. "Shut up, all of you."

Koromaru suddenly barked several times, drawing both Labrys and Aigis's attentions.

"Did Koro-chan say something about Shinjiro-senpai and Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

Aigis nodded again. "That would be correct. He says that he wishes to congratulate them for something that should've happened a long time ago."

"You too, Koro?!" Shinji groaned, making Junpei snicker.

Another series of barks. Labrys giggled, before holding a hand to her mouth.

"What now?" Shinji grumbled out.

Labrys giggled one more time. "Uhh... well, Koro-chan is sayin' that he can't wait to meet your first puppy—er… baby I mean."

"Yeah, better hop to it," Minako teased, before flashing them a cheeky grin.

"Shut it!"

"That's not nice either, Uncle Shinji!" Miyuki said in disapproval, planting her hands on her hips. "You and Uncle Ken are being naughty today!"

Shinji just growled in frustration but Fuuka giggled. At least one of them had a sense of humor. But something suddenly struck Minako and she whirled around to face Junpei.

"Oh, Junpei~!" Minako said in a sing-song voice. "PAY UP!"

"Not again!" Junpei complained, letting out an exasperated groan.

"You seriously bet over this?!" Shinji demanded.

Ken said drolly, "You're surprised?"

"I'm quite pleased to hear this as well..." Mitsuru-senpai chimed in before Shinji could come up with a retort to Ken's snarky comment.

Though honestly, Minako was a little relieved. At least Ken was feeling a little sassy. Mitsuru-senpai suddenly cracked an amused smile, before she arched a brow at Shinji.

"It has been months, no?" she asked teasingly.

"You too, Mitsuru?!"

Minako couldn't help but snicker as Shinji's face slowly grew redder and redder. Fuuka just giggled, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss against his cheek.

"It was worth the wait, Shinji," she said with a sincere smile.

"I…I'm glad." he stammered out.

Minako and the others could fluster Shinjiro with teasing and banter, but Fuuka didn't need that. All she needed was just being sweet little Fuuka.

Kaito tugged at Yukari's shirt. "Mommy, what's the big deal?"

Yukari just smiled. "Uncle Shinji and Auntie Fuuka are getting married."

"Oh..." Kaito then blinked. "Aren't they kinda married already?"

Miyuki nodded. "Yeah, Uncle Aki says that Uncle Shinji acts like a housewife."

"I do not!" Shinji snarled out, before glaring at Aki.

"I mean, you cook like a dream, you clean…" Minako began teasingly.

"SHUT UP!"

She just winked at Fuuka, ignoring Shinji's outburst. Not like she could help it. It was really too fun to pick on Shinji.

"You've landed a catch."

Fuuka just smiled gently. "I know."

Shinji somehow turned even redder at the compliment. Shinji really made it way too easy.

It was in that moment, Kiyomi suddenly started to cry. She wasn't a loud baby, but she was a squirmy one when she cried. She wriggled in Labrys's arms, who struggled to keep her in her arms.

"W-What did I do?!" Labrys squeaked out, suddenly freezing up.

"Nothing, it's probably that she's hungry." Minako stood up, taking her baby back.

"Are you going to feed her your boobie milk?" Kaito asked.

"KAITO!" Yukari scolded, hands on her hips.

"Hey, it's true," Minako said with a wink all while bouncing Kiyomi gently.

"MINAKO!" she cried out. "Don't encourage him!"

"Too late for that..." Aki mumbled out.

Minako just giggled. "Hey, Mitsuru-senpai, do you—"

"You can use the dining room," Mitsuru-senpai quickly interrupted.

Minako flashed her a smile in thanks before hurrying to the dining room. She closed the door behind her before she pulled up a chair, sinking into it. Kiyomi's cries were dwindling to whimpers as Minako unbuttoned her shirt, just enough so she could feed Kiyomi.

"Are you hungry, sweetie?" She cooed, before guiding Kiyomi to latch onto her breast.

It was still an odd sensation to get used to. But it was also soothing at the same time. She stroked the fine hairs on the top of Kiyomi's head as she drank her fill.

She finally stopped feeding, so Minako burped her before rocking her back to sleep. She quickly fell back asleep.

She smiled down at Kiyomi before rebuttoning her top.

"Sleepy already, huh?" She whispered, "You should cherish your naptimes, sweetie."

A sudden knock on the door made Minako look up.

"Um, Minako-san? Can I come in?"

Minako shifted her grip on Kiyomi so she could hold her baby more comfortably. "Oh Ken-kun, come in. I just finished feeding Kiyo-chan."

Ken gently pushed the door open but he still hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. Minako smiled at him, nodding at the chair next to her. Normally she would've patted it, but her hands were full at the moment.

"We'll need to keep our voices down—he just fell asleep. But is there something you wanna talk about?" she asked lightly once he did sit down.

He stared down at his lap, staying quiet for several moments. It honestly made Minako think of the first time she invited Ken out to grab dinner with her.

"I'm sorry for what happened on the nineteenth," Ken said finally before he looked to Kiyomi.

Minako frowned. She didn't think Ken would seek her out privately to apologize.

"Don't be..." Minako said gently.

"But—"

"Ah, ah, ah! It's not polite to interrupt!" Minako chided lightly with a finger wag.

Ken just shot her an incredulous look, but Minako giggled. She had to admit, she missed teasing Ken like this. It was different, having him sit next to her, instead of talking to him over the phone or a video call.

"Seriously, Ken-kun, don't beat yourself up over this." Minako said gently. "I won't lie… it was pretty stressful. We had to trust Aki and Shinji that they'd be able to save you. But you're safe now. We need to monitor things, but the doctors say that Kiyo-chan is perfectly healthy."

Her eyes softened, before tracing a finger gently against the curve of Kiyomi's cheek.

Minako couldn't help but joke, "She just wanted to meet everyone early."

Ken just smiled at that. "You know, Ren said something similar to that."

"I can't wait to meet him," Minako said sincerely, only to flash Ken a mischievous smile. "Speaking of people I can't wait to meet… Makoto-chan is on the top of the list."

Ken groaned, "Minako-san..."

But then a devious thought suddenly struck Minako. Ken seemed to catch on, given how he let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know, if you really wanted to make it up to me, you could always give me Makoto-chan's number!" she whispered excitedly, winking at Ken.

"That's not happening!" Ken exclaimed quietly as his face flushed pink.

Minako chuckled to herself. It was really too fun to tease Ken. He had the most adorable reactions.

"Why not?" Minako pouted at that.

"You know perfectly well why."

"Do I?" Minako asked innocently.

Ken just grumbled, his face now turning red. "You're awful."

Minako just blew him a kiss. "Aww, you know you love me!"

"And I question why…" he huffed out, now pouting.

Minako just laughed before standing up. "Come on, we do need to get back to the others."

But when they stepped back to the living room, Minako noticed that her niece and nephew were absent. She was about to ask where they were, when Kikuno-san suddenly reappeared.

"Kaito-kun and Miyuki-chan have been settled into the entertainment room, Lady Mitsuru," Kikuno-san announced. "They are now being entertained with the Destiny movie they've selected."

"Thank you, Kikuno." Mitsuru-senpai smiled in gratitude. "Could you see what paperwork I will have to handle after this meeting?"

"Of course, Lady Mitsuru."

She then bowed before exiting the penthouse, presumably to check up on Mitsuru-senpai's workload.

Minako set Kiyomi into the baby carrier on the floor, freeing her hands. She then settled on the sofa in between Aki and Junpei, but then Junpei leaned in close.

"Sooo… did you get any info outta Ken yet?" he asked, grinning.

Chidori, who was perched on the armrest next to Junpei, leaned in and gently swatted the back of his head.

"Ouch! Chidorita!"

"Junpei..." She gave her husband a disapproving frown.

"Unfortunately, no." Minako sighed, shaking her head.

But then her lips quirked up in a grin, before glancing to Ken who was sitting next to Shinji.

"But the day is still young."

Yukari, who was leaning against the side of the couch, just shook her head. But Minako didn't missed the amused grin on her face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ken asked warily.

"You can't guess, Ken-kun? Really?" Yukari chortled, her brown eyes dancing in amusement.

"I believe Minako-san and Junpei-san seek the 'dirt' on your relationship with Makoto-san," Aigis droned, "They've wished for it for quite some time."

"That would be correct~!" Minako said gleefully.

"That's—" Ken sputtered before turning bright red. "That's none of your business!"

Junpei grinned wickedly. "Oh no, Ken. We've been waiting for this. For so long. We're not dropping this!"

"Ain't that Aki's line?" Shinji asked, even as an amused smirk tugged at his lips.

Ken glared at Shinji as Aki sputtered out a protest.

"Aw, honey, you know it's true," Minako teased, nudging her husband in the ribs.

"Can't forget…" Junpei cleared his throat before attempting to mimic Aki's voice: "'Didja see that, Shinji?!'"

"Shut up! That was seven years ago!" Aki protested, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

"I really hate you all," Ken muttered, a sulky pout forming on his face.

"Love you too," Minako sang out, punctuating it with a wink.

But Ken continued to pout, not willing to be consoled even as Fuuka patted his hand.

"Aww, you don't have to pout, Ken-kun," Yukari teased, her brown eyes dancing with amusement.

"I'm not pouting!" Ken protested, a whine in his voice.

Mitsuru-senpai coughed but her eyes were sparkling with barely suppressed humor. "I'm afraid you are, Amada."

"Not you too, Mitsuru-san!"

Labrys just blinked. "Why do you care about Ken-kun datin' so much?"

"It's so they can embarrass the hell out of him," Shinji deadpanned.

"I mean… he's not lying." Minako thought, amused.

Aki scoffed, "You act like you haven't embarrassed him about Makoto, Shinji. You complained to me about all the times you've walked in on them."

"That was three times!" Ken snapped, glaring at Shinji.

"Three times?" Minako echoed, snickering as Ken's blush darkened.

"Ohhh, Ken's really grown up!" Junpei cackled.

Minako just giggled, holding a hand over her mouth. The wait was so worth it, in Minako's opinion. Though she could've done without Ken's constant excuses that he had homework when she tried to fish for info before.

Chidori once again swatted at Junpei, this time at his shoulder. She gave him a frown, making Junpei grumble.

"You should really stop teasing him as much," she admonished. "It looks like poor Ken-kun will combust at any minute."

"I agree." Fuuka nodded. "Isn't it more important that he's happy?"

At her last comment, Ken's expression turned bashful. Minako just grinned.

"Aww, that's so cute!" she chuckled to herself.

"So you're saying you're not the tiniest bit curious, Fuuka?" Junpei asked.

He even held up his hand, his thumb and index finger just centimeters apart to emphasize his point.

"Umm… well…" Fuuka cracked a sheepish smile.

She didn't even have to say it. Her body language broadcast it all too clearly.

"I believe that would be a negative," Aigis droned.

"Fuuka-san!" Ken's voice turned outraged. "You too?!"

"We want the dirt, Ken-kun!" Minako laughed.

"You're outvoted, Ken!" Junpei snickered. "So spill it!"

Ken sputtered out, "Since when were we voting on this?! You can't make me tell!"

"You could always ask Shinji," Aki said dryly.

Shinji just rolled his eyes in response, ignoring the death glare Ken was shooting Aki.

"What do you want me to say—they constantly suck face when they think I'm not looking?" He deadpanned.

"That is not true!" Ken objected, even as his face turned as red as Mitsuru-senpai's hair.

"I'm honestly surprised that you two don't play footsie in front of me—"

"Shinjiro-san!"

But then Aigis's expression turned thoughtful. "Perhaps, it would be prudent to educate Ken-san on contraceptives, then?"

All blood drained out of his face at Aigis's comment. Minako had to bite her lip so she wouldn't start laughing. Though Ken was making it really hard with his reaction.

"N-No! That is not necessary!" He began to wave his hands frantically. "We're not planning on doing anything like that—!"

"Pffft, like hook-ups are planned," Junpei snorted out.

Chidori blushed, suddenly fidgeting.

"Well… Junpei is right…" she said sheepishly.

"Especially within your age bracket." Minako said with a grin.

"That's… mmmnhh…" Ken just let out an embarrassed groan, hiding his still red face in his hands.

"Everyone, that's enough," Mitsuru-senpai suddenly spoke up. "While I can't deny that this is… important…"

She abruptly coughed, her cheeks flushing.

"However, we do have other matters to handle right now."

At Mitsuru-senpai's reminder, everyone tensed up.

"Seriously, what's the full story?" Labrys asked. "We know bits and pieces, but we've been kinda in the dark this whole time."

Aigis frowned. "I would like to know as well…"

"Start with the beginning, Amada," Mitsuru-senpai said, her voice imperious.

It was phrased as a request, but they all knew better. Ken just nodded.

"As you wish, Mitsuru-san," he murmured.

Ken explained that Makoto had managed to talk down her sister's Shadow, allowing them to spring the trap. But that's when everything went wrong.

Minako couldn't help but glance over to Aki, who tensed up as Ken explained the events leading to his capture. He was gripping his kneecaps. Minako reached out, placing her hand over his. The tension in Aki's shoulders reduced and he tried to smile weakly at her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Fuuka doing something similar for Shinji.

"That's horrible…" Chidori murmured. "To shoot Futaba-chan, all to manipulate Ken-kun…"

"Trust me, at least one of the assholes paid for it," Shinji hissed, his hands clenching into fists.

"What did you do, Shinjiro-san?" Labrys frowned in puzzlement.

Mitsuru-senpai just pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please tell me you didn't do anything illegal."

Aki just snorted with laughter. When Mitsuru-senpai shot him an annoyed glare, he just grinned.

"Come on, Mitsuru. I mean, Ken's been running around with the Phantom Thieves which isn't the most legal thing to do. And besides, that we pretty much broke in and entered without consent to steal back Ken. I think that's the least of your worries."

Mitsuru-senpai's expression turned exasperated.

She demanded, "Is that supposed to reassure me, Akihiko?"

"They deserved it…" Shinji huffed.

"Too bad you didn't get a video of it," Junpei joked.

Mitsuru-senpai glared at him, making him shrink under her gaze. "Not you too, Iori!"

Yukari sighed. "Anyways, we're gonna be here for a while if we keep this up."

"You're right, Yukari." Mitsuru-senpai then sighed. "I'm sorry, Amada, but do you think you can continue?"

Ken just nodded in response. He was quiet for a moment though, rubbing his arm. Minako's heart clenched at the sight of his pained expression.

"There's not much more to say. I… traded myself for Futaba. I bluffed, claiming that I was the second-in-command. I just… I needed them to let her go."

Koromaru whimpered at that, rubbing his head against Ken's hand. Ken took in a shuddering breath, taking a moment to pet Koromaru.

Minako just winced. Didn't Ken try to protect Fuuka similarly, back during that awful night? She glanced at Shinji, who was trying—but failing—to hide his grimace. That pretty much confirmed it for Minako.

"What about the moment they… drugged you?" Aki asked carefully.

Besides her, Junpei grasped Chidori's hand. Chidori just looked to him sadly.

Chidori's memories of what happened… were hazy. But she mostly remembered her time with Junpei. Personally, Minako thought it was for the best. Chidori's time with Strega had been… painful.

"It's… It's hard to describe," Ken said slowly, before he bit his lip. "But… it felt like my blood had turned to ice. It was suddenly so cold… and I could feel Kala-Nemi cut off from me. Then everything went black."

Koromaru growled at that, and he didn't calm down until Ken started to pet him again. It was quiet for a few moments. It was a lot to digest.

"That's way different than how it felt for me." Shinji muttered.

"I see…" Mitsuru-senpai's lips formed a thin line.

"So, what happened afterwards?" Yukari asked quickly, obviously looking to change the subject.

Shinji sighed, rubbing his jaw. "Guess it's my and Aki's turn to talk then."

Aki started first, explaining that they met with the Phantom Thieves to come up with a plan.

"Blackmailing the man who perfected it into an art…" Chidori mused. "Quite fitting, if you ask me."

"Doesn't explain why you took Makoto and Ryuji with you," Ken grumbled, shooting Shinjiro-san an accusatory look.

Shinji just huffed in response, "Try saying no to 'em. They could give Minako a run for her money, when it comes to stubbornness."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or impressed," Minako joked.

But still, Minako couldn't help but feel a little satisfied when Shinji and Aki described the beatdown they gave Shido's goons. They deserved it. Especially the asshole who gloated about being the one to abduct Ken in the first place.

"It was kinda a good thing that we brought Makoto and Ryuji—" Aki cut himself off, so he could shoot Ken an exasperated look. "Stop looking at me like that, Ken. If they weren't there, we might not have found out the exact drug they used. We had Morgana track down Ken for us since he's small and easy to miss. Besides, Futaba was able to cover all our tracks."

"I still don't like how you brought her too." Ken glared.

"We needed her to cover our tracks like Aki said. Ryuji and Makoto stayed with her to keep her safe. All of them insisted on coming. Nothing any of us said would have stopped them. You know that better than anyone." Shinji glared back.

This made Ken falter, before he stared down at the floor.

"Do you think that Shido will name all of his men though?" Chidori said, before she shivered, "If not… we may still be dealing with some troublesome people."

