(Just a quick heads-up that I won't be able to post either tomorrow or the day after. So sad. But an emergency at work came up, so I will be away from home for those two days. Also, couldn't cook up a chunky chap like I enjoy doing cuz I gotta go to bed early for tomorrow.
Not gonna lie; kinda bummed the work thing came up since the story got a bunch of power stones out of nowhere, and we were suddenly ranked 19/20, but it do be that way sometimes. Just gives me more time to cook up the next few chaps in my head. And hey, let's just say I see a Tower chap in the near future.)
— — —
As they exited the Metaverse, Futaba stumbled and nearly fell to the floor, clearly exhausted from awakening her Persona.
"Woah! You all weren't lying about that, huh?" she remarked, pushing herself to her feet with a yawn.
"Wanna take a nap?" Ren asked, causing Futaba to shake her head.
"No, there's something I haven't done that I just realized I forgot to do. Wanna come with me to Leblanc? Sojiro should be closing up soon, so there shouldn't be any customers." Futaba proposed.
Ren nodded, and they set out together.
Upon reaching the doorway, Futaba hesitated, taking a deep breath before stepping outside. It was evident that she was still tense about leaving her comfort zone, but she was resolute in her decision to go to Leblanc. She let Ren walk ahead, using him as a shield from the outside world as they made their way.
Soon, they pushed through the doors of Leblanc.
"Oh, hi Ren, Futaba, you guys are here la- Futaba!?" Sojiro started to greet them casually before doing a double-take at the sight of Futaba following Ren inside.
"Yo," Futaba greeted as she finally stepped in.
"Futaba! What- how- you're outside?" Sojiro stuttered, his words tripping over themselves as he watched her walk around the bar toward him.
Before he could fully process the scene, Futaba wrapped him in a hug.
"Thanks for taking me in," she said softly, then stepped back.
Sojiro stood frozen, a look of utter astonishment on his face. After a moment to collect his thoughts, he murmured.
"Futaba…" Overcome with emotion, he stepped forward and returned her hug. After a few tender moments, he stepped back, wiping his face, trying to hold back tears.
"You must be hungry, right? Here, I'll cook up your favorite. You too, Ren, take a seat. I'm about to make the best damn curry you'll have ever tasted," Sojiro declared, managing a smile as he retreated into the kitchen, giving himself a moment to regroup.
Futaba hopped into one of the chairs near the serving bar, sitting in a squat as she awaited her meal.
As Ren took the seat next to her, Futaba whispered,
"Seeing the memory of him adopting me made me realize that I never properly thanked him…"
Ren chuckled softly, shaking his head in agreement.
"Better late than never."
They could hear Sojiro bustling about in the kitchen, but through the opening, Ren caught a glimpse of the man's beaming smile.
"Guess this makes me an official member, huh? Gotta say, it was weird getting suddenly snatched by my Persona out of nowhere," Futaba remarked, idly fiddling with some silverware on the table.
"Yeah, it was quite the surprise. Now, we have a motorcycle and a UFO on our team. Not to mention Catbus himself," Ren replied, his voice tinged with amusement as he sipped the coffee Sojiro had served them. His thoughts drifted briefly. "Makes me wonder what kind of strange Persona future members of our team would have."
"Honestly, when I saw the tentacles, I got kinda worried. I mean, I've seen enough hentai to know where that could have gone." Futaba said nonchalantly, causing Ren to abruptly choke on his coffee.
After a brief struggle to regain his composure, Ren burst out laughing, his laugh drawing Sojiro's attention. The older man poked his head out from the kitchen.
"Everything ok?" Sojiro asked with a concerned yet amused smile.
Futaba responded with a playful thumbs-up, reassuring him. He chuckled before disappearing back into the kitchen to continue cooking.
As Sojiro hustled in the kitchen, the rich aroma of spices began to permeate Leblanc, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. A look of satisfaction spreading across Futaba's face.
