Chapter Text
"Wow. It sounds like a lot has happened at school Futaba-chan. I'm glad you're making friends."
"I dunno about friends but they're alright. Oh, but I nearly forgot about this thing that happened yesterday. They were-"
Yusuke couldn't help but tune out the conversation happening in front of him, Futaba's chattering doing little to keep his attention the way it had Haru's. He could barely focus on any of the group, truthfully, staring down at his phone. The last conversation he'd had with Ren was loaded on the screen, the pair of them discussing Yusuke's new painting before the entire vibe flipped on its head.
7:42 PM - Ren [That sounds cool man. Can't wait to see the whole thing when it's done.]
7:43 PM - Yusuke [You could always visit the gallery next time you're here. I can show you around]
7:55 PM - Ren [Right. Sounds like a plan.]
8:42 PM - Ren [I don't know if I'll be going to Tokyo again. I'm sorry.]
The last message hadn't sat right with him, and neither had his unanswered attempts to get a reply. Ren was a busy guy, but he hardly ever took more than an hour to reply. He'd thought it over for so long, picking out every moment that made it seem like their friend was pulling away. The lack of chatter or quips in their group chat. Dodging Ann when she offered to visit during a shoot. Even Haru was picking up on something being off. Yet they always thought up an explanation. Maybe he wasn't feeling well. Maybe he was stressed. Maybe he really did have work. But none of it would make his last text make sense.
"Oh! Look!" He nearly ran into Makoto as their group came to a stop, making a noise of complaint before finally looking up. Futaba was pointing ahead of them, toward LeBlanc's. The cafe stood as quietly as ever, though in front of it stood-
"When'd he get back in town?" Ryuji asked, staring at their friend in awe. Ren was staring down at his phone, brow furrowed. Yet something about him felt off. Yusuke could see the differences in how Ren held himself. How he seemed less cool and laid back and more agitated than usual.
"You meanie! You said you were busy!" Futaba launched herself forward, running full speed toward the door. Ren looked up at the last minute, dark eyes foreign to Yusuke's gaze as he stared wide-eyed at Futaba. He barely caught her, tumbling back to the pavement with a pained grunt.
"What the hell is your problem kid?" The voice that escaped him was so familiar and yet foreign all at once, Ren glaring at Futaba.
"H-Huh?" Futaba barely reacted as Ren half-shoved her off, dragging himself to his feet. Haru rushed to help Futaba up, the younger girl staring at Ren like he was suddenly a stranger. The man scowled, dusting himself off and bending to collect his phone.
"Is everyone this forceful with strangers or is it just you?" he asked, cocking a brow at Futaba, "Cause either way it's super weird." The girl shrank back, suddenly on edge under such a stare.
"Hey! What's the matter with you?" Ann asked roughly, "You can't snap at her like that."
"Well maybe she shouldn't jump people then," Ren countered. The door to the cafe opened, and Sojiro stepped out with an annoyed look.
"What in the world is all the fuss out here?" he asked, looking them all over, "there's no reason to be so-" He paused, looking Ren over. "Akira? Never thought I'd see you all the way out here."
"Akira?" Makoto asked, looking back at the man wearing Ren's face, "not Ren?"
"Nope," Akira said, running a hand through his hair, "a common mistake though. You must be the group of friends my brother went on and on about."
"Strange, he never mentioned you," Ann said, crossing her arms.
"Now that doesn't surprise me one bit," Akira said, "probably didn't want me anywhere near his new friends I'd guess."
"Why don't you all come inside to talk," Sojiro said, "it beats yelling about it out in the street at least." They followed the man inside, huddling together in one of the booths while Akira hovered at the bar. Sojiro went about making coffee, the cafe quiet for a moment aside from the sound of bubbling fluid. "So, what brings you to Tokyo, Akira. Your parents didn't tell me you were coming."
"I didn't mention I was coming," Akira said, accepting the first cup of coffee thoughtfully, "mom and dad are out of town for work anyway." He glanced up at the rest of them before pointedly looking away. "I came because Ren's being weird. I mean he's always weird but suddenly he's become even more of a recluse."
"Is he okay?" Haru asked, "Ren's…been so quiet lately since he went home."
"He wouldn't shut up about his time in Tokyo," Akira said, cracking half a smirk, "it was almost annoying actually. Blabbering on and on about game nights and parties and learning new hobbies."
"You act like something's wrong with him making friends," Ryuji bristled.
"Nah. I'm relieved, actually," Akira said, "he's never been the popular one between the two of us. It's good to see him branching out and finding people he gets along with. Even if mom and dad wouldn't approve." He took a swig of coffee, sighing. "But lately he just…I dunno. Just stopped talking about any of it. I even suggested visiting while mom and dad were out and he just shrugged it off."
"Now that doesn't sound like the Ren I know," Sojiro said, "he's always been quiet, but not apathetic."
"So something is wrong," Makoto said, crossing her arms, "I wondered if, maybe, something had happened. When he just stopped engaging."
"But what do we do?" Ann asked, "Other than like…just drop by."
"Why not? We could do just that," Futaba said, "like when I was secluding myself in my room, it took everyone nearly knocking the door down to get through to me. Maybe we need to just do that."
"You may be right," Yusuke agreed, "we cannot allow him to simply fade into obscurity. Not when he's done so much for us." Ann's phone pinged, drawing all their attention.
"Whoops. Sorry. Might be work." She pulled the device out, flipping it open and nearly dropping it on the table. "No way! T-This can't be happening." One by one their phones pinged, sounding an alert that drew their gazes away from Ann. And one by one they saw exactly what had startled Ann.
"Is it really back?" Haru asked.
"Looks like it," Makoto said, frowning, "but why?"
"Uh…what did I miss?" Akira asked, cocking his head.
"Not now copycat," Futaba said, waving him off, "too bad Mona isn't here to explain. I bet he'd know why the nav is back." Yusuke stared down at the MetaNav for a few moments before tapping it. The familiar navigation screen popped up, beeping at him.
"Welcome back to the MetaNav. Please input the necessary keywords for your search."
"Uh, what are you doing Inari?" Futaba asked, "I don't think we should be playing with this thing without knowing why it popped back up." Yusuke ignored her, swallowing thickly as he tapped on the first box.
"Ren Amamiya."
"Yusuke, I don't think-" The nav cut off Makoto's statement with a loud ping and a statement that made Yusuke's blood freeze.
"One matching result. Palace located."