78 The Comfort Zone.

(Just a quick heads-up that I won't be able to post either tomorrow or the day after. So sad. But an emergency at work came up, so I will be away from home for those two days. Also, couldn't cook up a chunky chap like I enjoy doing cuz I gotta go to bed early for tomorrow.

Not gonna lie; kinda bummed the work thing came up since the story got a bunch of power stones out of nowhere, and we were suddenly ranked 19/20, but it do be that way sometimes. Just gives me more time to cook up the next few chaps in my head. And hey, let's just say I see a Tower chap in the near future.)

— — —

As they exited the Metaverse, Futaba stumbled and nearly fell to the floor, clearly exhausted from awakening her Persona.

"Woah! You all weren't lying about that, huh?" she remarked, pushing herself to her feet with a yawn.

"Wanna take a nap?" Ren asked, causing Futaba to shake her head.

"No, there's something I haven't done that I just realized I forgot to do. Wanna come with me to Leblanc? Sojiro should be closing up soon, so there shouldn't be any customers." Futaba proposed.

Ren nodded, and they set out together.

Upon reaching the doorway, Futaba hesitated, taking a deep breath before stepping outside. It was evident that she was still tense about leaving her comfort zone, but she was resolute in her decision to go to Leblanc. She let Ren walk ahead, using him as a shield from the outside world as they made their way.

Soon, they pushed through the doors of Leblanc.

"Oh, hi Ren, Futaba, you guys are here la- Futaba!?" Sojiro started to greet them casually before doing a double-take at the sight of Futaba following Ren inside.

"Yo," Futaba greeted as she finally stepped in.

"Futaba! What- how- you're outside?" Sojiro stuttered, his words tripping over themselves as he watched her walk around the bar toward him.

Before he could fully process the scene, Futaba wrapped him in a hug.

"Thanks for taking me in," she said softly, then stepped back.

Sojiro stood frozen, a look of utter astonishment on his face. After a moment to collect his thoughts, he murmured.

"Futaba…" Overcome with emotion, he stepped forward and returned her hug. After a few tender moments, he stepped back, wiping his face, trying to hold back tears.

"You must be hungry, right? Here, I'll cook up your favorite. You too, Ren, take a seat. I'm about to make the best damn curry you'll have ever tasted," Sojiro declared, managing a smile as he retreated into the kitchen, giving himself a moment to regroup.

Futaba hopped into one of the chairs near the serving bar, sitting in a squat as she awaited her meal.

As Ren took the seat next to her, Futaba whispered, 

"Seeing the memory of him adopting me made me realize that I never properly thanked him…"

Ren chuckled softly, shaking his head in agreement. 

"Better late than never."

They could hear Sojiro bustling about in the kitchen, but through the opening, Ren caught a glimpse of the man's beaming smile.

"Guess this makes me an official member, huh? Gotta say, it was weird getting suddenly snatched by my Persona out of nowhere," Futaba remarked, idly fiddling with some silverware on the table.

"Yeah, it was quite the surprise. Now, we have a motorcycle and a UFO on our team. Not to mention Catbus himself," Ren replied, his voice tinged with amusement as he sipped the coffee Sojiro had served them. His thoughts drifted briefly. "Makes me wonder what kind of strange Persona future members of our team would have."

"Honestly, when I saw the tentacles, I got kinda worried. I mean, I've seen enough hentai to know where that could have gone." Futaba said nonchalantly, causing Ren to abruptly choke on his coffee.

After a brief struggle to regain his composure, Ren burst out laughing, his laugh drawing Sojiro's attention. The older man poked his head out from the kitchen.

"Everything ok?" Sojiro asked with a concerned yet amused smile.

Futaba responded with a playful thumbs-up, reassuring him. He chuckled before disappearing back into the kitchen to continue cooking.

As Sojiro hustled in the kitchen, the rich aroma of spices began to permeate Leblanc, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. A look of satisfaction spreading across Futaba's face.

"You're a bit different now, huh?" Ren observed, a smile playing on his lips as he noticed the change in her demeanor.

"Ya." Futaba said as she took in a deep breath and let it out. "I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders. Kinda like I was stuck on a level and finally found an exploit to get me out. Like I stopped drinking that Depresso Espresso." 

"That's one way to put it." Ren chuckled in response.

A little while later, Sojiro emerged from the kitchen with plates in hand, setting them down on the table before taking a seat himself.

