70 The Principal's Library Cleaning.

As they parted, their breaths uneven and hearts racing, the immediate world seemed to sharpen into clarity once again, the cool night air brushing against their warm cheeks. Despite the chill, the connection between them retained its warmth, a connection that felt stronger and more real than anything either of them had experienced before. 

Ren's golden eyes flickered to life momentarily as he caught a glimpse of the thread linking them, now glowing a vivid crimson. What was once a fragile, nearly imperceptible tether had transformed into a strong bond.

However, before Ren could ponder this change further, Ann gently pulled him in for one more tender kiss.

"Hehe, maybe we should call it a night here..." Ann suggested softly, her voice laced with a bashful undertone, yet she didn't loosen her hold around Ren's shoulders. The dim park lighting could barely conceal the blush that adorned her cheeks.

Her smile widened as she continued.

"We started this as a way to strengthen my heart, and if I am being honest, I've never felt stronger." she confessed with a playful laugh.

"What can I say? I'm something of a Metaverse expert myself." Ren joked, causing Ann to roll her eyes and let out a giggle as she finally stepped back.

With a swift motion, Ann retrieved her phone, her eyes shining with the thrill of the moment. She cozied up next to Ren, her head leaning against his shoulder in a comfortable, familiar gesture.

"So, Mr. Model/Scientist/Delinquent, how about we capture this moment? One last photo to remember today by," she proposed, framing the two of them in the glow of her phone screen.

— — —

Arriving at school the next day, Ren didn't expect much. Just the usual daily chore before he could leave school. However, after school was over, an announcement pierced the monotony, instantly capturing his attention.

"Attention, students. We've been considering reorganizing the library's collection for a while now, and we've finally decided to move forward. We're seeking volunteers to assist with this project. Interested students, please report to the principal's office."

Ren's eyes narrowed slightly as he heard the voice of the principal over the speakers. So, without a moment of hesitation, he instantly made his way over to the principal's office.

To his surprise, he encountered Makoto at the office's entrance, also evidently there to volunteer. 

"Oh, Ren. I didn't expect you to volunteer for something like this." she remarked with a trace of surprise in her tone. However, her attention quickly shifted, noticing the seriousness etched on Ren's face.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, sensing the urgency in his expression.

"We'll see soon enough. Come on." Ren replied, pushing open the door to the principal's office and locking it behind them.

Their sudden entrance seemed to startle the principal, who looked visibly annoyed by their disregard for formalities.

"Information or orders?" Ren cut straight to the point, preventing any complaints from the principal.

At Ren's question, any trace of anger in Principal Kobayakawa's face faded, replaced by a vacant expression, almost as if in a daze or a dream-like state.

"Both." he replied mechanically, as if under a spell.

Makoto, observing the abrupt shift, couldn't hide her bewilderment.

"Is this… the power of the scalpel?" she murmured, her gaze drifting between Ren and the principal, trying to make sense of the situation.

The sudden change in demeanor was unsettling, almost causing her to take a step back. However, with resolve, Makoto clenched her fists, reminding herself of the promise she had made to remain composed under pressure.

Not long after he explained what the scalpel did and talked about the Velvet Room, he also spoke to the Thieves about what he had done when they had reached the principal in Mementos. However, he used a simplified, less disturbing version of the story, one that avoided details such as how he created the inky black mask and how it worked.

"What were your orders?" Makoto pressed the principal, her voice steady and authoritative.

The principal's vacant expression lingered, awaiting Ren's signal. Only once he received Ren's nod did he begin to explain.

"The SIU director has ordered me to investigate the school." he divulged. "After Kaneshiro's confession, they're scrambling to piece together clues. One of their theories is that the Phantom Thieves might be amongst my own students or teachers."

Ren's eyes sharpened at this revelation.

"Why do they suspect Shujin?"

