73 The Three Palaces.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Ann darted toward Ren, her hands gently holding his face. She examined him to see if there were any signs that he wasn't okay, and after making sure he was fine, she let out a small sigh of relief. He had sent a group message letting them know about what had happened the day before, and he had also called them to meet up after school to discuss it.

"Seriously, next time, just call me, alright? I might be busy, but I'll find a way to be there," Ann insisted, her voice tinged with concern yet underscored by an unwavering resolve.

Ren offered a rueful chuckle, nodding in acknowledgment. 

"Sorry, things got a bit crazy out of nowhere."

Ann's worried frown melted into a smile of approval at his apology. 

"So, are you all set for the school trip? I'm curious about the show we'll be seeing," she inquired, her mood shifting to excitement just as Ryuji burst onto the rooftop.

"Eff yeah, I had almost forgotten we were going to be on TV tomorrow."

Shiho, trailing behind Ryuji, looked at the garden on the rooftop with some curiosity.

"Did you also plant all of this?"

One by one, the rest of the Thieves arrived on the roof. Though they would usually meet in Leblanc for things like this, they had made an exception this time since Ann had to go for a preproduction meeting later in the day.

Makoto and Ren began explaining everything that had happened yesterday. Though they were curious about the possibility of using personas in the real world, they decided to focus on the bigger targets, Okumura and Madarame.

Their next goal was to strike one or the other. The group planned to strike whoever's distortion was weaker first to use it as a training ground for the next Palace.

Even though they had discovered Okumura's Palace some time ago, they had not yet been able to discover its distortion. They knew the location, but none of the business or space words they had used had worked.

"Dealing with Madarame might be more straightforward, right? His theme's gotta be something artsy." Ryuji guessed, pulling up the MetaNav and entering Madarame's name.

"Something like an art studio or museum?" Shiho proposed, her suggestion triggering the MetaNav's confirmation chime.

[Distortion located.]

Hearing the Nav activate, Ryuji burst out laughing.

"Damn, that was easy… If only Okumura worked by that logic. I betcha it's gonna be something stupid we haven't tried yet." Ryuji said with a chuckle.

"He owns Big Bang Burger, no? We've been focusing on the business words, but we haven't used too many space words. The only ones I can remember trying are spaceships and different planets." Ann chimed in.

Hearing her, Makoto got lost in thought before asking.

"How precise does our terminology need to be with the MetaNav? Could we be just slightly off with our wording?"

The group clustered around Ryuji, who was intently focused on his phone, entering a series of speculative words into the MetaNav. They ventured guesses from "asteroid field" to "quantum realm" and "observatory" with no success, until Ren suggested "spaceport."

[Distortion located.]

"For real? You gotta be effin' kidding me. A spaceport is basically a spaceship."

Makoto, however, saw the silver lining. 

"But this is good. Now we have options." she said with some determination.

"There is another Palace I know of…" Ren began before looking at Makoto. "Sae Nijima, Casino, Courthouse."

[Palace Located.]

[Beginning Navigation.]

[Error: The distortion is out of reach. Please approach either the location or the source of the distortion.]

Makoto's face became slightly complicated as she heard her sister's distortion.

"I thought we were going to try to help her without having to change her heart?"

"We are," Ren reassured her gently, "But it's important information we should all know. We never know if we might need it."

The conversation then pivoted back to their choices, with Shiho asking.

"So, a spaceport or a museum. What's the plan?"

"I think we should do a scouting trip to both of them and then go for whichever is weaker. It will be good practice for us to continue to get stronger." Ren said. "Though I assume Okumura's is going to be stronger because, from what we heard, he is closer to the 'Antisocial Force' than Madarame"

Though, after he finished his words, his eyes narrowed.

"However, there is something to keep in mind. The moment we try to change Okumura's heart, we are basically kicking the hornet's nest. He probably knows too much, unlike Kaneshiro, so any threat to make him confess or change his heart will be taken far more seriously. It might be one of our points of no return."

Some tension filled the air, with Makoto nodding her head.

"You are right… I hadn't thought of it, but they will probably take action to stop him from confessing. I wouldn't be surprised if they did the same thing as what happened to Kamoshida. They might even send the Black Mask to attack us directly."

"Kill him to try to stop him from spilling the beans…" Ryuji muttered. "Man, they are effin' ruthless."

The group went silent as they all tried to process the information and think of solutions to their problem, but as they did, Ren suddenly looked towards the door. He could hear the faint steps of someone coming up to the rooftop.

Catching the group's attention, he put his finger up to his lips to keep them quiet, and just moments later, the door gently opened. Entering through the door was a familiar fluffy-haired girl carrying a large bag of fertilizer.

-

"Oh, Ren! Are you here to help me with the plants?" she greeted cheerfully, placing the bag down with a decisive thud. Turning to Makoto, her smile widened. "And you must be Nijima, the student council president, right?" she asked, eagerly extending her hand in greeting.

