StevieBond: Glad we got her accurate

doomwarrior . 1: We have... ideas planned.

Clown2107: Unfortunatly, no. Outside her design, nothing was known about the plans for Hifumi as a Persona user. And with what we have planned, there isn't really any... spaces left to make her unique.

Neo Infinity: Is someone sending the ninjas again?!

UltimateCCC: It's fitting so...

Shooting Star Dragon 3000: Might wanna invest in some... other snacks. I heard Gummie's are rather filling and cheap.

Here are some reviews answered by Ghost:

Tony Anderson: Yep, the fluffy-haired axe-wielder is here!

TriforceAndroid and Shadowkanji: Let's hope.

Shooting Star Dragon 3000: And considering Noir has natural Gun skills, you could say she's 'Popping Gummies'? I'll see myself out.

Neo Infinity: How'd you know that?! Grey, there's been a leak!

Diran The Ultimate Autist: Thanks very much.

Clown2107: We've got plans for another Persona User, but they haven't appeared just yet.

Flashtheash100: That's great to hear. Thank you.

StevieBond: She's an adorable gremlin.

neikio: Don't worry, we've got plans for how Haru comes to terms with the harem situation. Enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: We do not own Persona 5. That belongs to Atlus.

Co-written by GhostKaiser23


AUTHOR'S NOTE

Annnnd new chapter time. For the sooky month

Hope you enjoy this one, and have an awesome day my friends!


Persona 5 New Game Plus, Joker's Second Chance
Chapter 59
Freedom Needs A Refresh


"Urgh, man. Thanks for the wake-up call, Makoto." Ryuji sarcastically grumbled, though he had been awake for a while.

"It was the only way to wake you up, Ryuji." She answered.

"They're almost like an old married couple, aren't they?" Haru innocently remarked.

"No, we're not." They responded in unison.

"So, what's the plan?" Yusuke asked. "I got up early because of this."

"You actually slept?" Futaba joked.

"Of course. I wasn't distracted by my latest project at all." He answered. The group chuckled gently at that and smiled.

"So, Leader. What's the plan?" Ryuji asked.

"First, Haru needs some new gear." Ren explained.

"I do?" She blinked in shock, almost covering herself as she felt 'indecent'.

"No, no. Not like that." Ann reassured.

"More your... 'stuff'." Shiho explained, trying to stay quiet while in public. "Didn't Morgana explain it?"

"I did. We don't mean your Phantom Thief clothing." Morgana popped his head out of Ren's bag. "We mean weapons."

"Oh! Oh, I see. Yes, from what you said before." She nodded, embaressed at the misunderstanding

"And there's a place we can get the best stuff for you. A quick warning, the store is a little cramped." Ren informed as they walked towards 'Untouchable', the location where they bought all their gear from.

"Hey, been a while, kid." Munehisa Iwai spoke as he looked up from his paper.

"Eep!" Haru squeaked a little.

"Who's the mouse?" He asked, joking softly as he adjusted his seat

"This is Haru, a friend of mine. She's just getting into new models and such." Ren half-lied.

"Alright, speaking of, I got some new things for you and your friends, if you're interested." Iwai smirked, to which Ren chuckled with a toothy smile.

"Ooh~, tell me more, Boss!" Ryuji smirked as he heard that.

"Take a look around." Iwai spoke as he continued to read his paper.

"You weren't kidding about this place being cramped." Haru whispered.

"Yeah, sorry." He apologised. "So, anything catch your eye?"

"There's a lot here." She admitted. "Who has what?" She whispered. "I usually have an axe."

"Munehisa, do you stock axes?" Ren asked.

"Axes? Yeah, I do. Past the whips." He answered while talking to Ryuji.

"What d'you think?" Ryuji asked, showing an armoured shirt.

"... I think it's not your colour." Yusuke answered.

"Hmm." Makoto hummed as she was holding up a model revolver and practicing with it. Spinning and practice aiming with it. Checking it's weight

Shiho meanwhile was flicking through a few charms hanging from the wall, thumbing through them calmly

Haru was like a child in a candy store, seeing the various axe models there were hanging up on the rack. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she was spoiled for choice, almost tempted to go 'I'll take one of each.' But that would be overkill. "Ren?" She whispered.

