Archive of Our Own

Date: Tuesday

“So, let me get this straight, Lavenza, you want to meet my friends?” I asked, looking down at the blue dress clad looking child.

“Yes,” She nods her head. “With my time being apart, I didn’t get the chance to properly interact with you and your bonds as my sisters and brother did.”

“Wait!? You have a brother and more than one sister?” I asked as I grabbed my cup and took a sip.

“Yes, I am the younger of the four, Margaret is the oldest followed both by Elizabeth and Theodore.” I smile as I watch her pick up a fry and inspect it before taking a bite out of it. “As far as I know, only Elizabeth has left the Velvet room to pursuer a life outside.”

I add some fries to my burger and pick it up. “So, what about Margaret and Theodore?”

“We still keep in contact if you were getting at that… it was Margaret that insisted that I be your attendant for the experience. As for what they are doing, I wouldn’t be able to tell.” Lavenza said as I notice that she had eaten most of her fries.

I nod at that before continue eating my burger. After eating just over half of my burger, I set it down and wipe my fingers on one of the napkins. “How are you enjoying fast food?”

“I can see why a lot of people enjoy it.” She said as she copied me. “I’m not a big fan of pickles though.”

“Yeah, they’re an acquired taste.” I chuckle before reaching over and taking one of the slices of pickle and eating it. “So, when do you want to start?”

“As soon as possible.” She said as she took a couple more slices of pickle out and I pulled my phone out.

Joker: Hey, Ryuji, you busy tomorrow?

Skull: Huh? Yeah, I think I’m free tomorrow…

What’s the matter?

Joker: Nothing too serious, bro,

Just need your help with something…

It’ll be easy to show you than tell you.

Skull: Fine, what time you want to meet up at??

Joker: Midday at Ichigaya should be fine…

It’ll give you enough time to wake up.

Skull: Hey!

That only happened cause you wanted to play video games…

I’ll see you then.

As I put my phone away, I notice that Lavenza had finished eating and was looking at the rest of my fries. “You still hungry?” She nods her head. “Wait here and I’ll get you some more then.” I move the rest of my fries over to her before getting up.

The girl behind the counter smiled wide as I stepped up to it. “Is your daughter enjoying her meal?”

It was strange to think that people thought that Lavenza was my daughter even though there was nothing similar between us. I smiled back and nodded. “She is, thank you, doesn’t like pickles so could I have another burger without them, please?”

“Of course, anything for a cute girl like her.” The cashier said before ring through the order.

When I got back to our table, I set the tray down before sliding back into my seat. “One cheeseburger without pickles.”

“Thank you, Akira.” My “daughter” said as she unpacked her burger and started to chow down.

“So, how does tomorrow sound then?”

She looks up at me from her burger with cheeks full and a bit of bun on her left cheek before swallowing, nodding her head and then eating more.

Date: Friday

After fetching Lavenza from Shibuya and telling Ryuji that I’ll meet him in Ichigaya, I could only guess that he went and brought his rods as well. I took the liberty of renting a coin locker at the station and stored mine thereafter the third time we went there.

After retrieving my rods, Lavenza was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. “What are those?”

“These,” I shoulder the bag. “are my fishing rods, I thought that we could do some fishing with Ryuji today.”

“Oh, I remember that you came here a few times with him.” She said as we started to walk towards the fishing hole.

“This is up to you, but I could rent a junior pole for you and you give it a go.”

I heard a hum from her as we crossed the road that was before the place. “Sure, I’ll good it a go.”

Renting a pole out was easy and as we were walking down the ramp; I could easily see Ryuji casting off seeing as the place wasn’t as busy as it had been. There was the odd regular and after say hello to them and getting a few nice comments about my “daughter”, we finally get to Ryuji.

“Afternoon Ryuji, how are you?” I said as I set mine and Lavenza’s equipment down.

“Afternoon Ren, I spent the whole of yesterday wondering why you wanted to hang out today, not that I mind, mind you, bro. But I can see why know.” He set his rod down before turning around to look at us. “Your… what’s your name again?”

I was very tempted to facepalm at that moment. “This is Lavenza, my attendant for the Velvet Room and she was the one who helped me find you guys in the Velvet Room.”

“OH, I remember her now… so what is this all about then?”

“Unlike my predecessors, I didn’t get the chance to interact with the attendant and their bonds.”

“Wait!? You're saying that there’s more people like Renren?” He asked, nearly falling off the crate that he was sitting on.

“Yes,” She nods her head. “there have been two other wild cards to my knowledge.”

“Oh… so you’re not so special after all then, Ren.” He said as turned to check his rod.

“Never claimed I was.” I said as I set to putting my own rod together and sorting out Lavenzas’.

It didn’t take long for me to get everything all ready and I could feel Lavenza looking at me intensely. When I had finished, I went over the basic of casting and reeling, before baiting her hook and letting her go.

To my surprise and the regulars here, she picked it up fast and even casted better than Ryuji and me when we first came here and even caught a couple of Miyabitanagos before any of us even realized.

Even though I wasn’t Lavenza dad (I’m not even sure she has a dad,) it was oddly nice to see her and Ryuji get along, like they had known each other just as long as I’ve known him. I don’t know how, but they somehow got into a competition to see who could catch the biggest fish as possible.

With them in a heated battle, I set my rod down in a holder and pulled my phone.

Joker: Hey, Queen…

You’re not busy tomorrow, are you?

