"Do you think we could modify the guns for, uh… like a sci-fi convention?" Ren asked, turning the pistol over in his hands as if testing its weight. "Make them look like they're shooting fire or something?"
As part of his final preparations for the dive into Okumura's Palace, he had decided to tie some loose ends. Amongst which was his fellow former criminal. Originally, he had wanted to lean into making the guns look as real as possible. That should, in theory, make them stronger in the Metaverse.
But now that they were experimenting with controlling the collective unconscious, he wanted to see just how far it could be pushed. If Mona could turn into a bus, who's to say that a gun can't be modified to do more than fire bullets?
In a way, he had been somewhat disappointed that it had taken him this long to realize it. But once again, his Fool's Journey had guided him directly to Iwai. And in turn, into the realization of the potential he was missing out on.
Sure, he could probably ask the Kirijo group for modified guns. That much had crossed his mind. But that would mean his Hanged Man would lose his purpose. And, if he was being honest, even now, he didn't truly understand the Fool's Journey he was walking.
What if that choice meant diverging his path from Iwai, and in turn, caused him to lose his Hanged Man? He was already left scrambling trying to find his Sun, wherever the hell they were. And he didn't want to add another one to the list.
Before he could spin it again, Iwai snatched it clean from his grip.
"Stop screwing around with the merchandise." Iwai snapped, shooting him a flat look before walking toward the back of the shop. "And no, we're not modding jack. Those kinds of requests have been clamped down hard ever since the whole Yakuza mess five years back. So unless you've got something real for me, you're out of luck."
"Funny you say that." Ren answered with a chuckle as he followed him into the back room. It was a cramped little space that smelled faintly of oil. "Our old pal Tsuda is in big trouble."
That finally got Iwai's attention. He paused mid-step, cast a quick glance back at the storefront, then closed the door behind them with a soft click of the lock.
"And here I thought you were all talk with how long you were taking." He muttered. "Tell me you didn't let that bastard Satoru scam you. That rat has been scamming rookies since back when I was still with the Hashiba Clan."
"Nope." Ren replied with a chuckle. "Surprisingly decent guy once you feed him. I gave him some of my homemade curry and he spilled everything."
"Please tell me that ain't some weird ass code for drugs or something." Iwai asked with a sigh.
"What? No, no, like, actual food." Ren quickly excused himself before shaking his head. "But that's not what this is about, this is about Tsuda."
While he had bribed Satoru, the homeless man who usually stayed near the train station, with some food, that was only the start. He had also gone to Mementos for more answers, taking some time here and there in between completing requests to drop by and visit some of the members of the Hashiba Clan with Mona.
After all, the most reliable information is that which you can get firsthand.
In the end, all he had done was spy on them without changing any of their hearts. Because there was a limit as to how obvious he could be with the Phantom Thief secret.
Haru was one thing, he had trusted her and risked it by changing her fiance's heart. She had discovered his secret, or at least, partially discovered it. But in the end, his trust was not misplaced. She kept his identity and relationship with the Thieves hidden.
But he couldn't trust Iwai with that same information, at least not yet. Who's to say that he wouldn't use it against him?
"Tsuda made a deal with the Hong Kong mafia earlier this year." Ren explained. "One hundred million yen. In exchange for a full arsenal of guns."
"…Earlier this year?" Iwai repeated as he froze, eyes narrowing as the pieces started falling into place. "Then that means…"
"Yeah." Ren answered with a chuckle. "He got scammed. Tried to pull a fast one without telling the higher-ups. Thought if he landed a big deal on the side, he'd look like a goddamn genius. Instead, he burned a fortune and got nothing for it."
"Fuck…" Iwai cursed under his breath, then sighed hard through his nose. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a fresh lollipop, popping it into his mouth with the kind of slow resignation that hinted this wasn't his first time dealing with this kind of screwup. "What the hell were you thinking, Tsuda…"
"Now he is scrambling. The Hashiba Clan is celebrating the deal like it is some big kind of success. And Tsuda's boss is expecting shipments to start arriving any day now, and since Tsuda's got jack shit to show for it, he's trying to pawn off your stock as part of the original deal. Make it look like the Hong Kong boys delivered."
"Are you sure about this?" Iwai asked with a dark expression.
"Absolutely." Ren answered without missing a beat, then gave a lazy shrug. "But hey, if you don't believe me, feel free to check. I'm sure you've still got a few contacts kicking around."
