"Good. So she's decided on a mask. If she does, she rejects the petals."
"You sure are cruel, boss."
"Her power is... the only threat."
"Why not just kill 'er and get it over with?"
"There are rules."
---
---
CHAT LOG
[Dove]
Looks like the change of heart worked.
[Skull]
ᕦ( ⊡ 益 ⊡ )ᕤ
.
.
.
We got a bunch more requests.
[Joker]
Give it a couple days.
[Hime]
I'm ready to go whenever!
---
Ren sighed.
"Why is she insisting on this?"
"Ren, you weren't so resistant to Ann joining," Morgana noted.
"Orihime doesn't have a stake in this at all. She doesn't have a way to defend herself, and we still don't know the formula to awaken a Persona."
Ren rubbed his head roughly.
"Yu said some shit about accepting the inevitable and accepting the truth," he continued. "What about rebellion? Acceptance? I don't want to accept that something gave me a fate."
He took off his glasses and looked at the ceiling.
'Zorro...'
'He rejects false rulers. Fitting for the Trickster.'
'Is he okay?' Morgana asked.
But Zorro kept silent.
"I need to clear my mind," Ren suddenly said. "I'll go see if Boss needs help around the café."
---
"Fate... timelines... fate." Kisuke Urahara snapped his fingers. "FATE!"
"Wow. Genuinely impressive, Aizen."
---
"Kid, I don't have work for you today. Go hang out with your friends."
"Are you sure?" Ren asked.
'Haaa. This kid.' Sojiro shook his head with a smile.
"Here, this is pay for when you worked before. Go treat your friends." Sojiro handed him a stack of yen. Six or seven thousand, at least.
Ren stared at the money blankly. He didn't expect to be paid. He lived here!
"Boss... I can't..."
"Take the money, kid." Sojiro shoved the yen into his hands and turned around. "Do NOT leave it on the counter."
Ren was frozen before giving a gentle smile.
'Honorable indeed,' Arsène whispered.
---
---
CHAT LOG
[GIRLS CHAT!!!]
(private)
[Hime]
How can I convince Ren to help me awaken a Persona?
[Dove]
It isn't easy... Do you really want to? You seemed uncomfortable with fighting in general.
[Panther]
Even if you don't have a Persona, you're still a Phantom Thief.
[Hime]
I don't want to watch you get hurt.
.
.
.
I reject such a life!
.
.
.
I want to help!
---