บท 105: The Maid and the Thief
(Hello ya'll! Missed me? Hehe, sorry for the delay. I'll yap more at the end. For now, enjoy.)
— — —
Thanks to Mona, the thieves were able to escape the crumbling museum. Yusuke wasn't speaking much, but he looked back at the museum with a look of acceptance.
As they stepped outside the Palace, Yusuke held up the Sayuri painting. In the dim light of the night, the image of the woman tenderly holding a baby, his mother and himself, was still clear. Each brushstroke was a testament to his mother's love and skill.
Yusuke felt the reassuring weight of a few hands on his shoulder, and as he looked around at the Thieves, a small, genuine smile escaped him. Their silent understanding and support warmed his heart.
"Let's go; we no longer need to be in this place." Yusuke said, starting to walk away, not turning back to look at his house.
The Thieves all looked at him, but they saw that he needed some time to process everything now that had happened to him. Now that they had stolen Madarame's treasure, it meant that his heart would change.
After one final round of goodbyes, they all walked to their respective homes, feeling the day's exhaustion take over. Each of them had been extremely tense since one wrong move could have resulted in the whole plan collapsing.
Futaba, who was holding onto Morgana, couldn't help but chuckle as she ruffled his head.
"Hehe, who would have thought that all those days playing helicopter simulator would end up with me flying an actual helicopter… A Monacopter!" She let out a giggle as she lifted up Mona. "All hail Mona! The king of the skies and the road!"
Tae, who was looking at Futaba with a smile, raised an eyebrow.
"Really? That's how you learned to fly a helicopter? I am not going to lie. I was surprised to see you in the pilot's seat. I bet you don't even have a driver's license, do you?"
Futaba simply shrugged, holding onto Mona, who was enjoying the praise.
"Nah, I never planned on driving a car, so why bother? The helicopter simulator just looked interesting. In theory, I should be able to fly a plane too, but who knows if my skills translate to the real world."
Ren chuckled slightly as he listened to the two of them.
"Makes you wonder how much of our potential we've actually tapped into." Ren said, his mind wandering back to the fight.
A lot had changed during their infiltration into the Palace. They were becoming closer to their Personas, and Yusuke, who had only just awakened, could already keep up with Ren and the rest.
Takemi had gotten a bit of a head start on him, but she didn't have quite as good control as Yusuke did. Personas were the manifestations of one's heart, and the ordeal in Madarame's Palace had shaken Yusuke to his core. Even Ren wasn't sure what he would have done in Yusuke's place.
Rather than let the world crumble around him, Yusuke stood up and faced the challenge head-on. He took it upon himself to bring his teacher to justice and finally make him confess his crimes. Perhaps that was to be expected of The Emperor, an Arcana whose main theme was taking responsibility.
As he turned to look at Futaba talking with Takemi, stars in her eyes, he couldn't help but smile.
'Things are only going to get harder from here, aren't they?' he asked himself internally. There was no reason to bring down the mood, but deep down, he knew they were just at the beginning.
He could almost feel the knots forming in his back when Mona jumped from Futaba's arms onto Ren's shoulder, balancing himself carefully and snapping Ren out of his thoughts.
"Hehe, what did I tell ya? He was overthinking again," Mona said, chuckling as he felt Ren's hand scratch his head.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ren mused with a smile, putting his thoughts to the back of his mind and continuing the walk back to Yongen-Jaya.
— — —
As he arrived in Leblanc, Ren massaged the back of his neck, the tension from the past day's events still lingering. His mind had been working overtime, as usual, a tendency Mona frequently reminded him about.
He found himself missing the quiet moments spent gardening with Haru. Her presence always seemed to ease his worries. If he was being honest, he wanted to take a vacation from everything for some time to finally let his mind rest and finish processing everything.
He had a new goal in his mind, but he would have to carefully plan his next steps so as to not risk either his life or the lives of his friends.
"I should probably go back and speak to Doc soon." Ren muttered with a yawn. He was mentally preparing for the things to come now that he had changed his goal, and it would probably be good to talk to someone like him.
After a few moments of thinking, Ren picked up his phone and called his favorite maid. He had been under a lot of stress lately, and the last time she massaged him, it helped him relax a good amount.
It didn't take her long, but Kawakami showed up wearing her usual maid costume and with a wide smile on her face.
"Hello, Master! ~♥" She greeted him, making a heart gesture with her hands, quickly dropping the act. "How's that? Did I totally capture your heart? My boss is trying to fire me because I haven't taken as many jobs lately, but I can still be pretty cute when I want to."
Ren couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he saw her, nodding his head.
"Oh no, Miss, now I have fallen for you. What am I to do?" He joked, causing her to roll her eyes as she dropped a few bags she was holding on the restaurant's bar table.
