The New Member.

A week passed without much news until Morgana arrived at Ren's window, a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Junya Kaneshiro. That's our target," Morgana announced, strutting into the room with undeniable pride.

Ren turned, his interest piqued by Morgana's display of confidence. With a swift motion, he pulled out his phone, keyed in the name, and hit search.

[Match found]

A smile crept up on Ren's face as he sent out a message to the group, calling them to meet up at Leblanc after hours.

Later that evening, the team huddled in a cozy booth, the air filled with anticipation. As the group huddled, Ren brought over some food he had cooked to the table.

Morgana again made his proud announcement, earning a short round of applause to encourage him before they all turned serious.

"While you guys were on your way here, I figured out the other two parameters. The location is Shibuya, and the distortion is a bank. So now that leaves us to plan the infiltration." Ren declared, pausing to savor a sip of his freshly brewed coffee.

"Alright, dude! Let's kick some ass." Ryuji declared, his enthusiasm undimmed.

"Are we going in there soon? Exams are about to start… I get that this mission is important, but if we do badly in them, then we are going to be in trouble." Shiho interjected with some concern. 

Her words brought a few groans of annoyance to Ryuji and Ann.

"I mean… how important are they really? We are fighting to help out people. We are making a difference." Ryuji argued, earning a nod from Ann.

"Well, speaking of exams," Ren said, interrupting the group. "I have someone I think would be a good person for the team. She is the student council president, Makoto Nijima." 

Ann, puzzled, raised an eyebrow. 

"But doesn't her sister have a Palace? Can we really trust her? You haven't been able to get any more information on her sister yet."

Nodding his head, Ren said.

"I believe so. Not only that, I think she would be a great addition to the team. She's smart, and I'm sure she can help us come up with strategies. Not only that, but she has been helping me learn about the Metaverse, and she was able to gather more information than I could have without even knowing it was real." Ren affirmed

Mona, initially hesitant, weighed in. 

"Having an extra brain to decipher the Metaverse could work in our favor. I'm on board."

A brief exchange of glances was all it took for the group to reach a consensus.

"If Ren trusts her, that's good enough for me." Ryuji said, breaking the silence.

With unanimous agreement, Ren concluded.

"Alright. I will ask her to join us tomorrow. If she accepts, then we'll enter Kaneshiro's Palace to get an idea as to what we are working with before returning to Leblanc to make a plan."

"What about the exams?" Shiho asked.

"Makoto is smart. If she is on our team, she can help us study for the exams here in Leblanc. Exams should be over a week from now, so the moment they are done, we can begin our dive into his Palace for real."

Earning a final nod from the group, they all ate the food that Ren had prepared before heading home.

— — —

The next day, Ren wandered around the school halls for some time until he caught sight of Makoto, secluded in the library. The moment she noticed Ren, she hid her head in the book she was reading, hoping not to be noticed. But when she saw Ren coming in her direction, she reluctantly met his gaze.

"Hey, Ren…" Her greeting was tinged with unease, prompting a look of concern from him as he took a seat beside her.

"Did I do something?" Ren inquired, his confusion palpable.

Makoto exhaled a heavy sigh of resignation as she heard the question before answering.

"It's not you… It's just that my sister has expressly warned me against spending any more time with you. She had already given me a warning when she saw you in our house, but after the interview, she directly told me to stop talking to you… I'm really sorry." she admitted, her voice carrying a hint of sorrow.

"Did she mention why?" Ren asked with curiosity.

"She…" Makoto hesitated, wrestling with her thoughts before resigning. "It's nothing."

Ren's eyes drifted to the collection of books beside Makoto, noticing that most of them were for school. Yet a few were about psychology, showing she was still thinking about what they had researched together.

Taking a quick moment to decide what he should do, Ren's eyes narrowed with determination as he asked.

"Do you remember the question I asked you before, after we watched those videos?" Ren prompted, drawing a puzzled look from Makoto.

"What if the cognitive world was real?" She ventured cautiously.

"Exactly. You said that the best criminals don't leave any evidence. The only way to catch them would be to look into their mind." Ren reflected, a knowing smile on his lips as he stood and extended his hand to her.

