Chapter 54

One Determination

Sunday, December 25th, 2016

"Ken… Ken, wake up."

Ken blearily blinked his eyes open to see Makoto leaning over him, shaking him awake. He stifled a yawn.

"Makoto?" He rubbed his eyes, yawning again. "What time is it?"

"Around eight or so," she told him, only to bite her lip and tuck her hair behind her ear. "But um… Ken, we're still at the apartment. We fell asleep on the couch."

Ken froze at that. Wait, did Niijima-san walk into that, then? What if she jumped to the wrong conclusion?

"Y-Your sister…"

Makoto smiled gently at him, taking a moment to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "Relax, Ken. I'll go explain to Sis about what happened. In the meantime, why don't you freshen up in the bathroom? You can help yourself to a toothbrush. We keep some brand-new extra ones under the sink. You can shower if you want though I'm not sure if you'll like the products Sis and I use."

Ken shook his head. "I'll wait until I get back to the apartment to freshen up."

Makoto just laughed, bending to kiss his cheek. "That's what I thought."

"Glad that you know me so well," Ken said lightly, reaching out to squeeze Makoto's hand briefly.

He then stood up, heading towards the bathroom. Splashing cold water against his face wasn't the most pleasant feeling but it served its purpose—waking Ken up. After finding a new toothbrush, Ken went through his usual morning routine, though he decided to run his fingers through his hair rather than use Makoto or Niijima-san's brush.

He checked the time on his phone. Shinjiro-san should be awake, right?

"Hmm… maybe I'll let Shinjiro-san and Fuuka-san sleep in," Ken thought to himself.

They were probably tired as well. Especially Shinjiro-san, with his Persona's attacks being all physical based. So he pocketed his phone and stepped out of the bathroom.

Once he stepped out, he could hear the clatter of pots and pans. He investigated the kitchen, feeling uncertain despite Makoto's reassurances. Niijima-san seemed distracted, her lips pursing together. She fidgeted, playing with a stray strand at her sleeve.

But then she looked up, staring right at Ken.

"Amada-kun, you can come in," she said in a crisp, cool voice. "I'm not going to bite."

"Um… right." Ken rubbed the back of his neck before hesitantly stepping in.

He couldn't help but feel a tad awkward about this all, even if Niijima-san was fine with what happened. But then he heard Makoto clearing her throat.

"It's so cold this morning, I think some corn miso soup will warm us up. And it'll be a light meal, good for when we meet up with everyone for the celebration."

"Are you planning on coming, Niijima-san?" Ken inquired.

Niijima-san flinched. Ken fought the urge to wince.

"Oh boy… what did Minako-san put her through last night?" he thought, hoping it wasn't anything too crazy.

He loved Minako-san but… he knew that Minako-san could be a lot to handle.

"Ah, no, I-I'm not sure," she said, her words coming out stilted. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I have plenty of work to do, what with building up the case against Shido."

Makoto paused in cubing the tofu, her face falling. "Sis, you're planning on working today? It's Christmas…"

Niijima-san's smile turned strained. "I know, Makoto, but—"

"Nobody's going to be in the office,Sis," Makoto argued. "What's the harm in taking one day off?"

Ken asked tentatively, "Did… Minako-san say something discomforting? If she did, I apologize… she means no harm, I promise."

"Ah, no, it's not that… Minako-san was…" Sae-san trailed off, wincing. "Well, she's very friendly and always encouraged me to join the group. It's… just—I'll feel better about everything once we can get the ball rolling on the Shido case. I've… failed all of you enough. I wish… you didn't have to go through so many ordeals."

Her words made sense. But something nagged at Ken; something just felt off.

Or maybe he was just tired from everything that transpired last night. Spending the night with Makoto had been wonderful but it was really no surprise that they had fallen asleep like that.

"Well if you don't want to go, that's that," Makoto said, even as disappointment seeped into her voice. Then she looked up at her sister. "But Sis, please don't push yourself. I know we need Shido to pay for his crimes but… I don't want it to the detriment of your health."

Niijima-san slowly nodded. "I'll do my best. When are you planning on going?"

"Ah…" Makoto pursed her lips, flicking her eyes over to Ken. "I suppose we'll have to call Ren. We should meet up at Leblanc, right?"

"Assuming Ren and Anne plan on getting up anytime soon," Ken mumbled under his breath.

But apparently this made Niijima-san stiffen. Ah, right, she knew about… their bedroom activities thanks to Ren's loose lips during the interrogation.

"Ken…" Makoto's voice turned chiding. "I think we all deserve it, don't you? After everything that happened last night."

"Well I guess you're right," Ken admitted. "It's been hellish for everyone but for Ren… I can't imagine what it was like."

Makoto sighed, "At least it's over now. And Shido will get what he deserves soon."

She started to turn back to the tofu, only for Niijima-san to speak up.

"I'm sorry."

She took in a shuddering breath, pressing a hand to her forehead.

Makoto frowned, setting down the knife once more. "Sis?"

"I'm sorry…" Niijma-san repeated. "I—"

Makoto hurried over to her sister, a deep frown marring her features. "Something is bothering you… i-is it the Shido case?"

Ken's eyes widened. So he hadn't been imagining it?

"I—" Niijima-san then cut herself off, shaking her head. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing!" Makoto shook her head. "Sis, you can tell us. Maybe we can help? Or maybe Mitsuru-san has contacts that we can consult too if you're worried about the case—"

"It's not that simple!" Niijima-san's outburst made Makoto cringe back.

Ken hovered by his girlfriend's side, his eyes darting between her and Niijima-san. What had Niijima-san so bothered?

"I-I…" Niijima-san shook her head. "I can't. I can't pretend everything is fine."

"Shido can't be convicted?" Ken asked tentatively, his heart sinking.

After everything, after they had fought tooth and nail, after losing Morgana.

It amounted to nothing?

"It's—" Niijima-san bit her lip. "Shido will have a case but there would've been consequences. F-From his people."

"What kind of consequences?" Makoto asked, eyes narrowed.

Niijima-san looked away.

"They would want scapegoats. Someone to take the fall, to save face," she said softly.

"To save face?" Ken repeated.

Niijima-san squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry… b-but last night, I spoke to Ren-kun. I realized that Shido's men needed to be placated. Otherwise, all of you would've taken the fall. The truth would've humiliated them and they would stop at nothing until you were all behind bars."

"Sis, what did you say to Ren?" Makoto breathed out.

Niijima-san's lips twisted into a grimace. "We needed his testimony. The leader of the Phantom Thieves."

It took a total of three seconds for Ken to process her statement. Ren—he had…?

Then red-hot anger surged through him.

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

Both Makoto and Niijima-san gaped at him, probably since he had just swore. But Ken ignored it.

"After everything—you heard his entire story. He's been through hell this year. He could've died so easily several times. And he had just lost one of his best friends. And to top it all off, you mean to tell me that after he nearly died, lost all of his friends, he still must sacrifice himself like this?! How could you even think to ask him to take some kind of plea deal?!"

"Amada-kun, I—"

"Don't," Ken snapped out. He then glared at the older woman. "Why? Why him?! Isn't there some other way?!"

Niijima-san shook her head. "I've gone over it countless times. There's no other way, not with the options we have."

"What if we found Akechi?" Makoto blurted out. "Futaba might be able to track him down—"

Niijima-san shook her head once more. "This is assuming that Akechi-k—Akechi hasn't fled the country already. And there's too little time. We need to get the case started now if we want Shido and his associates to face justice, any longer and they'll be able to cover more and more of their tracks, it'll be harder to pin them all down but with Ren-kun's help I can nail Shido I'm sure of—"

Something in him… cracked. And he cut off Niijima-san immediately.

"You really haven't changed at all," Ken spat out. "It's your way or the highway, right? Never mind who else must suffer! You're so selfish! You just want to win!"

Niijima-san looked like he had just slapped her. "I—"

"I don't want to hear it," Ken ground out. "I don't need another damn excuse!"

He had to leave. He couldn't bear being in such proximity to Niijima-san for a second longer than necessary. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Makoto's stricken face. She looked paralyzed. Ken faltered at the sight of her face but then Niijima-san stepped into his peripheral vision.

Ken clenched his hands into fists.

"Excuse me," he said in a tight voice.

"You are not excused, not yet." Niijima-san said in a calm voice, "It's a shame. I was hoping I've proven I was on the side of the Phantom Thieves and doing my best to earn everyone's trust. But I can see now that deep down, this is what you really think of me, if this is your first assumption that you run with."

Ken bristled at that and Makoto tried to interject.

"Sis!"

Niijima-san held up a hand to her sister and her protest died.

"No Makoto, I was hoping things could be more amicable. But I can see your boyfriend still thinks quite little of me. But that doesn't matter, because I will see this through with Ren-kun. I will do everything in my power to put Shido behind bars. And Ren-kun is going to help see that happens, and he will never hurt anyone again."

Ken opened his mouth and Niijima-san sent him a glare that froze him in his place, reminding him way too much of Mitsuru-san. Despite this icy stare, she remained calm in her posture and tone.

"I understand you are angry, but know this. I refuse to gamble. I am doing everything I can to make this right. I won't let there be any chance this could blow up and others get dragged down should this fail." Niijima-san simply stated, "Please do well to remember that. I do not see Ren-kun as some scapegoat. He is instrumental in fixing everything. And should I fail, he won't die if something went wrong. Unlike you all, I won't gamble his life."

The nerve of her. Ken's hands trembled at that cutting comment. What kind of low blow comment was that?

Makoto gasped, "Sis, that isn't fair!"

"That was—"

But she beat him to the punch.

"The only way, right? Yes, quite the risky gamble. With setbacks to your plan that had things you couldn't even imagine to have contingencies for like when Shido had you kidnapped."

Ken flinched at her statement. She dared…

But Niijima-san was apparently just getting warmed up.

"And should any of those rescue attempts fail, you would be in worse shape, if not dead. And what of your friends who came to your help? Not to mention Ren-kun would be dead along with those two women you sent in to come get him, and possibly even me." If possible Niijima-san's stare turned frostier as she continued, "Don't you dare ever lecture me again. I am not here to win some game. Ren-kun's not a decoy I will gamble on. And I will do everything to ensure his sentence is lenient as I can fight for. I will fight to create a better world, starting with stopping Shido, but I will do it ethically even if it isn't right or fair. Because that's what Ren-kun showed me. And I will honor what he reminded me what my path was."

Ken scowled. The nerve of her…! As she stared at him expectantly, Ken just glowered at her. Without another word, he stormed out of the kitchen. He snatched up his coat before rushing over to the door. He shoved his feet into his shoes and slammed the door behind him.

He hadn't even reached the elevator when he heard Makoto call after him.

"Ken! Ken, WAIT!"

Ken tensed, slowly turning to face his girlfriend. She was panting.

"Wait, Ken," she repeated. "I-I know you're upset—"

"Oh really?" Ken couldn't help but let sarcasm slip in his voice.

Makoto flinched but she pressed forward. "L-Look, maybe we can still talk Sis out of this. Or maybe Ren...? Mitsuru-san has contacts, maybe she can do something to help!"

"And you forget why I came to Tokyo to begin with," Ken said bitterly. "Mitsuru-san has her connections, with CEOs. She doesn't have government officials in her pocket like Shido did. How exactly can she help?"

"I-It was just a thought," Makoto said, frowning. "We still have a little time before Ren turns himself in."

"Ren was willing to put himself through an extremely dangerous plan where one of the outcomes was him dying. And he did it for us," Ken retorted. "If it was a choice between his friends and himself, Ren wouldn't choose himself."

Ken squeezed his eyes shut, his heart aching. It wasn't fair.

"What do you want, then, Ken?" Makoto's voice became frustrated. "Sis did what she thought in the time constraint."

"And she didn't think to consult anyone about it," Ken retorted. "And you heard the way she threw our plan to stop Akechi and Shido right in our face! Yes, it was a risky gamble! We all knew that! What right did she have to throw that in our faces! And my kidnapping too! Of course, we knew the risks and the consequences! And there's other angles she didn't think about with Akechi! Futaba was able to track Akechi the night we secured the treasure route. Or—"

Ken frowned as a thought struck him.

"Or what?" Makoto pressed.

Ken looked away. "Or maybe she didn't want him to be found."

Makoto's mouth dropped open. "Are you accusing her of trying to protect Akechi?!"

"I don't kn—"

"You keep saying that!" Makoto burst out. "If you want to stop this, then do something about it! At least I've made a couple of suggestions! You're being completely unreasonable, Ken!"

"Unreasonable?!" Ken let out a bitter laugh. "Your sister seems completely set on it! And why are you defending her?! That gambit had a lot of your planning in there along with ideas of how to save me too! And she just scoffed at it, like we're hypocrites or something!"

"You, she's implying you are a hypocrite, not we. Because all of us didn't blow up at her, that was you. And yes, I'm not happy with what she said about our plans or the whole ordeals that happened a month ago. But you weren't listening to a single word she said!"

"And why should I?! I'm the unreasonable one? She's the unreasonable one! And you're defending her! Do you honestly think I'm a hypocrite?!"

"Don't put words in my mouth! I never said you were one, just that she's implying you are one from her perspective!" Makoto spat out. "And come out and say it, at least! You blame me for this, don't you!?"

Ken scowled. "Now who's putting words in mouths?! I never said anything about you like that beyond defending her! I know you're not your sister!"

Ken then turned to press the button. Behind him, Makoto spoke up once more.

"Are you really walking away from me?!"

Ken turned to face her, a hand clenching into a fist. A retort was on his lips but he was suddenly exhausted. He didn't want to have a screaming match with Makoto. So… he would bite his tongue.

"Goodbye, Makoto," he said in a clipped voice.

"Fine! Run away, then!" Makoto snapped at him. He glanced over his shoulder to see her glowering at him. "Be a child about this!"

"If that's how you think of it, fine," Ken spat out. "You don't have to deal with this child much longer."

That's when the doors slid open and he stalked into the elevator, jabbing the close button with more force than necessary.

Stupid. Stupid.

They had thought everything had been fine after the battle with Nyx. Of course, there was always something.

You'd think after so much loss, Ken would be numb to it. But it hurt. Every single time…

"What a mess…" Makoto thought as she closed the fridge with a sigh.

After her argument with Ken, Makoto had trudged back to the apartment and begun cleaning up. But she couldn't help but run their fight in her head over and over.

She and Ken never really fought. Ken sometimes teased her, but never to the point of frustration.

She just felt numb about the whole situation. A part of her still wanted to run over to Leblanc, to plead with Ren to not go through this. But Ken did have a point. Ren was ready to lay his life on the line for them before. Why would things be different?

And she was trying to look at it logically but… she couldn't help but feel a little angry at Sae too. Why did Sae have to go into this alone? Why didn't Sae trust her?

Makoto sighed again, unable to stop a frown from tugging at her lips.

As much as she hated it… they were powerless. They couldn't change things. Makoto reached up, brushing away the single tear in her eye.

If only the Metaverse still existed. Maybe then, they had a small chance of changing things. But no matter how hard she wished; it didn't matter.

Mementos was gone. They had lost Morgana. And now Ren was going to turn himself in.

Makoto hated how powerless she was in this situation. She had wanted so badly to change the system but… it didn't matter now.

Still… she should at least try to see her friends. She was a little worried about how Anne would react in all honesty. However, she wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing Ken so soon after their argument.

She bit her lip. She felt so frustrated at him. He just stormed away, running away instead of hashing it out with her. Plus, the stuff he suggested about Sae…

Sae wouldn't do that… would she? Not after everything… no. No, she wouldn't.

She can't lose sight of this because of how stressed and upset she was. Her sister changed. That was evident in her conviction. Giving Akechi shelter for one night after their big fight doesn't mean she's gonna hide him from the law. Her Palace is gone, that was proof enough she wouldn't do that. Akechi left without another word and disappeared on her sister; if she had a way to get into contact, she would have tried it. She must believe in that. Still… she wants to hash things out with Sae.

Makoto squeezed her eyes shut. She hated this. That Ren had to turn herself in, that she was at odds with her boyfriend, and now was doubting her sister.

She saw Sae gathering her things and she took a breath and walked into their living room.

"Sis, I know you're short on time, but we need to talk. I promise I'll make it quick," she said all in a rush.

Sae eyed her with an unreadable expression but nodded as she set her stuff back down.

