86 The Leader.

Waking with a yawn, Kawakami shifted on the bed, still half-asleep. It had been the most restful sleep she'd had in ages, filled with an odd dream where she won the lottery with random numbers, finally clearing her debts.

As she nestled deeper into the blankets, she inhaled deeply, the scent of the blankets mingling pleasantly with the aroma of flowers nearby.

"...Flowers…?" Kawakami murmured groggily, then her eyes snapped open. Realizing she had actually fallen asleep, she glanced at the sunlight streaming through the window, it was already morning.

Her gaze darted around as she realized she was still in her maid outfit. A glance at the clock sent her into a panic. 

Crap, crap, crap," she muttered, leaping out of bed and promptly stumbling to the floor with a heavy thud, jolting Ren and the cat asleep on the nearby table.

"Kawakami?" Ren asked, sitting up from the couch and running his hands through his hair.

"Ren!" She exclaimed, surprised by his proximity as she scrambled up. "You—you slept on the couch?" Confusion tinged her voice.

The cat beside him glanced at her with what seemed like a mischievous smirk before turning to Ren and meowing.

"Hehe, I think she wanted you to share the bed, Mr. Casanova. Wait, no, that's Sojiro's title… Maybe Sensei? You'll have to teach me your secrets when I turn into a human." Mona teased, stretching leisurely.

Ren brushed off Morgana's teasing, his concern focused on Kawakami.

"Woah, are you okay?" Ren asked, noticing her bleeding leg.

"Yeah, I—oh no, I broke your glasses. Don't worry, I'll replace them," Kawakami said with worry, noticing the shattered frames beneath her. She had accidentally crushed them during her fall, causing a shard to nick her leg.

Quickly, Ren fetched a medical kit Takemi had given him to practice before. 

"Don't worry about it. Take a seat," he directed calmly.

As she perched on the bed again, Ren cleaned the wound with efficient movements. 

"Oh, it's just a small cut," he remarked with a chuckle, securing a band-aid over the scrape. "There you go, all fixed up."

Kawakami blushed, embarrassed by the fuss over how much of a mess she had made after just waking up. She then leaped to her feet, realization dawning.

"Crap, I'm going to be late for school! I need to change. Thanks for letting me sleep here," she rushed, hastily gathering her belongings and darting out the door.

— — —

After school, Ren gathered the Phantom Thieves on the rooftop to update them on recent developments, including Takemi's discovery and the new palace intel from Akechi. Together with his suspicions about the information.

The team was receptive to the idea of Takemi joining, given Ren's previous hints at her potential involvement.

As the meeting progressed into strategy discussions, Morgana raised a concern.

"I haven't mentioned this before since our numbers were manageable. But if we continue to grow, sneaking into Palaces might become more challenging," Morgana explained.

 "Huh, why's that?" Ryuji asked. "The more the merrier, no?" 

Makoto shook her head, responding to Ryuji's optimism.

"No, Morgana's right. We're already have seven members, not including Takemi, who doesn't even have a Persona yet and hasn't officially joined. Remember Kaneshiro's Palace? Managing everyone's presence was tough, and we had a few close calls where we almost alerted the guards."

"That makes sense… But isn't it riskier with fewer of us?" Shiho chimed in, her concern evident as she looked at the group.

"Not necessarily," Morgana countered, shaking his head. "Our strength as Thieves lies in stealth. The more commotion we cause, the more we risk tipping off the palace ruler, raising the security level. Over-alerting them could cut even our exploration short if it gets too dangerous."

"That's right. " Ren said with a nod. "Kamoshida might have been a weak Palace ruler in comparison, but we were able to survive those first few explorations thanks to us sneaking around. The only time we actually struggled was when we were caught off guard or when we deliberately exposed ourselves to help awaken Ann's and Ryuji's persona.

As he saw the group nod, he continued.

"Before we met with Morgana, we didn't have a clue as to what we where doing, but we still managed with just the four of us. With our current training, we can focus on efficiency over numbers."

Ann looked down, adding quietly. 

"I guess we did have a few close calls in Kaneshiro's bank…"

"We also have two navigators, two leaders, and two people who can heal and support. If anything, we need to find another person who specializes in tanking and dealing physical damage like Ryuji." Ren added. 

Morgana, not to be overlooked, proudly spoke up.

"I might not have Futaba's perceptiveness, but remember, I can transform into both a car and a helicopter for quick escapes."

Makoto listened intently, her expression one of hesitation as she processed Ren's suggestions but chose to remain silent for the moment.

"What about Palace rulers? What if the Palace is too dangerous?" Shiho asked, her thoughts drifting back to their last challenging battle.

"We'll adapt our strategy based on the situation," Ren explained. "If possible, we might split into two groups within the same palace, or perhaps tackle two different palaces simultaneously. The golden rule is to always play it safe. If things get too dangerous, we retreat and regroup."

The group nodded in agreement. Ryuji and Morgana, showing unwavering faith in Ren, nodded immideatly. Shiho and Ann, however, were more reserved, their concern for Ren's and each other's safety tempering their enthusiasm. Makoto's nod was last, laden with caution, it came after a moment of contemplation.