Ken frowned. "He should."

But he spoke haltingly. Minako sighed to herself. She couldn't blame Ken for being unsure, but at the same time, it wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Let's not focus on that," Yukari spoke up.

Mitsuru-senpai nodded. "Yukari's right."

"But that means that some of the Kirijo scientists went to Shido…" Fuuka said.

Mitsuru-senpai just let out a weary sigh. Minako couldn't help but wince. She knew that her friend still took her family's dark history so hard.

Mitsuru-senpai tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm not surprised, honestly… many of the employees disagreed with Father's changes and even more disagreed with the direction I took the Kirijo Group."

"That's not all, Mitsuru," Shinji spoke up.

Of course not… Minako had to fight the urge to grumble.

"Elaborate, then..." Mitsuru-senpai commanded, before crossing her legs.

Aki said, "They recognized Shinji and me. And he talked all creepy… like he was one of those assholes who…"

He trailed off, not willing to say it. Mitsuru-senpai just sighed softly.

"Your hypothesis is that he was one of those scientists who operated on me when I had just awakened to Penthesilia, correct?"

Aki and Shinji reluctantly nodded.

"He was talking about experimenting on Ken," Shinji spat out.

Everyone let out quiet gasps. All looking disgusted or horrified. But just then, a terrible thought suddenly struck Minako.

"Oh God! Do you think that he would've asked to experiment on Ren-kun's body then?" Minako couldn't help but ask anxiously.

"Wait you mean… dissect him like he's some kind of dead frog in science class?!" Junpei asked with disgust.

Ken blanched at that, before wrapping an arm around himself. Minako couldn't help but feel dismayed at that. Ken was just so… so withdrawn. It made Minako's heart ache to see. It almost made her think of the little boy he once was, someone who didn't trust anyone.

"Can we not discuss this?" he asked quietly.

Minako cringed, before mentally kicking herself for voicing her thoughts. Of course he wouldn't want to hear this kind of hypothesis about his friend.

"S-Sorry," she quickly apologized.

"Yeah... me too." Junpei nodded sadly.

Aigis frowned. "I apologize, Ken-san… but we need you to fill in some holes. As in when you first were roused…"

Ken slowly nodded, "Right. I woke up handcuffed to some sort of hospital bed? One of Shido's men came to get me and took me to Shido. He tried to… butter me up, I guess? Claiming that you guys were all dragging me down."

"Why would Shido wanna do that?" Labrys frowned.

Ken just shrugged.

"Because he wanted an insider? I honestly have no idea."

"It's not a bad hypothesis, Amada," Mitsuru-senpai admitted, even as she grimaced from the implications. "If he got you to agree… then he would know our secrets. If you denied him, he'd still have you as a bargaining chip."

"He might have demanded Sister and I as a tradeoff," Aigis mused before a heavier frown tugged at her lips. "After all… what is a human life compared to two machines?"

Minako's stomach twisted into knots at that. Shido getting his hands on Aigis and Labrys would've been a nightmare. Shido would turn them into murderous machines without hesitation; she still remembered how soulless Aigis's eyes had been when Ikutsuki had taken control of her. She couldn't help but think of how that would crush their spirits if that had happened to them.

Junpei immediately interjected, "That's bullshit! You and Labrys are sure a lot more human than the bastard."

"Junpei-san…" Labrys's eyes widened at that; she looked ridiculously happy at his statement.

"I…" Aigis closed her eyes. "Thank you, Junpei-san."

There was an awkward cough, they looked to see it was Aki.

"We're getting a little off topic though," he remarked.

"Akihiko is right." Mitsuru-senpai then waved a hand at Ken. "Amada, if you will."

Ken sighed. "Right… I-I don't know how but he knew about the incident where Mom died. He…"

Then his eyes hardened, his hands clenching around his kneecaps.

"He tried to insist that Mom would be ashamed of me…"

Ouch. Minako couldn't help but cringe. Ken's mom was still a sensitive topic with him. He even struggled with talking about her even now.

"And he… implied that Akechi was my cousin," Ken mumbled out.

"Whaaat?!" Yukari gasped. "That's crazy talk!"

She had to agree with Yukari personally. Ken and Akechi were like polar opposites… There was just no way that it was true.

"Mm-hm," Ken mumbled out, but he didn't look convinced.

"Ken, we've talked about this," Aki chided.

"I know, I know!" Ken sighed, before rubbing at his face. "Doesn't mean I still can't be freaked out at the idea…"

Mitsuru-senpai pursed her lips, her expression concerned.

"Let's move on," she suggested. "Amada, what else happened?"

Ken suddenly found the floor fascinating.

"And I got mad at him, for trying to force me into joining him. I egged him on—called attention to his disgusting behavior and he…"

"That's when he used that electroshock device on you," Shinji finished for Ken, his voice tense.

"He WHAT?!" Minako shouted.

For a moment, Minako saw red.

"That bastard! That low-life, self-serving, sadistic piece of shit!" she seethed to herself.

"H-Hey, calm down, Minako!" Yukari said in a shaky voice, reaching out to touch Minako's shoulder.

"This is bullshit!" Junpei spat out, his eyes darkening with anger. "Just who does he think he is?!"

"There is an upside to this..." Aki said hastily. "Ken ended up awakening to an entirely new Persona! In the real world no less! Caught Shido totally off guard."

Junpei's eyes just about bugged out of his sockets. Everyone glanced at Ken with surprise, save for Mitsuru-senpai, Shinji, and Aki.

"Wait a sec… Kala-Nemi changed to another Persona?!" Junpei exclaimed.

Ken slowly nodded. "My new Persona is Tyr."

"Tyr…" Mitsuru-senpai repeated, stroking her chin. "That's a Norse god, no?"

Minako nodded. "That sounds about right. I think… it's the Norse war god?"

"Hey, you're the mythology encyclopedia, not us," Junpei quipped.

Minako rolled her eyes before grabbing a throw pillow and throwing it at Junpei.

"H-Hey, come on, don't be immature!" Yukari rebuked.

Junpei just laughed heartily before grinning at Yukari. "Aw, lighten up, Yuka-tan! Don't be a sourpuss!"

Chidori giggled. "We could use some lightening up, in my opinion."

Junpei gave a thumbs-up to his wife in triumph, before giving Yukari a smug smile.

"See, Chidorita agrees with me!" he gloated.

Yukari just scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Chidori thinks you've hung the moon."

"And yet he's the whipped one," Minako said in a stage whisper.

"H-Hey, I object to that!" Junpei whined with a pout.

"Objection denied," Minako said.

"Rude!" Junpei cried out, drawing laughter from some of the people present in the room.

Minako couldn't help but grin, seeing that Ken was one of them. It was nice to see him loosen up a little. Of course, it would probably take some time for him to completely get over his trauma, but still it was a relief to see.

"But what happened next?" Labrys asked eagerly.

Aigis commented, "We do keep getting distracted…"

"And before we forget—Ken summoned without using an Evoker in the real world!" Aki added, flashing Ken a proud smile.

Ken's face flushed pink, but this time his blush was out of happiness. Minako couldn't help but giggle. He was really too adorable.

Shinji then smirked before saying smugly, "Threw Shido for a loop. Served that bastard right."

"You've really come a long way, Ken-kun!" Yukari complimented, beaming at Ken.

Fuuka just smiled, "He really has."

"You guys…" Ken said with an embarrassed smile.

"Gotta make up with all the teasing you got before." Labrys said teasingly.

"Labrys-san!"

"What? It's true."

Ken just fell against the sofa with a huff.

"Never change, Ken-kun." Minako thought with an affectionate smile.

They couldn't help but laugh as Ken began pouting.

"All's well ends well, I suppose," Mitsuru-senpai said with a smile.

Aigis then tapped her shoulder. "Mitsuru-san, shall I check up on the delivery?"

"Yes, Aigis, if you would."

"Delivery?" Fuuka asked, tilting her head.

"Mitsuru-san ordered sushi to celebrate," Labrys chimed in.

"Sushi?!" Ken gaped at Mitsuru-senpai. "For what?"

"For what?" The CEO just raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at her lips, "For several things. One, this is the first time we've all been together in the longest time. Two, Kiyomi's birth. And three… your triumph over Shido. And while it was unexpected, Shinjiro and Yamagishi are now engaged."

"This is a little premature!" Ken protested.

"Come on, Ken-kun, I know that you still have to beat Shido for good, but Mitsuru-senpai's got a point!" Yukari said.

Minako exclaimed, "Yeah, let's feast! I haven't gotten to eat sushi for ages!"

"Oh that's right—raw fish isn't the best thing for pregnant women to eat," Chidori mused.

Minako pulled a face. Okay, she didn't get to eat sushi a whole lot, but she loved it. The diet restrictions had sucked.

"Besides, you do need to eat, Ken-kun," Fuuka gently reminded.

"Especially since your blood is gonna get drawn at the appointment," Shinji seconded.

Ken pulled a face; he wasn't afraid of needles per say, but he had always hated getting his blood drawn. But then again—who could blame him for that?

Mitsuru-senpai suddenly straightened up. "Speaking of that, the labs have been analyzing the sample Akihiko brought back with him. The scientists believe that since he was only given a single dosage, Amada should be fine."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"That means we have more to celebrate!" Junpei cheered, tapping his fist against his palm.

"One track mind…" Yukari sighed, shaking her head.

"Stop being a killjoy, Yuka-tan!" Junpei pouted.

---

As fun as it had to be with everyone… it had sadly come to an end. Shinjiro-san ended up taking Ken alone. Fuuka-san had to work; fortunately, she occasionally had to work from home and this was one of those days. So she took Koromaru back with her, while Ken and Shinjiro-san went to the hospital.

Ken honestly hated the hospital. There was just a stifling atmosphere to it. And it just reminded him of the time that Shinjiro-san had to be hooked up to machines, stuck in between a limbo of life and death.

They ran several tests. They first gave him a general examination—he was due one anyways—before drawing some blood to analyze. They then put him through some ultrasound tests, so they could check for any organ failure.

They also tested his reflexes and to his annoyance, Ken found himself reacting slower than usual.

But the doctor finally set his pen down, smiling kindly at Ken.

"You're all set now, Amada-kun. I'll step out so you can change into your clothes. When you exit the door, just turn left and go straight down to the end of the hall. That door will take you to the waiting room. "

After thanking the doctor and biding him farewell, Ken heaved himself off the examination table. He changed into his street clothes, folding the gown neatly and setting it onto the examination table. He followed the doctor's instructions and stepped out to the waiting room.

He noticed Shinjiro-san was already signing the paperwork at the front desk. He walked up to Shinjiro-san just as his guardian handed the paperwork back to the secretary.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

Ken nodded before following him outside. Shinjiro-san suddenly reached into his pocket, pulling out a ziplock bag filled with some slices of dried persimmon and holding it out to Ken.

"You had blood drawn. You need some sugar in you," he instructed.

Ken slowly took the bag from him. He opened it and picked out one piece to nibble on before they headed for the car.

Though he couldn't help but think how everyone else was doing, back in Tokyo. They were still trying to figure out the keywords for Shido's Palace, but Ken couldn't help but wonder.

Plus everyone here was pretty much working… the only exceptions were Akihiko-san and Minako-san (who were now on paternal/maternal leave) and Yukari-san (who was most likely spending time with the twins).

They were driving for just a few minutes, when Shinjiro-san suddenly spoke.

"Do you wanna walk around?" Shinjiro-san asked, "Like around Paulownia Mall. It's past three—you won't get bugged by truancy officers if they see you wandering around."

Ken blinked, "Um… what brought this on?"

Shinjiro-san kept his eyes on the road but he shrugged.

"Just thought you might be bored. And you've been away for five months. Thought it'd be good for you."

Ken frowned. "I… I suppose. Maybe I can walk Koromaru too then?"

"If that's what you want."

Maybe he could visit Mom while he was at it. He hadn't visited her since right before they had left for Tokyo. Or maybe he should wait until tomorrow… he should pay respects to her.

But then he realized that Shinjiro-san was waiting for a response.

"What are you going to do then?" Ken asked, feeling curious.

Shinjiro-san shrugged. "I'll figure something out. Maybe make something nice for Fuuka after… last night."

Ken just raised an eyebrow. "Are you even gonna tell me how exactly you proposed to Fuuka-san last night?"

He had been happy for Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san when they told him that they were engaged. But Shinjiro-san refused to explain how exactly it happened.

Shinjiro-san's cheeks suddenly flushed. "Maybe in ten years."

"Better than what Minako-san will get, I suppose," Ken quipped.

Shinjiro-san rolled his eyes. "Oh she's never finding out."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "That bad, huh?"

"Shuddup."

It wasn't long until they arrived to the apartment. Koromaru was thrilled at the prospect at a walk—Ken had to wonder if Fuuka-san didn't always have time to walk Koromaru. When it was the three of them living together, they all took turns between their work. That thought was honestly sad.

Koromaru's happy yip snapped Ken out of his musings. He tugged at the leash, obviously impatient to get a move on.

"Have you missed this, Koromaru?" Ken asked.

Koromaru barked once.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ken chuckled.

It was nice to walk around Port Island again, though. It was nice to visit Bookworms too. It was much cozier than the bookstore in Shibuya. Minako-san had invited him here a couple times to browse with her. The owners were acquainted with her and were delighted to see him. They didn't mind Koromaru coming in either (in fact Bunkichi-san liked to feed Koromaru snacks), given how well behaved he was.

Ken noticed that a couple books from the Timid Teacher series were in stock. He remembered Makoto mentioning that she read it several years ago but had been meaning to buy the entire series. She was currently reading the sequel series. He bought the books, figuring that he could give it to her when he came back to Tokyo.

"Say hello to Minako-chan for us!" Bunkichi-san said cheerfully, waving goodbye.

"And tell her to be sure to bring her little baby some time!" Mitsuko-san chimed in.

"I will, thank you," Ken said with a smile.

Ken picked up a couple more gifts—a used video game for Ren's gaming system, a manga volume that Ryuji mentioned that had sold out a few weeks ago, and a box of sweets for Anne. He was wondering what to get Yusuke, Futaba, and Haru. Perhaps with Yusuke, he should just get him a gift card to a fast-food chain. He was terrible with money, but at least he could waste some on food instead of… whatever the heck Yusuke wasted money on.

But then Koromaru suddenly perked up and barked, interrupting him from his thoughts.

Ken blinked in confusion before looked in the direction Koromaru was looking.

Then he froze.

It was two of his old friends back in soccer club, Kazuki and Daichi. They had been in soccer club since the eighth grade, but unlike Ken, they had stuck with soccer this year.

Kazuki was the leaner out of the two, with dark blue hair and gray eyes. Daichi was built more stockily with brown hair that stuck up everywhere.

Things had… become awkward after he dropped soccer. So he had just buried himself into his studies. If he had to give up his extracurricular activities, he might as well go all out. But now Ken wondered if he could've stuck with it. After all, he could juggle Phantom Thief work and helping out Makoto with student council duties with no problem.

But he was abruptly yanked out of his thoughts.

"KEN?!"

Daichi really didn't know how to use an inside voice.

Ken tried not to cringe at the people who turned and stared. It was awkward. At least it was in the strip mall, not Paulownia Mall. That would've been more of a disaster, given how it was the preferred hangout for Gekkoukan students.

"Wait—Amada-kun?!"

"It's really him, isn't it?!"

Ugh. Not this again… The girls at Shujin pretty much backed off once he and Makoto were open about their relationship, much to his relief. But far as these girls knew, he was single.

Kazuki shot Daichi his are-you-serious look before grabbing him by the arm and towing him over to Ken.

"It's about time we found you!" Kazuki said loudly, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

Without warning, he dropped Daichi's arm and grabbed Ken's arm, dragging him towards Wild-Duck. Ken tried not to cringe as his ribs protested the sudden movement, giving a painful twinge. They were healing a lot faster due to the healing magic, but Ken still felt really sore.

Kazuki continued to talk loudly, "Nothing to see here! Ken's just visiting because Minako-san had her baby!"

Wait how did he—oh. Right, Kazuki's mom worked as a nurse in the maternity ward. She must've seen Minako-san on one of her shifts.

Once they were inside, Kazuki let go of Ken's arm.

He then raised an eyebrow. "You are here for Minako-san, right?"

Ken just nodded sheepishly.

"Seriously, man, not even a heads-up text that you're coming back?" Daichi grumbled, shooting Ken a glare. "You never touch your FaceStory, never mind RapidGram! You might as well have gone to America, not Tokyo. How the hell were we supposed to expect you?!"

Koromaru then barked, headbutting Daichi's leg. Daichi just laughed, kneeling down to give Koromaru a scratch behind the ear.

"Hey, Koromaru! I'm guessing you missed this guy too, huh?" He laughed.

Ken shuffled his feet. "Um, well, it was nice seeing you. You're probably busy though—"

"Hang on, Ken!" Kazuki interjected, grabbing onto Ken's arm. "Don't you wanna catch up? I mean, come on, we're standing right in front of Wild-Duck for crying out loud. I could totally treat you—"

"No, it's fine. But um… if you're sure," Ken said sheepishly.