"What a mess…" Iwai muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "And all this came from Satoru?"
"What can I say? It was some really good curry." Ren answered with a light chuckle, then added. "But no, I double-checked everything with a friend, someone who's good at digging through shady backchannels. Cross-referenced it before I brought it to you. That's what made it take so long."
Iwai went quiet for a beat, thinking it over. Then, to Ren's mild surprise, he let out a low chuckle of his own.
"Well, damn. Alright, you earned it, kid." He reached behind him and flicked a nearby light on, illuminating the workbench tucked into the corner. "Bring me the guns you want fixed up. I'll tinker with them on my off hours. Should have 'em ready by next week, just don't expect me to do anything too crazy.
"I'd make that deal." Ren answered. "But I wasn't joking before, I am less trying to lean towards realism and more trying to experiment with sci-fi stuff. Maybe a gun that looks like it shoots poison?"
Iwai didn't answer, simply raising an eyebrow like he didn't believe him.
"Cosplay airsoft." Ren answered with a smile. "Not my first choice either, but you know, it's kind of fun once you get used to it."
"I forgot about your friends…" Iwai answered with a shake of his head, probably thinking back to the few times he had brought everyone to Untouchables Airsoft and how 'energetic' they all had been. "Honestly kid, here I was expecting you were getting into trouble. I half-thought you were using the 'airsoft club' thing as some weak-ass cover story. One of those obvious lies high schoolers come up with when they're getting into shit they shouldn't."
"Hey." Ren answered as he brought his hands up pretending to be innocent. "The past is in the past, no? I'm a good kid now."
That got a quiet chuckle from Iwai, but before either of them could add more, a knock echoed from the other side of the door.
"Uh… Dad? You in there?" Came a young voice, a bit unsure, like he was second-guessing whether it was okay to even be asking.
"Fuck…" Iwai muttered under his breath, shooting a quick glare at the ceiling before moving to unlock the door. He pulled it open to reveal a teen standing there awkwardly, his hand still raised mid-knock.
"Kaoru, what did I tell you about coming into the store?"
"You weren't answering your phone," Kaoru shot back, clearly trying to sound annoyed, but there was something gentler under it. "I thought we were grabbing dinner tonight? To celebrate the exams?"
"Ah, right, sorry." Iwai answered as he stepped out. "Give me just a few minutes to wrap up here, and then I can close down the store."
"No, don't worry about it." Ren spoke up as he followed behind. "I gotta head out too. But it's nice to meet you."
"Oh? Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too." Kaoru answered, hesitating for a second before adding, "Do you… work here or something?"
"Kid helps out now and then." Iwai answered before Ren could speak, waving a hand vaguely in Ren's direction. "Nothing official. Just lends a hand when I need some stuff sorted, labeled, or moved around."
"Pretty much, yeah." Ren played along as he reached for the door. "Anyways, if either of you ever want to see your fortune I know a person. It's cool stuff."
Then the bell above the door jingled as Ren stepped out into the street.
He pulled out his phone, thumb brushing across the screen as he checked the time. He would be early, by maybe an hour, for his meeting with Chihaya. But that was fine. More time to wander the neon maze of Shinjuku before the crowds got unbearable.
There was a flower shop he hadn't visited in a while. And the tiny, dim-lit library tucked between two cafes that always smelled like cigarette smoke and fresh ink. He'd been meaning to stop by both. Maybe today he'd finally find something worthwhile, something useful.
Ever since their bet, he would meet with Chihaya semi-regularly at night to work alongside her and read the fortune of others, acting as her apprentice. He would help read fortunes, listen to the stories of the strangers passing through the night, and learn more from Chihaya about "reading the flow of fate."
He would add some mental notes as to the names of the customers who needed help, and then whenever they visited Mementos he would add another detour to their trips to help change some hearts and, in turn, change the fortunes of his customers.
Yeah, it could be considered cheating to use his metaphysical abilities to change fate. But to his surprise, it didn't always come down to it. Sometimes, all it took was a little empathy. A question no one had bothered to ask. A few carefully chosen words. And the next moment, their fate would change.
It was strange, really. How fate worked.
Still, before he could get too lost in his thoughts, he caught sight of her. Chihaya, standing exactly where she always set up her folding table.
"Ah, Ren! There you are!" She shouted, waving him over as she jogged up, the hem of her outfit fluttering behind her. "I was wondering, would you mind doing something a little different today?"