"Their suspicion is just as a precaution since there is not a lot of concrete evidence. They are trying to verify if Kamoshida's change was influenced by someone else or not. They were aware of the damage his Palace took from the suspension, so they are no longer sure if the change was due to the Palace collapsing on its own or because of someone else."

Makoto's expression darkened at the mention of Kamoshida's palace, but she steadied herself after taking a deep breath.

"What do they believe about Kamoshida's confession?"

"They see his breakdown and confession as an attempt to salvage some semblance of his reputation. They see it as nothing more than an act of desperation from a man who lost everything. Kamoshida was just… a failed experiment."

Ren absorbed the information with a nod. His mind racing with different ideas.

His thoughts drifted to Akechi since he had previously suspected his connection to the shadowy figures orchestrating things behind the scenes. But, if Akechi were actually a pawn or member of their 'conspiracy,' it wouldn't make sense for him to keep quiet about the fact that they were definitely a part of Shujin.

It wouldn't make sense for him to keep such a big piece of information to himself without any reason.

At the same time, he couldn't fully trust Akechi. The fact that they had crossed paths in the Metaverse without him noticing was concerning enough, but Ren could also see through that friendly mask of his. 

The simple fact that Akechi kept a smile on his face was not enough to fool Ren, especially with the aid of his third-eye skill. The detective was hiding something, but he couldn't exactly say what.

His mind drifted to the slight smirk that had briefly escaped Akechi as he viewed their announcement. A sign of amusement as he recognized their attempts to influence the collective unconscious.

A barrage of questions passed through Ren's mind as he focused. Each hypothetical scenario spinning a different possibility. Yet, the rational part of him knew that a good portion of the scenarios in his head were practically impossible.

There was no way they would be able to discover his control over Kobayakawa and use this as a trap since he had ordered him to forget about their interaction. And, until this point, he had been acting entirely naturally.

Though Akechi had crossed paths with them in the Metaverse, there was also almost no chance that he had followed them when they met with the principal in Mementos. Whoever was carrying out the mental shutdowns might be able to slip by them, but he wouldn't be able to do the same with Jose around. The kid was connected to Mementos, so anything that happened near him would be noticed.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Ren pressed for more information, his focus sharp.

"What can you tell us about Akechi? And what have you learned ever since Kamoshida's death?"

"The detective prince? The SIU director hired him to work under him. That is all I know… As for our group, it is called the 'Antisocial Force.' Once Kaneshiro turned himself in, I was also able to learn more about our group and raise my status in it." Kobayakawa answered.

As he spoke, Kobayakawa's body seemed to sway gently, his energy waning as if he were on the brink of sleep.

"Kaneshiro was a significant revenue stream for us… Yet after he turned himself in, things became complicated. The police were able to raid and dismantle most of our logistical network, so we no longer have access to most of our investments. We've now been forced to explore alternative revenue streams in the aftermath."

At this, Makoto and Ren shared a significant look, silently agreeing on the gravity of the situation. They positioned themselves more comfortably in front of the principal's desk, preparing for an in-depth discussion.

"Go on," Makoto commanded, her tone firm.

Kobayakawa, under the weight of their gaze, elaborated further. 

"There is a counterfeit art scheme that serves to gain and launder a large amount of money. We are currently reselling counterfeit copies of the Sayuri to try to make up for the damage with the assistance of Madarame." 

The gentle drift of his body became more noticeable as he continued to explain.

"We have also begun to increase the mental shutdown operations… Along with investigating the school, they asked me to watch over one of the students in Shujin, Haru Okumura. Her father is going to take the place of Kaneshiro as we continue moving forward. He paid the organization a large amount of money to kill Sugimura after his son damaged his reputation. And now he has taken over Sugimura's role."

Ren's eyes narrowed as he heard the name of his fluffy-haired acquaintance. Because of his actions, Okumura was now a larger threat. Ren could assume that the closer one was to the leader of the organization, the stronger their Palaces and shadows would be.

Sugimura's father was so deep in Mementos that they wouldn't have been able to reach him for some time, but just like that, he was gone.