"Sweet!" Daichi cheered, pumping a fist. "Why don't you leave Koromaru out here and we can order. We'll snag an outdoors table so Koromaru can join us."

Was he really doing this? Did they even have anything to say to each other? Ken couldn't help but feel a little anxious. They hadn't really spoken since last May or June. Kazuki and Daichi had always been a lot more outgoing than him.

But to his surprise, they remembered his usual order. Even though it had been nearly a year since they had gone to Wild-Duck together. As it was about an hour after the students got out of school, it was rather packed. It took them a while for them to get their order.

At least Koromaru was patient as always. He barked in greeting as they came out. They managed to snag a table near the entrance.

"Sooo…" Daichi drawled out.

"So?" Ken echoed.

"It must be pretty exciting to live in Tokyo huh?" Daichi asked, his eyes bright with eagerness as he leaned forward. "I mean, come on—the Phantom Thieves operate there!"

Ken cringed; he didn't even think about that. Maybe if he played it cool, they'd drop it. Though, he was surprised that they didn't have any grudge against the Phantom Thieves.

"If you're into that kind of thing," Ken said, trying to sound nonchalant as he unwrapped his burger.

He bit into it, savoring the taste. There was nothing like their secret sauce.

"Yeah, like you?" Kazuki asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You still watch Feathermen Rangers, don'tcha?"

Ken lowered his burger, glowering at him. "Oh yeah? You're the one who has a celebrity crush on Yukari-san. You watched the show just to look at her."

Daichi snorted with laughter as Kazuki sputtered, turning a bright shade of red.

"That's not fair!" Kazuki yelled. "Penalty! Penalty, I say!"

"Denied," Ken droned.

"Just eat your burger, Kazuki." Daichi snickered before picking up a few fries and stuffing them in his mouth.

Kazuki pouted. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Too bad..." Daichi stuck his tongue out at Kazuki, "Although, I'm surprised that Ken dished that out to ya."

Ken ducked his head, feeling his cheeks flush. It felt so normal to do that now, given Ren and Futaba's penchant for teasing him. But it just felt… off to be like this with Daichi and Kazuki.

Koromaru just nudged his leg, making a small yip. Ken sighed to himself. Maybe he needed to stop riling himself up.

"Uh... well, I made a couple friends who are pretty bad with teasing," he said awkwardly.

Kazuki dramatically gasped, clutching a hand to his chest. "You made friends?!"

"Do you think I'm hopeless?" Ken grumbled.

Daichi just cracked a grin. "Come on, Ken, it took you months to chill out with us. And we spent a lot of time together in soccer club."

"Well, they kinda dragged me into it…" Ken mumbled out.

"Must be pretty talented then," Kazuki remarked before taking a bite of his burger. "Like Minako-san level good."

"You can say something like that," Ken said dryly.

Ren and Minako-san did have their similarities, after all. The most glaring similarity, of course, was their love of teasing their friends.

Daichi and Kazuki exchanged a look before Daichi cleared his throat.

"So… what are they like?"

"Oh boy, where do I start?" Ken thought with a sardonic smile.

Though he supposed showing them pictures wouldn't hurt. He whipped out his phone to start showing them a group selfie they took in Hawaii. He listed off everyone's name as he pointed at each friend. He ended with Anne, mentioning that she's Ren's girlfriend now.

"Dude, he's dating that gorgeous blonde girl?!" Daichi glared at Ken's phone. "Ugh, some of the guys have all of the luck."

Kazuki snickered, "Well, at least we know that Ken isn't dating anyone."

Ken took the moment to take a sip of his soda so he wouldn't have to reply. He couldn't really fault Kazuki's reasoning. He was almost notorious for rejecting girls when he attended Gekkoukan. Teddie had compared to it to—what was it again? The Amagi Challenge? Not to mention all the times he had given his friends the Valentine's Day chocolates the girls had dumped into his shoe locker.

"Uncle Ken!"

Ken blinked, turning to look at the owner of the voice.

"Hello Miyuki and Kaito," he greeted.

"Oh hi, Kazuki-san, Daichi-san!" Kaito said cheerfully, waving at the two other boys.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kazuki asked.

"Spending the rest of the day with Mommy!" Miyuki's eyes sparkled with joy.

"And yet you run away from me," Yukari chided, coming up from behind the twins.

She placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

The twins cringed. Miyuki sheepishly smiled up at Yukari while Kaito scuffed his shoe on the ground.

"Sorry Mommy…" they mumbled out.

"Oh, hey, Yukari-san!" Daichi said cheerfully, greeting her with a little wave. "We were just talking about y—OW!"

Kazuki's leg jerked, probably kicking Daichi in the shin.

"What the he—"

He faltered as Yukari-san pointedly glared at him. Not that Ken could blame him. Yukari-san had one scary glare, only second to Mitsuru-san's.

Daichi coughed, before glaring at Kazuki.

"Screw you, Kazuki."

"Honestly, you two…" Yukari-san sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"You talking to the twins or the two children?" Ken asked dryly.

Yukari-san just winked at Ken. "I'll let you decide."

"HEY!" Kazuki and Daichi said indignantly.

"You're so mean, Ken…" Kazuki grumbled out with a pout.

"Nuh-uh!" Miyuki quickly contradicted with a pout. "Uncle Ken's so nice! He sent me and Kaito the nicest Pusemon toys for our birthday!"

Ken just smiled softly. Living in Tokyo certainly had its advantages.

"It's no problem, Miyuki."

"Oh, sure you'll spoil the two of them but can't even bother to be nice to us…" Daichi shook his head. "I see how it is. And you haven't seen us in months."

"You don't have to keep reminding me, Daichi," Ken said dryly.

But Ken noticed that Kaito was eyeing the fries so he picked up several and handed it to the twins.

After Kaito finished munching on his share, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Hey, hey, Uncle Ken, I know you and Uncle Shinji are gonna be gone soon, but you'll be coming back for New Year's, right?"

Miyuki perked up at that. "Oooh, you should bring Auntie Makoto with you! Everyone hasn't met her yet!"

"Hang on… who do you mean by 'Auntie Makoto'?" Kazuki asked.

Miyuki tilted her head. "Uncle Ken's girlfriend, duh."

It took all of his willpower to not facepalm right there and now.

"Miyuki, why? What did I ever do to you?!" Ken lamented to himself.

Daichi had been sipping on his soda but he promptly choked the moment Miyuki said girlfriend. Kazuki hastily reached over to whack at his back.

Once Daichi caught his breath, they slowly looked to Ken.

"You have a girlfriend?!" they both screamed at him.

"You didn't know?" Kaito blinked in confusion. "Don't guys always brag about this kinda stuff?"

Yukari-san rolled her eyes. "Come on, you know how nice Ken-kun is. He's not the type to brag about that kind of thing."

She then smiled.

"So, who wants strawberry daifuku?"

Kaito and Miyuki's eyes both lit up; they both really loved that treat.

"Really, Mommy?!" Miyuki asked eagerly.

Yukari nodded. "Mm-hm, and I want to pick up something nice for Auntie Minako. Might as well, right?"

"Yayyy!" Kaito started jumping up and down in excitement, "You're the best, Mommy!"

Yukari giggled. "I try."

Yukari-san just shot Ken a knowing grin before leading the twins away. Ken glowered at her back as she pulled the twins away.

"Traitor…" he grumbled to himself.

"You're. Dating. Someone." Kazuki ground out. "What the hell, man?! What happened to Mr. I'm More Interested In Being Mr. Perfect Than Girls?"

Ken grumbled, "Come on, I never said that. You know why I always turned down the girls in the past. And really—Mr. Perfect?"

He couldn't deny that he was a little… overzealous with his studies at times, but seriously?

"Dude, you've always been a perfectionist."

Daichi slammed both hands on the table, hard enough to make it rattle violently. Ken was a little impressed that their soda cups didn't fall down.

He demanded, "Spill! DETAILS NOW!"

Kazuki then leaned forward. "You have a picture of her right?!"

"One at a time!" Ken complained, holding up his hands, "Jeez…"

"Don't 'jeez' us! This is huge!"

Ken rolled his eyes. Well, at least he should count his blessings that they weren't teasing him.

"Remember the Hawaii selfie? She's the girl with brown hair."

"Wait… Hawaii. That means you've seen her in a bikini, right?" Daichi then wiggled his eyebrows at Ken.

"Oh my god, really?" Ken glowered at him. "It's bad enough that Minako-san and Junpei-san have been teasing me about it but you too?"

"Have you?" Daichi pressed.

"Ugh! FINE! Yes, I've seen Makoto in a swimsuit, are you happy now?"

He didn't plan on spilling much more than that. They didn't need to know that she looked really good in that bikini. Ken blinked before he mentally slapped himself for that traitorous thought.

Kazuki then leaned forward. "Sooo… how far have you gone?"

Ken huffed, giving him an unimpressed stare.

"Are you trying to live vicariously through me?" he deadpanned.

Kazuki's cheeks colored at that. "Hey, shuddup! As far you know, I've found a girlfriend!"

"Doubtful with how much you're trying to fish for information," Ken deadpanned.

Kazuki wadded a napkin at Ken, throwing it at his head. Ken easily caught it, eyebrow raised.

"Ugh, you suck," Kazuki grumbled.

"How's soccer?" Ken quickly changed the subject.

He did not need more people heckling him about Makoto; it had been mortifying enough with his senpais. That was when both of their faces lit up.

"Oh dude, we had our yearly match with Yasogami—we totally kicked their asses!"

"You should've seen Coach Nagase's face when we destroyed his team!"

Their faces were so animated as they chattered about the various matches they played in. Ken couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Even though he knew that he didn't regret his choices, he couldn't help but wonder maybe he shouldn't have dismissed his extracurriculars so easily. And soccer had been so fun too.

He had a lot of good memories of soccer club. Practice after school. Their races to Wild-Duck. Their games…

Maybe Daichi and Kazuki didn't understand the full extent of what he went through but, they were still good friends.

Ken couldn't help but feel ashamed for forgetting that. For not trying to still remain friends with them, even after he had dropped soccer.

"Ken, is something the matter?"

Ken snapped to attention, looking to Daichi. "O-Oh, sorry… I didn't mean to zone out like that."

"Something bugging you?" Kazuki asked, tilting his head.

"N-No, it's nothing," Ken quickly lied.

"That's BS!" Daichi interjected. "Seriously Ken—what's bothering you?"

Ken sighed. "I just… I'm sorry. For not trying harder to stay friends with you."

"Dude, what do you have to apologize for?" Kazuki shook his head. "I mean, friendship is a two-way street. We didn't try very hard either."

Daichi nodded. "It's just… soccer was one of our biggest things, y'know? We were kinda at a loss on what to say to you when you left the club. But we should've tried harder."

"You should totally send us pictures of you and your Tokyo friends, though!" Kazuki said.

"And details on you and Makoto—"

"Really?!" Ken cut off Daichi, glowering at him.

"Details! We demand details!" Kazuki cried.

"You two both are ridiculous," Ken grumbled, pressing a hand against his face to hide his flushing cheeks.

Why did people care so much that he was dating now?

Daichi just grinned cheekily, "Hey you chose to befriend us."

Ken just rolled his eyes in response, "And sometimes I really question why—"

"Rude!"

---

Ren couldn't help but feel mentally exhausted. They had tossed out countless ideas about what Shido viewed the Diet Building as… but no dice.

"Here's my last guess—diamond mine," Haru said tiredly.

They all sighed in frustration as the app rejected that suggestion as well.

Makoto just rubbed her temples before slumping in her seat.

She sighed once more, "No good."

"Seriously… how many did we miss?" Ryuji grumbled out, before rubbing his forehead.

"Countless…" Futaba mumbled out.

Yusuke rubbed his chin before looking at Ryuji. "Perhaps Ryuji's postulation was correct. Perhaps Shido does have a barrier inside his Palace."

Ryuji's face lit up at that. "Right?!"

"Hey, it's not something to get excited about!" Anne chided. "At this rate, we'll never get access to Shido's Palace."

"Come on, we can't give up! We know all the way up to Diet Building," Morgana stated.

Ren sighed to himself. He knew that Morgana was trying to stay optimistic, but Ren couldn't help but feel discouraged. Why was this man such an enigma?

Anne leaned against the plush seat of the table, before biting her lip.

"Do you think… Ken might know? I mean, he did get to actually talk to Shido."

"Maybe, but I don't think Ken would know much. I mean, Shido was trying to twist his arm into joining him." Futaba pointed out.

"And I don't think it's the best idea to ask Ken that," Makoto said, her voice sharp.

Ren just winced. Okay, he didn't blame her for being a little protective. Ren doubted that Ken would be eager to talk about his experience.

Anne sighed, slumping in her seat.

"You're right… sorry."

He couldn't help but think of what Ken told him. Shido… deserved to burn in hell. But he'd never get his well-deserved comeuppance if they couldn't crack the damn code.

Sae looked at them curiously. "So… it works by you entering the keywords into the Metaverse Nav?"

"That's right..." Ren confirmed with a nod of his head. "Though Shido's probably the biggest pain to figure out."

"And I thought Futaba's was tough…" Anne sighed before rubbing her forehead.

Ren couldn't help but frown. They were really stumped this time. But what haven't they guessed?

Ryuji's brow suddenly furrowed together before he glanced at Sojiro.

"Boss, can you turn on the TV?" he requested. "Maybe Shido will be on there making some kind of dumb speech. Might give us a clue."

Sojiro nodded. "Sure thing."

He then picked up the remote, clicking the TV on. Ren couldn't help but scowl as an image of Akechi sitting with a talk show host flickered onto the screen.

"Goro Akechi..." Makoto hissed, both hands forming into fists.

"Him and his stupid composed face," Futaba grumbled.

It was nauseating to watch the talk show host fawn over Akechi, marveling over his stupid 'plan' to catch the Phantom Thieves. Ren just glared harder.

"Just you wait, Akechi… we're gonna take out your boss and you'll just have to watch everything fall apart before your very eyes," Ren thought as his scowl deepened.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sae had tensed up, however. That's right—she was probably still coming to terms about the truth regarding Akechi. As much as Ren disliked Akechi, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the older woman.

"Then, was it also your plan when you said they weren't at fault after their popularity declined?" the host inquired.

Akechi shook his head, flashing his genial smile at the camera. It just annoyed Ren. It was so damn fake.

Akechi then explained, "That was to catch them off guard. I could say I applied my profiling knowledge. Once they lost public support, someone they thought was their greatest enemy lent a hand… that's the same strategy used in romance; wouldn't you agree?"

"Romance?" Ren echoed, feeling baffled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Bet the dude's a virgin…" Ryuji huffed.

"Not the point, guys," Anne chided.

"Anne-chan's right. But still…" Haru then narrowed her eyes, a rare scowl appearing on her face. "Why is he being treated as an ace detective of justice?! After all he's done—!"

Yusuke cautioned, "Calm down, Haru. We can't do anything but ignore this, I'm afraid."

Haru looked down at the table, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Yusuke-kun. I just…"

"I understand," Yusuke cut her off, giving her a smile. "Do not fret, Haru."

Sojiro sighed, "It's not just on TV or online. Newspapers, magazines… I see Akechi's face everywhere."

"Of course…" Ren grumbled.

"The Phantom Thieves are evil. Shido and Akechi are just… it should be the other way around," Haru said through narrowed eyes.

"They're manipulating info using the media!" Anne just shook her head, disgusted.

Ryuji grumbled, "That's the power of the news for you…"

"Leaving Akechi aside—we do need to focus on the main issue," Yusuke stated.

Morgana sighed, "I'm really stumped on how we'll be able to figure Shido's keyword."

"You mentioned Futaba-chan's keywords before..." Haru said.

"Oh boy, that was a tough one," Ren commented.

Makoto then explained, "We didn't know anything about her, so all we could do was make conjectures. Though we did eventually manage to talk to her enough so we could figure out the keywords."

Ren just winced. He still remembered the way a pit formed in his stomach when he had realized that Futaba had viewed Sojiro's house as the place she would die.

Futaba perked up at Makoto's words. "Maybe we could go see Shido directly then."

"Futaba, you can't be so reckless!" Sojiro scolded.

Futaba shrunk into her seat. "S-Sorry, Sojiro, I just…"

She then bit her lip, before she straightened up.

"I want him to pay for what he did to Mom! He can't keep getting away with this!"

"And we'll ensure that," Makoto soothed, her voice growing gentle. "But Boss is right… we can't be reckless. We need to tread carefully."

"Anyhow, that's fairly impossible," Sae suddenly spoke up.

Ren had noticed that she had been quiet the whole time they were talking about Akechi.

"Mm-hm, I imagine that he's surrounded by bodyguards and followers all the time," Haru said, nodding.

Yusuke stated, "Either way, there's no way high school students can get an appointment with him either."

Morgana's head drooped. "Yeah… Yusuke's got a good point. And it's just too risky to try and talk to him like that. Akechi probably gave him some kind of description of us so his men could monitor everyone so…"

They kept hitting roadblocks. Ren couldn't help but feel frustrated. At this rate, they'd never unlock Shido's Palace!

"Maybe… an adult can help us then?" Ryuji asked, before pointedly looking at Sae.