Queen: Hello Ren. I’m free tomorrow, yes.

I take it this has something do with Lavenza?

Joker: I take it, Futaba hacked my phone again.

Queen: Not this time, Ren, it was Ryuji…

After you messaged him, he messaged the rest of us wondering what was going on…

Joker: …Ah.

Sorry for not telling you all this.

Ryuji was the first name to come to mind when she asked me.

Queen: It’s fine, Ren.

I’m sure everyone will forgive you and have come up with ways for you guys to bond over.

As for us, let’s meet up in Akihabara.

Joker: Why am I not surprised that you’ve already planned something.

Queen: What can I say, I like to be prepared.

Anyway, I’ll see you two tomorrow.

Joker: Yeah, see you tomorrow.

Putting my phone away, I noticed that Lavenza was winning by only a couple of centimetres and with the push of my glasses up my nose, I smirk before grabbing my rod and reeling the hook back.

“Hey, Ren, why are you doing that!? You didn’t catch anything yet.” Ryuji said before I felt his gaze on me. “Oh, come on bro… really!”

“What’s he doing?” Lavenza said as I pulled a couple of unidentified boilies out and baited one on my hook.

Getting off the train in Shibuya with Lavenza, we said our goodbye to Ryuji and started to back towards central street. The sky had started to turn orange at this point.

“So, you had fun hanging out with Ryuji?”

“Oh, yes, I can see why you two are close friends, he has too much energy for just one person only.”

“Yeah, that’s Ryuji for you, he can put that energy anything when he puts his mind to it.” I said as I thought about how determined Ryuji was when he was getting everything together for everyone for the training.

“I can see that, Trickster, he truly must have been a great partner during your time as a Thief.” She as came to a stop in front of the Velvet Door.

“He was… anyway, I’m glad you had fun today, Lavenza.”

“I should be thanking you, Trickster, it’s a shame you didn’t catch the Guardian.” She placed her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth slightly.

“Yeah, it was a shame I didn’t, that was like my five try on catching him.” I said, scratching the back of my head.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to someday, Trickster.”

“Hopefully so, anyway, I’ll swing by and pick you up tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow then, Trickster.”

Date: Saturday

I don’t know how many times I’ve been to Akihabara over the year and that was just meeting Futaba and Shinya. But it felt different this time… like I was on a day trip with my daughter… it was… hard to comprehend.

“So, the is Akihabara then?” Lavenza said as she stuck close to me as there were more people in here today than normal.

“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting it this busy today.” I said before offering my hand to her. “Just in case, okay?”

When she does, it made it easy for us to get the arcade that I assumed Makoto wanted to come to. I should have asked where we were going to meet up, but I could only think that an arcade was the place as Makoto hasn’t expressed any interest in tech and if she did, I’m sure she would have gone to Futaba.

As we walked into the arcade, I couldn’t see Makoto anywhere. “It looks like we beat her here.”

“Who are we looking for?” I heard Lavenza say as I kept on looking around.

“Makoto Niijima.”

“Ah, the Priestess, or as you called her, Queen.”

“It so nice to see father and daughter on an outing like this.” I heard the person in question say behind us and upon turning around, Makoto stood there with a smug look on her face.

It’s then that I realise that I was still holding Lavenzas’ hand… and I could see what she was talking about. “You’ve seen how busy is it out there, I didn’t want her getting lost.”

“Yes, according to Futaba, there happens to a sale on today.” Makoto said before stepping closer to Lavenza, kneeling and patting her on her head. “It’s nice to meet you again, Lavenza.”

When Makoto stands, Lavenza curtsies. “It’s nice to meet you again as well, Makoto.”

I couldn’t help but smirk at the look Makoto made when she curtsied. If we weren’t in a public place then I’m sure she would have squealed at how cute Lavenza was being.

“So where do we start then?”

Again, it was strange just how quickly Lavenza seemed to get along with Makoto, like she did with Ryuji. Maybe it was because she was drawing on the power of the bonds I have with my friends or something else, but hell, at least it saved us from any awkwardness.

I have to say, it was nice coming back to the arcades with Makoto again, but with less teaching and more having fun… and having Lavenza here this time made it even more enjoyable as Makoto suggested that she wanted to another go at Gun About and that was when an idea came to mind.

I offered the other gun controller to Lavenza before picking her just as Makoto hit start. It was defiantly a different way to play the game, but it was very funny to watch Lavenza try her best to shoot the targets on screen whenever I pointed her at them. Even though the gun was too big for her, she still did well enough to keep up with Makoto.

After a decent game of Gun About, I left Makoto and Lavenza to go and get some drinks for us and of course, as I was making my way back, I happened to come across a claw game that happened to have loads of Buchimaru in different outfits, sitting inside and what better way to remember this day than a plushie of a cute panda.

It didn’t take me long to get Buchi-kun, but then the trouble was just finding them as they weren’t near Gun About, so with three bottles and two pandas in my hands and arm, I set off finding them. As I kept an eye out, I pulled my phone out and before I could even open the chat app, Futaba had sent a message.

Oracle: Way ahead of you Joker.

Joker: And a hello to you, Navi.

Oracle: I’m better than that blue ball and you know it.

…Anyway, bring her to Leblanc tomorrow, I wanna show my tech to her.

Joker: You sure? Lavenza might not understand your nerd speak…

Hell, not a lot of us do when start going on about RAM.

Oracle: Well, you guys need to get good then.

