View: https://youtu.be/KqigF-gLLZo
"...so, what's the occasion?" asked Ren, trying to keep his voice even.
"...that depends on you," Misato said.
Well well well, just perfect, he inwardly griped. "...so, this is a setup." He casually stepped back towards the wall, keeping both Misato and Ryuji (and
wow, it still hurt to think of Sakamoto in an antagonistic way) in his field of vision. "...you must have been on lookout for me when I pulled up to the apartment; you then got in touch with Ryuji to set up the burnt rice as a smokescreen, to give me a reason to come inside the apartment...where I could then be trapped between two of you."
"Pretty analytic of you," remarked Misato. "Way too analytic for your average high-schooler..."
"It's a pretty simple deduction," he said, trying to shrug it off. "And Hakone Academy has some pretty smart kids."
Let's not beat around the bush. "Why don't you tell me what this is all about? Because I don't think you'd conspire to kidnap me and hold me against my will without a good reason."
"...it
is for a good reason," said Ryuji, speaking with a certain seriousness that was almost disarming. "But this is the lady's show, so I'll let her lead." Besides, he was busy waving the last traces of smoke out of the open window, to clear out the apartment.
Misato nodded, crossing her arms to solidify her stance. "Ren Amamiya...we know you've met Goro Akechi before."
It said volumes about Ren's self-control that he didn't exhibit any outward reactions. However, the impulsive thoughts—
Damn it Akechi, what did you do THIS time?!—could not be contained. "And why exactly is that important?"
"Because he's an Agent of the Anti-Terror Task Force, and Tokyo-3's former Chief Warden...that's what most would say. However, before Goro Akechi got...
promoted...and reassigned to Kyoto, he decided to come clean about a little lie he told me, nearly two months ago now."
It was at a time like this that Ren rued the compartmentalized secrecy under which the various factions operated; it was hard to have countermeasures in place if
you didn't know what to prepare for! "A lie about what?"
"Not important. What
is important is what he told me after coming clean...or what, what he
couldn't." When Ren didn't betray any confusion on his part, she said, "Speaking of an 'ultimate victory'...of how the mysterious girl named Minako is a mere pawn...of how much I've apparently 'forgotten'..." She paused, gauging his reactions.
Keep cool, Kurusu, Ren told himself.
"...and how he actually has more than one Persona..."
His face twitched.
Damn it, Akechi!
Misato caught his reaction. "Needless to say, he was unwilling to speak about the 'bigger picture', as it were. He pretty much told me to butt out...but with the likes of Tohru Adachi directly targeting Shinji Ikari and the others, I needed to compare notes."
"Which is where
I come in," admitted Ryuji, looking somewhat apologetic. "Sorry kid. I know you probably told a lot of stuff to me in confidence...and if circumstances weren't what they are, I probably would have kept them to myself. But I've learned that Katsuragi-san likes sticking her nose where she shouldn't, and getting into a lot of trouble because of it."
"
Oi," she protested.
"Am I wrong?" Ryuji countered.
Ren tried his damnedest not to look disappointed.
Of COURSE he spilled his guts to a pretty lady with a dominating personality. Ryuji had been much the same with Makoto Niijima in his 'first' life.
Why did THAT have to be a recurring characteristic?! "...I see. That's a shame. Still not sure where I come into play."
Misato quickly got things back on track. "Basically: Goro Akechi has some form of contact with a man named Ryoji Kaji...
and a certain fellow named Mister P. And it wasn't until a couple of days ago that I became aware of Akechi's connection to you."
"How?"
"Not important."
"If you're accusing me of knowing Goro Akechi, I think knowing what you're referring to is
pretty damn important."
Misato frowned, weighing her options; fortunately, she decided to throw him a bone. "
Jazz Jingisukan, on the night before the big summer road trip you 'volunteered' for: ring any bells? Because I've got you on video."
Ah, damn it. He couldn't really refute that; however, she
clearly had no clue about what they had actually talked about, because he couldn't imagine such conversation being secret for this long in that case.