"First... was that really necessary? To throw that all in our faces like that, Ken's especially. I know he wasn't listening to your side, but… Shido and Akechi left us no other choice but that gamble. Yes, we couldn't foresee Ken's kidnapping but that was unfair to bring it up like that, to treat it as if we're throwing Ren to the wolves without any regard for his life."

Sae let out a heavy sigh.

"It was extremely risky and dangerous, even with the contingencies and counter measures you all planned. However, I'm not going to lecture you about that, what's done is done. You can't change the past. And in the end, it did work out, so there is no point in lecturing you about something you already know was a huge risk and could have been fatal."

She says she wasn't lecturing but Makoto can hear that disapproving tone in that last sentence. She refrained from letting out a snort or an eyeroll.

Makoto asked, "So why bring it up then?"

"To try and get your boyfriend to understand where I am coming from. You all were left with no other choice and unfortunately had to ask your friend to risk himself for the ultimate gamble. And he is the one who had to suffer many consequences for it. But it paid off in the end, and you all won, and the group is safe. An outcome your leader would want obviously."

Now it's clearer to her. She could have put it more gently but Ken probably wouldn't have listened either way. But it makes sense, she's in a similar boat.

"At least my plan doesn't involve him potentially getting killed, so I don't like being treated like I'm a snake for this when there is no other alternative," Sae said sharply.

She was definitely still stinging from that argument. Did she have to keep pushing on that point? Yes it was a huge risk, of course it was! They weren't pleased when they came up with it. And she understands Sae wanting some empathy... but can she ask that without rubbing salt in the wounds?

Sae let out another heavy sigh. "I still owe you all an apology however. I shouldn't have kept this from everyone, I know that. But I knew if I discussed this with the others… none of you would listen, today was proof enough for me this outcome would be unacceptable in your eyes. Ren-kun clearly felt the same, considering he didn't message any of you guys either. I can't speak for him but I can guess his reasons are like mine. I wanted to give you all one night to at least celebrate for once after this whole thing and not feel so… defeated."

That… made a lot of sense. Knowing Ren, he'd want them all to have a good Christmas Eve and enjoy themselves. And just like Ken said, Ren probably didn't want any of them to stop him. Sae noticed this too. It still hurt though.

"I… understand Sis. I'm sorry what Ken said. I just wish you had more faith in me at least, if nothing else." Makoto nodded sadly.

She looked down at her feet for a moment, taking in a breath, trying not to let herself be overwhelmed by her emotions again. She then shot her head back up when she felt a familiar comforting pat on the top of her head.

"You're right. You're my little sister, and I should have trusted you with this. I suppose, deep down, I let myself worry you wouldn't forgive me for this. It has been eating me up all night, everyone's reactions. I wanted so badly to prove everyone I can show you all we adults can be dependable, but I couldn't do my part enough to not have to get Ren-kun involved. I…" Sae bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. "I am deeply ashamed I failed him."

"Sis…"

Makoto couldn't help it, she had to give her sister a hug. Sae was stiff for a moment but returned the embrace. Both sisters were silent for a few seconds, and Makoto almost wanted to cry. Too many roller coaster of negative emotions this morning cascaded all at once but right now, right now she just felt warm and relieved. And even weirdly happy. Happy to know that her faith in her sister wasn't misplaced, and that her momentary doubt was indeed wrong.

Makoto said gently, still not letting go of her older sister, "I believe in you Sis. I may love Ken, but he's wrong. You have changed, so much. And I'm proud of you, I know this couldn't have been easy."

"Oh Makoto, you have no idea how much it means to hear you say that." Sae squeezed her a little tighter.

"I know you'll do everything you can to see Shido faces justice, I wish it didn't have to be this way, but you didn't fail Ren, Sis. This system is what's failed us. But you're working to help with that right now, by bringing Shido to justice. I know you can do it. You and Ren-kun both."

Sae pulled away from the hug and patted her on the head once more.

"You've truly grown into such a remarkable woman."

Makoto wasn't sure what to say to that, she sputtered out a small thank you with a tiny blush on her cheeks. Sae just let out a small chuckle and gathered her things again.

"I have to go. I know this will be hard. But I promise I'll finish this. I'll see you later."

With a heavy heart, Ren descended the stairs.

"Ren?" Sojiro looked shocked. "You're up early."

"I have a reason," Ren said, his hands tightening around the pile of letters.

"What's that you got there?" Sojiro looked at him quizzically.

Ren wet his lips and swallowed hard. "Um… it's for everyone. There's one for you, too."

"For me?" Sojiro's eyes grew scrutinizing. "Ren, what's going on?"

Ren swallowed hard. "It's not over."

Sojiro gaped at him. He then took in a shuddering breath. "W-What? But Futaba said—"

"Sae told me last night that there's not enough evidence to convict Shido," Ren said. "It's—It's a long story but she thinks that Shido's men wouldn't be satisfied until everyone is in jail because their damn pride can't allow them to be humiliated like this. I'll turn myself in as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. I'll take the fall for everyone."

"Ren, no. You can't." Sojiro stepped forward, reaching out to him. Only to draw back, his expression darkening. "There has to be another way. You showed me that."

It was in that moment that Sae chose to step inside, wincing at the look on Sojiro's face.

"H-Hello…"

"Why? Why did you talk him into this?" Sojiro demanded, glaring at Sae.

Ren cut in, "Sojiro, stop. Sae just gave me the facts."

"But—"

Sojiro stopped short as Ren held up a hand.

"The Metaverse is gone, Sojiro," Ren said. "This is the only way to save everyone else."

"What about you?" Sojiro's voice suddenly cracked, his breath hitching as he spoke once more. "Don't you deserve better?"

"I would never be able to live with myself if anyone else suffered… because of me," Ren said softly, shaking his head. "Please don't try to talk me out of it, don't ask me to be selfish."

"Ren…"

Ren set down the letters on the bar before meeting Sojiro's eyes. Then he reached into his blazer, pulling out Anne's present. Ren felt hot tears sting at his eyes. He had wanted so much more with Anne, but fate was cruel. But he forced his tears back as he looked up at Sojiro.

"Anne is sleeping upstairs. Could you give this to her? And tell her I'm sorry."

"And the papers?"

"They're letters," Ren said. "I wrote one for you and… everyone else."

"You're saying goodbye in a damn letter?!" Sojiro's eyes suddenly flared with anger. "Why… why can't you—?"

Ren could hear his unsaid statement.

Why can't you say goodbye in person?

Ren bit his lip. "I-It's easier this way."

For them… and for Ren, as well. He didn't know if he would have the strength to walk away if he told his friends in person.

Sojiro stared at Ren. Ren just swallowed hard.

"Sojiro, I know I liked to take the mickey out of you," Ren said before bowing his head. "But thank you. Thank you for taking me in… when nobody else would."

Sojiro blinked several times before whispering, "It's not fair."

His voice cracked at the last part. Ren could only give a bittersweet smile.

Ren then shook his head. "If only life played by the rules, right?"

Sometimes life was really unfair.

He offered Sojiro a faint smile. "Goodbye, Sojiro."

"Goodbye... Ren."

Then he turned to Sae, who looked even more guilty upon watching their exchange. He took a deep breath, steeling himself.

"I'm ready."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Shinjiro had woken up feeling relaxed. The past couple months had Shinjiro sleeping poorly, between the shit Shido pulled with Ken, the plan the kids had hatched up, and worrying about Shido figuring out their bluff when they had rescued Ken.

He had woken up with Fuuka draped over him, her head resting comfortably on his chest.

So they slowly dragged themselves out of bed, cooking breakfast together, and just talking. It felt good to have a sense of normalcy again after all the shit that's happened this past year.

But all good things had to end. It started with the door slamming open.

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. So Ken was back, huh?

Koromaru perked up, running up to Ken as per usual.

"Jeez, Ken, you could've at least c—" The snarky response suddenly died in Shinjiro's throat once he saw the look on Ken's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ken's voice was clipped. "It's fine. What could be wrong? We beat Yaldabaoth, Shido is going to be arrested soon—nothing's wrong."

Without warning, Ken stomped past all of them to rush towards his room. Fuuka winced at the sound of Ken slamming his bedroom door shut. Koromaru just let out a long whine at that.

"What the…" Shinjiro sighed, rubbing his forehead.

If Ken was trying to hide that he was upset, he was doing a really shitty job about it.

Fuuka frowned, already rising to her feet. "We should talk to him."

Shinjiro nodded. "I have to wonder what got him so upset, though."

Fuuka bit her lip. "I guess there's only one way to find out, right?"

Shinjiro sighed. "Yeah… come on."

They headed for Ken's room. Shinjiro gave a sharp rap on the door, only for Ken to snap out, "Go away!"

Shinjiro rolled his eyes before turning the handle. "We're not going to leave you alone when you're obviously upset, Ken."

"Hmph..." Ken just scowled at them.

"Ken-kun… please just talk to us," Fuuka said gently before sitting at the edge of Ken's bed.

Ken just rolled over to face them. "Did Niijima-san tell you?"

"What?" Fuuka blinked in confusion.

Ken's expression grew conflicted before his entire body tensed up. "Did Niijima-san tell you that she told Ren to turn himself in?"

Fuuka gasped. "She what?"

"She told me and Makoto this morning. She couldn't think of any other method. She didn't tell anyone; she just went behind everyone's backs and got Ren to agree and…" Ken's shoulders finally slumped. "It's not fair. It's not fair! I thought it was actually going to be okay, even after we lost Morgana. But Ren must sacrifice himself for everyone. Just like—"

"Minato-kun…" Fuuka finished sadly.

Ken nodded at her, taking in a sharp breath and tried to push the memory of Minato-san out of his mind.

"How could she ask that after everything Ren's been through?" Ken's hands clenched into fists. "Why didn't she even try to find another solution? She talks about doing whatever it takes, she may have had a change of heart but I guess bad habits die hard! And she lectured me like I'm not supposed to be mad at her because of everything that happened a month ago, but we had no choice! Shido backed us all into a corner with Akechi too! Literally! Then they kidnapped me and—"

He put a firm hand on Ken's shoulder. He had to nip this tirade in the bud before it got even worse. Fuuka just looked on with round eyes. To be fair, it's once in a blue moon for Ken to lose his temper like this. There had been a couple years where Ken had been especially moody and had a more easily triggered temper.

"Ken, slow down, sheesh." Shinjiro sighed. "You know I'll never be Niijima's biggest fan but don't you think you're being a little unfair to her?"

"I thought you hated her," Ken grumbled out.

"I don't hate her," Shinjiro huffed. "She's super annoying, uptight, a priss—"

"Shinji, your point?" Fuuka interrupted, though he could hear a stifled laugh in Fuuka's words.

Shinjiro rolled his eyes at his fiancée for a moment, only to continue. "But she did have a change of heart. Niijima probably was worried about backlash. Look at how fast Shido's circle worked to discredit you and cover their own asses before the world went into hell in a handbasket thanks to that Holy Grail shit. She was probably thinking of the quickest way to get the ball rolling to take care of Shido. That's not someone who only cares about winning."

"I guess," Ken muttered with a begrudgingly nod.

"We should try to give the benefit of the doubt as much as we can but… it's okay to be upset about this, Ken-kun," Fuuka said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know that Ren-kun is your best friend."

Ken's cheeks turned pink before he looked down at his lap. "D-Don't be stupid… Ren's best friends with Ryuji. Next after that was probably Morgana…"

Shinjiro scoffed. "That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard. You can have more than one best friend. Minako's best friends with both Iori and Takeba."

Ken grumbled. "I guess…"

He then rubbed his face, heaving out a sigh.

"I should probably go apologize to her eventually then… Makoto, too."

"Not eventually, you do that shit today. No and, ifs, or buts, got it?" Then he paused, raising an eyebrow. "Wait hang on, what do you mean Makoto too?"

Ken seemed to shrink in himself. "We… argued. It worsened how I felt so I left."

"Didn't think your first fight as a couple would be over Amamiya," Shinjiro said idly.

"Do you have to make it so weird?!" Ken sputtered out.

Fuuka cleared her throat. "Are you still planning on going to the get-together still, Ken-kun?"

Ken was quiet for a moment, but he slowly nodded. "Yeah, I don't think anyone else knows."

"We'll talk to Mitsuru and the others about it," Shinjiro said. "We'll join you after."

Ken just sighed. "Okay. And um… thank you. I guess I just needed someone to screw my head on straight."

Fuuka smiled gently. "Any time, Ken-kun."

Makoto quickly ate her breakfast and put away some of the extra food in the fridge that was originally going to be for Ken. She couldn't help but sigh again thinking about him.

At least Sae remembered to bring some of the food she made for her, with her. It wouldn't do well for Sae to be running on an empty stomach, especially not… with what she's going to be doing today.

Makoto forced herself to leave the kitchen, grabbing her coat from the closet, and headed for Shibuya station. But when she had stepped off to Yongen-jaya, she found herself… balking. She didn't know how everyone could take the news.

She suddenly heard a cough behind her and then the sound of a throat being cleared. She turned around to see that Ken was standing behind her, giving her a sheepish look.

Upon seeing her boyfriend in person, Makoto couldn't tamp down the flare of irritation welling up inside of her.

"What do you want?"

Ken sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen… I know that I didn't—I shouldn't have flipped out like that."

Makoto just folded her arms over her chest, levelling an unimpressed stare at him.

Ken faltered at that, wincing a bit. "Makoto… can we talk? Please? I can explain."

Makoto pursed her lips. "Fine."

She felt awkward and exposed, especially since they couldn't exactly go to Leblanc to talk. But they found an empty bench to sit down.

Ken looked at her. "First, I want to say that I'm sorry. You did have some good points about me being upset and just… not doing anything about it."

"But it's too late for that. Sis left…" Makoto muttered. "She and Ren are on their way to the police station."

"I know. I…" Ken looked down at his lap. "Can I explain something? About… what happened, after Minato-san sealed away Nyx."

"Okay…" Makoto said warily.

"When Minato-san sealed away Nyx, he didn't… immediately come back. We were worried that something happened to him, despite everything. Didn't help that Ryoji-san stated that he found the answer to life."

"But then he reappeared."

Ken nodded. "Minako-san all but tackled him to the ground, yelling at him to not scare all of us like that. That we thought he was… dead."

But he was dying from the moment Nyx was sealed.

"So we had thought it was fine. We had won and the troubles were over. And then…" Ken sighed. "He died. We were all… in a haze after that, I guess. Minako-san and Yukari-san were worst off but I couldn't help but wonder what went wrong. Why did Minato-san have to die, after everything he went through?"

It finally clicked. Why Ken reacted like this.

"Ken—"

"Let me finish, Makoto," Ken said, shaking his head and giving her a sad smile. "Ren isn't Minato-san. I know that. I know that it's a blessing that he's alive still. But I can't help but think that it's unfair that Ren still has to make a sacrifice like this while Akechi… gets off scot-free. And that your sister didn't tell us, instead just dumping the news so suddenly. I wish… we had more time to figure out another way. But you're right, I was being unreasonable."

"Can I say something as well?" Makoto said quietly. When Ken nodded, she continued. "It's been bothering me… do you blame me for what happened too? Should I have foreseen this from her?"

"Makoto…" Ken reached out, touching her arm. "That never came to my mind, okay? I know you're not your sister. You have no control over her actions. You've spent a long time, figuring out what path you want to walk on. And I'm so proud of you from breaking away from everyone's expectations. But when you tried to stop me… I guess I took my anger out on you. And that was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

Makoto reached out, taking one of his hands in both of hers. "It's okay, Ken. I… definitely didn't help with yelling back at you. And thank you for telling me about Minato-san, though… I understand how you reacted better."

She then scooted closer to Ken, leaning her head against his shoulder. Ken slipped an arm around her waist, giving her a small squeeze.

The knot in her stomach loosened a bit. She was still sad about Ren, of course… but it felt nice to be on the same page as Ken again.

"Can we never argue like that again?" she asked, looking up at him.

Ken just chuckled softly before pressing a kiss against her temple. "Unfortunately, it's a thing that couples will have to go through from time to time."

"Was worth bringing up at least," Makoto said with a wry smile.

"I'll apologize to your sister as well," Ken said after a moment. "Shinjiro-san pointed out some things to me—"

"Shinjiro-san?"

Ken laughed. "Yeah, I was surprised too. Maybe she's growing on him."

"I bet he'd say something like 'yeah, like mold'," Makoto said with a chuckle.

"I'm glad you know him so well now." Ken cracked another smile.

They were quiet as they looked in the direction of Leblanc.

"I don't want to tell everyone what happened," Makoto said quietly.

