We are disappointed in the people of Japan and their belief in the Phantom Thieves' false justice. Hence, we shall proceed with our plan to cleanse Japan. This process will commence on August 21st. As a result, the Japanese economy shall suffer devastating damages. However, we are magnanimous. We will give the Phantom Thieves one final opportunity to repent. As proof of their repentance, we demand that they reveal their identities to the public. We will attack if these demands remain unmet. The future of Japan rests with the Phantom Thieves. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.
It was impossible to go anywhere without hearing of Medjed's warning to the people of Japan. The Day of Cleansing was also set for the day you and Takuto were supposed to go to Book Town: Sunday, August 21st.
There was something that didn't sit right with you: Medjed, in the past, was known for exposing corruption as grey-hat hackers—so why target innocent people? Why would they attempt to wreck an entire country's economy over the Phantom Thieves? Thinking further, the Phantom Thieves had to use some form of electronic communication if they are indeed a group and not just one person. Encryption exists, but if they could hack into government files, why not text messages to expose the Phantom Thieves themselves? It was mind-numbing to you and Takuto, who frequently spoke of the Medjed Menaced over SMS:
There's lots of free-floating anxiety over Medjed, he texted me one night, how are you holding up?
I'd probably be better if I could see you. But you didn't have the courage to brazenly tell him your honest feelings like that.
Instead: I'm managing, for the most part. Don't forget to take care of yourself too.
The month without Takuto was plagued with a special kind of loneliness; it was unbearable at times. The pain of it all hit hardest on your sleepless nights, where you spent hours staring up at the ceiling above you, clinging to Jack Frost, shaking, trembling, anxiously counting down the days until you could spend time with him again. You almost missed how excited you would get seeing him walk through the doors of your store. Now, after having spent more meaningful time with him—knowing how good it felt to be around him as his friend and not as your customer—ringing him up was a bore. You should've been grateful you were still communicating over the phone, but you missed his laugh, his awkward smile, and his other memorable and endearing behaviors. Frankly, you couldn't believe how hard you'd fallen for the man: Takuto Maruki, the counselor of Shujin Academy and a researcher of psychological treatments.
The Medjed Menace would continue to be a prevailing topic for the rest of July and through most of August. And, with no classes until September, you had nothing to do but work. As Shujin finished its term and entered summer vacation as well, you were truly alone, and without Takuto, for much longer than you could bear. You came to appreciate handing him his change once again.
You passed your finals, for the most part, but you had no one to celebrate with—you don't think you would've been up for it anyway. You told your parents. They said they were proud of you.
The day you received your first term grades, you elected to treat yourself to a nice cup of Leblanc coffee and curry. In hindsight, you didn't realize how long it had truly been since you enjoyed lunch from your favorite coffee shop—you almost felt ashamed! You'd been eating Big Bang Burger far too much for your tastes. So, after your shift, you went straight for Leblanc. You had nothing to study for—aside from summer homework, which you didn't think to bring—so you'd just be relaxing for once, maybe talk to Boss for some time too.
Come to think of it, you never brought Leblanc up to Takuto. Did he like coffee or was he more of a tea person?
You couldn't stop thinking about him.
You packed myself into the train, your back pushed up against the wall of the doors. For the entire ride, you squeezed my eyes shut to lose yourself in your music: all you wanted right now was to block out the world around you. To numb yourself from your despondency, and to forget about your pitiful nature for being so torn up about this. When Yongen was called, you reluctantly reentered reality with an intense craving for Leblanc curry.
The bell chimed upon your entrance; your bag clutched tightly to your side as you softly greeted Boss. Your entire body was tense—did he notice this? You hesitated when he said your name...or, maybe, he just forgot you. He was old, after all.
"Hey. I haven't seen you around. You been alright?" Boss asked you in his usual low tone as he washed dishes.
"More or less. I've been busy with school and work, you know." you answered, attempting to sound cheerful. Pulling out the chair at the edge of the counter, you breathed in the aromatic coffee, instantly feeling more at ease.
The older man eyed you before giving a tight smile. "Glad to hear it. What'll it be, then?"
"The usual." He definitely suspected you of something. "Oh, and some curry today, too. I didn't eat breakfast."
"Got it. Coming right up."
There's no one else here, you concluded after a quick glance behind you, alone again. Your gaze was averted to the painting hung right in next to the door, where it completely captivated your attention. The brush strokes, use of color and the overall tone of the piece: it was beautiful and evocative. You could've sworn you've seen it before, but something seemed different about it. One thing you were sure of, at least, was that it wasn't here before Mondays with Maruki became a thing.