"Different how?"
"Well…" She hesitated, laughing awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Would you read my fortune tonight? There's… there's something on my mind, and I wanted to see if your reading lines up with mine. Y'know, since you've gotten kind of scarily good at changing fate."
Ren tilted his head slightly, examining her more closely. Chihaya wasn't exactly a master of hiding her emotions. Her smile was thin, too practiced. The way she kept shifting her weight and tugging at her sleeves made it obvious.
She was anxious. No, more than that. She was stressed.
"…Is this about the stones?" Ren asked, giving it his best guess.
Her smile faltered.
"It's, uh…" She fumbled for a second, her hands rising like she wanted to gesture her way out of it. But then she stopped, sighed, and nodded. "Yeah. It is."
"I don't mind reading for you." Ren said, glancing behind her. "But… you don't have your table?"
"No. I didn't feel right doing readings tonight." She admitted quietly. "And… it's hard. When people come to me for help, I have a hard time saying no. So I just didn't bring it with me."
She hesitated, then looked up at him, more sheepish than usual.
"I live nearby. If you don't mind… we could go there instead? Just for tonight. Not for anything weird, I mean, not that you thought that, but I just—"
Ren let out a chuckle, stopping her spiraling thoughts with a light shake of his head.
"Relax. Lead the way. I trust you." Then, he let out a smile as he added. "Plus, I'm not some cheap date, you'd have to try harder than that."
That got a chuckle out of her as she visibly relaxed. Then, after she took a deep breath she nodded.
"Okay. It's just a few minutes from here."
They started walking in silence for a while, their footsteps soft against the concrete as the din of Shinjuku buzzed quietly around them.
Then, just as they turned a corner, she spoke again.
"Ren." She said softly. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
"What?" He blinked, thrown by the question. "No. Of course not. Where is that coming from?"
"It's just…" She slowed slightly but kept walking, her voice quiet and careful. "It's been a while since you started helping me with readings. And the people whose fortunes you read, they've been doing better. Like, significantly better. Some of them even came back to thank me, thinking I helped them."
"It got me thinking." She added with a weak smile. "Maybe you were right about the stones."
Ren didn't say anything immediately. He let her speak.
"I've been trying to quietly track the people I remember helping before I met you. Just… following up, in a way, with the people that stopped coming for me to read their fortune. Checking where they are now."
She stopped for a moment on the sidewalk, her shoulders slightly hunched.
"And most of them… their fortunes have turned for the worse. Some drastically. A few… it feels like their paths can't even be reversed anymore. Like they were pushed off a cliff, and now there's no way back. Maybe… maybe the people from my home village were right."
"Chihaya." Ren said quietly. "Out of everyone I've met… you're one of the most genuinely kind people I know."
That made her pause. Her step faltered.
"I don't know what you saw in those readings." He continued. "But I know this, whatever choices you made, they came from a place of wanting to help. You weren't trying to scam anyone. You weren't trying to hurt them. You just… didn't know better."
"But what if I did?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "You warned me, didn't you? About the stones. And I kept selling them anyway. Even now, part of me thinks they're fake, that I've been hurting people this whole time. And the other part…" she hesitated, her voice tightening, "is convinced they're real."
Ren opened his mouth, ready to give her some reassurance, but nothing came out. Because the truth was, he didn't know for sure either.
So instead of offering false comfort, he walked beside her in silence.
It wasn't awkward. Just quiet. Heavy with everything left unsaid.
Eventually, they reached a modest apartment building tucked between a narrow alley and a shuttered café. Chihaya led him up a few stairs and unlocked her door.
Her apartment was… exactly what he expected.
Small, but warm. The faint scent of dried herbs lingered in the air, lavender, maybe mint. The walls were sparsely decorated, but there was personality in every choice: handwoven dreamcatchers, old festival posters, a tiny shrine tucked in a corner with unlit candles and folded prayers. A line of potted flowers rested on the windowsill and spread across shelves and side tables. He noticed a few butterfly clips on the curtains and, true to theme, a real, almost ethereal butterfly drifting lazily through the air.
"You should close your window before all the bugs get in here." Ren said lightly, watching the butterfly dance near the edge of a flower pot. Ironic advice, given that he too tended to leave the window open at night.
Chihaya gave a sheepish laugh as she walked toward the desk.