"Thanks," Futaba said, then began to devour her food as if she hadn't eaten in days, a sight that brought a smile to Sojiro's face.

The trio ate quietly, savoring each bite, until Futaba spoke up again.

"So, when do I get to meet Mona? I'm kinda curious what he looks like." Futaba asked as she finished her plate.

"Mona?" Sojiro echoed, clearly confused, which made Futaba tilt her head.

"Yeah, Mona. The cat," she explained, her tone tinged with surprise.

"There's a cat? Where?" Sojiro asked again, looking genuinely puzzled.

"Wait, you didn't know?" Ren asked, equally surprised. "I've had a cat for about a month; he comes in and out through the window all the time. I thought you just didn't care."

"Oh god, we ruined his streak. I bet Mona was being all sneaky on purpose," Futaba chuckled, her laughter easing the slight annoyance and surprise on Sojiro's face into a chuckle as well.

"I thought I was going crazy hearing meows coming from the attic. Every time I checked, it was empty. But wait—this is a restaurant. You can't have pets in here," Sojiro began to protest, but as he saw the expressions on Ren's and Futaba's faces, he sighed in resignation.

"Well… as long as you guys follow two rules, it should be fine. One, the cat stays out of the kitchen. And two… I wanna meet the damn cat."

— — —

A few hours later, the lateness of the hour had taken its toll on Futaba, who had fallen asleep at the desk, exhausted from what she had seen in her palace and the awakening of her Persona.

As Sojiro noticed her peaceful slumber, he turned to Ren with a smile. 

"Kid, I have no idea what you did, but I gotta thank you. I haven't seen her act like that in a long time. Since before her mom… passed away," Sojiro remarked, his voice softening and his smile fading as he mentioned Wakaba.

Ren chuckled lightly, tapping a playful rhythm on the table that had become their familiar tune. 

"I just asked her if she wanted to build a snowman. To be honest, I'm surprised a silly joke went this far," he replied, glancing at Futaba, who was now slightly drooling in her sleep.

"A snowman, huh…" Sojiro mused, a spark of inspiration flickering in his eyes. "Maybe I should take a trip with Futaba to Inaba... I have some family that goes skiing there from time to time during winter. I bet we could build a snowman over there."

Ren nodded, chuckling at his suggestion.

"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. It would probably be a good change of pace. Create some new memories to replace the bad ones," he added, noting a touch of melancholy cross Sojiro's features.

"She told you about all that, huh." Sojiro muttered, leaning back in his chair, his gaze lingering on Futaba. "You know, when I took her in, I was just trying to do the right thing. I didn't expect to ever... well, feel like a family again. Like how it was when Wakaba used to bring her around."

Pausing, he continued 

"God, she is so much like her mother… I can't wait to see what she puts that big brain of hers up to."

Curious about Wakaba, Ren raised an eyebrow. He had only caught glimpses of her through Futaba's palace. Besides the fragments Sojiro had shared, he knew very little.

"What was she like?" Ren asked, prompting a nostalgic smile from Sojiro.

"Wakaba? She was wonderful. I already told you how she improved my curry recipe using science, but her quickness was something else. One time, my fridge broke, and she fixed it the next day. Mind you, she knew nothing about fridges the day before. Once she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her."

As Sojiro shared more anecdotes about Wakaba, it was clear he deeply missed her. Eventually, he turned to Ren and asked. 

"Hey, do you want to come on the ski trip with us?" A small smirk crossed his face as he added, "You could even bring your 'friends.' I tell you, there's nothing quite as romantic as cuddling up in a warm cabin."

Rolling his eyes, Ren couldn't help but ask. 

"Is that all you think about?"

Laughing, Sojiro replied.

"No… but it is one of the few things I know: coffee, curry, and romance. You're already getting pretty good with the first two, so I gotta give you some tips while I still can. Otherwise, I'm going to run out of things to teach you."

Then, a wry smile crept across Sojiro's face as he leaned forward, adding a playful tone to the conversation.

"Speaking of which, how about you tell me how things have been going with you? Last I heard, that Takamaki girl had run away from you after you filmed that commercial."

~Confidants~

Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) Rank 5

(Little slice of life to heal the heart after her palace. I had forgotten just how much of a goblin Futaba was after her palace, lol. I went back to look at some videos before writing and couldn't help but laugh at it. 

Also, I just now realized how often I write about people sleeping or tired in my story. Guess that writing before bed is leaking through, huh? Not my fault it fits so well in the story lol.)