"Yeah." he confirmed, standing behind him

"Which one would be better for me right now?" She continued, almost snuggling into his arms.

Ren looked up and around... and saw a very strong looking weapon. A 'Bardiche'. A large axe weapon with a vertical-length blade with a rounded pommel for its counterbalance. "That one." He pointed.

"Really?" She asked, her time of voice asking a silent extra question of 'why'

"From what I remember, axes use momentum, a single focused strike on a target. An extension of your arm and swing while keeping the targets at bay." Ren explained, trying to be as quiet about the Metaverse as possible.

''An extension of my... arm'?' She thought as she picked up the bardiche. "Ren. Does this place have... Grenade launchers?" She asked almost timidly as she had sparkles in her eyes.

"Err. Munehisa?" Ren asked. "You don't happen to have model grenade launchers, do you?"

"What do you take me for?" He groaned, trying to deal with Yusuke and Futaba. "Back row, past the catapults."

"Ooh~, what about these?" Futaba asked as she pulled out a shirt, getting a thumbs up from Shiho.

'How does this kid deal with them?' Iwai thought to himself.

Haru and Ren soon saw the row of grenade launchers. Despite there not being a large range, partially due to their size, there were some amazing designs. "Ah, ah, ah." Haru stammered.

'Oh no. Is she overwhelmed?' Ren thought. "Haru? Are you o-?"

"So cool!" She responded, catching their attention.

Click!

She pulled down one of the launchers and clicked the trigger. Nothing happened, but she could feel the 'weight' of it. And thought 'This looks realistic', which would definitely help in the Metaverse.

"Little lady's got an eye for big guns." Iwai remarked jokingly.

"Thank you." She answered genuinely with a small and polite smile.

"Do you have enough money for these?" Ann asked Yusuke.

"If I sell my other models, I can buy something." He whispered.

"Busy staying alive with what you've got?" Makoto asked as she was ready to buy replacements for her own 'weapons'.

'Sheesh, look at the condition of these things. What have these kids been doing with these models? Playing with them?' Iwai asked himself.

'Oh dear, looks like Mr Iwai is suspicious of us.' Makoto thought.

"What were you kids doing with these? Hitting rocks with them?" Iwai asked.

"N-No. We were just playing with them. They're models, right?" Shiho 'lied' very smoothly and confidently

Iwai sighed heavily and held his head. "As long as you weren't doing something stupid with them, like pulling them out in public."

"Of course not!" They defended themselves in unison.

Iwai was taken aback by this, seeing the serious tone these kids were having. Well, whatever they were up to, Iwai didn't hear anything bad about these kids. It just made him relax a little. "Heh, you know how to pick'em kid."

The group looked a little confused at that remark and he opened his register. "Alright, you punks. Sell your used models to me and I'll take it off the next purchase."

"Thanks, Sir!" They answered, passing over their items.

"Haru?" Ren asked, her arms carrying both the bardiche and something labelled the 'Scorcher'. "...I see you've made your selections." He chuckled gently.

"Yes, I want to get these!" She answered with a smile.

"Alright, alright." He nodded. "Excuse me, I need to look for some 'gear'." He whispered the last part.

"Oh, yes. Of course." She nodded.

"Where'd you kids get this money from? Not that I want to pry or anything." Iwai asked.

"Part-time jobs." Ann covered for them quickly.

"Odd jobs. Pocket money. Chores." Makoto, Futaba and Ryuji followed up, almost like it was a comedy scene.

"And I'm rich." Haru added with an innocent grin

...

Iwai blinked in confusion. But... who was he to judge? "O, Kay. Well, if you're buying those. Here's the total." He informed and Haru easily paid her bill.

"Here you go, Sir." Haru smiled.

"I might be getting a new 'best customer', Kid." Iwai joked as he called out to Ren.

"Ha, ha." He responded back.

Click!

Ren picked up a new pistol, looking down the barrel like a semi-professional and focused closely. 'This one's good.' He thought.