Misato continued. "And that brought to mind all sorts of things you're apparently in the know about...such as a certain door-"
"
Stop." The word escaped Ren's mouth, almost uncontrollably. "You've...you've made your point."
I was expecting to be confronted about the Velvet Room by Ikari's teammates, not these two!
Ryuji winced. "That big of a secret, huh?"
"You have
no idea."
Well, this is a problem. How in the world can I fix this? He needed to buy time for his mind to come up with a solution. "...why are you coming to me about this? If you were told by Akechi to not get involved,
why are you?"
Ryuji finally closed the window, satisfied at the current condition of the air in his tiny apartment. As the frame slid shut, he said, "Well, Katsuragi-san?"
Misato, as if trying to determine the content of his character, stared intently for several seconds. Her silence was akin to a judge's gavel, signalling judgment upon a defendant. Finally, she said, "It's funny...when I got the footage of you meeting Akechi, it came with a message: 'playing it safe can only work for so long; risks
must be taken'. And honestly...even if I can't know about
everything...I need to at least know
enough to protect the kids I've been entrusted with. Not just Mana-chan and Mayumi-chan...but Shinji-kun too, and his friends by proxy."
"...I see." That motive went a long way, to be honest. Yet, that didn't help him with
fixing this...but there
was no fixing this, was there? 'Fixing' the situation was thinking of it in the wrong way...what he needed to do was
turn it around, because trying to play by the 'rules' he had been all but forced to adopt was a losing play.
This is truly an unjust game...and my chances of winning are almost none...
His Other slept: as he was supposed to do—as he had to—in preparation for the inevitable endgame.
Yet, even though he slumbered...the memory of his voice echoed with gleeful knowing.
"I am thou...thou art I...thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice..."
And that memory, as ever, was a reminder of who he was.
"Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own...though thou be chained to Hell itself..."
...but I can still make a winning play. There was no name to call upon (yet), and there was no rage for him to show; even so, he had enough
guts to flip the script. "Okay. How about...we make a
deal?" His Confidants—generally speaking—had invariably been the ones to offer
him a deal, in some form or another, in so many words; now it was
his turn.
View: https://youtu.be/BonJPQPIe4w
Misato blinked. "A...deal?"
Arisato and Narukami may have had their own methods of ensuring they had an ace up their sleeve for future...but he could only work with what he had. He didn't have their literal
millenia of experience to draw upon, so this — an act that was proverbially sacrilegious, being against the entire strategic and tactical philosophy he and his comrades had played by since their awakening in this timeline — would have to make do. "I'll be blunt: I'll tell you what I
think is safe for you to know about the big picture. In return, you two
work for me. And you'll have to trust that if I call on you to
do something, it'll be for the sake of making sure Shinji Ikari and his allies survive to the endgame."
It was a hard ask. Misato, naturally, was
immediately skeptical. "You've got a lot of
balls, to think I would agree to such a one-sided deal!"
"...we should accept."
Ren and Misato turned towards Ryuji with visible surprise. "What the
hell, Sakamoto-san?!" exclaimed Misato. "Are you nuts?!"
Ryuji, staring solemnly at Ren, spoke without hesitation. "It's like I told you before: I have faith in him, even if I can't explain why." (The call of the Chariot Arcana was almost intoxicating...but Ren refused to grab hold of it; he had to be
stronger than his own desires, if he was going to make this gamble work.) "And besides, even if it's not the
whole truth, you have someone willing to give you
something. I would take it."
"But to the point of having him tell us
what to do?" she protested.
"Think about it: what leverage does he actually have over us, as it stands? He
has to believe that whatever he tells us will be enough for us to be willing to work for him...and we already know that he's helped out during the
Ai Ferry Incident, with an Acolyte during the August New Moon,
and with saving Sae Niijima during the Fog of Desolation. I think he's at least earned a chance to tell us what he's willing to share."