Ken's arm around her tensed, only loosening as Ken slowly exhaled.

"I know but they'll have to find out eventually," Ken said. "But we can do it together."

Makoto nodded before Ken stood up. He offered to help her up before they headed for Leblanc. Ken turned the doorknob, making the bell jingle. The door shut behind Makoto.

Sojiro was standing at the bar, his expression downcast. But Makoto's attention was immediately turned to Anne. She was crying, her entire body shaking. Tears trickled down her cheeks as sobs and hiccups wrecked her body.

Makoto let go of Ken's hand, rushing over to the younger girl.

"Ren…" she got out between her sobs. "Why? Why?"

"Anne… shh—just try to breathe." Makoto tried to comfort her friend.

She had never seen Anne cry. But she looked up at Makoto, her entire face blotchy from her crying.

"Why didn't he tell me? Tell anyone?"

"Oh, Anne…" Makoto pulled her into a hug and Anne just buried her face against Makoto's shoulder.

The door suddenly banged open.

"Sojiro!"

Makoto winced. Futaba had barged in, her eyes darting back and forth.

"Why did Ren go with Sae?" she cried out. "And why is Anne crying?! What the heck is going onnnn?!"

"Futaba, listen..." Ken sighed. "Sit down."

Futaba sat at the bar. "Seriously, what's going on?"

Makoto just bit her lip. Ken glanced at her before giving a small nod. He then proceeded to explain what Sae had told them, though Futaba had dragged it out a little by interjecting with questions.

"I… I don't get it. We changed people's cognitions, didn't we? Why did Ren have to do this?" Futaba demanded. "And Sae—she just went and stabbed us all in the back!"

"Futaba, just because you place bugs everywhere doesn't mean you know the whole situation. Don't assume the worst of her because of this. You only see snippets of a larger picture," Sojiro chastised.

Makoto didn't expect Sojiro to come to her sister's defense, but she was grateful for it all the same.

"How did you know about that? Whatever, that's not important, don't tell me what I don't know Sojiro—"

"No, I will tell you," Sojiro said sternly, giving her a brief glare. "I will tell you this because think about everything we went through. Ren won't accept the rest of you taking the fall, especially if Shido is still able to get away even after all this. Not to mention all of his cronies. They're the reasons things got so desperate. They knew that if Shido goes down, they'll get dragged down too."

Makoto winced. Sojiro put it so bluntly but… it was sadly true.

"Ren chose this, Futaba. He's not so weak willed that anyone can manipulate him to do what they want. I hate that Ren had to be pushed into this but…" Sojiro took off his glasses, wiping the smudges off with his apron. "…It was his choice. Niijima didn't say 'jump' and Ren didn't respond with 'how high?'."

Makoto looked over to Futaba. "Futaba, Sis did it because of the time constraint. She made the choice that she thought would benefit the most people. She didn't betray us."

"Nobody wins in that stupid railroad scenario…" Ken mumbled out. "It always comes down to a sacrifice."

Futaba slumped in her seat before she started to sniffle. "I-It's not fair! Why does Ren have to take the fall for all of us?"

"It's just who he is," Ken said quietly. "I can't get too mad at him for that with… what happened to me."

"I'm not mad at him, I'm just… I'm mad at the situation that forced him to," Futaba said. "I thought we had won. Why did it come to this?"

If only Makoto had the answer to that.

Anne just watched with dull eyes as Ryuji continued to rant about the unfairness of the situation. Her friends had slowly trickled into Leblanc and the truth… spilled out.

She just felt… hollow inside. Her heart was aching. It was like a chunk of her heart had been torn out the moment she had realized the awful truth.

What Ren was keeping from her, was that he had planned to walk out of all of their lives to turn himself in to the police.

"Ren… you promised," she thought as tears filled her eyes once more. "You promised you'd never leave me. That hell would freeze before that would happen…"

Why did he break his promise?

But then she felt a piece of cloth being pressed into her hands. Haru just gave her a gentle smile. Anne sniffled, forcing a weak smile in thanks, before lifting the handkerchief to wipe at her eyes.

A fresh wave of grief hit her and she bit her lip to stop the sobs from spilling out. Makoto, sitting across from her, just reached out and stroked the hand resting on top of the table.

"Can't Mitsuru-san do anythin'?!" Ryuji looked to Ken desperately.

"Ryuji…" Ken bent his head. "Mitsuru-san may be wealthy but she can't change the law. She can't do anything in regards to this."

Ryuji's expression faltered. "Sorry, I just…"

"It's okay," Ken reassured, only to bite his lower lip. He then added in a low voice, "I wish she could, too."

"After everything that Ren-kun went through—this just isn't fair," Haru whispered.

Sojiro cleared his throat. "Ren… he wrote you all letters. Let me..."

He stepped around the counter and passed them out. Anne just held her letter before setting it down on the table. She couldn't read it. Not now.

"Anne-chan, Ren also wanted to give this to you," Sojiro stated.

He placed a velvet box in front of Anne. Anne's eyes widened.

Was this… what Ren wanted to give her for Christmas?

Anne took in a shuddering breath. To distract herself, she looked around. She couldn't help but notice that none of her friends had opened their letters, either.

"This is really it, isn't it?" Ryuji said in a dejected voice.

Her friends all reluctantly nodded.

A burst of anger suddenly flared inside of her chest. What was she doing, just rolling over and accepting Ren's fate? No, she had to take action. They had to.

"Hey!" Anne's voice rose as she stood up, slamming both hands on the table. It rattled slightly, but Anne didn't care. "What's with this pity party we're throwing?! We must do something! And on top of that, you know Morgana would be ashamed of how we're acting right now!"

This earned her several wide-eyed stares but Anne just pressed forward.

"I-I don't know what exactly we can do." Anne faltered but she pushed through. "But we can't give up! We're not going to let Ren just stay there in jail like that! Didn't he save all of you!?"

She gestured to her friends. They looked stunned at her words. Good.

"If we aren't gonna act now, when will we?" Anne exclaimed.

Ryuji abruptly stood. "You're right, Anne! Now's definitely not the time to hang our heads and give up!"

"But what can we do, without the Metaverse?" Yusuke asked.

"Maybe we'll be able to find something if we search around," Haru suggested.

"My first thought is to see if we can track down the woman Ren tried to protect from Shido." Makoto pressed her lips together, her brow furrowed. "Maybe if we can convince her to come forward with the truth…"

As she spoke, Futaba cracked open her laptop and she began to type notes.

"So, someone would have to try and go back to Shimoda," Ken said, rubbing his chin. He then sighed, pressing his lips together. "If she even lived there to begin with…"

Haru said, "We can't give up! We owe it to Ren-kun!"

"I'll talk to Mitsuru-san and everyone. I'm sure that there will be some kind of source we can utilize," Ken stated.

"Ren, we will save you! Just wait for us!" Anne vowed.

Then the door suddenly chimed open. Sojiro frowned.

"Sorry, but we're closed for Christmas—"

"Sakura-san, was it?"

Anne gaped, staring with wide eyes at the middle-aged couple standing there.

She could see traces of Ren in both of them. His dark hair from the woman, along with his cheekbones and general facial shape. Unkempt, messy hair from the man as well as his striking dark gray eyes. Was this…?

"Who are you?" Futaba asked bluntly.

The couple looked at them, their gazes searching. Then the older man cleared his throat.

"I'm Junto Amamiya—"

"You're Ren's old man?!" Ryuji leapt to his feet, sparks practically shooting from his eyes. "The hell you doing here?!"

"Well—" Ren's mother began.

"You don't have a place here!" Futaba jumped in as well, glaring at them. "After you treated Ren so terribly!"

"Ryuji, Futaba, stop it," Anne snapped out. "We don't know the full story."

"But… Ren's parents treated him terribly, did they not?" Yusuke said, raising an eyebrow. "They turned their backs on him. I don't see why they would have a reason to be here."

"That's enough, all of you." Sojiro said curtly. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck, "Come, sit down. They came a long way, the least we can do is hear them out."

"But you all know the story!" Ryuji spat out. "His folks did a complete turn when Ren got accused because of Shido's crap, his friends backstabbed him, and the whole town hated him! Why the hell should we listen to anything they've got to say?!"

"I… I…" Ren's mom looked like she was struggling to find the words she wanted to say, but then her husband touched her arm.

"Ryuji, that's enough. You aren't helping." Makoto shook her head.

Ryuji growled as he noticed the disapproving expressions from Anne, Makoto, Sojiro, and now even Haru.

"Screw this! I don't care what they have to say!" He exclaimed before storming out of there, not caring he shoved Ren's father out of the way.

"Ryuji!" Anne yelled, but he wasn't listening as he slammed the door.

Sojiro sighed, "Well… that could have gone better."

Haru lightly bowed to them and winced, "Please forgive Ryuji-kun, he's… very loyal to your son."

Ren's dad took a deep breath. "It's alright… I can understand his anger, I imagine our son didn't have positive things to say about us and…it's not unwarranted. We hurt Ren. We know that but… We want to make amends. For hurting him so badly."

"A little too late to be sorry," Futaba spat out, glaring at them.

"Better late than never…" Haru said in a barely audible voice.

Her lips trembled for a moment, her eyes growing glassy. It was all too obvious what she was referring to.

"Haru… I…"

"We should hear them out. Ren-kun should be given the chance to make amends if that is what he wants. Some of us…" Haru swallowed a lump, obviously trying to keep it together, "…will never get that chance."

Everyone stilled at that. Ren's parents just looked between all of them, bewildered. His dad awkwardly cleared his throat while his mom toyed with her side ponytail.

Ken just raised an eyebrow. "Haru… I can understand your perspective, but Makoto, Anne, and even you Sojiro-san… why are you so intent on defending them?"

Anne faltered. "Well, I… I—"

She bit her lip before taking a deep breath. She just had to keep her cool. She was distracted her from her thoughts when Sojiro spoke up.

"Everyone screws up, but if they are willing to try to fix things, they deserve a second chance. I wasn't exactly fair to Ren when he first came here, but in the end we both came to understand each other better and fix our issues. Isn't that what you wanted, Futaba?" Sojiro said calmly while putting away some dishes, "Is that not why you reached out to Ren and the others? Even if you did… blackmail them?"

Futaba looked at the ground in shame.

"I am no better, I treated you all so horribly, it doesn't matter if the principal was using me. You all still forgave me. And my sister… we both got a fresh start too despite everything she's done." Makoto smiled sadly but took a deep breath and continued, "I suppose well… we should at least hear them out, whether you accept what they have to say is entirely up to you. After all, none of us could really forgive Akechi for the things he's done… though… that is a bit more serious in comparison. But the point is, forgiveness is entirely up to us, and more importantly Ren. But we should still hear them out. The biggest problem from the start is no one was willing to hear Ren out. Let's not repeat that."

Yusuke looked down at the ground in shame too, Anne probably figured what he was thinking about.

"I suppose… I wasn't fair either when Ren, Anne, Morgana and Ryuji all met me. I was quite… unreasonable."

"Yeah, you tried to get us arrested too," Anne blurted out only to cover her mouth. "Sorry… I shouldn't have brought that up."

Yusuke shook his head. "No, it's alright. You're right. I was afraid and lashed out at you all. I shouldn't have pressured you either to model for me Anne. Yet you all gave me a chance and helped me."

Makoto looked to Ken. "Didn't we just go over an argument about hearing someone out?"

Anne and everyone looked at them both in confusion. Ken just blushed and began fidgeting."

"R-Right. I suppose you have a point, Makoto."

Anne couldn't help but wonder that was about.

"And let's not forget, when Mona-chan ran off, the group still left to go hear him out instead of abandon him," Haru pointed out.

"And Ken wasn't truthful to us either when he first joined but we all forgave him as well," Yusuke said bluntly with an extremely sincere smile.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Ken grumbled with a blush.

Anne couldn't help but giggle. Especially because Yusuke seemed confused at why Ken is embarrassed. He's too sincere yet oblivious for his own good.

Ren's parents just… looked hopelessly lost. Well, it's not like they could ask the Amamiyas to leave to hash this out. It would probably lead to awkward questions in the near future but… that was for them to worry about then, not now.

Ken then sobered up and looked at Makoto, he had a rather… guilt ridden expression. Anne couldn't help but be perplexed at that.

He let out a heavy sigh. "I shouldn't have behaved the way I did this morning. I am sorry how I was uncharitable to… well I'll apologize to her when I see her. I had no right to get so defensive. I should know better than anyone about second chances and assuming the worst in people considering my past."

He probably hadn't meant for Anne or Yusuke to hear that since the two of them were standing closer to Ken, when he whispered this to Makoto.

"What are you talking about Ken?" Yusuke asked.

Yeah, he definitely didn't mean for them to hear that, considering how sheepish he looked towards Yusuke and now at the rest of the room who were staring at the couple. Ken looked to Makoto and opened his mouth.

"It's… a long story." Makoto cut off whatever Ken was about to say. "We can discuss it later, for now, let's hear out the Amamiyas."

Anne almost forgot about them, with how quiet there were, still very confused by everyone's conversation as they awkwardly stood by the front door.

Sojiro motioned for them to sit down while he started brewing some coffee. Anne remembered Ken's question earlier about why she was jumping to their defense while everyone sat down. Futaba being the last, she still looked torn about how to feel, and sat the furthest away from Ren's parents at the far end of the bar, while they took up the front booth, Anne and Makoto sat across from them. Haru sat at the bar next to the phone, while Yusuke and Ken sat at the booth behind Anne and Makoto.

"I still haven't answered your question."

Everyone stared at Anne in confusion as she broke the silence.

She clarified, "Ken's, I mean… on why I defend them. It's, well, Ren told me a little about his parents after I was there when his mom called once…"

Mrs. Amamiya's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. "Wait… you were the girl who answered Ren's phone weeks ago, weren't you?"

Anne could only shrug; she couldn't exactly deny it. "Guilty as charged."

She then bit the inside of her cheek. Her friends deserved more elaboration on what happened.

"It's um, I got upset when Futaba and me had that run in with Akechi. So Ren told me that we should have a date night at Leblanc. He was busy with cooking so I answered the phone."

She bit her lip. She still remembered the pained look in Ren's eyes. Ren had been through so much already…

"Ren got upset but told me more about how he felt. I didn't tell you because it didn't feel right to. Like I was betraying Ren's trust in me."

Her friends started to murmur amongst themselves. But then Makoto spoke up.

"I can understand that. And well… I can't talk…"

Futaba nodded. "Yeah… I get why you didn't say anything, Anne."

Anne let out a relieved sigh at that. Between this and the little Akechi encounter… she didn't want her friends to feel like that she was constantly trying to keep things secret from them.

"But that doesn't mean that we trust you," Futaba said stubbornly, glaring at Ren's parents. "Ren isn't here anyways."

Mr. Amamiya closed his eyes. "We know. We… received the phone call from a prosecutor, something about the police saying he broke probation but she felt the charges were ludicrous, but that her hands were tied and she said she would do what she could to make it lenient as possible for him."

"She was vague on what exactly why they claimed he broke his probation, but we got more out of her than the police, all we kept getting was runaround or just that he broke probation," Mrs. Amamiya said with a glare.

"Why do I hear a but in that?" Haru asked.

Mrs. Amamiya sighed heavily. "We've done a lot of thinking over the past several months. We made several mistakes when Ren was arrested."

"So… what do you plan on doing then?" Ken asked quietly. "Breaking probation is a serious charge, after all. And who knows when he'll get out? Not to mention the original charge is bogus."

Ren's parents faltered at that.

"W-Well…" Ren's dad rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his face. "The prosecutor woman… she mentioned something about, we could try to get his sentence appealed maybe. Or something to that effect. She even gave us recommendations to defense attorneys we could contact."

"Sis did that?" Makoto sounded quite surprised.

"Sis?" Mr. Amamiya blinked at her.

Makoto's sister left out that important detail it seemed, though perhaps in her defense she probably only started on that just now considering she only recently talked to Ren's parents. She wouldn't have had time to notify them she was considering Ren's sentence getting overturned. Anne couldn't help but smile. Even if she asked Ren to sacrifice himself, she didn't want to leave him hanging out to dry.

It was silent as everyone digested the situation that Ren's dad brought up regarding what Makoto's sister told him.

"Well… it would be useful to have more people on board," Yusuke said hesitantly.

"…I guess." Futaba said, still wary of Ren's parents.

Makoto gave a delicate cough. "Um… well why don't we get started? We were brainstorming for ideas on where to start."

