Persona: The Phantom Masquerade.

As the final bell rang, signaling the end of another school day, Ren's thoughts drifted to his promise to Sojiro. The details surrounding his request were sketchy at best, but the gravity in Sojiro's eyes had conveyed the severity of the situation. The least he could do was give it a try.

Upon arriving at Leblanc, Ren was greeted by the sight of Sojiro pacing nervously, a rare expression of relief washing over his face as Ren entered. 

"I've been half expecting you to come strolling in at the last minute, with how late you have been showing up lately." Sojiro commented with a light-hearted smirk, his posture easing. "How about lending me a hand with closing up early today? That way, I can get started on dinner sooner," he suggested, tossing a cleaning rag to Ren.

Ren caught the rag effortlessly and began to help clean up, moving in sync with the dwindling café crowd. With the departure of the last customer, Ren seized the moment to broach the topic of Sojiro's daughter.

"So, about your daughter, could you tell me a bit more about her? I can probably help better if I know a bit more." Ren inquired

Sojiro, caught off guard by the question, smacked his forehead in realization. 

"Ah, right. I haven't even mentioned her name. It's Futaba Sakura," he said, his gaze drifting upwards as if trying to gather his thoughts. "She's incredibly bright, especially when it comes to computers. But she's also very closed off, so often keeps to herself in her room."

Ren nodded, signaling for Sojiro to continue, sensing there was more to the story.

With a heavy heart, Sojiro took a deep breath before revealing,

 "Her mom... she took her own life. Walked right into traffic... right in front of Futaba. She was one of the first cases of mental shutdowns." He paused, the weight of the memory pressing down on him. "Ever since then, Futaba's been withdrawn, shutting herself away from the world. But I can't say I blame her. I don't know what I would do if that had happened to me."

Ren's ears perked as he heard Sojiro speak, his expression becoming extremely serious as he spoke.

"I see… I think I can try to talk to her. Though, once again, I can't make any promises."

Sojiro looked slightly conflicted before he, too, nodded his head.

After the two of them had finished closing the store, Sojiro left for his house in order to prepare the food and try to set a good environment for Futaba. He would send a message to Ren letting him know when he should be able to go to his house.

After around an hour, Ren received the message.

[Sojiro] I'm sorry. She found out that something was off and ran to her room. Maybe we should try again another time…

Looking at the message, Ren tapped the table he was sitting at with hesitation before he stood up from the booth, walked over, and rang the doorbell. Sojiro answered the door, slightly surprised, before Ren said.

"Let me try something," Ren said, his voice carrying a blend of resolve and reassurance.

With a slightly surprised face, Sojiro stepped to the side, allowing Ren to walk in.

"Sojiro, could you head back to Leblanc? I'll send you a message when it's okay to come back. Don't worry, I won't do anything rash." Ren assured him, his tone confident yet calm.

After a moment of internal conflict, Sojiro exhaled deeply, a gesture of reluctant trust, and nodded. 

"Her room is down the hallway, last door on the right," he informed Ren, before reluctantly departing, leaving Ren to navigate this delicate situation on his own.

Navigating the silence of the house, Ren approached the last door on the right and knocked with a rhythm that broke the monotony of the quiet corridors. 

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" He joked, a playful tone in his voice that was met with a brief snort of laughter from within the room. But then, silence reigned once more.

Sitting with his back to the door, Ren sought to pierce that silence again. 

"How is it going in there?" he ventured, only to be greeted by quiet. 

He would have to start with at least getting a response if he wanted to get anywhere. Thinking for a moment, a mischievous smile appeared on Ren's face as he asked.

"One billion lions or one of every Pokemon? Who wins in a fight?" The silence that followed his question was palpable, but Ren couldn't resist adding.

"I mean, it's obviously the lions." Ren said, yet since he hadn't gotten an answer, he was going to try a different way. However, before he could voice it, his phone vibrated with a retort that brought a laugh from him.

[Alibaba] One of every Pokemon. Do you even understand what Pokemon are capable of? One earthquake, and it's game over for the Lions.

"Oh, really?" Ren mused aloud, feigning contemplation. "But what about the lion ladder strategy?"

