Here is chapter 3. I hope you all enjoy. I don't own Persona, Atlus does.
Chapter 3: New School Life
"It's like it was never there…" Ryuji remarked, mouth agape as he and Ren arrived at the school building, without the giant castle taking its place this time.
"Yeah…" The black haired young man agreed with wide eyes. You couldn't blame him, considering the events that had transpired today. Even if he knew why.
"There you two are." A voice suddenly said, revealed to belong to a man who seemed to be in his fifties. He had glasses, wore a suit, and had brownish-black hair. "We received a call from the police."
"Who is this?" Ren whispered to Ryuji.
"A guidance counselor," the blond teen answered with a shrug. "Never talked with him before though, so I don't know his name. I can't believe those cops snitched on us, though."
"I can't say I'm not surprised," the Persona user sighed.
The counselor turned to Ryuji, a sharp expression on his face. "It's rare not to see you alone. Although, from what I told, you just met. Is there anything you have to say for yourself?"
"No, I don't." The blond answered with an uncaring shrug. It seemed he was used to being scolded.
"I see." His eyes narrowed at the blond's answer.
"What's this all about?" a familiar voice asked. Ren's blood went cold, as the source of that voice was none other than Kamoshida, the guy whose shadow had nearly killed them in the Metaverse, and who had seen the Persona user that morning. He wore a white t-shirt, sweatpants, and a whistle and a stopwatch around his neck. It was a sharp contrast from his Shadow.
'Shit! What the fuck is he doing here?! If he tells the counselor he saw me this morning, the lie falls apart!'
"Calm down, Ren. He might not recognize you. How many students do you think he sees a day?"
'Probably a lot, even if Shujin is a private school.' The black haired young man shook his head. 'You're right. I barely talked to him this morning. As long as I don't bring attention to myself, I should be fine.'
"Carefree as always, Sakamoto," the teacher continued. "Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team."
Ren turned to Ryuji, whose fist was clenched in anger. The blond was like a timebomb, ready to explode, and explode he did. "Shuddup! It's your fault that the track team's gone in the first place!"
"How dare you speak to Kamoshida-sensei like that!" the counselor boomed, causing the blond young man to flinch. The man sighed. "...There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"
"He's the one that provoked me!" He argued, eyes showing rage.
"Do you really want to be expelled!?" The counselor threatened. "In any case, you'll have to come to my office! Follow me!"
"What!? This is bullshit!" Ren was about to try to intervene, when someone else beat him to it.
"Come now. I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame." Kamoshida urged with a smile, surprising not only the black haired boy, but by the look of his face, Ryuji too.
"Well, if you say so…" the counselor gave in, before he turned back to the blond. "You'll still have to come with me. It's undeniable that you're still an hour late. At least your friend has an excuse."
"Yeah, I know…" Ryuji replied with a shrug.
"His friend?" The teacher asked the counselor with a curious expression. "Ah, I know who you are. You're that new transfer student, correct? Amamiya Ren?"
"Yeah, I am." Ren answered with a nod. On the outside, he bore a neutral look. On the inside, he was still worried that he would recognize him.
"Why was he late?" the black haired man asked.
"He got lost on the way here." The counselor answered for him. "He's a country kid, so he's new to the city. He got on the wrong train, and had to find his way back."
"I see." Kamoshida said as he rubbed his chin while looking at the so-called delinquent. "Well, as long as he doesn't do it again, I think it's fine to let him off with a warning."
"I agree." the counselor nodded, before shifting his attention back to Ryuji. "Come along, Sakamoto."
The blond young man nodded, and began to walk up the stairs for the school, while the counselor went inside. He stopped, gave Kamoshida a parting glare, before finally walking away, and going inside himself. The teacher watched on, before he switched to Ren. "Now, you best go inside yourself. I'll overlook this just for today. Being late…" he narrowed his eyes. "And lying about it."
'Shit!' The black haired young man exclaimed internally.
"You're lucky I see some potential in you." He continued, surprising the Persona wielder. "But remember, if you cause any trouble, you'll be expelled. Don't make me regret my act of kindness."
"Ummm, thank you." the so-called delinquent said while blinking. 'Potential? What does he mean by that?'
"Whatever." The man scoffed. "Hurry up and go to the faculty's office. I'm sure Kawakami-sensei's tired of waiting." He gave the black haired boy a wide grin, "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life." He walked away and entered the school.
Something felt…off about that. I can't figure out why though.' Ren thought suspiciously as he began climbing the stairs.
"Neither can I…." The Persona sighed. "We'll have to figure it out ourselves. Let's not keep the fine lady waiting."
'Won't argue with that. Although, even though I don't think she outright hates me, I don't think she likes me too much either.'
"Give it time, Ren. The charm you exude shall get through to her heart, and she shall see you are a person worthy of respect!"
'It sounds weird when you say it like that.' the so-called delinquent deadpanned. 'However, I see what you're saying. I let her see there's more to me than my criminal record, and she'll begin to tolerate me.'
"Oui."
'Well, that has kinda been the plan since the beginning.' The Shujin student frowned thoughtfully for a moment. 'Thinking about it more, I understand her perspective. Teaching some guy who was convicted of assault, I can see why she wouldn't like that. And she didn't assume anything about me like that knockoff Kingpin did. My first day hasn't been the most ideal so far, but maybe I can salvage it by putting my head down, and going to the rest of my classes today.'
"That's the spirit, Ren."
The Shujin student nodded, as he walked inside, ready to get started on his new school life.
His new school life hadn't got off to the best start, as he got scolded by a teacher for being late. However, he seemed to be understanding despite his gruff attitude and his mentioning of his criminal record. He even helped point out the faculty office to him. As Ren walked up the stairs and went on his way to the faculty office, he couldn't help but overhear students who were walking towards their classes talk about him.
"That's him, the delinquent transfer student."
"I heard if you step near him, he'll pull a knife."
"Why did someone like him have to come to our school?"
'Fuck. Looks like everyone found out about my criminal record.' Ren cursed with a grimace on his face. 'There goes my chance for a normal school life.'
"Sorry Ren."
'Don't worry about it.' The black haired boy sighed. 'It was probably gonna come out at some point. Still, how did it get out so quickly…?' He didn't have much time to ponder on that, for he was now in front of the Faculty Office doors. He entered the office, scanned around the room, and found Kawakami, who waved at him to come over to her.
"There you are." Kawakami sighed as the so-called delinquent came over to her. "So, you took the wrong train?"
"Yeah. Not a great way to start the day, huh?" The black haired boy joked as he rubbed the back of his head.
The teacher snorted. "Definitely not." Her look became focused and serious. "You've only missed an hour of the day, so you haven't missed much. You'll be introduced once this period is over. Don't draw too much attention to yourself, and you should be fine."
"Yeah…about that." He began hesitantly, causing the brown haired woman to raise an eyebrow. "Someone leaked my record."
The woman's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"
"Nope. I heard people whisper about me on my way here." The transfer student sighed.
"Ugh, why does this have to happen to me?" she lamented, rubbing her forehead tiredly.
"Sorry."
The brown haired teacher only shook her head. "It's not your fault. It's weird…who leaked it? The only people I can think of are teachers. Principal Kobayakawa infomed all of us about your record, but wanted us to keep it hidden so there wouldn't be any distractions."
"To be fair, my record is public, so if someone wanted to look me up, they'd find it easily." Ren pointed out. "Although, I doubt that was the case. I was a last minute transfer."
"If you had any hopes of living a normal school life, those are gone now. My advice is the same, though. Don't draw too much attention to yourself, and you should still be okay." Kawakami advised.
"Is there something I'm missing?" The so-called delinquent asked. It was weird, she seemed to be tolerating him more today than yesterday.
"What are you talking about?"