Sojiro passed out drinks for everyone. All their usuals, and a lone soda sitting at the bar next to Futaba, for Ryuji should he return. Anne smiled bittersweet at that; she wondered if she should message him. But figured maybe give him a bit more time before she does so.

Ren's parents looked at Sojiro grateful but awkwardly.

"We can't thank you enough for taking our son in, Sakura-san," Mrs. Amamiya said.

Sojiro nodded. "He's a good kid."

The two looked at each other sadly but nodded as well. Ren's father coughed awkwardly but then looked down at the drink Sojiro gave them.

"What flavor if I may ask?"

"House blend for the missus, and dark roast for the mister and you both take very little sugar with it." He cracked an amused smile for some reason. "The only coffee cups you taught Ren how to make before you sent him to me. Ah well, I made sure to educate him further."

They both looked up at Sojiro in shock.

"How do you—"

Sojiro smiled, "I was teaching Ren how to make coffee and he said these two cups were the only kind he knew how to blend because that's what you both like. Didn't say much after that… but… don't give up just yet."

"Thank you…" Mrs. Amamiya trailed off.

Mr. Amamiya looked at them all with a sad smile.

"It seems you all took good care of our son—I know it might not mean much coming from us but we are very grateful."

"Quite the opposite actually, Ren-kun took great care of us." Haru supplied with a polite smile, "I'm Haru Okumura."

"Makoto Niijima," the student council president followed after Haru.

To make things more awkward, Ryuji returned in that moment. He glared at Ren's parents, but Sojiro gave him a look and Ryuji backed off, sitting next to Futaba and sipping his soda with an aggravated expression.

Her friends introduced themselves, the introductions ranging from awkward but polite to reluctant to…. very terse, in Ryuji's case. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

But Ryuji coughed extremely loud and very fake. Anne jumped as she looked to him, annoyed and confused. He just raised a brow at her.

Oh right… she hadn't introduced herself.

"U-Uh, I'm Anne Takamaki," she said with a sheepish smile.

Should she say that Ren was her boyfriend? No… not now. That would be awkward.

Ren's parents relaxed a little bit, but still not by a lot, and reintroduced themselves again.

And with that, they settled down to start talking about what to do to help Ren.

Ren's parents weren't the only ones to stop by.

All the people Ren had helped—they had caught wind of it. Anne wasn't sure who told them, she wondered if perhaps Ren asked Niijima-san to contact any of his other friends outside of the Phantom Thieves to inform them of his arrest or something, she couldn't imagine how else they found out since the news refuses to say much about the details regarding the case mounting against Shido so far.

Makoto mentioned that there was no way they would release those details, as Ren would just be deemed a hero and they all would look like idiots and monsters. Plus, Ren was still underage so they wouldn't be allowed to give out his identity anyway. It made sense, Anne supposed. After all, Shido suppressed so much twice now the two times he had Ren arrested.

Ren's other friends and allies showed up at Café Leblanc at different points, pledging to help the cause as well.

And then the Shadow Operatives showed up too. Mitsuru-san had even apologized about not being able to do anything.

It was… a relief to know that Ren had so many people who cared.

Anne wasn't ready to go home though… so she had gone up to the attic, curling her legs underneath her as she sat on Ren's bed. She looked around sadly, as she took in the small touches that Ren had added to his room. And a few things he kept around for Morgana.

They really did just lose both of them in one fell swoop. At least Ren still existed… but still… her heart ached so much.

She needed to talk to someone. There was one person who immediately came to mind. She was no doubt busy; it was a holiday. But she really needed Shiho right now.

[Anne]: shiho I know you have plans due to the holidays and I'm sure you have a lot on your plate. but it's really important, soon as you have a free moment, please message me.

[Anne]: scratch that, please call me. I really… really need to hear from my bff rn.

[Anne]: oh, but don't take that as some guilt trip! just get back with me the second you are free and I would appreciate it. and I hope you're having a good christmas.

She sent the message and let out a heavy sigh as she pushed her phone into her pocket again. A part of her wanted to open Ren's letter… but another part of her hesitated.

"...Takamaki-san?"

She looked up to see that Ren's parents had stepped inside, looking rather uncertain as they surveyed Ren's room. She still remembered how it looked so bare when she had first visited his room. But now… it was filled with knick-knacks, gifts that he had been given during outings. As well as all the tools and half made tools that cluttered the desk, Morgana and Ren really were passionate about those infiltration tools.

"Hello…" Anne said faintly.

She had no experience with this, whatsoever. Ren was her first boyfriend—actually her first… everything. Ren had never met her parents, with them being overseas. But there was a… tension in the air. Most people didn't meet their significant others' parents in a situation like this.

Anne honestly didn't know what to feel. She sympathized with them in a way, but she was all too aware of how much they had hurt Ren. In truth, she didn't know how Ren truly felt. It felt to her that he wasn't sure how to feel. He didn't like to speak of his situation much. But the first time he spoke of it in her presence, during the last part of their little hotpot party, had been soul crushing.

As she looked at Ren's parents, she decided that Ren was a perfect blend of his parents. He had his mother's black hair, her facial features, his father's messy hair and dark gray eyes as well as his lean build.

"Ah… I just wanted to apologize for what happened over the phone weeks ago," Yuri-san said carefully. "I'm sure you didn't expect to hear that."

"U-Um, you could say that again." Anne let out a nervous chuckle. "I-I don't think Ren ever told you, but we've been dating since August."

Yuri's eyes widened, "No. He didn't tell us."

Junto-san rubbed the back of his neck. "So… how has Ren been? I hope he's been treating you well."

Anne could've easily responded. She could have told them about how wonderful Ren was to her, how he made her feel so loved and adored, how he saw her and still loved her, despite her many faults. She could've talked about how Ren was so smart too and how he had helped so many people.

But Anne didn't say any of that.

Anne's hands clenched in her lap as she slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "You hurt him. Badly."

Anne didn't mean to blurt it out but… it's been burning in the back of Anne's mind for so long. They both flinched at her words, but Anne didn't falter. She needed to say her piece. She may have defended them to Ryuji but she could understand his anger. Her other friends may not be so blunt about it, but she knew that they were wary too with what they knew about what happened to Ren.

But they weren't privy to how heartbroken Ren was about all of this.

"We didn't… we want to fix this…" Junto-san murmured.

Anne took a deep breath. "I know that you were misled about this. But I saw firsthand how hurt Ren was from it. You didn't believe him. You didn't hear him out. And even though it happened nearly a year ago, it still eats him up. He won't even entertain the idea that you're truly sorry."

A part of her wondered if Ren doubted whether his parents even loved him. Because a betrayal like that… it must've been the worst to him.

"I'm not the type to lecture people for mess-ups," Anne said quietly. "But I need you to understand that Ren was affected badly by this."

She frowned at that. She had known Ren for seven, nearly eight months before he had fully opened up to her about his pain. They had been dating for months before he could tell her. It broke her heart that Ren was still hurting over this.

"I need you to realize it if you want to try and mend your relationship with him. I hate to see him go through this kind of grief. I do believe you. But it's not me you have to convince that you're truly sorry about what happened."

"Takamaki-san, do you think there's a chance still?" Yuri-san asked quietly.

"I… I don't know," Anne confessed, biting her lower lip. "We had been dating for months when I found out about this. I think… only Ren knows the answer to that. I've seen Ren forgive a lot of people. He has a big heart and that's why people are drawn to him. It's one of the reasons I love him. But what you did, cut him—straight to his soul."

Anne took a deep breath.

"But… why didn't you believe him? Why didn't you hear him out?"

Ren's parents exchanged a look before Junto-san took a deep breath of his own.

"I assume that Ren hasn't told you much of our family, based on what you've mentioned," he said quietly, clasping his hands behind his back. "I've always had a desire to provide for my family amply. My mother died when I was rather young, and I had to step up to care for my three younger siblings when I was barely starting elementary school."

Anne's eyes widened. She had no idea about that…

"My father, he never recovered from the loss of my mother and… we ended up struggling quite a bit. By the time I was a teenager, there was a chasm between my father and I that neither of us knew how to bridge. When Ren was born, I promised that he would never want for anything. When Yuri and I were informed of Ren's arrest, I couldn't help but question myself. Had I made the same mistake as my father? Did I really know my son anymore?"

"I don't know if Ren's told you but he's always had… an impish streak," Yuri-san said.

"Wonder where he got that from…" Junto-san said, giving his wife a pointed look.

"Hush, Junto!" She scowled at him. "But anyhow… to add to that, he's always been an independent child. He always wanted to figure it out his own way. I remember when he was getting to the age when he could start walking, he'd sit down in a huff if Junto or I tried to hold onto his hands to help him walk. He wanted to do it on his own. And when he entered high school, I started to back off. He would always run off to spend time with his friends. When he was younger, he would want to come with me to the studio—"

"Studio? Are you a musician, Yuri-san?" Anne couldn't help but feel curious.

"Ah, not anymore." Yuri-san's cheeks turned pink. "You see, I used to be well…"

"She used to be an idol back in the 80s but she left the industry when we were in our early twenties," Junto-san supplied, offering his wife a smile.

Yuri-san gave an embarrassed smile. "But back to what I was saying... my job is to help new idols gain their footing, so to speak. Ren used to love coming along with me. Learning the choreography with the new idols was one of his favorite things to do when he was younger. But he seemed more interested in creating mischief with his friends once he hit junior high. It just felt… he didn't want to make time for me or Junto anymore."

Anne couldn't help but feel a pang, hearing the sadness in her voice. Her lips trembled slightly as she continued.

"But I couldn't help but feel that I could've pushed harder. Because… I didn't know my son anymore. And that broke my heart."

"And his friends…" Junto-san frowned. "I never liked any of them."

"Nor I, for that matter," Yuri-san chimed in. "They were always dragging Ren into pulling pranks and what-not. I'll admit that I don't mind a good prank occasionally but they always were pulling Ren into some sort of trouble. And I had just about had a heart attack the time he wound up hospitalized due to some stunts he tried to pull with his friends. We almost forbade him from continuing to see them but Ren insisted it was just an accident. We tried to be stricter after that but Ren chafed under all of that… Junto and I thought that perhaps… they were a worse influence than we realized and encouraged Ren into delinquency."

She knew from Ren that his friends were fair-weather friends but she had no idea about this part.

"And the night after his arrest…" Yuri heaved out a sigh before bowing her head. "We had a terrible argument. We asked Ren for details, how did this happen… and at some part, Ren seemed to lash out. He asked why couldn't we entertain the idea that he was innocent? And after that, he started to stay away from us. Only coming home at night, refusing our attempts to try and talk it out, explain what we meant. In hindsight, perhaps we should've approached it a different way. We probably could've saved all three of us a whole lot of heartbreak."

Oh… so there was more to the story. She had never thought about their side of the story. In a way, it was almost like how Anne had misjudged Makoto.

"I see…"

"We had given up hope by the time Ren had moved to Tokyo," Yuri-san said softly.

"So, what changed? You reached out to him in earlier this month, didn't you?"

Ren's parents exchanged a look and Junto-san cleared his throat. "Well when I introduced Yuri to my family, they… made assumptions of her. They assumed I was throwing myself away for someone who's—"

"A floozy," Yuri-san said flatly. She held up a hand when Junto-san started to protest. "Don't mince it, dear. They thought I was an empty-headed celebrity who only knew how to flaunt my body. They didn't want us to marry but… Junto chose me. He cut off his family for me."

"I'm so sorry that happened, but I can sympathize…" Anne's brow furrowed. "But what does—"

"My youngest sister, Sora, reached out to me last October. My father died this past summer so… I suppose she didn't want to lose any more time with the family she had left. I was wary at first but we talked things out. It took us a couple of months to… really come to an understanding. Things are a bit… shaky but…" Junto-san sighed. "Anyhow, making up with Sora made me think. If my sister can reach out to me even after twenty years… I thought, maybe it wasn't too late for us and Ren."

"I understand…" Anne could only nod.

She wondered if Ren knew about this family history.

Junto-san then winced. "Takamaki-san, I understand that Ren probably hasn't painted us in the best light. But we always meant well, I swear."

Anne nodded. "I believe you but… it's out of my hands. I'm not going to influence Ren in any way about this. When it boils down to it, the decision is Ren's."

Yuri-san just nodded. "Yes… you're right, Takamaki-san."

"U-Um… you can call me Anne," Anne said, letting out a nervous chuckle. "It's a little weird hearing you call me 'Takamaki-san', when you're okay with being called by your first names."

"As you wish… Anne-chan," Junto-san amended.

"Umm… are you going to stay here?" Anne asked tentatively.

Yuri-san bit her lip. "We have a hotel booked until the second. But I think we might be able to get some work done back in Shimoda."

Anne nodded. "I see…"

Things grew quiet once more. Yuri-san looked at Anne. She took a moment to twirl a lock of hair before she reached out, taking Junto-san's arm.

"Come on, Junto. It's been a long day, no? Let's get something to eat and head back to the hotel."

Junto-san glanced at his wife. They seemed to have a silent conversation just by looking at each other. He then nodded.

"Of course, my dear." Then he looked towards Anne, a smile forming on his face.

It made her heart ache. It was Ren's smile when he wanted to be reassuring.

"Until we meet again, Anne-chan."

"Such a gentleman," Yuri-san teased gently as they headed for the stairs.

"That's why you married me, correct?"

"I can think of a couple more things why," Yuri-san chuckled.

"Y-Yuri!"

Anne watched them go, smiling half-heartedly as Yuri-san's teasing made Junto-san even more flustered.

But now that she was alone… Anne finally let herself slump onto Ren's bed. God… it still smelled like a mix of him and Morgana. It was a rich earthy scent, mixing in amber musk and coffee… Anne's eyes stung with tears as her chest tightened. She hugged the pillow, just imagining Morgana curled up next to Ren, nagging at him to put the phone down and get some rest or something.

How long would it be until their scents faded away? She let her eyes drift, taking in all the little things Ren had added to the attic to make it more theirs. She couldn't believe that he had kept the chocolate fountain she gave him. And the Risette poster. He was probably grateful Rise-san didn't come upstairs and see it after she and Chie-san rescued him. There were also a few cat toys in the corner that collected dust, she chuckled despite her eyes getting misty, imagining Morgana being annoyed at those bought for him.

Her hand drifted, clasping the pendant of her necklace. God, she missed him so much already! Both of them… She wished that it hadn't come to this. First Morgana had to literally vanish… then Ren did this… for them.

She didn't know how long she spent, curled up in Ren's bed. Eventually her eyes drifted over to where she had left his letter. She finally reached out, unfolding the paper.

Ren's handwriting was wobbly, as if he couldn't contain his anguish and it was spilling out on the paper. Anne took a deep breath before she finally started to read the letter.

Dear Anne,

I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that happened last night. I wanted so badly to give you one more good memory after I turned myself in. I guess I could never hide much from you. My instincts kept screaming at me to tell you the truth.

I don't know how Makoto's sister will explain this to you. But she basically spelled out that if I didn't do this, all of you would be dragged into this. And that was just not a possibility.

I'm sorry for breaking my promise to you. That I wouldn't turn myself in for you and for everyone else. The more I thought of it, the more I remembered how scared and defeated you looked when we were all in the Velvet Room. Before I reminded you what you were fighting for.

I know we made several promises. That we were going to go to Hawaii together, just the two of us. I hate that I had to break all of those promises. I wanted to experience so much more with you.

I don't know how long I'll be in prison. I have no ideas about the laws. I don't even know the full extent they'll charge me for. So I need you to let me go.

Find someone else to love. Every moment we had together was wonderful. You called me your light. But you were my everything; my hope, the silver lining in a dark horizon, a ray of sunlight on a dreary day, my beautiful, wonderful lady. Someone else deserves to bask in your love.

Thank you, for staying with me last night. I don't know what I would've done if you had walked away.

And I'm sorry I couldn't give you your gift last night, too. The clerk mentioned that I could give you a charm for each Christmas. And I had wanted to give you more. I wanted so much more with you, Anne.

The charm I bought, it's a key with a heart. That's because you've held the key to my heart, far longer than you realize. I can't really figure out the moment I fell for you. But once I realized it, I was in deep. There was no going back.

I love you. With all that I am. I'm just sorry that I didn't have more time to show you that.

Love,

Ren

Anne clasped the letter to her heart, her chest heaving with barely contained sobs. She could feel Ren's pain with each stroke of pen.