Joker: If you say you, Navi

…Anyway, at least I know you’ve got it planned

You wouldn’t happen to knew where Makoto is?

Oracle: Next floor up, near the window.

Joker: Cheers, Sis.

Oracle: No worries, Bro.

Pocketing my phone, I headed to the next floor and sure enough, there they were, looking out the window at Akihabara… and I had to take a second just to look at them and at how much they looked like mother and daughter (minus the fact that Lavenza had platinum hair).

“It’s nice to a mother and daughter bonding.” I said as I placed their drinks on the window sill and stepped back.

“I was telling her about some of your exploits as a Thief.” Makoto said taking a bottle and opening it.

“In other words, the reckless and flashy stunts that I did.” I said with a smirk and knowing full well that those stunts nearly killed me.

“If what Makoto said is true, then I’m surprised you didn’t hurt yourself more.” Lavenza said as she turns to face me. But was greeted by the sight of me holding two Buchi-kun plushies. “Why do you have two pandas?”

“Huh? Pandas!” Makoto said before capping her drink and turning around as well. I had to hold myself together when she drops her drink and does something akin to a squeal. “OH MY GOD! Where did you get Detective Buchi and Neo Feather Buchi from?”

“Who is this Panda?” Lavenza asked with a quizzical look.

“It’s Buchimaru, a Panda that stared in a kids TV show… and Makoto happens to love the little guy.” I said holding both out towards the girls. “Which one would you like Lavenza?”

She looks at me again with the same expression before looking back at the bears. “I still don’t understand?”

“It’s a gift,” Makoto stated as she patted Lavenza on the head a few times. “it’s a way of remembering the fun we had today.”

The look of realization on Lavenza face was cute as she reached for the Neo Feather Buchi. “I like this one the most, he looks more like a robot.”

I was glad that she choose that one as I could tell Makoto had her eyes on Detective Buchi since I showed the two off and if we weren’t in a public place, I’m sure Makoto would be squealing like a little girl. With Detective Buchi still in hand, I nod so Makoto could take him and I couldn’t help but smile wide as I watch her hug the little guy like her life depended on it.

“Thank you, Ren… I’m sure Eiko will be jealous when I tell her about this.”

We ended up staying for a couple more hours before Makoto asked me where I got the Buchi-kun from and then going to said crane game and trying her best at getting the rest of Buchi-kun. We ended up leaving her there as we had a busy day the next day.

“You sure it okay to leave her there, Trickster?” Lavenza said as we stepped off the train in Shibuya.

“She should be, yeah… hopefully Haru can get there before she spends too much yen.” I said as I twisted the bit of my hair that liked to hang down my forehead.

We walked in silences onto central street and I was glad that the evening air had cooled enough for it to be pleasant. I have to say that it was very cute to watch Lavenza clutch onto Neo Feather Buchi for dear life as we made our way to the Velvet Door.

“So, how was your first time at an arcade?”

“I can see why people go there, it was fun for the most part, but I would advise you to never pick me up like that ever again.” She said with a scowl.

I could help but laugh at that memory which in turn earned me a slap on the back of my leg closest to her. “What? It was cute.”

“It wasn’t!” The fact that she pouted, just made her even cuter.

“Well, it was nice to see you get on well with Makoto.” I said as I patted her head a couple of times.

“Yes, I can see why she was the second in command and the strategist of the Phantom Thieves, the way her mind works is quite impressive.”

“Yeah, if it weren’t for her, then I’m sure none of us would have gotten a decent mark in any of our exams.” I rub the back of my head. “And yeah, most of her strategies worked most of the time… saved me from death.”

“So, that means you owe her your life then.” She said with a sparkle. “According to what books I’ve read, that’s how most romances start.”

I chuckle at that. “Sadly Lavenza, life’s not like those books, plus… I’m already going out with Ann.”

“Oh, the blond with pigtails, from what little I’ve seen after I became whole, she seemed nice.” She said in a down casted way.

It’s only then that I notice that we were coming up on the Velvet Door. “By the sounds of it, we have an exciting day tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it. Goodnight, Trickster.”

“Goodnight, Lavenza.”

Date: Sunday

It was strange walking through Yongen with Lavenza and with the fact that I’ve lived here for over a year, I had come to know some of the residents here just from helping Boss out and vice versa. So, it was only natural that I would get strange looks (I say strange but they were more of disbelief) but many of the older generations did gush over how beautiful and well-manned my “daughter” was.

Which perked her up after what I said yesterday. So, I was glad about that

As we entered Leblanc, the warmth of the place was a welcome one as it was kinda cold that morning, something that Lavenza didn’t seem to feel that much but still chose to wear a matching blue cloak.

“We're back, Boss.” I said after noticing him reading the paper on one of the bar stools.

“Welcome back, kid.” He said taking a glance at me as I took my coat my off and hung it up and waited for Lavenza to take the cloak off so I could hang it up. “So, where the other kid then?”

“Lavenza, this is Sojiro Sakura, Boss, this Lavenza, she is my attendant in the Velvet Room.” I said as Lavenza and I walk around the bar.

At that, Boss put the paper on the counter and looks over at us. “When Futaba told me about what was going off, I was, honestly, expecting someone taller and not a child.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Sakura-san.” Lavenza said as she did a little curtsy.

“And a well-mannered one at that.” Boss said before he moved to sand behind the bar. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you Lavenza.”