"Yesterday, you didn't seem to like me that much. Today you seem more open to me."
"Is that a problem?" The teacher asked with a raised eyebrow, conveniently dodging the question.
"No." The young man said quickly, shaking his head rapidly. "What I'm asking is, what changed?"
"Well…" the teacher began. "At the meeting, Kobayakawa told me that you were a good student before the assault. I asked him to let me see your transcript, and I saw that you were never lower than ten. In fact, on your final test you ranked first in the class. Not only that, after I asked him to email me any other information regarding you, I also found out you played sports too."
"Yeah. Baseball and Soccer."
"The point is…I don't know what your reputation in your hometown was, but based on this, I could imagine you were well liked, right?" Ren nodded, before the teacher continued. "It's just hard for me to imagine someone like that snapping out of nowhere. So, if you don't mind me asking, what changed?"
The black haired teen gazed at the woman in mild shock. "W-Wow. Barely anyone has actually asked me that." The woman looked at him with a puzzled expression before he continued. "People never asked me why I did it. They only asked how I could 'do such a thing' and nothing else. When it happened, a lot of people in my hometown turned against me, even my parents. It wasn't until I found a few people who were willing to listen to my side that I was able to find some form of relief. So, thank you."
The woman shifted uncomfortably. "You don't have to thank me for something like that." Her expression became slightly morose. "Let's just say I'm experienced with students like you."
Ren thought about inquiring further, but seeing the look on her face made him decide against it. "Alright. I'll tell you why I did it." Kawakami waited in anticipation. "The truth is…"
What followed was a summary of what actually happened that night of the incident. When Ren had finished, needless to say, she looked pissed. "Are you kidding me?!" Her commotion startled some teachers who were in the office. She winced as she realized that she'd drawn attention to them. "You're in this situation because the other guy had influence in the police force?" she spoke softly, trying not to draw too much attention to their conversation.
"Yeah." The young man said as his eyes became downcast. "The guy seemed to be pretty high up in power, as he said, and I quote 'the police are my bitches.' Afterwards, I got charged with assault, and now I'm here."
"If it helps, it's not everyday that some guy from a small town gets to enroll in some private school in the city, so you at least have that going for you…" Kawakami said, trying to offer a silver lining.
The so-called delinquent snorted. "You're right. Not a bad way to start fresh." He paused, "Thanks for listening to me, sensei."
"No problem. I'm glad you were able to share that with me." She looked at the clock. "The period should be ending soon."
"Is there anything else you have to tell me?"
"There's one other thing I need to talk to you about." The teacher's expression became serious.
"What is it?"
"It's about Sakamoto. I heard that you met him this morning."
"Uh, yeah." the black haired young man said awkwardly, confused by where she was going with this. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Not by itself. I can't tell you who you shouldn't be friends with, nor is it normally any of my business, but Sakamoto is nothing but trouble." The teacher informed him. "Although, he was doing great when he devoted his time to track and field…" she trailed off, looking downcast.
"I don't like judging people based on reputations. They can be built up and torn down easily," Ren answered, looking directly into the woman's eyes. "Ryuji hasn't given me a reason to stay away from him. If he does, then I'll leave him be."
"That's admirable, but you were given fair warning yesterday. While you have a pass today, if you get into trouble once, I won't be able to stop them from expelling you." Kawakami reminded the so-called delinquent. "Wouldn't it be better to stay away from people who can get you into trouble?"
"Maybe, but I don't want to live like that. If someone wants to be my friend, I'll let them. I don't care about anything that they might have done in the past, or if others perceive them as 'trouble,' I'll still give them that chance," the Persona user replied firmly, "It's not like I can be picky with my friends either. Not many people are gonna dare to try to talk to someone who is, and I quote, "gonna pull a knife if you approach them.'"
The brown haired woman winced. "You have a point. Even if Sakamoto is a troublemaker, he might just sympathize with you. Just please promise me you won't get dragged into trouble."
"I promise."
She nodded. "One more thing. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident."
'That makes sense. There were so many people on the train this morning. The school probably does not want to deal with their students having issues getting home.' Ren suddenly noticed the woman beginning to rub her brow again.
"What am I going to do with you? I first think you're a delinquent, then I find out all about your past and what actually happened…" The woman trailed off, her fist clenching.
"Well, now you know better. I can sit around and mope all I want, but it's not gonna change anything. I have to take my own future in my hands and push forward." The teen resolved, his eyes blazing with determination. 'Especially now that I have the power to fight back.'
"When you put it like that, you're right." She said with a small smile gracing her lips.
"Oh yeah, and please don't tell anyone else about this."
"I won't, because it's not my secret, but are you sure you want to keep that for yourself? I could help you, and see to it that the school knows the truth."
"No." the Persona user shook his head. "While I would like more people to know the truth, I've already been convicted of a crime. While you actually listened to me, everyone except a few people back in my hometown didn't even bother. There just wasn't anything to back me up, not that I really had the chance with how quick my trial was. If I tried to tell the truth, it could only make the situation worse."
The teacher frowned. "You're right. Sorry I can't be much help to you."
Ren shook his head. "Don't talk like that. You've been more than helpful to me. Don't forget that." he finished his last sentence with a reassuring smile.
Kawakami smiled back. Her eyes shifted to the clock. "Well, it's about time I introduce you. You must be feeling relieved that you don't have to talk to me anymore."
"Trust me, I could talk with you all day." The young man said with a teasing grin.
"Down boy." The brown haired woman ordered while rolling her eyes.
The black haired young man chuckled. "Well, let's go, Kawakami-sensei." With that, they left the room. As Ren walked with his teacher, he felt an immeasurable amount of joy and relief that there was someone else who believed in him.
"Being late on his first day? He really is insane…"
"He looks normal though…"
"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye…"
"I've heard he's done every drug you can think of. Makes sense why he could be so violent."
These were just some of the words and accusations that were whispered about Ren as he stood in front of the class. 'I always knew rumors could spread quickly and get out of control, but holy shit.'
"You shouldn't heed any of this. None of it is true after all."
'Yeah, and some of the rumors are so ridiculous that I doubt anyone would believe them. But it still hurts to have people think I'm like that. Damn, I thought I prepared myself for this, especially after everything, but man, this sucks.'
"Remember, you're not alone. I'm here if you need to talk, and you have people in your corner you can talk to."
'Thanks Arsene.'
"Of course, Ren."
The transfer's gaze landed on the right side of the room, and saw one person he knew: Ann Takamaki, who was staring at him. She briefly waved at him, before she began to look out the window. 'Well, good to know she's in the same class as I am.'
"It seems she hasn't given those rumors any thought." The Persona surmised. Ren was impressed by his persona's ability to switch from formal to informal speech on a dime. "I may be eccentric and gentlemanly, but I am also a part of you. Of course I can switch the way I speak."
'Right, I forgot you can hear my thoughts if you want to. Still, while you may be right, it's also possible she hasn't heard the rumors.'
"Hein? Do you actually think the chances of that are likely?"
'No. But if it isn't the case, my only question is why? For all she knows, I could have just acted polite or something. Not that I'm against a pretty girl like her being my friend.'
"She has her reasons, and she'll tell you them when she wants to."
'You have a point. Maybe I'm being too cynical.'
"I won't blame you for that."
"Settle down." Kawakami ordered her class sternly. "I'd like to introduce a new transfer student: Amamiya Ren. Today, we had him attend an hour late to help him get acclimated to the school. Now, Amamiya-san, please say something to the class." She gave him a nod. On the surface, it seemed like she was giving him the go ahead to speak, but Ren knew it was more than that: it was to show her support for him.
With a nod of his own, the black haired young man introduced himself. "My name is Amamiya Ren. It's nice to meet you." he punctuated this with a bow.
"He seems polite…but I bet when he loses it…"
"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right?"