"Ren…" she sobbed out, tears scalding her cheeks. It dripped down on the paper but Anne didn't care.

She had been so close. So close to walking out on him. She had been hurt by his refusal to tell her what's going on. If only she had known then…

And it hurt. It hurt knowing that she had almost driven a stake into his heart last night.

She didn't know how long she had spent crying. She only looked up when she felt the bed dip as someone else sat down. She wiped at her eyes, sniffling still.

"Yukari-san?"

She hadn't realized Yukari-san had stayed. She thought they all left, beyond Sojiro and Futaba of course.

Yukari-san just smiled sadly at her before pulling her into a hug. Anne sobbed, burying her face into the older woman's shoulder. She was soaking Yukari-san's coat with her tears, but Yukari-san didn't seem to mind. She just rubbed Anne's back, humming a melody that Anne didn't recognize, murmuring comforting words.

It's been so long since she's had someone hug her like this. She loved calling her parents but… it just wasn't the same.

And slowly, Anne's tears dried. Anne sniffled, rubbing at her eyes.

Yukari-san smiled gently at her. "You're not alone, Anne."

"I-I know…" Anne mumbled out.

"You don't have to talk about it now," Yukari-san said gently. "But… I'm here for you if you need to talk."

Anne rubbed at her eyes again. "T-Thank you, I-I was just reading the letter Ren wrote to me. It was just so… overwhelming."

Yukari-san smiled sadly. "I understand. Minato wrote me a letter too before he died. He wrote Ken-kun and everyone else a letter too."

She looked up to see pain lurking in Yukari-san's eyes. Ken never really talked about it but Yukari-san loved him still. She loved him enough to be willing to become a teen mother, to keep loving him even after nearly seven years.

She wondered if Minato-san asked Yukari-san to move on in his letter to her.

"I-I just… he was in so much pain, wasn't he? He couldn't tell me the truth," Anne said, biting her lip.

"Try not to lose heart, Anne," Yukari-san advised, putting a hand on Anne's shoulder. "We're going to turn this around. We'll get Ren-kun out of there."

Anne just wiped at her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Yukari-san stayed about twenty minutes longer. She talked about Minato-san, and some memories that she often keeps close in her heart, the ones that help her get through the tougher days, especially when her grief was fresh.

It was all so sad, but it did give Anne comfort, hearing Yukari-san just talk about Minato-san and how much he meant to her. And how she got through it all, thanks to her friends, her memories of him, and especially because of the twins.

She bid the older woman farewell. Alone again. She didn't want to be selfish and beg her to stay. She had Miyuki and Kaito to think of, too. Were they even in Tokyo right now? If not, she hoped they got to see Yukari-san soon.

But a part of her still didn't want to be alone with her thoughts right now. She just wanted to be selfish and have a shoulder to cry on.

It was silly. She was tempted to message Shiho again, but if she hadn't responded by now that probably meant she was in the middle of something. She shouldn't be selfish, but dammit she wanted to be. She didn't want to run downstairs and drag Futaba upstairs just so she can cry on the younger girl. Futaba was probably still trying to process this too, and it was better to give her space with Sojiro.

Anne's thoughts were interrupted when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She never reached so fast for her pocket in her life. Shiho, finally! She didn't even look at the caller ID when she hit answer.

"Hello… this is Anne…" Anne tried not to sound so pathetic.

It wasn't Shiho, but her dad's voice she heard instead come onto the line.

"Time to wish a Merry Christmas to my little—" Dad suddenly cut himself off. "Wait… that doesn't sound like you, Anne. Is… is something wrong?" His cheery voice turned to concern.

Her puffy eyes that were previously starting to dry up started welling up again at the sound of her father's voice.

"Oh… Daddy! Dad—something terrible just happened. I… I… I don't—"

"Shhh… Anne, take a breath. Just sit tight, let me grab your mom, and I'll put you on speaker. Tell us everything."

It wasn't Shiho but all the same she was equally grateful to whatever deity was listening and knew she needed to hear from someone she loved still.

Ken sighed. Today had been a long day.

His head was swimming with all of the ideas they had thrown out to try and overturn Ren's sentence.

Ren's other friends—Mishima, Takemi-san, Iwai-san, to name a few—had left, intent on continuing their plans tomorrow. But their inner circle had remained, but they briefly all left to go to the convenience store to give Sojiro and Futaba some brief space while they cleaned up all the dishes. The rest were gonna go out and buy some ingredients to replace the ones Sojiro used to feed everyone recently. All except Anne who went up to Ren and Morgana's attic. No one dared to bother her. Everyone spread out and met at the counter to buy all the food they needed to give to Sojiro… except for Ryuji who chose to wait outside the store.

"Is Ryuji still out there?" Ken asked, looking to Haru.

Haru bit her lip. "Mm-hm. I was thinking of going out there and try to get him to come in and shop with us. It's freezing out there, after all."

"It's alright, you guys wait in line, I'll come back in with him in a second," Ken offered, handing his basket to Yusuke. "I could use some fresh air, anyways."

Shinjiro-san glanced in his direction, shooting him a questioning look by the front door, bags in hand already for his purchase. Probably some stuff for things he wants to cook if Ken had to guess. Ken tried to smile, to give his guardian reassurance. Then he moved towards the door, quickly moving to shut it behind him.

Ken shivered as he stepped outside, the frigid cold air stinging his cheeks. Ryuji seemed to be lost in thought, his arms crossed.

"Ryuji? Is everything okay?"

Ryuji flinched before whipping his head towards Ken. "Shit—! Jeez, Ken, don't scare me like that!"

Ken held up his hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I-I'm fine, I guess…" Ryuji muttered out. Then he frowned, shaking his head. "No, I'm not."

Ken took a step closer to his friend. "Do you need to talk about it?"

Ryuji scrunched up his face for a moment before scratching at his cheek. "It's… dumb."

"Shouldn't you let me decide that?" Ken asked.

Ryuji groaned, taking a moment to rub his face before speaking. "It's just… ugh. It's sorta like how I didn't get how Haru could still love her abusive shitstain of a dad. He was ready to marry her off, like she was nothing but a tool. And there was all the shit with the employees… I just, I dunno why Anne thinks they've changed."

"People can change," Ken said. "Though granted, I don't know how I feel about Ren's parents myself."

Ryuji sighed. "And you weren't there, when Ren opened up to me and Yusuke and Morgana, 'bout the gritty details of the shit he went through. I guess I'm just not as good of a person like Anne."

"That's not true," Ken insisted. "You're loyal and brave, Ryuji. A true friend. And a part of why you lashed out so badly was because you're so protective of Ren."

Ryuji just gave a half-hearted nod before his hand clenched into a fist. "It's just… ugh! I hate that Ren's parents hurt him so badly. I dunno if they'll stick to wanting to help us. And there's Akechi, if only he was still here. His turning himself in would fix everything, that cowardly bastard, running off like that! I just hate that Ren had to do this for us."

Ken just sighed, looking away.

"Yeah… if only." Ken thought.

He still didn't know what to feel about Akechi. There was so much he could see of his past self in Akechi. The anger, the festering bitterness. But even then, Ken couldn't help but resent Akechi. Akechi's fleeing had pushed Ren into a corner... on top of everything else he has done up to this point, it was quite the list.

"And you know, Ryuji…"

When Ryuji looked to him quizzically, Ken cleared his throat. "I know that seeing Ren's parents like this, after hearing Ren's side of the story… had to sting. I know that Makoto and Haru were willing to forgive their family but… not everyone has to. Even if your dad felt genuinely remorseful and wanted to reach out to you, you're allowed to tell him no. That you won't ever forgive him, for the pain he put you and your mother through. You're not a bad person. Far from it."

Ryuji took in a shuddering breath before cracking a sad smile. "…Thanks, Ken. But man… I still wish that Akechi could've turned himself in so Ren didn't have to…"

"Well, wishing isn't going to do anything." Ken gave a half-hearted smile. "As nice as it would be."

Ryuji nodded. "Makoto said something familiar, when Shido's goons nabbed you. She said blaming ourselves wouldn't do anything, but action will."

"That does sound like her." Ken smiled, only for it to fade.

"What's wrong?" Ryuji asked.

Ken sighed, rubbing at his face. "Makoto and I learned what Niijima-san was going to do. I lashed out at her. I said some pretty horrible things to her in my anger. I need to apologize to her still."

"It couldn't have been that bad," Ryuji said, shaking his head.

Ken sighed, rubbing at his face. "You'd be surprised. I said some… unkind things to her."

"I mean, you're admitting you're wrong." Ryuji shrugged. "Like uh… everything's good between us now but… I used to think of some pretty shitty things of Anne. I believed in the rumors that she was Kamoshida's girl. And uh, well… you saw how we didn't like Makoto in the beginning."

Ken winced in sympathy. He still remembered how bewildered Makoto had been when he had been nice to her.

"Can't forget how you tried to sic your Persona on me too," Ken said with a wry smile.

"Hey, that was our second meeting," Ryuji protested. "Though you didn't help our suspicions with you booking it out of there!"

Ken huffed. "I panicked, okay?"

"Clearly." Ryuji snickered for a moment before his expression grew pensive. "But uh… thanks, Ken." Ryuji cracked a smile. "I guess I needed to talk this shit out. I feel better 'bout this."

Ken just shrugged. "It's what friends are for."

"Just shuddup and take the compliment." Ryuji lightly punched his shoulder. "But anyways, let's head inside. Starting to feel like my ass is ready to freeze off."

Ken shook his head. "Maybe in a few minutes."

Ryuji raised a brow. "'Huh? Don't you have stuff to buy or something?"

"Yeah, I handed them to Yusuke, I'll be in in a sec. Promise… go wait in my spot in line next to him for me."

Ryuji shrugged at that. "Kay…"

Without another word, he opened the door and stepped back into the convenience store. Ken let out a sigh as he gazed up at the sky. It was lightly snowing again.

"Amada-kun?"

Ken jumped at the sound of Niijima-san's voice.

"Oh… Niijima-san…" He winced at how his words came out so… stilted.

But he couldn't help it. He swallowed subtly, pretending to pick at a stray strand from his sleeve.

"Here."

Ken blinked as Niijima-san all but push a to-go cup in his hands.

"I thought you'd might like something warm to drink," she said, her cheeks growing even more pink.

Not from the cold, it seemed. But to be polite, Ken raised the cup to his lips and took a careful sip.

"The Sakuras told me you all would be here and… I assumed that you'd prefer it black," Niijima-san said after a moment. "Forgive me if I assumed wrong."

So that's where she got the drink from. He should have figured, judging from aroma. Sakura-san's coffee no matter the blend had something really comforting about the smell of his coffee. He couldn't place why that was, perhaps he was just biased.

Ken looked down at the ground. "It's me that should be sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of being selfish about wanting Ren to turn himself in."

Niijima-san's breath escaped her.

"I will admit… your words did sting. But I will not insult you by invalidating your anger. Honestly, I'm surprised that the Sakuras aren't angrier with me… given what I've done in the past." She then paused, pursing her lips. "I also want to apologize… I never meant to belittle how much of a rock and hard place you all were in. I still don't agree with how dangerous that plan was. But I never wanted you to feel like I think you don't care about Ren-kun's safety. I was trying to get you to understand my position is not so different and asking him to make a tough sacrifice. I could have been more tactful… my feelings bled into my response."

"No… I get it. I wasn't trying to see things from you or Ren's perspective. I think part of it is still trying to compute it all," Ken muttered. "But still, I suppose it's too late. Akechi's probably fled the country. He's always running from his past. Guess things never change."

Niijima-san stared at him, confusion in her eyes. "Amada-kun?"

"I'm guessing Makoto hasn't told you," Ken stated.

"Told me what?" Niijima-san gave him a bewildered look.

"Akechi and I are cousins," he stated, fighting to keep his voice even. "Our mothers were sisters."

"But you two… you never acted like—?"

"Like family?" Ken couldn't help but smile ruefully. "We met once when we were children. Our mothers had a… disagreement and Mom passed away a few years after. I probably wouldn't have known if Akechi hadn't told me."

"I see." Niijima-san's expression became pensive. "Amada-kun, I do have another question."

Ken just raised an eyebrow before giving a small nod. Niijima-san took a deep breath before opening her mouth once more.

"Do you… hate Akechi?"

Ken frowned. He had struggled with this for weeks now. But the truth was…

"I don't know how to feel," Ken stated, giving a shrug. "I feel sorry that he lost his mother. And that society did foster a lot of his negative traits. That, I cannot deny."

"But…?"

"Maybe I don't hate him," Ken said slowly. "If anything, I pity him for feeling that the path he followed was the only path, that revenge consumed him so."

He will always be grateful to Shinjiro-san and Akihiko-san especially. Shinjiro-san for steering him off the path. He regretted still that the incident with Takaya had been the one to open his eyes. And Akihiko-san, he had been the one to tell Ken that he could do more than just feel sorry for himself.

Akechi… never really got that kind of closure.

Niijima-san was silent. Ken sighed to himself. She still had a hard time wrapping her mind around how Akechi really was.

"I… do think that he's more aware of his guilt than he realizes," Ken continued quietly.

He remembered how Akechi reacted when Ken called him out on Isshiki-san and that he had inflicted the same pain he had suffered onto Futaba. He looked guilty, even as he tried to deny it.

"Maybe he's capable of doing the right thing," Ken said, shrugging. "But even so, it's just a maybe."

It wouldn't mean anything unless Akechi did change.

"But really—I don't know what to feel about Akechi." Ken sighed. "He's done many personal wrongs to the people I care about. But I do not wish his circumstances onto anyone."

"The right thing…" Niijima-san said slowly. "I think that maybe is a stronger possibility than what you think, Amada-kun."

Ken frowned. "What makes you sound so sure?"

"I—never mind," Niijima-san sighed. "Come on, let's go back to Café Leblanc before Aragaki scolds you for staying out in the cold and exposing yourself to the elements."

"Ah well—"

He was interrupted when the rest of the gang and Shinjiro-san stepped outside, his guardian holding twice as many bags as previously and looking mildly annoyed. Did he… pay for his stuff? Ken told the others to wait for him.

"You took too long dumbass, so I paid for your shit. You owe me," Shinjiro-san said, as if he read his mind.

Without another word, he and the group ushered him back towards Café Leblanc. Niijima-san seemed mildly amused as she looked at Ken then at Shinjiro-san, before following Makoto inside. Everyone went back inside one by one, leaving Ken by himself for but a moment. He shook his head and went inside the café.

Even as he rejoined his friends and listened to their chatter, Niijima-san's words nagged at him.

Just what was she talking about?

Monday, December 26th, 2016

"What do you think, Hoshi-san?"

Goro stared at the reflection. His hair was cut close to chin length, a drastic change from how he's always worn his hair. But it was necessary.

He was lucky the barber was an older man, there wasn't a tv in his shop, just an old radio playing some music. One of the reasons he picked this place. It seemed like a hole in the wall, unnoticed much by the rest of the street save for the few who frequent this small shop. Perfect place for him to go, no one would recognize him here. It was more of a relief to see the cliental were all retirement age, and didn't pay him any mind. After sitting in the chair, talking with the man, and getting the haircut revealed the old barber didn't watch much tv or news. Another boon for him. He had a feeling that was the case just from observing the barber, as well as the few clients and workers in the shop; but it was nice to have that confirmation all the same.

He no longer could rely on the Metaverse to hide from Shido's cronies. So, he had used his fake ID to withdraw the money in the bank account he had created for emergencies. He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do. Not with Shido going to jail.

He just felt… empty.

"Hoshi-san?"

Goro snapped to attention. "My apologies, I'm just… tired. But you've done a marvelous job."

Sōichirō Hoshi. That was the name he chose for himself.

There was an actor of some shows he watched as a kid, whose name was Sōichirō. Then there was his mother's neighbor, that kind old woman, Hoshi-san, he never knew her first name. She was the only one who seemed to not gossip about his mother or glare at her. She even sometimes would bring some day-old bread that she didn't want to go bad from her bakery. A pity… she died of a heart attack a year after she moved into their apartment. It would have been nice if his mother had some decent neighbors like her.

Goro shook himself out of his thoughts as he followed the barber to the front desk. He reached into his wallet, handing over a one-thousand-yen bill as a tip.

"Thank you!" The barber beamed. "I hope you have a good day!"

Goro nodded before shuffling over to the door.