"You're a bit different now, huh?" Ren observed, a smile playing on his lips as he noticed the change in her demeanor.
"Ya." Futaba said as she took in a deep breath and let it out. "I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. Kinda like I was stuck on a level and finally found an exploit to get me out. Like I stopped drinking that Depresso Espresso."
"That's one way to put it." Ren chuckled in response.
A little while later, Sojiro emerged from the kitchen with plates in hand, setting them down on the table before taking a seat himself.
"Thanks," Futaba said, then began to devour her food as if she hadn't eaten in days, a sight that brought a smile to Sojiro's face.
The trio ate quietly, savoring each bite, until Futaba spoke up again.
"So, when do I get to meet Mona? I'm kinda curious what he looks like." Futaba asked as she finished her plate.
"Mona?" Sojiro echoed, clearly confused, which made Futaba tilt her head.
"Yeah, Mona. The cat," she explained, her tone tinged with surprise.
"There's a cat? Where?" Sojiro asked again, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Wait, you didn't know?" Ren asked, equally surprised. "I've had a cat for about a month; he comes in and out through the window all the time. I thought you just didn't care."
"Oh god, we ruined his streak. I bet Mona was being all sneaky on purpose," Futaba chuckled, her laughter easing the slight annoyance and surprise on Sojiro's face into a chuckle as well.
"I thought I was going crazy hearing meows coming from the attic. Every time I checked, it was empty. But wait—this is a restaurant. You can't have pets in here," Sojiro began to protest, but as he saw the expressions on Ren's and Futaba's faces, he sighed in resignation.
"Well… as long as you guys follow two rules, it should be fine. One, the cat stays out of the kitchen. And two… I wanna meet the damn cat."
— — —
A few hours later, the lateness of the hour had taken its toll on Futaba, who had fallen asleep at the desk, exhausted from what she had seen in her palace and the awakening of her Persona.
As Sojiro noticed her peaceful slumber, he turned to Ren with a smile.
"Kid, I have no idea what you did, but I gotta thank you. I haven't seen her act like that in a long time. Since before her mom… passed away," Sojiro remarked, his voice softening and his smile fading as he mentioned Wakaba.
Ren chuckled lightly, tapping a playful rhythm on the table that had become their familiar tune.
"I just asked her if she wanted to build a snowman. To be honest, I'm surprised a silly joke went this far," he replied, glancing at Futaba, who was now slightly drooling in her sleep.
"A snowman, huh…" Sojiro mused, a spark of inspiration flickering in his eyes. "Maybe I should take a trip with Futaba to Inaba... I have some family that goes skiing there from time to time during winter. I bet we could build a snowman over there."
Ren nodded, chuckling at his suggestion.
"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. It would probably be a good change of pace. Create some new memories to replace the bad ones," he added, noting a touch of melancholy cross Sojiro's features.
"She told you about all that, huh." Sojiro muttered, leaning back in his chair, his gaze lingering on Futaba. "You know, when I took her in, I was just trying to do the right thing. I didn't expect to ever... well, feel like a family again. Like how it was when Wakaba used to bring her around."
Pausing, he continued
"God, she is so much like her mother… I can't wait to see what she puts that big brain of hers up to."
Curious about Wakaba, Ren raised an eyebrow. He had only caught glimpses of her through Futaba's palace. Besides the fragments Sojiro had shared, he knew very little.
"What was she like?" Ren asked, prompting a nostalgic smile from Sojiro.
"Wakaba? She was wonderful. I already told you how she improved my curry recipe using science, but her quickness was something else. One time, my fridge broke, and she fixed it the next day. Mind you, she knew nothing about fridges the day before. Once she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her."
As Sojiro shared more anecdotes about Wakaba, it was clear he deeply missed her. Eventually, he turned to Ren and asked.
"Hey, do you want to come on the ski trip with us?" A small smirk crossed his face as he added, "You could even bring your 'friends.' I tell you, there's nothing quite as romantic as cuddling up in a warm cabin."