Ren's expression twisted slightly as he saw her bright smile, completely oblivious to what they had been discussing moments earlier.

Ann, Shiho, and Ryuji, caught off guard by her arrival, managed polite introductions in return.

Though Haru's cheerful, "Nice to meet you all! I am Haru Okumura," elicited a wave of awkwardness from those who hadn't known her identity, their faces twisting with pity, sadness, and shock.

Haru's brows furrowed in concern at the evident discomfort of the group. 

"Is something wrong?" she inquired, her voice laced with worry.

"Erm, we uh…" Ryuji began to stutter before Ren interjected with a warm smile.

"I'm sorry, I was showing them the garden. But as I was giving them the tour, the conversation turned to Kamoshida… and it brought back bad memories." Ren said with an awkward expression.

It technically wasn't entirely a lie, but Ren couldn't help but feel guilty as he saw her usually bright expression turn sad and understanding. Unlike his usual game of cat and mouse with Akechi, or even his usual act with strangers, lying to someone like Haru just felt unsettlingly wrong. He wasn't even sure as to why.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It must have been difficult for all of you... " she began, her words filled with genuine understanding.

Unable to bear the weight of the confrontation, Ryuji was the first one to speak up.

"Welp, sorry, I gotta go. I forgot I have- uh- a thing-" Ryuji said as he quickly snuck away.

"Uh, yeah- you are going to be late for your acting thing- We should probably get going-" Shiho said to Ann before the two of them scattered away.

Makoto gave Ren a complicated look before saying.

"Yeah, Ren was going to help me with the library." she said, trying to give Ren a way out, but he shook his head.

"Sorry, I'll help you out with that next time.."

Once Haru and Ren were left alone on the rooftop, Haru turned to look at him with some concern.

"Is everything alright? Don't worry, you can tell me anything! I am a great listener," she offered, her smile bright and sincere.

Ren couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm, taking the initiative to help with the bag of fertilizer as he suggested.

"Honestly? I'd rather do the listening this time."

Haru appreciated the gesture with a light chuckle, her mind wandering for a topic to share. 

"Well, things have been quite lovely lately, especially since my arranged marriage was called off. It's been freeing, having time for the things I love again—gardening, reading, cooking, and just strolls in the park," she shared, her spirits visibly lifted by the thought. "What about you? I noticed you in an ad recently. Have you taken up acting?"

Chuckling slightly at the question, he shook his head.

"Not really. I was just doing that as a favor. As for what I have been up to… I've been mostly working, I guess." He said, slightly evading the question.

"Trying to save the world, perhaps?" Haru teased, her tone light and playful.

"Ha, that's one way to put it," Ren said with a chuckle before correcting himself. "That is if you count serving coffee as saving the world."

"Hmmm… I don't know. I've tasted the food you make, so I think it counts." She answered with another giggle.

Hesitating for a moment, Ren asked.

"So, how's stuff at home? You know, after the whole marriage thing got canceled."

Haru took a moment to think before answering.

"It has been great! My father seems happier these days. I think he is glad that I don't have to get married anymore. After my mom died, he was pretty distant, but now that he is so happy, I am hoping we can go on a vacation together after I finish school—kind of like before." She mused, her optimism for rebuilding their relationship evident in her smile.

"I see…" Ren's voice trailed off.

If their relationship were more strained, he probably wouldn't have had to overthink Okumura's Palace. He could have used Okumura as a trap to try to catch the Black Mask or as a sacrificial pawn to put the Antisocial Force in check. But now he wasn't entirely sure that was the right move.

Ren could probably guess that the reason he had been so happy lately was his recent 'promotion' in the Antisocial Force, but until he met the man in person, he would not be able to say for sure. It was one thing to hear about a person, but it was entirely different to see them act face to face.

Haru, noticing his distraction, ventured a gentle question.

"Do you miss your dad? It's been a while since you moved here, hasn't it?"

The question caught him slightly off-guard, but he shook his head.

"No, I've gotten used to it; it's probably for the best, too. I used to be quite the troublemaker, so I'm sure they are probably glad to have a break. Or at least I hope so." Ren answered with a slight chuckle.

"Maybe you should give them a call!" Haru suggested it with a smile, to which Ren replied with a simple smile.

As their gardening session neared its end, and the last of the plants had been tenderly cared for, Haru exhaled a contented sigh.

"You know... I'm going to share a secret with you," she began, her smile wistful. "A few months back, I was overwhelmed. My father's stress levels were off the charts, and my engagement to Sugimura felt like a shackle. Not to mention the loneliness...it's hard to find genuine connections when people see you as a means to an end."

Her expression brightened as she continued.

"But now, everything's changed. My dad seems genuinely happier, I'm free from Sugimura, and I've found a real friend. It feels like, somehow, I've been incredibly fortunate."

~Confidants~

Haru Okumura (The Empress) Rank 3