"Now, I know you are a pretty good cook, but I thought I could bring some specialty dishes! I feel bad for slacking off so much." She said, pulling out a few cups of instant ramen. "Now, I know it doesn't look like much, but they are the best ramen you'll ever taste, and it's only 200 yen per cup."
Ren chuckled again, watching as she moved to the microwave.
"And… erm… Master~ I am only using the microwave because it gives it that… special flavor." She said, trying to act professional while finishing the ramen.
A few minutes later, they carried the cups upstairs to the desk Ren had brought in for the Thieves' meetings. As they ate, their conversation meandered from school gossip to upcoming exams, with Kawakami slipping in and out of her Becky character, making her stories more entertaining.
However, he could see traces of guilt on her face as she spoke, looking around the room and tapping her finger as if something was on her mind.
"How's your sister doing?" Ren asked casually. He was fine with not knowing the full truth, but he could tell it was starting to take a toll on her.
Kawakami froze, choking slightly on her food.
"My sister? She's, uh…" Her eyes showed a hint of panic before she sighed. "Not real… "
She looked at Ren with guilty eyes. However, seeing him not even look surprised, she let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Though I guess you knew that." She looked lost in thought for a moment, the usual brightness she put on when pretending to be Becky vanishing. "If you knew I was lying, then why did you help me?"
Ren met her gaze, his eyes softening.
"Because you needed it." He replied simply, causing her eyes to widen. "It's hard to explain, but I just wanted to help. Honestly, I don't care that much about the money. I already have what I need."
Kawakami's mouth opened in surprise before it closed, letting out a soft chuckle as her expression became softer.
"It's funny… that's actually not the first time I have heard something like that. Even though you two are quite different." She began, thinking for a few moments before letting out a sigh and deciding to open up.
"The real reason I need the money is because it is an 'apology.'" She began clenching her hand slightly. "A few years back, there was this kid who never really showed up to school, but I could tell that he was determined to learn as much as he could, so I decided to mentor him. He actually worked multiple jobs, since his family didn't have too much money."
Her eyes looked down at the floor with guilt as she continued.
"Since he never showed up to school, he got a reputation as a criminal, which made me get called to the principal's office, where I was told I couldn't tutor him anymore. For the sake of the reputation of the school and all that. And though he was sad, he simply said that he would just focus on working more."
Ren looked at her, holding her fists tightly as she remembered everything.
"One time, he fell asleep while driving and got into a car crash, the exhaustion catching up to him. If only I had continued to tutor him then…"
"He would have died even sooner," Ren finished her thoughts, causing her to look surprised and frown slightly. "If he worked as hard as you say he did, then I don't doubt he would have made time to continue studying with you. Even if he was exhausted from work."
"No… I—" Kawakami began before she saw Ren raise his hands.
"Wait, why do you have to pay apology payments to his parents again? I'm sorry, but you did more than enough for your part," Ren asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Kawakami shifted uncomfortably before responding.
"Well… it's not his parents; it's his guardians. His parents had passed away. But they say that if I had kept my promise to him, he wouldn't have overworked himself so much… and I think it's true."
"Kawakami… have you thought that maybe you're being used?" Ren asked in a firm yet concerned tone. As she heard the question, she couldn't help but feel her discomfort increase, her eyes darting around the room, trying to avoid making eye contact.
"I've met a lot of people like them before, and just from what you've told me—"
His words were cut off by the sudden ring of a phone. The sound pierced the tense silence, momentarily distracting both of them.
Kawakami fumbled for her phone, her hands trembling slightly as she checked the caller ID. She looked panicked as she turned to see Ren, who was looking her in the eyes. After hesitating for a few moments about whether to answer, the call went to voicemail.
"That was…" She began, trying to look for an excuse before sighing for what felt like the hundredth time. "Them."
There was a moment of awkward silence as Kawakami looked down at the floor in guilt before she saw Ren stand up.
"Alright, wait here," he said before going downstairs, returning a few minutes later holding a teapot and some cups.
He wasn't quite sure when he was assigned the role of therapist to his confidants, but it seemed that now he was stuck in it. What a fool he turned out to be. Though, to be fair, he didn't hate it. He had even considered taking a job like Maruki's and becoming a counselor in the future if, for some reason, he lost access to the Metaverse.
"Tell me everything from the start," Ren asked her, serving her a cup of the tea that Haru had given him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was delicious and relaxing.
It was at that moment that Kawakami let everything out. She was both physically and mentally exhausted. She wasn't sure how she managed it, but they would randomly raise the amount of money they wanted her to give them.