Rolling his eyes, Ren couldn't help but ask.
"Is that all you think about?"
Laughing, Sojiro replied.
"No… but it is one of the few things I know: coffee, curry, and romance. You're already getting pretty good with the first two, so I gotta give you some tips while I still can. Otherwise, I'm going to run out of things to teach you."
Then, a wry smile crept across Sojiro's face as he leaned forward, adding a playful tone to the conversation.
"Speaking of which, how about you tell me how things have been going with you? Last I heard, that Takamaki girl had run away from you after you filmed that commercial."
~Confidants~
Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) Rank 5
(Little slice of life to heal the heart after her palace. I had forgotten just how much of a goblin Futaba was after her palace, lol. I went back to look at some videos before writing and couldn't help but laugh at it.
Also, I just now realized how often I write about people sleeping or tired in my story. Guess that writing before bed is leaking through, huh? Not my fault it fits so well in the story lol.)
With the newest member on board, the Phantom Thieves decided it was time to dive into Mementos for some 'real-world' practice with her Persona. They had accumulated a backlog of requests on their website, and with school out for the day, it presented the perfect opportunity to change as many hearts as possible, boosting their notoriety across Japan ahead of their next big announcement.
However, since Futaba hadn't formally met the rest of the Thieves, Ren arranged a meeting at Leblanc for proper introductions. Despite her excitement, Futaba felt a twinge of nervousness; she hadn't interacted much with anyone other than Sojiro and Ren since her mother's death.
"Don't worry about it. Just be yourself, and everything will be fine. Trust me, you might even end up liking some of them more than you like me," Ren reassured her with an encouraging smile, to which she responded with a skeptical look.
Not long after their conversation, Ann climbed the stairs to Ren's room, her face lighting up with a bright smile.
"Hey! It's nice to finally meet you in person!" Ann exclaimed, stepping forward to greet Futaba, who instinctively took a step back to maintain some distance.
"The first member of the royal harem, huh? Nice to meet ya," Futaba remarked with a slight bow, quickly diverting her attention to the crafting tools in Ren's room to avoid eye contact.
Hearing her, Ann froze. She turned to Ren, but seeing he, too, had a baffled expression, she decided to just laugh it off.
"Eh—sure, but I prefer Ann, okay?" Ann replied with a chuckle, to which Futaba nodded in acknowledgment.
After sitting next to Ren, Ann attempted to engage Futaba in conversation, receiving only brief replies as Futaba began fidgeting with some of Ren's crafting tools.
Ryuji was the next to arrive, greeting Futaba with an enthusiastic wave and a friendly smile. However, he was also met with an unusual title.
"Nice to meet ya, for real guy."
As the rest of the group filed in one by one, each was bestowed with their own unique title by Futaba. It became apparent to everyone that Futaba was far more reserved in person than she was over text, leading them to give her space and time to adjust.
The last to make an entrance was Mona, who leaped through the window with a smug grin.
"I have successfully scouted both of the Palaces. And you won't believe what I—" he started, only to be interrupted as Futaba scooped him up, clearly delighted by the cat's sudden appearance.
"Speak to me, cat."
"Meow?" Mona responded, puzzled. Just as Futaba was about to probe further, Makoto interjected.
"Futaba, to understand him in the real world, you need to hear him in Mementos first. We're planning to go there shortly, so you'll just have to be a little patient."
"'Kay," Futaba muttered, setting Mona down with a hint of disappointment before walking over to Ren's bed and sitting down, facing the wall.
"Uh- ya ok?" Ryuji asked with some concern.
"She's just adjusting to all the new faces," Ren explained. "Give her some time to warm up to everyone."
Inspired by the situation, Makoto suggested.
"Maybe we should plan some activities for Futaba to get to know us better. We could each spend a few hours with her, individually."
"No need. I already know all that I need from you guys," Futaba said, turning slightly to look at the group. As she saw Ren's encouraging expression, she let out a sigh. "I—okay... but I need my emotional support human."
