"The place you had to take me was Mementos?" Ryuji asked in confusion as he glanced at the familiar pulsing walls.
"I was wondering. Maybe the Metaverse could help your leg heal?" Ren pondered aloud. "Dia heals even scars."
"It healed a scar on you?"
"What if your leg doesn't heal because you don't believe it can?"
"I doubt that, dude. The cognition shit is impressive and all, but isn't that way too OP?"
"Wanna try?"
Ryuji struggled for a moment before sighing and ultimately agreeing. He didn't get his hopes up, but he appreciated his friend offering.
"Come, High Pixie!"
"Tehehe," a mature, smoky voice sounded in the area. "I'm here, Trickster. Would you like me to try and heal the Chariot?"
Looking to Ryuji and seeing the resolve on his face, Ren hesitated for a moment before ultimately saying yes.
"Okay, Mr. Chariot, I'm going to heal you now, and you're going to be in tip-top shape in no time!"
"Just believe your leg will get better," Ren suddenly said. "Do you really think I'm so great that I can learn to pick a lock in three tries?"
Ryuji was dumbfounded. "Dude, that's not—"
"DIA!" High Pixie interrupted.
Ryuji closed his eyes and focused on his leg, repeating to himself, "It will get better," over and over in his mind, as the captain hummed a sea shanty.
The light faded, and the smell of herbs and disinfectant was swept out of the area by the stagnant air of Mementos.
Ryuji opened his eyes with a confused blink before glancing at his leg in shock.
"Dude, it actually kinda feels better."
Ren's jaw dropped. This stuff could even heal permanent injuries?
"No, it's not that much better," Ryuji mumbled. "But I can definitely put more weight on it than before!!"
"Sounds like there might be something the doctors missed. Should I ask Dr. Takemi if she could examine you?"
"The hot goth doctor? Hell yeah, dude!"
Ren looked at him with pity.
---
The next day
Arriving at Shujin, Ren noticed Orihime and Ryuji standing together by the vending machine. Ryuji was making exaggerated motions, and Orihime's eyes were practically sparkling.
"So the kid with the butt-chin was saved?"
"Don't trick her with a scene from an anime!" Ann snapped as she chopped Ryuji on the head with her hand.
"Ouch! Where did you even come from?!" Ryuji grunted.
"I could hear you from inside the school!"
Ren approached, giving a clap.
"'The kid with the butt-chin' was not something I was expecting to hear come from the mouth of a high school girl today."
"Ren, don't encourage it!"
---
Ren was actually paying attention in class today. The teacher had been talking about psychology, so it drew his attention. Unfortunately, it was simply an explanation for a trick question she had asked, so Ren quickly lost interest.
'Why do I need to take Japanese? I speak it. I've been writing it my entire life,' he mentally complained.
'Prose is hard to grasp if you only know the basics, He Ho!'
'....what?'
---
The team decided to head to the movies, seeing as it was a Saturday evening and Ren had new freedom to wander.
They, of course, invited their new friend along, who was bouncing in excitement to hear they were seeing Featherman!
---
A dark room
"JEALOUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!"
---
Orihime nearly exploded with happiness, clinging to Ren without any shame and demanding he introduce her when she found out that he knew the actor who played Feather Pink!!
---
A dark room
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
---
The movie ended up being surprisingly good for a tokusatsu! Ren was pleased with the choice. He had secretly liked Featherman for years.
The team began to wander around the park as it cleared out, laughing and joking the whole time. It was a peaceful evening.
The team sat in the grass and on rocks near the pond and watched the sun set.
"What a nice day today has been," Shiho smiled.
The park was quiet, and it seemed they were the only ones still around.
"We're going to have to head somewhere else soon. This place has a curfew, right?" Morgana mumbled. He was upset he had been treated as a cat the entire day! Him! The great Morgana!
BOOM!
The group snapped to awareness, instinctively taking battle stances.
"What was that?!" Shiho asked, looking around.
"No effin' way, it's a Shadow!" Ryuji shouted, rushing forward.
"Joker! With me!" Ryuji called out.
"Roger."
Ren glanced at the girls before tapping his chest where his coat's breast pocket was.
"Protect her."
Ann and Shiho both grabbed their bags and slung them over their shoulders, one hand within them as they looked around.
ROARRRR!!!
An absolutely massive Shadow appeared, taller than most skyscrapers.
"What the fuck is that?!?" Ryuji yelled.
Ren caught up not long after and looked up.
The mask was strange. It had a huge long nose, and it was bone white. There was nothing about this Shadow that felt like a Shadow at all. Not to mention the huge hole in its chest.
"This thing is going to kill people if we don't do something," Ren grunted in frustration.
"Joker, will these Evokers work for real?" Ann asked in a panic as the three girls caught up and looked at the monster ahead.
ROARRRRRRRR!
Orihime went pale.
"No. These things are dangerous!!!" she yelled.
As she yelled that, everyone else pulled out their Evokers, pointing them at their temples.
"PERSONA!"
But before they could activate them, they were knocked out cold.
"Whew."
A beautiful dark-skinned woman appeared in a flicker.
"Why the hell are these kids aiming guns at their heads?"
She growled in frustration, then looked up at the monster.
"Fucking Hollow bait," she spat as she sliced the monster in half.
---