There was no one she could turn to, and even though she found becoming a maid humiliating, it was the only job that she could manage to get with her schedule that would get her enough money to pay them.
She was starting to get desperate back when she had first been called by Ren, and the help he had given her felt like a breath of fresh air. But at the same time, she felt guilty. It was starting to become overwhelming, but she pushed it all behind her Becky mask.
"It's just... I feel so trapped. They keep reminding me of what happened and how I owe them," she said, carefully playing with the cup in her hands to keep focused.
Ren nodded, leaning forward slightly.
"They're killing you, just like they killed him," Ren spoke as he took a drink of his tea. "From what I'm hearing, I'm guessing they're the reason he worked so much. So now they're using you to keep feeding them money."
Kawakami looked down, her fists tightly clenched as she held back tears.
"I just don't know what to do. I thought paying them would make things right, but it never ends. They always want more. And now that I have become a maid to pay them off, I will lose everything if they report me to the school. I love being a teacher, but if this gets out, I will be banned from ever teaching."
As Ren listened to her, he asked her a question she hadn't even considered.
"Have you thought about leaving a request for the Phantom Thieves? I hear that a lot of hearts have been changed, so there's a good chance they might change the hearts of his guardians."
Kawakami looked up, her eyes widening slightly.
"I... I never thought of that. But what if it doesn't work? What if they don't take the request?"
Ren gave her a reassuring smile.
"All they need is a name. Don't you think it's worth a try? What are their names?"
"Toshio and Hiromi Takase," Kawakami answered.
Nodding, Ren filed the names away in his mind, thinking about the next time they would go to Mementos.
Kawakami couldn't help but smile as she saw him get lost in thought. She slapped her cheeks lightly to snap herself back to focus.
"Ren... thank you," she said softly. "I've been so overwhelmed, and I couldn't speak about it to anyone… even if the Phantom Thieves don't actually help me, I still appreciate you trying."
"Don't worry about it." Ren answered her with a smile
Kawakami's smile grew warmer, but then she noticed Ren reaching for his neck again, just like the last time. She frowned slightly, determination settling in her eyes.
"Go lay on the bed," she ordered with a serious expression. Here she was, pushing all her burdens on him, so she had to do something to repay him.
"Huh?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I've noticed you keep reaching for your neck, just like last time. I'll give you a massage and get rid of all those knots, okay?" She said, standing up and stretching her fingers in preparation.
"Isn't that a bit out of nowhere? You really don't have to worry about—" Ren began. He had originally called her for that, but by now, it felt too late to ask for it.
"Nope, I've made up my mind," Kawakami interrupted. "I'm supposed to be the maid here, and all I've been doing is dumping all of my problems onto you. I need to do something to repay you. Otherwise, I won't be able to go home feeling right."
Ren chuckled slightly before following her orders, laying down on his bed with his chest down. In a few moments, he felt Kawakami climb on the bed beside him.
"Alright, I'm still not too great at this, but I saw a couple of videos online after last time, so I should be even better," she said, placing her hands on his back and starting the massage.
She couldn't help but widen her eyes as she felt how tense he was, and she could feel all the knots.
"Huh, you must have been working hard. You gotta remember it's important to take breaks. Or else, it'll take a toll on your health," she said, not missing the chuckle from Ren below her.
"Did you hear that?" he asked in a joking tone, causing her to freeze as she realized what he meant.
Ignoring his question, she began to focus on the massage, slowly but surely feeling his body relax as she worked out all the tension and knots from his back.
Without realizing it, she had stopped hovering above him, instead using his back as a chair. She wasn't quite sure how much time had passed, but when she asked him her next question, she got no response. As she tilted her head over, she saw that he was deep in a dream, though his face was scrunched up as if he was in the middle of a nightmare.
Kawakami sighed softly, feeling a pang of guilt for adding to his burdens. She gently moved off of him, careful not to wake him. Seeing him like this, so vulnerable, made her heart ache.
She quietly tidied up, washing the teapot and cups they had used. As she glanced back at Ren, she made a silent promise to herself to do whatever she could to help him, just as he had helped her.
Before leaving, she scribbled a quick note and left it on the nightstand:
"Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself, too. - Kawakami"
~Confidants~
Sadayo Kawakami (The Temperance) Rank 4
(Poor Ren, he be working hard.
Also, Thanks to everyone for being so patient! I made sure to take down the feedback you guys left on the last feedback chapter, and I will try to introduce them. For example, I plan on a "Phantom Diaries" chap, similar to the Slime Diaries chap I did in my Tensura story. Also, I have more Mementos chaps planned.
I always enjoy hearing back from all of you, so drop some comments. If you have any feedback questions or things you would like to see, feel free to drop a comment. See ya, The next chap should be out in two days.)
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