It was a cool, damp evening. Quiet. The streets were nearly deserted as Ren began his trek towards the station to head home from his part-time job. Lost in thought, Ren considered different gifts for his friends. The group had treated him well since childhood and he had wanted to show his appreciation for a while now. He finally had a form of income so—
A shriek cut his thoughts short as he glanced towards the noise.
Ahead of him, he saw a woman being grabbed by the wrist and being yelled at by a man with a flushed face. He was wearing sunglasses despite the day ending, swaying and slurring words, clearly drunk.
"Get in the car!" he demanded.
"No, stop! I'll call the police!" the woman said in a panic.
"Heh. Do it, the police are my bitches!" the man sneered, as he caught sight of Ren running towards them.
"Tch. See? Don't make a scene!" He clicked his tongue and began to pull the woman towards the car with more force.
"Stop!!"
"Hmph," the man snorted in disdain, "What're you lookin' at, punk?"
"Sir, she is clearly uncomfortable."
"She's uncomfortable," he mocked with a nasally voice and turned to approach the boy, "Brat, do you have any idea who I am?"
Suddenly, the man misplaced his step and stepped off of the curb trying to intimidate Ren, crashing hard into the ground.
"Fuck!" he yelled in anger.
Looking up, his glasses were smashed and blood ran down his face.
"Look what you did! Get in the fucking car!" he roared at the woman.
Yelping, she hid behind Ren.
Ren, who had been increasingly concerned with the behavior of the two, began to offer to call an ambulance.
"Damn brat, I'll sue!"
---
"And before I knew it, I was under arrest. Dude didn't even show up to the trial. Juvie for a bit and now probation here." Ren concluded.
Ryuji stared at his bowl in silence for a moment.
"Dude for real? He just...fell and decided to blame you?" Ryuji began. "Wait, the woman — why didn't she testify?!"
Ren shook his head slightly.
"She ended up being the one to testify against me."
"Dude!"
"I know." Ren frowned. "I do hope she's okay."
"You're a good guy Ren, I don't know if I'd be able to worry about her after what you went through." Morgana comforted as Ryuji nodded furiously.
There were a few breaths of silence.
"Ya know… We're more alike than I thought." Ryuji said as he stared into the distance in thought. "I didn't go to juvie or nothing, but I know how it feels to be ignored."
Time froze.
"I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Chariot Persona, you have obtained the blessing that leads to freedom and new power."
Rattling chains.
Silence.
"Shitty adults!" Ryuji clenched his fist. "It's their word over yours. If they say it's white, it is white even if it's black."
"That's a pretty elegant metaphor coming from you, Ryuji." Morgana gasped in astonishment.
"Shaddup!"
---
In the underground mall.
"Hi Ann!" Shiho said with a wide smile and confident wave as she approached the blonde.
"Shiho!" Ann hugged her excitedly. "Let's go get you some cute clothes!"
"Huh?" Shiho said in confusion. "Why me? I thought we were going to go to lunch or something."
"Well… I would like a crepe right now." Ann absentmindedly stated. "Wait, no. We have to get you some cute clothing! Let's show off them legs for him, girl!"
Shiho's face flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm not interested in him like that!" She exclaimed almost too quickly.
"Hehe. I never said anyone specific!" Ann joked with glee.
"It's really not like that." Shiho pouted. "I mean, maybe a little, but not entirely. I'm not ready for that kind of thing yet."
"I'm sorry Shiho, I didn't mean to—" Ann gasped in horror.
"No, it's okay Ann, I know what you were trying to do...And I do want to look cute." She replied with a wink, causing them both to burst into giggles.
Neither noticed that the phone in Ann's hand had been flashing.
---
"Hehehe, looks like Renny is popular in Tokyo!" A cutesy feminine voice rang like a bell from the fashionable woman with the body of a model watching a computer screen with delight.
"Guys, I get that you're worried but this is really creepy." a weak voice said. Her form curled up in her desk chair like a small frightened animal. Her eyes watery as if begging for mercy.
"Come on Fuuka!" the cutesy voice began, "You said yourself that someone was prying into his text message history!"
"It doesn't mean eavesdrop on teenage drama!" a male voice groaned, "It's happening already? Really? Already?"
The two girls stared in confusion.
"Why! Why!" he said, shaking his fist in the air, "Why am I still single after so long but Ren has a girl crushing on him in a week?! Is the mysterious transfer student trope so powerful?"
"'Cause Renny is cute~~!" the fashionable woman cooed.
"Alright, enough teasing Rise, any more and I might have to approve mental health leave for him." a regal voice called into the room. The small Fuuka jumping up and mashing the power button on her computer.
Mitsuru Kirijo entered the room. To others she would appear professional and even cold. But to her long-time friends, they knew her better than that. But it didn't mean she would accept wiretapping teenagers.
"Rise, Fuuka, you two will come see me after our meeting." she commanded with eyes like a hawk.
"Yes Ma'am!" they both saluted.
"Let's wait for the others and we will begin."
---
After a twenty-minute presentation of Yu's report on Tokyo thus far, the room was tense.
"So you're telling me that our new intel is that we know nothing?" Rise said, dumbfounded.
"That's what I heard." Yosuke nodded along. "Yu doesn't cut corners so this is gonna be a real pain."
"At least the shadow nest was confirmed to exist there." Fuuka comforted.
"But not why all the shadow nests we know about resonated that day." Mitsuru groaned. "All we have to go on is 'Harbinger'."
"You believe the bear? I love Ted, but we both know he was probably scared. Why would all the shadows chant the same thing?"
Mitsuru's gaze didn't change.
---