"So Morgana can talk?!" Orihime asked with glittering eyes as she stared at the not-cat.
"Uh, hello?" Morgana replied in confusion.
"Well, the body language is definitely there," Yu said. "But it just sounds like meowing to me."
"We're pretty sure you can only hear him talk if you've heard him inside the Metaverse," Ren explained.
"Easy fix." Yu shrugged. "He's kinda similar to Teddie."
Ren tilted his head.
"Teddie is also smug and theatrical—"
"HEY!"
"But I don't see many other similarities."
Yu paused for a second.
"Well, you'll have to talk to Teddie yourself. We found him in the cognitive world too..."
"He's a cognition?" Shiho gasped.
"No." Yu shook his head before glancing at Ren and Morgana. "It's not my place to explain. Talk to Teddie about it."
"I wanna hear Morgana talk..." Orihime pouted.
"Trust me, Lady Orihime!" Morgana declared dramatically. "I am a gentleman, a scholar, and a master thief! The mystery will be solved!"
Orihime gasped.
"I think he said something important!"
Morgana froze.
"Did she understand me?"
"Nope."
"Then how did she know?!"
"Your theatrics need some polish," Yu commented offhand.
---
Yu told the group to head to their respective homes before midnight. He further assured them that any Shadows in the area had already been taken care of and that they were safe to head back.
"Keep your Evokers nearby, just in case."
The team nodded.
Morgana opened his mouth briefly before closing it and hopping into Ren's bag.
"Morgana," Yu added.
Morgana's head popped out of the bag in confusion.
"We'll send a collar with a small Evoker on it to you. We have a companion that uses the same thing," he said with a smile.
"He's quite old now, though," he added quietly.
"Yu, don't tell me..."
Ignoring the question, Yu's face shifted into a serious expression.
"The Investigation Team has your backs."
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 Star Persona, thou hast obtained the blessing that leads to freedom and new power.
Time resumed.
Ren blinked and recovered his focus, only to see Yu giving him a grin.
"See you all later," Yu laughed as he left.
---
Sitting in bed, Ren was mulling over the events of the day.
"What the hell," he sighed.
'And this Arcana bond is weird. It's not just Yu. I can feel the bond with everyone from the Inaba group,' he thought.
"Ren."
"Yes?"
"Do you think maybe I'm a cognition? Or maybe a Shadow?"
After a moment of silence, Ren simply asked,
"Does it matter? Morgana is Morgana. You are you."
"...Thanks, Ren."
Morgana whispered.
It didn't serve to relieve him of his fears. But knowing that his best friend didn't care either way was nice.
'I am myself,' he thought as he drifted into sleep.
---
---
CHAT LOG
[Skull]
So, the Metaverse business isn't done, huh?
[Joker]
Looks like I found out what my life will revolve around from now on.
[Dove]
It's strange that so many people you know are involved in this.
[Hime]
It's destiny!!
[Joker]
Not its biggest fan right now.
---
Running his hand through his hair, Ren turned to Morgana, who was sitting next to him on his bed.
"Ryuji is going to start getting antsy again," Morgana mentioned before Ren could speak.
"Haha." Ren laughed. "Oh, he definitely is. Think we should plan another heist?"
"We'd need a target! Wait, actually..." Morgana trailed off into a mumble.
Ren patiently waited for the not-cat to speak.
---
"Sounds good." Ren nodded. "It will keep us in fighting shape and prepare us for the future."
'I don't want to feel like that again,' he thought with a grimace, remembering the massive Shadow.
Blinking, he continued, "Let's discuss it with the group before making any decisions. I'll also have to talk to Fuuka."
---