[Alibaba] ?

"Yeah, you know, when lions stack up to form a ladder of lions. It's like forming a super-lion," Ren bantered back, barely containing his amusement as his phone buzzed with rapid-fire responses.

[Alibaba] That's the most stupid thing I have ever heard.

[Alibaba] What are you even doing here? Leave now, or I'll leak your nudes.

Ren couldn't help but respond with mock horror.

"You wouldn't dare," he said as he gasped theatrically.

Despite his efforts, silence fell once more, only broken by a new message.

[Alibaba] Why are you here?

Pausing, Ren thought before responding with uncharacteristic sincerity.

 "To be honest, I'm not quite sure. It's not usually my thing to do something like this."

[Alibaba] Then leave. I don't want you here.

"Why's that?" Ren pressed gently, hoping to coax more conversation from her, but no further messages came.

"Full disclosure, Sojiro shared a bit about what you've been through," he began, his eyes closed to gather his thoughts. "I once knew someone, a man tough as they come. Saw him laugh off a gun to his face once. He said, 'Have you seen the material that this room is made out of? You'd never be able to get my blood out of it if you shot."

He paused, his gaze drifting to the wall, lost in the memory.

"I used to follow his orders like a puppy. I am who I am today because of him, for better and for worse. " Ren said as his voice trailed off.

[Alibaba] Why are you telling me this?

Ren took a moment before continuing.

 "This man, his daughter, was his world. But she died in an accident, and it... it broke him. He closed himself off, and I couldn't do anything to help." Ren said as he sat in silence before sighing.

"You're right. I should probably leave." He said as he stood up, but just as he was about to start walking away, his phone buzzed once again.

[Alibaba] Wait.

[Alibaba] What happened to him?

Looking at the message, Ren gave a nostalgic smile before speaking up.

"I don't know. Before I could see him again, I was on the train heading here. I'd like to think he found his way back, maybe rediscovered a bit of who he used to be before the loss."

[Alibaba] Could you tell me more about him?

The request brought a light chuckle from Ren, who found himself settling back against the door.

"One of his rules was always to keep a clean workspace. Something about it being good for the soul. I never quite got it, but now, a bit of clutter makes me restless." Ren shared, a hint of amusement in his tone.

[Alibaba] …..

[Alibaba] You'd probably die if you saw my room.

"Eh, I doubt it. You'd be surprised with the stuff I have cleaned up. If you wanted me to, I could help you clean it." Ren said.

[Alibaba] …..

[Alibaba] Maybe next time.

"By the way, what's the deal with the Alibaba name?" Ren asked.

[Alibaba] Don't even get me started. I used to have a cooler name, but then some losers on the internet stole it. It became a bit of a hassle, so I ended up changing it.

Time flew by as the two of them continued to talk about random topics, going from random stories to rants about the group of hackers that had stolen her name, Medjed. Enough time had passed without them realizing to make Sojiro worry and wander back into the house. To his surprise, he walked in on Ren and Futaba, having a strange conversation about cleaning products.

Catching sight of Sojiro walking in, Ren couldn't hide his yawn. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten until a distraction had come to snap him out of it.

"Looks like it's time for me to head out," he said, stretching a bit. "But I gotta say, that was nice. Haven't really had a chance to think about the past since I got here." He added, getting ready to leave. 

"I'll see ya later." Ren said as he began walking away.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed Futaba's door crack open a bit, then quickly shut.

[Futaba] See ya.

Ren gave the smiling Sojiro a quick nod as he walked past, heading back to Leblanc without another word.

~Confidants~

Futaba Sakura (The Hermit) Rank 1

~A/N~

You know, originally, I hadn't planned on building much on any past before the story began. But as I planned ahead for The Councilor Arcana and the future arcs, I changed my mind slightly. And what better way to start it than with the Hermit?

The main meaning of the hermit is "The appearance of The Hermit in a tarot reading suggests a time for contemplation, solitude, and self-examination. It encourages the querent to look within for answers, emphasizing the importance of solitude in the process of personal growth and understanding." 

Lemme know what you all think. As always, feedback is always welcome.