Chapter Text
The next day after school, Ren decided to head over to Akihabara to check in on Shinya. She entered the arcade and saw Shinya at the Gun About machine. However, he was silent. This concerned Ren. She approached him and waited until he finished so as not to startle him. Once he finished the round, she said “Shinya?” He looked back. “Are you, uh, good?”
“Maybe,” he answered. “You wanna play? I can teach you some things still.”
“Oh, uh, sure,” Ren said, concerned about Shinya’s answer. Still, she picked up the light-gun and readied herself. Shinya nodded, and they began playing.
As they were playing, Ren noticed Shinya making some mistakes. She did her best to cover for him, but he didn’t seem frustrated with himself. Rather, he seemed a million miles away. After a little bit, despite Shinya’s lack of investment, they still came out ahead. Shinya sighed. “I don’t want to play anymore today.”
“That’s fine,” Ren said. She and Shinya put the light-guns down. “Do you want something to drink? I’ll pay for it.”
“Yeah,” Shinya said. They went outside.
Ren got some drinks for the both of them, and they sat down on the bench together. “Are you going to tell me how you really feel?”
Shinya took a drink of his soda. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I thought about what you said. About my mom. There was a time where if you had said that, I would have gotten mad at you. But after spending time together, I feel like you understand me; like…you wouldn’t abandon me.”
Ren was stunned. “Of course I wouldn’t.”
Shinya paused for a moment. “After dad left us, it felt like everyone was looking down on us. It felt like everyone would leave. But my mom told me she wouldn’t leave me. She told me we had to fight because everyone wanted to leave us behind. She said everyone would feel sorry for us, and that could not be tolerated.”
“I mean,” Ren interjected, “I don’t know if it’s a bad thing to feel sorry for someone. Maybe if they projected it in a way that lacked sympathy. I know people who have lost loved ones, and when I hear their stories, I do feel sorry for them. But I see their strength in getting to where they are now. And I see your strength. But I think it’s being hampered a little.”
“Mmm,” Shinya agreed. “After we talked last, I started thinking about what you said about my mom. I started noticing her behavior more. I thought ‘if I wasn’t her son, I’d see her as a crazy person.’ But…I know her pain. And I know that she doesn’t want other people to see her in pain.”
Ren pulled Shinya in for a side hug. “A wise man once told me that breaking is good. Sometimes you cannot move past something until you let people know you’re in pain.”
“Try telling my mom that,” Shinya said. “She complains to the waiters for getting orders wrong, even if they didn’t, and for finding hairs in her food, even though it’s her own.”
“That…sounds extreme,” Ren replied.
Shinya started to cry. “My mom isn’t a bad person…she’s just…not handling things correctly…but…but do you think…The Phantom Thieves can help her…if they steal her heart?”
Ren looked up at the sky. “I’m sure they can.” She looked back at Shinya. “Do you want to make this a formal request?”
Shinya nodded. “I’m sick of fighting. I just want to live a normal life.”
Ren smiled. “Well, I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Tower-Shinya Oda: Rank 7
“So, what’s her name?” Ren asked.
“Huh?” Shinya replied.
“Your mom,” Ren clarified.
“Oh. Right,” Shinya said. “It’s Hanae.”
Ren nodded. “Alright then.”
“SHINYA!” a shrill voice rang out.
Ren and Shinya looked over. Shinya gulped. “H-Hello mom.”
“I was starting to worry!” Hanae said. “You’re out too late! What if someone kidnaps you?!”
Shinya stood up. “I’ll be fine. I have Ren-chan with me. She’ll keep me safe.”
Hanae looked at Ren. Ren variously waved. Hanae glared at her. “Is she the one filling your head with LIES?! Is she telling you that you need to lower yourself to other people’s levels in order to make them like you?! BAH!”
Shinya stomped angrily. “If we’re so much better, why do I feel so much worse?!”
Hanae gasped. “That is no way to talk, young man! We don’t need help! We are strong! We see what’s ours and take it!”
“What is ours?!” Shinya shouted back. “Disdain?! Ridicule?! Mockery?! Hate?! That’s all we seem to get!”