“So, where is Futaba?” I said as I sat down at the bar, followed shortly by Lavenza.

Boss sighs before picking up two cups and setting them down. “Knowing that girl, probably doesn’t realize the time and is still glued to that computer of hers.”

“I could see that…” I said and noticed that he was about to start making Lavenza and me a cup of coffee. “You want any help, Boss?”

“Yeah, you could plate some curry for us, that’ll be great.” He said as he placed four coffee cups down.

After plating enough curry for four, I set them down on the bar before taking my seat again and tucking in.

I had eaten about a quarter of my curry left when Futaba finally showed. “I’m here, I’m here. Everyone can relax.” She said in a narcissistic way, which, given the whole premise of the day, was kinda called for.

“Who said we were tense?” I said jokingly, which still earnt me a slap around the back of the head by Futaba. I was glad that I had gotten used to it over the year.

“it’s nice to see you finally out of the house, Futaba, know, eat up before your food gets cold.” Boss said before going back to the newspaper.

“Ugh, fiiinnee!” She said before sitting down next to me and then started to eat like her life depended on it.

By the time that Lavenza and I had finished, Futaba had only a few bites left and just as I get up to our plates away, Futaba handed me the plate with a smile and cheeks full of food. The temptation to poke her cheeks was high. I heard Lavenza chuckle at the sight of her looking like a squirrel as I walked over to the sink.

“Right! Let’s ago, Lavenza!” I heard Futaba say as I placed the plates in and turned around, only to see Boss looking up at her like a light bulb had just turned on above his head.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Futaba, but you promised me that you would study today.”

“Eh!? I don’t remember doing anything like that!”

“Well, you did, so you can have your little play date after.” He said in a not so aggressive tone that after living here for almost a year and working for him for just about over half of that, I know that the man was half teasing her and half being serious.

And that Futaba would more than like take it seriously.

“It’s not a play date, dad.” She said stamping her foot and puffer her cheeks out.

I couldn’t help but bust out into laughter at that which also set Lavenza off as well.

“You all suck.” Futaba said after she stuck her tongue out at us.

I walk around the bar and stopped near her so that I could pat her head. “Look at this this way, if you want to go back to school, your gonna need to catch up on what you’ve miss… I’ll help you out even.”

She looks up with a smile before looking over at Lavenza, who had been oddly quiet this whole time. “What about what I had planned?”

I looked over at Lavenza as well and raised an eyebrow. “What do you say, Lavenza? Wanna try studying?”

“I don’t mind, it would be my first time studying.” She said and in response, Futaba gave her a thumbs up and smile.

Studying went even better than I expected, with Futaba only needing help on a couple of subjects, like history and English and Lavenza was oddly good at English, which we didn’t know until I was going over a past test paper.

Overall, it was going great and even as customers came and went, their concentration didn’t falter that much. Even when Dr Takemi was leaving after lunch, I heard her talk to Boss about how well a father I was being… which put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

I was surprised that Futaba forgot about her original idea… which I was kinda grateful for, to be honest as when she starts talking about tech, it kinda just flies over my head after a while.

We took a break around two for some food and whilst we eat, I pulled my phone out and hoped that she wasn’t too busy to reply.

Joker: Thanks again for yesterday, Haru.

Noir: It’s no worries, Ren, I needed to gather some things

for my day with Lavenza

…plus, I think Mono-chan has gained a bit of weight, so…

Joker: You needed to put a stop to his fatty tuna habits…

As once he thinks he can get it for every meal, then it’s downhill.

Noir: …

It’s hard to say no to Mono-chan when he looks so cute…

Joker: That’s how he gets you, I had to tell Boss to stop after

my bag started to get heavier each day, even when the Metaverse was around.

Noir: That was why you were complaining about your shoulder hurting.

Joker: How is Mona doing?

Noir: Apart from being unhappy that your dating Ann,

Then he’s fine…

…

I’ve got go Ren-kun, I left Mona-chan in charge of planting,

But with how nice it is outside; I doubt he’s done as many as I hope so.

Joker: Fair enough, Lavenza and Futaba are waiting for me so they can study more

See you two tomorrow.

Noir: See you tomorrow, Ren-kun.

Placing my phone on the table, I grab a textbook off the table and flipped back to the last page I was on. “Right, let’s get back to shall we?”

“Yes, lets.”

“I’m pumped and ready to go, Joker.”

Lavenza and I left around about four as Futaba started to look like she was going to pass out, so after carrying her home, I had asked Lavenza if she wanted to do anything else but when she shook her and told that she wanted to go home, I had no obligation not to refuse her.

It was odd to find the subway not as packed as it normally was, but at least we both got seats and I couldn’t help but watch Lavenza go over the notebook that she used today and it brought a smile to my face.

“I can see why it is important to study now. I will admit that some of those practice papers were rather tricky.” She said as she closed the notebook and looked up at me.

“You did well on them despite it being your first time, but yeah the ones we took at Shujin were a nightmare… again, Makoto is the one who pulled us through the last of them after she joined.”

“I can see that now… what did Futaba plan originally?”

I chuckle as I twist the lock of hair that rested against my forehead. “She wanted to show you her pc.”

“Huh, I wouldn’t have minded that, she was your navigator along with Morgana, although her way of navigation was different compared Morganas’.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Mona could spawn a ballista like Futaba did.”

“Well, I had fun neither the less.”

“Good to hear,” I pat her head before leaning back. “Studying can be boring if you do it by yourself, but it can go quicker with friends.”

