Chapter Text
It had been a year since Ren Amamiya had been to Tokyo. College was around the corner and he’d been pressured by his parents to attend a community college nearby rather than one his friends had gone to in the city.
If that wasn’t enough, the number of texts had decreased, occasionally receiving any messages from the group as they all had been busy.
Busy without him.
Life had gone on without him.
Ren would sit by the bus stop, reading news about the Phantom Thieves continuing to change hearts. Though he wasn’t part of them any longer, instead Makoto had taken his place as leader.
His only company was Morgana, but his words stopped being so encouraging a while ago.
Ren had locked himself in his room, leaving Morgana to roam the house. The teenager laid on the side of his bed, mindlessly scrolling through the Phantom Aficionado website. Praise for the Phantom Thieves were posted along the site, which only made him feel more lonely.
He wasn’t needed.
They don’t need you.
They moved on, why haven’t you?
The last of the snowfall was melting away as Spring was approaching once more. His final year of High School had flown by, yet he was by himself.
His birthday had left him with some texts from friends and a birthday cake from his absentee parents.
His graduation had him receive his diploma, yet his own family couldn’t have bothered to attend.
Pointless.
Useless.
Ren’s college was in the town he lived in, so he remained living at his parents house, in the room he grew up in.
Silence, it was always quiet.
Meowing, he hadn’t heard Morgana’s voice in so long. All he could hear was the normal cat mews for attention.
Failure.
Disgraceful.
Unhonorable.
Criminal.
Thoughts ran through Ren’s head daily as he stared at his phone screen from his bed. His classes were mostly ignored or with minimal work done. He was a wreck, and he was alone.
His birthday came during the early spring once more, not too long after his first semester of college had begun.
Happy Birthday! We miss you!
Ren merely stared at the text in his messages. A text from Ann with a picture of the group, all happy without him. He left it on read as a tear slipped down his face.
He’d been so confident, so cocky, so upbeat at one point. Now all he felt was envy and rage, anger and jealousy.
It’s not fair. Why do they get to be happy while I’m miserable? It’s not fair.
It’s not fair.
It’s not fair…
~~
The semester was midway through. Ryuji sat in Big Bang Burger with the rest of the group. Not too much had changed for them all, aside from them missing Ren and Morgana.
“Hey Ann, has he sent anything back?” Ryuji asked, referencing their last outreach.
Ann frowned, a small sigh escaping her lips. “No, just says read…. I wish we could talk to him, he hasn’t sent anyone any texts in almost a year.”
“Are we sure he’s okay?” Makoto asked seriously, concerned their friend may have died or dropped off the face of the earth somehow.
“I sure hope he is.” Haru clasped her hands together, glancing down to her phone. Perhaps praying for even a text from their once-friend.
Yusuke, for once, hadn’t touched his food. “It’s been too long without him. I can only hope Morgana has been taking care of Ren.”
“Match Found.”
“Did someone say something?” Ryuji asked the group, though no one spoke up that they did. The blond reached for his phone to see a familiar app on his phone had reacted to the name. “No way… Ren Amamiya.”
“Match Found.”
Futaba gasped, eyes widened at the thought of her brother-figure having a palace. “Hold on! I thought Persona-users couldn’t have palaces?”
“Evidently, they can.” Makoto frowned, eyes looking at the phone on the table. “If his cognition were to change then… Maybe he doesn’t have access to his Persona anymore…”
“Which means he could have a corrupted desire.” Yusuke added, shaking his head. “Even if he were to have a palace, we aren’t near where he lives to act on it.”
“Not only that,“ Ann started, looking more serious than ever. “-But he’d recognize us as his friends, right? So we won’t even have access to our persona’s.”
“That’s definitely a problem.” Makoto sighed. She was starting her second year of University, she didn’t exactly have time for figuring out how to help their friend if they couldn’t use their persona.
“Hey-!” Ryuji cut in, holding his phone with the app shown to them all. “Let’s at least try and figure out these code words, yeah? We worry about the other stuff later.”
“Code words…” Haru mumbled as she thought. “Maybe a temple? Or school-house?”
“No, it would be something more personal to him.” Makoto shook her head, though she wasn’t sure what it could be.
“Didn’t he get arrested in his neighborhood?” Ryuji asked, though he didn’t expect to hear the phone.
“Match Found.”
Ryuji scratched the back of his neck quickly, not expecting him to actually get any of the keywords. “So, neighborhood is the location, yeah? Then what’s the distortion.”
Ann closed her eyes as she thought. What exactly could their friend think of the neighborhood? “Prison?”
But there was silence from the phone.
Ann was determined, they had to help their friend out! “If not a prison then… What about a courthouse?”
“Match Found. Beginning Navigation.”