"Alright, whoever's bought stuff, leave; you're blocking the register." Iwai ordered trying to make sure everyone got their models and left.

"Sorry, Boss." The group apologised and left, leaving Ren and Morgana last inside.

"Your friends have gotten more lively." Munehisa commented.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Ren chuckled, exchanging his old gear for new ones.

"But one question: how'd you meet someone who was rich?" He asked.

"She's a good friend at school, I don't care that she's rich." Ren answered honestly, thinking about 'Haru the Person' rather than 'Ms Okumura the Rich Girl'.

Iwai nodded as Ren paid his bill. "Get outta here kid, you don't want to keep'em waiting." He responded.

"Bye, Munehisa." He nodded and left with Morgana.

"Well, that was eventful." Morgana commented.

"Yeah, it was." Shiho agreed, looking at her new broadsword.

Ren smiled as he saw his friends with their new 'gear', even getting some new armour for Haru. But as he left the alley, he noticed two people at the corner and out of the way. They seemed to be wearing button t-shirts that barely covered some tattoos on their arms. 'What're they-?'

"Hey, Ren?" Yusuke spoke, grabbing Ren's attention.

"Huh? Sorry?" Ren asked.

"We're about to get going." Yusuke pointed.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." He apologised. "So, the plan."

"Right, so what we're thinking is this..." Futaba spoke as we pan above them and see their Persona floating above their respective users.

"Welcome to our group, Milady." Zorro spoke and bowed respectfully.

"How long have you been waiting to say that?" Captain Kidd responded with his pirate accent.

"TOO long!" Zorro sighed, making the others laugh. Not knowing just how true and accurate that statement really was

"You're all so welcoming. Thank you." Milady smiled as she was with the other female Persona.

"Nice to have another lady in the team." Carmen responded.

"Agreed, after all, it has been getting a little samey listening to Goemon go on about his paintings." Circe added.

"I thought you were all enthralled." Goemon pouted.

Up higher in the sky was Necronomicon, trying to engage with the others.

"Yarr! Can't hear ya, Necro! What're ya sayin'?" Captain Kidd called up to the UFO.

The flying saucer seemed to sigh and began to transform into a manageable size. And that being of Shadow Futaba. Necronomicon looked exactly like Futaba's real self but her eyes were golden; wearing clothes in the style of Egyptian fashion as a combination of Cleopatra and a Pharaoh, consisting of an outfit including a sleeveless top made of wraps that also covers her neck and exposes her midriff and a white floor-length skirt along with wraps that connect to her bracelets and upper armpieces, and a golden headpiece that has a snake in the front and bares the top of her head along with red jewels. "Can you hear me now, Captain?" Necronomicon deadpanned as she kicked her feet back and forth, now sat on an invisible table

"You can do that?" Johanna asked.

"I tried talking to you all as a UFO, but we all know how that turned out." Necronomicon responded.

"I must say, that's some ingenious thinking." Arsene smiled charmingly, just genuinly impressed

"Thanks, Arsene." Necronomicon answered as her new cheeks blushed a deep crimson

"So, how're things going for you now that you've awakened?" Arsene asked.

"Things are going well, Monsieur Arsene." Milady smiled, despite not having a face. Her voice carrying her tone of voice magically

"That reminds me, how did you know to get those gates open in Okumura's Palace?" Circe asked.

"Ah. Well." Arsene tried to deflect the question, but with the others looking at him and Zorro, it was difficult. "You see, about that."

Johanna spoke up, following that up, as her engine revved a bit. "You have your reasons, I'm sure."

"Yes, that's right. I was also confident in our and our partner's abilities to get through." Arsene added.

'Good one.' Zorro responded with a knowing nod.

"So, quick question." Captain Kidd asked both Milady and Zorro.

"What is it?" They responded.

"Considering that Morgana was the van for Haru, what was it like? How good was she behind the wheel?" The pirate inquired genuinely, since out of the other Persona he was the only one who historically knew how to drive.

"I must admit, I'm curious about that myself." Johanna agreed, despite being a motorbike.

"Well~." Milady mused.

"Horrifying." Zorro sighed heavily, almost like he was shaking from the experience.