The group's gaze shifted to Ren, who simply shrugged in response.
"Sounds like a plan," Makoto said, smiling slightly as she tried to refocus the group. "Ren mentioned your Persona works differently than ours. Would you mind explaining it?"
Futaba continued to stare at the wall as she spoke.
"With Necronomicon, I can view the cognitive world as if it's a program or a game. It's strange because the collective unconscious almost acts like a firewall. It can be hacked, but it's not easy."
"That's fascinating... and your awakening? Ren didn't mention how it happened," Makoto asked further.
"Secret," Futaba replied curtly.
Makoto's curiosity piqued further, but before she could ask another question, Shiho jumped in.
"What about your hacking skills? The billboard hack you pulled off was incredible."
"Nunya business."
The group exchanged a series of curious and somewhat amused glances before Ann chimed in.
"So, how did you meet Ren?"
"Snowman," Futaba answered cryptically, prompting everyone except Ren to let out a collective sigh of resignation.
"Alright, maybe we save the questions for later," Ren chuckled as he stood up. "Let's head to Mementos and see what she can really do."
— — —
As the Phantom Thieves entered the collective unconscious, they were greeted not by the usual somber ambiance but by an entrance lavishly adorned with ethereal flowers. Each petal emitted a soft glow, distinguishing them starkly from ordinary blooms.
"Woah, what happened here?" Ann exclaimed, her voice tinged with surprise.
"We gave some flower seeds to Jose, but it wasn't quite this full when we last left." Ren remarked, his curiosity piqued as he walked towards the flowers alongside Mona and Makoto.
"For real, I have no idea how that little kid made so many grow. I don't even think we gave him that many seeds," Ryuji added, his voice filled with astonishment."
As the group began to wander, Shiho noticed something and spoke up.
"Hey, Ren, there are a bunch of that flower you like around." she noted, gesturing towards scattered clusters of the glowing blooms.
Ren knelt beside a cluster, reaching out tentatively. The flowers reacted as if sentient, swaying toward his hand as though seeking his touch.
Looking closer at the flowers, he could briefly catch a glance at some faint images passing by each of the petals.
"The collective unconscious…" he murmured in awe, observing the flowers' behavior.
As he plucked one of the flowers, it lost some of its ethereal glow and the constant flicker of images, yet holding it gave him an inexplicable sense of connection.
"They feel…" Ren began, his voice trailing off.
"Familiar," Mona completed his thought, the two exchanging puzzled looks.
Ren turned to Makoto, who appeared even more confused.
"I don't feel anything, though they definitely don't look like normal flowers. That's about all I can say," Makoto admitted.
"Can you not see the images?" Mona asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. Makoto simply shook her head in response.
Ren continued to study the flower in his hand, his thoughts drifting to the enigmatic Jose who had planted them. In a moment of curiosity, he tentatively tried to eat the flower.
"Dude?" Ryuji couldn't hide his bemusement, laughing as Ren quickly spat out the petals with a grimace.
"I'll have to ask Jose how he does it next time we see him," Ren concluded, standing up and turning his attention to Futaba, who was also examining the flowers closely.
After being unable to see much out of the ordinary with her own eyes, she summoned her persona. After being brought to the ship, some of the tentacles also reached down to carefully pluck a few flowers.
[It's incredible. These flowers are technically a part of Mementos now. Unless they are plucked, these flowers feed themselves off the collective unconscious. But it doesn't seem to be hurting it at all. If anything, it is making Mementos stronger.] she explained, her voice tinged with fascination.
Futaba began to ramble on for a few moments, causing Makoto to chuckle slightly as she turned to Ren.
"She sure is talkative when she finds something interesting, huh?" She said in a whisper with a smile.
After a few more minutes of fruitless analysis, the group decided to shift their focus back to the primary reason for their visit, which was to complete requests and discuss what Mona had discovered.