Before he could continue to ask any more questions, he felt an overwhelming headache assault his head. His stomach twisted unnaturally, almost making him throw up as his entire body tensed. The sudden assault of pain was enough to cause Ren to fall from his chair onto the ground as the air in his lungs left his body.

"Ren!" Makoto exclaimed with fear as she rushed to his side, yet her face twisted with dread as she recognized what was happening.

"Shit…" Ren's voice was barely a whisper, a mutter lost amidst his efforts to fight back against the pain. Practically curling into a ball as his body continued to tense.

He knew that placing the mask in Kobayakawa had a price. Still, he had assumed that once the mask was on, he could continue to exert his control without problem, especially since he hadn't felt anything different during their conversation. The sudden discomfort had appeared out of nowhere without even a warning to stop him from continuing to ask questions.

"Look at me, Ren! I'm right here. Everything is going to be alright." Makoto's voice was filled with panic as she tried to stabilize him and offer some comfort.

As she saw Ren continue to writhe on the ground, Makoto closed her eyes with some panic and began to call out to Johanna as hard as she could.

She had only vaguely been able to communicate with her persona in the real world. Unlike Shiho, who seemed to be the most aligned with her persona, the rest of the group couldn't overcome the 'static' between them.

Yet, in her desperation, Makoto could have sworn she heard the faint roaring of an engine on her mind, along with Johanna's soft voice. Yet, whatever Johanna had told her was covered in incomprehensible static. However, before she could try to make sense of the words, her mind drifted into the darkness.

In that moment of absolute discomfort, Ren felt a wave of warmth pass over him for a moment as he writhed on the ground. A wave of warmth that caused the pain and discomfort to slowly begin drifting away.

As the discomfort vanished, he took a few painstaking moments to gather himself. He rose from the ground, drenched in sweat and physically drained.

Once he had gathered his thoughts, he glanced around the room and noticed Makoto, who was on the ground next to him. She was sleeping peacefully, her face calm despite her recent moment of panic.

His eyes then wandered toward the principal's chair, where he, too, appeared to be asleep. However, unlike Makoto's peaceful expression, his face was contorted in pain as if he were in the middle of a nightmare.

Exhausted and annoyed, Ren looked to the ceiling.

"A warning would have been nice, Igor…" Ren muttered under his breath, almost expecting to hear his deep voice or even his signature chuckle. But as the moments passed, only silence followed.

Seeing as there wasn't any answer, he collapsed onto the ground next to Makoto, taking a moment to try to recover his energy. He even tried shaking her awake a few times, but she appeared to be completely unconscious.

"Tartuffe… What's your take on this whole mess…?" Ren mused, not really expecting an answer.

Yet the faint static that brushed against the edges of his consciousness suggested an attempt at communication. Sadly, it was entirely unintelligible, so he would have to go to the Metaverse to hear his answer.

As he lay on the floor, a wave of exhaustion passed over his body, threatening to make him fall asleep. Yet before the darkness could take over, he rose from the ground. If he fell asleep here, it would only make things worse.

Looking over at Kobayakawa's expression, Ren let out one more curse.

"Well… Shit…"

Looking at Kobayakawa, his golden eyes seemed to light up as he spoke.

"Kobayakawa." Ren commanded, causing him to suddenly stir awake and lift his head from the desk. "Forget anything that happened here and will happen in the next thirty minutes. The same rules apply. If you learn anything, say that you need help organizing the library because it wasn't done properly the first time. If we don't show up, just organize the library either way."

Thinking for another moment, he added.

"Continue to do your job and act naturally. You will ask Makoto to look into the Phantom Thieves tomorrow, and you will take whatever information she brings back as the absolute truth."

Some nausea passed over him as he finished his words, but the pain didn't return.

Turning his attention to Makoto, Ren couldn't help but let out a sigh as he knelt down to pick her up.

"God, I hope your sister works late today…"

~Confidants~

Makoto Nijima (The Priestess) Rank 5