Chương 10: A Deal With Death.

Heading back with the newly picked-up weapons, he dropped them off at Leblanc. Afterward, since Takemi had asked him to, Ren made a detour to the clinic in Yongen-Jaya. After a brief examination, she stepped back, offering some basic aftercare advice.

"You should be good now. Just use some ice to keep the swelling down, and take over-the-counter meds if there's pain," she advised.

Pausing, her gaze narrowed slightly with curiosity.

"Have you taken any other medication besides what I gave you yesterday?"

Ren shook his head at the question.

Takemi seemed to ponder for a moment before presenting an unexpected offer.

"How about a part-time job here? I'm working on a new medicine, but the side effects have been... challenging for previous test subjects. You seem unusually resilient. Your help could really accelerate the research. Though I would have to fine-tune it with more average people later on in its development."

"Hm?" Ren's head perked up as he felt the strange bond he had formed with her yesterday tremble.

The bond was something unlike anything he had ever felt before, it was practically tangible. But now, he could see the faint traces of a white thread linking the two of them together. It was almost invisible, and were it not for how it quivered, it would be almost unnoticeable.

Since awakening his power, this was the first time he felt as if he could perceive the very thread of fate that linked them together. The bond, still new and delicate, seemed to quiver with the weight of his impending decision. As if the very fabric of their connection hung in the balance, waiting for his response.

After a moment of contemplation, Ren firmed his resolve and nodded in agreement. If the bonds he formed meant becoming stronger then he wouldn't mind becoming a guinea pig. At worst, he hoped Caroline and Justine could do their magic again to help him out with any side effects.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind being the Igor to your Frankenstein. At your service, my doctor." Ren said in an overly dramatic tone before giving a small bow.

Takemi rolled her eyes, a faint smile betraying her amusement. She stepped out of the clinic momentarily, returning with a vial of red liquid, which she placed before Ren with a challenge.

"Then prove it."

Taking the vial, Ren raised it in mock toast.

"Cheers," he said, downing the contents in one gulp. His face twisted immediately; the taste was a peculiar blend of sour and bitter, not pleasant but not unbearable either.

"Wow, you actually drank that! And you seem fine... Not bad-" Takemi began, only to be cut off as Ren's expression soured further.

A wave of revulsion crashed over him, his mouth coated with a taste akin to battery acid. He felt his entire body reject the medicine as a massive headache began assaulting his mind. The massive discomfort made his thoughts cloudy.

"Ah, never mind. There it is." Takemi noted, springing into action with her medical tools, meticulously examining him.

When he snapped back to reality, Ren found himself breathing heavily while lying on the bed at the clinic, sweating profusely. He turned to see Takemi looking down at him while holding a stethoscope to his chest, listening carefully. As she noticed him regain focus on his eyes, she pulled back before smiling.

"Seriously, what kind of idiot would drink that?" she teased, handing him water.

Ren gulped the water down, turning to face Takemi, whose smile was unexpectedly warm. The strange thread that linked them together was now faintly visible to his eye, and it seemed somewhat sturdier.

Chuckling, Ren answered.

"I know, right? Anyone who would drink a strange vial full of red medicine probably got dropped as a kid."

She let out a surprisingly gentle smile before saying.

"Alright, since you are well enough to joke, then you are probably good enough to go home. I'll give you a call once I have the next version ready. Don't hesitate to give me a call if you feel any strange side effects." She said before her expression turned serious.

"Oh, and I don't want the general public to know about the medicine I am developing. So you're

strictly prohibited from disclosing what happens here to anyone, understood?"

Nodding his head, Ren pretended to seal his lips before remembering something.

"Hey, I have a bit of a strange question. Did you ever study any psychology when you were studying to become a doctor?"

Takemi, slightly puzzled, responded.

"A bit, but I don't really remember much of it. Why?"

"Does the word 'persona' mean anything to you? I'm doing a school project, and that's part of the stuff I need to look into for my report."

"Actually, it does." She said with surprise before frowning. "Though, I don't really remember what it was about. The most I can remember is that the school brought in a special lecturer to teach about it. I think his name was something along the lines of Maruki… You'd probably have better luck searching in a library for books related to the subject though.

With the little amount of hints Ren had, he could at least guess that the other world was related in some way to the mind. To his surprise, after shooting a shot in the dark, he had actually gotten an answer.

After saying his goodbyes to Takemi, he returned to Leblanc before heading to his room. Sitting on his desk, he pulled out a couple of notebooks to write notes down before beginning his search through the internet using his phone.

To his disappointment, there wasn't much on the internet about Dr. Maruki. He was one of the lead researchers on a subject he called "cognitive psience" and though his research was met with positive reception at first, the university he worked at cut all of his funding not so long after because there was not enough evidence to back his research. After that, maruki left the university to become a counselor.

Ren thought about booking an appointment with him, but after seeing the price, he couldn't help but curse.

"Well, fuck me, I guess."

He would have to find a reliable way to make money if he wanted to be able to afford to talk to him about his research. So, after writing down his information, he switched gears.

"The fool, the hierophant, the tower, the death, the temperance…"

Those were the names of the bonds he had formed so far. They sounded familiar to him, and after a quick google he was able to find out why. A quick search revealed they were titles of Tarot's Major Arcana.

To be named so clearly in reference to it, the Tarot must have some sort of significance in this world. He spent some time writing down some notes about each of the major arcana, but he didn't feel satisfied with his own research. If he was being honest, his grasp on the subject was tenuous at best. Searching through his phone once again, he found an ad for a somewhat popular tarot reader not so far from him.

"Shinjuku, at night time only…" he muttered to himself before walking downstairs to see Sojiro cleaning up for the day.

"Sojiro, my friends just asked me if I wanted to stop by their place after school to go study tomorrow night. They were thinking of ordering some pizza and watching a movie afterward, so it might run a bit late… Would it be fine for me to go?" He asked, feigning to be really excited.

"Well, at least you are asking ahead of time…" Sojiro stopped cleaning for a moment before thinking.

"It gets quite busy on Sundays during the afternoon. If you agree to help me out, then I'll let you go. However, that would also mean spending the evening on Saturday learning the basics. I can't have you messing up customers' orders because you don't know what you are doing."

Ren put an enthusiastic smile on his face, internally longing for the days he could wander around as he pleased, before saying.

"Sounds like a deal! But only if you add those tips you promised me about." Ren joked as he walked down and sat on one of the booths.

"Tips? What tips?" Sojiro asked before realization dawned, causing a large smile to form on his face.

"Ah! Are you struggling with the ladies? Don't worry about it. Stick with me long enough, and when Valentine's Day comes around, your only worry will be what to do the day after when you get swarmed by the ladies you didn't spend the day with." Sojiro chuckled, a twinkle of nostalgia in his eyes.

As the two of them talked for the remainder of the day, Ren could feel his bond with Sojiro become stronger. However, unlike with Takemi, the thread of fate that bound them remained invisible.

~Confidants~

Tae Takemi (The Death) Rank 2