Sae's eyes widened at that and she took a step backwards.

"M-Me?" she stammered out, before shaking her head. "N-No, that's still impossible. Besides, that's too dangerous a method."

"Annnd back to square one," Ren deadpanned then sighed again. "I was hoping that we'd get to unlock Shido's Palace before Ken got back too…"

"This is seriously a pain." Anne groaned.

Ren opened his mouth to speak, but he was distracted by the faint sounds of… cheering? Applause? Either way, it was distracting.

"What the…?" He thought to himself.

Sojiro frowned. "What's with the ruckus outside?"

"To everyone gathered before Yongen-jaya Station!" a man cried, his voice ringing loud and clear.

"Wait… that voice…" Ren thought to himself.

"Hang on, I think that's an election campaign car," Sae stated.

"Oh right!" Haru's eyes lit up with recognition. "The candidates are currently campaigning!"

"Who are even Shido's rivals?" Yusuke asked.

Sae stroked her chin in thought. "Hmm, I do know that one of the independent candidates has been creating a stir with how he started from just a politician's secretary and climbing up the ranks in a rural country town. But that's irrelevant right now."

Ren barely registered his friends' comments. Why the hell was that voice so familiar? He was starting to get a headache, trying to remember.

Morgana spoke up, "Ren? What's w—"

But he was quickly interrupted.

"I apologize for the commotion! I am Masayoshi Shido!"

"Hang on, he said Shido, right?!" Ryuji demanded, before standing up.

"He did!" Haru confirmed, her voice growing excited.

"That voice… it kinda sounds the voice I heard before…" Ren thought to himself.

But maybe he was just imagining things…

Morgana was looking at him, though, his blue eyes shining with concern. But before he could say anything, Ryuji spoke up.

"But man, talk about lucky!" Ryuji exclaimed, excitement filling his voice. "This is our chance! We can go check him without an appointment now!"

Without warning both he and Haru rushed out of the café.

"Hey Ryuji, Haru—!" Anne began to protest, only to be interrupted by the door slamming shut.

"Come on, everyone," Makoto said.

They hastily exited the café. Morgana frowned.

"Looks like Ryuji and Haru ran off toward the station," he stated.

Ren nodded. "Makes sense, that's where Shido seemed to campaigning."

Morgana then darted a little ahead of Ren, staring down the path towards the station.

"This way—hurry!" he said urgently, only to pause, looking up at Ren. "By the way, are you okay, Ren? Did something happen? You seemed… on edge just earlier."

Ren frowned. Should he say something? Especially since he wasn't sure if Shido was that man from before…

No, it was nothing but conjecture.

"It's nothing. We should go," Ren answered.

Morgana looked skeptical, but before he could say anything, Yusuke spoke.

"Hang on, we shouldn't all go in such a big group," Yusuke interjected.

"Yusuke's right, we might look a little suspicious." Makoto nodded. "I'll go, I can take Mor—"

"No, I'll go." Ren interjected.

"Is that... wise?" Yusuke asked, his eyes growing wide.

Makoto frowned. "You're supposed to be out of sight."

"Yeah! And you're supposed to be dead, remember?" Futaba huffed.

Ren glared at his friends momentarily before he pulled his hood up.

He said firmly, "I'm going."

He would not budge on this. He needed to confirm if that voice was the one from back then.

"You're so stubborn. Just… try to stand out." Anne let out a frustrated sigh. "And make sure Ryuji doesn't try anything dumb."

"Well... I mean Haru's with him so hopefully that will be enough." Futaba tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes.

Makoto sighed but finally relented, "Be careful out there, Ren…"

Ren nodded and motioned for his feline companion to follow.

"Come on, Morgana."

Morgana nodded and they took off down the path. He could hear Shido's speech more and more clearly as he got closer. Ren had to begrudgingly admit that Shido was good. Charismatic, even.

Maybe he might've fallen for it, if he wasn't aware of Shido's true nature.

This bastard… he made Futaba an orphan by ordering her mom's death. He had made her suicidal for two years just for the shits and giggles. He crushed Haru's hopes of having her true father back! And he tortured Ken so callously…

Just thinking about it made Ren's blood boil.

"I humbly ask that you cast your vote for me—Masayoshi Shido! Let us all sail for a better future too! I hope to continue serving you all!"

"Shut up, you bastard," Ren thought viciously, scowling to himself. "You don't know anything!"

It pissed him off further, thinking about how earnest and genuine Yoshida was. He was serious about wanting to help people. If only there were more people like Yoshida.

He finally caught up to Ryuji and Haru, who were trying to stand on their tiptoes to look over the crowd. Though they were miserably failing—especially Haru, given how she was more on the petite side.

"Is that seriously the guy?!" Ryuji asked, before narrowing his eyes. "Hang on—I'll get some intel!"

"Ryuji-kun, wait…!" Haru cried out but Ryuji just rushed off.

Ren just groaned, before pushing through the crowd. He better make sure that Ryuji didn't do anything impulsive.

"Sorry! Excuse me!" he said hastily, even as the others complained.

Somehow, miraculously, Ryuji had caught up to Shido. He was so close. The sight of it made Ren's stomach clench.

"Heyyy! Yo, Shido-san!" Ren couldn't help but cringe at Ryuji's forced cheerful voice.

Anne may not be the best actress but Ryuji wasn't much better.

"Stand back!" one of Shido's bodyguards said sternly.

For some reason… he looked kinda familiar. What was with all this déjà vu?

Ryuji's entire stance became rigid as he approached Shido.

He insisted stubbornly, "I just wanna talk to him for a sec!"

Haru finally managed to catch up to Ryuji.

"Ryuji-kun…" Haru breathed out, her voice anxious.

"He's a busy man," the bodyguard said flatly, looking at Ryuji like he was nothing but a bug that he'd love to squish.

"The hell?!" Ryuji spat out, stomping the ground. "Ain't he supposed to hear a citizen's comments?!"

The bodyguard then growled before shoving a hand against Ryuji's chest, pushing him backwards.

"That's enough, brat!"

Ryuji suddenly froze, before his two hands clenched into fists.

"You… you're that asshole we met at the elevators! Back at the Wilton Hotel!"

Ren's brows raised… the déjà vu now making sense.

"What are you talking about?" The bodyguard apparently didn't recall.

Ren scoffed under his breath. Typical. What a dick.

Morgana let out a frustrated moan. "Ugh, that moron!"

"Come on, stop it already!" Haru grabbed Ryuji's arm.

"But these guys—" Ryuji began to protest but cut himself short soon as he looked at how worried Haru was.

Ren's stomach suddenly twisted into knots at the sight of the older man. He honestly felt… a little nauseous.

"Hey, kid." Shido stepped forward, giving Ryuji a menacing glare. "You don't want to know what happens to people who cross me."

That voice… that damn voice… why was it so familiar?! Then it suddenly struck Ren like a lightning bolt.

"Damn brat… I'll sue!"

Those words, spat at him, like venom… they had sealed his fate. That man who had destroyed his life with the snap of his fingers.

And… that wasn't the last time he had encountered the man.

He had been that asshole who had spoken so condescendingly to both Ren and Ryuji back at the Wilton Hotel—when they had wanted to celebrate their victory against Kamoshida. He was the reason they had decided to continue Phantom Thief work.

Masayoshi Shido was the man who had wrecked Ren's life.

How could he be so stupid?! Ren wanted to be sick. His stomach churned as his legs turned to jelly.

"What are you looking at?" Shido demanded curtly, staring hard at Ren. "I don't like that look in your eyes."

Ren tensed up and looked away, trying to appear meek and sheepish.

Shido then sighed, shaking his head.

"This country is filled with clueless children… I seriously worry for Japan's future." Shido then glanced at his bodyguard. "Let them go. My next appointment is coming up."

They watched Shido and his men load up in the car before they drove away. Ren just felt… numb. He seriously couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Why hadn't he thought to look into him more?! They had known about the man for three months!

"Ugh! So stupid!" he berated himself.

Ryuji angrily kicking at a stone on the ground caught his attention and Ren forced himself to look at his friends.

Ryuji, however, was still seething, "What a piece of shit. So whaddya think of seein' him in person?"

"The way he threatened you, Ryuji-kun… that had been so frightening," Haru mumbled out, her eyes wide with fear.

"Ren...?" Morgana prompted.

Ren swallowed hard. He had to tell them.

"He's the one who got me arrested," he managed to spit out.

Ryuji gave him an exasperated stare. "Yeah we know dude. He and Akechi set you up so—"

"No, you don't get it," Ren cut him off, shaking his head. "He's the reason I'm on probation!"

"Wait, hang on." Ryuji's eyes went wide. "He's the jerk you told us before?! The dick who tried to assault that lady and you tried to pull him away from her and he fell—and he got you arrested 'cause of that? The same guy? You're for real?"

Ren nodded numbly.

Haru gasped, pressing both hands against her mouth for a moment.

"This is… Ren-kun…" Her voice trailed off.

Ren squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't even know how to feel.

"Shido's… the one who ruined your life," Morgana said soberly. "And hearing his voice—it made you remember, didn't it?"

Ren fumbled to explain. "I just… it was dark and that night… was the worst night of my life and…"

Ren cut himself off with a sigh, pressing a head against his forehead. It sounded so pathetic.

"Ren-kun, please don't blame yourself!" Haru pleaded. "You were clearly in shock at the time. We don't blame you at all for forgetting."

"Yeah, he spoke one line to you and me back in May. You can't beat yourself up for this crap!" Ryuji said.

Morgana then heaved out a sigh. "Come on. Let's meet up with the others. We've got a lot of intel to share with them."

---

"You can't be serious!"

Anne was gaping at Ren, her mouth falling open. He just smiled weakly at his girlfriend. Ren was trying to wrap his head around it himself.

"S-Shido's the guy who set you up?! Seriously?!" Futaba exclaimed.

Yusuke just shook his head, frowning. "What kind of fate brought you two back together…?"

"A twisted one..." Ren said flatly, his hands clenching into fists. "It's definitely him. I'm positive."

"This is just unbelievable." Makoto sighed, shaking her head. "Talk about a destined connection."

Ren felt numb. Shido was the man who wrecked his life without losing a wink of sleep. Just how many other people's lives had he ruined?

Morgana just frowned, his tail swishing behind him. "Shido was involved in the cognitive research too, right? This can't be dismissed as just a coincidence…"

"Good grief." Sojiro shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell's going on here?"

Sae just cupped her chin with one hand, deep in thought.

"Shido was already a politician then, yet he sued a student and ruined his future? He must have pulled some strings so that his name wouldn't be mentioned. Furthermore, he also would've had to force that woman into making a false statement," she mused.

Yusuke said grimly, "He would do anything. We're talking about a man who ordered a hit inside the police station. He's apparently willing to crush anyone in his path."

"If Akechi's working for him, he's the one ordering all the hits." Makoto sighed, a heavy frown appearing on her face.

"Not to mention what he's put Mitsuru-san through," Haru stated.

Sae frowned in response, folding her arms over her chest. "He even has dirt on someone as powerful as Kirijo-san? That's… a little hard to wrap my head around, if I'm being honest."

"Yeah, apparently he forcibly dismantled the Tokyo branch of the Shadow Operatives," Ren replied. "Slapping her with red tape… blackmail—the works. He's the reason why Ken came to Tokyo to begin with."

"That power's gone completely to his head!" Ryuji spat out with a scowl.

But then again… the fame had also gone to their heads too. Ren shook his head, to try and push the thought out of his head. That would always be his biggest shame, but it wouldn't do to keep thinking on it.

Sojiro rubbed his jaw, suddenly looked weary.

"He can't sit still until he crushes whoever opposed him, no matter how trivial. He's always been that way," he stated somberly.

"Hang on, how do you know him?" Ren asked.

Sojiro just grimaced. "It's… a long story."

Of course it was. Ren sighed to himself. He would have to get the story out of Sojiro some other time.

"This man… he's just despicable!" Haru exclaimed.

"That's putting it lightly!" Ryuji scoffed. "Children are the future—my ass! What he's sayin' and doin' are completely different! It pisses me off! Especiallysince people were just eating up the shit he spouted like it's candy!"

He couldn't put it any better. But it was scarier than their other opponents, since Shido was looking to become the head of their country. Why couldn't there be more politicians like Yoshida?

But Anne abruptly sat up. "Hang on, now that we found out who did it, can't something be done about Ren's record?"

That… had never even occurred to him.

"I didn't even think about that!" Futaba said, unknowingly echoing Ren's thoughts.

But Sae just sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm afraid it's not so simple," she said, regret tingeing her voice. "Once the courts have made a judgment, overturning that decision will be difficult. It'd barely be possible even if proof of innocence is presented and Shido admits to his crimes."

Ren sighed to himself. Of course, because that would make things easy.

"Should've known…" Ren mumbled.

"Either way, at least you've been keeping a low profile," Makoto stated, giving Ren a reassuring smile, "And your probation will be completed in just a few months…"

"It's still completely unfair." Anne sighed.

"Seriously… I wish we could do something," Futaba mumbled out.

"It's okay, guys." Ren smiled at the two girls. "I appreciate it—but Makoto's right. Just gotta keep myself under the radar until this whole thing blows over."

Yusuke awkwardly cleared his throat. "We are deviating from the subject, however. At any rate, we need to trigger a change of heart in Shido."

Ryuji exclaimed in agreement, "Hell yeah! That bastard's got a shit ton of crimes to answer to!"

"We need to keep up our guard though," Makoto said, folding her arms over her chest. "Be that as it may, Shido's outer appearance and his true face are wholly different. It's beyond hypocritical. It's as if he's an entirely different person."

Haru remarked, "He speaks about the good of the country… It makes me wonder what really is on his mind."

Sojiro just shook his head. "That man's full of ambition to rise in the world. He only thinks of the weak as stepping stones for his success."

Ren spat out, "Typical, that bastard is lower than scum."

Ren realized that his friends were staring at him and he sighed, taking off his glasses to rub at his face.

"Sorry... I just…"

"There's no need to apologize," Yusuke cut him off, holding up a hand. "It's understandable to feel so angry at this."

Futaba seconded, "Yeah! He ruined your life… it's okay to be mad at the rotten adults who wrecked your life."

Ren smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks, guys."

Anne looked down at the table. "But Shido… he treats himself as an elite man while looking down on others. That's the worst."

Yusuke pursed his lips together.

"I assume the keyword for what he believes the Diet Building is will be utterly despicable too," Yusuke stated.

Anne looked up at that, before nodding. "It must be something self-centered and completely different from politics."

"I can't help but wonder what happened for his cognition to become twisted…" Haru wondered aloud. "For Father, it was how he grew up poor and never wanted that life again."

Then she sighed heavily, before her expression hardened.

"No, it doesn't matter. What matters now is that he's a criminal of the highest caliber. Someone like him needs to be punished as soon as possible!"

Ryuji nodded. "Let's head to the Diet Building again right after school tomorrow. I feel we'll get it this time!"

Makoto bit her lip, before her expression steeled.

"Stewing over it won't get anywhere. We'll steal his heart… no matter what."

---

After that, everyone was dismissed. Everyone gave Ren worried looks but Morgana gave them a shooing look before following Ren up the stairs. So all they reluctantly departed, Sojiro and Futaba included.

And even though he knew he had to keep the train schedule in mind, Ryuji was more worried about Ren, ignoring what Morgana was trying to tell 'em all. Plus Anne seemed to have a similar mindset.

"You too?" Ryuji asked.

Anne nodded, biting her lip. "Y-Yeah, Ren just looked…"

She trailed off at the last part, before she wrapped an arm around herself.

"Come on, let's go talk to him," Ryuji said, before heading up the attic stairs.

But as he got to the top of the stairs, Ryuji couldn't help but hesitate. He always had a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. What could he even say to make Ren feel better about this? He didn't want to make Ren feel even worse. His best friend had gone through the wringer.

Then he noticed Anne standing right next to him. Her expression was conflicted… she probably didn't know how to handle this either. But her expression grew determined.

"I have to try," Ryuji thought to himself.

"RenRen?" Ryuji called out to him.

Ren was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring off into nothing. Morgana was resting his head in Ren's lap, while Ren absentmindedly stroked the top of the feline's head.

But Morgana stood up at Ryuji's voice, headbutting Ren's hand. Ren seemed to snap back to reality.

"What are you guys still doing here? The trains…"

"You really think we would leave you after that?" Anne asked, before stepping forward.

Ren leaned into Anne's embrace. She hugged him gently before reaching up to brush away his hair so she could kiss him on the temple. Normally, Ryuji would've pulled a face at that. But he could tell that his best friend needed the comfort. The way he was clinging to Anne broadcasted it.

"I just… hell..." Ren's lips suddenly twisted in a grimace. "Really? The guy who wanted to kill me… is the guy who put me on probation."

Ryuji's heart clenched at the sight. His best friend just looked so downcast. He couldn't even imagine how Ren was feeling right now.

Ren didn't speak again until Ryuji sat down on his other side.

"I remember back then… the lady I was trying to help. She was screaming for help, but nobody listened. I just couldn't… stand by. She threatened to call the cops on him. He claimed back then… 'the police are my bitches'."