"Hey Boss," you called absentmindedly as he handed you the coffee, "Where did you get this painting? It's stunning."
"Oh, that old thing?" he remarked somewhat smugly while stirring the pot of curry. The blend of spices filled the room, prompting a growl of your stomach. "It was a gift from a friend."
The cup felt hot to the touch. After adding a touch of cream, you let it sit for just a moment to cool down. "You must have some cultured friends." I chuckled.
The coffee itself was earthy, full of body and rich in flavor. Seriously, your customers were missing out on coffee brewed correctly. The hot liquid touched your lips when Boss placed the plate of curry in front of you. It was enough to make you feel right at home. After thanking him, you dug right in while watching a video on your phone. Later, you faintly heard the bell ring after Boss said he'd be grabbing something from upstairs, but you were too engrossed in the dish to look up. That was, until:
"Oh, you're..." the voice sounded vaguely familiar.
Your eyes met his grey ones: it was Kitagawa, from the festival the other day. You pulled the earbuds out of your ears, to which you greeted him with a polite smile and a wave. "Hey. I'm surprised you remembered me." He sat down in the chair next to yours.
"How could I not?!" he immediately said, a smirk on his face, "Thanks to you, I was left with enough money to purchase a riveting Daruma doll! I believe it shall inspire my next painting." The smirk faded; his expression quickly became more strained. "Although, I had to ask Ryuji to pay for my train fare."
You remembered how guilty you felt back then, and hearing his story only made you regret buying only shaved ice for him once more. "I-I see." you started timidly, "It was no problem at all, really."
The stairs creaked louder and louder, upon which Boss reappeared. "Oh, Yusuke. Ren'll be down in a minute." He said nonchalantly as he stepped back behind the counter. "I'll be out grabbing some groceries."
Ren? Amamiya was here?
"Of course. See you, Boss." Kitagawa nodded, his posture relaxed.
Silence filled the café—apart from the sound of the TV—until Amamiya stepped down, following suit of Boss. He had a bag slung over his arm, which...carried a small black cat? Did he take that cat with him everywhere? Is that why you always heard meowing around him? "Yusuke, you're here earlier than expected." He spoke coolly, donning a sage-green apron. Meanwhile, the cat jumped up and sat in one of the booths, leaning into the conversation as if he could understand us.
"Yes, I managed to catch the train just as it was departing the station. I nearly tripped, though." Kitagawa said, exuding pride. He was proud of himself for that?
Amamiya's attention shifted to you as he began brewing some new pots of coffee. "And Doctor Maruki's friend! Hey."
"We keep running into each other." you pointed out, unable to avert your gaze from the cat who kept meowing. "Your cat..." he hissed at you, for some reason, "He's talkative. What's his name?"
"Huh? Oh. My cat." Amamiya had something of a mischievous grin, "He's Morgana. My poor little cat doesn't like being alone, so he follows me everywhere." He put heavy emphasis on the word cat. Morgana didn't look too pleased: his back had a slight arch to it. Amamiya placed a cup of coffee in front of Kitagawa, seemingly already knowing his order.
Kitagawa closed his eyes, satisfied. "Mona's quite the strange cat."
"Huh," you start, utterly confused—were they somehow teasing Morgana? "Maybe he was a dog in his past life. Hey, do you think I could have another cup?" you asked gingerly, pushing your empty cup in front of me.
"Sure thing." Amamiya responded, swiftly taking the mug, and replacing it with another fresh batch. He was younger and far nimbler than Boss was, unsurprisingly.
After staring at the steam rising from the coffee, you looked back to the young barista. "Do you live here, Amamiya? Or nearby?"
Kitagawa was the one to answer, "He humbly lives upstairs. I quite like it."
That caught you off guard, evident by your widened eyes. "So, does that mean Boss is your dad? I had no idea he had kids."
"We're not even related," Amamiya said introspectively as he began to wipe the counter, "But sometimes I like to think of him as my dad. Don't tell him I said that, though. He'd laugh in my face."
Kitagawa snickered, "You two have a truly close relationship. I would like to capture that intimacy if you would allow me to."
"Good luck getting Boss to agree to that, Kitagawa." you playfully mused back together with Morgana's meow. "Still, though...you're a second year, and yet I've only just seen you this year. I don't know if you realized, but I work the convenience store by your school. It's how I met Takuto too. Did you just transfer here?" you asked, taking a small sip of the coffee; it wasn't as rich as Boss's, but it was still as flavorful, nonetheless.