With the discussion concluded, the group agreed to pause for the day, allowing time to digest the strategy and prepare for their upcoming infiltration of Madarame's palace, and potentially another.

As they began to disperse, Ren stopped Makoto with a call. 

"Makoto, can we talk for a minute?"

"Is everything okay?" Ren asked, noting the slight tension in her demeanor.

Makoto sighed softly. 

"I know you've dubbed me your right hand, asking me to act as a backup leader in emergencies. But are you sure I'm up to it alone? Shiho is also very capable, and her protectiveness over the group might make her better suited for the role. She's been here longer than I have, too."

Ren chuckled at her self-doubt.

"Do you know why I, along with everyone else, trust you with the role of leader?"

Makoto shook her head, her expression uncertain.

"I mean, you know me… I can be a bit awkward sometimes. Before joining you, I wasn't exactly social, and effective communication is crucial for leadership," she admitted.

Ren smiled reassuringly, looking directly into Makoto's eyes to ensure his sincerity was clear. 

"That's exactly why you're the right person for this role. Yes, you might feel awkward at times, but you're thoughtful, and you analyze situations deeply before making decisions. That's crucial for a leader."

Makoto seemed to ponder Ren's words, still unsure. 

"But Shiho—she's naturally protective and assertive. Doesn't that make her a better fit?"

Ren shook his head gently. 

"Shiho is incredibly valuable to our team, no doubt. Her protectiveness is a strength, but leadership also requires the ability to weigh decisions critically and manage everyone's strengths effectively. She sometimes uses her healing skills for small bruises, before they are truly needed, which becomes taxing on her. If she were to act as a leader, any injury or mistake that happened under her watch would start to wear on her too much."

Makoto still hesitated slightly.

"But-"

"Remember the time in Kaneshiro's palace? When I was out you immediately took charge and found the best way to help us escape. You were the one who saw the damage on the floor, and because of you the Palace didn't collapse on top of us."

Makoto's expression softened slightly as she heard him.

"I guess I did manage that time…"

"That time?" Ren asked with a chuckle. "You do realize that even in our study sessions you take the lead? As long as you trust your gut, and don't overthink it, you will make the perfect leader."

"Ren…" Makoto said softly as she looked at his smile, a soft blush appearing on her face that quickly got replaced with a determined expression. "I... hadn't looked at it that way. Thank you, Ren. I'll do my best not to let you—or the team—down."

Ren nodded with a confident grin. 

"I know you won't. We all trust you, Makoto."

A soft smile appeared on Makoto's face as she nodded.

With her confidence restored, Makoto left the rooftop. This prompted Morgana to emerge from his hiding spot, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Hehe… I knew I could trust you. I noticed Makoto's hesitation, so I snuck back to see how you'd handle it. But you've proven once again why I made the right choice sticking with you," Morgana said, his tone playful yet sincere.

Ren shook his head, amused. 

"First Futaba eavesdrops on conversations, and now you. Isn't there something about privacy you folks are missing?" he teased.

Morgana laughed mischievously as he leapt from his perch and strolled confidently towards Ren.

"You know… after you explained about the Velvet Room… after you told me about my past connections to it… it got me thinking," Morgana began, pacing thoughtfully. "Was I ever really human? I might have looked the part, but even that's debatable."

Pausing in front of Ren, he continued.

"So if I'm not human, then what's my purpose? Why am I here?" His voice carried a mix of curiosity and introspection more to himself than to Ren.

"That realization hit me—it doesn't matter. As long as I'm with you, I'll figure it out. And today's conversation? That was the final piece I needed."

"Is that so?" Ren responded, a light smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, whether by fate or chance, being with you has given me purpose and clarity. I'm a Phantom Thief. Human, Velvet Room attendant, shadow—it doesn't matter. I know what I am. And you, our leader, always bring out the best in us. So, boss, what do you see when you look at me?" Morgana asked, his smirk hinting at deeper questions.

Ren's smile turned into a full on grin as his eyes began to glow slightly.

"I see a ghost who snuck into Kaneshiro's fortress and stole the information we needed in just a few hours. A ghost who can sneak into not only Palaces but the houses of our targets unnoticed. The perfect spy that can walk around Tokyo without rasing a single ounce of doubt. I see a Phantom Thief."

Morgana cackled with delight, his tail flicking contentedly as he absorbed Ren's words.

"In that case, I'll follow you, boss. From now to the end. You turned me into a helicopter; I'm sure with you, the possibilities are endless. Even if it's only in the Metaverse, that's more than enough for me."

~Confidants~

Makoto Nijima (The Priestess) Rank 6

Morgana (The Magician) Rank 5 - Rank 6

~A/N~

(Should I stop putting my notes at the end? I know there is a section where author notes are included, but I usually do them here in order to allow for paragraph comments. Depends on whether you guys see it as annoying or nah. I can be a bit of a yapper sometimes lol. The solution I have to keep them is to put A/N at the end and then drop a paragraph comment with this instead of putting it in the chap. Using this chap as an example.)