They actually figured out it was me who saved Niijima-san back in Tokyo-2? Dang it, I really haven't been as sneaky as I thought I've been. Even so, Ren couldn't afford to show anything other than total confidence at this juncture.
Whether it was cocksure expression or Ryuji's insistence, Misato finally wavered. "...well, I haven't been able to find anyone
else willing to give me answers..." The woman scowled, looking truly conflicted. "...damn it,
fine. But you'd better actually have some good intel!"
Ren nodded. "Trust me; I'll make it worth your while. But first: into the Metaverse."
"Why?" she asked.
"So you'll at least have confidence that you can subdue me if you think I'm up to no good."
Ryuji snorted. "I've
seen you operate in the Metaverse; you're not a slouch."
"I'm currently...debuffed, shall we say, I can't use most of my nifty tricks...but
you'll have your Personas. It's all in your favor."
"...fine," agreed Misato. She gestured at Ryuji. "I'll go first; bring him in behind me." Thumbing her A.T. badge, Misato swiftly transitioned from the physical realm to the cognitive realm.
For a brief moment, Ren and Ryuji were alone. "You could make a break for it now, if you're desperate," admitted Ryuji. "I doubt my crippled ass could catch you."
It was so
painfully and self-deprecatingly honest that Ren couldn't help but laugh. "True. But then you'd probably lose the trust of Katsuragi-san, and that would probably suck for you."
Ryuji shrugged, stepping forward with a tired sigh. "It would. But I wanted to at least give you the chance." Tugging his cane under his armpit, he placed a hand on Ren's shoulder before thumbing his own Freelancer badge. As he spoke the code, Ren impulsively let his conscious detach, if only to make it easier on Ryuji...
zhuu
zhuu
ZHUU
ZHUU
...but the sensation helped put him into the proper mindset. Facing Misato and her Persona, Tokoyo, helped put his current circumstances into perspective. "So...what's your story?"
Ren briefly looked around the cognitive version of Ryuji's apartment; it was pretty threadbare, not looking much different to what it was like in reality. The only difference came in the form of three picture frames: the first two depicted women who looked near identical to what he recalled of Chihaya Mifune and Shiho Suzui.
Well, that's depressing, he drly thought. The third picture was more nondescript: more of a silhouette than anything else. However, if you looked at it just right, it would have overlapped Misato Katsuragi's form pretty closely...which probably explained why Ryuji quickly summoned Seiten Taisei, blocking sight of the third picture before Misato could look around.
Then again, she was
here for a few seconds before we jumped over...
"Okay. You're here. Now spill," demanded Misato, interrupting his internal speculations.
"Easy now," he replied, focusing on his Third Eye (because even though he had made the most use out of it as a Phantom Thief, it was a power that had become an indelible
part of him in his last 'lives', such that he could use it in reality; even if that was no longer true, the mindset was easier to tap into within the cognitive world, mask or no mask); he felt nothing unusual within the vicinity. (He briefly focused upon the Magician Arcana; without even gazing too deeply at that bond, he could
feel echoes of Morgana's ongoing struggle. The fact it was ongoing—still
happening, how had he been fighting Minako for so
long?!—only solidified his decision.) "You have to set the stage before telling a story..." Ren quietly sat down, looking up at both Misato and Ryuji. "So...how would you react if I told you that this life you're living is not the first one you've lived?"
"...you mean reincarnation?" asked Misato. "Somehow, I don't think you're referring to something like
samsara..."
Ren grinned. "Oh, if only it were something so benign...the world
itself is stuck in a prison of man's making. But to give you context...allow me to tell you the story of a young man by the name of
Akira Kurusu, and his desire for emancipation from an unjust game..."
xxxx
TO BE CONTINUED
xxxx
/guys
//I don't mean to alarm you
///but it's been about two-and-a-half years since Yu's Sidestory
////it's finally time
////for the Sidestory of Ren Amamiya...or rather,
Akira Kurusu...