"A guy like that is a ticking time bomb. I don't want to be around for the boom."
"Please, settle down." The teacher said sternly, a hint of annoyance seen on her face. "Your seat will be…Hmmm…" she pointed to the seat that was right behind Ann. "Over there, behind Takamaki. And I'm sorry, but can the people nearby please share your textbooks with him for today?"
"This sucks…" some student bemoaned.
The black haired teen began to walk over to his new seat. As he did so, he noticed Ann take her eyes off the window. Then, before he could get to the seat behind her, there was a whisper. "Can we talk at lunch, Amamiya-san?"
He stopped, looked directly at her, and whispered back, "Sure." Ren then sat at the seat behind her, and put his bag down. Suddenly, there were new whispers, but this time, they weren't exclusively about him.
"...Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?"
"Eww…Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?"
"That means she's cheating on him with Mr. Kamoshida." The Persona user's ears perked up at that. "Then again, this is Takamaki-san we're talking about…"
"For real. That side of the room is totally awful."
'Huh?! What the hell do they mean by "cheating on Kamoshida?"'
"That…I do not know."
'Should I ask Takamaki-san about it at lunch? I don't know if I should. I've only just met her today after all…'
"While you're correct on that, the fair maiden could also be a victim of troublesome rumors. And if there's anyone who can relate to that, it's you." The Persona pointed out.
'Hmm…you have a point. I'm still not sure if I should ask, but it could be worth a shot.'
"Whatever you decide. The choice is yours."
"Oh, right!" Kawkami began, cutting Ren from his thoughts, "The volleyball rally's in two days…Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get class started. Who's on duty today?"
A skinny teen with spiky dark blue hair stood up. Ren took notice that he had a bandage just below his left eye. "Everyone, please rise…" He began. It was at this moment, Ren decided to tune out.
"By the way, aren't you worried that Takamaki-san might tell people that…"
'Not at all. There is one thing that no student wants to be known as, and will only take the risk under extreme circumstances. Do you know what that is, Arsene?'
"What?"
'A snitch.'
The day went by quickly, and before long, it was now lunchtime. Ren had made a simple bento for the day. Ann had told him where they would meet: a secluded area of the school with a bench, a table, and a vending machine. No one really went over there to have lunch, and it was usually a good place for fellow students to talk in private. Even though she never told him why she wanted to talk with him, the transfer student had a feeling part of it had to do with why he was late. Not that he thought she would tell, but she must have wanted answers for that. As the so-called delinquent scanned the area, he saw the platinum blonde wave at him. As he finally reached the meeting place, he noticed someone sitting next to her on the bench.
She was a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, and brown eyes. She wore the standard Shujin uniform, but with no jacket or suspenders, only opting to wear the turtleneck and the skirt. Underneath the skirt, was what appeared to be athletic shorts. She also wore elbow braces, a black knee brace on her right leg, and white running shoes.
"Glad you could make it, Amamiya-san." Ann greeted as Ren sat down at the table seat across from the bench. She gestured over to the black haired girl. "This is Shiho, my best friend in the whole world."
"P-Please, Ann." Said best friend blushed. "I'm Suzui Shiho. It's nice to meet you." She seemed to be a bit nervous as she spoke.
"Nice to meet you, Suzui-san. I'm Amamiya Ren." The black haired young man introduced himself, a smile formed in order to calm down Shiho's nerves.
The black haired girl blinked. "I see what you mean, Ann."
"Right? He's not anything like the rumors at all." The platinum blonde young woman chimed in.
"Well, they are just rumors." The so-called delinquent shrugged. "Some of them were bound to get out of control."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to figure out what's real and what's not." Ann said, as a small frown formed on her face. "I have some experience with rumors, and I know what they can do to someone."
The Persona user's eyes widened. 'I see. So she's a constant victim of rumors herself. I guess that answers my question about those rumors about her and Kamoshida being a thing.'
"Do you know why that is, Ren?"
'Yeah, it's because she looks like a foreigner. I'd never make fun of someone for that, but there are people who do.'
"Berating a fair maiden just for looking different?! Incredibly indecent behavior!"
'While I wouldn't put it like that…' The black haired young man sweatdropped at his Persona's antics. 'I won't deny that I'm a little peeved. Although for now, I'll let her share more about that when she's ready.' He switched his attention back to the platinum blonde. "So, what do you want to ask me?"
"Well, first…why were you late today?" She questioned, causing the transfer to freeze slightly. "You were right on the way to school. I also can't buy that they'd have you attend an hour late to get 'acclimated.' Did something come up?"
'Well, it's not like I had a feeling she would bring this up. She's not gonna tell anyone about it, but she's probably at least curious why I was late.'
"What are you gonna do? Make up an excuse?"
'Yeah, it'd be easier to…' He shook his head. 'No, I can't do that. I don't have a better lie than I had with that train story. Plus, I don't think I can lie to her or Suzui-san. They're willing to hear me out, and I value that a lot.'
"But how will you explain…oh? You're really going to take them there?"
'I was able to get there through that app the last time, so I don't think it will be too hard to figure out a way to get back. I just need to show them physical evidence, right? Once I do that, I can just guide them out.'
"You're really willing to take that risk? What if there are guards outside? He might have upped security." Rather than complete refusal or denial of Ren's plan, instead the persona seemed to be curious.
'If I keep the fighting limited to the outside of the gate, it will allow Suzui-san and Takamaki-san to find a place to hide or escape. Plus, Morgana's there as well, so I should have some backup just in case.'
"You have a point. But what if Morgana isn't there to help you?"
'Considering we needed to free him in the first place, I don't think he'd have made too much progress in that castle. If I was him, I would make sure I'm not captured again.'
"You've thought this through…" Arsene trailed off, a hint of proudness in his voice.
'Of course. I don't want to just not tell them. I can tell from a glance Takamaki-san's a nice person. I've also learned that while I want to help people, I should at least try to think things through more thoroughly. I wasn't wrong to not call the cops, considering what that man said, but I should have at least thought about it before making that decision to jump in. It's not a good habit to have. Or at least that's what Nijima-san said.'
"I'm glad. While yes, jumping in to try to save that woman wasn't wrong, Nijima-san is correct. If ruin is in your future, it would be best for you to try and at least think things through so you are better equipped to prevent it."
'Exactly.' Ren nodded. He switched his focus back to the ladies sitting across from him. "Well, yeah, something did come up. Although, I can't show it right now."
The platinum blonde tilted her head in confusion, while the black haired young woman raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Ann asked.
"I'd explain more, but let's just say what I saw needs to be seen to be believed." the so-called delinquent answered with a hardened gaze.
"Did you see aliens or something?" Shiho snarked with a skeptical look, which was mirrored by her friend.
"Nah, not that. I'd say that it's weirder, though," The Persona user answered vaguely, leaning forward in his seat. "I can't show it here, but if you want, I can show you sometime after school."
"What is it?" The blonde bombshell asked.
"Another world." The black haired young man revealed. His answer hung in the air for a few seconds, before the two girls began to laugh.
"Y-You really have a weird sense of humor." The platinum blonde teen giggled.
"S-Seriously, that's a good joke." The raven haired young woman added. Ren could not blame them for laughing. He wouldn't have believed it himself if it wasn't for the literal spirit inside him that he was talking to. Or the fact that weird stuff had been happening to him lately.
"Look at my eyes. Do I look like I'm joking?" The persona user asked as he stared directly at them, his eyes showing no signs of humor or jokes at all. The two girls had a look of surprise at the young man's insistence.
"You're not…joking?" The raven haired teen inquired with surprise.
"I'm not." The black haired young man replied firmly. "Believe me, I get it. I would've laughed too. And part of me thought about keeping this from you and just lying. But I can't do that."
