Chapter 13
Ren explained the origin of the rumors surrounding him to Yu.
He did have a criminal record. Because he was a minor, he required a guardian, and Sojiro Sakura, the cafe owner, served as his guardian. However, his record was the result of a complete farce. An influential person had falsely accused him of assault, and the woman he had saved had been coerced into giving false testimony, resulting in his assault charge.
An act of selfless courage had led to this outcome.
Ren’s resilience was remarkable, allowing him to live a normal life instead of succumbing to bitterness and antisocial behavior.
Yu remained silent for a long while, finally replying just as lunch break was ending.
[Yu Narukami: Is there no way to reopen the investigation?]
[Ren Amamiya: The person involved is very powerful, even influencing the judicial system. It’s pointless.]
[Yu Narukami: …Hmm.]
[Ren Amamiya: What are you thinking?]
[Yu Narukami: I just find it strange how thoroughly the judicial system could be influenced. My uncle is a detective, and I lived with him for a year, so I have a somewhat idealized view of the police. While there are undoubtedly bad apples, I still believe most are dedicated and upstanding individuals.]
[Yu Narukami: Now that I’m back in Tokyo, I feel like everything I thought I knew is being challenged.]
This was the source of Yu’s unease since returning to Tokyo.
A subtle sense of malice and chaos permeated society, intangible and invisible, like the fog in Inaba, eroding and influencing everyone. It seemed even the judicial system had become corrupt, and politicians had become selfish.
[Ren Amamiya: …]
Was Yu simply perceptive, or did his past experiences make him more attuned to such things?
Society wasn’t black and white, and not every corner was controlled by evil. But present-day Tokyo seemed shrouded in the shadow of powerful figures, which was illogical. Ren eventually understood that it was the Metaverse and the false god’s presence that influenced society.
The false god, controlling the Metaverse, was filled with malevolence, and this malevolence seeped into the real world, tainting everything.
Of course, this situation was exacerbated by the presence of Goro Akechi and Masayoshi Shido.
[Yu Narukami: If they had a change of heart, would your record disappear?]
[Ren Amamiya: That would require changing the heart of the person who framed me. But you’re not interested in changing hearts, are you?]
[Yu Narukami: Not really. I’m not particularly interested in it.]
[Yu Narukami: However, if someone hurts my friend, I wouldn’t dismiss the effectiveness of the method just because of a minor personal qualm.]
[Yu Narukami: Stopping a bad person from doing evil is equivalent to saving many people. In a way, it’s a good deed.]
Reading Yu’s messages, Morgana licked his paw.
“I thought the white-haired kid was a staunchly righteous type. But he seems quite open-minded,” Morgana commented. “He seems pretty reliable.”
Ren put him back in the bag.
“Wrong.”
The cat poked his head out. “What’s wrong?”
“He never disapproved of changing hearts. He just doesn’t want to participate. He’s already powerful and doesn’t need to get stronger, so there’s no need for him to continue participating,” Ren explained. “This is our fight. He just wants to help, not interfere.”
After school, Ren and Yu arranged to meet to return Yu’s bento box.
They chose a station where both their train lines stopped.
Exiting the train, Ren immediately spotted Yu sitting in the waiting area.
The boy in the Sōyō uniform had placed his bag beside him and was engrossed in a book. Ren leaned closer and saw the title on the cover.
“Witch Detective Loveling”
Ren: …
Wasn’t that a children’s magical girl magazine?
“Oh, you’re here,” Yu noticed Ren, placing the magazine on his lap. “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon,” Ren greeted him, as usual.
He took the bento box from his bag and handed it to Yu. He had washed it; after all, he couldn’t just return a dirty bento box.
Yu took the box and put it in his bag. Ren sat beside him and casually flipped through the magazine.
It was indeed a children’s magazine, filled with illustrations of magical girls.
“Are you interested?” Yu asked. “It’s quite entertaining.”
“No, just curious why you’d be reading this kind of magazine.”
Yu smiled, taking the magazine back. “My uncle has a younger sister named Nanako. She’s a very cute girl, and she loves Witch Detective. She kept talking about it when we were on the phone earlier, so I bought a copy when I saw it at the magazine stand.”