"Okay, we've got a plan." Ren responded as they finished their conversation.

"And considering what we have to do, it'll be worth it." Makoto agreed.

"Holy moly! Look at the time!" Shiho looked at her phone.

"Oh crap!" Ryuji panicked.

"If you need to go, I don't mind." Haru reassured.

"Thank you, Haru. Next time we'll have more time to chat and stuff." Ann reassured.

"Thank you, but I didn't mind this. It made me feel like more part of the team." Haru smiled.

"I've got things to do too. Ready to head back, Futaba?" Ren asked.

"Duh." She answered, looping her arms with Haru and Ren. "C'mon, Haru. I'll show you round my place."

"Oh, um. Okay. Until later, everyone." Haru waved and was escorted by both Ren and Futaba.

'Another one bites the dust.' Ryuji thought to himself as he had a feeling that Futaba would talk Haru's ear off about Featherman.


*Time Skip*

Ren managed to slip out from LeBlanc and head out, though he still had time left in the day, he wanted to get more done. First things first, he needed to go to Tae, it wouldn't be fair if he didn't tell her of his health progress.

"Knock, knock. Excuse me." Ren spoke as he entered.

"Ah, Ren. I take it you're feeling better?" Tae asked from behind the desk.

"Yeah, I am. Wanted to tell you about my progress and check in on you." Ren explained.

"Alright. Come into my office." She answered, going to her office door and locked the prescription door behind her.

With the two privately in her room, Ren sat down on the bed and smiled. "How're you doing? After everything with Oyamada? I wanted to give you some space, give you a chance for it all to blow over and all that."

"Well, all things considered, I'm alright. And what Oyamada did... I'm just glad he'll finally pay for what he's done." Tae explained. "I have to be honest, before I became part of your 'little gang', I was thinking of quitting practicing medicine."

"I'm glad you didn't. Yongen-Jaya wouldn't be the same without you." Ren admitted.

"And you'd miss me too?" She playfully pouted. "Being my Guinea Pig and all."

"Well, I'd certainly miss you." Ren smiled.

Tae crossed her legs as she heard that and smiled back. "Because of you and your nosiness, my clinic's as busy as ever, despite the lack of people in today."

"That's usually a good thing, right?" Ren quipped.

Placing her papers on the desk she uncrossed and recrossed her legs a few seconds later "It can be, but I need to pay the bills somehow. Not all of us can loot metaphysical dungeons of the human psyche for some quick cash."

"Oh, you know about that?" Ren chuckled.

"Of course I do. I saw you pocketing a few of Oyamada's junk piles when we were in the Palace." She pointed at him, poking his chest.

"I need to pay the bills somehow. Not all of us can be doctors." Ren retorted.

"Smartass." She poked his chest.

"You're a great doctor, Tae. We don't want you to go... I wouldn't want you to go." Ren held her hand gently.

Tae looked at him being all sappy and kind, but it wasn't unwelcome. She did like it. "I'm not going anywhere. Besides, I want to be here."

"Thank you, Tae." He responded.

Ding, Dong!

"Oh, patients." Tae spoke as she got up. "Need to get to work."

Ren nodded, getting up and followed her outside... where he saw a small crowd of people waiting to see her.

"Dr Takemi, thank goodness you're here!" A man spoke.

"Of course, what's wrong?" She asked professionally.

"We've just heard, Dr Oyamada has confessed to negligence, sabotage and other crimes!" The man explained.

"It's all over the news! It's all over the country!" An old woman further added.

"I...I've been too busy to see it." Dr Takemi answered, not realising that her old boss and abuser has now handed himself into the police.

"I couldn't believe the story when I heard it." A father spoke.

"I can't believe that someone would do that to a kind person like you." The old woman added.

"There was even a part of the interview where he mentioned medical tampering of a patient." A woman added.

"Miwa." She smiled, reassured that her patient was alright. "She's still alive."

"Looks like you've still got work to do, Dr Takemi." Ren spoke.

"Seems I do." She nodded, feeling her connection to Ren grow stronger.

Death: Rank 8!

"I better get going." Ren informed.