"Why?" The platinum blonde waited for an answer, her eyes seemingly analyzing his very being.
"Because…I believe in opening up to people who are willing to give me a chance." The so-called delinquent answered honestly
Ann stared at him for a few moments. Before she finally smiled. "I don't know if I can really buy this 'other world' stuff, but you haven't given me a reason not to. So until you do, I'll believe you."
Ren let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you." he replied, giving her his own smile.
"Ann is a good judge of character. So the fact she believes in you gives me enough of a reason to as well." Shiho revealed, flashing the persona user her own smile.
The platinum blonde young woman blushed and began rubbing the back of her head. "W-Well, I don't know about all that."
'Looks like I was right to tell them about the Metaverse.'
"I didn't think it would backfire either. You aren't a bad judge of character."
'I wouldn't say that…I mean, even the people who I was close to back home didn't give me a chance.'
"You know at their core they are not bad people."
'If they weren't, wouldn't they have stood by me? Not all of a sudden assume that I was guilty? I didn't have anyone back me up, sans one person. All it took was that one arrest, and that was it. No matter how hard I worked, no matter what I did, it all went out the window because of a lie.'
"I don't disagree with you there."
"One question: Why can't you show us now?" The young man snapped out of his thoughts, as he prepared to answer Shiho's question.
"Time tends to pass in that world faster than the real world, and I'd rather not be late for another class. Can't cause any more issues than I already have for the first day."
"I guess that makes sense." Ann shrugged. "Now, what about those rumors? Are they true?"
The so-called delinquent put his hands together, gripping hard. He didn't think they would react harshly to the news that he did in fact have a criminal record…but the fear still remained. Nevertheless…
"Depends. If it's the ones that say I'll kill you if you approach me, or that I'm in a human trafficking ring, or I'm a poacher, those aren't true, obviously." The young man joked, which caused the ladies to giggle. His face then grew serious. "But…yes, I was convicted of assault."
There was a silence that filled the area for a few moments, before Ann spoke up. "So why did you do it?"
He blinked. "What?"
"There had to be a reason why you did it," the platinum blonde clarified, "People just don't go around assaulting other people. You don't seem to be the type of guy to do it without a good reason, so, why did you do it?" The black haired young man began to laugh, much to the surprise of the two ladies. "What's so funny?"
"Man…that's twice today." The Persona user said in between laughs.
"Twice? Does that mean someone else asked you about this today?" The raven haired young woman questioned.
"Yeah. Kawakami-sensei asked me about it too, but only after she researched my life before the assault."
"I see…" The black haired young woman trailed off, as she and her best friend looked at him thoughtfully.
The young man picked up on this quickly. "Fair warning: You might not like what you hear." The girls cocked an eyebrow at this, before he continued. He told his story to the two young ladies. When he had gotten to the part where he had revealed he had protected a woman who was being sexually assaulted, the gray-eyed young man noticed the looks of horror on their faces.. "Not a pretty story, is it?" he snarked with a smile, trying to breathe some levity into the conversation.
"That's why you got arrested?" Shiho inquired, looking at the ground as she held her arm. "You…punched the guy, and he sued you for it?"
"That's…so wrong." The platinum blonde uttered, as she clenched her fists over her legs. "Even if you did punch the guy, he deserved it for being a sleazebag."
"You'd think, right?" The ladies looked at him with raised eyebrows. "However, the man was so drunk that when I just kinda shoved him, he stumbled and fell on his face on the sidewalk. Then he framed me for assault."
Predictably, this pissed off both young women. "WHAT?!" they shrieked, expressions of fury from the unfair situation.
"I know." The young man responded calmly as his hands folded together. "There wasn't anything I could have done either. Next thing I knew, I was arrested and…now I'm here. As you can imagine, Kawakami-sensei was pretty angry when she heard my story."
"No kidding." Ann frowned. "What about the woman you saved?"
"I…prefer not to talk about it." The young man deflected. He had not told Kawakami about what happened with the woman either, and she'd left it alone when he indicated he wasn't comfortable talking about it.
The girls seemed to pick up on this as well. "So, you got framed for assault, but how did you get here? It's hard to believe that Shujin would take on someone like you without good reason." Shiho paused. "No offense."
"None taken. And you are right, it's too much of a risk for Shujin Academy to take on some ordinary delinquent, even if they can have bragging rights for reforming him. But I'm not some ordinary delinquent. I actually was a pretty good student before the arrest happened. And since I already had that reputation, the school thought they could 'reform' me, and increase their reputation further. They were the only school who would take me, so I guess the stars aligned."
"That's good." The platinum blonde young woman said beaming at him.
"I'm sure your parents were relieved about that." The raven haired teen chimed in with her own smile. Ren's expression became troubled after those words left her mouth, causing her eyes to widen with surprise. "W-What's wrong?" she stuttered.
"I don't really have the best relationship with my parents…" The Persona User answered hesitantly. "That arrest did more to me than just land me here. It ruined a lot of the relationships I had with the people in my hometown."
"Wait, you're not from here?" Ann asked with surprise of her own. She knew he had just transferred to Shujin, but she didn't know he wasn't from Tokyo.
"No, I'm not. Are you gonna call me a country boy from now on?"
"No!" The platinum blonde giggled. "You don't even sound like a country boy."
"Well, my hometown's a bit far out from the city, but I wouldn't call it the middle of nowhere or the boonies. It's a bit closer than that." The so-called delinquent explained. "Definitely not as advanced as Tokyo. It was pretty overwhelming for me when I first stepped foot here."
"You'll get used to it." The bombshell shrugged. Her face looked conflicted, before she continued on. "By the way, what do you mean by…?"
The black haired young man picked up on what she was referring to. "After my arrest, everyone I knew in my hometown wanted nothing to do with me. I guess it's like they say: A reputation takes a lifetime to build, and only a second to destroy."
"I'm sorry for asking about…" Shiho began with a guilty expression, only for the black haired young man to stop her as he put up his hand.
"Don't worry about it." He assured quickly. "You didn't know."
"Still, I don't like how people turned against you over that. Did they not even consider that you were framed?" The platinum blonde questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Unfortunately, no." The transfer student shook his head. "It's just how it is. Once you are labeled a criminal, people will turn against you." his grip on his hands tightened over each other. 'Not that I like it.'
Both ladies were sporting very troubled and concerned expressions, directed at the boy they had just met and learned more about. Ann looked at her friend, and they nodded at each other. "Look, we're sorry about that."
"It's fine." The black haired young man uttered, his eyes downcast.
"It's not." The raven haired teen interjected immediately "Look, we might not be able to undo all the pain that incident caused. We're not therapists." Ren chuckled at that joke. "But…if you need us to be your friend, we'll do that."
"I wouldn't want it to be out of pity…"
"It's not." The platinum blonde said. "You seem like a good guy. That's what I got from you from first meeting you. And, Shiho seems to have opened herself up a little bit to you too. I haven't seen her act like this in a while."
"Ann…" The black haired girl blushed.
"We wouldn't have let you vent if we didn't think you were telling us the truth, and we would have stayed away from you if we put any weight in those rumors. It's better to see what people really are for ourselves, and I see someone who has a great heart and wants to do the right thing, am I right?" The bombshell gave him a knowing grin.
The Persona User had red dusted onto his cheeks. "Huh. Looks like I've been figured out pretty easily."
"I'm a pretty good judge of character, remember?" The platinum blonde teased.
"I feel incredibly blessed to have two kind girls as friends." Ren teased back.
Both girls blushed. "Wow. I don't get too many compliments about my personality." Ann said as she played with one of her pigtails. "Usually it's all about my looks."
"S-Same." Shiho stuttered, her eyes looking to the floor.
"Oh no, you're both pretty too, don't get me wrong. I just consider it a bonus." The flirt clarified with a teasing grin.