“You two seem close.”
“Nanako is the cutest kid in the world!” Yu suddenly exclaimed, his face lighting up.
Ren: …
So he was a siscon?
Just as Yu was about to regale Ren with tales of Nanako’s cuteness, the next train arrived, disgorging a wave of passengers. A startled gasp echoed through the station.
“Senpai?”
Ren and Yu looked up simultaneously. Standing before them was the red-haired girl in the Shujin uniform.
“Huh?” Yu blinked. “Isn’t that…”
The girl who had been crying on the train yesterday.
“Ah! It’s you!” Sumire Yoshizawa bowed deeply. “I’m so sorry about yesterday! I left without properly thanking you. How rude!”
Ren looked at Sumire, then at Yu.
What was going on?
After learning what had happened, Ren pushed his glasses up, sighing inwardly.
It wasn’t surprising at all.
It was exactly the kind of thing Yu would do.
“I failed my exams, so I couldn’t help but cry. It’s so embarrassing,” Sumire said with a wry smile, her eyes filled with dejection. “My grades dropped drastically. I might even lose my scholarship. I feel like my life is falling apart…”
Yu looked at her. “I see. That’s unfortunate.”
Ren: …
That wasn’t how one comforted someone. He should have said something like, “I’m sure you’ll do better next time.”
“Everyone says I’m still too affected by my sister’s death, and that if I let go, my grades will improve. But how can I let go? She was my twin sister.”
Whether in his past life or this one, Sumire was a source of concern for Ren.
Unable to accept her twin sister’s death, which she blamed herself for, she had been treated by Maruki while on the verge of a breakdown. Upon learning of her situation, Maruki had tampered with her memories, making her believe she was her deceased sister, Kasumi Yoshizawa, when she was actually the younger twin, Sumire.
During the confrontation with Maruki in the third semester, Sumire had vehemently resisted this reality, preferring to live in a fabricated dream.
Now, Ren wasn’t sure if Sumire, having just lost her sister and currently undergoing Maruki’s treatment, could handle the truth.
“Want to go eat some meat?” Yu suddenly asked.
Sumire paused, blinking at Yu. “Eat meat?”
“I have a friend who eats meat whenever she’s feeling down. She told me that delicious meat can make you forget all your troubles,” Yu explained. “Want to try it? The beef bowl place where Ren works is quite good.”
What a unique way to comfort someone.
After a moment of stunned silence, Sumire smiled, rubbing her eyes. Although her eyes were still red, she seemed happier than before.
“I’d love to, but I’m sorry, my dad is picking me up. Maybe next time.”
“It was nice meeting you both, senpai.”
Sumire bowed and left.
Ren, who had barely spoken during this exchange, watched her go, then turned to Yu.
“Narukami-senpai.”
“Yes?” Yu looked at Ren.
“I remember you saying that to awaken a Persona, you need to accept yourself, otherwise your Persona will become a Shadow, right?”
Yu nodded.
“Is that still possible now?”
“I’m not sure,” Yu hesitated. “What are you planning?”
Ren had thought of a good idea.
Sumire had awakened her Persona in his past life, but her awakening had been similar to his own, hearing a voice and ripping off a mask. It had been painful but not particularly difficult. However, Yu’s experience was different, involving a manifestation of one’s inner self and the necessity of acceptance.
So, he wanted to send Sumire into Yu’s version of the other world.
She refused to accept reality, falsely believing she was Kasumi, clinging to a fabricated dream, yet unable to find happiness, constantly grieving and crying.
What was the point of such a false existence?
It was better for her to confront her true self.
“How can you send someone into your version of the other world?” Ren asked.
Yu blinked, hesitating. “Who are you planning to send in?”
“Sumire,” Ren pushed his glasses up, the lenses glinting, making him appear rather scheming. “She needs to learn a lesson, snap out of it. Otherwise, it’ll become a bigger problem later.”
“Let’s plan how to send Sumire there flawlessly, without arousing suspicion.”
Yu: …
At what point had he gone from savior to perpetrator?
Were they really going to throw someone into a television?
…And Ren, even with your expressionless face, your mischievous intent is showing.