"Yes, and we'll continue your check-up later." Tae gave a responsible and reasonable pretense for Ren.

"Thank you, Doctor." Ren nodded and left. 'Alright, let's see what I have left.' He thought as he pulled out his phone and noted the time. "Jeez, I was longer than I thought." He sent a text to Sojiro, letting him know he was going to be late and probably pick something up from the city for dinner.

"Pick up some vegetables for the curry. We're a bit low on onions and rice. Don't be late." Sojiro responded, trying to be as kind as he could be in his text.

"I will do, Sojiro." He smiled, answering back via text and headed out.

'I wonder if I have enough time to meet up with her?' Ren thought to himself as he went to board the train to the city. He saw the hustle and bustle of the people around, noting a small line going to an alley. 'Chihaya.' He thought to himself and walked over, there were only a couple of people in the line so he didn't have to wait long. But he couldn't just hang around with a bag of groceries while he waited.

"I'm sorry about your fate." Chihaya apologised as she bowed to a customer.

"Can't you do something about it?" The customer asked.

"I... I'm sorry." Chihaya apologised again sadly. Ren noted her mood, seeing how she was down in the dumps and needed someone to talk to. He gave a noted wave to grab her attention. "Please excuse me. I'm going on a break." Chihaya asked as she got out of her seat and went to Ren.

"Hey, everything okay?" He asked as they walked to a bench away from the small crowd.

She shook her head gently. "I've been thinking a lot about our last meeting. And I wasn't completely honest with you. But I've decided: I'm going to tell you everything about Mr Fukurai. As well as the real reason I left my village."

"O-Oh." Ren blinked and nodded.

"I already told you about how it was a small, traditional village tucked away in the mountains, right?" She asked.

"Yes, I remember." He nodded once more, trying to understand her as much as possible. Definatly rather guilty that he had not helped her more the last time round

"Well, when I was young, I predicted a major earthquake. The villagers revered me as a messenger of God. But when I kept predicting disasters, they started blaming me for everything. They said I was cursed, a monster..." She frowned as she confessed her past. "So I locked myself away. People would still come to throw stones through the windows though. Things went on like that for some time, until one day, an angry mob came and burned the house down."

"What?" Ren said in shock as he heard that, not realising it got that bad.

"That's why I decided to come to Tokyo after graduating high school. I wanted to change my fate. I didn't know anyone, but I needed money; so I took the first job I could find at a small nightclub. I found myself surrounded by dangerous people... but that's when Fukurai approached me. He's a psychic too, you know. He knew from a mere glance that I was a runaway who had just come to Tokyo. Then once I told him why I decided to leave my village, he immediately invited me to join the ADP." Chihaya continued with a deep, burning passion in her voice. Ren nodded, connecting the dots of how she came here and how this man was able to keep her under his thumb. "That was when he gave me the moniker of 'Maiden of Relief'. He told me that I possessed a divine power to save others from misfortune. That I could become more than the monster people saw me as." She admitted. "I... broke down the moment he said that." She began to laugh sadly at herself before she sighed heavily at her 'crime'. "Deep down, I knew all along that the 'Holy Stones' didn't possess any power. But I thought I might be able to save people, even though I was a monster... or perhaps I am a monster."

Ren comforted her by putting his hand on hers. Rubbing small circles against her flesh with his thumb 'That fucker. That absolute asshole. She... why didn't I do more last time?!' he thought angrily

"So the truth is, I only ever sold the 'Holy Stones' for my own personal benefit." She confessed. "I'm a terrible person, huh?"

"I don't think so." He reassured her.

"Wh-what? My fortune said that you're supposed to hate me." She blinked in shock. "I never thought you'd overturn even that fate." Ren simply shrugged with a smile. That gave her the confidence to stand up. "You know what? I see now how wrong I was. I'm not going to keep turning a blind eye to injustice! I'm going to expose the chairman's fraudulent activities and wake the other members up to the truth!" She turned to him and smiled, feeling braver than before. "Thank you so much for listening to me today."

"Hey, any time." He responded with a kind smile.

"If there's ever anything you need to talk about, I'd be happy to return the favour, Ren." She answered, strengthening her resolve.