The girls turned a darker shade of red. "N-Not bad," The platinum blonde stammered. At least she could talk, as the black haired young woman was not even looking at the gray-eyed teen.
"Thank you. I came up with it on the spot." The black haired young man said with a widening grin.
"Impressive." The platinum blonde grinned back. "You're at least creative compared to other guys who've tried hitting on me."
"It's an art. An art I've perfected over the years." The young man shrugged.
Shiho giggled. "We can tell." Suddenly, an announcement rang out throughout the school, indicating the end of the lunch period. "Well, see you later, Amamiya-kun."
"See ya." Ren waved goodbye to both ladies, happy he had made more friends despite his current situation.
The school day finally came to a close not long after. As Ren exited the classroom, he suddenly felt a bit dizzy. This was followed by a brief, but intense headache. He felt like his brain was going to literally explode. The world distorted around him into Kamsohida's castle before quickly changing back to the school. 'That's new.' He had been battling dizziness and minor headaches throughout the day, but this was much different than before. He was lucky that the pain faded away quickly, or that this didn't occur during his conversation with Shiho or Ann. 'God, that was the worst one by far.'
"Well, I did tell you there is a reason for Persona users to rest before doing anything else for the rest of the day. Especially when they are in close proximity to a Palace."
'I know, but I couldn't have just gone home and rested on my first day of school. It's just not a good look, especially someone with my situation. And that was before my arrest was leaked to everyone else.'
"I know. But now that the school day is over, you must rest. You want to be at your best when you talk to those ladies again, oui?"
'Of course.' The black haired teen grinned. 'I'm just glad I was able to find new friends at this school despite my situation, especially Suzui-san and Takamaki-san. They both tick off some of my boxes after all.'
"A lot of women would tick off your boxes."
'Hey, I have standards. It's just that my criteria is less strict, that's all.'
"Whatever you say, lover boy."
'I'm not gonna deny that, even though I've never had a long term girlfriend.'
"There was that one girl you were doing well with, before…"
'My arrest? Yeah, another reason for me to hate that asshole. Then again, she never stuck by me either. Not that anyone else in that town did.'
"The past is the past. You must look forward, and carve your own future form here. I don't know what you will choose to do from here, but I will do what I can to support you." The persona vowed resolutely.
'Who would have thought one of the pillars of my life right now would be a spirit that lives inside my soul?'
"You know what they say: Only you know yourself the best."
'You're not wrong about that…'
"Amamiya-kun, what's wrong?" Ren snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Kawakami speak up behind him. He turned towards her, and discovered she was staring at him with a concern, most likely from his sudden headache just now.
"Nothing, Kawakmai-sensei." The black haired young man assured the teacher. "Just a headache. It'll go away if I just head home and lie down."
"If you say so." The woman shrugged. "Speaking of that, it's good you're heading straight home. Sakura-san sounded upset that you were late. I explained to him what happened, so he calmed down, but…"
"I will."
"Good." The teacher's eyes then became filled with regret. "I'm…sorry people have been talking about you like that."
"It's fine." The student replied. "I've managed to make friends regardless of that, so I'll be okay."
"That's good." Kawakami smiled. "But remember, if you're gonna get involved with Sakamoto-kun, just please don't-" Her warning was interrupted when both she and Ren saw Ryuji walk up to the pair. "Speak of the devil…"
"Yo." Ryuji greeted awkwardly.
"I heard you were late this morning. What happened?" The teacher asked with her arms folded across her chest.
"Ugh…It was nothin'." The blond replied, looking to the side.
"And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either…"
"Sorry 'bout that." The blond said, still looking away from her.
The teacher sighed. "It's fine. Just don't do it again."
The blond young man blinked, before rapidly shaking his head. He walked up to Ren. "...I'll be waitin' on the rooftop. There's some things we need to talk about." he whispered before walking away.
The Persona user did not need to look at the woman to know she was looking at him suspiciously. "I promise, it's nothing bad," he assured quickly.
She sighed. "Sorry. I just don't want you to get into trouble."
"I understand that. But…maybe you should have a little faith."
"You're right." Kawakami sighed. "I will. I probably shouldn't get too involved with one of my students anyways. It'll only create problems…"
The black haired young man raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
The woman's eyes widened, before she waved her hands rapidly. "Never you mind!" She frowned, then walked away, leaving Ren alone.
'What was that about?'
"That I don't know. However, you're not the only one in this world who carries a form of pain in their heart. It wouldn't be surprising if that woman has had some stuff happen to her in the past."
'Hang on, didn't she mention that she had experience dealing with students like me?'
"Perhaps. What that means, however, I do not know."
'Best to ignore it for now.' Ren shrugged. 'I have to find the way to the roof.' However, before he could even take a step, Kamoshida and Principal Kobayakawa emerged from the stairwell, engaging in what seemed to be a private conversation.
"I don't know about that transfer student. He's already associating with Sakamoto. A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case." Kamoshida rattled off. "He has some potential, but is it really worth it? At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to this school."
"Now, don't be like that…" Kobayakwa began. "This school counts on you, Kamoshida-kun. You are our star. Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well. And if we are able to reform this kid, our reputation will grow. I also remember you saying he has potential…."
The star of the school sighed "...Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal?" The man smiled. "All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me. And you are right, I think that kid does have potential. If I'm able to get him on the volleyball team, it would help his reputation, and help our chances in the tournament this year."
"That's the spirit." The Kingpin-reject complimented, as he padded the man on the arm. "I have some business to attend to. Goodbye." The volleyball coach waved goodbye to the egghead, before he walked away himself.
'Huh. So that's what Kamoshida meant when he said I had potential.'
"So he's looking to recruit you. I'm surprised he hasn't given you an offer yet."
'I'd bet it's because he wants to see what type of student I will be like in the first week. That's my best guess. Not like I want to join him anyways if his palace is anything to go by.'
"Indeed. You'd get thrown right into the abuse along with the other victims thus far."
'Yeah. I've had bad coaches, but that's because they sucked at developing players or were shit leaders. Mostly in baseball. I can't imagine what he's doing to those athletes.'
"We know that there is abuse, but we don't know the severity. Only his palace can reveal that."
'Then…we'll have to pay a visit to his palace again at some point.'
"Looks like your spirit of rebellion is burning brightly, Ren." The persona commented, a hint of proudness in his voice.
'I appreciate it.' The black haired young man replied with a grin. 'Now then, let's go find Ryuji. Though first, I need to find the roof. Let me see if I can ask someone.' He scanned the room for someone, and recognized the spiky blue haired boy from his class, whom he knew as Mishima Yuuki. 'I'll try Mishima-san, I guess.' He walked over to the blue haired young man. "Excuse me." he called.
The skinny teen turned his attention towards the Persona user, and jumped a bit at the sight of him. "Y-You're that transfer student. What do you want with me?"
Holding back a sigh, the black haired teen asked, "Do you know the way to the rooftop?"
Mishima blinked, before frowning. "Why would you want to know the way to the rooftop? That place is off-limits." He shook his head. "Nevermind. Just go up the stairs past the third floor. There's a door that leads to the roof. You can't miss it."
"Thank you." He said as he began walking away to the stairwell.
"Wait." Ren stopped, and turned to Mishima to see what he wanted. "Is that all…?"
"Uh, yeah." The black haired young man answered awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "Why?"
"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but…the rumors…" The blue haired teen trailed off.
"Do you think all rumors are true?" The so-called delinquent questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"No, but…I prefer to be careful, you know." He said, averting his eyes.
Ren shrugged. "I guess. Well, see ya." Before the black haired young man turned and went on his way, he thought he noticed a hint of regret in Mishima's eyes. However, he decided not to ponder on that too much for now.