He shivered as he pushed the door open, a frigid winter gale blasting him right in the face as he stepped forward, letting the door slam behind him. But he cast a look over his shoulder. He couldn't be too careful. He took out his sunglasses, which he had retrieved from his apartment. He slid it over his eyes. Despite it being winter, the sun was still quite bright. Hopefully people wouldn't give him a second look.

Ha… It was ironic. Once, Goro had sworn that he would make everyone see. See how he had prevailed over everyone's expectations, that he would be so much more than a nobody. And now he was just desperately trying to get by, hoping nobody would look at him.

The city had appeared to have reverted to normal. Goro had heard little snippets of people doubting Shido being able to take his seat as Prime Minister. With the Phantom Thieves' efforts, Shido would get his just desserts.

But where did that leave him? Would Shido implicate him in his confession? Goro hated that he didn't know.

"The leader of the Phantom Thieves—"

Goro's head shot, he recognized that voice. He gritted his teeth and ducked his head down, keeping his eyes glued to his phone. He pretended to read a text and glanced at the couple sitting outside of a café from the corner of his eye.

Ugh…

Why did it have to be that reporter? He interviewed him before several times on "Good Morning Japan". Hayashi-san was clearly with his date. He had mentioned to Goro once or twice he had a girlfriend.

But why in the hell were they sitting outside in this weather? He hoped the man wouldn't notice him. Goro walked by trying to be uninteresting as possible, catching part of their conversation. They were talking about Amamiya it sounded like.

"—has turned himself in. Or at least that's what the rumors say. That he accepted a plea deal in exchange for testimony against Shido-san."

"You're kidding?" The woman gasped.

"Shh! This is supposed to be on the down-low. And it's just a rumor. For all I know, it could be a bunch of crap someone cooked up to get people to talk about it. Everything about Shido-san's case is classified. No press is allowed near the court and the police constantly chase us out when we approach them about it."

"So, you can't confirm if it's real?"

"Unfortunately not. Like I said, itcould be someone making something up after the buzz they created all year. But I can't confirm a thing. Shido-san's made quite the mess for the government and they're all scrambling to get this resolved as soon as possible and quietly it seems."

"That's a shame…"

Goro felt… well he wasn't sure how to feel. The thought of Amamiya rotting away would have made him laugh a month ago. But now he feels numb to the idea. He didn't care in the slightest. He didn't even have the energy to mentally gloat.

But as for that rumor… he wouldn't doubt for a second it was true. Amamiya had turned himself in probably to protect his friends, he was prepared to take the fall for them before and used himself as bait for Goro… so it wouldn't surprise him if he did it again. But why? Wasn't what Shido had confessed been enough?

Amamiya had won. Shot whatever the hell had appeared in the sky right in the face. Goro didn't really care to know the details; it didn't involve him.

So why had he given himself up, to implicate Shido and his cronies?

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

Haru breathed out a sigh as she set down her phone. A few of her father's associates were more willing to help but others, they didn't want to bother.

"Tea, Okumura?"

Haru immediately sat up with a squeak. Mitsuru-san let out a chuckle, placing a cup in front of Haru.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you."

"O-Oh no, Mitsuru-san!" Haru said, waving a hand. "I should've been more aware."

Mitsuru-san let out a hum, sipping at her own tea. "You're doing well."

"I'm sorry?"

"With your communication with your father's old associates."

Haru bit her lip. "It's kind of you to say so but I feel that most of them are just indulging me."

Mitsuru-san sighed. "It's unfortunate but it happens a lot with young women. But keep at it, and they'll eventually grow to respect you as an individual. Not merely as an extension of your father."

Haru could only nod. "And what of your own associates?"

Mitsuru-san sighed. "It's… difficult. It's been nearly a year since Amamiya's original sentence. Hopefully we'll have a name to the woman who testified against Amamiya soon."

Haru clasped her hands together. "Oh, I hope so!"

"Though there are other variables to consider," Mitsuru-san mused, stroking her chin. "Like the possibility of there being more than one woman having the same name. Our work's only just begun."

Haru nodded in determination. "Yes, we owe so much to Ren-kun."

"Yes…" Mitsuru-san's eyes suddenly grew distant. "I only regret that Amamiya had to step up in the beginning."

Haru blinked. Ken had alluded to this before. Mitsuru-san often felt terribly guilty about involving others in Shadow work, despite her friends telling her again and again that it wasn't just her burden to bear.

"Um… Mitsuru-san, if I may?" she said.

"Hmm?"

Haru took a deep breath, trying to gather the words.

"I know things haven't always been easy," she said quietly. "I lost my father, truly. In the past few years, he had pulled away further and further. I had hoped that one day… Father and I would've been able to… come together again, after he atoned for his crimes. But before I had just done what I was told. I wasn't allowed to have dreams of my own. I wasn't allowed to know what I wanted."

"Okumura…" Mitsuru-san said softly.

"But things changed when I became Noir. Even though Mementos and Palaces are still gone, Noir is still a part of me. So despite the pain and grief we have endured, I don't think that any of us regret it." Haru just bit her lip. "I know this incident has caused you no small amount of grief too. But… becoming a Phantom Thief has truly opened my eyes. So I will never regret it."

"Heh." Mitsuru-san smiled at Haru. She looked… impressed with Haru. "I suppose you're right. I do wish that I could've handled Shido myself but… you're right. This kind of journey can be extremely important to one's own self-growth. You've grown quite a bit in just a couple of months."

Haru's cheeks burned at her sincere compliment. "I-I just spoke from the heart."

"And I'm grateful for that." Mitsuru-san shook her head. "I do my best to try and do things on my own, often to my own detriment. Yukari and Minako often chide me or it. But you and everyone else, you've come into your own."

Haru just bowed her head. "T-Thank you, Mitsuru-san."

Mitsuru-san chuckled. "Don't be so modest, Okumura. But now then, shall we return to our work?"

Haru nodded furiously. "Yes!"

Friday, January 6th, 2017

Ryuji always hated coming from school after winter break. It was always harder to pull himself out of bed after getting to sleep in. But Ryuji really didn't want to drag himself to school, knowing how everyone who didn't actually know Ren would be shit-talking him. All the teachers got word about how Ren "broke probation" and was arrested. A load of crap.

He hated it. Hated that people would talk shit about his best friend when he saved everyone's asses.

But weirdly enough, there was talk about Ren and it wasn't super negative. Even with that, Ryuji was glad when the school day finally ended. He jumped to his feet, shoving his belongings in his bag. He already had plans to meet up with Mishima, to talk things out on how they wanted to handle their part—

"Sakamoto!"

Ryuji jumped, turning around. "Whataya want, Sato?"

Kaori Sato, great… he didn't have time to deal with her.

Sato pursed her lips before placing a hand on her hip. "Don't be like that, Sakamoto. I just wanted to talk."

"'Bout what?" Ryuji said bluntly.

Sato sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "About Amamiya."

Ryuji scowled, folding his arms across his chest. "Look, if you're gonna talk shit about Ren, I don't wanna hear it."

Sato frowned at him.

"Must you always jump to the worst conclusion?" She then breathed out a sigh, wrapping an arm around herself. "Though, I guess it's a little warranted…"

Ryuji huffed. They were in the same class and all, but Ryuji didn't know much about her. The biggest thing he knew about her was that she was one of the few members of the newspaper club.

"Look, Sakamoto—" Sato sighed. "I don't… agree with Amamiya's original sentence. You may not realize it, but he actually is someone I consider a friend. And word on the grapevine is that Amamiya's closest friends, like you and Takamaki, are looking to try and overturn the sentence."

Ryuji just looked at her blankly. "Wait, where'd you hear that?"

Sato replied while holding up her phone, "It's all over the Phan-Site. 'The Phantom Thieves may be retired but we can still honor their example by helping those in need. For example, this poor student was framed for a crime he didn't commit. Let's help him out! And submit other cases too we can help in the future, do what you can to help the little guy who can't help themselves, just like the heroes of justice! Take your heart!' I assume this is Mishima's doing?"

"Jeez, Mishima… did ya have to lay it on that thick? But it kinda made sense. He and Futaba were talking about other ways they could get the word out even more beyond Mishima's petition, yesterday… so this is what they had in mind..." Ryuji thought and nodded to her.

"And I've been asking around today already—"

"Oh great, that'll help," Ryuji muttered.

"Will you hush and listen?" Sato glowered at him. "L-Look, I know that some people misjudged Amamiya—"

"Some?" Ryuji quirked a brow.

"—but the fact is that Amamiya was one of the first people, alongside yourself, to stand up to Kamoshida, and not long after the Phantom Thieves changed his heart. So, in a way, you two helped get the ball rolling and inspired them, I'm sure," Sato pressed forward, with a strange expression.

Ryuji blinked, not sure what she was getting at. "Didn't think about it that way."

"The school is grateful truly that Kamoshida was exposed, we would have you both to thank for being the first to stand up to him and inspire the Thieves to stop him." She gave him a small smile and a… weird twinkle in her eyes.

Ryuji just nodded, still not sure what she was getting at.

"I know that buying into the rumors wasn't… kind," Sato said carefully. "But more people at Shujin are more willing to help than you think. More and more people slowly realized they were wrong about him. Just like I did. And for what it's worth… I am sorry what Kamoshida did to you. He shouldn't have shattered your dream like that."

Ryuji shrugged. "I've still got a future, don't I? Still gotta sort that out, but first—gotta bust out RenRen."

Sato just chuckled. "Well… Amamiya certainly has some loyal friends. I'm going to spend a few more days, gathering info but… I'll talk to you soon."

"Uh… see you around, Sato."

She waved at him before heading off. Ryuji took a moment to stare at where she was standing before. Damn, that was unexpected. He then shook his head. He had to focus. Mishima was waiting on him anyways. And he needed to confront that knucklehead for making them sound like it was some superhero children's anime in that thread. Really? Take your heart?

Ryuji couldn't help but cringe thinking about it.

Sunday, January 8th, 2017

"They've tracked down the woman who was there that night."

Makoto nodded before sighing, folding her arms over her chest. "But that's not the end of it. She's been reluctant to testify the truth."

"I'm not surprised." Sae shook her head. "She was under oath to testify truthfully during the original trial, and this would be admitting that she committed perjury in the first place. You can face a minimum of three months jail time. The maximum punishment is ten years of jail, I believe. It's certainly won't be easy to convince her to come forward."

Makoto couldn't help but feel intrigued, listening to Sae discuss this. When Sae first entered law school, Makoto hadn't been interested since she was still in elementary school then.

"Though wouldn't she get a lighter sentence since Shido strongarmed her into it?" Makoto asked.

"Mm, I suppose," Sae allowed before she pursed her lips together. "Perjury is a difficult crime to properly pin on someone, so I'm not incredibly familiar with the proceedings with that type of case."

Makoto chewed on her bottom lip. "I see…"

Makoto couldn't help but wonder if Ren had even crossed the woman's mind after the trial. She was a victim too, so Makoto couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Shido had forced her to lie in order to save his own sorry hide. Not to mention… he was sexually assaulting her, according to Ren. She had to be forced to protect the man who tried to force himself on her to punish the boy who was coming to her aid. It was just too wrong.

"Ohya-san is going to keep trying, though," Makoto stated. "Ren always said she's like a bloodhound once she's caught a whiff of a lead."

Sae nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. We can only hope that she will help us."

"She would be a crucial witness for our case," Makoto sighed out. "But still, we can't force her."

Sae was quiet for a moment, folding her hands together on top of the dining table. She was quiet, seemingly mulling over something.

"Do you recall how Ren-kun had to convince me to help him?" she finally said. "That he reminded me of my justice?"

Makoto glanced at her sister and nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"I believe that this woman needs to reminded of this, that she did wrong Ren-kun. Yes, she is a victim—but he was still responding to her cries for help. I can't imagine sleeping well at night if I was in her position, so hopefully she does feel guilty about it and is willing to help," Sae stated. "Of course, there's still much to be done. Perhaps she will change her mind when our case gains more traction."

Makoto bit her lip. "I hope so. It would be huge if we could get her testimony. Especially since…"

She trailed off, shaking her head. No, that was unfair. Makoto wasn't blind. She knew that Akechi still meant something to Sae. Even if… it made Makoto uneasy to think about.

"Especially since…?"

"I-It's not important," Makoto quickly lied, ducking her head.

"Makoto…" Sae looked at her, eyebrows raised.

Makoto bit her lip, chewing on it. "I was just thinking… it would be so much easier if we had managed to stop Akechi from running away after we fought him is all."

"I understand..." Sae's voice had grown small.

Makoto's stomach twisted itself into knots. She knew that the topic of Akechi was still complicated when it came to Sae. She felt it was more complicated than Ken's feelings, with how they were partners and yet…

"Makoto… it's…" Sae sighed. "I didn't know how to bring this up."

"Bring what up?" Makoto asked.

Sae sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair. "I saw him that night. The night you eliminated Mementos."

Makoto flinched. "You did? But you…?"

Sae ducked her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it from you."

"What happened?" Makoto asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

Makoto dropped her hands in her lap, her fingers clenching around the hem of her skirt. She didn't need to be jealous. They were still rebuilding their relationship. It shouldn't matter that Sae still, in a complicated matter, cared for Akechi.

She just… wished her heart would listen to the logic.

"It happened so quickly." Sae sighed. "I was attacked by the Shadows—"

"What?!" Makoto gasped out.

Sae took a moment to put a hand on Makoto's shoulder. "I'm fine. Don't worry. But Akechi—he… he saved me."

"Oh…"

It was the only thing Makoto could think of saying. She couldn't process the thought really. The perpetrator to all the mental shutdowns, who killed Haru and Futaba's family without a second thought… just saved her sister.

"I don't know why he did. He… didn't have faith that you would win either."

Makoto huffed. Of course he wouldn't. He had no faith in people's strength. Sometimes, Makoto still really struggled wrapping her mind that Akechi was related to Ken. There were so many things about Akechi that irritated her so. Sometimes it was just so unbearable to just hear him talk.

But… he did save Sae, as surprising as that was.

"He left afterwards." Sae's brow furrowed. "I just—I can't help but wonder his motivations. Logically, he could've used the chaos to flee. I think, afterwards, he did. I haven't been able to track him down."

Makoto frowned. Sae had a point. What was Akechi's reasoning? It… defied all of his past behavior. Makoto could only think of one reason.

"He was worried about you."

Sae's expression grew conflicted. "Maybe… there is still hope for him. Maybe we've been looking at it wrong. The only reason I thought to ask Ren-kun to turn himself in was because I didn't know if we could find Akechi in time."

But Makoto couldn't help but doubt it. He'd have to actually feel guilty about what he's done.

"Sis, he's probably left the country," Makoto interjected. "That's the logical thing to do, after all. He has a better chance of survival of starting over… anywhere but here."

Sae's expression fell. "Well… we did discuss this possibility in the past. You're probably right."

If Futaba lost track of Akechi, she had doubts that he could be found. He must have ditched the phone that she bugged, that or the phone's batteries was dead. But more than likely he ditched it and was using a burner or something.

But something had been nagging Makoto for a while. And since her sister was willing to divulge something with her, she supposed it was fair she do the same. Besides... it might be nice to finally get this off her chest. She hated how ambivalent she felt about Sae still caring about Akechi.

Makoto sighed heavily. "I was always jealous of him."

"You were jealous of Akechi?" Sae looked at her, bewildered.

"Too many times you said you wouldn't be coming home because you were working with him or because you wanted to take him to dinner because he hadn't eaten all day." Makoto sighed. "I know it's petty but, it really felt that you preferred his company to mine."

Sae was quiet for a moment, her hands folded in front of her. "I know that I haven't treated you the best since Dad died. But I love you. I've loved you since the moment Dad put you in my arms. I'm sorry that I made you feel this way. I really am. But I loved you since the day you were born and I'm not going to stop."

Makoto felt her eyes well up in tears.

"Sis, I had no idea…"

"I think I forgot it myself," Sae admitted, giving her a sad smile. "But… I'm here for you, I promise. And if the chance presents itself, I would try to convince Akechi to do the right thing. I'm done with closing my eyes to the right thing."

Makoto frowned. If the chance presented itself? Sae may be earnest in it but Makoto doubted that Akechi would listen to anyone at this point.

Sunday, January 15th, 2017

"This is for Ren, this is for Ren," Futaba chanted under her breath as she wove throughout the crowd in Shibuya.

Crowds still made her a little nervous. But she was determined to conquer this.