"Alright, both of the palaces have quite high-security measures," Mona began confidently. "Okumura's palace, however, is the more secure of the two. Since it requires both passwords and security cards to navigate, I wasn't able to get far at all without drawing attention."
"It makes sense. Since he is so familiar with the black mask, that must also mean that he is subconsciously trying to protect his palace from intruders." Makoto said with a nod.
"That's right!" Mona said with a smile. "I think that Madarame must not be too familiar with what is happening in the background because his security system is quite flawed. It resembles the ones a museum would have, but it has a lot of openings. It's even less secure than Kaneshiro's Bank."
As Mona's smile widened further, he added.
"Plus, that's not the only thing I found out." Jumping into the air, he transformed into a helicopter. "I can also do this now, which means our plan worked. I do need a pilot to fly, but that means we will be able to take flight in the metaverse if we need to in the future."
Nodding his head along, Ren added.
"That also means that chests have also appeared in the Metaverse, which brings us to our mission for today. We can make our way down the floors and fight as many targets as we can. I think we should split into teams of two at random, and after every few floors, we should swap teammates. This way, we will be better at working together if we ever get separated. As we get down to the more dangerous floors, we can regroup and go down together."
"Also, don't forget not to linger too long on one floor. As long as we keep moving, we should be safe from the Reaper. If you hear chains and get a bad vibe, effin' run," Ryuji added, the memory of their previous encounter still vivid in his mind.
"Wait, if we split into groups of two, then that leaves an extra person, right? I'm assuming Futaba would go with already made groups so that she can get some expirience, no?" Ann said.
[I'm going with Ren.] Futaba stated firmly, prompting a light-hearted chuckle from the group.
[Actually, I think I can offer all of you support as long as we stay on the same floor. When I use my persona, it's like I'm playing a game. I have a radar I can use to track enemies and allies. Give me some time to get used to it, and I bet I can take on the role of a navigator for the group.]
Ren smiled slightly, nodding in agreement but with a condition
"You can come with me for the first few floors, but after that, you need to get along with the rest of the team. Do you remember what I told you?"
Futaba paused, her enthusiasm tempering slightly with hesitation.
[.... Fine.] she agreed, albeit reluctantly.
— — —
Futaba proved to be an exceptionally adept navigator. Not only could she pinpoint the location of their targets, but she also managed to keep track of the entire team simultaneously, even if one group moved to another floor or someone got left behind. However, one floor apart was as far as she could keep watch for now.
She could also help to analyze the affinities of their enemies, which was quite helpful since it was hard to keep track of what shadow was weak to what when facing hundreds of different ones.
With her help, they quickly found their way to their targets, one after the other, and began to take them down. Most of the distortions in the targets near the top were relatively weak, but even though they wouldn't do much in terms of training, they would gain influence.
As they began to make their way down, Ren also noticed a strange thing. The shadows that roamed mementos were looking at him differently than before. Where once they would either flee or attack the moment they saw him, they would now hesitate slightly. It wasn't a significant change, but it was enough to catch his attention.
The top layer of mementos was also, just like the entrance, covered in flowers. However, other than the change in ambiance, it didn't seem to have much effect, as far as they could tell.
Progressing floor by floor, the group delved deeper, even passing several doors adorned with strange engravings. Where their initial journeys into the depths of Mementos once felt oppressive, the pressure now felt almost negligible. Although the deeper they went, the more the pressure increased, it was far more manageable than before and did little to hinder their combat capabilities.
After several rotations among the team members, Futaba eventually left Ren's side to oversee Makoto and Mona, pairing Shiho with Ren.
As the two of them continued to descend into the depths, Ren couldn't help but smile.
"Damn, what would I do without you," he remarked with a light chuckle, catching Shiho by surprise.
"Huh?"
"I've noticed it every time we fight in the Metaverse, but when you're watching our backs, everything seems easier. You heal us the moment we take a hit, confuse our enemies, and manage our buffs and debuffs. You're like our guardian angel," Ren expressed, his words drawing a gentle smile from Shiho.