Ren squeezed his eyes shut and a single tear suddenly rolled down his cheek. His hands clenched tightly around his kneecaps, tight enough that his knuckles were growing white.

Anne reached out, plucking his glasses off his face so she could brush away his tear. She then replaced the glasses, before placing a hand over his.

"He's right, you know… he basically had to point at me: 'That's him, officer. He assaulted me.' And they dragged me to jail. I remember… being scared. But at the same time… I was pissed. I was just trying to do the right thing… and I was being punished for it."

Ren just sounded so… sad at the last part. He never really liked to talk about what happened back then. Ryuji remembered back when he had first heard the story from Ren. Ren had talked all stiltedly, as if he was afraid that Ryuji was planning on rejecting him.

But right now, it just made Ryuji's blood boil. What made Shido think that this kind of crap was okay?! He knew that the Palace rulers all had their reasons on why their cognitions grew twisted, but Ryuji didn't give a rat's ass on why Shido had become this way.

Shido had hurt his best friend. So badly. And Ryuji wanted the bastard to pay for it.

"He won't get away with this, Ren." Morgana spoke up, his eyes burning with determination, "You believe us, right?"

"It's just… I don't know. It's bringing back so many bad memories. I think what stings the most is how my parents reacted to this bullshit. They thought… I was really the type to run wild."

"They didn't know what they have," Anne said fiercely, before her eyes hardened. "For them to just drop you like this… it's really unforgivable."

"Ren… you know you're surrounded by so many people who do care for you, right?" Morgana asked.

"And we'll follow you anywhere, RenRen!" Ryuji seconded.

"Hell or highwater..." Anne murmured, her grasp on Ren's hand tightening. "We've been through so much together—there's no turning back now! You told me once before that I have everyone to support me… but you also have all of us. We're all here to support you, Ren."

Ren just cracked a smile. "Thanks, guys."

He then pressed a hand against his chest.

"This time, we'll get him. We'll make him pay for all the lives he's destroyed. Karma is coming for him."

Ryuji just smacked his fist into his palm, before meeting Ren's determined gaze.

"He'll never know what hit him!" he declared.

Ryuji and Anne stuck around a little longer, until Morgana shooed them out—saying that they needed to get home before it was too late and the train station closed. Ryuji and Anne rode the train together, but they didn't have much to say. Ryuji was pretty pooped by everything.

Shido was the bastard who ruined Ren's life… he had screwed with three of his other friends. Not to mention the countless lives he had destroyed all for what—fame?

That reminded him of how he got caught up in the idea of fame.

Ryuji looked up at the train conductor announced his stop. He waved goodbye at Anne before squeezing off the train. There was still another ten minutes before he reached his apartment, so he pulled out his phone.

Wait… there was a group text.

Group Chat: The Real Phantom Thieves of Hearts

[Ken]: Was there any progress today…?

[Futaba]: Uh… a lot actually

[Ken]: Hang on, you got it?

[Haru]: Not quite, Ken-kun

[Yusuke]: You recall why Ren is on probation in the first place, yes?

[Ken]: He was accused of assault by some politician, right?

[Makoto]: It's… Shido

[Ken]: WHAT?!

[Makoto]: It's unbelievable, how many lives he's affected

[Futaba]: Seriously! But we're gonna give it another shot tomorrow

[Ken]: I see…

[Makoto]: How was your day, Ken?

[Ken]: it went okay. I saw everyone today

[Haru]: Oh, how lovely! But that means you saw Kiyomi-chan, right? Do you have any pictures?

[Futaba]: Oh… so you're one of those girls, huh, Haru? The ones who go gaga for babies

[Haru]: Babies are just so adorable!

[Ken]: Uh… I don't have any pictures, but I can ask Minako-san. I can tell that she'll take a billion pictures…

[Ken]: The Kirijo Group doctors looked me over. The tests should be done tomorrow

[Futaba]: Dang that's fast

[Ken]: I'll be happy if I don't see another needle for another year though…

[Futaba]: are you afraid of needles?

[Ken]: It's not that! I just hate getting my blood drawn

[Yusuke]: Is that it, though? You saw everyone and got examined…

[Ken]: Um, not exactly… I uh… ran into a couple of my old school friends. We were in soccer club together for 4 years

[Haru]: Oh, that sounds wonderful! I assume you caught up?

[Ken]: yeah we did

Ryuji frowned at the last part. That was weirdly brief of him to say. Ryuji then looked up to check that he was at his apartment. He dug out his keys before unlocking the door.

"Mom?" he called out, before kicking his shoes off.

The apartment was soon filled with energetic barking. Shoyu scrambled over to him before slamming right into Ryuji's shin. Ryuji just grinned before scooping up the pooch.

"Hey, boy! Didja miss me?"

Shoyu let out a cheerful bark before happily licking at Ryuji's face.

He carried Shoyu into the kitchen. He noticed there was a note on the table. After pouring out some kibble for Shoyu—who happily gobbled it up—he picked up the note.

Ryuji,

I got called in for an emergency shift but my boss promised me overtime pay. I've left some money so you can get some takeout. Don't stay up too late today, okay?

Love, Mom

Well… at least he didn't have to make something up to tell his mom. But still, it was bugging him how Ken got all… vague about when he talked 'bout his friends in soccer.

Had Ken ever brought them up? Ryuji frowned as he tried to wrack his brain. He had nothing.

Shoyu barked, looking up at Ryuji with bright eyes.

Ryuji laughed, "Should I call him, Shoyu? It's not really Ken to be like… this."

Shoyu cocked his head. Well… it's not like Shoyu can talk. But an idea struck Ryuji, and he snapped his fingers.

"Hey I know—bark once if you think I should call Ken."

Another bark.

Ryuji grinned. That settles it, I guess."

After he ordered delivery, he plopped onto the sofa and pulled up Ken's number. He impatiently drummed his fingers on his leg as it rang twice before he picked up.

"Ryuji? Is something the matter?"

He said, "Hey, Ken. I was just wondering… there was somethin' off when you talked about your old soccer buddies."

Ken's only answer was a heavy sigh.

"Seriously, what's bugging you, man?" Ryuji asked.

Over the phone, Ken slowly exhaled. Even though they were miles apart, Ryuji could practically see the little frown on Ken's face, the way his eyebrows were furrowed together.

"It's… dumb."

"I thought I was the dumb one," Ryuji lightly joked, hoping to get a laugh from Ken.

He grinned as Ken did manage a small laugh.

"You're not dumb, Ryuji."

Shoyu crawled into Ryuji's lap, rubbing his head against Ryuji's hand. Ryuji grinned, petting the puppy for a few moments before turning his attention back to his friend.

"Come on Ken, you can tell me."

Ken once again exhaled.

"I never told you what happened after I joined the soccer club, did I?"

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Wait, there's a story behind it?"

"Well kinda. You see, Mitsuru-san told me initially that I should try to lead a normal life. Be a kid again. I wasn't happy with it but I joined the soccer club. It's kinda funny back in the fifth grade, the teacher told us to write down what I wanted to do when I grew up and I panicked and wrote 'soccer player'."

"I can't really imagine you doing that, honestly... no offense." Ryuji admitted.

He just chuckled, "None taken. But… when I realized what I was doing… being fixated on the past, I started making an effort to get to know people more. I got close to Kazuki and Daichi especially."

"Did you get into a fight or somethin'?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. Near the end of the school year, last spring… I just started worrying about my future. That I was focused on university so I dropped both soccer and student council. I buried myself in my studies too."

Ryuji blinked. That sounded a little like Makoto. But he stayed quiet; he had a feeling that Ken wasn't done talking about this.

"I know it was for the better, since I had no real duties to drop when I accepted the mission. But hearing Kazuki and Daichi talk about soccer… makes me miss it."

"Why not pick it up then?" Ryuji asked.

"Huh?"

Ryuji just shook his head. For someone pretty smart, Ken could be dumb sometimes.

"Nothing's stopping ya from picking it back up. Might give you something to do while hanging around your place."

"Yeah because Shinjiro-san would be thrilled if I decided to kick a soccer ball around the penthouse," he snarked.

"Hey, you could always sneak to Inokashira Park or somethin'!"

"And I'll get pulled aside for truancy."

"Just don't wear your uniform, duh."

Ken then laughed, this time a proper laugh. Ryuji just grinned in response.

"You're terrible, Ryuji."

"Not as bad as RenRen!"

"Oh, I don't know about that…" He could hear the smile in Ken's voice though. "Thanks, Ryuji. But you know… it's not too late for you either."

Ryuji frowned. "Yeah... I'm not so sure, my leg makes it pretty rough."

"There are other ways that you can get involved in sports. I know one of Minako-san's friends got into coaching. She managed Minato-san's kendo club."

"Ehhh… I dunno 'bout that. I'll think about that after all of this shit with Shido's over with."

"Yeah, I think that's the smart thing to do," Ken agreed.

Ryuji then drew his knees to his chest, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"So, you're good now?"

"Yeah, I think so. I guess I needed to hear that."

A bark suddenly echoed out from the speaker.

"Something the matter, Koromaru?"

Another bark. Ken suddenly scoffed; Ryuji imagined that he was rolling his eyes now.

"Someone's being needy."

"If you have to go, it's cool," Ryuji told his friend. "It was nice talking to ya, but we'll see you soon enough, yeah?"

Ken slowly exhaled, "Yeah, you should. Good night, Ryuji."

Despite everything, he didn't sound too confident. Ryuji tried not to wince. He just had to believe.

---

Thursday, November 24th, 2016

---

Ken shivered as a suddenly frigid wind blew through the graveyard. He pulled his coat more tightly against his body before he forced himself to walk. He promised Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san that he wouldn't be long. They would be meeting with the others later today.

But he felt that he needed to do this.

He scanned the graves as he walked briskly through the area. It took him a while to find Mom's grave.

"Hi Mom..." he murmured before crouching down to wipe at the dirt.

There wasn't much dirt; however, so he could assume that someone had visited recently. He then pulled out the incense he had brought with him before lighting it. Ken watched the wispy smoke curl from the tip of the incense.

The scent of burning incense was always comforting to him. He remembered saving up his allocated money that his uncle would give him so he'd be able to buy offerings when he visited Mom's grave in the past.

He then closed his eyes and prayed.

He inserted the incense sticks into the ground, before he stared at the grave.

"Mom, I..." He licked his lips. "I'm sorry for not being able to visit in the longest time. It's been what—almost six months since I've been able to?"

He had visited her grave right before he and Shinjiro-san had left for Tokyo. It just felt wrong not to, since he didn't know how long he'd stay in Tokyo.

"I, um… I have a lot to talk to you, actually. I've made a lot of friends in Tokyo. Sometimes I wonder how that even happened."

The words slipped out too easily, as he talked about his friends. He avoided talking about their Phantom Thief work, though—he couldn't help but feel a little paranoid about someone overhearing him.

"And… I have a girlfriend too. We started dating last month but… I like her a lot. And I think you would like her too, Mom."

He couldn't help but smile, thinking about Makoto. Even though it had been a couple days since he had last seen Makoto, he already missed her. Even though they had talked a little over the phone, it still wasn't the same. He honestly even missed working with her in the student council room.

It was just… nice to spend time with her, even when they were working on paperwork.

"She's just… so compassionate, even when she's been hurt by the person. She still loves her sister so much, even though her sister hurt her a lot. And she's just so smart and her smile…" Ken trailed off, feeling himself blush a little.

He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed talking about it.

"She makes me happy," he said lamely, but smiled regardless. "I wish you could've met her. Well—actually technically you met her but that was once and we never saw each other until earlier this year…"

Ken then paused before he bent down, picking up the picture of her. He stared at it, trying to pick out any possible similar features to Akechi.

"So many people in Japan have brown hair… and it's not like I haven't met anyone with reddish eyes. There's Minako-san, Mitsuru-san, Makoto, Niijima-san. There's no way… right?" he thought to himself.

His grasp on the picture frame tightened.

"Shido said that he knew you. T-That's not true, right? Why would you ever want to associate yourself with such a horrible man…?"

Ken's fingers suddenly trembled.

"I… I don't want to be Goro Akechi's cousin. That's nothing but nonsense… right?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. Even with Akihiko-san and Mitsuru-san's kind reassurances, the idea of Akechi being his cousin still haunted him. He had tried to kill Ren. He made Futaba and Haru orphans. He had caused so much destruction… death…

The idea of being related to someone like that made him simply nauseous. The more he learned of Shido's machinations, the more he was reminded of Strega. And Akechi was his assassin.

Shido wouldn't have risen in power so quickly if he didn't have Akechi. And his influence wouldn't be as far reaching.

Just why would Akechi offer to do this for Shido? For fame, as the supposed second Detective Prince? Money? Or… did he get some thrill out of it?

Ken shivered at that last thought, pushing it away.

"It doesn't really matter," he thought firmly to himself.

Ken brushed some hair out of his eyes.

He murmured out, "I'm being silly. Saying all of this to you, when I haven't visited you in so long."

Ken sighed softly and slightly shifted his posture.

"A lot has happened, especially recently. But… I think I'll be okay, Mom."

He could only hope that he was right about this.

---

Ken couldn't help but feel nervous, staring at the file in Mitsuru-san's hands. Fuuka-san abruptly took his hand under the table, squeezing it. She gave him a reassuring smile. Ken tried to return it but he just felt so nervous.

They were sitting in a conference hall in Kirijo Tower. Everyone was here, which didn't do Ken's nerves any favors. The children were absent from this meeting—Chidori-san had offered to watch them while they discussed.

Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san sat to the left of him, while Akihiko-san and Minako-san were sitting to the right of him. Mitsuru-san sat directly across him. To her left sat Junpei-san, while Aigis-san and Labrys-san sat to her right.

Mitsuru-san then lowered the file.

"The thing that stands out to me the most… is how the doctor noted that your reflexes are significantly slower," she remarked.

Ken winced. He had noticed that.

"It should come back in time, right?" Yukari-san asked, concern in her eyes.

"Yes, that would be correct." Mitsuru-san nodded.

She sighed before straightening up in her seat. Then she met Ken's eyes.

"I will allow you to continue Phantom Thief work, Amada… on two conditions."

"What exactly?" Ken asked.

"One—you are to wear the Ring of Darkness again, no exceptions. While yes, fighting Shadows is dangerous regardless of what element they have, it'll help reassure me."

"That's not so bad…" Yukari-san murmured.

"But what's the second?" Shinjiro-san asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mitsuru-san wavered for a moment before steeling herself. Ken met her gaze, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"I want you to spar with me, Amada. I want to see your Persona as well."

For a moment, it was silent. So silent that you probably could hear a pin drop. Then several people reacted.

"WHAT?!"

"Hang on, Mitsuru-senpai!" Minako-san objected.

She then jumped to her feet, slamming her hands down on the table.

Minako-san yelled, "This is crazy! No way! You can't spar with Ken-kun!"

"He's still recovering, Mitsuru-senpai!" Fuuka-san was the next to protest.

"Amada will be fighting with Shadows soon enough." Mitsuru-san was quick to counter. "This is similar, no?"

"But…!" Fuuka-san looked at a loss for words.

As the others began to voice their thoughts, Ken found himself mulling over why Mitsuru-san wanted to spar. She wasn't… battle eager like Akihiko-san. There had to be a reason for this.

"Stop!"

Ken winced as everyone froze at his shout. He reached up to brush his bangs out of his face before speaking once more.

"Mitsuru-san… I'd like to hear your reasoning why you suddenly want to fight me."

Mitsuru-san sighed. "Fair enough. I want to see how far you've come, Amada. You've been fighting Shadows for nearly half a year now. I want to see your progress. You're going against Shido—without a doubt, he'll be the most difficult obstacle you and the Phantom Thieves face."

"I see."

"But Mitsuru-san, it still would not be a good idea given Ken-san's injuries—" Aigis-san began to protest.

Ken interrupted, "I accept your challenge, Mitsuru-san."

"Very well..." Mitsuru-san nodded.

"This is crazy, Ken-kun! You're not ready to go back into combat yet!" Minako-san cried.

"Sometimes battle will throw you a curveball, Minako-san." Ken said firmly.

"But…!"

"Stop trying to baby him you guys!" Shinjiro-san suddenly spoke up. "What—do you think Mitsuru will kick his ass?"

That… was a surprise. Although he had noticed that Shinjiro-san had stayed quiet before.

"That's not it, Shinji!" Fuuka protested, even as Mitsuru-san called Kikuno-san to her.

Junpei-san spoke up, "Shinjiro-senpai's right, y'know. And Mitsuru-senpai's got a point in being worried."

Kikuno-san then handed Ken a small silver briefcase. He flipped it open to reveal an Evoker, albeit one that wasn't marked with S.E.E.S, and a holster.

Ken inhaled. He could do this. He wasn't a weak little boy anymore.

"Mitsuru-san wants to see my strength? I'll show her then," Ken thought, determination flooding him. He then stood up and following Mitsuru-san, briefcase in hand.

Mitsuru-san led them to one of the sparring halls. He could see the others exchanging worried looks. Okay, he knew that Mitsuru-san was well—Mitsuru-san. But she was right. Shadows couldn't strategize, but he needed to be ready for combat any time. He didn't want to slow down the others.