Date: Monday

Monday was an interesting day, for one, the last time I helped Haru out with this was after she joined the Phantom Thieves, which was coming up to about five months and two, I haven’t seen nor spoke to Morgana since Haru asked him to stay over for a couple of weeks.

It came to mind that Lavenza never asked where Morgana was when she asked me about doing this.

As we stepped into the lobby of the apartment complex, I was expecting it to be grandiose and it definitely was, white and black marble floor, a bank of elevators with a couple set aside for VIPs and a long, black metal reception desk off to the left that had a couple of female employees behind, one with red hair and the other a brunette.

My eyes found the security camera that was positioned on the ceiling and to the left of the desk as we approached the desk. “Good morning, we’re here to see Haru.”

The brunette receptionist looked up at me before raising a little and looking at Lavenza with a small smile. “Names?”

“Ren Amamiya and this is Lavenza Amamiya.” I said as I felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of my neck.

There was silence as I felt three sets of eyes on me before the two receptionists look at each other before the one who asked started to type on her computer.

“I didn’t know Okumura-chans’ boyfriend was a handsome dad.” The redhead receptionist said before she pulls a lollipop out from a draw as she stood and leans over the desk and holding the sweat out towards Lavenza.

I watch her take with a small curtsy. “Thank you, but he’s not Harus’ boyfriend.”

“Oh?” The redhead then looked at me. “Then how about me and yo-”

“He’s already seeing someone.” Lavenza said as she unwrapped the sweat and pops it in her mouth.

The redhead fell back into her chair with a dejected look on her face. “Why are the cute ones already taken.”

“Anyway,” The brunette interjects. “Amamiya-san, you're clear to go up, it’s the elevator on the far right and I’m sorry about my colleague.”

“It’s alright.” I said before walking towards the elevator.

As soon as the door closed and we started to ascend, Lavenza spoke up. “Why did you give me your family name?”

“Well, people have been saying that you’re are my daughter all week, so I thought why not… also you don’t actually have a family name.”

“I don’t, no, but I don’t see the problem with not having one.”

“I was always told by my parents as a kid that if I got separated then I should find a police officer or a store clerk, so take for instance that we got separated and you followed my advice, they would ask for your family name so that they can get in contact with me… you can see where this is going, right?”

She nods her head. “I understand now, it’s more for my benefit than anything else.”

“Yep.” I pat her head a couple of times before she bats my hand away. “You don’t have to call me dad, by the way.”

She laughs at that before we fell into a comfortable silence as the elevator continued to bring us to the top floor. With some time before we got there, I brought my phone out and open the chat that I had with Yusuke up.

Joker: Morning Yusuke, how’s your art going?

Fox: You have magnificent timing, Ren, I was going over some of my sketches

and I found one that I never finished.

Joker: It’s a shame that Mementos is no longer around.

Fox: It truly is, I feel like there was more I could have captured if we had more time.

But the item in question is one that features you.

Joker: Me…?

Wait…?

You don’t mean that one do you?

Fox: Yes, I mean that one.

Even know, I can see areas that I did not focus on and wish to finish it.

Joker: …

Fine.

Just don’t make me stand there for too long, my back did not agree with me the next day.

Fox: Don’t worry, pain is trivial when it comes to art.

Joker: If you say so…

I’ll see you tomorrow then Yusuke.

Fox: Yes, you will.

When we reached the top floor and the doors opened, I was expecting there to be a door or two seeing as this building was kinda large, but all that greeted us was a small corridor and a lone door sitting at the end.

Stepping up to the door and pressing the buzzer, we waited till the door opened to Haru standing there with a bright smile on her face and wearing what I classed as her summer outfit but with a green apron on and a pair of gardening gloves… sort of like the ones I wore when I was at Rafflesia.

‘Ah, right she did mention planting in the texts… and it couldn’t be a better day to do this.’

“Good morning Ren-kun and Lavenza-chan, it’s great that the two of you could make it.” Haru said as she stepped aside to let us in.

“Hello Haru-san, thank you for having me.” Lavenza said with a small curtsy before stepping in.

Following her in, I stop and turn to Haru. “Morning Haru and thanks again for the other day.”

Haru smiles once again before walking past me and Lavenza. “As I said Ren-kun, it was no problem at all, after spending five days inside, some fresh air was well needed, plus I needed to get you two some appropriate equipment. So, going a little out of my way for Mako-chan is no problem at all.”

“How did she do?” I asked as we walked farther in. I noticed Lavenza look around as walked and I have to say, this place was spacious.

“How many tries did it take you to get the two plushies?” She asked as we walked over towards the glass window that showcased a sizeable balcony that had half of it turned into a garden.

“About four attempts, I think.” I peered through the glass and spotted Mona as he ran about the garden in pursuit of something.

“By the time I got there, she had four of them sitting by her and I got there about half an hour after you texted.” She said as she walked over to a set of glass double doors and opening one. “Mona-chan, there here!”

I point out the location of Morgana to Lavenza just in time to watch him bust through a row of tomatoes and run into the glass wall in front of us, he sat there for a few moments as he regained some sense back as I crouched down and tapped on the glass a few times to get his attention.

When he looks over and sees us, we heard him say something before he stands and walks over to the open door. “About time you guys showed up.”

“We’re on time, Mona, also, morning.” I said before he does a little bounce and hops up onto my shoulder.

