The Lion's Den.

After leaving Maruki's office Ren had a lot on his mind, yet rather than heading to the solitude of Leblanc he decided to reach out to someone else. Ever since their first meeting, he had exchanged a few messages here and there with Futaba, but he hadn't actually visited her for a while, so he was going to head over to her house. 

After sending a message to Sojiro to ask him to unlock the door and to wait at Leblanc since he wanted to talk to Futaba in private, he eventually arrived and made his way over to her bedroom before knocking in the same pattern as before.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" He whispered, a soft attempt at humor. However, his joke didn't seem to land as well the second time.

[Futaba] Why are you here?

"I was hoping to help you clean. You mentioned your room was a mess, right?"

[Futaba] ? 

[Futaba] It's pretty bad.

"Even better. I know, it doesn't really make sense, but cleaning helps me think, and I don't have anything left to clean up back in Leblanc." Ren admitted, exhaling a heavy sigh.

He glanced at his phone, hoping for a quick reply, but minutes ticked by in silence. Just as he was about to retreat, the sound of the lock clicking echoed softly, and the door cracked open a sliver.

"What's up with you?" Futaba's voice, frail yet curious, filtered through the gap.

"Oh, you know… Rethinking my entire life up until this point. How about you?" Ren said with a joking tone.

"..." 

Futaba remained silent, eyeing him through the narrow opening before stepping back, granting him entry.

"You can come in." she murmured, her voice barely a whisper from the shadows.

As Ren stepped inside, the smell of decay and neglect hit him. An amalgamation of rotten food and stale air. The chaos of the room spoke volumes of her isolation: trash bags, discarded food containers, newspapers, and a myriad of clutter covered every surface.

Turning to Futaba, Ren caught his breath. For a fleeting moment, through the lens of his third eye, he saw a tattered Pharaoh's mask. Rather than the royal appearance that a mask like Kamoshida had, or the intimidating presence of Sae's, her mask was in ruins. It was full of cracks and rust, almost as if ready to fall apart.

Disabling his third eye, the illusion faded, revealing a fragile, reclusive girl before him. Futaba's frame was slight, almost fragile, her skin pale from the absence of sunlight, and her bright orange hair framed a pair of large, black glasses that shielded her eyes.

Futaba watched Ren from a corner, her body tensed with unease. The slight tremble betrayed her growing regret at having let him into her personal chaos. Before she could voice any second thoughts, Ren's initiative cut through the tension.

"Let's get to work. Do you know where Sojiro keeps the cleaning supplies?" Ren asked as he took off his school jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

Silence fell as Ren dove into the task, his movements methodical, allowing his mind to drift. This complete focus on the task at hand, his disconnection from the immediate surroundings, initially left Futaba observing him with a mix of curiosity and awkwardness. However, as she realized he wasn't scrutinizing her, her discomfort eased, and she began to assist with the cleanup, finding solace in the shared silence and the mere presence of another.

For Futaba, there was an unfamiliar comfort in being alone with someone else, and she quietly appreciated Ren's undivided attention to the task, his concentration palpable.

As the cleaning progressed, Ren's hands eventually sorted through a pile of books, pausing on one that seemed familiar. It was a simple black journal, yet as he glanced at the contents to determine where to put it, his eyes widened.

"Cognitive psience?" he murmured, curiosity piqued, though the question was more for himself than for Futaba.

"Yeah… they belonged to my mom," Futaba replied, her voice laced with discomfort as she looked away.

"Have you read them?" Ren inquired, flipping open one of the books to glimpse the notes within.

"No…" Her reply was faint, a confession. "I couldn't, not after what I did to her…" Futaba's voice trailed off as she sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort.

Ren noticed the majority of the books were related to psychology, a detail that intrigued him. Yet, as he turned back to Futaba, he hesitated, choosing his words carefully amidst the palpable silence.

"What happened?" Ren asked, even though he already knew the answer. He wanted to hear it in her own words.

"Just go away…" Futaba said with some discomfort as she shrunk her body as small as possible, hiding her face between her legs.

Ren paused, contemplating his next words with care.