Kikuno-san appeared with a spear in one hand, a sheathed rapier in the other. Ken bent down, popping open the briefcase to pull out both the holster and Evoker. He had just slipped his Evoker into the holster when Fuuka-san approached him, her expression concerned.

"Fuuka-san, I'm not gonna—" Ken began, but she held up a hand.

Fuuka-san blurted out, "I'm sorry! I just..."

She trailed off, biting her lower lip. She then looked down at the floor. Ken frowned; he had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"It's okay, Fuuka-san." Ken said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I understand the concern."

Fuuka-san then looked up, giving him a tiny smile. "Go get Mitsuru-senpai, okay, Ken-kun?"

"I'll do my best." Ken then dug out his phone, holding it to her, "Can you hold onto this? I don't want it to get busted."

Fuuka-san nodded before taking the device from him. "Of course, Ken-kun."

Kikuno-san suddenly approached, spear in hand.

"Good luck, Ken-san." She smiled serenely. "You'll need it to beat Lady Mitsuru."

"Don't I know it," Ken muttered, shaking his head.

Mitsuru-san was one of the veterans after all. The very first to awaken to her Persona. And she was no slouch with her rapier either. She could give Akihiko-san a run for his money.

Ken squared his shoulders. He could do this. Now was not the time to be pessimistic. He has spent months fighting Shadows. He'd show everyone just how much progress he's made.

"I hope you're prepared, Amada," Mitsuru-san called to him.

She had her rapier already drawn; as always, her form was perfect.

Ken narrowed his eyes. "That's funny, I was about to say something similar to you, Mitsuru-san."

He could feel the stares. Okay, maybe Ren had more of an influence on him that he had realized. But right now, he would need that confidence.

Mitsuru-san laughed, but then her expression grew steely.

"Let's see if your confidence is well-earned."

They drew their Evokers at the same time.

"I command thee—Artemisia!"

"Come forth, Tyr!"

---

Minako knew that Ken had a new Persona but it was… weird to know that Kala-Nemi was gone. Maybe she just felt a little sad knowing that.

Beside her, Fuuka suddenly inhaled sharply.

"Oh my…" she breathed.

When Minako gave her friend a quizzical look, she hastened to clarify.

"Ken-kun was right. His power... it's definitely stronger. And his abilities—they're different."

"We'll have to wait and see then." Aki remarked with his arms crossed over his chest; his eyes were trained on Ken. "Didn't get to see Ken in combat when Chie and me were in Tokyo."

But Artemisia cracked her whip, sending several icicles flying. Tyr just spun his spear, before slicing through the Bufudyne spell with the axe on the bottom of his spear. He then slashed the air, blades of light flying through the air. They struck the ground, kicking up dust.

Ken took the distraction to dart forward, stabbing with his spear. Mitsuru-senpai quickly blocked with her rapier, sparks flying as the two weapons grounded against each other. But Ken seemed to win the clash, sending her stumbling backwards. Then Ken quickly swung his spear, striking Mitsuru-senpai with the flat of his spearhead.

"Ouch." Yukari couldn't help but wince in sympathy.

But then Mitsuru-senpai called out to Artemisia. Ken was quick to react, dropping his spear to duck and roll out of the way.

"Ken's gotten pretty fast." Aki sounded impressed.

But as he came to a stop, Ken suddenly winced, before pressing a hand against his side. Minako bit her lip, looking at him anxiously. This was what she was afraid of.

But then he gritted his teeth, the tell-tale blue glow of Diaharan suddenly surrounding his hand.

"Ken has that upper hand, at least," Junpei commented as Ken used his spear as a crutch and staggered to his feet.

Then Mitsuru-senpai rushed forward, apparently intent on closing the distance between them. She nailed him with a quick stab to the shoulder. Ken staggered back, making Minako frown. It was like the report said, Ken's reflexes were slower than usual.

Mitsuru-senpai pressed her advantage, slashing with her rapier. Minako bit her lip as Ken was forced to stay on the defensive. With every blow, Ken's movements were slowing.

Mitsuru-senpai grinded her rapier against Ken's spear. Ken's entire frame trembled for a moment before his expression hardened and he gave one hard shove—making Mitsuru-senpai stumble.

As she stumbled, Ken quickly summoned Tyr once more.

"Tyr!" he called out.

Tyr appeared before raising his arm cannon. A powerful blast erupted from it but Minako couldn't help but notice that it was aimed to the ground.

But then a phone rang, shattering the tension. Well, for the onlookers. Mitsuru-senpai and Ken were completely focused on their fight.

Fuuka fumbled for a moment, before she took out Ken's phone.

"Hello? Makoto-chan?"

That immediately caught Minako's attention.

"You… want to talk to Ken-kun?" Fuuka said slowly, before her eyes flickering to Ken, who was currently parrying a strike from Mitsuru-senpai. "He's kinda… busy right now."

Makoto said something in response to that. But as Fuuka listened, Minako tugged on her arm. She then gave her friend a puppy dog pout.

This was her one chance to talk to Makoto.

Fuuka faltered at that. "No, he's not in the doctor's office right now? He's umm… occupied with Mitsuru-senpai right now. I can tell him to call you back when this is all done, though."

Fuuka shook her head at Minako, aiming for a stern look.

It kind of failed. Fuuka was many things, but intimidating was not on the list.

So Minako upped the puppy dog pout, even making her bottom lip tremble. Fuuka just slowly exhaled before speaking again.

"If you're not busy, Makoto-chan—Minako-chan would like to talk to you."

Minako pumped a fist, unable to stop a grin from coming across her face.

"Success!" she cheered to herself.

Makoto spoke again, making Fuuka raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Well, this is lucky then." Fuuka then smiled slightly. "Ken-kun isn't particularly keen on it."

"Pffft, Ken was being a total wuss. I'm not gonna embarrass him!" She thought to herself.

Then Fuuka handed her the phone.

"Hello? Is this Minako-san?"

The voice coming from the phone was quiet and hesitant. Even though she couldn't see Makoto, Minako smiled.

She did her best to infuse her voice with her usual cheerfulness. "Yep! That's me! So, you're the infamous Makoto Niijima, huh?"

"O-Oh, I wouldn't call myself 'infamous'…" Makoto then cleared her throat. "Actually, I'd use that to describe you."

Minako winced. "Oooh, I guess you've heard some things about me already."

Makoto managed a weak laugh.

"Yes, something like that."

Minako just quipped, "From Ken-kun or Shinji?"

"Mm, I don't think that it's fair to disclose that."

"So… tell me about yourself, Makoto-chan," Minako said, crossing her legs.

She wasn't that mean. She'd ease Makoto into the questions, before going in for the kill. It was only right. She knew nothing about Makoto and she was dating Ken. She had to ensure that Ken was dating someone trustworthy.

She could hear it in Makoto's voice as she slowly relaxed.

"Sooo…" Minako drawled out. "What made you start liking Ken-kun?"

Sudden silence.

"Makoto-chan? You still there?"

"I… um… honestly don't know." she said sheepishly.

"You don't know?" Minako couldn't help but giggle.

It kinda reminded her of how Aki didn't understand his feelings. Though that made her wonder what happened for Makoto to realize it. Because she could guess that Ken hadn't spelled it out to her.

"Okay—then what do you like about him?"

"W-Well, the first thing that stood out to me about him is that he's so… nice." She suddenly let out a nervous chuckle. "On his first day of school, he just took a look at me and he said I was working too hard and invited me to eat lunch with him. I was stressed at the time because of Kobayakawa's demands and I was alienated from the school."

Minako just smiled. "Contrary to what Shinji claims… you are right."

She remembered noticing that when she had first met him. He was a shy and kind boy beneath the attempts to seem mature.

"He just… is so kind and supportive. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. And it's honestly really cute when he's watching Neo Feathermen. His eyes light up and he gets so excited…"

Minako had to bite her lip so she wouldn't start giggling as Makoto continued to ramble about Ken.

But she was glad. She occasionally teased Ken about being such a girl magnet, but at the same time, she didn't like how the girls chased after him just for being a handsome athlete. Especially since she could still remember what it had been like with Aki.

They never got to know Aki. They would never know just kind and sweet he could be, underneath that confidence.

She was glad that Ken had found someone who saw there was more to him. And well… Makoto had already made it obvious that she adored Ken.

Makoto abruptly coughed.

"U-Um, I didn't mean to talk your ear off about Ken."

Minako just chuckled. "It's okay! I mean, just ask Ken or Shinji. I'm a bit of a motormouth myself."

"If you say so." Makoto still sounded embarrassed. "But um, there was actually a reason why I wanted to talk to you, Minako-san…"

"Huh?"

Makoto then cleared her throat, "I know… that you've been second guessing your nominating Ken to send to Tokyo, but I want to thank you. I'm not sure I would've met him if you hadn't. And for that, I'm incredibly grateful."

The sincerity in her voice took Minako aback. She couldn't help but feel surprised. She had heard bits and pieces from Shinji, but she hadn't expected Makoto to be so… affectionate when talking about Ken.

"I… you're welcome," Minako said finally. "I just… I care about him a lot. He means a lot to me and I couldn't help but feel afraid that I messed up by suggesting this to Mitsuru-senpai."

"You haven't," Makoto said gently. "I may be biased, but Ken is a wonderful addition to our group. I'm so grateful that I've met him."

Makoto sounded so fond and well soft as she spoke about Ken. Before Minako knew it, she blurted out a question.

"Do you love Ken-kun?"

There was a small gasp.

"Umm…"

Minako just smiled, closing her eyes. She wouldn't be surprised if Makoto was red as a beet. She was glad that Ken had found love. She couldn't help but think the stolen moments that she had with Aki, back when they were teenagers. Despite the fear, Nyx hanging over their heads—she wouldn't have traded those moments for anything in the world.

But still… a part of her felt a little sad. Ken was the closest thing she had to a little brother, after all.

"You'll take care of him, won't you?" She asked softly.

"I will..." Makoto vowed, her voice suddenly growing steady. "You have my word, I promise. Ken… means the world to me."

Minako smiled. "I'm glad—oh um… Makoto-chan, I would really like to talk to you some more… can I have your number?"

"O-Oh, I'm glad! I'm... um... not the greatest at talking."

Minako chuckled. "You're doing fine, from my perspective."

They talked a little longer, before Makoto gave Minako her number. Minako couldn't help but wonder which pictures to send Makoto first.

When she hung up, she couldn't help but giggle as her eyes fell on the screen. Ken had added a little heart emoji to Makoto's name in his phone. She wondered if anyone else knew this.

"Am I going to regret this?" Fuuka sighed as Minako handed her Ken's phone.

"Regret what?" Minako batted her eyes at Fuuka.

Fuuka just sighed, shaking her head. "I think… that's a yes."

Minako opened her mouth to reply, only to hear a crashing sound. Her head jerked back to Mitsuru-senpai and Ken.

Mitsuru-senpai was on the ground. Ken had managed to knock her Evoker away and had disarmed her. He had the tip of his spear at her throat. But even then, Ken's stance was tense, as if he expected her to come up with a counter.

Mitsuru-senpai just looked up at Ken, before chuckling.

"I yield."

Ken slowly nodded before dropping his spear. He then extended a hand, helping her up.

Mitsuru-senpai dusted off her clothes for a moment before speaking.

"C'est magnifique, Amada," she said, her lips curling into a pleased smile. "I can certainly see that you have improved."

Ken shook his head. "Yeah, but if you went one hundred percent, you would've destroyed me."

Mitsuru-senpai frowned. "I never would have with your injuries."

"I know. But I still have to keep that in mind, when we start infiltrating the Palace. Shadows won't be nearly as nice. I can't drop my guard," Ken stated.

"I can't help but notice…" Aigis began.

"Notice what, Aigis?" Yukari frowned, puzzled.

Aigis explained, "Ken-san utilized the dirty trick on occasion, from my observations. Such as attempting to trip Mitsuru-san with his spear."

Ken's cheeks turned pink. "Um—I can explain…"

Minako blinked at that. What the heck were the Phantom Thieves teaching Ken then? Mitsuru-senpai wasn't offended, at least.

She just chuckled, "I will admit that was unexpected, but we were dueling."

"And not everyone will be honorable in fights," Aki stated, his expression growing dark.

They all tensed at that.

"You'll be careful, right, Ken-kun?" Fuuka's voice suddenly became anxious, clasping her hands behind her back.

Ken smiled reassuringly. "I will, I promise."

"No more reckless stunts, got it?" Minako put her hands on her hips.

There was suddenly an awkward silence.

Yukari coughed into her hand. "Uhh... I don't think you can say that, Minako."

"Whaaat?" Minako glared at her.

Yukari reminded with an eye roll, "I mean, remember the fight with the Lovers Shadow? You screamed something along the lines of 'this is for screwing with my emotions, jerk!' before jumping on its back and got a little too naginata happy."

"Y-Yeah, well, you got pretty pissed at it too!" Minako protested.

Yukari huffed at that, her cheeks coloring. Minako snickered. She remembered prying the story out of Yukari the night after. They had been bored at the dorm so they had a girl's night with Fuuka. Fuuka had gotten tired and went to bed early. But Minako had cornered her and managed to get her to spill. Yukari had basically admitted to her that she had a small crush on Minato.

"We really oughta do somethin' special tonight though!" Labrys chimed in. "I mean, Shinjiro-san and Ken-kun are going back to Tokyo tomorrow, right?"

"Maybe we should've saved sushi for tonight then," Aki laughed.

"I wouldn't say no to another round of sushi though," Minako joked.

Aigis tilted her head. "What do Shinjiro-san and Ken-san want?"

"Oh, that's a good idea, Aigis." Yukari complimented.

Shinji just shrugged. "I don't really care. I'm not picky."

Minako stifled a laughter. So said the man who can and will nitpick the hell out of food.

"Riiight." Junpei snickered.

"You constantly critique restaurants' cooking," Mitsuru-senpai seconded, smiling in amusement.

"Well, if I'm paying for someone to cook food for me, I expect it to be done right!" Shinji snapped.

"What do you want then, Ken-kun?" Fuuka asked, getting them back on track.

Ken started fidgeting. "Well, if you don't mind… do you think we could have something like… the dorm party? I don't really want to go out for dinner tonight, to be honest…"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Junpei exclaimed, his eyes brightening with excitement, "It's been ages since I've gotten to eat Shinjiro-senpai's cooking!"

Minako liked the idea too. She still thought about that dinner fondly, even though it had been over seven years ago.

"Tch… putting me on the spot?" Shinji grumbled.

Minako just snickered. He may complain about it, she knew that Shinji preferred cooking than going out to eat.

"I-I'd be happy to help!" Ken said hastily, even waving his hands around a little. "I just thought it'd be nice…"

Fuuka spoke up, "I think it's a sweet idea. I'd be happy to chip in too."

Shinji snorted, "As long as it's you two."

"Hey, I cook pretty well!" Minako said indignantly.

"You're also still recovering from childbirth, Minako," Yukari scolded.

Minako flapped a hand at her.

"Details…"

"You can use our kitchens if you'd like, Shinjiro. And I can cover the expenses for the ingredients," Mitsuru-senpai offered.

Shinji glowered at her. "No. You pay for most of our expenses already. I have a job, I'm fine with buying everything."

"I'm just trying to help you! You're being absolutely stubborn!" Mitsuru-senpai snapped.

Shinji scowled harder, "Look who's talking!"

"I swear this always happens." Yukari sighed, pressing a hand against her forehead.

"Sooo… where's the popcorn?" Minako quipped.

"Minako!"

---

Ren really hoped the old saying 'third time's the charm' was accurate. He couldn't help but feel antsy though, with the security guards lurking around.

Makoto instructed, "We need to be careful, everyone. The security guards have become suspicious of us, so we can't stay for too long."

Ren just grumbled to himself. This was the third day in a row that they had visited the Diet Building. This was really starting to get old.

"But we still don't have a hit." Futaba sighed, staring at the ground.

Then she growled, clenching her hands into fists.

"If only I could hack into Shido's brain!" she hissed.

"Quiet, Futaba!" Anne shushed, holding a finger to her lips.

"So says the girl who just waltzed up to a politician just a couple days ago," Ryuji grumbled.

"That's enough, both of you," Ren said quickly before Anne could come up with a retort.

It was usually entertaining to see his best friend and girlfriend's bickering, but now wasn't the time. They couldn't afford to attract attention.

"We do need to focus on figuring out the keyword," Yusuke agreed with a nod.

Haru frowned, before biting her lower lip in thought. She then clasped her hands behind her back.

She said slowly, "The citizens are secondary. He only cares about his own well-being and that of his lackeys…"

Ren couldn't help but frown at the reminder, his hands clenching into fists. He really wanted to make that bastard pay, for how he was screwing over the entire country.

Makoto pursed her lips, before she stroked her chin.

"He wants to become prime minister even if it means trampling on others," she stated.

"Typical..." Ryuji mumbled out.

"Fortune… rich people..." Futaba said slowly, only for her to groan and press her hands against her temples. "Ugh, I'm overloading!"