Shiho, not missing a beat, added with pride.
"Don't forget those sniper shots. I've gotten quite good at it, and sometimes one of you will leave your back open." she said with a chuckle.
As they began talking, the two of them slowed down to give themselves more time to talk, only stopping to fight the occasional shadow or target along the way. The conversation flowed easily between them, interspersed with laughter, until a mischievous smile spread across Ren's face.
"You know, there's something I've been curious about… About that conversation you had with Circe," he teased.
At his words, a blush tinted Shiho's cheeks, and she let out a few awkward coughs.
"Conversation? What conversation?" she asked, acting aloof before giggling slightly and acting dramatically. "Alright, alright, you caught me. I was wondering when you were going to bring it up. But there is no better place for a romantic conversation than the physical manifestation of human consciousness. Gloomy, creepy, and slightly dangerous."
Ren couldn't help but laugh at her dramatic tone, though he had to acknowledge her words. Reaching down, he plucked one of the flowers, and handed it to Shiho.
"Gloomy? Have you seen the scenery? It's a lovely place." Ren commented, causing Shiho to roll her eyes with a smile as she accepted the flower. "Though you are right, even with our lovely scenery, there is another place I have been meaning to go. That is, if you'll join me."
"Hm… I don't know… I'll have to check my schedule," Shiho teased back in a playful tone. "But since you insist, I guess I'll have to accept."
Then, as if remembering something, a smile appeared on Shiho's face when she asked.
"What kind of painting do you think Kitagawa wants to make of you? My bets are on a nude painting," she joked, nudging Ren with her elbow.
Rolling his eyes, Ren said.
"Yeah, right. I'm assuming it's probably going to be abstract art or something like that. I'd honestly be surprised if he actually ended up painting me. But I guess we will find out soon enough."
[God, can the two of you stop flirting and get down to the next floor? We are waiting for you. We found a chest.] Ren heard Futaba's voice echo in his head with some annoyance.
"Ah, we are in trouble. We better go." Ren said with a chuckle as the two of them picked up their pace.
Not long afterward, they rejoined the group, who were gathered around a golden chest adorned with strange engravings that no one could decipher.
Approaching the chest, Ren tried to open it, and after a bit of effort, it burst open, revealing a strange assortment of items: a dagger, a pair of brass knuckles, a shotgun, some bundles of cash, some strange cards, and lastly, a unique-looking grappling hook.
The weapons all looked slightly different than normal ones, but they each had a strange air around them that made them feel strong.
The cards had strange engravings that Ren could somehow understand as skills the shadows and personas used. So he could only assume they were either a one-time use weapon or a way to teach his personas other skills without using fusion.
The grappling hook, designed like a wrist bracer with slots for tools such as smoke bombs, was particularly intriguing. Although Ren could manage short flights using his personas, the hook would enhance his mobility, allowing for greater agility and the ability to retrieve distant items.
Upon attaching the grappling hook to his arm, Ren experienced an unexpected transformation. The device burst into ethereal flames and seamlessly integrated with his outfit. Even as he tried to pull it off, it looked as if it was permanently stuck to him.
"Damn, dude, this thing looks effin' cool! We gotta keep looking for chests so I can score a new weapon or another grappling hook like that," Ryuji exclaimed, eyeing the shotgun with interest. He aimed it at a wall and pulled the trigger.
A thunderous roar echoed as electricity surged along with the bullets, slamming into the wall with a resounding crash.
"Indeed, these brass knuckles are extraordinary," Makoto added, testing the feel of her new weapon with a few swift punches. "I can't fully explain it, but it feels like there's an additional force behind my punches."
Intrigued by the unexpected properties of their new equipment, the group spent some time examining the other items. Each piece seemed to be unique. So, with a renewed sense of curiosity, the group continued venturing down into Mementos to try to find some more chests.