“It’s nice to see you again, Lady Lavenza.” Mona said as I felt his tail bush against my ear.

I hear Mona purr as Lavenza starts to pet him. “It’s nice to see you in this form, Morgana.”

Looking over to Haru, I find her holding the gear she got us. “Shall we get started, there’s a couple of plots that need planting and a couple that need picking.”

After we got the aprons and gloves on, we set about planting a bunch of potatoes, carrots and peas with the help of Haru telling us how and where she wanted them before moving over to pick what was ready, which consisted of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.

Between the three of us, we were able to pick a majority of it to fill two largish baskets, both of which were picked up with ease by Haru and taken inside followed by Lavenza after being asked to help put them away.

Which left Morgana and me outside to enjoy the sun.

“So, what’s it like living a life of luxury?” I asked after finding a glass ornate table with four chairs and taking a seat in one.

“It’s great, Ren, this is how I want to live forever.” He said as he hopped up onto one of the chairs before jumping onto the table and sitting down.

“Yeah, Haru has told me how much fatty tuna you’ve been eating… and that you need to go on a diet because of that.”

He looks away in shame. “It’s not my fault that Noir only feed me that.”

I leant forward so that I could rest my head on top of my hands. “You could have said no.”

“But it’s so good though.” He said turning to look at me.

I shake my head at that. “When your time here ends, you’re going to have to go on a diet.”

I watch him hang his head in shame. “I know.”

Shortly after, Haru and Lavenza came back out with Haru pushing a cart that had sandwiches on and a set of drinks.

“This might not taste as good as your food Ren-kun, but I hope you like it all the same.” Haru said when she came to stop near the table.

“The best I can do is noodles and Boss’s curry, which I only managed to prefect after too many attempts, so I’m sure that these sandwiches are better than anything I could make.” I said as I accepted the plate from her.

The sandwich was delicious as it was made with what we picked and a few other items that Haru had in her kitchen. Whilst Haru, Lavenza and I had salad sandwiches, Morgana had none fatty tuna… much to his dismay.

As it turned out, even though everyone had talked about what they were planning on doing, they didn’t really tell each other what they had planned, so when Haru asked what we’ve been up to, we told them about what we did.

Morgana was annoyed that he missed out on the fishing.

When we were finished with lunch, Haru took everything away, whilst the rest of us set about watering what we planted.

“And Haru-san is not going that life path?” Lavenza said as we left the apartment complex.

“Yeah, funny enough, she enjoys gardening more as a hobby than anything else.”

“Huh, one would think otherwise, if one didn’t know her.”

“You would think that, but I believe she plans on running Okumura Foods after her education.” I shift the basket that Haru gave me to my other hand. “To think that she would give you a basket full of sandwiches… and the apron and gloves.”

“Well, after our stories about the other days, I’m sure she felt obligated to… she wasn’t, being able to interact with you and the other is more than enough for me.”

I couldn’t help but smirk as I knew the answer to my question before I even asked it. “Well, it’s not too late for me to return this then, if you don’t want it.”

Watching her stop in place and spin to face me with a light blush was what I was looking for. “Don’t… I… wouldn’t want the sandwiches to go to waste.”

“You sure? You just said that Haru wasn’t obligated to make this, so…” I said as I stopped to make it look like I was about to turn back.

Before I could pretend that I was about to head back, I felt her arms wrap around my right leg tightly. “You’re got going anywhere!”

Shifting the basket back to my left, with my right, I pat her head till she looked up to me. “I was joking, Lavenza.”

I knew that the sight of us like this had turned some heads, mainly the older generation and some of the younger gen as well and with how they were saying how cute it was to see something like this.

The fact that she pushes herself away meant that she must have now only heard that. “You’re insufferable, Trickster.”

“That is true.” I said as I took a couple of steps between us and patted her head. “Let’s get you home shall we?”

Date: Tuesday

It had been some time since I had been to Kanda seeing as I had no real point to come here, the shogi matches with Hifumi stopped taking place here shortly after our help. Father Daigo seemed happy to see me again and I was happy that he didn’t ask about Lavenza.

“So, this what a church looks like on the inside.” Lavenza said as we made our way down a corridor that was located to the left of the main entrance.

“Yeah, I haven’t come here in a long time.” I said as we passed a locked door.

“How so?”

“Well after helping Hifumi out with her mother, we stopped using this place as a place to practice shogi, she likes to stop by Leblanc every now and then to make sure that my shogi knowledge is still there.” I said and at that thought, she would probably be showing up at Leblanc in a few days.

“Shogi… is like Chess, correct?”

“Yeah, but Shogi is twice as hard than Chess… I’ve only managed to beat her once and that was just blind luck.”

“Huh, I would like to try my hand at either of them at some point.”

“There’s a Chess set back at Leblanc that Akechi and I use to use…” I said as we came up to the side room where I know Yusuke would be, I couldn’t keep the sadness out of my speech.

It didn’t surprise me to see Yusuke already drawing and to see that he didn’t notice that we were there.

“At it already I see, Yusuke.”

“I suddenly had a bolt of inspiration as I waited for you to show.” He said without taking his eyes off the sketchbook.

Stepping up near him, I could see that he had finished two stain glass pieces of us in our Phantom Thieve getup, it actually looked really good.

“So, when do you want to continue the other one then?” I said as I moved to stand in front of the pedestal. “Seeing as you’re the best artist I know, maybe you could impart some of that wisdom to Lavenza?”