Hanae sighed. “Other people are just jealous of how successful we are.”
“Why does it not feel like success?!” Shinya asked. “Why does it feel like we are totally, utterly failures?!”
Hanae went pale. She walked over to her son and slapped him across the face. “We. Are NOT! Failures. We are strong. We will survive.”
“I. Want. To. LIVE!” Shinya replied.
“That does it!” Hanae shouted. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with this…harlot!” Ren was confused and concerned. “You should stay away from her!” She looked at Ren. “And if you get within 50 meters of my son EVER again, I will call the police.” She grabbed her son’s hand firmly. “Now let’s GO!” She yanked on it, and they started walking off.
Ren was scared for Shinya, but knew that all she could do at the moment was hope, and get into Mementos.
As she was on her way back, she got a text.
Shinya: Don’t worry too much.
Shinya: She’s called 110 so much that the dispatchers kind of just ignore her at this point.
Shinya: I know it’s not ideal, but it’s helpful in this instance.
Ren: I’ll say…
Ren: Will you be alright though?
Shinya: I should be fine.
Shinya: She’s busy a lot of the time, so we don’t have a lot of time together.
Shinya: It’s why I’m always at the arcade.
Shinya: I can just grin and bear it for a while longer.
Ren: Well hopefully it won’t be too long.
Ren: I’m sure The Phantom Thieves will be on the case!
Shinya: Hell yeah!
Ren put her phone away, assured that Shinya will be alright for the time being. After all, despite how his mom acted, she did get one thing right: Shinya is strong.
While she was on the train to Yongen-Jaya, she spotted Haru in the next car over. She got out her phone.
Ren: Hey there!
Ren: I’m one car over from you right now.
She saw Haru getting the messages and look around. Once Haru spotted Ren, she waved.
Haru: Hi!
Ren: Are you on your way home?
Haru: No.
Haru: I saw that there were some batting cages in the area, so I wanted to try it.
Haru: I just want to relieve some stress.
Ren: Yeah, I feel it.
Ren: Wanna go together?
Haru: Of course!
Haru: See you then!
Ren: Seeya!
The girls put their phones down and waved at each other.
Once they got to Yongen-Jaya, they exited their train cars and met up. They walked together to the batting cages. “Um, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll pay,” Haru offered.
Ren chuckled. “If you really want to.”
Haru nodded. She walked up to the kiosk. “Just the two of us.”
“Thank you,” the person behind the kiosk said, as Haru gave them the money.
Haru and Ren went into one of the cages. Ren offered the bat to Haru. “You should go first. You paid after all.”
Haru nodded and took the bat. “Thank you," she said. She readied her stance. Baseballs started coming, and Haru started swinging. She hit most of them, but they kind of went off, missing the target.
“So,” Ren asked, “what’s on your mind?”
“Everything,” Haru answered. “I feel like I’m not getting anywhere that I want. I feel like I still have cold feet when thinking about what I want to do.”
“Well then…” Ren responded.
Haru hit another baseball. “I appreciate Takakura’s guidance and patience, but I feel like he doesn’t really listen to me.”
“I see,” Ren said.
“It’s not like he can’t say ‘no’ to me,” Haru continued, hitting baseballs. “I get that my father might have been like that, but I want to show that I’m different. I don’t want to be feared, I just want to be heard!” On that, Haru hit one of the targets.
“Impressive,” Ren remarked. She returned to the topic at hand. “It…sounds like you have an idea on what to do.”
Haru kept going. “Well, even if I did, how do I present it? What do I do to make sure that I am heard? It’s frustrating because…” The machine started to turn off. “Because…” The machine stopped, and a light turned on, signaling an exchange between players. She put the bat down. “Because no one has ever seen me as someone who can do something like that. Not even me.”
“Well, I don’t think that’s true,” Ren replied. Haru perked up. Ren walked over and took the bat away from her. “I think you’re determined, motivated, and smart. You just need to find a way to channel it.”
Haru smiled. She gave the bat to Ren. “Thank you.” She went to sit down as Ren began hitting balls.