He walked up the stairs to the third floor, and froze when he saw a teacher a few feet away from the stairwell, but nearly exhaled in relief when he realized she was too preoccupied with talking to another student. The student in question was a cute girl with curly auburn hair and wore a pink turtleneck sweater. Apparently, she was allowed to go to the rooftop since she grew plants up there.
"You've thought about trying gardening at least once, Ren."
'Yeah, because I wanted to grow my own vegetables one day. I thought it would have been slightly more convenient than having to go to the grocery store, especially when I wanted to live on my own.'
"And it was something you thought would impress the ladies…"
'Hey, it was only a very miniscule part of it.'
"Hahahahaha. Whatever you say."
'I would like to try it again at some point. Though, that probably won't be for a while. I still need to get settled in. Plus, with everything going on…'
"Save it for when the time comes."
Ren nodded and continued his way up the stairs. Mishima was right, he couldn't miss the door, as there wasn't much space to begin with, and the only thing of note there was the entrance to the rooftop. He opened the door, which was unlocked, and walked onto the rooftop of the school. He quickly found Ryuji, who greeted him with a wave. The blond was sitting on a foldable chair and was near several desks that had been for some reason put onto the roof. He also noticed that there were plants growing beside the table, most likely from that girl he saw earlier.
"There you are." Ryuji greeted as the Persona user approached him. "Sorry for callin' you up like this."
"No problem. I don't mind." The black haired young man assured. "Is this about what happened this morning?"
"Yeah. It is." The blond nodded. "Before that. I'm sure Kawakami already told you stuff like, 'don't get involved with him,' huh?"
"She might have…"
"I figured." The troublemaker chuckled. "And yet, she said something weird. 'Don't do it again?' I was convinced a lot of people in this school gave up on me, and I thought she was one of them." He smiled. "It was refreshin' to hear that. I'm usually just yelled at and that's it. But she wanted me to be better. Or maybe that was always the case, and I didn't notice until now."
"Who knows." The black haired teen shrugged.
"Yeah, probably best not to think about it too much." The blond young man agreed. "I was surprised to learn we were pretty much in the same boat. Everyone's talkin' about your criminal record."
"I know," grunted Ren, as he sat on one of the desks.
"No wonder you were so gutsy back there. I don't care about that stuff. You saved my life, and we're friends now. That's what matters."
"Thank you." Ren smiled back.
"I should be the one saying that." Ryuji laughed. His expression suddenly became stone-faced. "Now, what are we gonna do about that Palace?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to go back there. I need to find evidence of his abuse. I just have to." The blond said while clenching his fists.
"I'll help you, of course," The black haired teen offered, "I'm the only one who can fight after all, and the only one who can bring you back to that world."
"Thank you." The blond's face then became confused. "Wait, you know how to go back?"
"Sort of. I think it has to do with this app on my phone." He brought out his phone to show his new friend the app in question. "See this little app with the creepy eye?"
"Woah, that is creepy." The blond haired young man commented, clearly disturbed by the app's design. "Wait, so you can access that world with this?"
"Yep." The transfer nodded. "I think I can figure out how it works, but if we're gonna do this, we'll have to do it tomorrow. Since I just awakened my persona, I need to rest."
"Yeah, I get it. I felt drained today. Got better over time, but I barely got through the day." The blond teen sighed exasperatedly. "If we're gonna do that again, it should be after school."
"I agree. Then tomorrow after school, we'll go back to Kamoshida's palace, and find evidence of his abuse." The black haired young man resolved, his eyes blazing.
"You're speakin' my language." The blond brought out his fist, and the two boys fist bumped each other. "By the way, have you told anyone else about this?"
"Two people: Takamaki-san and Suzui-san."
"Wait, Takamaki? As in Takamaki Ann?" Ren nodded, as Ryuji's eyes widened "And Suzui Shiho?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I went to middle school with those two." The blond revealed. "We were friends for a bit, but then when high school started, we started driftin' apart."
"Wow. Small world." The Persona user commented with wide eyes.
"How did you become friends with them?" The blond young man asked.
"Well, I met Takamaki-san this morning, then she went into the car with Kamoshida. You were chasing after him, remember?"
"Yeah. Even if we haven't been friends for a while, there's no way I'd want her, or any girl for that matter, around that pervy teacher." The troublemaker huffed.
"Considering that man's Shadow wore a pink speedo, I can't blame you for that." The black haired young man replied with a grimace, making the other boy snort. "After we got out of the palace this morning, she said she wanted to talk to me at lunch…" The young man then went into a story about how we told Ann and Shiho about the metaverse.
"You're pretty lucky they believed you." The blond young man paused. "Then again, Takamaki can detect bullshit from a mile away. So if you could convince her, Suzui would believe you too."
Ren nodded. "Yeah, I was pretty nervous about telling them I had a criminal record, but they ended up not caring about that too much, especially when I told them the real reason why I got arrested."
"Okay, now I'm curious. Why did you get arrested?" The blond asked. He then checked his phone to look at the clock. "Actually, hold that for tomorrow. I have to head home right away since I was late to school. Even though it wasn't my fault, I feel bad about it."
"Why?"
"I don't like disappointin' my mom. That's all there is to it." The blond young man shrugged.
"Fair enough."
"I'll see ya tomorrow." The blond haired teen said, as he hurried his way to the rooftop door, before disappearing as he left the area.
'I should do the same. I don't need to give Sakura-san any more headaches to deal with.' Ren thought, as he left the rooftop, and headed home.
"Hey." Sojiro greeted as Ren walked through Leblanc's door.
"Hey." The teen greeted back nervously, wondering how much he was gonna get chewed out by his caretaker for being late. He had made it back later than expected due to train delays, most likely because of the accident yesterday.
"So you got lost trying to find the Ginza line?" The cafe owner asked rhetorically.
"Yeah." The black haired young man sighed. The sigh wasn't directed at being late from going on the wrong train, it was directed on the type of day he had.
"Couldn't you have just used your phone?" The goatee man inquired.
"I'm usually good at finding places myself, but, yeah…" The Persona user half-lied. He could find places himself, but he always had a habit of using his phone to make sure he was going in the right direction. Of course, the middle-aged man didn't know that. "I guess it just wasn't my day."
The caretaker sighed. "I guess we all have those days, but don't do it again. And use your phone this time."
"I will." Ren promised with a bow. "And I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Just worry about behaving yourself. Remember, one wrong step and your life is over. There won't be anything I can do to help you." The cafe owner reminded the young man for the millionth time.
The teen held back the urge to groan. It was annoying to have the same thing repeated over and over again, but he was right. He already didn't have the best reputation at school and wasn't very liked by his peers, save for Shiho, Ann, and Ryuji. 'There was that one girl from the newspaper club that I talked to before leaving, but she didn't recognize me. Apparently, in addition to being a drug connoisseur, I'm also an alcoholic.'
"Well…"
'That was one time! I just wanted to try it, that's all.'
"Hahahahahahaha! I'm just messing with you, Ren."
'Hated it too. Tasted horrible. Had to make sure to cover my tracks so my parents didn't find out too.'
"You did a good job at it."
'Thank you. Regardless, as much as I'm tired of people reminding me of my circumstances, they are right.'
'That's not gonna stop you from getting into trouble."
'Not in this case…if I'm right about what Kamoshida is doing.' Suddenly, a ringtone blared. It came from Sojiro, as the middle aged man grabbed his phone from his pocket and answered it.
"Hey, what's up?" The cafe owner asked the person on the other line. "...Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll head over in half an hour, as promised." The man covered the phone as he addressed Ren. "Can you go upstairs?"
"Sure," The black haired young man affirmed, getting the message. He started walking towards the stairs, while his caretaker continued chatting with the person on the other line. "...No, it's a guy. I just hired a part-timer." He covered the phone again, addressing the teen again. "Don't forget to lock the door and turn off all the lights, okay? And if you plan on exploring Yongen-jaya tonight, make sure you lock the door."