At the mention of her name, Yusuke stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. “AH, yes, I apologise, I did forget that you were spending a day with everyone.”

“From what Makoto and Haru have told me about you, I’m not surprised.” She said as she looked around the room.

“That, I’m not surprised about, Makoto still messages me to tell me to eat.” Yusuke said as he took a couple of steps over to a pew before bending down and pulling another sketchbook out. “Regarding teaching her how to draw, it should be easy enough.”

“I’ll leave her in your care then… seeing as I’m going to be over here.” I said as I assumed the position that I believed that my body would hate me for some time.

As I stood there with my arms out, right leg out but bent back towards my left and my back as straight as it could be to the point that I was looking more towards the peaked roof, I couldn’t help but smile as I heard Lavenza laugh at what I was doing.

I was somewhat sceptical about asking Yusuke about teaching Lavenza how to draw seeing as how things turned out with Madarame, but watching them sitting in one of the pews with Yusuke teaching her the basics, I was surprised at how well it was going.

Of course, like last time, Yusuke gave me some pointers on where to stand, which I didn’t mind seeing as he wanted me to be in the exact same position as before. But when Lavenza started to give me orders, I had to draw a line after the second time I nearly fell backwards and hitting the pedestal.

After an hour of standing there, I was grateful that, when I moved, I didn’t get an earful for either of them as last time I did, I had to dodge one of Yusukes’ pencils. With the freedom of movement that I know had, I walked over to where those two had set up and had a look at what they had drawn.

With only an hour lesson, Lavenza must be a quick learner as her drawing was very clear in what it was meant to be. I’m sure, with time, that she could easily get to Yusuke level… or near enough.

“I have to say Lavenza, for someone as new to art as you, you are quite skilled.” Yusuke said with a pleased smile on his face.

“Keep practising and you might even beat Yusuke.” I said knowing that Yusuke would probably say something.

“Please Ren, I was trained by one of the best artists there was.” He said with an arm out straight but was bent at the elbow so that his hand was against his chest. “For her to get to the skill I am at now would take her years.”

“Be that as it may, she does have talent.” I said as I took a seat in the per behind them and pulled my phone out from my pocket as Yusuke started to tell Lavenza about shading.

Joker: Hey Ann.

Panther: I’m mad that you didn’t come to me first.

Joker: It’s was thrown on me all of a sudden, sweetheart.

Panther: …

It’s really is hard to stay mad at you, Ren

Especially after hearing how you’ve treating Lavenza-chan like a daughter.

Joker: I guess I have.

Panther: Well, with what Makoto and Haru said, you have been.

But anyway, I’ve got something planned that you will like.

Joker: Something I like, huh?

Then I’ll rule out anything that evolves just the two of us ;-)

Panther: Ren!

You perv.

Joker: Says the one.

But I guess that we are going to Inokashira?

Panther: Nice guess, but nope.

…

We will be meeting up in Shibuya before we head there.

Joker: Then that leaves the whole of Tokyo to choose from…

Well, I have good faith that you picked a great place, sweetheart.

Panther: Damn right you do!

I’ve got a few things left to do before tomorrow

So, I’ll talk to you later babe.

Love you.

Joker: Alright then, speak to you soon.

Love you too.

With a smile on my face, I put my phone away before looking up and notice that Yusuke was now talking about the finer points of sketching as Lavenza had started a new drawing.

“You doing okay, Lavenza?” I asked as I leant forward.

It took a few moments for her to register that I spoke, when she does, she didn’t look away from the paper. “Yes, I fine thank you.”

“It’s amazing how well she adsorbs knowledge, Ren.” Yusuke said with a quick glance at me.

“You should have seen her when we ended up studying with Futaba, we only covered English a little bit but she aced that part.” I said and I couldn’t help but notice the blush that was forming on her face as she continued on drawing.

After claiming a booth in the Shibuya diner and ordering some food, I looked over to Lavenza, who was still drawing.

“So drawing is going to be your new thing then.” I asked after our drinks arrived.

“Well, after never doing anything like this before, I can say that I enjoy it very much.” She said before placing the sketchbook and pencil on the table. It’s then that I could see what she had drawn.

To say that she had improved since this morning would be an understatement as she had captured me talking to the waitress about our food in a lot of detail.

“And you called me an anomaly, yet you only just started to draw and yet you’ve produced pieces like that.”

“In reality, I am not human, so being able to pick up different skills is just as easy as you were able to obtain different Personas.” She said after taking a sip of her drink and placing the glass down.

“That… that sounds more plausible than it should be.”

“Yusuke should be fine getting home, right?”

“He should be, we did feed him so he should be fine.”

“That’s good to hear then.”

“And if he does get lost, then he knows to get in touch with Futaba…it’s not the first time that’s happened.”

We had just started to eat our meal when Lavenza spoke up. “Do you happen to know where we’ll be going tomorrow?”

“Nope, Ann hasn’t told me a thing, only that we’ll be meeting up here before heading off.”

“We could be going anywhere then.”

“Yeah, she did say that we’ll enjoy it.

“That doesn’t help narrow it down.”

“Best to leave it till tomorrow then.”

Date: Wednesday

I was expecting to meet Ann and Lavenza in Shibuya, but to wake up to find her taking a picture of me wasn’t the greatest way to start the day. With a groan, I rolled over and pull the covers up.

“And here I thought the knight was meant to wake the princess up with a kiss?” I said knowing what she’ll do.