Kitagawa cleared his throat, a hand thoughtfully combing through his hair. "Well, you see, Ren is on probation here."
"Probation?" your brows furrowed, "Oh, you're that kid from the rumors! You seem so nice, though."
"That's right." Amamiya idly said, "But not many people know the full story." He seemed so carefree about it. What could a quiet high schooler like him really be capable of?
"What is the full story, then?"
"Yusuke?"
Kitagawa nodded, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the countertop. "He was falsely accused of assault. Truthfully, he was attempting to rescue a woman from harassment..." his voice drifted, grimacing slightly.
"Oh..." your fists clenched, your nails digging deeply into your flesh. What bullshit—and that man got off scot-free, presumably? "That's terrible. You seem to be just alright, though. I'm glad you have such supportive friends like Kitagawa and Sakamoto, and that Boss is a good guardian."
"Yeah, it's all in the past now." Amamiya commented as he leaned on the wall behind him. "I don't let it get to me anymore."
"That takes a lot of strength, you know." Your voice was quiet and contemplative, "I can see why Takuto finds you so admirable."
"Ren is among the strongest people I know." Kitagawa exchanged looks with Amamiya and even Morgana, as if they all knew something you didn't. They were friends, after all—and close too, by the looks of it.
Amamiya stuffed his hands in his pocket. "That reminds me...are you and Doctor Maruki dating or anything?" Your face immediately ran hot to the touch as your heart pounded in your chest; you could already feel sweat start to break on your forehead too.
"D-dating? Where did you get that from, haha..." you sighed shakily before continuing, "We're not dating, but—"
"But you like him, don't you?" Bingo. God damn you, kid; you thought you were doing a decent job hiding your feelings too.
Your head low, you nodded reluctantly. "Please, please don't tell him. Our relationship needs to remain purely professional for the time being. Maybe one day I'll confess my feelings, I just—I just don't know when that could be, or if I could do it."
Amamiya stepped closer to you, reaching across to put a comforting hand on your shoulder, while Kitagawa watched the two of you, observing intently. "I believe in you. He needs a partner to set him straight—he's all awkward as it is now. And you feel it too, don't you?" his hand fell back to his side as kind, not intimidating or piercing, eyes stared into yours. "His loneliness."
You never realized it until now, but he had a point: Takuto's brooding expression when he thinks he's alone, his sudden jumpiness at the mention of Odaiba...there was much more to him than met the eye. Right as you were about to agree, Kitagawa stood up, leaving a few bills on the table. "I should be taking my leave now. I wanted to browse the secondhand shop just ahead, but the smell of coffee was far too enticing..." he cleared his throat, starting for the door, "Anyway, see you, Ren." He said goodbye to you as well.
"I'll catch up with you when Sojiro gets back." Amamiya waved, and Kitagawa left. The door shut before the young man spoke again. "I'm worried about him. His questions during my research sessions can be, well—kind of concerning?"
You closed your eyes, thinking back to your own sessions. How did Takuto react to your answers? How exactly did he speak when he asked the tougher questions? What was that rebellious look in his eye when we conversed about pain? About tragedy? It was mind-boggling and overwhelming. "I didn't catch it at the time." you murmured, "But looking back, you're right. I might've been pushing my suspicions down too, though. It's like he's wearing a mask..."
Amamiya appeared to stiffen at the mention of a mask. He agreed, then? "Yeah."
He was much kinder than you initially expected—was Takuto rubbing off on him? Compared to how he ostentatious he acted at Big Bang Burger, he was a saint right now: full of empathy and compassion, like he knew exactly how and what you were feeling. "Have you noticed the intense passion he has for his research, Amamiya?"
"Call me Ren."
"Ren, then. Have you?"
"I have. He's almost a little too passionate." Ren's observations were spot on with yours. Perhaps 'passionate' wasn't the right word; No...maybe, desperate?
"I wonder..." you placed your elbow on the table, propping your head up as you stared in a daze out the window and watched those outside: a woman holding her child's hand, a man carrying his briefcase on his way to the train station. "Will it ever come to us having to save him from himself?"
Ren was silent for only a brief moment. "If it does," he spoke with great resolve, "I wouldn't hesitate for a second."
You looked back to him, your own eyes mirroring his steadfastness, your lips curving into a confident grin. "Good to know we're on the same page, then."