“So,” Ren inquired, “do you have any thought in particular about where the company is going?”
“Well,” Haru answered, “I think management is doing an alright job, but…I feel like we need to go back to our roots a little. My grandfather’s cafe was small. Quaint. Kind of like Leblanc. I kind of want the business to do that again.”
“And they don’t?” Ren wondered.
“I haven’t seen any evidence for it,” Haru explained. “To be honest, I don’t even care if they reject the idea. I just want to be seen as a part of the team.”
“Well, for what it’s worth,” Ren said, continuing to hit baseballs, “despite you being on the team the shortest, you’ve certainly proven your worth as a member of The Phantom Thieves.”
Haru giggled. “Thanks.” She sighed. “It’s not just about the business.”
“Oh?” Ren wondered.
Haru nodded. “I’m…also thinking about Hiroki.”
“I see,” Ren said.
“To be honest,” Haru said, “I think I’ve liked him for at least a while now.”
“Oh?” Ren said, missing one of the baseballs, due to being too intrigued.
Haru nodded. “I mean, he’s sweet, kind, smart, always willing to help out. And yet, he’s very down to Earth. He’s never afraid to be himself. I’ve always admired that about him.”
Ren went back to hitting baseballs. “So, if you feel like that, and he feels like that, is there a reason you’re not saying yes?”
Haru nodded. “Remember in my father’s palace when we found his Will Seeds?”
“Mm hm.”
“He went down a dark path because something happened to my mother,” Haru explained. “Hiroki went down a dark path because something was about to happen to me. I’m scared that might happen again. I’m scared that if something were to happen to me that Hiroki would turn out like my father. To be honest, that’s what I’m most afraid of. In any given situation.
My father was a big figure. The Earth moved for him. It doesn’t matter what the company does, his fingerprints are all over it. His fingerprints are all over me. I know we changed his heart, but I can’t let go of who he was. I’m still scared of him.” Haru let out a deep sigh. "Maybe that’s why I’m feeling uneasy about everything.”
Ren hit the final baseball before it was time to switch again. She walked over and gave Haru the bat. “I want you to listen to me for a second, OK?” Haru nodded. “Good. Right now, we’re up against someone who also has a lot of power and influence. And he also scared me. And back then, whenever I got a scar, I just pretended it was OK. But after coming here, making friends, and being honest with myself, I got to let the pain out. And I realized I was hurting for the first time.
From the sounds of it, you know you’re hurting as well, and are trying to do stuff to get over it. But sometimes, the only way out is through. I know the business might be forever tarnished by what your father raught, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rebuild. Trust me, having a few people like you is better than having everyone hate you. And I know you can get people to like you. You effortlessly light up a room.
And as for Hiroki, he knows what he did. He knows what he put you through. I’m certain that as scared as you might be, he’s just as scared of doing it again. And if he’s not, well, you’ve got us. We’ve taken him on once already. If he hurts you, we won’t hold back a second time.”
Haru started welling up. She then laughed, tears coming out of her eyes. “Thank you, Ren!” She grabbed the bat. This time when she started swinging, she was more accurate.
After a few more rounds, they left the batting cages. “I’m sorry,” Haru said, confusing Ren. “I was coming here alone to try and vent my frustrations. But tonight reminded me that I need someone to bounce off of to get my head on straight. One of my dad’s old friends would yell at me to get up when I had fallen over. It might seem rude upon just hearing it, but she wanted me to be strong in the face of adversity.
I feel like over time, my father was isolating me more and more. I think he knew my strength came from other people, so he wanted to try and remove that. But it wasn’t enough. Hm hm. I think I’ve always been rebelling, but when I met you all, I felt like I could fully rebel. And now I need to take it to the next step!”
Ren smiled. “Don’t forget, we’re always there for you.”
Haru nodded. “Thank you.”
Empress-Haru Okumura: Rank 6
Haru bowed. “I should get going now. I need to think about what I want to do with this knowledge.” She headed for the train station.
Ren waved. “Bye bye!” Soon, Haru left her vision. Once she was gone, Ren headed back to her new home.