You're not suggesting what I think you are, are you?" Makoto's voice was laced with disbelief and curiosity. 

"Only one way to find out," Ren countered.

After a brief hesitation, Makoto took his hand to stand up before beginning to follow him out of the school.

"A lot of students from Shujin and other schools have been targetted by a gang of criminals in Shibuya lately." Ren shared as they walked. 

"I have heard the rummors… But everyone I asked didn't answer any questions." Makoto nodded, her tone solemn.

"I'm not surprised. They are probably being blackmailed, so the moment they say anything, their reputation would be ruined, and they would risk earning a criminal record." Ren explained, his words eliciting a look of dismay from Makoto.

Makoto became lost in fault before she became dejected.

"This… this is my fault." Makoto's demeanor shifted to one of guilt as they walked

"What? How is any of that your fault?" Ren, puzzled, reassured her.

"I'm the student council president. It's my duty to protect the students." She started, only to be cut off by Ren.

"You can't be serious. What the hell are you supposed to do? Go up to the leader of the gang and tell him to knock it off?" Ren retorted, his response drawing a conflicted expression from Makoto.

Noticing Makoto's distress, Ren let out a sigh and ruffled her hair in an effort to comfort her and snap her out of whatever was on her mind.

"Everything alright?" he asked gently.

"I don't know… I really shouldn't be with you right now. Exams are coming up. If I mess up and disappoint my sister again, then-" She said before shaking her head and trying to focus. "After the reports of Kamoshida came out, a lot of students are placing the blame on me for not doing anything. Some of the volleyball team even reached out to me long before Kamoshida confessed, but despite my efforts, the principal dismissed my reports."

Ren's reaction was immediate, a mix of frustration and empathy as he realized he hadn't even noticed it until now.

"I'm sorry," he offered, his simple apology seeming to offer her some solace.

"No, it's… it's actually been nice escaping for a bit," Makoto confessed, a hint of a smile breaking through. "Though, you could've come up with a more believable lie to get me to follow you. If you had just told me you wanted to go to the arcade again, I might have agreed." 

Hearing her words, Ren couldn't help but shake his head with a smile before saying.

"I'm offended you would think I would lie about the existence of another world." He said in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood, letting out a few genuine chuckles after he had spoken.

Hearing him, the smile on Makoto's face widened until it took away the discomfort she was feeling. Surprisingly, as they walked side by side, she drew closer to him until their arms brushed against each other's.

"You know… It's been a rough week…" She confided, her voice softening. "I haven't had someone like you I could talk to for a few years now. It used to be my sister, but after my dad passed away, she changed. She had to in order to take care of me." 

Hearing the sincerity of her words, Ren hesitated slightly before saying.

"Well, if you ever need a break, Leblanc is always open. I'll give you some free coffee and food if you swing by while I am there. I can't say I am the best cook, but I haven't had any complaints yet."

"Thank you. I might just take you up on that," she said, a genuine smile forming on her lips. "Where are we actually going to? Since we are heading over to Shibuya, I'm guessing we are heading back to the Arcade again, right?"

Hearing the question, Ren couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Who knows? Maybe I am actually taking you to a whole new world." he teased, prompting an affectionate eye roll from Makoto.

As they stepped into the bustling heart of Shibuya, Makoto, and Ren were greeted by Ryuji, who was standing at the entrance of a narrow alley, his presence a beacon in the crowded district. He flashed them a grin and motioned for them to follow.

"Mona figured this spot would be perfect for what we're planning. Oh, and hey, nice to finally meet you, Prez." Ryuji said with a casual nod, leading them down the alley.

Makoto's eyes widened in bewilderment as she took in the sight of the small group of students and a cat all looking at her with anticipation. She turned to Ren, a mix of curiosity and unease in her voice before asking.

"Ren… care to explain?" She asked with slight discomfort.

Ren offered a comforting smile, sensing her hesitation. 

"Trust me, it'll all make sense once we're inside." He assured her, his phone already in hand.

"Junya Kaneshiro, Shibuya, Bank"

[Navigation Complete.]

~Confidants~

Makoto Nijima (The Priestess) Rank 4