Fortune: Rank 7!

"Now that I think about it though, just saying the Holy Stones are powerless won't convince people. The ADP holds what they call 'Seminars' for believers... but it's really just brainwashing. That's why everyone thinks they'll be unhappy without a Holy Stone." She admitted. "Honestly, I don't hold any sway there, despite being the 'Maiden of Relief'. Just who is the chairman?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Ren reassured her after she let go of his hand.

"Let me think about it and we can talk it over next time." Chihaya asked.

"Yeah, no problem... I need to get going too." Ren reassured.

"Of course. Again, thank you." She bowed to him as they parted ways.

'Alright, time to know who that chairman is.' Ren thought to himself. 'But first!' He headed to the grocery store.


*time skip*

It was the following day, Ren was heading out to school, finally getting back into the swing of things and having done his homework that he missed.

...

Not that wasn't already adding to the massive list of jobs he had to do in his day-to-day life.

"Home again, home again. Right, Ren?" Morgana asked as he sat in his bag.

"Too true." He whispered. "How's the bag?"

"Comfy as ever." He smiled, wiggling into the bag slightly "Like home." he assured with joy

"I just hope I haven't lost too many brain cells since I've been gone." Ren commented.

"Come on, with your schedule? No chance." Morgana chuckled.

boop

"I'm gonna get you back for that." Ren smiled gently.

"Didn't you just do that?" Morgana chickled making Ren rolled his eyes as he arrived at school ready for the day and going to class. Whatever happens... he's gonna do his best.

"Welcome back, Mr Amamiya." Ms Kawakami spoke as she saw him.

"Ms Kawakami." He nodded respectfully.

"I assume you've done your homework?" She asked.

"Of course." He answered.

"I hope you're ready for your next lessons." She smiled as he took his seat.


*Time Skip*

"Man, what a day." Ren sighed with a smile of normalcy after what he had been through. He was heading towards the roof, his hands in his pockets 'I hope Haru's okay.' He thought as he opened the door and saw her working in her garden. "Haru?"

"Oh, Ren. I didn't think you'd be here today. I-I mean, on the roof! Not at school." Haru smiled before stammering.

"I managed to get enough sleep." He chuckled. "Your garden's coming along well."

"Oh, thank you. I've been working hard to grow some carrots and tomatoes." She explained showing her hard work.

"That's great." He responded.

"Wow, look at that." Morgana popped his head out from the bag.

"Oh, thank you both." Haru blushed.

"Morgana, come on." Ren frowned.

"Oh, right. 'Alone time'. No problem." He tucked his head back into the bag. "Just pretend I'm not here!"

The two chuckled at Morgana's response, as Ren put his bag down. "He's considerate." Ren commented with slight sarcasm in his voice while rolling his eyes and chuckling a bit

"I know, he really is." She nodded, looking at Ren and slowly starting to focus on him.

"How're you doing?" Ren asked kindly.

"I'm alright, thank you." She answered. "I bought a mini roaster and a coffee mill the other day." She began the conversation in a different direction. "I thought it'd be fun to make coffee myself. It's certainly not easy, but it's an immensely satisfying process."

"That's great." Ren smiled, but noted Haru getting a little dizzy.

"Hnn." She held her head.

"Whoa, easy." He went over and caught her

"I'm sorry. I just got dizzy there for a second." She apologised.

"You look exhausted." Ren commented, seeing her a little closer and noted some dark circles under her eyes.

"I'm fine, honestly." She reassured him, getting to her feet. "Let's see, next up is... dirt for the planters..." And she began to collapse again, only to be caught by Ren. "I'm sorry." She apologised again. "I think I need to rest a little."

"Take it from me, it's needed." Ren answered, noting the fold-up chairs and got one for her.

As Haru sat down, she began to confess her feelings. "To be honest, I haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately. Mr Takakura has really been pushing for us to start a new venture soon. In particular, he's adamant about a chain of low-cost, intimate cafes. Some employees don't think it's a good idea though, so they want me to step in and stop it. But I'm just a high-schooler." She admitted, squeezing her hands gently.

"Haru..." Ren frowned, getting to his knees.