"Ah, yeah. The AC's broken again." She admitted, motioning vaguely to the corner of the room. "I'm just borrowing the breeze while I can."
She gestured to the tidy desk tucked near the window. A deck of her tarot cards was already laid out beside a carefully folded cloth.
"I figured you'd say yes." She said, a bit more upbeat now. "So I got everything ready ahead of time. Do you want some tea first or—?"
"I'm fine." Ren replied with a smile as he followed her toward the desk. "But thanks."
She took her seat across from him, fidgeting slightly as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She seemed less like a fortune-teller now, and more like a nervous client waiting to hear something she wasn't ready for.
"What kind of reading are you looking for?" He asked, picking up the deck.
"Dealer's choice," Chihaya replied, folding her hands in her lap. "I trust you."
"Alright," Ren said softly.
He held the cards in his hands for a moment, feeling their familiar weight. The edges were slightly worn, the way a favorite deck always ended up, used, but cared for. Then he began to shuffle. Slow and steady. A quiet rhythm that filled the space between them.
As the cards slid together, he stole a glance at her. She was trying to appear calm, but the way she pressed her thumb against her knuckles gave her away. She was anxious, terrified, maybe, of what she already suspected.
"Ready?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Then let's begin with your past."
He drew the first card and placed it between them.
"The Star Reversed." He looked at it for only a moment before speaking. "The hope that was twisted. A light that should have guided, but instead flickered and dimmed. You have a gift… don't you? From the beginning. You could see things clearly, more clearly than most."
Chihaya nodded slowly, her gaze falling on the card as her lips pressed into a thin line. There was no pride in her expression. Just the familiar discomfort of someone who had lived with being misunderstood.
"But the people around you didn't see it that way." Ren continued. "To them, your gift wasn't guidance, it was a curse. They saw your visions not as warnings, but as omens."
He reached for the next card, flipping it over with the same quiet care.
"The Hermit."
"You exiled yourself." He said, his voice dropping a note lower. "Physically, spiritually, emotionally. You stepped back from the world to try and make sense of it all. You were looking for a way to make peace with it. To prove that your gift wasn't a burden. To redeem yourself in their eyes. Maybe even in your own."
Chihaya didn't respond, but her eyes lingered on the card. Her knuckles had gone pale from how tightly she was holding her hands.
Ren drew the next card.
"The Devil." He gave a small, humorless chuckle. "Funny thing about this one. People think of devils as red-skinned monsters with horns and pitchforks." Ren spoke, following his gut as he pictured his own Devil. "But in truth? The most dangerous ones wear suits. Designer brands. White fur coats."
Chihaya flinched slightly, just enough that Ren caught it.
"The ADP?" She asked quietly. Her voice was strained, like it hurt to say it aloud.
"Are they the ones behind the Holy Stones?" Ren asked, and from the way Chihaya flinched, he had received his answer. "Still, our story doesn't end with the past, does it? No, we move to the present."
Reaching for the next card, Ren placed it down.
"Justice Reversed."
"Moral imbalance, your scales are tipped. You can see that perhaps, by trying to help people, you have only harmed them. What once was right is now wrong." Ren read the card as he instinctively reached for the next.
"The Hanged Man."
Now that's something they both shared in common, at least for today.
"You needed a change of perspective. You are in limbo, at a crossroads. It's time to break your old patterns. And—" Ren added, reaching for the next card. "The Magician."
Ren blinked for a moment as he saw the card.
Ever since he had crossed paths with Elizabeth, he realized that even he, a Fool, represented different things to others. To Elizabeth, he was her Judgement. He could guess that just as Akechi and him were different sides of the same coin, he too, was Akechi's Justice. But now he also knew what he was to Chihaya.
"Reclaim your own power for yourself." He said at last.
Chihaya let out a shaky sigh as she heard him, looking almost defeated as she heard his reading.
"I guess I taught you well…" She muttered, trying for a weak smile but failing as her eyes drifted toward the remaining cards. "So far, our readings are the same. Which probably means that the next card is The Moon Reversed."
True to her words, as Ren turned the first card representing Chihaya's future, he was met with the Reversed Moon
"Delusion, repression, and the loss of self?" Ren said slowly, repeating the textbook meaning. But even as the words left his mouth, they felt… off. Wrong, somehow. "You… delude yourself into…"
"Into The Eight of Swords." Chihaya continued, slumping down on the desk as she gently slammed her forehead on the desk. "My own indecision is going to lead me to becoming a prisoner. I'm going to be helpless, I'm going to be mentally trapped. Which then leads me to The Hierophant Reversed."
