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Heading to the rooftop to meet with Haru had taken on an edge of thrill since he’d been pronounced a dead man. If anyone saw him when he was supposedly back in his hometown, the rumor mill of Shujin would quickly grind him up, picking apart what he’d been doing and why he was there until Akechi was sure to catch wind and kill him a second time. Morgana had suggested he arrange to meet with Haru somewhere else when he wanted to see her, and Haru had eagerly agreed, but why would Ren put her out like that? He knew she loved her gardening, and her gardening had become vital to the Phantom Thieves’ efforts. He wouldn’t take her away from it and inconvenience her.
Besides, sneaking through the school had become fun. Tapping into his thief’s sight to watch where the gazes of patrolling shadows–students–swept, the world narrowing down to his destination and the threats between him and it, the experience was like he was waltzing through Kamoshida’s palace again. He was good at keeping out of sight now: it was easy, with just enough of the dagger’s edge of danger to sharpen his mind after another dull day of being trapped in the cafe’s attic. He was at the height of his game.
He reached the top of the stairwell and smirked. Another successful trip. He went to open the door to the roof, already a tiny bit ajar.
“…I don’t know if I’m the best person to talk about this kind of sh–stuff, Haru,” a loud voice said, carrying through the door. Ryuji. It sounded like something sensitive, and Ren was debating if he should announce his presence or simply leave to give them privacy when the next bit caught his ear. “I mean, I will, he’s my best friend, but.” A sharp sigh. “I thought I got him, and then all this shit happened.”
It sounded like they were talking about him. Ren neither went through the door nor moved away from it. He drew closer and turned his ear toward the open crack.
“We better talk to him before Makoto finds out,” Ann’s voice said. “She’d flip. He shouldn’t be taking risks like this, he could–he could wind up dead. This is the absolute worst place for him to be seen. And he just blew you both off?”
They really were talking about him.
“Yes,” Haru said. He could just make out part of the back of her uniform as she crouched in front of her garden, the little dip that must have been her nodding her head. “He said it wasn’t any problem. That it was simply an extra challenge, like it was–fun. A game.” She leaned further out over the plants. “I could be wrong, but it seems like his behavior in the Metaverse has been different too. I know he was willing to take risks before, but…”
“…It feels more reckless. Mona and I have to heal him way more often,” Ann said, her voice low.
Gossiping about him, just like all the other students.
“Mm. I’m worried that he’s stopped caring what happens to him.”
Saying things that absolutely weren’t true.
“Look, he’s gonna be fine,” Ryuji said, but he couldn't even pretend to be confident. Traitor. “We just gotta get through the Palace and expose that dirtbag so things can go back to normal for him. I’ll talk to Ren, call him tonight…”
No, he wouldn’t.
Ren backed off from the door and crept down the stairs, letting his thief’s sight reduce the world to only what was most important. The nearest exit, the sightline of the faculty member. It was only Kawakami, but he didn’t want even her to see him right now. He crept out of the school entirely unseen. Didn’t that prove he was being careful enough? He didn’t get caught. He wouldn’t be caught unless he wanted to be. He huffed with irritation, taking out his phone as he entered the alley he’d used to sneak close to the school.
“Is Haru not there?” Morgana asked in confusion, seeing Ren had returned much earlier than expected. Ren swept past him without answering, biting the inside of his cheek as he blocked the first contact on his phone, then the second. Scrolled down the list to find a third number. He didn’t want their calls today. “Hey–HEY, slow down–”
He whirled on the cat, about to demand if he’d been gossiping about him too, telling Ann or Futaba Ren’s not going to sleep on time or Ren’s having nightmares. The way Morgana shrank back when he turned around pulled him up short. “Just…get in the bag, Mona,” he said roughly, throwing it down to the ground. “Don’t talk to me right now.”
He didn’t want to talk to anyone, now that he thought about it. He powered down his phone completely and shoved it in his pocket before picking the bag back up. Morgana's blue eyes gazed up at him from the gap in the zipper before they darted away. He didn't say a single word on the way back to Leblanc.