"I've really got nothing," Ryuji grumbled out.

Ren sighed to himself. He hated to admit it, but he was feeling the same.

Morgana suddenly looked at Ren. "Hey, Ren, can you think of anything based on what you've heard from him? Back when you met him before you moved to Tokyo. Just try saying anything. It doesn't matter if you guess."

Ren stared down at the ground, frowning. The memories of that night were coming more clearly. But he could remember one thing that stood out in particular…

"Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I 'steer' this country!"

Ren's face scrunched up in distaste and his hands clenched into fists. Shido really wanted to turn Japan into a dictatorship.

"Ren, do you remember something?" Anne asked, her blue eyes filling with concern.

She reached out, touching his hand gently. Ren took her hand, drawing comfort from her warmth. Then Ren nodded, before glancing at everyone.

He spoke up, "I do… that night—he claimed that he would 'steer' this country. That everyone needed to just follow him."

"Steer…?" Morgana repeated.

"Steer…" Makoto repeated as well, before she let out a gasp. "Oh... steer!"

Ren blinked at that. What was that about? And why would Makoto know that about Shido? Had she read that in an article?

Haru tilted her head. "Mako-chan? What's wrong?"

"Ryuji, Futaba—don't you remember what Shido's men were talking about when we were eavesdropping on them?" she asked urgently, turning to face their friends.

Ren opened his mouth to question when the hell this had happened, but he was interrupted by Ryuji.

"They said some shit about Shido being a visionary…" Ryuji said slowly.

"That's not all of it, though." Futaba looked up at Ryuji, before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Don't you remember, Ryuji…? You brought it up yourself."

Ryuji's face scrunched up, only for his entire body to freeze up. Then he narrowed his eyes, his lips twisting into a scowl.

"That's right—they said that Shido was gonna steer Japan in the right direction. That kind of crap!"

So that would mean that Shido would've said that to his followers. Not just to the masses.

"Yes, that's correct. Given with Ren recalls… that might be a huge clue," Makoto said, gravely nodding.

Haru had a contemplative look in her eyes and a heavy frown on her face. She pressed her index finger against her lips.

"Steering… If that's the case, shouldn't it be some kind of vehicle?" she voiced aloud.

She had a good point; it was worth a shot.

"We have car, train, ship, plane…" Anne listed out. "It narrows the choices down a lot but we still have several options."

"I think car would be out, in my opinion," Makoto said, tapping her chin. "Given how Shido's mindset is… it's probably a larger vehicle."

"What about train, then?" Ryuji suggested.

Haru asked, "What's your reasoning for that, Ryuji-kun?"

Ryuji shrugged. "I dunno, it just kinda fits in my head? Like how fancy trains can get, y'know?"

"Plus, the Diet Building is on land." Anne pointed out.

Morgana looked up at him. "Let's give it a shot, Ren."

Ren nodded, before activating the app. Unfortunately, the app spouted the dreaded 'conditions have not been met'.

But still, Makoto had a point. Wouldn't Shido see the Diet Building as something big?

Abruptly, a memory floated in Ren's mind.

"I humbly ask that you cast your vote for me—Masayoshi Shido! Let us all sail for a better future too! I hope to continue serving you all!"

"Sail… that's it!" Ren thought to himself with wide eyes.

"Ren?" Morgana asked.

"It's a ship!" Ren blurted out.

"Condition met."

Haru squeaked in surprise. "It's a match?!"

Anne questioned, "Just kind of scenery will that be? The actual building's on land!"

"Only one way to find out…" Yusuke said gravely.

Futaba just gave Ryuji a cheeky smile. "Good thing there's no barriers, riiiight?"

"Oh shuddup!" Ryuji snapped, shooting Futaba the stink-eye. "Let's just hurry it up and go in!"

Makoto chided, "Not so fast. We can't be reckless."

"Hang on—shouldn't we wait for Ken-kun? We've always entered the Palaces together," Haru objected.

This made several people hesitate.

"Oh… that's a good point," Makoto said, pursing her lips.

"Normally… I'd say yes," Ren spoke up. "But we can't waste time. We need to get as much intel as possible while we're here. We'll just catch him up when he gets back."

When… not if. He had to trust that Ken would come back. Ken would understand, right?

Morgana said, "Ren's right. We're here already, so let's head inside the Palace."

"Are we clear of the guard's sight?" Yusuke asked.

"Hmm…" Morgana then glanced towards the wall. "Let's get close to the wall, just in case. We can't afford to get caught."

Ren took one last glance around. They were in Shido's territory now. They needed to be even more careful than usual. Once he was satisfied, he motioned for his friends to get closer.

Then he activated the app... only for nothing to change.

"What gives?" he thought, unable to stifle the flare of annoyance.

"Hang on, we're in the Metaverse, aren't we?" Ryuji asked, looking around.

Anne frowned. "Then how come nothing's changed?"

Makoto let out a thoughtful hum, before glancing around.

"Well… at least the security guards are gone. But it may be a case similar to Sis's Palace."

That was a good point. Ren sighed to himself. He needed to get his head screwed on straight. He couldn't let his personal feelings color his perception.

"The Diet Building is unchanged then…" Yusuke said slowly. "What does this mean? Is Shido's office perhaps the only thing that'll change then?"

"That's awfully small… at least the gates are open," Haru said.

Ren pointed out, "I mean, Futaba's Palace was just Sojiro's house. I remember the cognition for the safe rooms were her room, though."

Anne suddenly gasped, before gesturing to Morgana.

"Mona's changed! That confirms it then—we're in the Metaverse!"

Indeed, Morgana had changed to the cartoonish cat form that he adopted in the Metaverse. Ren couldn't stop himself from frowning though… Shido was already an enigma—figures that his Palace would be too.

"C'mon, enough flapping our jaws," Ryuji said.

"I agree with Ryuji… for once." Morgana said.

Ryuji was naturally indignant. "Hey—!"

They scouted around, but nothing seemed to have change. But then Futaba let out a startled cry.

"Futaba?!" Ryuji shouted before rushing to her side.

"What's the matter?" Yusuke inquired, frowning.

"L-Look…" she managed to utter.

They all hastily joined Futaba. They found themselves staring at an ocean. They were… standing on a cruise ship.

And Tokyo… was slowly sinking. Buildings were submerged in water, some of them nearly swallowed up. Hot anger bubbled up in Ren and he narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"Even though this country may sink, he alone will survive…" Haru murmured out, clutching a hand to her chest. "That's what this cognition's about."

"That sounds about right." Anne sighed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Screw that!" Ryuji spat out.

His best friend was absolutely seething, anger burning in his eyes.

"This is bullshit…!" he declared. "A country that children can be proud of, my ass! It's completely sunken in his head! If a guy like this stands above everyone, we're seriously done for!"

"That's why we're here, aren't we?" Anne asked, before meeting Ryuji's eyes. "We've gotta stop him—no matter what!"

Haru tilted her head, before reaching out to touch Yusuke's arm. The artist was staring off in the distance, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Is something the matter, Yus—Fox?" she quickly corrected herself while concern filled her voice.

That was right, even though the costumes haven't appeared on yet, they're still in the Metaverse. They'd need to stick to codenames.

"I wonder if Akechi knows about this..." he said somberly. "Does he know that Shido has a Palace? And this is how he's viewing our country…? He must know if he has the same powers as us."

"Just what is he thinking?" Makoto then trailed off.

Haru frowned in response, crossing her arms.

"Whether it be for glory or for simply a reward…" Her expression hardened. "Either way, it's utterly despicable. I cannot forgive him for everything he's done."

"Same goes for me!" Futaba exclaimed, nodding. "Mom, Noir's dad, and so many people died because of him following Shido's orders!"

"Whoa there, tigers...!" Ren interjected, raising his hands in a calm down gesture.

He needed to step in before they got all worked up about this. He sympathized with his two friends—being personal victims of Shido and Akechi—but they needed to focus on their job.

"Let's focus on Shido for now, okay?" Ren reminded.

Morgana nodded. "Joker's right. We should head on in. We need to be extra careful. A Palace with not just the center of the distortion, but the entire country sunken… I can't believe there's someone with this tremendous of a desire… This will be completely different from past Palaces!"

Ryuji nodded eagerly before smacking his fist into his open palm.

"We'll take his Treasure and make 'im confess to his crimes! Shido, you better watch out—we're coming for you!"

Ren clenched one hand into a fist, before looking at all of his friends. They gazed back at him, trust clear in their eyes.

They believed in him. He owed it to them to live up to their expectations.

"Let's do this!" he exclaimed.

Makoto exclaimed, "We must put an end to this before the elections!"

"Let the infiltration begin!" Morgana proclaimed. "Joker, at your lead!"

Ren glanced around at his friends. He would have to bring Morgana with him—usually he debated between him or Ken, since they were the best healers.

"Fox, Noir, Mona—you're up," he ordered.

"At your service, Joker," Yusuke stated as he and Haru stepped up to stand beside Ren.

"Hang on—isn't it a bit weird that he doesn't see us as a threat?" Ryuji asked, suddenly scratching his head.

"It's true that our appearances are still our normal clothes…" Anne mused.

"I'd say it's like Sis's Palace," Makoto spoke up. "Remember in the police station, our clothes didn't change. Our plan hinged on that. But when we stepped inside the proper Palace, our clothes did change. So, we're probably not seen as a threat until we enter the palace... probably."

"Yeah, that sounds most likely, Queen," Morgana agreed.

Yusuke's expression was somber. "Masayoshi Shido's Palace… just what will await us?"

"We'll just have to find out for ourselves," Anne stated, folding her arms over her chest.

Once they stepped inside, blue flames flared around them, replacing their civilian clothes with their Phantom Thief suits.

"So you were right, Queen," Haru stated.

"It makes sense with what we know about Palaces," Ren mused.

Anne was looking around, her lips forming a deep frown.

"Something up, Panther?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

"Like, I get why Shido sees us as a threat." But then she pointed at the cognitions milling around the room. "But why are they masked?"

There were several people surrounding them. All dressed in fancy attire and with masquerade masks on. So these were Shido's versions of cognitions then.

"It's how Shido views ordinary people then, I assume?" Yusuke said thoughtfully, only for him to shake his head. "No… that doesn't seem quite right."

Makoto just folded her arms over her chest, studying the cognitions closely.

She remarked, "I'm just surprised that Shido even views them as normal people."

"Hey, everyone, focus!" Morgana said sharply. "I wouldn't be surprised if we got dragged into a battle with Shadows!"

But Ren was curious, so he approached one of the masked cognitions.

"Who are you? Did you really think that you could speak to an honored guest of Mr. Shido just like that?"

He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point. Ren turned his head so the cognition wouldn't see Ren rolling his eyes. But then he caught sight of Futaba pretending to gag.

Ren couldn't help but snicker, even as Makoto poked Futaba in the ribs in an attempt to get her to quit it.

"Really, Oracle?" she hissed out.

Futaba just grinned impishly. "You have to admit it's ridiculous, though, right?"

Makoto gave Futaba an annoyed look. "I don't have to admit anything."

"Anyways… come on guys, we should move on," Anne said.

Ren nodded but he couldn't help but wonder what was up with the cognition's comment. An honored guest of Shido? Honored how, exactly?

Ren shook his head, pushing his thoughts aside before heading up the stairs. His leg throbbed with dull pain, but Ren ignored it. He had dealt with worse. But then they were suddenly intercepted by a Shadow, a white lion… thing.

He wished he could've asked Ken what he thought was the weakness but unfortunately, Ken wasn't here.

"Time to find this out the hard way!" He thought before grasping the edges of his mask.

"Arsène!" Ren called out, drawing gasps from Morgana, Ryuji, and Anne.

He just grinned at that. They weren't expecting to see him again.

Arsène swept through the air, his great black wings flapping a couple times. Then he snapped his fingers. Pulsating black and red energy exploded to life, striking the Shadow. It yowled in pain, but it seemed to take normal damage.

"Damn, that wasn't it then," Ren thought with disappointment.

"Kamu Susano-o!" Yusuke shouted.

Icicles appeared, striking the Shadow. It let out another pained cry, skidding backwards until it hit the wall.

"Very nice, Fox!" Futaba cheered.

"Joker, let's end this!" Yusuke declared, looking to him for confirmation.

"Do it!" Ren yelled.

The group preformed an all-out attack, wiping out the Shadow.

His body was still sore, but Ren had to admit that it felt good to take out his frustrations on the Shadow.

"Hang on, what was that?!" Ryuji demanded, as soon as the battle was over.

"That was Arsène!" Anne gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "How the heck did you get back Arsène?!"

"One question at a time!" Ren said, unable to hold back a laugh.

"Arsène… isn't that your original Persona, Joker?" Makoto asked.

Ren nodded. "Yeah, when I awakened—Arsène answered my call. To answer Panther's question, he appeared when Shadows intercepted me when I was trying to 'escape' the Casino Palace. I'm not giving him up again though."

"He seems way more badass than before, Joker!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Another asset for us, then." Morgana stated.

"Couldn't say it better, Mona." Ren just grinned. "But come on, this Palace isn't gonna explore itself."

---

Unfortunately, they didn't get too far until they hit a roadblock. Morgana had explained that he could sense the Treasure behind a great door with lion décor. There were five slots, so Ren figured that they needed to find some kind of key to gain access.

Ren couldn't help but think of what they overheard, though. An unopposed passing of whatever law Shido wanted… Japan would become a despotism. Nobody would dare speak out against him.

A chill ran down Ren's spine.

"We have to stop him… we have to," Ren thought firmly to himself.

But enough griping. He had to see what intel everyone else had found. He found Anne first. She jumped when Ren put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Joker..." Anne then pressed her finger against her lips in a shushing motion.

She then subtly gestured to a woman in a dress speaking to a man in a suit. They were gossiping about one of the VIPs. Apparently, he was a descendant of nobility.

Ren couldn't help but glower as they discussed on why exactly he hung around the swimming pool all the time. What a disgusting pig. And judging with how Anne was biting her lip at their conversation, he could guess that Anne was even less thrilled than him to hear this crap.

Anne then took ahold of his sleeve, tugging him away from the cognitions.

"Figures that Shido would be chummy with an asshole like that," Anne seethed.

"You think we'll have to steal it from him?" Ren wondered aloud.

Or maybe they could persuade him, somehow.

Anne then folded her arms over her chest. "Maybe... but I found some more information, Joker."

"What is it?" He asked.

"Beyond the door is the 'VIP area' and the main assembly hall is a 'sacred place'." Anne explained.

"Sacred…? What—does he think he's a god?" Ren tried to joke.

Unfortunately, it didn't wipe away Anne's worried expression. Instead, she seemed to grow even more tense.

She heaved out a sigh. "It looks like we can't get in unless Shido accepts us."

"Don't worry, my lady," Ren said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "We'll figure it out—like we always do."

Anne then smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "It's felt so long since I've heard you call me that."

"Panther—" He was quickly shushed by Anne pressing a finger against his lips.

"You don't need to explain to me. It was just… nice to hear." Anne smiled slightly.

Then she reached up, touching Ren's face gently.

"How are you feeling though?" she asked.

"It's getting better every day," Ren answered.

"I'm glad." Anne then lowered her hand. "But we do have work to take care of… what we found out was good but we should really scout around more."

They parted ways after exchanging a quick kiss. Ren found Makoto first. They ended overhearing some gossip that some politician was one of Shido's VIPs. Though their uncaring comments about the mental shutdowns just made Ren's blood boil.

Did they not care about human lives, then? It just made him sick.

"So, a politician…" Makoto's voice snapped Ren out of his thoughts. "I guess it makes sense, with how Shido needs allies in the Diet."

Ren just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Why couldn't there be more politicians like Yoshida? Politicians who actually cared about the people they were serving.

But he realized that Makoto was looking at him expectantly so he forced himself to speak.

"When I was with Panther earlier, we heard about a former noble. He's in the pool area."

Makoto rubbed her chin. "Hmm... and they talked about Mr. Ooe staying in the restaurant. And from what I heard before, there are three other VIPs left."

Ren grimaced in response. "I can't even imagine what the others will be like. But this is good intel. I'll check with the others though—"

"Joker, wait." Makoto reached out to touch his arm, only to change her mind at the last minute. "You know you can talk to me, right? If not me, then any of us. We'll hear you out, if you need to talk about something that's upsetting you."

Ren stared at her, surprised. He hadn't expected that from Makoto. Sure, she's always tried to look out for Futaba especially. But she never reached out to him in this way.

He couldn't help but think of how his first impressions of her were so wrong.

He managed a smile at his friend. "I'll keep in mind, Queen. But… thank you."

Ren found Futaba next, who was eyeing the cognitions with uncertainty. She looked up as she heard Ren's footsteps and she clenched both hands into fists.

"You're some kind of sadist for making me get info from complete strangers, Joker!" she complained.

He quickly apologized, "Sorry about that, Oracle. It's just…"

"I know, I know, it is better that we split up and find some intel," Futaba grumbled out. "But I gotta do it. I have to, if I want to avenge Mom!"

"That's the spirit!" Ren laughed.

"And… we gotta get him back for you too. He almost killed you—he's gotta pay for that!" Futaba added.