"Corrupted institutions, blind obedience, and spiritual abuse." Ren answered with the meaning of the card.
"This is my punishment." Chihaya answered, sounding completely defeated. "I hurt people, and now I can see that my fate is doomed."
"No." Ren spoke out, the feeling that something was wrong growing as he instinctively began to shuffle the cards in his hand. "This isn't your fate. This isn't right."
"Ren?" Chihaya asked, lifting her head up to look at him, at the cards.
"You expected this." He said plainly. "That's the problem. You thought it would all lead to ruin, and so it did. You saw the path you feared most, and walked it anyway, because that's all you could see. Remember my reading?"
"The Devil, The Hanged Man, and the Chariot Reversed?" Chihaya asked, her expression growing complicated as she remembered it. "I guess we are both kind of doomed, aren't we?."
"I know what it means." Ren answered with a shake of his head. "I know what I am going to do, so I know that it is true. But I could just as easily make a different decision, even now, take the easy route."
"But you won't." Chihaya tried to argue. "The cards—"
"The cards can change." Ren interrupted her as he placed a card on top of the Moon. "The Tower."
"What?" Chihaya muttered as she saw the card.
"Whatever it might be, I don't agree with it. So I'll help you tear apart your future. We will collapse the false and bring about…" Ren continued, placing the next card. "The Death."
"An end that births new life…" Chihaya muttered, her eyes growing wider with excitement. "Which means…"
"The High Priestess." Ren announced as he placed the final card down. "Your final fate. Embracing your true role, not a puppet, not a fraud, but a genuine guide."
"Gimme that!" Chihaya shouted with excitement as she quickly yanked the cards from his hands, grabbing all the ones on the table and quickly shuffling them in her hand. After taking a few breaths, she placed down the first card, only to be greeted with The Tower once more, then, as she placed the next she saw The Death, and finally the High Priestess once more.
"It's real…" She muttered, staring at the cards like they might float off the table. Then, suddenly, she jumped up from her seat with a burst of energy that Ren hadn't expected. "You done did it again! How in the hell d'you keep doin' that?!"
Her voice rose with excitement, too much excitement, apparently, because something twanged in her tone as her accent slipped out.
Ren blinked in surprise before letting out a full laugh, not bothering to hold it back. Her eyes practically sparkled with wonder, like she'd just seen magic unfold right in front of her.
"Shoot me straight!" She demanded, practically bouncing on her heels. "Them Dreamweavers, are they real or what?! An' don't you lie, you one of 'em, ain't ya?!"
Ren leaned back slightly as she suddenly invaded his space, a bemused smile tugging at his lips.
"I made those up, remember?" He replied with a chuckle.
That seemed to snap her back into reality. Her eyes went wide for a second, and then her entire face turned the faintest shade of pink. She took a quick step back, coughed into her fist, and smoothed out her skirt like she could press the embarrassment away.
"A-anyway…" She stammered, the accent vanishing like it had never existed. "Sorry. Got a little… excited there."
"You don't say." Ren tilted his head, still smiling.
"But I mean it." She said, still flustered but regaining her composure. "I've been reading cards for years, and I have never seen anyone do something like that. How do you do it?"
"I don't know," Ren answered honestly. "But I think a lot of it just comes from your perception of stuff. I've been researching cognition, and well… psychology stuff for a while now. And the answer, more often than not, comes down to how you see things."
He glanced down at the cards still spread across the table.
"Cognition's powerful. Change the way someone sees the world, and their whole life can shift with it. Not overnight, but it starts with a crack. One new thought. One moment where you realize the future isn't set in stone."
"You make it sound easy."
"It's not." Ren answered.
There was a few moments of silence before Chihaya spoke up.
"Still, this reminds me of the last time we talked about this. What was it again you told me about? The Wheel of Fortune?" She asked.
"Always has been."
~Confidants~
Chihaya Mifune (The Fortune) Rank 4 - 5
Munehisa Iwai (The Hanged Man) Rank 3
~A/N~
Y'all would believe how long it took me to figure out a good Tarot spread for Chihaya. But hey, we got there eventually. Hope you all enjoyed it! Also, if you haven't already, go check out my Marvel's Omniversal Traveler story. It's pretty early on at the moment, but I am really happy with how the story is going.