Chapter Text
[Music: "Halo" by Beyoncé ]
A lot happened this week. Since I became a Phantom Thief, I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to keep up this journal through it all. However, I think this will make a nice final entry.
On Tuesday, June 28, we defeated Shadow Kaneshiro and stole his Treasure, causing his Palace to collapse. Outside the Metaverse, the Treasure turned out to be a golden briefcase full of fake money, though the Treasure itself wasn't why we did this. We decided that while we wait to see what Kaneshiro does in the real world, we'll sell the briefcase so we have money to use to celebrate together soon.
Oh, and I got to see Ren's room for the first time. We met there to assess our Treasure haul. Poor guy lives in an attic space above the Leblanc coffee house and sleeps on a futon made from crates and a mattress. He's turned it into a cozy little living space, though. I've been thinking that it might be a good place for our Phantom Thief hangout instead of the public space in Shibuya Station.
We learned something from the Shadow Kaneshiro before we took the treasure, and it has me worried. He said that there is someone going around using Palaces for their own gain, and that person is responsible for the psychotic breakdowns. Logically, I could see how that could be possible if they chose to destroy the person's mind instead of changing their cognition. This has me worried, not just for our reputation as the Phantom Thieves but for the victims of this other Metaverse user. What kind of person would take advantage of the Metaverse like that knowing people will die?! Is it just someone sewing chaos? Or is it someone with some twisted sense of justice?
While that matter is still uncertain, we didn't have to wait long to start seeing real-world results from stealing Kaneshiro's Treasure.
About an hour after I got home Tuesday, Kaneshiro called me and said that he was calling off our debt and disposing of the photographs. I couldn't detect any emotion in his voice, so it was hard to get a sense of his mental state. I wasn't sure what to say, but I managed to stammer "thank you" before he hung up. Within another hour, I got a message from Sis saying that she wouldn't be coming by to do laundry like she had planned because she was taking Junya Kaneshiro into custody. I was dumbstruck. I was pretty sure what this meant, and I was incredibly relieved, but I also couldn't really believe it was happening. I went through the motions of doing laundry to help out Sis while I wrapped my head around everything that had just happened. Then I fell asleep watching another stupid show with Akechi on it.
Wednesday morning, I called Ren and told him what happened. I then asked him just to confirm whether this truly means that we succeeded in changing Kaneshiro's heart. Ren had me on speaker phone, and Morgana said that it was hard to know for sure yet. I was afraid of that. I then asked them what they thought about the psychotic breakdowns Kaneshiro mentioned, and Morgana was sure that was related to the incidents we've been hearing in the news since the semester started.
In short, we seem to have succeeded in resolving our immediate situation (the debt and blackmail photos), but we're still waiting to confirm Kaneshiro's change of heart, and we now have a curious Metaverse user to look out for.
After school Wednesday, I also came clean with Ren about what Principal Kobayakawa was expecting of me. I was able to assure him that we, as the Phantom Thieves, are fine for now, but that we can't let our guard down. It's important that we all blend in and conform for now, not draw attention to ourselves. He then invited our whole group to go out for billiards again. I knew Sis wouldn't notice if I was out Wednesday night, so I was delighted to join them all again. Now that everything's out in the open with my friends, and feeling how much they accept me, I find spending time with them to be refreshing and inspiring.
The group had some random chats throughout this week. Sometimes Ann and I would talk about something, or Yusuke would ask me my opinion on something. I even met with Ryuji as planned to discuss his idea for a combo attack to use in the Metaverse. Apparently we will get a chance to use that soon when we visit a Metaverse area called Mementos that the Phantom Thieves are using to help change hearts for people without Palaces.
Most of my text messages, though, have been with Ren, seeing how he was doing, answering random homework questions, or just talking about whatever he had been doing that day. He also hinted that his criminal record was a setup by some powerful man with influence in the police department, though he didn't elaborate. He said he would tell me the whole story eventually. Given that, it's no wonder that he was ready to break free and find his own path to justice.
And then... today, after school,... Ren asked me out.
Ren Amamiya. Asked me out.
Me, the honor student and student council president.
And Ren, the transfer student with a criminal record.
The Joker and the Queen.
It happened while Ren and I were talking after school. I told him how out-of-touch I felt with my peers, making it difficult to truly help people like Suzui or the victims of Kaneshiro. I want to drop the law-abiding, narrow-minded honor student that's held me back from being useful to the world. I want to learn how I can be as helpful as possible to our Phantom Thief team. Ren surprised me by suggesting that I wasn't so different from other students already.
That's when it happened: Ren suggested we go to the arcade as a way for me to get a feel of how other people enjoy their time. My stomach was fluttering like crazy, but I was more than happy to go! At the arcade, we played a shooting game together. He showed me a few basics about the game, and I picked it up quickly. It was exhilarating! I even think I picked up some techniques I could use when we head into Mementos. I didn't notice at the time, but apparently we drew a bit of a crowd because I was a bit "into it." Ren was amused by it all and said something about it being a whole other side of me. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Before we left the arcade, Ren and I made a deal. I asked him if he could help me out with stuff like this again, using the premise of further self-study to be a better Phantom Thief. Perhaps on some level I'm also making an excuse to spend more time with him. I was sure he'd try to shrug it off, figuring I'd embarrass him if we did stuff like we did today. But he actually said he was looking forward to it! I felt my heart leap!
So now I have my own path forward, one I'm forging for myself. Before we break for the summer, I will let Principal Kobayakawa know that I no longer need his letter of recommendation. I know this path isn't going to be tied to whether I conform to the will of the adults around me. It's going to be on my own merits and through means in which I alone choose. Now, with Ren and my fellow Phantom Thieves on my side, I feel like I can do anything!
This is my final entry in this "investigation" journal. But, my journey has just started into my self-discovery and my new relationship with Ren. Perhaps a fresh new journal is in order... what do you think?