"You got it, boss." The black haired young man semi-joked. He wasn't an actual employee since he hadn't started work yet, but he was probably gonna be one soon since Sojiro wanted him to help around the cafe. 'Not that I haven't already, but closing the store is a lot different compared to making coffee and curry. Not that I've made coffee before, or have made curry as good as Sojiro's.'
The cafe owner had a small smile on his face from that comment. He continued talking to whoever was on the other line, as the Persona user walked upstairs to his room. "...Yup, I'm leaving now. Yeah, he's just a part timer." Those were the last words the teen heard from the cafe owner, as he went up to his room.
After Sojiro left, Ren thought about what to do next. 'I don't want to go to bed yet. It's still too early. Might as well explore the neighborhood. Just got to lock the place before I leave.' The teen locked the door to the cafe, and started exploring the area.
He found a bath house, which was open at around this time. Although, he didn't think he wanted to try it just yet. Maybe some other time. He then found a convenience store, but didn't go inside, as he saw nothing interesting in there. As he continued to explore, he found batting cages, which triggered some nostalgia for him due to not having played baseball in '...months? Man, it's been that long. I should definitely check this place out when I have the chance.'
He eventually reached the point where he was near Sojiro's house, but couldn't find anything interesting beyond it, so he decided to turn around and head back to the cafe. However, on the way, he noticed one place he hadn't explored. It appeared to be some medical clinic. He normally wouldn't consider going inside, but he hadn't had the opportunity to check anything out, and it was probably his last and only stop for the night. 'Might as well check it out. Can't hurt after all.' He thought as he checked to make sure it was still open. He went up the stairs, through the doors, and entered the doors to the building.
"Hey," a voice with a bored and tired tone called as the teen walked inside. Ren followed its origin, and was greeted with the sight of a beautiful woman sitting behind a counter. She had blue hair done in a messy bob cut and brown eyes. She wore the standard lab coat every doctor would wear, but she also wore a choker around her neck. In addition, she seemed to be wearing make-up that gave her a goth look. "What do you want, kid?" She asked as she let out a yawn.
'She's…wow.' The black haired young man thought with a blush, as he was for a moment mesmerized by the woman, before shaking his head. "Sorry, I just moved here. I wanted to explore the neighborhood, and before I went home, I decided to check out this clinic." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry if I'm bothering you."
The woman blinked, before she let out a snort. "Really? You picked this little clinic to walk into out of all places. You must be bored."
"Well, I didn't have much to do tonight, so it couldn't hurt right?" Ren replied with a grin.
"You're a strange one, I'll give you that." The doctor sighed. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but there's not much here besides me, magazines, and empty chairs. You're better off going back home."
"What a shame. This trip was all for nothing." The young man slumped in defeat.
The goth scoffed. "If coming to a clinic is your idea of fun, then I pity you."
He snorted "I'm not that boring."
"Thank god for that. If it was bad enough, you'd need emergency care."
"That wouldn't be great, would it?" The Persona user chuckled. "Amamiya Ren."
"Dr. Takemi Tae. Not at your service, because I'm gonna close up shop in about a few minutes."
"Nice to meet you, Takemi-sensei." Ren said with a smile. "I guess I'll head back home since there's not much here."
"Likewise. I might have to ban you from my clinic. I'm gonna start expecting that all my nights are gonna be mildly entertaining like this."
"See ya then." He waved goodbye to the woman, and left the clinic. After a very short walk, he was back inside the cafe, before finally heading to bed.
Ren woke up with a start, taking an immediate scan of his surroundings. Instead of the regular ceiling he would have expected, he was greeted by a familiar velvet blue ceiling and a hard slab under his back. He also noticed he was now in the prison garb from before. 'I'm back here again,' the young man thought with a sigh. He got up from the prison bench and walked over to the bars. Sure enough, he saw the faces of Caroline, Justine, and Igor.
"...About time you've come to." Caroline said with a hint of annoyance.
"Hey, you could have given me a heads up or something if you wanted to summon me here again."
The girl smacked the bar with her baton. "No talking back, inmate!" She sighed. "Besides, that's not how that works."
Before the black haired young man could ask for her to elaborate on that, Justine spoke. "Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart."
"Alright." The teen nodded, as he shifted his attention towards the long nosed man. 'This probably has to do with Kamoshida's palace.
"FIrst off, let's celebrate our reunion." Igor began, before his grin widened. "Oh…? You've awakened to your powers already–and special ones at that."
"You're talking about my persona, Arsene, right?" The young man inquired.
"Correct." The white haired man nodded, his ever-present grin widening. "Now, your rehabilitation can finally begin."
"What is this rehabilitation?"
"You don't need to understand it all for the time being." The long nosed man dismissed. "You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a 'mask'- an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters."
"Yeah, Arsene already informed me of that. Don't think he used armor of the heart to describe it though."
"You can talk to your persona?" The master of the Velvet room asked, somewhat taken aback.
"Uh, yeah. They're a part of me. I can communicate with them in the real world and the metaverse."
The long nosed man paused for a few moments, before continuing. "I must be getting old then." he chuckled. "Regardless, I have high expectations for you."
"What do you mean?" The black haired teen questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"There is no need to worry." The white haired man assured. "You will learn when the time comes."
"Forgive me if I'm being rude, but I don't like all these vague hints about what I'm facing. Couldn't you just tell me?"
"I wish I could, but I can't. It's not in the cards yet. By the by…have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator?" The man asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Wait, do you mean that red eyeball app on my phone?" The Persona user asked with wide eyes.
"Correct. As you may already know, using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces." The long nosed man said, as he pointed at Ren. "...I bestowed it upon you as a means to train you as a thief."
"Yeah. I had to find that out the hard way this morning." The young man paused. "Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure Kamoshida said something about thieves when we first encountered him in his palace."
"Something like that." The white haired man uttered. "You will-"
"Let me guess: I'll learn when the time comes?" The young man asked rhetorically, fighting back the urge to sigh.
Caroline slammed her baton on the bars, causing the prisoner to jump back. "Don't disrespect master, inmate!" she bellowed. "And you better take care of the gift master has given you!"
Igor chuckled. "Stand down, Caroline." The bun haired girl looked back at her master in surprise. "He didn't mean anything by it."
"Yes, master." The prison guard uttered as she bowed her head, before turning to her prisoner. "My apologies, inmate."
"It's fine." The young man assured her. "Let's just forget it." He then flashed the girl a smile. 'If we're gonna be working together in whatever this all is, I might as well try to be her friend. Even if I really hate that baton.'
"Terrified of a child. How far have you fallen?"
'Shut it.'
The yellow-eyed guard blinked, before giving the young man a small smile of her own. "Okay." she said quietly, which surprised Ren a little.
"Anyway," Justine interjected. "Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief."
'There's that term thief again. What am I supposed to steal?"
"It could have something to do with the treasure that can be found in Palaces. Thieves are known to steal valuables after all, and the most valuable item in a Palace is its treasure. However, the only thing I know about treasure is that they exist, nothing else."
'Well that sucks. Is there anyone we can ask who might know what treasures in palaces are?"
"Maybe Morgana?"
'Hmm, you might be right. We're going back to Kamoshida's palace tomorrow. If we run into him, maybe we can ask him about them.'
"Sounds like a plan. I'll make sure to remind you."
"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone." Igor said, breaking Ren from his thoughts. "Should there be others who would prove to be beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief…"
"Wait, what-" His question was interrupted by the sound of the prison bell, indicating he was gonna wake up soon.
"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have…" Caroline said, as she was back to her usual self. The next thing the young man knew, the room started fading away, and the entire world turned black once again.