Makoto had told her that Mishima was trying to get more signatures for a petition and suggested helping him out. It was a little annoying that she couldn't do her usual thing with digging up info but they had to do this the right way. She didn't know why this was being pushed either, her other idea was still fantastic! The Phan-Site would have way more reach than some silly petition. She suggested using the Phan-Site in the first place to Mishima simply because he said his petition wasn't doing so successfully. But Makoto pushed her to help him. Saying they need every advantage they could.

Unfortunately, Mishima wasn't having much luck, getting people's attention.

"Nishima!" she called out, darting towards him.

Mishima turned, his shoulders slumped. "Hi…"

Futaba bit her lip. "Tough crowd?"

"That's putting it lightly." Mishima sighed out. "I want to help Amamiya but… am I even making a difference? I can hardly get people to look at my petition."

Futaba stole a look. There were maybe twenty signatures on the petition.

"You got some," Futaba hedged out.

Mishima smiled half-heartedly. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Give me a second, will you?" Futaba huffed. "I'm not good at encouraging people like Ren. Look, it's kinda like… grinding it out! Like a Magikoi in Pusemon! You gotta keep grinding it out, you can't give up!"

"But—"

Futaba grabbed his arm, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. At least he wasn't a stupidly tall jerk like some people she knew.

"You sure made a difference, rallying everyone to cheer us on. You poured your heart and soul into supporting us, you rallied everyone to cheer us on. That's what tipped the scales for us."

Mishima's cheeks flushed and his eyes widened. "R-Really?"

"Really. It was… kinda cool," Futaba finished with an embarrassed blush.

Mishima's smile lit up his face. "T-Thanks, Futaba. Maybe there's some kind of other approach—"

"Need a hand?"

"Oh! Yukari-san!" Futaba grinned, waving wildly.

Yukari-san waved as well, but only for a moment. Her twins were with her so she grabbed onto their hands; probably so they wouldn't run off into the crowd.

"Y-Yu—" Mishima openly gaped at her. "YUKARI TAKEBA?! You're here?! You wanna help?!"

"She's like Ken's big sister," Futaba grinned. "She may have just retired but she probably has the clout to help us out here!"

"You have a cloud, Mommy?!" Kaito gasped. "Like Wukong in Phoenixball?!"

"Not quite…" Yukari-san winced. "But anyways, you want to help Uncle Ken's friend, right?"

"The one who got stuck in jail?" Miyuki asked.

"Wait-wait-wait, are we just breezing past that Amada-senpai is like Yukari Takeba's little brother!" Mishima squeaked out.

Miyuki stomped her foot. "Hey, Mister! I know Mommy's super cool and all but don't be a weirdo like all the guys who wanna date her!"

Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to date Mommy?"

"N-No!" Mishima exclaimed. "I-I mean, she's really pretty but—!"

Futaba poked him in the ribs, making him jump. "Not helping your case, Nishima."

"Why do you keep calling me that? You know that's not my name still, right?" Mishima frowned at her.

Futaba just snickered, "It's your nickname now! Just be grateful you aren't Inari."

Mishima blinked in confusion, "Wait, Inari? What—?"

"Plus, I don't nickname just anyone, y'know!" Futaba added with a grin. "You should feel special!"

"But anyways—!" Yukari-san interrupted loudly, only to flash a quick wink. "Here, watch this."

She then raised her voice, calling out to a passing stranger.

"Oh, aren't you—?"

"Yes, I'm Yukari Takeba." Yukari-san smiled brightly at them. "But actually, I wanted to talk to you about something. You see, there's someone I'd like to help. He was wrongfully accused of a crime."

"Oh—that's terrible!"

"I was wondering if you could help—" Yukari-san suddenly pulled Mishima close to her by the arm and Mishima gave a feeble wave. "—sign a petition. He deserves a second chance and I think your voice could help give the case more attention."

The stranger easily agreed and after signing the petition, she spoke with Yukari-san. She even gave the stranger an autograph.

"Holy crap… you're so cool, Yukari-san!" Futaba squeaked out.

Yukari-san waved a hand. "Oh, it was nothing. That was a brief summary. I bet you'll do better, since you knowRen-kun."

"I-I dunno…"

Yukari-san winked. "Come on, Miyuki and Kaito can help you get some attention too! And I'll help you out if you get nervous. What do you say, um—"

"Mishima," Mishima said in a daze.

Yukari-san smiled. "Mishima-kun, got it. You just got to be more confident with yourself. I could hear you earlier, you know. You need to speak with conviction. That'll make people stop and listen."

Conviction…

"I know that Ren-kun is a good friend to you both," she continued. "Let that speak to people."

She spoke so confidently. Futaba would probably have to take years before she got to that level.

But she had to try. Anything to get Ren out of there.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

"So, your plan is to get testimonies to try and poke holes into Ren's court case?"

Ohya-san nodded. "Yep! I'll admit the lady who Shido forced to testify against Ren has still been really… reluctant to say anything."

Ken stared at the table. Of course, Makoto had told him about some of Niijima-san's theories on why she was so reluctant to come out with the truth. It was understandable and Ken couldn't help but pity her. But at the same time, it was really frustrating.

"But in the meantime, this will help bolster Ren's case." Ohya-san took a sip of her drink. "There has to be some kind of discrepancy, something we can use to prove that the case needs to reexamined."

Ken frowned. "You might have a difficult time going to Ren's hometown, though. He told me and our friends that nobody believed in his story."

"I don't believe that," she said bluntly, eyes narrowed. "There might be people who just kept their heads down. They could've been browbeat into staying silent. I really find it hard to believe that the entire town's opinion on Ren was a monolith."

Ken's eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't even think about that."

Ohya-san nodded. "Yeah, it's just… I was in a similar situation. My boss tried to beat me into submission too."

Ken could only nod, schooling his features into one of shock—technically he wasn't supposed to know about that, after all.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah…" Ohya-san then looked back to Ken. "But that's why I need to chip in. Ren's done plenty to help me. He reminded me why I became a journalist in the first place."

Despite their work, Ken couldn't help but feel curious. "So, why did you?"

"I wanted to unveil the truth," Ohya-san said simply. "But with all the cover-ups and shit… I lost heart. I thought 'why bother'? But Ren… he reminded me why I cared so much to begin with. And if I don't try to show the truth, who will?"

Unveil the truth…

Ken could respect that drive. He couldn't help but think of all the situations where the police were paid off to turn the other way. Ohya-san's dedication to this was truly admirable.

And seeing Ohya-san's eyes shine and fill with passion, Ken couldn't help but want to hear more.

Ohya-san then let out an embarrassed laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. "Look at me, yammering on like that! And I bet you have entrance exams to worry about too!"

"A-Ah, I suppose," Ken said sheepishly. "Honestly, it's slipped my mind a lot."

Ohya-san clicked her tongue. "You've gotta think about yourself too, you know. Lala-chan's always harping after me to take care of myself, so you've gotta too."

"W-Well, I think I do an okay job—"

"You do a shit job sometimes," Shinjiro-san interjected, not even looking up from wiping a glass.

Ken glowered at his guardian before snapping out, "Nobody asked you!"

"And nobody asks you to be a smartass but you're one anyways," Shinjiro-san retorted coolly.

Ohya-san just threw her head back and laughed. "Pffft, like you can talk, Aragaki."

"Feh."

"But anyways, I plan on going tomorrow," Ohya-san stated. "Do you know anyone who might be able to provide testimony?"

Ken shook his head. "Like I said, Ren was so sure that his entire hometown had turned their backs on him."

Ohya-san sighed. "Figures. Ah, well, it's never easy, the life of a journalist. Wish me best of luck."

Ken sighed. "I wish I could come. I must admit I'm… curious to see how you operate."

Ohya-san laughed. "Aww, thanks, kid."

Shinjiro-san raised an eyebrow. "Why suddenly so curious 'bout this, Ken?"

Ken felt flustered. "W-Well, it sounds interesting! And Ohya-san poses a lot of good points."

"Hmmm…" Shinjiro-san then looked over to Ohya-san. "Ohya, do you mind waiting till the weekend? I don't mind Ken going with you if it's the weekend."

Ohya-san blinked before tilting her head. "Hmmm… I guess it wouldn't hurt. Maybe I can try and dig into more about the case till then. Might be better in the long run so my boss doesn't bust my chops about skipping an entire day of work either."

Shinjiro-san sighed heavily. "The moment I feel a smidge of respect for you and then you completely wipe it away."

"Hey!"

Saturday, January 28th, 2017

It was Yusuke's birthday today.

He had woken up to several birthday messages from his friends. They had wanted to throw a small celebration, as was their tradition now, but Yusuke told them they ought to wait until Ren was free. They were slowly making more progress.

Ohya-san had managed to convince the woman to testify about the truth that night Ren was arrested. They were getting closer.

But something Yusuke still had trouble wrapping his mind around, was how many people were willing to step up. It wasn't just the people Ren had befriended and aided over the past several months.

But… the victims of the Palace rulers.

Some students from Shujin academy; victims from Kamoshida as well as Kaneshiro. A few former employees of Okumura. And… a couple of Madarame's former students, Yusuke's predecessors. Mishima's Phan-Site post actually did garner some attention.

Yusuke was shocked when Nakanohara had approached him about this. But… the aid was unexpected, not unwelcomed. And to add it all, Mitsuru-san had promised to helping Madarame's former students financially wise.

As he rode the train to school, he noticed what the TV was airing. It was Rise-san, giving an interview. She had promised to speak up about Ren as much as she could.

And she wasn't the only one either. Yukari-san also used her connections, retired actress or not.

It wasn't long until Yusuke's train pulled to the stop closest to Kosei. As he approached the gate, however, he heard a voice call to him.

"Good morning, Kitagawa-kun!"

He turned to see Togo-san hurrying over to him.

"Good morning to you as well, Togo-san," he greeted her.

She smiled, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. "I, ah… I heard that the woman who helped implicate Amamiya-kun had agreed to come forward with the truth."

Oh… that was right. Anne did tell him Mishima was trying to keep his post about Ren's situation updated on the Phan-Site.

Yusuke nodded. "Yes… a friend of mine has an older sister who is a lawyer, she had offered her legal counsel to try and mitigate the punishment, with Shido forcing her hand. And there is a journalist that Ren knows that reminded the woman in question of how Ren's life has… panned out since the trial."

Togo-san winced in sympathy. "I can't help but sympathize with her. But I'm glad to hear that this will help the case a lot."

Yusuke nodded. "Yes, I'm glad to hear it. I'm just grateful that so many people care about Ren to see this undone."

He couldn't help but think of everything Ren's done to help him over the past several months. It wasn't just him either. There were so many lives he had affected on a personal level.

Hifumi bit her lip. "Yes… I think Amamiya-kun may not be completely aware of how much of an effect he's had on people."

That, Yusuke could relate to. He still remembered all the days Ren had spent trying to help him understand what was missing. Why he had lost his spark.

"I just… I wish there was something I can do," she lamented.

Yusuke frowned. "Well… you still have your fans, do you not?"

Togo-san winced, her lips twisting into a grimace. "Yes, but… my reputation has sunk since my last match. My mother helped rig the matches. I intend on rebuilding my reputation but I know I have a long way to go."

"But surely, the press must be interested in hearing your side as well regarding that situation, yes?" Yusuke asked.

Togo-san chewed on her bottom lip; Yusuke couldn't help but feel distracted by it. It was such an unhealthy habit to do so.

"I… I've been approached by a couple of reporters," she admitted. "Do you think people will want to watch it?"

"I don't see why not. Use it to tell your side of the story," Yusuke suggested. "And you can talk about Ren as well, what he did to help you."

Togo-san's eyes widened. "Oh! That might just work."

She then smiled, it lighting up her face.

"Thank you, Kitagawa-kun. You've given me a lot to think about."

Yusuke just bowed his head. "Of course. I'm glad to be of help."

Togo-san let out a small hum. "I really appreciate it!"

She then bade him farewell. Yusuke was about to walk towards the school building when his phone suddenly buzzed.

Group Chat: The REAL Phantom Thieves of Heart

[Ryuji]: soooo we've been thinkin' bout it

[Futaba]: and we're denying your request to wait to celebrate your birthday!

[Anne]: It's not fair, especially since we celebrated practically everyone's!

[Haru]: so we've reserved dinner for you, Yusuke-kun!

[Ken]: a smaller celebration but we still want to celebrate your birthday with you

[Makoto]: especially since… we assume you haven't had a lot of happy birthdays in the past.

[Yusuke]: But we need to focus on working on helping Ren

[Ryuji]: bruh, RenRen is so big on birthdays.

[Ryuji]: Taking a few hours off won't kill ya!

[Futaba]: it ain't often that Ryuji is rite y'know

[Ryuji]: Hey!

[Ken]: okay settle down

[Ken]: either way we already got you presents. You deserve to celebrate your birthday, Yusuke

[Yusuke]: I… suppose you are determined to do this

[Makoto]: of course we are

Yusuke sighed, shaking his head. Those friends of his… they were quite stubborn and tenacious when they wanted to be.

[Anne]: Plusss just imagine it as a celebration for Makoto Haru and Ken~

[Yusuke]: It's been nearly 2 weeks since they've gone through the exams

[Ken]: sometimes when I close my eyes, I can still see the questions.

[Ryuji]: you're really not making me confident about next year

[Makoto]: It was certainly grueling.

[Futaba]: no energy to even smooch, huh?

[Ken]: FUTABA

[Ken]: we've been BUSY

[Haru]: Anyhow, this is Yusuke-kun's birthday, so we need to celebrate!

[Haru]: we've taken care of everything so just meet us at this address at 6:30 pm!

[Ryuji]: you have some money for the train, right?

[Yusuke]: I believe so?

[Ryuji]: I'll grab him after school. We can't let all this planning go to waste! He might be short again!

Yusuke couldn't help but smile. Despite how rowdy his friends could get; he knew he was blessed to have them. And he wouldn't have them, if it wasn't for Ren.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure if he would be standing here today if it wasn't for Ren.

He would celebrate with his friends now but tomorrow; it would be back to work.

Monday, January 30th, 2017

Some people might've called it a boneheaded move, but Goro couldn't stay away.

It's been nine years since Mom had died. His entire motivation had been to avenge her. But now he didn't know what to do. For so long he had been so driven to make Shido regret things, but even as the man awaited his trial, Goro found himself not caring.

What could he even do with himself?

As he knelt in front of her grave and prayed, Goro couldn't help but plea: Give me guidance, Mom.

Was this to be his life? To be set adrift until he finally died? And even then, Amamiya was on the edge of his mind. He had heard of the movement to try and free him. It grated at him to know that he had so many friends still but

there was something gnawing at him, knowing that Amamiya had turned himself in to make sure that Shido went

to jail.

The way Shido had broken down, pleading and begging for forgiveness just made Goro feel conflicted. He had

wanted to see Shido grovel, regret what he had done to Goro and Mom for so long but this… it wasn't by his

hands that the man would pay for what he did.

But now he just felt empty.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Goro flinched at the familiar voice. But he didn't move a centimeter.

He heard an all too familiar sigh. Goro bit the inside of his cheek before pitching his voice low.

"I believe you are mistaken—"

"Akechi-kun, I know it's you."

Goro hunched his shoulders, using his peripheral vision to see if he could make a break from it.

"Akechi-kun… please. Can you look at me?"

Goro clenched his fists. "H-How did you…?"

"You always visit your mother on the day she died. You bring her a taro bun since that's her favorite dessert flavor

and you bring her red camellias always." Sae-san spoke almost matter-of-factly. Then she let out an exasperated

sigh. "You know, if you want to throw me off your trail, perhaps you should've deviated from your usual habits."

He had mentioned it to her… once. Once.

Goro gritted his teeth before slowly facing Sae-san.

"Sae-san."

Sae-san raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile. "Akechi-kun… I see you got a haircut. And I'm flattered you like the sunglasses I bought for your birthday"

He ignored that comment. "What are you doing here?"

"To find you, of course." Sae-san then pursed her lips, seemingly pondering on what to say. "Many of our…

common associates assumed that you left the country."

Goro stiffened. "Why does it matter? Whether I'm here or the other side of the world, it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me because… I've been thinking on it. Ever since you left my apartment, your actions have been quite illogical."

Goro pursed his lips. "I don't follow what you mean, Sae-san."

Sae-san just shrugged before spreading her hands in front of her. "Logically, you should've used the chaos with Mementos merging with the real world to put as much distance as possible from you and Tokyo. Even right after, you didn't leave the country. And… you saved me."