"Cognitive psience is a weapon," he continued, his gaze returning to the book in his hands. "A weapon that can be used silently, without drawing attention." He stood, extending the book towards her.

This gesture seemed to break through her daze, her eyes meeting his. Anger and sorrow intermingled in her gaze, as she took the book from him.

"Sojiro has told me that you are a genius…" Ren began, pausing momentarily to gather his thoughts. "Maybe you will discover something that will change your mind in that book." Ren offered softly.

For the remainder of Ren's time in the room, Futaba remained silent, the book clutched in her hands like a lifeline she was yet unsure how to use. Ren recognized the delicate balance of her emotions and chose not to press further, focusing instead on the tangible task of cleaning.

By the time he was done, the once chaotic room was now perfect. The once overwhelming smell was replaced by the sweet smell of citrus. It truly was like night and day, and turning to look at the girl who had been staring at the book in her hands for some time now, Ren said softly.

"To be honest, I am still figuring it out." Ren confessed softly, a shared vulnerability hanging between them. "But send me a message after you have read that book, and I will show you how dangerous that knowledge can be." Ren said before stepping out of the room, catching a small glimpse of her opening the book as he closed the door gently.

— — —

The quiet hours Ren had dedicated to cleaning Futaba's room had inadvertently offered him a rare opportunity to sift through his own tangled web of thoughts. There was an irony in how he had initially vowed to enjoy life, only to find himself repeatedly on the brink for the sake of his plans. It was going to be strange breaking the habit, but from now on he would leave that as his last resort.

With exams over the next day, the group took one last day off to prepare for their infiltration. The day after, the group gathered in Shibuya, ready to begin the plan they had waited so long for. Despite the inherent dangers of the plan, Ren's confidence was palpable as he prepared to walk into the lion's den. Rather than holding Morgana in his bag, Ren had decided to go in there empty-handed, with Morgana already waiting for him at the place where the boss would be in order not to draw attention.

Catching the concerned look that Shiho was giving him, he offered her a reassuring smile as he reminded her.

"Don't worry, I remember our promise, so just trust me." He assured them, his words eliciting a gentle smile from Shiho.

Separating from his friends, Ren navigated through the bustling Shibuya crowd towards the man who had previously given him a job offer.

"Yo," Ren greeted casually, drawing a scrutinizing gaze from the man.

"Well, look who decided to show up," the man responded with a smirk, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Wondered when you'd crack. Ready to start making some real cash?" His tone dripped with condescension.

Ren chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Caught me," he played along, light-hearted. "I'm trying to win over a girl, but let's just say she has a thing for diamonds."

The man's laughter boomed, his arm slinging over Ren's shoulders in a friendly way.

"Boy, where we are going you aren't going to have to worry about that. I'm sure the boss will give you a sign-on bonus if you impress him. And if it's 'company' you're after, we've got spots for that too." the man boasted, leading Ren away.

Navigating the crowded streets, the man flagged down a black car with his phone, then turned to Ren with an inquiring look.

"What's the name, kid?" he asked as the car approached.

"Akira Kurusu." Ren replied confidently, the lie slipping off his tongue with ease. 

"Got an I.D. with you?" the man prodded.

Turning his pockets inside out, he showed they were empty.

"Must've slipped my mind." he said with a slightly joking tone, causing the man to burst out laughing once again.

"Ah, you catch on quick, don't you? You're practically one of us already. From here on out, 'Akira', you can call me 'Taro'," he remarked, his chuckle betraying a mix of approval and amusement.

As the black car whisked them away through the bustling city streets, the two of them eventually found themselves pulling up to a building that, at first glance, blended seamlessly with its surroundings. The structure bore no distinctive features to set it apart from its neighbors, yet something about it commanded Ren's attention.

Glancing through the window, Ren's third eye and his observation skills kicked in. He noticed a subtle yet unmistakable pattern amidst the pedestrian flow. There were people dressed in everyday clothes who seemed to pay an unusual amount of attention to the building. Their casual glances were too calculated, their strolls too deliberate. It was clear they were not mere passersby but people diligently looking over the building.

~Confidants~

Futaba Sakura (The Hermit) Rank 2