Ren just smiled at her. "Thanks, Oracle."

"Joker!"

They turned at the sound of Morgana's voice.

"I found Skull, Noir, and Fox. We've found some good intel. I found a safe room while exploring, so let's discuss there." He explained.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Futaba quickly saluted Morgana, who pulled a face at her playful antics.

Ren couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. But he gestured for Futaba to follow him. As they searched for the safe room, Ren noticed that there was a map pamphlet so he grabbed that.

Once they were all congregated, Makoto asked how the intel went.

"Not bad, but it could be a lot better." Anne frowned. "One of the VIPs is a noble and he hangs around the pool."

Makoto nodded. "And the VIP I found about was a politician, Mr. Ooe. He is said to spend all his time in the ship's restaurant."

Haru tilted her head. "Is that symbolic?"

"Hmm… well, I can't imagine how that would be symbolic for Mr. Ooe, but for the noble guy…" Morgana trailed off before wincing.

"He's a pig." Anne said flatly.

Ryuji let out a frustrated sigh before hanging his head.

"Least you got somethin'. They would hardly look at me. Figured it must be 'cause of how I look, since they were yammering on about image." He said glumly.

"Oh, don't feel so bad, Skull! I… I couldn't really talk to them either." Haru sighed, before brushing a stray curl out of her face. "I was so used to being quiet and listening to Father speak with his associates. And what I listened… it didn't amount to much. Just that Shido has five VIPs—which aligns with how many key slots there are…"

"Don't discount being able to listen in on conversations though," Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, it can give us plenty of intel!" Futaba seconded. "Like with your dad's Palace, remember? Don't dismiss how useful eavesdropping can be!"

"Oracle!" Makoto scolded.

Ryuji just nudged Makoto in the side, now grinning.

"So you weren't eavesdropping in on Akihiko-san and Shinjiro-san the night we rescued Ken?" he asked innocently.

"That's—!" Makoto glowered at Ryuji. "Be quiet."

"That's not a no~!" Futaba said in a sing-song voice.

Yusuke cleared his throat, before Makoto could come up with a retort.

"I did manage to find some intel as well. I believe I have our third VIP. The president of a television studio."

Anne frowned. "Oh… I guess that makes sense. He'd make it really easy for Shido to get plenty of publicity."

"I was thinking along those lines as well," Makoto remarked.

"There's something bugging me..." Morgana spoke up. "The cognitions... they looked pretty human. I thought they were impressive in the casino, but this is an entire different level."

"Not to mention the masks. Why would Shido have that kind of cognition? Supposedly these cognitions are honored guests of Shido," Ren stated.

"That is rather strange. I can't even fathom the reason why," Yusuke said.

"Maybe we'll find out the more we explore the Palace?" Anne suggested.

"I did discover something though…" Makoto said. "The keycards are… letters of introduction."

"So we need five of them…" Haru said. "And we have three of them. What about the other two?"

"Oooh, I got a fourth one!" Futaba said, raising her hand. "It's the president of an IT company."

Ryuji just grimaced. "I'm starting to forget people."

"Maybe we should take notes," Ren joked lightly before growing more serious, "But jokes aside—this is good. We just need the fifth VIP."

"I've got that!" Morgana said with a grin.

"Seriously…?" Ryuji groaned, "How the hell did you get info with your looks?"

"Not important!" Morgana said sternly, before clearing his throat. "It seems like some guy they call the 'cleaner' is another VIP. I've heard that he's cautious, so it's probably best if we check the other VIPs first."

"The cleaner…? Like a janitor?" Anne asked.

Futaba said with a frown. "That makes no sense though. I mean, just look at the other VIPs! It's gotta be something else."

"It's probably a code for something then." Ren shrugged.

"Right, just what I was thinking! So anyways, to recap... we're up against five people. The politician Ooe, a former noble, a TV station president, an IT company president, and a cleaner. We get certification from them and obtain letters of introduction that'll serve as keycards," Futaba explained.

"How did you remember all of that?" Ryuji yelped.

Ren stated, "Oracle's got photographic memory. She told me a little while ago."

"But this was just hearing everything," Anne pointed out.

Makoto coughed. "Well, either way, we have a good refresher. Thank you, Oracle."

Futaba grinned. "No prob. But don't forget that the cleaner will be our last target."

"If we can't remember the VIPs—we can always reconvene in a safe room and we'll go over them all again," Makoto stated.

"That sounds like a good plan!" Haru said, clapping her hands together. "So… are we ready to wrap up for today?"

"You wanna go back already?" Ryuji asked.

"I mean, we shouldn't act so recklessly. Plus, Joker's leg…" Anne pointed out.

"Not to mention that Ace isn't here," Makoto stated.

Ryuji grimaced. "Sorry about that. You're right—let's head back for today."

---

Dinner was great. Ken honestly missed cooking with both Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san. Even if… Shinjiro-san got occasionally distracted by Fuuka-san's cheerful humming, leading to nearly burned food. All the while, Koromaru slunk in with Hoshi, the mother of his puppies, begging for scraps. Both Ken and Fuuka-san pretended to not see Shinji giving in.

During the dinner, Ken couldn't help but notice that… he honestly missed everyone. He had been busying himself with the Phantom Thief work along with schoolwork so it never registered.

They talked a lot longer than Ken was expecting. Yukari-san had a bunch of funny stories of actors flubbing up their lines during shootings. Junpei-san had stories about the kids he taught. Ken talked about some of the trouble that everyone in Tokyo got into. And the twins amused everyone with their usual antics.

Ken was honestly sorry that they had to end for the night. And he probably wouldn't get to see them until the trouble with Shido was sorted. The twins had passed out from the excitement so Junpei-san and Chidori-san would be helping Yukari-san back.

But as they gathered at the door to depart for their homes, Koromaru suddenly darted forward, sitting at Ken's feet. Then he barked several times.

Aigis-san and Labrys-san both cocked their heads in response.

"Something the matter, Koromaru?" Ken asked.

"I see… are you truly worried?" Aigis-san asked, frowning.

Koromaru yipped.

"Translation, please?" Shinjiro-san said dryly.

"Wow, he said please!" Minako-san gasped, clutching a hand to her chest.

As Shinjiro-san gave her a withering stare, Labrys just laughed.

"Koromaru says he wants to come with."

"Come… with?" Ken repeated dumbly. "You mean back to Tokyo?"

Koromaru answered that with a series of barks.

Aigis-san's gaze softened. "Koromaru-san was reminded of losing his beloved owner. He wishes to remain by your side, Ken-san. Even if he can't join you in combat, he wants to stay with you."

"You're such a good boy," Yukari-san cooed before kneeling down to stroke Koromaru on the head.

Koromaru gave a little whine, looking up at Ken with big red eyes. He slowly knelt down.

"You really want to, boy? You'll probably get a little bored and we'll have to put a leash on you if we're going out for walks… you don't have to."

Koromaru blinked at him before yipping.

Aigis-san smiled. "Koromaru-san wants to, Ken-san."

"Well… what do you think, Shinjiro-san?" he asked, looking up to his guardian.

Shinjiro-san sighed. "I've got no issues with it."

"Of course you wouldn't," Junpei snickered out. "You're a total softie for Koromaru."

"Shut it, Iori."

Ken ignored their bickering, choosing instead to stand up.

He asked, "Are you going to be okay though, Fuuka-san? I know Koromaru has been keeping you company."

Fuuka-san just giggled. "I'm a big girl, Ken-kun. I'll be fine. And besides, Koro-chan can keep you company while you have to stay in the penthouse."

Ken grumbled to himself. He was honestly not looking forward to the house arrest. He knew it was for his own good, but still he couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards Shido for being the reason for all of this.

"Well if you're sure, Fuuka," Shinjiro-san said, frowning.

"Once we've dealt with Shido, it'll be fine," Fuuka-san said with a reassuring smile.

"And then you can start planning the wedding right?" Minako-san asked teasingly.

Both Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san flushed at it, giving each other embarrassed looks. But then Fuuka-san smiled softly.

"Yeah, we do have that to think about. But that'll be in the future, not now."

"You could always start with picking the bridal party!" Junpei-san suggested. "Oh! Can I officiate? I got the certificate online!"

"Why do you have that?" Yukari-san arched a brow at him.

Junpei-san shrugged. "Because I was bored and Chidorita was in the zone for one of her paintings."

Fuuka-san laughed. "Only you, Junpei-kun. But I don't know. We haven't really talked much about those details yet…"

Minako-san then handed over Kiyomi to Fuuka-san so she could hug Ken.

"But anyways—take care of yourself, Ken-kun! Don't give us another heart attack!" she exclaimed.

Ken huffed, rolling his eyes at her. "I'll try not to. Though honestly, it's Ren you have to worry about."

Minako-san giggled before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Ah, but he's not like my little brother," she said teasingly.

"Take caution, Amada," Mitsuru-san said. "I don't want to hear from Shinjiro-san about you getting entangled into another mess."

"Yeah, yeah… I'm not a kid anymore, okay?" Ken grumbled.

Yukari-san spoke up, "Doesn't mean we can't fuss. But seriously—be careful. Shido's no walk in the park."

Ken nodded. "We will, I promise."

Akihiko-san let out a loud sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Still… can't believe that Shido's the guy who got Ren arrested in the first place," Akihiko-san muttered.

"I am not surprised..." Aigis-san intoned. "He is certainly the spiteful type."

After one last round of goodbyes (and hugs from some of the women), they slowly trickled out of the penthouse. The drive back was quiet but Ken's mind was racing.

It was almost time to go back to Tokyo. He needed to be on the top of his game, so he could help take down Shido. He couldn't afford to be complacent.

---

It was dark by the time Ren had returned to LeBlanc.

He was honestly exhausted. He just about dropped into bed.

"You okay?" Morgana asked, hopping out of Ren's bag.

Ren sighed, rubbing at his face before giving Morgana a tired smile. "I guess this is the part where you tell me to go to bed."

"Hey!" Morgana bristled at that. "I'm just concerned."

Ren patted Morgana for a moment before flashing his friend a tired smile.

"I know, I do appreciate it, Morgana."

Morgana looked like he wanted to say something more but Ren's phone suddenly went off, signaling that he had a text.

He took out his phone, expecting it to be a message from one of his friends. But the name made his blood run cold.

It was a message from his mom.

[Mom]: Hello, Ren. I'm sorry we haven't had much contact since… everything. But your dad and I have been concerned with everything that's been going on in Tokyo.

A hot rush of anger filled him. Really? Now she decided that she actually gave a damn about him?!

It's been nearly a year since the incident with Shido. He remembered the cold, disappointed stares of his parents. The hushed conversations about them not being present enough in his life… so he went delinquent.

He obviously meant nothing to them. Why the hell was she contacting him now out of the blue?

Ren squeezed his eyes shut. Why now, after dealing with all of the Shido crap? Did she really not know how hurt he had been? That, they of all people… should've never listened to what the other people said.

That they didn't even listen to their own son. If he ever became a father, he swore that would never happen. He'd listen to his child's side of the story first before anyone.

Ren deleted the text, before dropping his phone on the bed.

"Ren? What's wrong?" Morgana pressed his feet against Ren's non-injured leg, his bright blue eyes growing concerned. "Who messaged you?"

"It's nobody important, Morgana," Ren hissed out quietly.

"That's—" Morgana frowned. "Stop lying to me, Ren."

"Morgana…" Ren warned.

Morgana persisted, "I mean it, Ren! That obviously upset you. Don't bottle things up. Don't be like me…"

Ren stopped short of that. That was true—Morgana had bottled up his feelings of inadequacy for months.

Ren heaved out a sigh. "It was… my mom."

Morgana gasped. "Your mom?"

"Yeah…" Ren sighed. "I just… she messaged me like 'how are things, honey? We're worried because of things in Tokyo'. She really thought she could just act like she cares all of the sudden?"

Morgana sighed, looking down. "It must've been a shock."

"They don't give a damn about me." Ren said bitterly.

He normally tried not to let his bitterness about his situation engulf him. He hadn't even felt this way when telling Yusuke about his story back at the hotpot party. His friends had always talked about how much he's helped them… but he doubted that they were aware that they had helped save him as well. They had given him something to care about, instead of letting him wallow in his bitterness.

He was such a mess. He thought he had let go of it all.

"Maybe… she's sorry for how she behaved in the past?" Morgana asked tentatively. "I don't know. The only parent I've seen is Boss with Futaba. And that's pretty unconventional. And I guess Shinjiro with Ken too, but that's pretty abnormal too."

Ren sighed. "Believe me, Morgana—they're both lucky. My parents… they always were fairly busy. But I never doubted that they loved me… until the crap with Shido happened."

"We'll take Shido down, Ren," Morgana said softly. "We have to—in order to avenge you, Futaba's mom, Haru's dad… all of his victims!"

Ren managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Morgana."

"Though it is late, you know—" Morgana began.

Ren cracked a smirk. "I knew it."

"Hey!" Morgana protested. "It's true—sometimes I swear you don't know how to take care of yourself. You'd run yourself into the ground if it wasn't for me!"

Then his phone suddenly went off. For a moment, he thought it was his mom again. But it was a message from Anne. That quickly cheered him up.

Anne: Heyyy I just wanna say good night, Ren! Sweet dreams~

Ren couldn't help but smile. Anne often texted him good night—at least on the nights where she didn't pass out with her phone on her face.

She had even set him a cute selfie this time, with her in her pajamas, with her hair down.

"Who is that from?" Morgana asked, looking curious.

"Anne's just saying good night," Ren said, only for his phone to go off again, this time for a phone call.

Apparently, he was popular tonight.

"Why's Ryuji calling?" Morgana asked.

"Who knows?" Ren said with a shrug, before taking the call.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself, stranger," Ren said.

Ryuji managed a short laugh. "So… I was thinking..."

"Call the presses!"

"Shuddup man!" Ryuji then coughed. "You know how we had that talk, back with the shit with the fallout with Haru's dad dying?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I was thinking… 'shit, man, I was really obsessed with the fame'. Seein' Shido's Palace, and hearing all the cognitions talk about image, power… it's so sickening. It made me think—I can't believe that I forgot our entire purpose. Why we agreed to target Kamoshida and everyone who came after."

"We all did, Ryuji," Ren said quietly. "Don't forget that."

"Yeah… I know. But it's all been a good wake-up call, y'know? I want Shido to pay—not for just what he did to you. But for all of his victims. I don't wanna see people fall through the cracks again. We really gotta be better than the people in power."

Ren found himself smiling, "Thanks, Ryuji. I know you'll always have my back."

"'Course, man!" He could easily see Ryuji nodding vigorously at that. "Even if Shido's got the masses brainwashed, we gotta wake 'em up! I… wanna save this country. We're the only ones who can."

"I agree—completely." Ren said quietly.

It was quiet for a moment. Ren couldn't help but wonder what Ryuji was thinking.

"Remember when I told you that heroes who lurk in the shadows are borin', months ago? Forget what I said. Those heroes are way cooler."

"Glad that you see it my way now," Ren joked lightly.

"I just… got so caught up in the fame. I was obsessed with the idea, after everyone gave me and my mom shit after that bastard left us. But no more. So what if people don't acknowledge what we do? I want to save everyone from Shido—because otherwise he'll enslave everyone. We can't let that happen!"

For a moment, it was quiet.

Then Ryuji suddenly breathed out: "Seiten Taisei…"

"Ryuji?"

"He's my new Persona. I get what everyone meant now—I kinda feel at peace now."

"Ryuji? At peace?" Ren gasped. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

"Oh eff you, man!" Ryuji snapped at him, making Ren burst into laughter.

"Love you too, Ryuji." Ren said with a grin.

Ryuji then sighed, "I better go, though. I've probably kept you up too long. Night, RenRen."

"Night Ryuji."

---

Finally got this massive chapter out. Sorry for the wait, but hey it's a whopper of a chapter! Thank you again to angelrin89 for her stellar edits. She worked on this while having bronchitis, so major kudos to her!

It was a lot of fun to write, especially writing SEES together. I really like writing their dynamic together… which contributed to the length.

But I'm sure you've noticed the repeated mentions of Ren's parents. Ren's parents have been in the background of this fic, but Ren's bitterness about them has been firmly established. However, those of you who have read my Shuann wedding fic in this verse, you know that they eventually make amends. This will be further developed in this arc. Shido's arc is technically Ren's arc so you'll be seeing a lot of Ren's feelings about his probation, Shido screwing him over, and his relationship with his parents. Not to mention his recovery from his trauma from the interrogation.

But there's one last thing I'd like to note before I close this author's note. Several people have been eager for me to write a Scramble fic in this verse. I'm glad you like my writing and this verse so much, but I have a lot on my plate. I have this fic, which may take another year to finish, and the PQ2 fic. I also have a couple projects I've been fleshing out. The more I'm pestered about a Scramble fic, the less I want to write it. And my desire to write said fic is very low due to the constant pestering. So please do not pester me to watch the subbed videos so I may write a Scramble fic. I have no interest in doing that—I want to experience Scramble by playing it myself when it comes to the West.

But that aside, I hope you enjoyed this massive chapter! I'd love to hear what you think!