Goro frowned. It was only natural for him to investigate. Why shouldn't he check the area? He had to know as much information as he could gather… It just so happened that he had found Sae-san in that position. It didn't matter that it was a relief that he had killed the Shadow all too easily.

"You saved my life before earlier; I was simply returning the favor." Goro deflected, shaking his head before adding bitterly, "Besides, how could I even leave? You're acting as if I didn't even try after I saved you. There simply was no way out. Not until… well I imagine it was the Thieves doing that everything went back to normal."

"Hmm… I see." Sae-san tilted her head, eyebrow raised and sounding unconvinced.

Goro had to fight the urge to squirm under her gaze. Why did it feel like she was looking right through him?

And why did she have to look at him like that? There really was no way out of there. He did try, no matter how

far he traveled it was a hellscape. Eventually he gave up trying to escape and waiting to see how things played

out before he continued.

"And why does it matter?" Goro muttered, to try and deflect her attention. "Shouldn't you be more occupied with your little crusade?"

"Regarding Ren-kun?"

Goro's stomach twisted, hearing Amamiya's given name pass her lips… that hint of familiarity, it almost as if… she regarded him as a friend. That clown had actually endeared himself to her in such a short time? It was ludicrous.

Sae-san folded her arms over her chest. "I'm surprised you know about it."

Goro snorted, just barely stifling the urge to roll his eyes. "It's hard not to know when you involve celebrities. And Takeba is only involved because of Ken."

Sae-san sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe it's a little of that. But Takeba-san also cares because it's wrong. Wrong for Ren-kun to be stuck in jail when he did nothing wrong."

"He could've walked away," Goro muttered.

Sae-san then met his eyes. "That was never a possibility for him."

Goro scowled. "I'm not interested in this 'moving' story or whatever. If we're just going to talk about Amamiya, I'm leaving."

He had enough trouble with Ken yammering on with those lectures of his. He wasn't interested in hearing it from Sae-san as well.

But then Sae-san regarded him with sad eyes. Goro looked away. He didn't want to look at her and see pity in her eyes. Before the Phantom Thieves—no, Amamiya—changed her heart, she never would've been so open with her feelings.

"Akechi-kun, I just want to know," she said quietly. "Did our relationship mean anything to you? Ever?"

"We were partners, weren't we?" Goro shrugged. "It was a mutually beneficial relationship."

Sae-san frowned at that. "So was it a lie, then? That you only wished to bring people to justice, especially those who tried to skirt the law?"

That… bothered him. More than he cared to admit, but that tinge of pain in her voice, it didn't sit well in his stomach to leave her thinking that. Yes, it was a partnership. It was business… but he did respect her, that was never a lie.

Goro grimaced. "I was talking about Shido."

"Your father."

Goro scowled. "So, you know about that…"

Sae-san just smiled wryly. "Well, you did go to Amada-kun about that first. And he is my little sister's boyfriend."

"I guess they really trust you now." Goro couldn't stop a sour expression from creeping onto his face.

"That's because I recognized that how I behaved, dragging people down for my own selfish reasons was wrong," Sae-san stated. "I wanted to atone for everything. Our goals do not differentiate as much as you think, Akechi-kun. Everything we had worked for, our 'crusade' as you put it—it's to right the first wrong Shido inflicted on Ren-kun."

"What about how he wronged other people?"

"Like yourself?" Sae-san raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on her hip.

"Not just me…" Goro gestured to his grave. "My mother bled herself dry, trying to take care of me. She took on a job she loathed, working herself to the bone. All of that could've been prevented if that piece of shit had just…"

"Akechi-kun…" Sae-san's voice grew soft. "I know you're angry. But—"

"Nobody would understand." Goro huffed. "But I know there's no turning back from the path I chose."

"That's not true." Sae-san reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Akechi-kun. Ama—someone... recently told me that if you're willing to change, it's not too late."

Goro rolled his eyes. "It sounds like something Ken would blather on about."

Sae-san sighed. "Did you even hear what I have to say? Do you even… regret what you did? To any of the people you killed? What about… Futaba Sakura?"

Goro fought a wince, not that she could see it with the sunglasses.

"What about her?"

"I put the Sakuras through a lot of grief, and I've been doing my best to make it up to them. But that… Akechi-kun, don't you feel an ounce of guilt? That girl… her situation is no different than yours was. A child out of wedlock. A mother's death that was ruled suicide. Passed around from home to home, completely unwanted. But that death wasn't a suicide. You… Akechi-kun… don't you see what you've done? At the very least, if nothing else, do you not feel an ounce of remorse for that girl?" Sae-san pleaded with a mix of pity and disappointment.

Goro just stayed quiet as his gaze drifted back to his mother's grave. For a moment, his mind veered to Wakaba Ishiki. Did Sakura still visit her?

Did… did she hate the world once, as much as he still does?

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Sae-san insisted. "Akechi-kun… if you regret what you did, you can still atone. You can't run away from your actions."

Goro stared at her. He couldn't help but think of something Mom had told him so long ago, a memory he long buried.

"Goro!"

Goro looked up at the sound of Mom's voice. "Um… hi, Mom."

Mom opened her mouth but then Goro's principal coughed.

"Thank you for coming, Himura-san," he stated, clasping his hands behind his back. "Especially with your busy schedule."

Mom flinched. "W-Well… I'm not scheduled to work right now. But I'm sorry that we had to meet through this kind of circumstance."

The principal nodded curtly. "Yes, it was quite unfortunate. Himura-kun here decided to disrupt recess due to him picking a fight. With a girl, no less! The school nurse has informed me that it's likely that she's sprained her wrist."

"But she—!" Goro tried to interject, anger flaring inside of him.

"Goro, please," Mom said quietly.

Goro bit his lip, looking down.

"I'm so sorry for this, Principal Hirai," Mom said, lowering her head. "I know I've raised Goro better than this."

"I would hope so." The principal sniffed. "Himura-kun's actions reflect on the school as a whole. They reflect on you. And purposely injuring someone is not something to be taken lightly. I've decided that Himura-kun will be suspended for the remaining of the week."

Goro wanted to shout that it wasn't fair, that he never got to tell his side of the story. But he remained in his chair, his hands clenching around his kneecaps. He had to keep his mouth shut. He didn't want the principal to accuse his mom of raising him horribly, like what his teacher implied when he jumped in after he had pushed Asuka.

"I understand," Mom said softly. "I will make sure that Goro understands how he's wronged his classmate."

"Please do. We wouldn't want Himura-kun to be steered in the wrong direction, would we?"

"No, sir," Mom sighed.

Mom had to leave to go sign some paperwork but she was back soon enough. She gave him a tired look.

"Come on, Goro. Let's go."

She then took his hand, leading the way out of the office.

Mom was quiet the entire trek back to their apartment. But Goro wasn't fooled. Her stony expression gave it all away. She was upset and disappointed that Goro got into trouble.

"Mom, I…" Goro began.

Mom sighed, crouching in front of him. "Goro before you try to apologize, I want to know your side of the story. I know that I've raised you better than this… but I assume you have a good reason for all of this, right?"

Goro bit his lip. "I-It's Asuka. She hates me for some reason! She's just so mean to me! During recess, she had come up to me. She took the toy you got me for my birthday and just… threw it to the ground. It broke and I… I got really, really mad at her. I gave her a shove and she landed funny and started crying."

Mom had saved and saved for that toy. She couldn't afford new toys that often. Most of the toys Goro had growing up were tattered and old, hand-me-downs from neighbors' kids who didn't want them anymore.

But this had been different. Mom had given it to him for his birthday.

Goro dreamed of the day he was old enough to get a job. He would earn enough money so Mom would never ever have to worry about money again.

Mom sighed. "Goro, I… I understand that you're upset. And it wasn't nice of Asuka to take your toy and break it."

Goro smiled. She did get it! She was on his side!

"However, it's also not right to hurt her," Mom said gently.

"But Mom—"

"No buts, young man," Mom said, shaking her head and giving him a sad smile. "It doesn't make it okay to hurt her back because she's wronged you. Two wrongs don't make a right. You can't be cruel to people like that. You're better than that."

She punctuated her statement by kissing the top of his head.

Goro pouted for a moment. "Even if they're mean to you?"

"Even if they're mean to me." Mom then reached to stroke the top of his head.

"I'm sorry…" Goro mumbled out. "People are gonna be even more mean to you from now on, they're gonna call you a bad mom."

Mom sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, Goro, it's just a toy. When I was little I would—"

She then cut herself off, biting her lip.

"Um, it's not important. But it's not about me, Goro. We don't hurt people, even if they themselves are mean and have no manners. And people will probably say even meaner things, that's true. But that's why they're called consequences. If you don't like the consequences then you must make better choices. But more importantly rise above the ones who wronged you. Don't stoop to their level or worse." Her eyes then softened. "But I'm really sorry about your toy, Goro. I'll do my best to save up to buy you a replacement. But I want you to promise to go apologize to Asuka when you must go back to school come Monday."

"Can I just let her push me back?" Goro whined out.

"No," she said firmly. "You need to apologize to her, no buts about it. You must admit that you were wrong to her, even if she won't take it with grace. It's about proving to yourself that you're the better person."

Goro nodded. "I will. A-And I'll make the principal take back what he said about me being a poor example of a student! I'll do whatever it takes to make you proud, Mom!"

But then Mom just laughed. "Oh, Goro. Don't you know I already am?"

"Huh?"

"I just want you to be happy, Goro. Nothing else matters." Mom then kissed him again. "You'll understand one day. Be better than me and don't run away from your mistakes."

Goro blinked before frowning.

What did Mom mean?

"Nothing else mattered…"

It had been so long that Goro had forgotten. He buried a lot of those memories, only hanging onto the ones he deemed important. The ones… the ones that would fuel his motivation. Trying to think of the other memories… it made his job harder. It was easier to leave it behind.

Mom had tried her damn hardest to make Goro happy, despite their circumstances.

And she always tried to teach him to forgive others. To be kind in a cruel world.

"But... revenge is not healthy for you. You need to let go of your anger. Yes, I doubt that Shido has an ounce of goodness in him. But think—would your mother want this for you? To be obsessed with avenging her?"

"Damn him…" Goro thought with a scowl.

Ken was right about his mother.

He had spent so long thinking that Mom would want nothing more to get revenge on Shido, for putting her through hell. After everything he had been through, watching Shido snivel for forgiveness meant nothing to him.

Where did this leave him?

"What can I even do then?" Goro said quietly.

Sae-san was quiet for a moment. "Before I had asked Ren-kun to turn himself in, my first thought was that you wouldn't be able to testify against Shido."

"So, you want me to testify against Shido?"

It was weirdly similar to how he wanted to enact revenge against Shido. But he wanted to laugh, it almost felt like a sick joke. She was basically asking him to help her save Amamiya.

"Do the right thing, Akechi-kun," she urged him. "Come forward with the truth. Bring everything to light."

"I…"

Goro bit his lip.

Truth? Right thing? Did she honestly forget who she was talking to? He was the one she had been hunting down for all this time. One of the conspirators and the perpetrator to the mental shutdowns. He had been lying to her. She clearly feared everything about their partnership was based on a lie. She should hate him, right?

"Why are you asking me this? You could have come here with cops and arrest me, save Amamiya without even needing my cooperation," he questioned quietly.

"I don't believe everything you presented to me was fake," Sae-san said. "I… I forgive you. For everything."

He whipped his head around and stared at her, he couldn't help but feel his breath hitch before he tried to calm down.

"You…"

Goro was at a loss for words.

"You are not a lost cause. You can start over. I believe you can, even if others don't… even if you don't. Yes, I could drag you in with cops, but I want to give you the chance to do this right. It will be better for not just the case, but for you. We're… friends, right?" Sae-san asked hesitantly.

Start over…

Ken never hesitated in calling him out. But with Sae-san… it was different.

Was there any hope for him? Goro couldn't help but feel skeptical about it. Maybe once, he had believed in heroes and justice, like how Feathermen Rangers presented things. Before life had robbed him of his mother and he had learned just how harsh life was. There was no such thing as second chances. Not for her, when she did nothing wrong.

Why would there be for him?

"My reputation will be in the mud," Goro stated. "Amamiya's testimony would be more than enough to convict Shido, you know."

"Is this any better?" Sae-san asked. "Hiding away, looking over your shoulder. This isn't about Ren-kun or Shido or anyone else. It's about what you must do. Do you want to keep lying to yourself? Is this really going to be your life?"

Lying to yourself…

Honestly, Goro didn't even know how much of himself was a lie or how much was a truth. But she was right that his current existence was an empty one.

"Ha… so everything I've done for the past two and a half years. It'll come to light, won't it?" Goro took in a shaky breath, pressing his hand against his forehead.

He could run right now; it would be easy. She was alone. Shove her, right into that tree next to them. The train station wasn't far and he had cash on him, he could easily get lost in the crowd, change his clothes. She wouldn't be able to stop him. Sae-san had obviously been waiting on this, running on a hunch that he would come and visit his mother on the anniversary of her death. She had no backup with her.

He could… but he was so tired. His mother's voice echoed in his mind again.

"Be better than me and don't run away from your mistakes."

He took in a deep breath; this isn't what she would want for him. He hated that. He wished she would be just as angry and bitter and spur him on to avenge her memory, take it out on them all… but that's not what she wanted ever for him.

Damn that Ken Amada… damn those Phantom Thieves… and damn Sae-san too.

He exhaled through his nose, the hot air clouding up his sunglasses for a second.

He… knew what he had to do.

"Fine, Sae-san. We'll do things your way. I'll testify against that piece of shit. I'll admit all of my wrongdoings, face whatever consequences the court sentences me to."

"Akechi-kun…" Sae-san sighed out.

He removed his sunglasses finally, to look her in the eyes. His only ally, no… his only friend.

"Don't feel sorry for me, Sae-san." Goro smiled wryly. "I deserve it… and more."

Sakura and Okumura's faces flashed in his mind. He never really thought about his victims until… meeting Sakura.

At the time he had pushed it away because… he had been convinced that it would be all worth it in the end. His mother, he can't even imagine what she would think. He pushed those thoughts out; he didn't want to face such thoughts. Now he had to.

But he's been running away for too long. It was time to face the music.

"Very well…" Sae-san said with a sad smile.

He nodded, but grabbed her shoulder as she was turning away to lead him out. Sae-san gave him a puzzled look as he stood there in silence for a few moments.

"Akechi-kun?"

"It wasn't a lie…" he managed to get out. He relaxed his shoulders and straightened his back. "At least… not all of it. I think… you were the closest thing I ever had to a friend. And that, that was never a façade. I did—no, I do respect you a lot Sae-san. I'm… I'm sorry it had to turn out like this. But please know, I am grateful for your companionship. That… that part at least was real."

Sae-san's eyes widened; her lips parted slightly in shock. Then she smiled sadly.

"Thank you, Akechi-kun. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Goro could only nod as he followed Sae-san out of the graveyard. But he couldn't help but flick a glance in the direction of Mom's grave.

"Mom… I'll see this through the end. I promise."

It's been a hot minute but I finally got the next chapter out! There was a lot of things that happened irl, including my laptop being out of commission for over 2 months. But my laptop has been repaired, so I could work on the chapter in earnest!

And I had a lot to cover. I wanted to touch on more of the fallout on Ren's sacrifice and his influences on his friends. I was always curious about how the PTs reacted to the news about Sae convincing Ren to turn himself in, especially Makoto as Sae's sister.

And… there's Ren's parents. I wanted to touch on a little on their pasts as well as their side of the story in regards to their estrangement with Ren. Also a little trivia-

Junto can mean "pure as water" and Yuri means "lily". Water + lily = waterlily or a lotus, aka the meaning of Ren's name haha. I wanted personality traits for Ren's parents that could explain some of his core traits. Junto being a quiet guy but is deeply caring for his family. And Yuri is charming and charismatic. She was definitely the sexy one in her idol group.

And… Akechi's arc has definitely been interesting to write. I wanted to write his arc differently, make him want to atone for his crimes, instead of his sacrifice. A couple of people speculated that Ken would be the one to do so, but it's best for Sae to do it. For the sake of their old partnership and to reiterate Sae's rekindled belief in justice.

And a BIG thank you to my wonderful beta, angelrin89! She really helped polish some of the scenes and even expanded on some of the scenes to make it flow better. Thank you again, your edits are always top notch but you really did amazing this time!

I've decided on 2 more chapters, covering the aftermath of Ren's release. There are a couple more plot points to take care of before I can close out the story with my planned epilogue.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I would love to hear what you thought!