“Grow your hair out more and you’ll start looking more like one…” I felt her weight on the bed and her lips near my ear as she spoke in a low whisper. “but I think I can comply with that request.”

I turned enough to capture her lips in a slow kiss before wrapping her in the covers and into a hug, I chuckle and place a kiss on her nose as she tries to wiggle out before she resigns to her fate of my hug and rests her forehead against mine.

“It’s a shame that we have to go out today, huh?” I said with a sigh.

“It is… we should spend more time like this… but maybe do it at my place so we can have more privacy.” She said in the same tone before one of her platinum blonde tendrils blocks the rest of the room out.

“And you call me a pervert.”

“I can’t help it that you’ve got a great body.”

“It’s true, I do.”

I smile when she giggles. “Come on, I’ll let you get ready whilst I see if Boss will let us have some food before we go.”

Letting her go, we shared another kiss before she headed off downstairs and I set about getting ready.

No one seemed to grasp how The Velvet Room worked seeing as they only saw me standing there looking at a wall and yet to me I would step through the gate and into my cell, so stepping out with Lavenza meant, that to Ann, she would have appeared out of thin air.

“Nice to see you again, Lavenza-chan.” Ann said with a small bow.

“It’s nice to see you as well, Ann and in something other than your Thief outfit.” Lavenza said as she curtsied.

It then dawned on me that they both had some similarity, for instance, the same platinum blond hair and how many of Lavenza facial features were the same… apart from the eyes of course. “I guess we’ll start looking like a family now.”

At that, Ann and Lavenza look at each other. “…Yeah, I guess we do have a few things in common.” Ann said as she crouched down next to Lavenza.

“Well, the Trickster has given me his family name in case of emergencies.” Lavenza said staring at me.

“Huh, did he know?”

“Akihabara was crowded like hell and if she got lost then it would be hard trying to find her, so…”

“That was very sweet of you Ren,” Ann said with a smile. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a mom.”

“I’m not going to pretend to be your child.”

I wasn’t expecting that Destiny Land was the destination and it clearly put a smile on Anns’ face so I was happy either way. Lavenza, on the other hand, was looking like she was trying to think of something. It was kinda cute watching her try to figure things out.

“This… this is a theme park, correct?”

“Correct… but this is the first time she’s been here though, so…” Ann said looking at me as we walked hand in hand over to the entrance.

 “Yeah, she has an unnatural talent that comes from not being human.” I said looking just past her to Lavenza, who was looking ahead at all the rides that were visible above the wall. “You should have seen her when we were studying with Futaba, she picked up English way to fast.”

Out of the corner of my eyes, I watch as Ann turns to look at Lavenza. “She’s one remarkable girl then… it’s sad that she hasn’t experienced anything a girl her age has.”

I squeezed her hand before Lavenza spoke up. “There’s no need to be sad, Ann, my siblings have been teaching me well enough about this world and it was my older sister that said that I should take this contract so that I may gain experience as an attendant of The Velvet Room.”

“Still, you never got to experience a normal childhood.” It’s one thing you could count on with Ann, she could convey her feeling better than anyone, which gave me a great idea.

“Well, why don’t we do it now then?” I said and it got their attention.

“Yeah, we could do that.”

“Do “what,” Trickster?”

“We are at an amusement park, which are meant for families and lovers, so why don’t we give you a taste of what a family out is like.”

“And what if I refuse?”

“Well, you’ve been experiencing new things the past few days, so how about it, a chance to put your duties as an attendant of The Velvet Room on hold and have fun?”

We watched Lavenza turned around to look at Destiny Land. “And if I stop enjoying it, we can stop?”

“Sure, we can even go someplace else as well if you want.” I heard Ann say as we watched Lavenza turn to face us with a smile on her face.

“Alright, Ren, Ann, we shall give it go.”

“Great,” I let go of Anns’ hand as it was time to initiate the other half of my plan. Bending down ever so slightly, I picked Lavenza and made it so that she was sitting on my shoulders. “and know we look like a family on an outing.”

I smiled when I heard Ann start laughing and hold my hand out to her. “Let’s get going, shall we.”

“I hate you, Trickster.” Lavenza said despite hearing the smile in her tone.

I think I had more fun this time around then the other times that I had been and I would have thought that Lavenza would have asked to stop at some point but we were glad that she didn’t.

As the day went on, we had more fun and I swear Ann nearly had a heart attack when Lavenza called her Mom and then on in it became normal for that… It took a bit longer before she started to call me dad.

I ended up having to carry Lavenza as she soon ran out of energy and had fallen asleep in my arms as we made our way to the train home. I had placed her next to Ann as we rode the train.

“I think she enjoyed herself then.” Ann said with a yawn as she pushed a couple of stands out of her Lavenza’s face.

“It would appear so, Mom.” I said taking the seat opposite them.

“Please, I don’t think my heart can take anymore.”

“What? You don’t see yourself as a mother someday?” I was grateful that we were on a mostly empty carriage the sound of the tracks were the only thing I could hear as Ann looked at me with wide eyes.

“You think about us having kids someday?”

“On occasions when washing Leblancs dishes. Why?”

“It’s strange to think that you think… about that… stuff...”

I smile when I see her eyes drift shut as I pull my phone out to check the time. “I’ll let her rest for a bit.”

I switch over to the phones’ camera and snap a picture of them before leaning back. “I’m sure you’ll be a great mother, Ann.”