Igor's method of fusion was much easier to accept. He showed the Personas kindness and politely asked them to approach him before they transformed into tarot cards.
He put them on the table and overlapped them, placing the twins' tome on top of them. Light shot upward through the tome and transformed into a mask.
"I am thou, thou art I. From the Sea of Souls, I have come to be thy mask, our Trickster," an imposing voice boomed. "My name is Byakko. I rule over the element of metal and the essence of slaughter."
An illusion of a great white tiger appeared above the mask and glanced at Ren before the mask gently landed on his face.
Before Ren left the Velvet Room, Igor said something he didn't expect to hear.
"Personas are the strength of heart. As your bonds grow, they too will grow. As your bonds evolve, so too shall they."
Ren didn't hear the whole thing, but he felt as though he understood what Igor was trying to say.
Ren woke up full of energy. He could truly tell the difference between the false Velvet Room and the real one.
He glanced at Morgana, who was sleeping peacefully, and decided to skip his morning workout. Best not to wake him.
He walked down the stairs quietly and started to sweep Leblanc out of habit. He genuinely chose to do this for Sojiro, so he was happy to do it.
Unlike—
'Don't be ungrateful!! Who pays these bills?! Go to your room and wait for your punishment! Now!'
He shook his head. He wasn't there. And he wouldn't go back for a year. Maybe he could even try to get a scholarship to Kosei like Yusuke and live in the dorms. Maybe talk to Yu—
'Mon ami, you are spiraling. Ground yourself.'
"MORGANA!" the team yelled as he popped his head out of Ren's bag.
"Hi, everyone," he said, seemingly embarrassed.
"Don't go out alone again!" Orihime demanded.
Morgana just looked at her speechlessly.
"You did it yesterday too!"
Orihime just covered her face and started muttering.
'Trust your Social Links...' Ren thought. He really hadn't hung out with any of them more than once. He owed a lot of time to Takemi. He'd see her after school today. He finally felt like he wasn't as behind as before.
Before the Velvet Room was restored, he felt like he was being pulled in every direction. He had no time to rest, and his stress was building. He hadn't even noticed that his jaw had been clenched for almost a week.
'Hollows...'
He was waiting until the next Palace infiltration to talk about it. But he was going to make sure he said it in reality and not the Metaverse. It would be terrible if those things ended up in the cognitive world too.
Looking back at the board, he saw Kawakami glancing at him with a nearly pleading expression from her desk while the class did their work.
'I forgot!'
After class, Ren walked toward the faculty office to talk to his teacher. But the woman in question was being pelted with questions by another teacher.
Deciding to intervene, Ren approached the two.
"Excuse me," he said, interrupting them. "Thank you again for your help, Kawakami-sensei. Derivatives make more sense now."
"Kawakami! You aren't a math teacher!" the other teacher gasped. "Wait, are you tutoring him?"
The woman continued to talk to herself.
"Ah! So that's why you're so tired! You're tutoring students! You're a good teacher!"
The other teacher left, and Kawakami pulled Ren into the empty staff room almost urgently. Thankfully, no one noticed.
"Looks like she just convinced herself..." Ren chuckled quietly.
"Amamiya, why didn't you come see me like I asked? I can't—" Kawakami sputtered before Ren gently interrupted her.
"Sorry, Sensei. I have been busy. I truly meant to come, but I've been exhausted," he said with a bow.
Kawakami exhaled and looked at Ren. He did look much more rested than usual. He was always a handsome kid, but his eyes were bright and his posture straight. Something good had happened to him.
Giving a sigh, she handed him a folded piece of paper.
"Look at this note when you get home. Follow the instructions if you'd like to."
Morgana read the note from within Ren's bag.
"She said to call the same number and ask for Becky?"
Morgana paused. "What does that mean, Ren?"
Ren didn't answer, but gave a mischievous smile.
The two headed back to Yongen-Jaya.