4/12
Ren woke up the next day. As he rubbed his eyes, he took a look out the window. It was raining again for the second morning in a row. Before getting ready, he took some time to ponder what Igor had revealed to him. 'Thief. Palaces. Personas. Treasure. Rehabilitation. Ruin. Where does all this connect?'
"I don't know, Ren. We will learn in due time. Whatever it is, we will take it on."
'I guess that's all we can do. Just hope we'll learn about whatever all the hell this is, and that we'll be prepared when the time comes.' The young man checked his phone. 'I should head to school.' He gathered his things, and ate the curry that Sojiro had made for him that morning. After the caretaker reminded him to bring an umbrella, to change the sign to open, and to use his phone if he ever got lost, the transfer finally left for school.
The first train ride to school would be met by more news of the train accident and psychotic breakdowns. It was something he had grown used to at this point, but hearing the same thing over and over again was…pretty tiring. Suddenly, a thought came to him. 'Hey, Arsene, how connected are people's shadows in the metaverse to the real world?'
"I know what you are thinking, but unfortunately, I can't name a single instance of someone having a psychotic breakdown because of actions in the metaverse."
'Damn it. Well, it was worth a shot.'
"It was. I'm sorry I couldn't help you."
'It's fine. Maybe there's another reason for the breakdowns.'
"I wouldn't give up on that theory too quickly. Remember, I don't know if there is a case of actions in the metaverse causing them. That doesn't mean it's not a possibility."
'You're right. I'll put that in the back of my mind for now until we find more evidence.' Eventually, the train stopped, and it was time for the black haired young man to get on his next train. There was a small crowd of Shujin students waiting for the incoming train, but he should still be able to get on without any problems. What was unexpected was the growing whispers coming from his fellow classmates.
"Look, isn't that her?" A girl with a ponytail pointed out.
"You mean that one with the red ribbon? I guess so." A gray haired student answered.
Ren scanned amongst the students for the girl with the red ribbon. It didn't take too long, as it was pretty noticeable, along with her red hair done in a beautiful ponytail. She was slender, resembling a gymnast. Finally, she wore the standard Shujin school uniform. Since she was standing with her back to him and the rest of the crowd, he couldn't see her face. 'Why is everyone talking about her?' he wondered.
"She's so thin…It's not fair, I've got my hair in a ponytail too…" The ponytail girl uttered, not hiding her jealousy of the red head.
"Okay, and what's that got to do with being thin?" The gray haired student asked incredulously.
'Well, I can rule out her being in the same situation as me. Otherwise, that would be the only thing they'd be talking about.' The black haired teen thought. Before he could continue his train of thought, the actual train arrived. The doors opened, and Ren, along with the rest of the crowd, got on. As the group dispersed into whatever spot they could find on the train, the black haired young man stood near a seat by the train car door. Shortly thereafter, the train started moving. It was then the Persona user noticed someone sitting in the seat he was standing by. It was the red haired girl from earlier, only now, he could get a look at her face, seeing she now had red eyes to match her red hair.
The girl stood up from her seat. "Please, take my seat." she volunteered, as she gestured to an old lady who was standing in front of her. "My station's coming up."
'She's not wrong. The train ride to school is short.' Ren thought.
"Are ya sure?" The old woman asked, before the girl nodded as she moved aside. "Then…" Before the old woman could even take a step towards the seat, a younger man in a business suit immediately swooped in and sat in the seat meant for the old woman.
"Oh wow, what speed!" The red haired young woman uttered in amazement. "I mean- Excuse me, that seat was for this lady…" Her attempts at getting the guy to get up proved futile, as he immediately fell asleep. "Oh…"
"Want me to wake him up?" Ren offered.
"It's all right. I can understand his position as well." The red head said. She turned to the old woman. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help." she apologized with a glum look.
"It's all right, dearie. Don't you worry." The old woman assured.
"Please allow me to carry your bag at least." She requested.
"Thank you! Ain't it heavy, though?"
"Not at all! I train plenty." The girl assured enthusiastically. The old woman handed the bag to the girl with a small smile on her face from the act of kindness, all the while Ren couldn't help but have a smile of his own form from the entire interaction.
"You and your softness for the elderly."
'Can you blame me?'
"Based on your circumstances, absolutely not. In fact, it's rather commendable."
The train arrived at school shortly thereafter. As Ren went past the ticket gate, and started grading on his way to school…
"Pardon me…" a voice called out to him. The black haired young man stopped, and turned around. It was the girl from earlier. "Thank you so much for earlier." She said with a small bow, and flashing him a small smile.
Ren looked at her puzzled. "With what?"
"For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train." The red head explained, her smile still present on her face. "You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, correct?"
"Um, yeah." Ren answered awkwardly, not used to being spoken to this way. She was incredibly formal and polite.
"I'm a first-year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai."
"Oh, you don't have to-" The young man tried to say it wasn't a problem, but was interrupted.
"I'm really sorry if I'm being rude, but I can't talk anymore. I have to get to class." The girl bowed. "Please excuse me." She gave her senpai a wave goodbye, before stepping past him, and before the young man could fully process what just happened, she was gone.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Arsene cackled. "She's a very interesting young woman."
'What…just happened?'
"Hahahahahahahahaha…!"
End Chapter
Hoo boy. Well, we just went through a bunch of new stuff I added to the fic, along with some older content. This fic is definitely tapping into heavier AU than Golden Journey, but I knew that going in when I made some of the plans happen, like my plan to save Shiho, since that poor girl deserved better. That's the one thing I'm giving away since I asked about it in chapter 2. Now, let's go over some of the stuff that I presented in this fic.
Ren has a bit more of an academic/sports background. Reasons for this goes as followed: I just find it dumb that Ren in game is seen more as this average guy that got affected by the system, because why the hell would a PRIVATE school like Shujin, in a society that is not too good to those who have a criminal record, take a risk on some random student with a criminal record. It is just too much of a risk with a school that is trying to increase its reputation, unless there is some upside to it, which is that Ren was actually a good student before the arrest. As for the sports, I went with both baseball and soccer considering that Ryuji asked a question about that if you decide to hang out with him. And from my experience, baseball and soccer seasons start at different points in the year. And my attempts at researching to try to figure out if baseball and soccer seasons in Japan start at different times turned up nothing, so I went with it.
Kawakami being in the know right away. I just felt like it made sense considering what I had set up in chapter 1, and she had to at least be curious about how a student like Ren ended up in that situation. Which is why Ren and Kawakami's relationship at the beginning ended up less…murky.
Early Tae interaction? Come on, I hinted at Ren exploring Yongen-jaya earlier than in canon, I was gonna capitalize on it. Also, I loved writing Tae's dialogue, can I just say that.
"Igor" not being in the know about Ren being able to speak to personas. Some interesting foreshadowing there, if you know what I mean.
Ren meeting Ann and Shiho. I felt like since Ren could actually talk, and actually said something to Ann, there would be some butterfly effect that would lead us to here, and I had him reveal the Metaverse. There weren't a lot of outs I could think of without feeling like Ren making himself out to be as much of a delinquent as possible, which is something that would feel OOC for what I'm trying to set up, and did not feel like lying to them, so he spilled the beans. He's just fortunate Ann and Shiho are good people, and are willing to believe him.
Ending off the chapter with Sumire. Yeah, I have some plans for her, though those will come probably much later.
IN addition, I did think of adding a Futaba interaction, but I'll probably save that for the next chapter. Just don't think Futaba in this story, or in canon, would want to bother Ren here due to him going out and stuff. Plus, I felt three days after she first talked to him felt better in my head than two days. Finally, I might be able to do an early Makoto awakening in this arc. I'm not guaranteeing it, yet, but for now, let's say I might. My reasoning…will be explained if I do it.
See you all for chapter 4, hope you guys enjoyed.