"There's no way I could predict the success or failure of this idea. In the end, I'm not sure what to do." She admitted.

"That sounds really tough," Ren commented.

"It is, people simply won't stop offering their opinions to me." the fluffy haired girl explained. "I never imagined how difficult life could be in a position of power." She admitted

"Realities of being the daughter of a CEO." Ren commented.

"Yes." She nodded. "It must be how my father feels at work." Before she tucked into herself a little. "The idea does sound nice. The smell of a fresh cup of coffee does bring a smile to my face. I want to bring that experience to as many people as possible. But I don't think I can agree to Mr Takakura's 'low-cost chain' suggestion."

"There's got to be a way, Haru." Ren answered, imagining Haru working at LeBlanc with him, just serving coffee in the cafe.

"Huh?" She asked, looking at him, loosening up a little. "Do you honestly believe so? I was convinced that the two ideas would be contradictory. But it might be possible after all! Maybe I should talk to him."

"That's the way." Ren praised her and nodded.

"I've been afraid of him this whole time... but all I need to do is show him how I feel!" Haru got to her feet. "I'll make him see what I'm truly thinking. And what's truly important to me."

"You can do it, Haru." Ren smiled, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Haru nodded again, smiling at this determination and also the reinforcement he was giving her. "I'm going to do my best, thank you Ren."

Emperess: Rank 6!

"Any time, Haru. And maybe I can buy some-" He pointed to the crops.

"Oh no! I couldn't let you do that." Haru answered. "I can give them to you."

"That's not a good business practice, Haru." Ren joked, making her laugh.

"Y-You know what I mean!" She pushed him from embarrassment.

"Yeah, of course I do." He nodded. "We're gonna get back into the Palace; think you're up for it?"

"I. I should be." She responded.

"It'll be fine. We're here there for you." he assured, holding her hand gently. A gentle smile that... well it set Haru's heart a flutter

'Hmm!' She squeaked to herself, feeling his hand in hers. 'His hand's big!' She thought to herself. A part of her wondering what those hands would feel running along her body as she blushed brighter. Trying to gather some level self confidence

Ren noted how her body was getting stiffer, but also her blush. He gave a little self-chuckle and smiled. Without thinking his hand slipped free of hers... and instead wrapped around her waist, pulling her close "Come on, let's save your dad." he encouraged

Haru's cheeks became flushed red as she looked into his eyes, nodding quickly as she almost fainted in his arms. "O-okay!"

In the bag, Morgana caught that part of the conversation; smiling and getting ready. 'We've got this. This time, Mr Okumura will be saved.'


*Time Skip*

Outside of school, gathering together the group was going to send the Calling Card to Haru's father... and how to send it.

"Well, it's good that we get the card ready. But we're missing the one tiny little detail." Makoto spoke.

"Yeah, yeah. We need to get to the Treasure Room first so it can manifest." Futaba responded.

"You started to sound like Ryuji." Ann chuckled.

"Did not!" Both Ryuji and Futaba deadpanned.

"Well, it just means we've got a job to do." Shiho answered. "You ready to do this, Noir?" She turned to Haru.

"Yes. I'll be ready, Dove." Haru nodded with determination.

"Then let's do this." Morgana spoke as he leapt on Ren's shoulders.

"Everyone, let's get going." Ren brought out his phone and pushed the app, ready to save Mr Okumura... and this time. They would save him. "It's... Showtime!" He called proudly, the tailcoats of Joker's cost fluttering in the wind as the world warped into that of the Metaverse

A wide grin on his face as this finally, 100%, felt right!


Fool: Rank 10

Magician: Rank 10

Lovers: Rank 10

Chariot: Rank 10

Sun: Rank 10

Lust: Rank 10

Strength: Rank 9

Hierophant: Rank 8

Devil: Rank 8

Death: Rank 8

High Priestess: Rank 7

Emperor: Rank 7

Hanged-Man: Rank 7

Fortune: Rank 7

Temperance: Rank 6

World: Rank 6

Tower: Rank 6

Star: Rank 6

Hermit: Rank 6

Moon: Rank 6

Empress: Rank 6