Chapter Text
He wasn't sure if all of this was normal to the others–None of them seemed to have complaints about this ever happening to them, or maybe they just didn't want to talk about it.
But if there was one thing Ren Amamiya was sure about, it was the fact that he had six ghosts–If he could even call him that, one of them complained when he called them those, claiming that their respective real-world counterparts were still alive, some of them were the exceptions–in his head, talking, chattering, and trying to give him advice in moments of peril.
But the other thing they were fond of, was that they liked to comment about the things he did.
One time, they commented about his choice of weapon, which by the way was still ideal. Another time they commented about his habit of picking up too many part-time jobs, in his defense he needed the money. It's like… the dozen personas he held behind his mask, but worse.
He could list out every moment that he had with these ghosts constantly in his hair, but he was still grateful for their existence.
Today is a Sunday. Ren, Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana decided to take a break for today, still recovering from the last infiltration in Kamoshida’s palace. He was still lying on his futon, and he hadn't even done anything. Morgana was fast asleep, and he didn't want to bother him. Besides, times like these are hard to come by lately, he appreciated moments of fleeting peace like this.
Before…
"Y'know," the voice started, "If he was my cat, I'd spoil him with all the fatty tuna he wants. You're lucky you have a cat as cute as him!"
That was Maya Amano, at least what she introduced himself as. She was quite chatty, but she wasn’t nosy in a bad way. She liked to give him advice as much as he loved to tease him. She gives off the air of a big sister figure in a way and often encourages him when he is stuck in a cul-de-sac.
“Your wallet would’ve been drained within a few days, Maya-san.” Another voice spoke up, and the sound of a lighter clicking followed. “Besides, your room is a mess.”
“What does that have to do with this?!”
The guy with the lighter only looked away and continued playing with it, ignoring the demands from Maya. Tatsuya Suou, if he remembers correctly. Other than the jumpsuit he wore, he remembers him for the habit he has with the lighter. He didn’t talk as much as Maya did but he still gave enough commentary. He’s pretty skilled in machinery, Ren thought, thinking back to when he was guiding him while he tried to fix up that old laptop he got from the second-hand store. Despite the cool and distant image he upheld, he was a bit awkward in certain situations, to Ren’s amusement.
“Have you seen how he downed all those sushi though?” Another voice spoke up, “I swear if the kid brought more he would’ve gulped it down within a second.”
“Is that even possible?”
“It is a monster cat for a reason.”
Naoya Toudou, or the boy with earrings for some reason. He was pretty helpful, especially when it came to shadow negotiations—or as he calls it, demon negotiation. He, Tatsuya, and Maya are pretty good at it, probably from past experience. He is pretty laid-back and chatted almost as frequently as Maya did. He is a blunt person sometimes, criticizing Ren’s tactics the first time he entered a palace.
“I’m sure if we all pitched in, we could buy a truckload of fatty tuna for him,” A girlish voice piped up, “…If we had any money.”
“Nope, I can ask Nanjo maybe.”
“Oooh, maybe we can ask Nanjo.”
“The—head of the Nanjo Conglomerate, Kei Nanjo…?”
“Who’s Nanjo—Forget it! Renren, grind more money for Morgana!” the girl shouted, pointing her hand at Ren. Kotone Shiomi is her name. She was an incredibly bubbly person and hilarious while at it. Bright-eyed and very enthusiastic, she helped improve his moods when everything seemed as if it were in the trenches.
“Don’t give him more stress, Kotone,” Another person came into view and flicked Kotone's forehead. A cry of pain left Kotone, and she turned away to rub her temples, murmuring something like ‘ stupid, stupid Minato.’
Minato Arisato—one of the more quiet ones. He was reserved and stoic, quite the contrast to his… other self, as he puts it. He’s pretty distant, though everyone makes sure he’s included. It’s as if he’s unfazed by everything, calmly directing Ren in times where he couldn’t even think straight. That could apply to a lot of the ghosts (Or whatever they’re called.) that he sees a lot. He barely speaks and usually only talks when someone talks to him—otherwise, there’s not much.
Minato and Kotone are funny cases, they go through the same journeys yet they claim they are not familiar with each other. He wasn’t exactly sure what was the case with Minato, Kotone, or Tatsuya but it’s not his place to pry.
Buuut… If they wanted to tell him he’s all ears. It’s always that way with his friends, so why not the ghosts that just randomly appeared?”
“Fatty tuna is always good,” yet another person joined the conversation, “I don’t blame the cat for wanting it so much.”
Yu Narukami. Compared to the other two guys before him, he was more outgoing. He was a calm and collected guy, but he was a bit of a tease once in a while, and he said it with an infuriatingly straight face too. His humor is pretty… dry , to say the least, and somewhat oblivious—he makes it up with being a good cook though, teaching Ren different recipes and techniques in the cafe after closing.
Ren sighed. “I literally just woke up,” he looked at the other, slightly annoyed by the ruckus they made. “And besides,” he started stroking Morgana’s back, which earned him a purr from the latter, “If I spoil him too much, my wallet’s gonna be the victim.”
And then came Ren Amamiya. After the whole ordeal of getting arrested, being sent to Tokyo on probation, and Personas , he really thought his life wouldn’t get weirder. Bam! Suddenly six people showed up and just made themselves a home here.
It’s not real, as far as Ren knows it’s most likely just the impressions or something left by them back when they were also guests of the Velvet Room. That’s why they retain their old looks while their real-life counterparts grow older. It’s confusing, but at this point what isn’t?
He was thrown off by it at first, but as time passed, he just accepted things as they were. He learned more about these people, and they helped him out so many times. It’s not that bad, and they were interesting anyway.
One similarity between all of them was the fact that they were leaders of their respective groups back then as well, it’s like a leader-to-leader conversation. In Kotone, Minato, and Yu’s case—they were also fellow wildcards. Naoya, Tatsuya, and Maya were somewhat confused when they tried to explain what a wild card is to them, with Naoya stating that “everyone could use multiple personas as long as it fits their primary and secondary arcana!”
Whatever gap of time existed between them was quickly ignored though, and they all got along pretty quickly.
“C’moooon… It doesn’t hurt to spoil him a little bit…” Maya pleaded with Ren.
“No.”
“You can always grind in Mementos again, Ren,” Naoya had gone to sit on the couch, taking over the couch entirely. “No need to work and stuff.”
“I can pitch in through my real-life counterpart,” Yu offered.
“Wish I could but considering my circumstances…” Kotone sighed and hung her head low.
The group spent the rest of the morning talking about how to pitch in for Morgana’s Fatty tuna funds. Ren would’ve joined in, but the past few palace and mementos runs had drained him for good—He wanted a nice and peaceful rest before he tackled the last length of Kamoshida’s palace.
As the group schemed and ran through many ways on how to earn money, Ren had dozed off again. This went unnoticed until Tatsuya spoke up.
“It’s best if we quiet down a little,” he whispered, pointing at the sleeping boy who was hugging the cat they were talking about, “Let him rest.”
“Whoops,” Maya said, a sheepish smile growing on her face, “My bad.”
“Thanks for letting us know, Tatsuya-senpai ”
What Minato said earned a small snort from Yu, as Tatsuya looked away, red crept up his face as he muttered something incomprehensible.
“Alright, alright,” Naoya took the reins, “Let’s stop here, and let the kid rest.”
Various sounds of agreement could (silently) be heard in the attic, and they all spread out—some people sitting at the foot of the bed or beside it, and some took the couch, or even the chair. They all dozed off, and none of them would wake up until later in the afternoon.